JNANESHW ARI XIII. K ETRA AND ETRAJNA As having no beginning and no Gunas, the Highest Self is not liable to mutation (and so) although situate within Oh Son of Kunti, He does nothing and is affected by nothing. . What is called Supreme Soul is like the Sun, who is not coated with water (even though getting reflected in it). The Sun has already been in existence, Oh Kiliti, both before and after (his) reflection; only he appears to others reflected in water between these two (stages). In that way, it is not true to say that the soul exists in the body. He is permanently there where he is all by himself. Just as, what appears in the mirror as face is only its reflection there, in that way is the habitation of the soul in the body. It is a meaningless talk to affirm that the body and soul meet each other. Could the sand and wind ever meet together? How could fire and cotton be inwoven on a thread? How could the sky and earth be joined together? This connection (between the soul and the body) is like the meeting together of two . . one going to the East and the other to the West. The common feature between the soul and the body is that existing between light and darkness, or between a dead and a living (standing) body, There is the same difference between the-two (soul and body) as that existing between the night and the day or between gold and cotton. The body is formed of the five gross elements and is tied with the rope or thread in the form of actions (of the previous and present lives) and is ever revolving on the wheel of births and deaths, It (body) is (like) a small lump of butter placed in the mouth of the fire in the form of time (spirit ) where it is consumed in a trice. that duration of time as is taken by a fly for shaking its wings. This (body) if it perchance falls into fire will be reduced to ashes but if it gets into the jaws of a dog, it will be transformed into dung. Escaping both these (fates) it will get reduced to a cluster of germs and insects - in short whatever end it may meet with, would be quite repulsive. Such is the condition of the body; while the soul is such that being beginningless, he is eternal and self-same. (He) is neither possessed of quality nor quality-less, and is neither lean nor fat, He is neither felt nor unfelt, neither luminous nor non-luminous, neither minute nor extensive, and he transcends form. He is neither empty nor full, neither alone nor in company, neither with form nor without form and abides in the zero (void) state (which is the negation of all attributes). He is neither joyous nor joyless, neither singular nor plural, neither free nor fettered and exists as self-same. He is neither this much nor that much, neither self-made prior made by any body else, neither talkative nor dumb and is above any characteristic mark, He is neither created along with the universe nor is he exhausted (finished) with the end of the world and is himself the constituent ground and source of both existence and non-existence. He could neither be measured nor described, he neither increases nor decreases, neither fades nor is finished being immutable. Such is the aspect of the soul and those that say, Oh dear, that he dwells in the body, talk of the sky as having the dimensions (as seen through) of a hut (hermitage). Thus his (souls) all pervading nature makes the creation and the end of different bodies possible but he remains unaffected by their varying conditions; he exists (intact) as he is, The day and the night rotate in the sky, and in that way, bodies come and go under the Supremacy of the soul. Therefore even while abiding in the body he neither acts nor causes (anyone) to act; nor does he take upon himself the responsibility of any actions confronting him, remaining quite neutral. Consequently, there is no change in his aspect and even though abiding in the body, is not affected by bodily attributes.
Posted on: Tue, 14 Oct 2014 01:48:39 +0000
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