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From
the examples given above, it will be clear how egoity,
soul, witness, and All-witness come to be identified.
Just as in the wax-lump that is with the smith numerous
and varied metal particles lie included and all of them
appear to be one wax-lump, so also in deep sleep the
gross and subtle bodies of all the individual souls
are included in the cosmic maya which is nescience,
of the nature of sheer darkness, and since the souls
are resolved in the Self becoming one with it, they
see everywhere darkness alone. From the darkness of
sleep, the subtle body, viz. egoity, and from that (egoity)
the gross body arise respectively. Even as the egoity
arises, it appears superimposed on the nature of the
Self, like the heated iron ball. Thus, without the soul
(jiva) which is the mind or egoity that is conjoined
with the Consciousness-light, there is no witness of
the soul, viz. the Self, and without the Self there
is no Brahman that is the All-witness. Just as when
the iron ball is beaten into various shapes by the smith,
the fire that is in it does not change thereby in any
manner, even so the soul may be involved in ever so
many experiences and undergo pleasures and pains, and
yet the Self-light that is in it does not change in
the least thereby, and like the ether it is the all-pervasive
pure knowledge that is one, and it shines in the heart
as Brahman.
Copyright
Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai, India.
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