Atmasiddhi Shastra by Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshji

Author:Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshji
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: null
Publisher: HarperCollins India
Published: 2021-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

VERSE - 70

No substance is completely destroyed

Of all the rational solutions given by the Guru regarding the eternal nature of the soul, this concluding verse is the pinnacle. He rebuts the false belief of momentariness and establishes the existence of the soul in all three periods of time. The Guru says -

ક્યારે કોઈ વસ્તુનો, કેવળ હોય ન નાશ;

ચેતન પામે નાશ તો, કેમાં ભળે તપાસ. ||૭૦||

Kyāre koi vastuno, keval hoi na nāsh;

Chetan pāmey nāsh toh, kemā bhaley tapās. ||70||

Kyāre - ever; koi - any; vastuno - substance; keval - completely; hoi - is; na - not; nāsh - destroyed; chetan - soul; pāmey - gets; nāsh - destroyed; toh - then; kemā - in what; bhaley - merges; tapās - examine

MEANING

No substance can ever be completely destroyed. Examine what the soul will merge into, if it is destroyed.

EXPLANATION

In this verse, the Guru very skilfully proves the eternal existence of the soul by drawing the disciple’s attention to the universal law applicable to every substance. He expresses a timeless principle which is as scientific as it is spiritual. It is an undisputed truth that substance or matter can never be created or destroyed. It only changes forms. The creation and destruction that one sees are only of the various states, not of the substance.

It is observed that a pot breaks into shards, a cloth tears into pieces, a building collapses into rubble. However, no substance is ever completely destroyed. It only undergoes a transformation. When a clay pot breaks, its shape is destroyed. However, the clay itself is not destroyed. The particles of clay which were originally together in the form of a pot, remain the same even after they have been separated. Similarly, when any substance is destroyed, it changes its form. The substance itself is not completely destroyed. The original substance never disappears. A substance destroyed in one form certainly manifests in another form. It is never absolutely destroyed. It is present forever.

Just as an inanimate substance is not completely destroyed, the soul too is not destroyed. To emphasise this, the Guru asks the disciple to observe what form the soul merges into after its destruction. Contemplating upon this reveals that the soul does not merge into anything and is never completely destroyed. It changes states but remains constant in its own nature. Although it undergoes modifications, it does not get modified into something of another nature. Since the soul is not a product of association, it is a natural substance. It is never created or destroyed. It is without beginning or end. It is eternal.

Thus, the Guru imparted a logical understanding to the disciple from verse 62 until this concluding verse 70, of the second fundamental, and established the eternal nature of the soul. By reflecting upon the solutions given by the Guru, based on logic, experience and inference, the disciple realises the fallacy and inadequacy of his arguments. His doubt regarding the eternal nature of the soul stands uprooted. He now gains an understanding of the truth that the soul is uncreated and indestructible.

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