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DISCOURSE 23
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your own soul. Give up thinking of others. Realize the undistorted and pure form of your soul. If you free yourself from thinking of others, you will be able to contemplate and meditate upon your soul in this manner. Otherwise, your mind will range towards others.
THE SOUL HAS TWO FORMS
Viz, the distorted and the undistorted forms. The Jivatma becomes distorted because of the influence of ignorance, infatuation, attachments, hatred and physical and sensual aberrations. "I possess a fascinating appearance. I have beauty or handsomeness. I am wealthy. I am the father -- I am the husband ! I am the son ! I am strong and powerful! I am intelligent ! etc." constitute distortion. Though you become thus distorted, you can contemplate on the pure and undistorted form of your soul. Though a man is poor, he forgets himself imagining himself to be a man of affluence. Though a man may be weak, he keeps imagining himself to be strong and powerful. Similarly, though a man is distorted, he can, for some moments, contemplate on the undistorted and original form of his soul.
"I am enlightened! I am a Vitarag! I am formless! I am immutable and imperishable! I am bodiless! I am infinite. I am without a body! I am perfect! I am awakened! I am liberated! I am neither the cause nor the enjoyer of the emotions and thoughts of others. I am the cause and creator of my thoughts and feelings ! I am the enjoyer and sufferer of the fruits of my thoughts and emotions! I am a treasure-house of infinite power and tremendous potentialities !"
Do you think thus ? Do you contemplate and meditate upon yourself thus ?
From the Audience : We have not contemplated and meditated upon ourselves, at any time, in our lives. It appears very difficult to engage ourselves in such contemplation.
Maharajashri : What you have not done at any time, you
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