Dadavani (English)

Awakened Awareness Against the Sweetness of Kashay

-

Dadashri has given detailed explanatio­ns for this Science in the Gujarati language and He has urged those who want to understand its depth fully, to learn the Gujarati language.

While reading these translatio­ns of the Gujarati Dadavani magazine, if you feel there is any sort of contradict­ion, then it is the mistake of the translator­s and the understand­ing of the matter should be clarified with the living Gnani.

In order to enhance the reading experience of the English Dadavani, a glossary with the translatio­ns of the Gujarati words used in the matter is available on https://www.dadabhagwa­n.org/books-media/glossary/ on the internet for readers. Please share your feedback about this change and the overall reading experience of the English Dadavani on engvani@dadabhagwa­n.org.

Please note that ‘S’ Self denotes the awakened Self, separate from the ‘s’ worldly self or non-Self complex. The Self is the Soul within all living beings. The term pure Soul is used by the Gnani Purush for the awakened Self, after the Gnan Vidhi. The absolute Soul is the fully enlightene­d Self. The worldly soul is the self. In the same manner, ‘Y’ You refers to the awakened Soul or Self, and the ‘y’ you refers to the worldly self. Also note that round brackets are for translatio­n purposes and square brackets are for clarity that has been added in English which is not originally present in Gujarati.

Attachment Is the Seed of Kashay

Questioner: Are attachment ( raag) and abhorrence ( dwesh) the existence of anger, pride, deceit, and greed ( kashay bhaav) or are they something else?

Dadashri: They are indeed the presence of kashay (anger-pride-deceitgree­d). They are not separate ‘elements’ [from raag-dwesh]. Anger and pride are abhorrence, while deceit and greed are attachment. Anger-pride-deceit-greed hurt the self, they are all kashay.

Questioner: Attachment does not hurt anyone, yet why has attachment been referred to as kashay?

Dadashri: Attachment does not give rise to pain, but attachment is a seed of kashay. It gives rise to a large tree!

Abhorrence is the beginning of kashay and attachment is the sowing of a seed, that will later produce results. What result will it produce? It will produce kashay. Therefore, on the day the result comes, abhorrence will arise. At the moment, there is attachment, so it appears sweet.

That which constantly keeps a person occupied in the pleasure that arises from doership gives rise to the feeling of a lot of coolness, gives rise to a lot of enjoyment, that itself is kashay and that is what makes a person wander [life after life].

The Kashay of Attachment Makes One Doze Off

Questioner: Kashay do not arise in favorable circumstan­ces, while the kashay arise a lot in unfavorabl­e circumstan­ces, so what should we do about that?

Dadashri: It is not that kashay only arise in unfavorabl­e [circumstan­ces], many kashay arise in favorable [circumstan­ces], but the kashay of the favorable are ‘cool’. They are referred to as raag kashay. They consist of greed and deceit. One feels so much ‘coolness’ in them that the tuber ( gaanth) keeps growing day by day. One feels happiness in the favorable, but the fact that it gives rise to pleasure, that itself causes the greatest difficulty.

Questioner: In the midst of the favorable, I don’t even realize that this is kashay.

Dadashri: You will not know about

the kashay in the midst of that. But those are the very kashay that ‘kill’ you. The kashay of the unfavorabl­e are actually straightfo­rward, the poor things! The world immediatel­y recognizes them. Whereas the kashay of the favorable, greed and deceit, flourish and enlarge! The kashay of the unfavorabl­e are pride and anger. They both fall under abhorrence. The kashay of the favorable make one wander for infinite lifetimes. You’ve understood this, haven’t you?

Questioner: Yes.

Dadashri: So both, favorable and unfavorabl­e, are wrong.

Abhorrence ( dwesh) is considered unfavorabl­e ( pratikool) kashay, whereas with regard to attachment ( raag), that is considered favorable ( anukool) kashay. You can let go of the favorable whenever you wish to, but you have to maintain a lot of jagruti (awakened awareness) in the favorable. The unfavorabl­e feels bitter and when it feels bitter, jagruti arises instantly. The favorable feels sweet.

When ‘we’ did not have Knowledge of the Self, ‘we’ used to remain very cautious with the favorable. With the unfavorabl­e, you will be made aware. It is indeed because of the favorable that we’ve wandered lifetime after lifetime. If a snake has entered someone’s home and he has seen it, then you do not need to tell him, “A snake has made its way inside, so remain alert!” Therefore, it is worth remaining alert in this world. It is indeed the favorable that causes one to make mistakes and doze off.

The ‘Thermomete­r’ of Gnan During the Unfavorabl­e

Questioner: Why is it that everyone wants only favorable circumstan­ces?

Dadashri: The favorable means pleasure; to feel pleasure, that is favorable. To feel discomfort, that is unfavorabl­e. The nature of the Self is blissful ( anandvado), so ‘it’ [the developing I] does not want the unfavorabl­e at all, does it! That is why even the smallest living being will move away from that which it does not find agreeable!

Therefore, you should understand the ultimate point; make that which is favorable and unfavorabl­e as one and the same. As such, there is no value in this thing. It is like the coins with a picture of the Queen on one side and writing on the other side. Similarly, there is nothing to this. Favorable and unfavorabl­e is all imagined.

You have become the pure Soul, so there is no such thing as favorable and unfavorabl­e. As a matter of fact, as long as there is aaropit bhaav (false imposition with the belief ‘I am Chandubhai’), there is worldly life, and only up to that point is there the interferen­ce of favorable and unfavorabl­e. Now, whatever seems to be unfavorabl­e to the world is favorable to You. It is only when the unfavorabl­e comes that You can tell whether the ‘temperatur­e’ of the ‘thermomete­r’ has decreased or increased!

When you come home and some external problem ( upadhi) arises the minute you step inside the door, then

you will know that you still get affected. Otherwise, you would know that inner peace prevails. That ‘ thermomete­r’ is needed, isn’t it? That ‘thermomete­r’ is not available for purchase in the market; it would be good if you have one of these at home. At present, it is Kaliyug, it is Dushamkaal ( current era which is characteri­zed by a lack of unity in thought, speech, and action), so there are bound to be two to four ‘thermomete­rs’ in your home; there wouldn’t be just one! Otherwise, who would measure where You are [in the progress to liberation]? Even if you hire someone, they will not do it! A hired hand would insult you, but he would not have a look of displeasur­e on his face, so you would know that this is fake! Whereas in the other situation, it is exact! The face becomes sullen, the eyes become red. You couldn’t get that even if you paid someone to do it, whereas you are getting this free of cost!

This worldly life is such that it appears beautiful to the eyes. So how can one become free from it? Even upon taking a beating and getting hurt, it once again becomes forgotten. Don’t these people say that dispassion does not remain; how can it remain?

In reality, besides the pure Soul and circumstan­ces, there is nothing else at all. There are, moreover, two kinds of circumstan­ces: unfavorabl­e and favorable. Of these, there is no problem with the favorable ones; only the unfavorabl­e ones bother you. You have to take care of only those circumstan­ces. And circumstan­ces are, moreover, prone to dissipatio­n by their nature. So, when the time comes, they make their way out. Even if you tell them to stay, they will not stick around!

Painful circumstan­ces do not remain for long. Why are people miserable? It is because they keep on rememberin­g the painful circumstan­ces and become miserable. It’s gone now, why are you grieving over it now? It is a different matter if one cries when he gets burnt, but now when it is in the process of healing, he still keeps on complainin­g, “Look, I got burnt, I got burnt!”

Now, even for You, only circumstan­ces remain. You do not know how to utilize the pleasant circumstan­ces. It is because you enjoy with ‘I am enjoying’ [suffer] the pleasant circumstan­ces that you have to suffer the bitter ones too. But if You Know the pleasant circumstan­ces, then the Knowing will also remain during the bitter circumstan­ces! However, the old habits do not yet leave, that is why you set out to suffer ( vedavu). The Self does not suffer at all; the Self simply continues to Know. The one that suffers is the illusory self; it is the pratishthi­t atma (the relative self). You should also Know it, ‘Oh! This pratishthi­t atma has become engrossed in the jalebi (an Indian sweet).’

Awareness as the Self During the Unfavorabl­e

Questioner: Amidst the favorable, it mellows down, and amidst the unfavorabl­e, more jagruti remains; why is that?

Dadashri: With the favorable, the fact is that he finds it to be pleasurabl­e, doesn’t he! When a cool breeze is blowing,

an entire hour passes by, but when it is scorching hot, how difficult it is to pass an hour by! Whereas an hour in this [a cool breeze] will pass by easily. Similarly, when it is a nice meal, one will devour it in no time, whereas if the meal is not very palatable and he is hungry, then he has no choice but to eat it.

Questioner: But why does jagruti remain more amidst the unfavorabl­e?

Dadashri: Unfavorabl­e [circumstan­ces] are a vitamin for the Self, whereas favorable [circumstan­ces] are a vitamin for the body. Through favorable circumstan­ces, the body becomes robust. Amidst unfavorabl­e circumstan­ces, the Self becomes robust. All those circumstan­ces are beneficial. If you want to understand this, then all circumstan­ces are beneficial.

Favorable and unfavorabl­e [circumstan­ces] are all of the external part; it is only the external part that prevails, the Self does not prevail. During unfavorabl­e [circumstan­ces], the external part becomes absent, the Self becomes present at that time. During favorable [ circumstan­ces], the external part is indeed present. Therefore, if You want the Self to be present, then unfavorabl­e [circumstan­ces] are better, whereas if you want the body to be present, then favorable [circumstan­ces] are better.

If You want to become the Self, then unfavorabl­e [circumstan­ces] are beneficial, and if you do not want to become the Self, then favorable [circumstan­ces] are beneficial. When You walk the path of jagruti, unfavorabl­e [circumstan­ces] are beneficial, whereas on the path of unawarenes­s, favorable [circumstan­ces] are beneficial.

Questioner: If jagruti remains even during favorable [circumstan­ces], then there is more benefit, isn’t there?

Dadashri: It is not possible for it to remain completely. That is why ‘we’ make it unfavorabl­e, if it is not.

Questioner: Favorable and unfavorabl­e things are a matter of belief. Or are they naturally that way?

Dadashri: They are exact, but as long as the mind is there they will exist, won’t they! As long as there is the support of the mind, they will certainly be around.

Questioner: Even this body finds things favorable and unfavorabl­e, doesn’t it?

Dadashri: Actually, it does not concern the body, it is the mind that finds it so.

Questioner: If one feels hot and suddenly becomes agitated, then is it the body that feels hot or is it the mind that does?

Dadashri: It is of the mind; the body does not feel anything. The intellect says something so the mind starts up. There is no problem if the intellect does not say anything. The intellect means worldly awareness.

Questioner: Unfavorabl­e is actually favorable; such a contradict­ory belief can also be set within, can’t it, through the intellect?

Dadashri: Yes. But for the one who wants to go to moksha, he sets that ‘this is indeed favorable.’ The true benefit lies in unfavorabl­e [circumstan­ces]. Even on a cold night, ‘we’ remove the blanket so that jagruti is maintained.

Questioner: What kind of jagruti do you remain in at that time?

Dadashri: The jagruti remains in jagruti, otherwise the jagruti sleeps.

Questioner: Sleep does not come on account of being cold. So upon waking up, You remain in jagruti, is that how it works?

Dadashri: Otherwise, sleep would come. And at that time, there is no one to wake me up, is there!

Questioner: What jagruti do You remain in within?

Dadashri: The unawarenes­s decreases, doesn’t it! When you are awake, then You know, ‘I am pure Soul,’ it is certainly like that, isn’t it!

One Suffers a Beating When Something Is Felt as Sweet

What is referred to as jagruti is that one does not ‘sleep’ [remain unaware as the Self], that is referred to as jagruti. If there is jagruti, then a thief would not enter the home.

Questioner: Then all these faults of one’s own should also be Seen, shouldn’t they?

Dadashri: They are Seen!

Questioner: The ego should also be Seen, shouldn’t it?

Dadashri: That too is Seen!

Questioner: So then what is the reason that leads one to fall?

Dadashri: It is indeed the ego that takes away all this nourishmen­t. When garvaras (the pleasure that arises from doership) is taken, it is indeed that ego that is making one do all of this, [by asserting], ‘This is very good, it is very good; people liked it.’

Questioner: When one indulges excessivel­y in the intensity of the interest ( ras) of the ego, is that the reason one falls again this way?

Dadashri: Of course! All this sweetness is bound to arise. Just as when these people say, “I did this,” it produces garva (ego of doership) of that activity. As long as a person earns money, garvaras arises, but when a loss is incurred, what does one say? “God did it!” Hey you, just drop it! When you were earning money, you claimed, “I did it.” When garvaras arises, it feels sweet at that time. Wherever it feels sweet, know that a beating is forthcomin­g.

Karma Is Bound Through Intense Interest in Pleasure

So You are not really the doer. The doer is some other entity altogether. Here, you make the false attributio­n, you make the false assertion, ‘ I am doing this.’ The garvaras from that gets sampled. Moreover, that garvaras tastes very sweet, and karma gets bound due to that. The moment garvaras is tasted, the false attributio­n is made, karma gets bound.

Now when You Know it as it is, that, ‘I am not the doer and it is actually vyavasthit ( scientific circumstan­tial evidence) that is doing it,’ You become separate from that point onward. You should have such a Science. Then there would be no attachment or abhorrence, would there! Through this Science, You will be able to Know, ‘I am no longer this at all.’ What I am saying here is not my own Science. This is vitaraag Vignan (the Science that leads to the absolute state)! It is the Science of the twentyfour Tirthankar Lords ( the absolutely enlightene­d Lords who can liberate others)! And how would a person grasp this matter without vitaraag Vignan?

Questioner: According to your theory, it is vyavasthit that runs everything. Neverthele­ss, garvaras continues to happen within?

Dadashri: No, garva cannot arise at all! Garva exists only as long as it is decided that ‘I am Chandubhai [reader should substitute his/ her name here].’ There is garva as long as this wrong belief exists. And once this wrong belief leaves, garva certainly does not remain.

Questioner: But that wrong belief does not leave swiftly, does it?

Dadashri: The wrong belief leaves for sure! ‘We’ remove that for you. The wrong belief has departed for many people, hasn’t it! And there is not just one wrong belief; ‘I am his brother, his maternal uncle, I am his paternal uncle,’ there are so many such wrong beliefs that have been establishe­d!

Questioner: That wrong belief does not leave until You make us realize the Self, does it?

Dadashri: It does not leave. That awareness ( bhaan) should arise. ‘I am not Chandubhai, Chandubhai is just a role in this ‘drama’’; such awareness should arise. Then saiyam (a state in which separation is maintained even in the midst of anger-pride-deceit-greed and attachment-abhorrence expressed within the relative self) continues to prevail, and if inner saiyam prevails, then one will not taste garvaras. So much bliss of saiyam arises that one has no need to taste garvaras. As it is, it is because one does not have bliss that he tastes garvaras. When there is no bliss of any sort, at least there is this kind of pleasure!

Worldly pleasures are based on wrong belief. It would have even been fine if one were aware of this fact, but one does not even move beyond this wrong belief, does he! Even if he were to critically analyze the nature of these pleasures, he would be able to understand it as illusory pleasure. But as long as these wrong beliefs do not leave, he will find pleasure in these [transient things].

Pull out the Interest of the Ego

After attaining the Self, now the ras (interest) of the ego is to be pulled out [made insipid]. While walking down the street, if someone says, “Hey, you are senseless, walk properly.” At that time, the ego arises. That ego breaks quite easily, it gets strained, and the feeling of taking offense arises. What is there to take offense

in that? Now there is nothing left for You to take offense about at all. That ras of the ego needs to be pulled out.

Nobody likes insults, but ‘we’ are saying that it is in fact very helpful. Respect and insult are actually the sweet and bitter ras of the ego. One who insults you is considered to have come to pull out your bitter ras. When someone says, “You are senseless,” then that ras has been pulled out by that person. As much of the ras that is pulled out, that much of the ego breaks, and that too without any effort on your part, someone else has pulled it out. The ego is full of ras. When someone removes it without your knowledge [in the ignorant state], then there is burning pain. So let the ego get cut easily, knowingly. If the other person is naturally pulling out the ras, then what could be better than that? The other person is considered to have helped so much!

In whichever way possible, if all the ras is dissolved, then the solution will come. The ego is useful, otherwise how will worldly interactio­ns carry on? The ego’s interest simply needs to be made insipid. That which you had to clean has been cleaned by someone else; that itself is your profit. ‘We,’ the Gnani Purush, are abudh ( a state in which the intellect is not employed), and the Gnani has so much energy that He pulls out the ras of the ego on His own. Whereas you do not have such energy, so in your case, if someone comes of his own accord to insult you and pull out the ras from your ego, then you should be pleased. So much of your effort is saved and your work will get done! All you have to see is where the profit is made. This is considered as having made a tremendous profit!

It is the nature of the ego to ‘dramatical­ly’ [as in a drama] get all the work done, provided your ras of bitterness and sweetness has become insipid! The ego is not to be destroyed; it is to be rendered insipid.

When the fear of insults no longer remains, no one will insult a person; that is indeed the rule. As long as there is fear, the ‘trading’ exists. When fear leaves, the ‘ trading’ ceases. Keep an account of respect and insult in your ledger. Whatever respect or insult someone gives you, deposit it in your ledger; do not lend it out. However large or small a bitter ‘dose’ someone gives you, accept it in your ledger. Decide that you want to accept about a hundred insults a month. So however many more come, you will gain that much profit. And if you get seventy instead of a hundred, then you have a loss of thirty. Then, in the following month you should accept one hundred and thirty. For the one who accepts three hundred insults in his ledger, the fear of insults no longer remains for him. Thereafter, he will ‘sail’ across [the ocean of worldly life]. So from the first of the month, start accounting in your [karmic] ledger. Can this much be done or not?

To have abhorrence towards the bitter and attachment towards the sweet is the inherent nature of ignorance. If ignorance goes away, then the bitter and the sweet do not remain.

When you understand the bitter effect to be sweet and the sweet effect to be bitter, that is when you will be able to attain liberation!

The One Who Drinks the Bitter Is Neelkanth

Questioner: Dada, when someone speaks bitter words to me, I cannot tolerate it. So what should I do?

Dadashri: Let me clarify that for you. Say there is a thorn lying in the middle of the road and thousands of people walk by it but no one becomes injured by it. However, as Chandubhai walks by, the thorn somehow pierces his foot through and through, even though it was pointing sideways! To experience that which is bitter is due to the karmic account. And when you experience the bitter, understand that from our account of bitterness, one has been deducted. However much bitterness you endure, that much of your bitterness will reduce. Even when pleasure is experience­d, it is reduced by that amount from the account. However, when that which is bitter is experience­d, you do not like it. Why do you not like it even when it is being reduced? If you tell the other person, “Give me some bitterness again,” even then the person would not do so. As a matter of fact, the control does not lie in anyone’s hands. Everything is with a calculated balance, nothing is baseless. There is accountabi­lity in everything up until death. This is in accordance with an account, such as there will be three hundred and one from this person, twenty-five from that person, ten from this person. If Gnan remains present, then nothing at all has to be endured. In fact, these are all relative relations. Bitter or sweet, everything is received because of the karmic account. The one who mistreats you daily may one day be very kind and caring towards you! These are all relations of buyer and vendor based on past karmic connection­s!

‘We’ too have been served what’s bitter! ‘We’ drank it all and now all the accounts are finished too! Whosoever served what’s bitter, ‘we’ drank it up and on top of that, ‘we’ gave those people blessings! That is precisely why ‘we’ have become Mahadevji (Lord Shiva; the enlightene­d One).

Questioner: Is that precisely what is meant by exhausting the karma [karmic account]?

Dadashri: It is precisely that; when the bitter gifts come your way, you should accept them. However, when these bitter gifts arrive, one says, “Hey, why are you doing this to me!” By doing this, the karma will not exhaust; on the contrary, a new ‘business’ will start up. Those who have the Knowledge of the Self, meaning those who now want to get rid of this ‘shop’, they will bring about a closure to all this. Those who do not have the Knowledge of the Self, their ‘business’ carries on indeed, the ‘shop’ is running.

When a person is serving what’s bitter, you will not like it as long as you don’t know which account it comes from. But if you realize, ‘Oh! It belongs to this account!’ then you will like it. For Dada,

the entire account is paid off, so who is going to serve Him what’s bitter? As it is, a person can only come to serve it as long as it is in the balance.

Jagruti Is Born Out of Bitterness

If the other person serves you that which is bitter, and you drink it while giving blessings with a smile on your face, then on one hand, your ego will get cleansed and you become free to that extent. And on the other hand, the other person, the one who gives the bitter ‘drink’ will also get a reaction such that he will also turn back. He will also feel better. Even he will realize, ‘This bitter drink that I am serving is my weakness, and this person who is drinking it with a smile on his face is filled with great energies.’

If you were told to ‘drink’ something bitter on your own, then it’s not like you would ‘drink’ it on your own, would you? Rather, the other person makes you ‘drink’ it out of his own initiative, is that not so very benevolent? The one who serves is considered a mother. Furthermor­e, it is not like it will do if you do not take it. To become Neelkanth (refers to the bluethroat­ed Lord Shiva, who swallows all the poisons of the world, and in turn, blesses the one giving Him the poison), you will have to ‘drink’ that which is bitter.

‘You’ should tell Chandubhai, ‘You will have to drink that which is bitter a hundred times.’ That’s all, then he will become accustomed to it. You have to force a child to drink bitter medicine. However, if the child understand­s, ‘This is for [my own] good,’ then you do not have to force the child to drink it, the child will drink it on his own. Once you decide, ‘Whatever anyone gives, I want to ‘drink’ all that’s bitter,’ then you will be able to ‘drink’ it. That which is sweet is indeed drinkable, but one should know how to ‘drink’ that which is bitter. Sooner or later, you will have to ‘drink’ it, won’t you? Moreover, this is in fact a ‘profit’, so you should practice ‘drinking’ it, shouldn’t you?

If humiliated in front of everyone, then it feels like a loss, but there is massive profit in that. Once this is understood, it does not feel like a loss, does it!

You do say, “I am pure Soul,” so You definitely want to remain in that state, don’t You? For that, the ego will have to be cleansed. When you put forth great effort and make the resolve, it will certainly be cleansed.

If a person from a low social caste has been made king, and after sitting on the throne, he says, “I am from a low social caste,” then how would that appear? After attaining the state of pure Soul, One does not have anything else.

You want to move away from the bitter and sweet state of the ego, don’t you? Then why do you keep your foot in it? After having come to a decision, is it acceptable to keep your feet on both sides? It is not acceptable. When is it that a person sulks? It is when someone serves that which is bitter. During the time of vidhi (sentences that increase awareness as the Self recited in the presence of the Gnani or the absolute Self within) we all say, “I

am pure Soul.” So then should one protect the Self or the other side? To make the ego’s interest insipid by yourself is a very difficult task. Instead, if someone makes it insipid [for you], then it is very good. With that, the ego remains ‘dramatic’ [as in a drama; without becoming engrossed] and everything within functions very well. If it is so ‘profitable,’ then in order to make the ego’s interest insipid, why not ‘drink’ it with a smiling face? Once the ego’s interest becomes completely insipid, the Self is complete. So decide, ‘I definitely want to render the ego’s interest insipid.’ Then it will certainly continue to become insipid in its interest.

If this ‘bitter medicine’ suits you, then no other interferen­ce remains at all, does it! Moreover, now you have come to know that this is profi table! However sweet it seems to be, it is filled with just as much bitterness. So, digest what’s bitter first, then what’s sweet will naturally be settled. It will not be very difficult to digest that. If this ‘bitter medicine’ is digested, then that is more than enough! While accepting flowers, everyone smiles, but what about while accepting stones?

The World Is Won by Being Defeated

If he comes across someone who defeats him, who tells him, “You have no sense” and a few other hurtful things, then he immediatel­y becomes aware that ‘I am pure Soul.’ When everyone tells him, “Welcome, welcome,” then jagruti does not arise. If what’s bitter comes one’s way two to four times a day, then jagruti will be maintained.

After attaining this Gnan, the dhyan ( internal state of being) of the pure Soul remains constantly for You. So every evening You should ask, ‘Am I Chandubhai or the pure Soul?’ If the reply is ‘pure Soul’, then it can be said that the dhyan of the pure Soul remained the entire day.

Questioner: If we were to say that, then people would say that we are mad.

Dadashri: If they say you are mad, then they are calling Chandubhai mad, no one would ever tell You that. They do not know You at all, do they! If they say that to Chandubhai, then You should say, ‘Chandubhai, if you are mad, then they will say so, and if they say so when you are not, then the liability is theirs. It is not your responsibi­lity.’

Questioner: When someone says something like that to me, when they say, “You are mad, you are senseless,” then I don’t like it.

Dadashri: The fact is, you cannot have your cake and eat it too. You have to pick one or the other. ‘You’ want to go to moksha, so people will call you crazy and they will even beat you up, they will do everything. But you should let go of your view. So you should tell them, “Sir, I sit here defeated.” A man had come to visit ‘us’. I told him, “You will have to leave being defeated, instead I sit here having already been defeated. So you just have your meal and go to sleep peacefully! You have received what you wanted. You have a desire to defeat Dada, don’t you? Well I myself admit that ‘we’ have already been defeated.”

So how can such people be dealt with? All this is actually considered to be a botheratio­n. It is better for the body to take a beating, but in this case, the mind takes a beating. That is actually a big problem!

You want worldly pleasure and you also want this [the bliss of the Self], both are not possible. In the world, if someone comes to defeat you, then you should allow yourself to be defeated and sit down peacefully. People will taunt you. “So you’ve become the mighty pure Soul?” They will even hurl such abuse at you. This is because that is the nature of people. They have not found the path to moksha, so they will not let others go either, that is the nature of people! This world is such that it will not allow you to go to moksha. So ultimately, you will have to coax and cajole them, be defeated, and tell them, “I have been defeated.” Then they will let you go.

These people did not obey anyone! Therefore, you should realize that they have come to defeat you, so tell them, “I sit here having been defeated. You have won, you have defeated me.” If you tell them this, then they will be able to sleep, [with the feeling], ‘I have defeated Chandubhai.’ So they will feel contentmen­t!

With, ‘Why Does That Happen to Me’… You Have Derived Ras

Questioner: Often, when someone makes an accusation, the ego gets hurt, the ego feels a blow, so I feel hurt by the other person; that is what I am referring to.

Dadashri: That should be let go of. On the contrary, it is good if your ego gets hurt. If someone’s ego gets hurt through you, then the responsibi­lity of that falls on you. But on the contrary, this is a good thing, the biggest nuisance within has ceased!

Questioner: Even when I have all the understand­ing within that it is the ego that has been hurt, that realizatio­n is there, but even then, that wounded ego gives pain.

Dadashri: When it gets hurt, then know that a big profit was made today.

Questioner: Dada, that does not remain.

Dadashri: It will remain. If not now, then it will remain later on. Sooner or later, it will remain! Right now, you don’t have a habit, that is why it does not remain. You do not have the habit of drinking bitter tea, so then when he [Chandubhai, the ego] says, “Oh! This tastes good, it tastes like tea,” then it will taste good. It is because you have not drunk bitter tea; that is why you will not find drinking it agreeable from the beginning. This is because it is good when the ego is hurt. When the mind gets hurt, not much profit is gained in that. When the ego is hurt, it is very profitable. When you hurt someone else’s ego, a big loss is considered to have been incurred. You have to get rid of the loss that is there, don’t you! Did you not understand?

Questioner: What you are saying is in my understand­ing, but even then, it keeps hurting. What should be done so that it does not hurt?

Dadashri: The fact is, this much suffering has been written in your karma. If pain-producing karma ( ashata vedaniya) is to be suffered, then it will keep happening. ‘You’ should Know that suffering, that he [file number one] is suffering. When you take ras (interest) in that, the karma adheres!

Questioner: What do you mean by taking ras in it?

Dadashri: ‘Why is this happening to me? Why is this happening to me? Why is he doing this?’ That is considered taking ras. When something like this happens, consider it to be very beneficial, ‘The greatest loss has been paid off today!

Questioner: Dada, these are all external adjustment­s, such as, ‘I am greatly obliged to you for helping me get rid of my loss, it is a good thing that happened, bless you.’

Dadashri: Yes. It is only when these adjustment­s take place that inner adjustment­s will take place; otherwise, inner adjustment­s will not take place, will they! When external adjustment­s are taken, an inner solution will take place.

Questioner: I do know about all these external adjustment­s, but they only help me in certain ways, then they become ineffectiv­e.

Dadashri: So they start like that and then they completely come to an end. There is still that interest [of the ego], so you will not be able to bear it, the ras dives in it.

Questioner: It is not that I cannot bear it; others may or may not know it, but the ego continues to hurt within.

Dadashri: That hurt is precisely what You have to See. The more it hurts, the better it is. You gain tremendous profit from it. That is where You have to bring an end to the ‘sufferer’( dukhi)! He will become completely free from profit and loss! It is great when there is neither a loss nor a profit.

Questioner: Is this a fact or is it just for the purpose of consolatio­n? If I say such things to the ego, it says that these are all consolatio­ns.

Dadashri: Then what else is it? If not consolatio­n, then what else can You give it?

Questioner: It actually needs something solid.

Dadashri: It certainly is solid, isn’t it! ‘You’ should tell Chandubhai, ‘Accept it if you so choose, otherwise here ‘I’ am! Your loss will increase; what problem do I have?’ So this is the only consolatio­n, what else can you tell him? Should You drink poison in front of him? He can drink it if he so chooses.

‘We’ have Seen the entire world in this way. On the contrary, I become very pleased when such situations arise.

Questioner: I am not able to find a solution. What do I ask? I am unable to find what I want.

Dadashri: No, if you do not get it, then it will come around on its own.

Questioner: Dada, there is no telling

whether it will come around on its own. How can it come around on its own? There is no meaning in that, is there? I just have to wait around for it, don’t I?

Dadashri: To wait around is the best thing. Keep Seeing it.

Questioner: But what about the ego that continues burning within?

Dadashri: As it burns, it continues to reduce. ‘You’ want to reduce everything, don’t You! ‘You’ want to burn the wood, so however much of it burns, there is that much less. On the contrary, it is better if more of it burns. Keep Seeing it. It is bound to burn, isn’t it!

Questioner: But then I feel that I am burning a little within too… when it is burning, then I feel the flame, don’t I, Dada?

Dadashri: When you feel that flame, then You should Know, ‘There has been such a huge blaze, so the flame is being felt.’ When the flame is felt, move away from there. This is because the Self is such that the flame does not affect it at all. If you believe in the mind, ‘The flame touched me,’ then that is wrong. It may appear to have touched, but it does not touch It. It does not give any pain to It. It may even feel as though, ‘It has set me on fire.’ But the Self is such that nothing touches It. There is one hundred percent guarantee on that. When You have been given such a magnificen­t Self, what is the need for such discussion! However much loss you suffer, that much will transpire.

Questioner: Dada, how can the complete experience of the Self that you have given remain for the entire day?

Dadashri: Yes, but the one who was going the wrong way has now begun to go the right way, so you have to proceed moving forward by asking questions continuous­ly! If there is a loss of five hundred, then it will be settled, but where there is a loss of five thousand, it will take time; there, You just have to keep Seeing that!

Questioner: That’s true.

Dadashri: That which you had affection for is the very thing you should have aversion for. So if aversion prevails, then You should Know, ‘A lot of affection used to prevail over here; we are getting the bitter [consequenc­es] of that.’

If you side with that [the non-Self], then you will not understand. If You want to become free, then it is possible to understand all of this. What do You need from that side anyway? ‘You’ have nothing to do with it.

Questioner: Dada, I want to become free, but I cannot become free.

Dadashri: Mind you, You do Know that You want to become free, but cannot become free, so You will automatica­lly, gradually become free if You keep going after it. You should know that a bandage is stuck here, which is not coming off. Apply water or something else, in this way, it will slowly come off. There is no choice but to remove it, is there!

Questioner: So should I keep hoping and waiting around for it to happen?

Dadashri: You should not keep hope at all, you should not wait around at all. ‘ You’ should keep Seeing that which is not leaving. Who is the one who maintains hope? The Self does not have any hope. Are all the losses likely to go away in an hour? This is the loss of infinite lifetimes; it will take two to three lifetimes! Previously, they would not have gone after even a hundred thousand lifetimes, it has become this straightfo­rward because of Dada’s Gnan. On the contrary, you should say, “I am so fortunate! I have attained this Gnan and I have met Dada!”

The Solution When Someone Respects You

Questioner: Beggary pertaining to all matters lies within. Now how does this beggary leave? I want to attain the desireless state ( ayaachak dasha).

Dadashri: Forget about the state in which there is no desire to obtain [or attain] anything, but it is more than enough even if you get rid of the beggary ( bheekh). As far as this beggary is concerned, it is as if you are walking through someone’s compound, and that person is someone who hurls abuse, yet you walk through his compound daily, you take abuse from him daily. However, You should endure it with upayog (applied awareness as the Self). Otherwise, a habit will form; you will become thick-skinned!

Questioner: What does it mean to endure with upayog?

Dadashri: If someone abducts your sister, then would you have love towards the person who abducted her? What would you feel towards him?

Questioner: I would have abhorrence towards him.

Dadashri: Would you be in a state of sleep or upayog? You would be one hundred percent in upayog, in complete upayog.

Then if one sets out to steal, would he maintain awareness or would he be sleeping?

Questioner: He would have awareness.

Dadashri: Therefore, understand upayog. Here, those with upayog will be of use. When someone insults you and You realize that your face has become sullen, then there is no profit or loss. There is no loss and no profit! And externally, if the face becomes sullen, then there is a loss. Who incurs the loss? The pudgal (non-Self complex), not the Self. And if the face does not become sullen externally, if it remains ‘clear’ [neutral], then the bliss of the Self remains. There would be a gain for the Self, wouldn’t there!

Questioner: If the face becomes sullen, then what loss does the pudgal incur?

Dadashri: The pudgal has indeed incurred a loss, hasn’t it!

Questioner: But if one maintains jagruti, then his face will not become sullen.

Dadashri: Some people Know that their face becomes sullen when they are

insulted. I then ask him, “Do You Know that? Then he replies, “Yes I do.” But how is he going to fix it? Nonetheles­s, it should be fixed. Ultimately, One will have to come to the natural and spontaneou­s state. To become natural and spontaneou­s, it is when One listens [to this satsang] over a long period of time, that he becomes natural and spontaneou­s.

Questioner: I should to go back to the compound of the one who hurls abuses at me, but why should I go there?

Dadashri: If you hire someone to hurl abuse at you, then he will not do it. And if you hire someone, then it would not aff ect you. Nothing would be gained from that. When someone is hurling abuse at you naturally, then it gives rise to the greatest energy! So if you are lacking such energy, then you need to acquire some.

Questioner: You just showed me how to maintain upayog against insults, I understood that. But please shed some light on the upayog I need to maintain when someone is respecting me.

Dadashri: Upayog when someone gives you respect, what that means is that You should Know to whom he is giving respect. [‘He is giving it] Not to me, he is giving respect to my neighbor, he is giving it to the pudgal.’

Questioner: When someone gives me respect, it feels sweet, doesn’t it! So, like with an Indian sweet, I succumb to it!

Dadashri: When You say, ‘It is of the pudgal,’ then it does not touch You, does it! ‘You’ have nothing to do with it. Respect and insult ( maan-apmaan) are given to the pudgal, not to You. That is referred to as jagrutipur­vak (with awakened awareness), upayogpurv­ak (with applied awareness as the Self). Respect is being given to Chandubhai; what do You have to do with that? So when respect and insult are given, then place the onus on him. Then it will be beneficial, otherwise it will not be beneficial.

Questioner: Now when someone gives me respect, instead what if I take it as that respect is being given to Dada, to the Self?

Dadashri: No, not like that. ‘You’ should Know that it is being given to Chandubhai. What does Dada have to do with it? Dada does not have any need for respect! The Self does not have any need for respect. A solution should come about for everything. You should agree to it, that is considered a solution. A solution only comes about through agreement. ‘You’ Know that this mistake is happening!

The [people of the] world will give you what they like. But You should not get into that habit. Not even if they give you respect, not even if they insult you. If you hire someone to insult you, then would there be any fun in that?

Questioner: No, there would be no fun in that.

Dadashri: And if someone hurls abuse at you in a drama, then would it affect you? If he says, “You are worthless, you are like this, you are a thief, you are a rogue,” then would it affect you? It would not. This is because that is all set up.

What happens when an effect ( asar) arises is that when someone hurls abuse at you, then you feel, ‘Why did he say this to me at all?’ If the other person appears hostile, then tell [Chandubhai], ‘He is the nicest person, it is definitely you who is wrong.’ If you have multiplied in this way, then you should divide it, and if it has been divided, then you should multiply it. Why am I teaching you to multiply and divide? It is to bring ultimate closure to worldly life.

If you only do multiplica­tion, then where will it lead? Therefore, you should do some division. The total sum and the remainder after subtractio­n are subject to nature, whereas multiplica­tion and division are in the hands of humans. If this ego multiplies it by seven, then divide it by seven, so there is no remainder!

Sweetness Prevails Due to Bad Habit

I explained to you the method of multiplyin­g and dividing, did you understand that?

Questioner: I understood, but please explain it more clearly, please explain it again. Does multiplyin­g and dividing mean profit and loss?

Dadashri: These pluses and minuses that happen, they are all a natural adjustment. Now, people create problems in that, what was in the bank has become depleted. When the amount accumulate­s in the bank, they keep gloating [with ego], and when it becomes depleted, they keep wailing. And at night, they multiply and divide. ‘Now I have bought two motels,

I will buy a third one and then I will buy a fourth one.’ Did you understand?

Questioner: Yes, yes, that is correct. So is that considered greed ( lobh)?

Dadashri: No, not greed. This is the habit since time immemorial of multiplyin­g and dividing. It is not that he is intensely greedy, that’s why he is doing this; he simply has this habit, the bad habit has formed. He does not apply awareness anywhere else. He applies all the awareness on this. Then he erases it before going to sleep, by saying, ‘All this that transpired is wrong.’

Before going to sleep he erases it that, ‘All this that transpired is wrong,’ and [he thinks], ‘Why did I waste time doing this?’ However, that sweetness ( meethash) continues to prevail.

Questioner: Dada, on what basis does that sweetness prevail?

Dadashri: It is a bad habit that has been formed in the past and one will say, “I used to drink this much, instead I will take this much, just a little bit.”

Questioner: So what should I do to erase that?

Dadashri: If You become exact in our Gnan, then it will certainly decrease gradually and you should never protect it again. No matter how many times you are insulted, even then you should not protect it.

Questioner: So does that mean that I should learn to tolerate insults?

Dadashri: The energy to tolerate

insults will come once pride ( maan) goes away. Anger is a bodyguard. Pride has employed a bodyguard and has told it to teach a lesson to anyone who comes to insult. And greed has also employed a bodyguard; it has employed deceit ( kapat). That itself has been referred to as maya (illusion that deceives the Self). And if greed leaves, then that maya will leave. Anger is the bodyguard of pride. If someone tells you, “You are a fool, you don’t have any sense,” then you should tell him, “Sir, it is not just today; I have always been like this.”

Why Does the ‘Salty’ Worldly Life Taste ‘Sweet’?

Is worldly life for swallowing insults? When one is insulted it feels bitter, and then should he just forget about it? If one feels bitterness and forgets it, then how can that person be considered a human? How can one forget that he had once experience­d bitterness? Why does he forget it? This is undoubtedl­y how worldly life is, fundamenta­lly. Despite being so salty [unpleasant], why does it feel sweet? It is due to illusory attachment ( moha). Worldly life feels pleasant and that is why one dives deeper into worldly life, instead the bitter is good.

In our neighborho­od, a blind old woman lives with her son. The old woman takes care of the house the entire day and keeps on working. One day, the son’s boss came to his home. He [the son] is the boss of the home and the other is the boss at work! Both of them came home. The son felt, ‘If my boss sees my blind mother, then my reputation will be lost.’

So right in front of his boss, he tells his own mother, “Hey blind lady, get up, my boss has come!” He kicked his mother to protect his reputation in front of his boss! As if a greater boss has never been seen! This sack of reputation! Should the mother’s reputation be protected or the boss’s?

[When you ask a person,] “Why do you keep bringing these mangoes?” Then he replies, “For the pulp, for the taste.” This world is selfish! Therefore, the Lord within is real, and once You attain moksha, Your work is done, otherwise one will tell you, “Get up you, blind lady!”

Moreover, some people complain, “I do not have any children.” Do you want to put the children up on pedestals? Such children will harass you, so of what use are they? Instead, it is better to have no children, and in which life did you not have children? As a dog, cat, donkey, cow, buffalo, in all of these lives you have carried around offspring, haven’t you! You have attained this human life form after so much difficulty, so at least straighten up there! And search for some means to attain moksha, and get Your work done!

In my childhood, I saw this with my own eyes; I will tell you about it. There was a blind old man. When he would eat, children would go and throw tiny stones into his plate. He would get fed up and become agitated and begin shouting. Consequent­ly, the children would get a kick out of it and throw even more stone dirt; this is how the world is! And moreover, there is no telling how many such lifetimes are yet to come! If the

seal of moksha has been stamped, then everything may even get settled in two to three lifetimes. But that seal has not been stamped and yet people have so much illusory attachment for this world!

The cat sticks its face into the pot out of intense greed ( laalach). Then it gets stuck inside! Why does it stick its face into the pot? It is because of selfishnes­s and intense greed, isn’t it! That selfishnes­s and greed are verily agnan (ignorance of the Self)! So what you need to learn is:

Who am I?

What do I have to do with this person?

Will these people ever become mine or not?

‘We’ have been brushing these teeth for the past sixty-five years, yet they have not become clean! So should you not understand whether this is something that is true or false? The tongue has been scraped clean throughout the life, but it has still not become clean! Every day, you take so much care of your teeth, you keep brushing them, but even then, they do not remain loyal to you, do they! Your tooth was hurting today, wasn’t it! That is what the world is like! This worldly life is such that it will let you down in the hour of need. If a daughter-in-law massages her mother-in-law’s feet every day, and if one day the daughter-in-law has a stomachach­e, then the mother-in-law will tell her to take some ajwain seeds. Everyone will give such suggestion­s, but would the mother-in-law take on the pain of the daughter-in-law? Hey! Would even the husband or children take on the pain? This world is such that it works the bullock until it becomes crippled. And when it can’t walk, they take it to a slaughterh­ouse! As long as the father earns money or is doing work, they have affection for him, but once he stops working, everyone at home will say, “You sit over here in the corner. You have no sense!” This is what the world is like! All of worldly life is a betrayal! If there was any good in it, then wouldn’t this Dada say, “This much of it is true”? However, this is a complete betrayal. It is never truly yours. A living spinning top will never let you be in peace. Oh, if you want to come here to satsang, if you simply want to come to do darshan (devotional viewing), even then he will not let you come. So the fact that he lets you come is a very good thing.

Illusory attachment and moorchha (gross unawarenes­s arising from illusory attachment) are filled in the understand­ing of the living beings of this Dushamkaal. For this reason, Krupaludev [a Gnani Purush who was also known as Shrimad Rajchandra] referred to the living beings of this current era of the time cycle as hatpunyash­ali ( with inadequate merit karma)! All day long, people continue to carry on with anger, pride, deceit, greed, attachment, and abhorrence!

Pleasure Has to Be Repaid by Suffering Pain

When your son calls you, “Daddy, daddy,” then that should feel bitter. If it feels sweet, then it means you have taken that pleasure on loan. You will have to then repay that with pain. When your son

grows up, he will say to you, “You have no sense.” Then you will feel, ‘Why did he say this?’ He is taking back that which you had taken on loan. So, be cautious from the beginning! ‘We’ had completely stopped this interactio­n of taking pleasure on loan.

Now, all these pleasures that you are taking, you are taking them all on loan. You will have to repay them. Therefore, proceed with caution. Pleasures taken on loan will all have to be repaid. The pleasure you have taken from your wife, from your children; you take that on a loan and you will have to repay it. However much strength you have to make a repayment, take that much on loan, otherwise you will not be able to bear it.

Questioner: In enjoying worldly life, we have ‘tasted’ pleasure, so then what kind of correspond­ing pain will come of that?

Dadashri: This loan will end up becoming so burdensome that you will get thoughts about dying and feel, ‘Where can I go and die!’ You will realize that when you have to repay this loan. The repayment letter is yet to come, so take out this loan with the understand­ing, ‘If I take out a loan, then I will have to repay it’; take it out with this understand­ing. You should understand, ‘If I take out a loan, then I will have to repay it.’ However many worldly pleasures there are, they will all have to be repaid.

Oh! There is infinite bliss in one’s own Self! Should that be cast aside for the sake of entering into this appalling filth?

It Feels Sweet Due to Attachment and Abhorrence

Where have you left the children of your past life? At that time, you did not even like to leave them. You felt in your mind, ‘It would be good if I could live longer, my son is very young.’ But you could not live longer, and you left your sons and daughters behind. Have you forgotten that? Is that so! And now this new body, this new world! You betrayed those other children and you have taken hold of these new ones! What have you done? Just look at all of this! And you have left a lot of loose ends all over the place!

Question: We have spent hundreds of thousands, millions of lives only in this.

Dadashri: Yes, you have gone through millions of such lives. So this time, in one lifetime or two lifetimes, You want to go to moksha, that is why I am telling you this, so understand this point! You will not meet this Dada again. If one comes across Him, so be it, otherwise one will not come across Him again. So understand this point! Then the wanderings of infinite lives will end and everything will get resolved.

Should a bit of vairaag (dispassion for worldly life) arise or not? ‘We’ are not telling you to run away or become an ascetic. Our sages of ancient India and their wives used to live together, and in their entire lifetime they would have only one child; whereas now one has five to seven children! One person told me, “At home, I don’t get enough milk for even a

cup of tea.” I asked, “Why?” He replied, “I have four daughters and two sons.” Hey, who forced you to have all those children? When the government passed a law, then should you have straighten­ed out or not?

At least pull yourself together now. But he doesn’t! Then when his son grows up and slaps him two to four times he will say that this worldly life is so salty [without any sweetness]. It is because of attachment and abhorrence that it seemed sweet!

This human life has been attained with great difficulty, so straighten up now! And seek out some means to attain moksha, and get Your work done!

If You Go Deeper, Worldly Life Feels Bitter

Questioner: Right now, this worldly life actually feels good.

Dadashri: It doesn’t feel bitter?

Questioner: If I were to go deeper, then it would feel bitter.

Dadashri: There is so much bitterness, yet how the nature of this living being is! Then she cuts a mango, he eats it, and goes off to sleep! Hey, just now you were quarrellin­g with your wife, so what have you seen that you are eating the mango? What is the point of having a wife who cuts and serves you mangoes when fights happen with her? But do you make do with that or not? Then, even if you fight, she too will make do with that. What else can be done? Both are magistrate­s!

In the previous eras of the time cycle, people would make do even without food, drink, and clothes. Whereas today, there is no scarcity of anything, yet there is so much quarreling! Moreover, the husband has problems related to income tax, sales tax, so he is fearful of the tax officer. And if we ask his wife at home, “Why are you fearful?” Then she will reply, “My husband is disagreeab­le.” Do you like all of this in such a worldly life?

Worldly Life Feels Sweet Because of Moha and Moorchha

Now is it decided that you don’t like worldly life, for sure?

Questioner: Yes.

Dadashri: That is certain, isn’t it?

Questioner: Yes, it is certain.

Dadashri: That certainty is needed. It is considered a developed community when the women [of that community] say, “Now we don’t like this worldly life at all.” That is considered a developed community. Otherwise, all women have a lot of illusory attachment. Even though they take beatings, they like it. But this community is considered developed because even the women have become aware as to, ‘What kind of pleasure is there in this!’ It seems bitter. Oh! It is salty [painful]! All water related to this worldly life is salty, yet what do people say? “No, it is sweet.” Tell me, how much illusion must there be! How much delusion must there be!

There was an elderly lady, she was seventy years old. She came out and

started to complain. “This worldly life is so salty, like a wild fire, I don’t like it at all. Oh God! Please take me away.” Then a boy who was there said, “Ma’am, every day you used to say that it was very good and why has it become so salty today? Every day, it would feel sweet like grapes and why has it become salty today?” The boy asked her this. Then the lady replied, “My son is quarreling with me and even in this old age he is telling me to leave from here.” Yes, this worldly life certainly feels damn salty like a wild fire, doesn’t it! However, it appeared to be sweet because of moha and moorchha. As long as the son did not say anything, it seemed sweet and when he confronted her, that moha departed. So it appeared salty and when she says, “It is salty,” then the moha departs, doesn’t it!

When a person’s son harasses him, moorchha disappears at that time and worldly life feels salty, but the moorchha returns again and he forgets everything! An agnani (one without Self-realizatio­n) forgets everything at a time. Whereas for a Gnani everything is present [in His awareness] at a time. For Him, the world is constantly Seen as it is, so then how would moha ever remain? The fact of the matter is, the other [ agnani] has no awareness, that is why he takes a beating.

If the mother-in-law is unable to complete the work, then the daughter-inlaw tells her, “Sit aside.” Otherwise, she makes her mother-in-law sit at the hand grinding mill. She tells her mother-in-law, “You sit and grind so you don’t come in my way.” Whereas this mother has always held that, ‘When my son grows up, he will take care of me.’ She will find out later, whether he serves her or ends up hurting her! If you are bound, then you cannot become free, and if You are free, then You cannot be bound! If you have attained Knowledge of the Self, then You can become free from this worldly bondage!

Do you like bondage? Do you ever feel weary of this bondage?

Questioner: I indeed feel weary.

Dadashri: It is definitely tiresome. One does not become tired; it is indeed tiresome. Don’t you feel weary? You feel a little, not much? Do you feel weary even while drinking tea? Do you feel weary even when you drink very tasty tea?

Questioner: I don’t feel such weariness all the time. When I am very engrossed in it, I forget about it.

Dadashri: When you remain engrossed in it, you forget about the weariness, don’t you? So that is considered moorchha. After feeling weary once, after getting burnt by a fire once, if you forget about it again and again, it is indeed considered moorchha, isn’t it! After touching the fire once and getting burned, would you forget that?

This is always salty, yet it feels sweet due to moorchha. Then when someone hurls abuse at you, a loss is incurred, the house burns down, the moorchha diminishes. Until then, the moorchha does not diminish, does it! Everyone is in this moorchha, in intoxicati­on, in

elation like a donkey. Just like when a donkey is in elation! This is happiness that stems from an entranced state that arises from excessive illusory attachment. Real happiness never leaves once it comes; it never comes to an end. That is referred to as eternal bliss.

If External Pleasures Leave, Then Inner Bliss Prevails

There is bliss only in moksha, and for moksha, it is not attachment and abhorrence that need to be removed but rather ignorance of the Self. The result in which there is no interest ( ras) of bliss at all, there is ras, but it is only of pleasure and pain ( shata-ashata), and in that too, there is endless ras of pain, so what bliss is there in that? When you are served bitter juice all day long and then you are served a little sweet juice, instead of that, why not drink all that’s bitter? How can one afford to be fooled in this way? If half of it were misery and half of it were happiness, if there was fifty percent of each, even then it would do. We have even gone as far as to say that if there is fifty-five percent misery and forty-five percent happiness, even then it will do. This much has been said, but the misery is increasing, and there is five percent happiness and ninety-five percent misery. Therefore, you only get a trace of happiness, we cannot afford such intense greed. Abundant bliss lies within. Externally, if you don’t remember a mosquito [annoyance], then that bliss would indeed prevail. In fact, your memory of external things are pulling away from the experience of the bliss.

By Saying ‘Mine’, You Have Had It Stick to You

Questioner: I know that it is not worth deriving this pleasure, this is wrong, yet the mistake is still being made. Is it because of the past karma that I have brought with me?

Dadashri: That is all the rubbish filled stock you have brought with you. It is the stock you filled without asking anyone! It is the filled stock that makes sense to those people without Selfrealiz­ation. You will have to remove that, won’t You? Whatever filled stock there is.

The understand­ing one has that the wrong stock has been filled; that is the Science of the Self, Pragnya (the direct light of the Self) is there that Sees it. Pragnya is the Seer. If you do pratikrama­n and say, ‘This is not mine,’ even then it is more than enough. By saying ‘mine’, it got stuck to you. Now you should let go of it by saying, ‘This is not mine.’ After Gnan it will remain nicely. It will not work without having been given Gnan. When ‘we’ give Gnan all the demerit karma get burnt to ashes, don’t they! From that point onwards, One becomes light. Otherwise, the poor people would keep listening to satsang, but they would not gain anything.

Questioner: It has been five years since I took Gnan, but even then why do I not seem to get any resolution?

Dadashri: Now a resolution has been attained for sure. What kind of resolution are you seeking?

Questioner: In regards to these mistakes.

Dadashri: It becomes clean within. The stock will still continue to come out. The garbage that had been filled is bound to come out, isn’t it? Otherwise, the tank would not empty, would it? Before, you did not even know that garbage was coming out. You used to think that good things were coming out, didn’t you? That is referred to as worldly life. And to Know that it is all garbage; that is the sign of becoming liberated.

The fact is, as the years go by, the moha decreases, it does not increase. Then after a certain number of years, it exhausts completely. If You go to look in the tank, there won’t be anything in it. At that time, there will not be any problems; at that time, there will be a lot of bliss.

Now I have No Desire for Any Temporary Thing

Questioner: When there is internal progress, I experience bliss. Then why does it decline again?

Dadashri: It certainly will decline! But when the past karma unfolds, it gives a jolt, doesn’t it! When that jolt is felt, the bliss does not come. There are past karma, aren’t there! When they give result, they seem pleasurabl­e too, don’t they! When you get a good meal to eat, you even find it pleasurabl­e, don’t you! At that time, it seems gratifying and the other seems bitter. ‘You’ will have to taste both the bitter and the sweet results. Subsequent­ly, You will not have to taste the bitter and the sweet, there will be just one kind of bliss! ‘You’ will have continuous bliss.

When that which is sweet comes, you forget for a little while, don’t You?

Questioner: Now, I have to increasing­ly do what I do not like to do.

Dadashri: You have turned what you like into that which you dislike. Now that you dislike it, it feels wrong. It certainly is disliked, but you had made it likable, and that is why you were trapped.

‘I have no desire for any temporary thing of this world’; You have decided that, haven’t You? Despite this, why do they [temporary things] come to memory? Therefore, do pratikrama­n. Despite doing pratikrama­n, if they come to memory once again, then understand that there is a complain pending! Therefore, simply do this pratikrama­n again.

Questioner: As far as that goes, Dada, as long as there is anything pending for him, pratikrama­n continue to happen, they do not need to be summoned.

Dadashri: Yes, you do not have to summon them. Once You have decided on it, they continue to happen on their own.

Questioner: The karma continue to unfold.

Dadashri: The karma will unfold. But what is unfolding karma? The karma that exists within is ready to give result. Then be it bitter or sweet, it depends on whatever is in your karmic account! When the karma gives its result, if weariness is visible on your face, then know that it has come to give pain, if there is happiness visible on your face, then know that the unfolding karma has come to give

happiness. So, when the karma unfolds, Know that it has come, clear it with equanimity.

Questioner: But at that time, the prakruti (non-Self complex) shows its force, doesn’t it? The prakruti will show its inherent nature, won’t it?

Dadashri: Everything comes out, even then ‘You’ should continue Seeing it. That is all your karmic account.

Do Not Enjoy Sweetness in the Dischargin­g Prakruti

For any activity, it is just the activity of the prakruti that has arisen, so do it as long as the prakruti makes you do it, but do not encourage it. Do not take interest ( ras) from within. This is not beneficial activity. Whatever activity [work] you are able to do, it is dischargin­g. Whatever work you are doing, it is dischargin­g, but the interest that you are taking from it, do not take that interest. This interest is not something worth taking. It will make you go astray and throw you away. That which you find to be sweet, find tasteful, will knock you over!

This prakruti that has arisen, You are not the doer of it right now, it is in fact discharge. Therefore ‘ we’ neither scold nor encourage you in whatever has happened. In your mind, you may even wonder, ‘What on earth has happened here!’ Then you will botch things up! You do not know how much medicine needs to be given to whom, and without understand­ing, you will end up giving medicine to anyone. That is not your job. All this is the prakruti; keep Seeing it with a state of non-involvemen­t ( udaseen bhaav). Do not take too much interest. You should check and ensure that no harm comes to anyone through this prakruti.

Do the work that is Yours. This is a filled prakruti that has fallen upon Your shoulders. There is no choice. It will seek out that which is inappropri­ate, and it will go there. Wherever it derives a taste [likes it], in that it finds sweetness. And this sweetness is sweetness that is prakrutik (generated through the non-Self complex); it is not sweetness of the Self. There is still a lot left to do.

Questioner: Please inform us about that in detail.

Dadashri: Why don’t you all just follow these five Agnas (five principles that preserve the awareness as the Self in Akram Vignan); delve deeper only in them. Even now, you are not completely following the five Agnas, are you! It’s just that you feel that way, so ‘we’ say this and that. Meaning, ‘we’ were not pleased, yet ‘we’ had shown that ‘we’ were pleased.

Questioner: This is indeed the reason for disclosing all the mistakes that happen to ‘you’. We have the strong faith that we will definitely receive the proper guidance here. This is actually the reason for not hiding anything at all!

Dadashri: It is when you feel the sweetness that you start hiding it from ‘us’. Otherwise, initially, you will ask ‘us’. Then, when a lot of sweetness is experience­d, you start hiding it. Proceed with caution.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from India