What is the root cause of bondage and what can we do to overcome it? Bhagawan lovingly guides us step by step.
When the Sun rises, darkness, as well as the troubles arising from it, disappear. Similarly, for those who have realised the Atma, there is no more bondage and no more sorrow that arises from bondage. Delusion comes only to those who forget their bearings, and egotism is the greatest factor in making people forget their very basic truth. Once egotism enters people, they slip from the ideal and precipitate themselves from the top of the stairs, in quick falls from step to step, down to the very bottom floor. Egotism breeds schisms, hatreds, and attachments. Through attachments and affection, and even envy and hatred, one plunges into activity and gets immersed in the world. This leads to embodiment in the physical frame and further egotism. In order to become free from the twin pulls of pleasure and pain, one must rid oneself of the body-consciousness and keep clear of self-centred actions.
– Jnana Vahini, Ch 4.
