Here's what Salman was reading in jail

It was in Meher Baba's God Speaks that Salman Khan found solace. We highlight the essential takeaways from the book, which details the journey of the soul from the time of its creation until it has completed

In the beginning…
In the beginning, the soul has no impression (sanskaras) and no consciousness. At this stage or in this state, the soul has no gross form or body, subtle body or mental body, because only the existence of gross, subtle and mental impressions (sanskaras) can give existence to gross, subtle and mental bodies, and only the existence of these bodies can make possible the existence of gross, subtle and mental worlds.

Hence, in the beginning, the soul had no consciousness of gross, subtle and mental bodies and was also unconscious of its own self, and the soul then naturally had no experience of the gross, subtle and mental worlds and also had no experience of the Over-Soul (Paramatama). This infinite, impressionless, unconscious tranquil state of the soul reverberated with an impulse which we call the FIRST URGE.

The Kingdom of Animals
To achieve complete development of consciousness in the human form, the evolutionary process has to take seven major leaps from stone to human forms, each possessing different characteristics. The animal-state is just below the human-state in the hierarchy.

The animal form brings to consciousness further expansion since it can yield new experiences through the greater varieties existing in the kingdom of animals. Endowed with life, sensation and the power of voluntary locomotion, quadrupled animals have to face a struggle for existence and survival.

They are sometimes herbivorous and sometimes carnivorous. Animal consciousness does not assert its existence in the gross world through erect or upright posture, but has a tendency to look downwards with drooping heads. Apes, however, are the most evolved type of animals, and they tend to stand erect like human beings.

Reincarnation of the Animal-state
During the course of evolution of its consciousness, the soul (atma) while consciously identifying itself with varied, finite and gross forms, was also simultaneously, though unconsciously, which associated with the soul in compact, homogenous alliance throughout the course of evolution of consciousness right from the first urge.

Together with the evolution of higher and greater consciousness of soul, the evolution of finite subtle form also takes place to fortify the soul with greater finite energy to incline the consciousness of the more and more gross-conscious soul to identify itself with higher types of finite forms.

In the animal form, this instinct is fully manifested as one of the finite aspects of one of the finite mental forms of the soul. Gradually, this instinct is further and completely transformed into intellect, this being the highest finite aspect of the gross-conscious human-form of the gross-conscious human soul experiencing the gross world.

Excerpts published with permission from Meher Nazar Books, Avatar Meher Baba Trust, Ahmednagar