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DISCOURSE 87
Have you understood this? The ninety eight brothers approached the Gurudev. They explained to him the actual situation. Bhagavan Rishabhdev was enlightened. He had attained kevaljnan. He could understand the thoughts in the minds of his ninety-eight children. Yet the ninety-eight brothers narrated to him the entire story. The Bhagavan said to them:
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"Noble young men ! You think that Bharatha is your enemy because he seems to you to be trying to take away your independence. You do not like dependence. Very well. No one likes dependence. But I will explain to you the meaning of dependence and independence.
Your souls are bound by countless karmas. They are bound with anger, pride, deception and avarice born out of your karmas. The jiva keeps dancing to the tunes of karma. Karma brings about attachments and hatred; it brings about joys and sorrows; it brings about health or ill-health. It makes people poor or wealthy. It makes people weep or laugh. It gives human beings beauty or ugliness. It is by means of karmas that men get fame or blame; prosperity or adversity. Now, you tell me whether you are dependent or independent. Your souls are imprisoned in your bodies. Your souls are free, no doubt. On account of the effect of karmas, they are in bondage.
If you really want independence or freedom, you fight against your karmas and attain freedom from them. Fighting against Bharat is futile. Kingdoms and the sway over kingdoms are futile, short-lived and transient. Bharat himself is in bondage. How can he make you dependent? His karma is compelling him to dance according to its tunes. Do not waste your precious human life in such futile and pointless wars. You must treat this human life as a battle-field on which you must fight and rout your karmas from your souls".
The ninety-eight brothers heard the exhortation of the Bhagawan with deep concentration. It penetrated their hearts and they began thinking positively about the Bhagawan's exhortations. They also began to experience spiritual delight.
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