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Shri Mahavir Jain Aradhana Kendra
www.kobatirth.org
Acharya Shri Kailashsagarsuri Gyanmandir
370
Ātman and Moksa
not to be seen again; so Nature also — even more modest than such a lady - having once been seen by the Purusa (spirit) will in no case show herself again."! It clearly implies that when once the Prakřti is minutely observed and its real nature is thoroughly understood by the Puruşa, the Puruşa is never again tempted to be found in its meshes; the Purusa is no more likely to be influenced even by the most tempting display. It goes beyond all such temptations and remains eternally lost in its own grandeur. It remains passive and indifferent (udāsīna-great to all influences. As S. Radhakrishnan describes--"When freed, the Puruşa keeps no company, looks to nothing without itself, and entertains no alien thoughts. It is no longer at the mercy of Prakịti or its products, but stands as a star a part, undisturbed by the earthly cares."? But at the same time it is not an utter void that is reached in liberation. There is escape from suffering in release, but there is no escape from existence itself. In liberation there is not the annihilation of the Praksti, but there is an eternal cessation of the influence of the working of Praksti on the Puruşa. The Puruşa ultimately gazes upon everything without the least perturbance of mind; it stands as the ultimate witness (sāksin), calm and tranquil, with its equanimity and poise unshaken.
The Kārikā describes the final state in the following way -"Possessed of this self-knowledge, soul
1 The Tattva Kaumudi. See Commentary on the above Kārikā, p. 123. 2 S. Radhakrishnan : Indian Philosophy, Vol. II, p. 312,
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