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Stuti
Uplifting to the fallen, like the holy Ganges,
saviour of lost souls, Atmasiddhi,
With knowledge of his past lives and through experience of his soul,
gifted to us today by this great Yogi.
Noble and greatly fortunate Shree Saubhag requested it,
like with Bhagirath, the legendary devotee,
In the land of Charutar, in Nadiad city,
the Lord bestowed his grace upon us completely.
Soul Verses - Atmasiddhi in English
Without understanding my true self, I suffered infinitely.
I revere the divine true Guru, who explained that true self to me. | 1
In the present dark times, the true path to moksha is concealed.
For true seekers to contemplate, here I have it openly revealed. | 2
Some perform rituals mechanically; some engage in dry philosophy.
Seeing them believe this to be the path to moksha, compassion arises in me. | 3
Wallowing in rituals externally, but not inwardly aware,
Rejecting the path of wisdom are called mechanical ritualists here. | 4
“Bondage, moksha are illusory,” they state merely in their words,
Yet their conduct stems from delusion; these are the dry philosophisers. | 5
Detachment and so on are fruitful when combined with experience of the soul.
The very same virtues are needed if experiencing the soul is our goal. | 6
Without detachment and renouncement in one’s heart, the self can’t truly be known,
But one strays from the quest for the soul if one stops at these alone. | 7
Discerning whichever is appropriate, understanding what’s needed in each case,
A genuine seeker of truth, acts accordingly always. | 8
Devoting oneself to a true Guru, casting preconceptions aside,
One attains the ultimate truth, focus on the true self does arise. | 9
Self-realised, equanimous, living to bear fruits of karma accrued,
Unique speech, mastery of all teachings, are the hallmarks of a true Guru. | 10
The benefit we gain from a true living Guru is greater than from a distant Jin.
Without grasping such insight, contemplation of the soul cannot begin. | 11
Without the teaching of a true Guru, Jina’s nature can’t be understood.
Without understanding, what do we gain? Let’s understand and realise Jina-hood. | 12
Scriptures that describe the soul and establish its existence,
Support a worthy seeker in a true Guru’s absence. | 13
Or one should immerse oneself in scriptures the true Guru has advised,
Contemplate them continually, putting prejudice aside. | 14
If one has restrained the hubris “I know best”, attaining moksha is assured.
Infinite souls have attained it this way, says the Jina, completely pure. | 15
In the shelter of a true Guru, the hubris “I know best” is controlled;
Adopting any other means, it increases two-fold. | 16
Renouncing dogma and the hubris “I know best”, acting as per the true Guru’s vision,
Is termed self-realisation as well, as fundamental in its causation. | 17
With hubris, mighty foes like ego just can’t be defeated;
Taking the shelter of a true Guru, with minimal effort, they are beaten. | 18
The one who attains omniscience, by a true Guru’s guidance,
Even if that Guru has yet to attain it, the omniscient Lord pays reverence. | 19
The totally detached, enlightened Lord has declared this path of reverence.
Only a fortunate few understand its deep, spiritual significance. | 20
If an untrue guru, of such reverence, takes advantage of any kind,
They’ll drown in the ocean of rebirth due to the great deluding karma they bind. | 21
One who is a genuine seeker of truth, does such thinking comprehend,
But the self-righteous one misinterprets this thinking for their own ends. | 22
In one who is self-righteous, focus on the soul cannot arise.
Here, the traits of a self-righteous one are impartially described. | 23
The Characteristics of the Self-Righteous
They believe a true Guru as one outwardly renounced, even if not self-realised;
Or they favour a guru from the family tradition, due to a sense of ‘me and mine’. | 24
They perceive the height of a Jina’s body, and splendours such as their assembly,
To describe the essence of a Jina, and fixate their mind on these only. | 25
When in the presence of a true Guru, they simply turn away,
Instead confirming faith in a false guru, showing piety for worldly praise. | 26
Classifying birthplaces like heavenly realms, is seen by them as true teaching,
And they insist that moksha lies in their own sect and its code of dressing. | 27
Blind to the nature of their inner tendencies, they feel pride in observing vows,
Unwilling to accept the ultimate truth, to uphold their worldly status somehow. | 28
Or they adopt the absolutist view but only verbally,
Disregarding righteous observance puts the means to moksha out of reach. | 29
Worthy of neither the state nor the means to enlightenment,
Gaining such a soul’s association, one drowns in embodiment. | 30
Such a soul is self-righteous too, seeking acclaim for themselves.
They fail to attain the ultimate truth due to their unworthiness. | 31
Without inner detachment nor the calming of their passions,
Neither straightforward nor impartial, the self-righteous ones’ tragic condition. | 32
I’ve stated the traits of self-righteousness, so that self-righteousness can be removed.
Now I’ll state the traits of a true seeker, through which inner bliss can ensue. | 33
The Virtues of a True Seeker
Experience of the soul is true monkhood and is the mark of a true Guru;
A false guru even from one’s family tradition isn’t followed by a seeker true. | 34
Encountering a living true Guru, they count themselves supremely graced.
With mind, speech and body in harmony, the Guru’s commandments are embraced. | 35
In all three times, there is only one path that leads to the ultimate.
Observance that inspires the ultimate alone should be adopted. | 36
Contemplating this, they embark upon the quest for a true Guru.
Their only goal is to attain the soul; no other motive taints a seeker true. | 37
One whose passions have been calmed for whom moksha is the only desire,
One who’s tired of rebirth and has compassion for all life is where the true quest for moksha resides. | 38
One can’t connect with a true Guru until such an inner state is reached;
Unable to attain the path to moksha, they can’t cure their inner disease. | 39
When this inner state is achieved, the Guru’s teachings take effect,
Inspiring noble contemplation by which true happiness manifests. | 40
Where noble contemplation manifests, so does self-realisation,
Through which one’s delusion is destroyed, and one attains the state of liberation. | 41
To help understand the path to moksha and inspire noble contemplation,
I state here the six affirmations through a Guru-disciple conversation. | 42
The Six Affirmations
The soul exists, it’s eternal, and it’s the author of its own karma,
It bears the fruit of this karma, moksha exists and the means to moksha is true dharma. | 43
The six affirmations stated briefly here, are the six philosophies too.
Great saints have described them, to explain the ultimate truth. | 44
1. The Disciple Doubts the Existence of the Soul
It isn’t visible to the eye, nor can its form be witnessed.
There is no other experience of it, so soul cannot exist. | 45
Otherwise, the soul is just the body, or is the senses or the breath.
With no differentiating trait, it’s wrong to think of it as separate. | 46
Moreover, if the soul does exist, why can it not be known?
If it does exist, it should be knowable, like pots and cloth and so on. | 47
So, the soul cannot exist and striving for moksha is futile.
Please show me how to truly resolve this inner doubt of mine. | 48
1. The True Guru Affirms the Existence of the Soul
We’ve felt that the body and the soul are the same, due to false identity.
But they are both totally distinct, as is evident from their properties. | 49
We’ve felt that the body and the soul are the same, due to false identity,
But they are both totally distinct, like sword and sheath are separate entities. | 50
The seer that is behind the vision, the one who recognises form,
By eliminating everything else, remaining at the end is the soul. | 51
Each of the senses has experience of the objects of its own sense.
The objects of all five senses combined, are perceived in the soul’s awareness. | 52
The body does not know the soul nor do the senses nor the breath.
Know that the presence of the soul empowers them. Without it, they are lifeless. | 53
In every state, the soul is always known to be distinct,
Evidently charged with consciousness, its ever-present characteristic. | 54
You know of pots and cloth and so on so take their existence as fact,
But you don’t believe in the knower of them: what kind of knowledge is that? | 55
Great intelligence in a small body, less in a larger one;
If the soul were indeed the body, then such anomalies wouldn’t happen. | 56
Lifeless matter and consciousness are manifestly distinct by nature.
They can never both become one, their duality prevails forever. | 57
The soul itself doubts its very own existence,
That the soul is the very one who doubts astonishes beyond measure! | 58
2. The Disciple Doubts that the Soul is Eternal
You’ve stated much evidence of the existence of the soul.
I can accept that the soul exists, thinking deeply on it all. | 59
But the soul can’t be eternal. This is the second doubt I’d like to raise:
The soul arises when the body is formed and ends when it disintegrates. | 60
Otherwise the soul is momentary, changing from one moment to the next.
That experience also suggests the soul’s impermanence. | 61
2. The True Guru Affirms that the Soul is Eternal
The body is just a composite; it is material, visible and lifeless:
Whose experience can establish the beginning and end of consciousness? | 6
The one on whom we rely to observe the body’s beginning and end,
Must be totally distinct from the body in order to truly witness them. | 63
Whatever composite objects we see, are seen in the soul’s experience.
Not itself arising from any combination, the soul is ever-present. | 64
Consciousness arising from lifeless matter or matter from consciousness,
Has never ever been the object of anyone’s experience. | 65
The one that does not arise from any combination,
Can never be destroyed. It’s eternal by implication. | 66
Snakes and other beings inherit tendencies such as being angry,
As traces from their previous life, establishing the soul’s eternity. | 67
As a substance the soul is eternal, but its states continually alter.
Childhood, youth, old age; all three are known by a single knower. | 68
The knower that has the knowledge that something is momentary,
Can’t themselves be momentary, conclude this experientially. | 69
A substance can never ever be destroyed completely without trace.
If consciousness ceases to be, contemplate: what new form would it take? | 70
3. The Disciple Doubts that the Soul Authors Karma
The soul does not author karma, or karma is created by karma,
Or it arises naturally, or karma is the soul’s innate dharma. | 71
The soul is ever free, while bondage is created by nature;
Otherwise God inspires karma, and so the soul is unfettered. | 72
Therefore, there is no purpose in seeking the path to moksha:
Either authorship of karma does not exist or is never lost. | 73
3. The True Guru Affirms that the Soul Authors Karma
If consciousness isn’t the inspirer, then who attracts karma?
Lifeless matter cannot inspire; just contemplate on both of their natures. | 74
If consciousness doesn’t author it, then karma is not created.
So karma does not arise naturally, nor is it the soul’s intrinsic nature. | 75
If the soul is totally unbound, why has it not been recognised?
It’s unbound from the ultimate perspective, but only known when self-realised. | 76
There is no God that creates karma; God’s nature is totally pure,
But if God is considered to inspire karma, such a motive would make God impure. | 77
If consciousness is immersed in experiencing itself, it authors its own pure nature,
When not experiencing itself, it authors inclinations which induce karma. | 78
4. The Disciple Doubts that the Soul Bears the Fruits of its Karma
Accepting that the soul authors karma, it surely can’t experience its fruits;
What can lifeless karma understand for effects to be produced? | 79
Accepting God as giving fruits of karma, the soul enduring them makes sense,
But if we say this about God, then God loses all Godliness. | 80
If we conclude that there is no such God, there’d be no order in the universe,
There’d be no set location for the fruits of good and bad karma to be experienced. | 81
4. The True Guru Affirms that the Soul Bears the Fruits of its Karma
Inclinations causing karma are the soul’s own delusion, so they are conscious in form.
The resulting vibrations in the soul’s aura cause material karma to be drawn. | 82
Poison and nectar don’t understand, but bear fruit when they are consumed.
So, the effects of good and bad karma can be similarly assumed. | 83
One a pauper and one a king, and other such disparities;
There’s no effect without a cause, good and bad karma are the cause of these. | 84
Considering God as the giver of fruit, is not a belief that is needed;
Effects are produced as per the karma’s nature. When endured, the karma is shed. | 85
There’s a set location to experience the fruition of each karma bound.
Dear disciple, I’ve summarised here a topic that’s deeply profound. | 86
5. The Disciple Doubts that Moksha Exists
The soul authors and endures karma, yet moksha cannot be attained;
Infinite time has elapsed, yet the flaws which bind it remain. | 87
Doing good, we enjoy fruits in places such as the heavenly realms,
There’s nowhere we are karma-free since doing bad, we suffer in hell. | 88
5. The True Guru Affirms that Moksha Exists
Just as the fruitfulness of good and bad karma has been shown,
Refraining from karma is fruitful too. So moksha exists, oh astute one. | 89
Infinite time has passed where the soul has authored good and bad karma.
Moksha arises when we refrain from good and bad altogether. | 90
Completely free from association including with the body,
A liberated soul in eternal moksha, enjoys its own bliss, unendingly. | 91
6. The Disciple Doubts that a Means to Moksha Exists
Even if moksha exists, there’s no indisputable means,
How can karma bound from infinite time be wiped completely clean? | 92
Or many sects and philosophies describe various different means;
I cannot determine which of these paths to believe. | 93
From which caste is moksha attained? And in which form of dress?
The true path can’t be determined with so many distinctions to assess. | 94
From all this we can deduce: There can’t be a path to moksha.
So what is the benefit in knowing about the soul and so on? | 95
Your responses to my five doubts have resolved them totally,
If I only understood the path to moksha, I’d be fortunate, fortunate truly. | 96
6. The True Guru Affirms that a Means to Moksha Exists
You’ve gained faith in the soul through the five given replies,
With similar ease, you’ll find that your faith in the path to moksha will arise. | 97
Karmic tendency is ignorance. Liberation is residing in the self.
By the light of wisdom, is the darkness of ignorance dispelled. | 98
That which causes karma to be bound, is the very path of bondage.
The state destroying these causes is the path to moksha, ending embodiment. | 99
Attachment, aversion and ignorance form the main karma-binding knot.
Freeing oneself of these three is the very path to moksha. | 100
The soul is eternal consciousness, from all delusions, free.
By which this pure state is attained is the path to moksha; its means. | 101
The types of karma are infinite, of these the main are eight.
Of these, the main is deluding karma, which I’ll teach you how to eliminate. | 102
There are two types of deluding karma: perception and conduct-deluding,
Imparted wisdom, total equanimous detachment, are means to overcome them surely. | 103
Karma bound by passions like anger is destroyed by virtues like forgiveness.
Everyone’s personal experience agrees: where’s the room for doubt in this? | 104
Casting away insistence and false ideas of philosophy and sect,
The one who adopts the path prescribed, will have very few rebirths left. | 105
Having contemplated the six affirmations, six sets of questions were posed.
When all six affirmations are considered together, they constitute the path to moksha. | 106
Caste and dress are immaterial, if one walks on the path explained.
One who strives this way attains liberation, where no distinctions remain. | 107
One whose passions have been calmed, for whom moksha is the only desire,
They’re tired of rebirth, have inward compassion. This defines one who truly aspires. | 108
With a true Guru’s wisdom, when such an aspirant is blessed,
They attain the state of samkit, with a focus on their inner quest. | 109
Renouncing insistence on dogma and sect, with conduct as per the true Guru’s vision,
One attains pure samkit, free from distinctions and division. | 110
When one’s true nature is experienced, and focus and faith are held in it,
As the ray of attention is directed to the self, that is the highest order of samkit. | 111
Deluded ignorance ceases as the samkit intensifies;
Soul resides within; detached and totally equanimous true conduct does arise. | 112
When one experiences only one’s true nature continually,
This is called omniscience – liberation while embodied. | 113
Just as the dream of a million years ends when we awaken,
So, our delusion from beginningless time ends with self-realisation. | 114
When you stop identifying with the body, you no longer author karma,
And you don’t endure its fruits. This is the mystical essence of dharma. | 115
This very dharma leads to moksha; your very nature is moksha itself,
You are infinite perception and infinite awareness, and your bliss is boundless. | 116
Pure, enlightened, charged with consciousness, self-luminous, abode of bliss,
How much more can be said? Contemplate to realise this. | 117
The realisations of all great saints concur and are contained in this.
Stating this, he rested silently in effortless enlightened bliss. | 118
The Disciple Attains the Seed of Enlightenment
By the true Guru’s imparted word, unprecedented insight has emanated.
My true nature realised in the self, ignorance has been eliminated. | 119
I realised my true nature to be pure consciousness,
Distinct from the body, immortal, indestructible, and ageless. | 120
The soul authors and endures karma, when attention flows externally,
Once attention flowed within, authorship of karma ceased. | 121
Or now authorship and experience are of its pure consciousness,
Experiencing within itself its natural still awareness. | 122
Moksha is defined as soul’s purity. The true path is by which it is attained.
The entire path of the unfettered ones has been concisely explained. | 123
Oh! My true Guru, ocean of boundless compassion,
You’ve bestowed your amazing grace on this lowly one. | 124
What can I offer at your feet, Oh Lord? All is trifling compared to the soul,
And that too you have given to me. At your lotus feet, I surrender my all. | 125
From today, may my body, may my all be devoted to you, my Lord.
I am a servant, a servant, a humble servant of my Lord. | 126
You’ve shown that the soul is distinct from the body, through the six affirmations you explained,
In the same way that the sword is distinct from its sheath, this is your immeasurable grace! | 127
Concluding Summary
All six schools of philosophy are embraced in these six affirmations,
There remains no doubt about this at all, upon extensive reflection. | 128
There’s no illness like self-delusion; the true Guru is the healer, for sure.
There’s no regimen like the Guru’s instructions; thought and meditation are the best cure. | 129
If you seek the ultimate, then genuine efforts must be made;
Don’t use your circumstances as an excuse; else the quest for the soul, you’ll forsake. | 130
Listening to the absolutist view, the means must not be rejected,
Keeping the absolutist view in mind, the means should still be practised. | 131
The absolutist view hasn’t been prescribed in isolation,
Nor has the conventional view. Adopt them both in combination. | 132
Imagined notions of the various sects can’t count as righteous observance.
With no experience of one’s true self, that absolutist view lacks essence. | 133
For self-realised saints of the past, and for those in the present,
For those in the future, too, the path is never different. | 134
All souls can be like liberated souls. Those who understand attain that state.
Contemplating Jina’s nature and the Guru’s commands, are instrumental for one to liberate. | 135
One who rejects instrumental causes, asserting innate causation,
Can’t attain the state of the liberated ones and remains in a state of delusion. | 136
Feigning wisdom in their speech but gripped by delusion inside,
Such a lowly soul is betraying the truly self-realised. | 137
Compassion, truth, equanimity, forgiveness, renunciation, peace,
And detachment are always alive in the heart of one who truly seeks. | 138
Where delusion has been destroyed or is in a state of suppression,
This defines the self-realised state; others claiming this state are mistaken. | 139
One who sees the whole world as defiled, or views it as a dream,
This describes one who’s self-realised; all others have mere book learning. | 140
Contemplating the first five affirmations with conduct according to the sixth,
One attains the fifth affirmation. Why would any doubt exist? | 141
Whose inner state is as though they have no body, despite an embodied outer state,
Let us pay homage endlessly at the feet of that enlightened saint. | 142
For Shree Saubhag and Shree Achal, and for those who seek moksha as a goal,
I’ve imparted the means to happiness for the upliftment of worthy souls.
The means to the state of the enlightened one, have been stated concisely.
And all six schools of philosophy stated briefly yet precisely.
Supreme Lord, my true Guru, perfect wisdom, abode of bliss,
To the one who showed me my true self may my veneration be endless.
Whose inner state is as though they have no body, despite an embodied outer state,
Let us pay homage endlessly at the feet of that enlightened saint.