Acharya Mahashraman
Once a disciple went to his Guru and asked politely, 'Gurudev! I am curious to know who does actually die? the body or the soul. The body remains after death and even soul also exists somewhere. Then what actually dies?' Solving his question Guru said, 'neither the body dies nor the soul. It is the termination of the connection between the body and soul. The soul and body both are completely distinct. The soul resides in the body but it is not the body itself. The body is visible while the soul is invisible. The body is material whereas the soul is conscious. The body can be cut and disintegrated while the soul can never be.
The biggest obstacle in acceptance of the existence of the soul is its intangibility. Generally, man's consciousness lives at the level of sense-organs and incorporeal soul cannot become the subject to sense-perception. King Pradeshi was also doubtful regarding the existence of the soul. He believed that the soul and body are not two different entities but are in fact inseparable. Acharya Kumarshraman Keshi verified the existence of both through various logics. After a long discussion King Pradeshi said, 'My lord! You are expert, endowed with a brilliant wisdom and a master in discourses. Are you able to show me the soul by taking it out from the body as this amla (Indian Gooseberry) is in my palm?' At that moment the air was blowing.
Kumarshraman Keshi -Do you see these moving plants?
Pradeshi - Oh yes.
Kumarshraman Keshi - Who is moving them?
Pradeshi - the air.
Kumarshraman Keshi - Can you see the air?
Pradeshi - no.
Kumarshraman Keshi- When you are not able to see the air which has colour, karma, leshya and body then Pradeshi! How can I show the soul, which is intangible, by taking it out from the body as the amla in your palm?
The soul can only be known but cannot be exposed. It can be realized but cannot be revealed. The soul can be experienced but not be expressed. The obstacles in self-realization are -1 (ego) and Mine (attachment). Till the feeling of I & 'Mine' is overcome, the soul cannot be realized. We can find the same fact in 'adhyatm padawali' a composition of Acharya Tulsi.
Mai hoon, tnai hai bhed par, jab jata hai dhyan Sambhav banati hai tabhi atma ki pahchan
We should focus on two statements - 'I am' and 'I exist'. T am'-indicates the labels while 'I exist' indicates the existence. 'Am'- is related to the labels of ego like I am a businessman; I am an employee; I am a manager; I am a scholar etc' It labels T different from other people. We have structured two categories. One is the class of owners and the second is the class of workers. One is the set of scholars and another is of non-scholars. When there is a veil of delusion over the soul then 'ahamatma' (I am) voice comes. As soon as this cover gets removed then 'ayamatma' (I exist) -this voice makes the person experience of the existence of the soul. Man cannot move in the direction of self-realization without destruction of ego and attachment. If one does not try to know the soul the new horizon of self-development cannot be opened. Only the person who is in search of the soul can live the life of peace and Samadhi.
Man has a good amount of knowledge about the world. He keeps thinking of his worldly problems. He indulges in materialistic attractions but does not know about himself. He is unable to untangle the tangled threads of his problems. He never looks inside and never tries to know himself. In spite of being acquainted with entire world he does not know himself.
Once, an astrologer was walking in the night and looking up into the sky. While looking at the moon and stars he fell down in a ditch. He started screaming for help. One old lady heard him crying out. With the support of her hand she pulled him out. Thanking her, the astrologer said - 'Mother! You might be familiar with me. I am a great astrologer from Greece. Whenever you want to know about your future, please visit me.' With a loud laugh the lady responded -'O man! Dispense of your exaggeration! You do not know about your own future and you are talking about the future of others. It's better to know your own future first so that you will not fall into a ditch.'
The point to say here is the one who knows himself can never fall into the ditch of ignorance, delusion, kashay and the more. It is said -'Je egam janai, se sawam janai.' One who knows his soul, knows everyone. Self-realization is the biggest achievement of life. Though it's true that to achieve self-realization is not as easy as it is to talk about it. Gurudev Tulsi has tried to express this fact saying - 'there is one home in which one can stay forever, but difficult to stay. That home is our soul.' Though we cannot perceive the soul through eyes and we cannot touch it; but it does exist for sure. Through sadhana it can be realized and experienced.
