Aptavani-8
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end, and has never had a beginning. So there is never any first
ascendant at all. It is how it is, it is as it always was; it is as it
is. It has been this way for aeons and it will be this way and it
will stay this way forever! It means that it will carry on in the
same way as it has gone on for time immemorial. It will go on
forever.
Questioner: But scientists say the ape was here first.
Dadashri: There was no such ape. Call it an ape or
anything else, but fundamentally, is it not Atma? And it is the
Atma, that is in all yonis (place of creations), as is the non-Self
(anatma). There is the body; the non-Self complex (pudgal)
and there is also the Atma. So there is no such thing as the first
ape. Out of all the innumerable places of birth (yoni), those
living entities (jivas) only enter the particular place of creation
they hold a karmic account (hisaab) with. Otherwise, the Atma
has been in existence from time immemorial, as has the non-Self
(anatma).
Questioner: It is said that a human being is bound to the
worldly life (sansar), because of his past karma. So what kind
of previous bondage did the first humans born on the planet,
bring with them?
Dadashri: There is no first human being to be born.
This world was never born. Anything that has a beginning
certainly has an end. This world is not going to end and in the
same way, it did not come into existence. The world has no
beginning, nor does it have an end (anaadi anant). And all
these humans and every living being in it; are all without
beginning or end (anaadi anant). The living entity (jiva) in the
tree or the minutest organisms are all forever in existence
(anaadi anant- no beginning-no end)! There has never been
an increase or decrease in their number; they are the same in
number as they have always been!
Not a single soul (jiva) has increased and not a single