EDUCATION A Summary of Six Essential Learnings from Shri Atmasiddhi Shastra By Dr. Palakh Jain and Payal Seth
Dr. Palakh Jain is an Associate Professor in the School of Management at Bennett University in Uttar Pradesh, India. A Fellow of IIM- Ahmedabad in Economics area and alumni of Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi, Palakh was awarded Junior Research Fellowship by the UGC in 2005. She has been chosen as the "Exclusive 20 Emerging Female Leaders" from India by “Women in The World Foundation”, New York. Payal Seth is a PhD Scholar at Bennett University and an economics researcher with the TataCornell Institute, Cornell University. Her research interests lay at the intersection of development, health, and behavioral economics. She has published extensively in leading national and international newspapers. Reference: “Shrimad Rajchandraji’s Atmasiddhi Shastra” - A Concise and Complete Commentary by Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshji Shrimad Rajchandraji is a venerated personality who was exceptional with his exposition of Lord Mahavir’s teachings. Honored as the spiritual guru of Mahatma Gandhi, Rajchandraji strived to create an era of spiritual growth for everyone. One of his most significant contributions is Shri Atmasiddhi Shastra, which is a 142-verse poem, composed in a single sitting of about one and half hours. Even copying these lines requires longer! The poem is the clearest and most cogent composition in the odyssey of the soul.
6) There is a Path of Liberation
There is an endless cycle of life and death and we are all caught in it. But is it necessary to be trapped in this cycle? Absolutely not. One can easily break this cycle through liberation, but for this one has to acquire knowledge of the truth. The truth is simply that we are the Soul and to understand this truth, we need to understand the attributes of Soul outlined in its six fundamentals.
Disciple: All the objects that exist in this world
The six fundamental truths related with Soul are: 1) Soul Exists 2) Soul is Eternal 3) Soul is the Doer of Karma 4) Soul is the Receiver of the Fruits of Karma 5) There is Liberation 16
In line with the theme of the book, we summarize these six fundamental truths of the soul in the form of a conversation between a Guru and His Disciple.
First Fundamental: Soul Exists It is only once we accept that the soul exists, does one take the first step to the path of liberation. But the disciple is doubtful. possess the properties of color, smell, taste, etc., and are hence perceived by the senses. Since the soul cannot be seen by eyes or any other senses, there is no empirical proof that it exists. Or, maybe the body, its senses, or breathing itself is identified as the soul because there is no other sign distinguishing one from another. Since its existence is doubtful, the means of liberation are futile. Soul’s independent existence is presented as a logical doubt to the Guru.
Guru: Since infinite births, we have been identifying with the body because of our false belief that we can prove the existence of any substance only by our senses. We need to realize that the existence of the soul can be determined by contemplating its characteristics. When the sword is inside the sheath, it appears as one object. Or just like salt and sugar once mixed cannot be identified as separate from each other to the naked eye. But they can be distinguished by tasting their granules separately. Similarly, the difference between soul and body can be identified through their characteristics. The soul is consciousness or the “knower” of the body; the body is inanimate. The