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Istopadeśa - The Golden Discourse
substances. The question of deriving pleasure or pain from these substances does not arise.
The greatest obstacle in the way of spiritual progress of the soul is delusion which is due to its association with karmas. The soul's pure faculties of faith, knowledge and conduct get perverted; its understanding of what is desirable and what is not gets clouded. As soon as delusion is liquidated, the soul is fit to regain its purity. On the removal of delusion, riddance of the soul from all extraneous substances becomes easy. Realization dawns that nothing but the pure soul is the truly worthy object to reflect and meditate upon.
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