Selected 100 Letters by Shrimad Rajchandraji

Author(s): Shrimad Rajchandra,
Publisher: Shrimad Rajchandra Prabhavak Trust Hubli

Page 62

SELECTED 100 LETTERS
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SELECTED 100 LETTERS
thinking about it. The wrong contact or occasion of wrong contact weakens the soul's thinking powers. This is an undoubted fact.
By reducing the occasions of beginnings and acquisition, the might of wrong contacts gets weakened, by contacts with spiritual saints and their teachings in their physical absence, the force of wrong contacts gets lost and after this the right contact is strongly desired and right thinking starts and by its progress comes self-knowledge. Self-knowledge manifests the nature of the pure self in the aspirants being and this is liberation from all afflictions and miseries. And this is pure truth.
The living beings sleeping in the condition of utter infatuation are called Amuni or non-monks. Because a monk will always think of his pure self and keep awake in his self-knowledge. Only the sleeping in ignorance is surrounded by fear of all kinds. The ever wakeful soul has no fear of anything. This is said by Shri Jin.
The main purpose of knowing the nature of every substance is only to know correctly and completely his own pure self. If the knowledge of all substances does not lead to a clear knowledge of pure self then it is fruitless.
As one has self-knowledge, to that extent his concentration on the self happens or shines out.
If a person gets self-knowledge he wakes up even for a moment towards his clear distinction between the self and the not self then in such a stage his liberation is not very far.
To the extent a man gets merged or identified with any other object than his pure self, so far is liberation from him.
If in human birth one realizes his pure self, then his human life is invaluable. Mostly without human birth no soul can get self
liberation, knowing it well, one should firmly decide to get selfknowledge in his human birth.
Usually the encirclement of wrong contact and occasions of misunderstanding are so overpowering a man that it is very difficult to arise in him a strong desire for self-knowledge or liberation.
This soul has therefore been totally incapable of self-thinking during his infinite past and even in his present adverse circumstances. In case he starts desiring spiritual contact and succeed in personally meeting a spiritual master, then by his inspiration he can feel hunger for self-knowledge and he can satisfy it by the shelter of his master.
By the way a man feels this world as transitory, fruitless he likes to return to something permanent and eternal, setting aside all allurements to this worldly life. Thus he starts self-reflection and in the end he gets it and enjoys complete freedom.
The more he reflects by his mind on the distinction between a permanent self and a changing fleeting world around him including his own body, the more he desires to be free and is sorry for the time he lived in ignorance of right thinking and understanding. Many ignorant souls do not even take on lesson from the life of men like Janaka king who acted as a king with full knowledge of his permanent self. Therefore a spiritual aspirant should be afraid of spending useless life in sense pleasures and should follow the path of life adopted by the great renounced saints like Shri Jin Vardhaman Mahavira even though Shri Jin was a renounced person from his very birth.
Only due to one's ignorance one experiences attachment and hatred, likes and dislikes. One should inspite of suffering from attachment and hatred, should aspire for complete freedom from worldly life for his living soul and it is only by this strong aspiration