Truth is one but its expressions are many. It is so because at the time one realises the truth, the mind is not present; and when One speaks of it, His mind is active. Due to this there occurs a difference in the way truth is conveyed. However, whenever anyone realises the truth, it is the same.

The soul is the same for all, but bodies are different. The mind too is not the same for all. The differences in the body and the mind make all of us distinct. Existence is the same, but the individual identity is quite different. Water takes the shape of the vessel it is poured in. Likewise, when truth descends into individuals it gets moulded differently.

Truth is like water; it has no form or colour. If rainwater falls in a river, it takes the shape of the river and flows; if it falls in a lake, it assumes the form of the lake and rests there; if it falls in an ocean, it becomes the ocean, and if it falls in a ditch, it becomes sludge. Differences are seen when the truth expresses through different forms. Expressions of the truth depend on personal identity, but the truth is independent of the person.

One River, Many Ghats

The Ganges originates from Gangotri. Before it meets with the ocean at Gangasagar, it travels over a thousand miles through many towns and villages having many ghats. A ghat is a broad flight of steps leading down to a river. This analogy of river and ghat is worth understanding. Crossing a river becomes easy by going down a ghat and getting aboard a boat. Without a ghat, it is difficult.

Another word for ghat is tirtha, a place of pilgrimage. The maker of the tirtha is a Tirthankar. The Enlightened Ones create ghats, that is, give the path to enlightenment. The creation of such ghats is inevitable. But do not mistake a ghat to be the river. If you remember this, then ghat becomes useful. Enter the river from the ghat that you feel is easy for you. However, do not get attached to the ghat. Attachment to the ghat is a hindrance for stepping into the river. Eventually, you will have to leave the ghat to accomplish the goal of entering the river.

Scriptures are like ghats. They are beneficial for reaching the river of enlightenment, and one should always remain in gratitude for their contribution. However, one should not become attached to them because that hinders your progress. It makes you forget your goal, and you take the means to be the goal.

Shri Atmasiddhi Shastra is a ghat. All those aspirants who have reached this ghat to enter the river have realised its importance and eulogised it. It is the essence of all the scriptures. The words are nectarlike, heart touching. If you keep your heart open, then like sown seeds, they will sprout and yield the fruit of Self-realisation and eventually that of liberation. Hence, they are worth living and should not be kept for mere listening or thinking. The teaching therein gives a complete vision of the path of liberation. There is nothing left unsaid.

Poetry and Scripture

Poetry is a close observation of life. The poetry that shows the path of higher living becomes outstanding. In the core of any great poet is the height of his wisdom and the profundity of his heart. The depth of the subject matter is rendered concisely and cogently with utmost simplicity, beautifully and efficiently so as to guide how one should live, and to inspire others on the path of progress.

The best of the poems arises from deep contemplation and profound experience. It does not provide joy alone but also paints a picture of life. Shri Atmasiddhi Shastra is one such poem. Param Krupalu Dev, in this scripture, has pronounced deep deliberation about the soul from various viewpoints in the form of questions and answers. He has fulfilled the arduous task of presenting beliefs of different schools of thought and of weaving in spirituality. He has presented with a concise and complete path of liberation through this scripture, which is in the form of a poem.

Consciousness Embodied in Matter

One form of art is that through which manifests the hidden idol from a stone. Another form of art is that by which music emerges from a musical instrument. In the same way, spirituality is the art that awakens the sleeping soul in a man. One who understands this art knows what religion is. No one becomes religious by taking birth as a Hindu, Muslim or Jain. Neither does one becomes religious by worshipping or praying in a temple, mosque or derasar. Until one realises and manifests consciousness in a body, none can be called religious.

Religion is an art because the most important search in the world is that of finding the divine Self. He alone is alive who realises the Self, who knows That which is latent within. The others are deluded and feel that they are alive. There is running around but no life.

Param Krupalu Dev is one of the rare Enlightened Beings who has not only realised the Self but has also expounded the nature of the truth and the path to attain it. He has brought the wordless into words, described the indescribable, gave form to the formless so that you can comprehend the incomprehensible Self.

Wondrous Teachings

Fire is latent in a flint stone, but it manifests when the flint stone strikes with another one. In the same way, the light of realisation will manifest when your deep yearning for liberation strikes with the teachings of Shri Atmasiddhi Shastra.

Do not miss this opportunity. Do not just listen to these unprecedented teachings. If you listen to these words casually, then you will not attain the truth. Only when you listen wholeheartedly, when you contemplate upon it deeply, will you yield spiritual fruits of Self-awareness and abidance therein.

For realisation, you will have to earnestly contemplate and meditate over it with a deep yearning and unwavering faith. It all depends on you. Many Enlightened Ones have come and gone, and many scriptures have been studied; yet, you have remained the same – wandering in the darkness of ignorance.

Benefits of Satsang and Study of Scriptures

The Enlightened Master shows the way, but you must tread the path yourself. Talking about food or water cannot appease your hunger or thirst, but it can inspire you to search for them. The purpose of satsang is to make your yearning so intense that seeking Self-realisation becomes your only priority.

The benefit of the Master’s teachings and study of the scriptures is that the quest for Self-realisation begins. The yearning becomes so strong that all desires and tendencies get vanquished. May you embark on the journey of inwardness through the study of Shri Atmasiddhi Shastra. May the strength of the divinity of the Enlightened Masters bring success in your spiritual endeavour.