If thy soul smiles while bathing in the Sunlight of thy Life; if thy soul sings within her chrysalis of flesh and matter; if thy soul weeps inside her castle of illusion; if thy soul struggles to break the silver thread that binds her to the MASTER; know, O Disciple, thy Soul is of the earth.
When to the World's turmoil thy budding soul lends ear; when to the roaring voice of the great illusion thy Soul responds when frightened at the sight of the hot tears of pain, when deafened by the cries of distress, thy soul withdraws like the shy turtle within the carapace of SELFHOOD, learn, O Disciple, of her Silent "God," thy Soul is an unworthy shrine.
Here are some comments on these verses from Fragment 1:
Ahimsa or harmlessness is a major theme in Eastern religions. Fragment 1of the Voice emphasises this attitude to other lives. Fragments 2 & 3 explicitly go beyond doing no harm to being an active helping force.
No joy needs to be avoided, but since it is illusory, there is no point in concerning oneself with whether it goes, stays, is fostered or not fostered. These lower nature thrills are not real. However there is a bliss that is our real nature.
As one may know, man is a composite. The 4 souls cited in this verse refer to the 4 lower principles of man. The smiling soul = prana; the singing soul = physical body; the weeping soul = etheric or astral and the struggling soul = kama-manas or desire-mind. All are of the earth, earthy. The "budding soul" of the next verse is the higher mind. Since it is still only a delicate "bud" and not a fully flowering selfless Adept, this young soul usually will reject altruistic motives for itself.
We all are "shy turtles" early on. When we finally get some confidence that the world around us is illusory and our nature within is divine -- even then self-centeredness rules. Whether a fondness for astral exploration sidetracks us, or we think our personality is as vast as space and god-like -- we are still "caught in the webs of delusion."
HPB's note 7 mentions a technical term used in Buddhism for personality-belief. It is the first fetter on the path to enlightenment.
Before we can understand the nature of others we must look from an impersonal vantage point. We must "discern the ONE," "forsake the region of the false" and attain "the Harmony within." Only then can we -- the Soul -- begin to see ourselves and others clearly.
One of the leading lights of the ULT was BP Wadia. Here are some of his comments on the Voice:
http://theosophy.org/Other%20or%20Uncertai...%20voice_in.htm In her Preface and in a couple of notes, HPB cites
Dnyaneshwari (spelling varies). The translation used in the Voice is from the
Dream of Ravan, a short work by an unknown author which quotes the
Dnyaneshwari within it. This latter work is a long mystic commentary on the
Bhagavad Gita by a young yogi - Sri Jnanadeva - who lived in the 13th century.
Here is a translation of the Gita & his wonderful commentary:
http://www.bvbpune.org/contents1.html