Dadavani (English)

A Gnani Purush Like This Is Indeed My Pure Soul

- ~ Jai Sat Chit Anand

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.

Dada’s State at the Time of Attaining Gnan at Surat Station

Questioner: You said that you attained Gnan (Knowledge of the Self) in 1958 at Surat Station. What was your inner state prior to that?

Dadashri: Alas! It was an egotistic, crazy state; a state of karmic bondage. I have seen that state of bondage. I not only have the experience­d awareness ( khyaal) that the state of bondage is like this, but I also Know the experience of this liberated state.

Questioner: How did you attain that Gnan?

Dadashri: Actually all the scientific circumstan­tial evidences, all the circumstan­ces came together. When the circumstan­ces come together, it happens. That happens to only a rare person, otherwise, it does not; this phenomenon would not happen. I had no idea that something like this would happen.

Questioner: Will you please tell us a little more about your state at the time of enlightenm­ent?

Dadashri: The [external] state was the very same. There is no method or anything like that in this. And oh…The veils of ignorance break within, the veils within clear away completely. And when you are a little confused, does the insight ( sooj) arise from within or does it not? It is verily due to those veils breaking that the insight arises. In the same way, as the veils of ignorance lift away, the answers to thoughts such as, ‘Who runs this world? How does it run? Who I am? Who this is?’ are all revealed. Of that, ‘I’ am expressing however much that can be spoken. The rest is to be experience­d, which will happen when You See it for Yourself. For the rest, it is beyond words, there are no words to describe it. So for the time being, if You Know ‘Who am I?’ then everything indeed has been achieved; it has become complete.

Questioner: Who acquired that experience, the pudgal ( the non- Self complex) or the pure Soul?

Dadashri: That experience was nothing but one in which the self realized Itself. The one who used to believe that he was the relative self, he realized his own Self that, ‘I am this and not that.’ So, the separation occurred!

It manifested in just one day! Yesterday, I was A. M. Patel, and today, I became the pure Soul, exclusivel­y through the Vision ( drashti). A change in vision from ‘I am this body’ to ‘I am pure Soul’ ( drashtiphe­r) took place over there!

Questioner: How did this drashti become tenacious for You within an hour?

Dadashri: What cannot happen through grace? What cannot happen when the Lord’s grace is bestowed?

Questioner: For us, the grace of Dada Bhagwan, who has manifested within You, is bestowed. What kind of grace is bestowed upon You?

Dadashri: How would I know what kind is bestowed upon Me? Someone turned me around! The Science of Absolutism ( Vitaraag Vignan) is such that it cannot be understood by anyone. Even its manifestat­ion within me has not been through any effort on my part. It has happened, but naturally.

The Gnanis Have Experience­d the Eternal Light of Knowledge

Questioner: The Gnan that you give, does it become like the Gnan of the Tirthankar Lords?

Dadashri: The Gnan for all the Tirthankar Lords is of one kind only. There is no difference in it. The language may be different, but the Knowledge is of only one kind. Even now, it is the same Knowledge, but the language is different. Since time immemorial, there is a difference in the light ( prakash) of the pudgal and the Light of Knowledge ( Gnan prakash). The Light of Knowledge of all the Gnanis is the same, whereas this light of the pudgal [physical light] is the same kind for all types of physical lights. Both the lights [light of Knowledge and light of pudgal] are different in nature.

The Knowledge is the same, from the beginning to the final state, only the Light keeps increasing. As the veils of ignorance decrease, the Light keeps increasing. When One becomes free of the veils of ignorance, then there is just one Light!

Questioner: There is only one Light, but the methods are different. There is the method of the vitaraag (absolutely detached) Lords and there is this method, meaning that of the Light, the method to attain the original Light?

Dadashri: The original Light is the very same; no one can change that at all. There is not going to be any change in the Light for the infinite chovisi (set of twenty-four Tirthankar Lords who are born in certain eras of each half-cycle of time) that are yet to come, is there!

Questioner: What do you mean by that?

Dadashri: There is no change in the Light that is referred to as Vignan (Science; absolute Knowledge), is there!

Gnan means the Self and Vignan means the absolute Self. This is, in fact, Science! The Science of the Self and the absolute Self means siddhant (incontrove­rtible principle that accomplish­es the ultimate goal)! There is not even a fraction of change in that and

it takes one all the way across [worldly life to final liberation]. After coming into the Gnanghan Atma (the interim state of the Self, with the conviction, awareness, and experience of ‘ I am pure Soul’), after attaining the permanent state, the Vignanghan (the solid entity of Science that is dense and unbroken, without porosity) should be Known.

The Gnani Reveals the Science Upon Seeing It

This is all entirely Vignan! I do not have to memorize all this Vignan. I can See all this Vignan! I speak quickly based on what I See. When you ask, I give you an answer based on what I See. It takes time to look up what’s printed in books, whereas it takes no time at all to See this. The property of Light arises in this, later a more intense Light ( gaadh prakash) arises, then later on, an unfalterin­g Light ( avgaadh prakash) arises. Unfalterin­g Light is the ultimate Light. The property of Light arises; upon attaining Gnan, the property of Light arises first.

Questioner: Can that Light actually be experience­d?

Dadashri: I am indeed speaking from experience. Experience of the Light means that I indeed speak while Seeing in that Light. I can See Yours too. It cannot be Seen through these eyes; it can be seen through the divine eyes ( divya chakshu).

The Darkness of Infinite Lives Has Been Lifted

Questioner: They say that when Gnan is attained, Light has emerged.

Dadashri: Light means that the darkness of infinite lifetimes is lifted. The darkness of what? It is not this darkness. There is no darkness in the case of the former, whereas this is darkness. The darkness of ignorance of the Self is lifted, so the experienti­al awareness ( bhaan) arises as to what is all this.

Questioner: So does that mean that the understand­ing ( samaj) has been attained?

Dadashri: Yes, the understand­ing, Light means understand­ing.

Questioner: But don’t you say that Gnan does not mean understand­ing, Gnan means Light.

Dadashri: Ye s … b u t it is considered understand­ing. So you have to understand it this way. When it comes into the understand­ing, then it will convert into Gnan, won’t it! Understand­ing is faith ( shraddha); understand­ing is Vision ( darshan). When it comes into understand­ing, it converts into Gnan and Gnan means Light.

The Light is the very same, but in certain aspects, it is referred to as understand­ing, and in other aspects, it is referred to as Knowing. Otherwise, [this] Light is not like any other light. And everyone thinks of it as the light from a lamp, but it is not like that.

The Unique Light of Knowledge Is Beyond the Senses

This is Light in the form of Gnan. Light means everything can be seen while sitting down and this Gnan is indeed Light.

And that Light is Itself the Self. ‘ Gnan’ is Itself the Self, the Self is nothing else, It is only absolute Knowledge ( Keval Gnan)! Keval means there is no adulterati­on of any kind, that is how the Gnan is. That is referred to as Light, that is referred to as the Self.

Questioner: Can we compare that Light with anything?

Dadashri: No, no, no, It certainly cannot be compared with anything. Can there be any comparison with the eternal element that is one of a kind? There is no other thing in this world like this eternal element that is one of a kind.

Questioner: So then can that Light not be attained through the help of any of the senses?

Dadashri: That Light neither helps the senses nor is It attained from the senses.

Questioner: Is It beyond the senses?

Dadashri: It is the Self, It is beyond the senses and beyond everything.

What Cannot Be Seen With the Sun Can Be Seen With the Light of Gnan

Questioner: If it is dark and we light a matchstick, then in that light, we can see a piece of paper that is lying here. Similarly, what can we see when the Light of the Self emerges? What is it like?

Dadashri: Everything that is not visible in the world can be Seen. That which cannot be Seen with [physical] light, that which cannot be Seen with the largest sun, that can be Seen.

Questioner: Everything that we see in our dreams, in what light do we see that? Is that considered the Light of the Self?

Dadashri: No, that is all indeed this interferen­ce. Everything that is seen in dreams is all interferen­ce from here. Nothing can be Seen of that other [Light]. It cannot be Seen in dreams or in the alert state. It can be Seen in Gnan; it cannot be Seen even in the intellect. All of this can be seen in the intellect. Whereas this refers to what can be Seen in the Gnan of the Gnani (the Self-realized One). As You gain more experience, You will be able to See it.

Gnan Continues to Increase Until the Distinct Experience of the Self Arises

Questioner: After the Gnan manifested in you, did the Light of Knowledge remain the same or did it continue to increase?

Dadashri: For ‘us’, it is actually experienti­al Knowledge ( anubhav Gnan). There cannot be two kinds of Light in that; there is constantly only one kind of Light that remains. ‘We’ have the clear and distinct experience ( spashta anubhav) of the Self. As long as the clear and distinct experience of the Self does not happen, the Gnan continues to increase; however, when the clear and distinct experience happens, that Gnan will become complete.

The Gnani Purush is the Self with experience, and He is in experience completely.

Questioner: Ultimately, not a single

parmanu ( smallest, most indivisibl­e and indestruct­ible particle of inanimate matter) of that which causes intents to arise ( bhaavak) remains, does it? Does the Gnani have these intent-producing aspects?

Dadashri: In our state, not even a parmanu of that which causes intents to arise remains. If You come into the state ‘we’ are in, then even You will not have any bhaavak. Then there will not be anyone who protests within. If You come into the clear and distinct experience of the pure Soul, then that which causes intents to arise will not remain. This Science simply needs to be understood. This Gnan Itself procures results on Its own. It is only if this subtle fact is understood that moksha (liberation) will be attained.

The Light of Knowledge Does Not Have Moorchha

Questioner: The pure Soul is in the form of Knowledge ( Gnan swaroop) and in the form of illuminati­on ( prakash swaroop), is it not?

Dadashri: It is not that kind of Light ( prakash).

Questioner: No. It is a different kind of Light, but the pure Self ( shuddha Chetan) in the form of Light…

Dadashri: This is actually parprakash (light of the non-Self), it is not Light like this. ‘Light’ means that it does not allow any moorchha (gross unawarenes­s arising from illusory attachment) to arise in anything. One may see all the things of the world, but this Light is such that it does not allow any moorchha to arise.

When you go to the Fort [place in Mumbai where enticing things are sold] and see all the things there, then does moorchha arise for some of the things?

Questioner: It happens.

Dadashri: But this Light does not let that moorchha arise. You will not feel like buying anything even though you have the money.

Questioner: I feel like looking at everything.

Dadashri: There is nothing wrong with Seeing. ‘Seeing’ is verily the function of the Self, but moorchha does not arise in it. One can See because of this Light, yet moorchha does not arise. And if one sees in the absence of this Light, then moorchha arises immediatel­y for him. Upon seeing a sari, as soon as she gets home, she keeps rememberin­g it, ‘How beautiful that sari was!’ She is completely lost in that sari.

This Dada has all the material things. He has this and that, he has a business, he has a business in his name, and he has checks in his name. Dada has not renounced anything at all. Yet, he has no moorchha at all, that is why everything is renounced for him. Whereas an ascetic states, “My birthplace is in this village”; he should not say that. Despite having renounced worldly life, he still carries it all inside and so that moorchha has not gone away. Whereas whatever ‘we’ say, there is nothing to renounce in it. What does not need to be renounced? Things are not to be renounced, moorchha is to be renounced. What is moorchha? It is mohaniya karma

(karma that induces illusory attachment). People have renounced many things; however, all those things still stand. This is because the moorchha for the material things has not left. After attaining the Self, You no longer have moorchha. This is because You have become the pure Soul. As You have become the pure Soul, all the moorchha is gone. Your mohaniya karma has become completely destroyed; otherwise, the establishe­d awareness ( laksh) of the pure Soul would not set in. As long as there is even a drop of mohaniya karma, the establishe­d awareness of the pure Soul does not set in.

And after attaining this Gnan, as One has attained the Light, moorchha does not arise. Moorchha has decreased, has it not?

Questioner: I may see something, but I no longer have the desire for it.

Dadashri: Yes, so moorchha does not arise. This Light prevents moorchha from arising. One Sees all the things that tend to cause attachment and abhorrence; one looks at it this way, that way, and in every which way he can, but moorchha does not arise. The Self remains in Its place and that [thing] remains in its place. In the other situation, when moorchha arises, the entire self becomes engulfed in it.

If I am Pure Soul, Then There Is No Attachment or Abhorrence

Questioner: If we do not maintain attachment in worldly life, then we feel inner burning, and if we maintain attachment, then it prevents us from attaining moksha.

Dadashri: It’s like this; who are You truly now? Really speaking, are You Chandubhai or are You the pure Soul?

Questioner: The pure Soul.

Dadashri: Then for You, no attachment and abhorrence remains at all. If ‘I am pure Soul,’ then there is no attachment and abhorrence, and if you really are Chandubhai, then you have attachment and abhorrence.

Suppose you are getting angry with someone, and I ask you just this much, “Are you Chandubhai or are you the pure Soul?” Then you would say, “I am the pure Soul,” so then there is nothing left for me to say to You. When you are getting angry, I Know that whatever karmic stock has been filled is coming out. We do not have the right to prevent it [from coming out]. However, You should definitely tell Chandubhai, ‘This should not be so.’ There is no harm in telling Chandubhai, because he is your neighbor, file number one!

Besides, a line of demarcatio­n is in place; this part is Yours and this part is his [file one’s]. Say there is a house. Both the wife and the husband divide the property agreeably. After it has been divided, they immediatel­y understand, ‘ This is not mine’. Similarly, after dividing what is Yours and what is his, how can there be any interferen­ce in that?

In the World, There Is Only the Pure Soul and Circumstan­ces

There is only the Self and circumstan­ces, and in that, the circumstan­ces

are infinite. The circumstan­ces cloud and color the Self. Let me explain how. Suppose there is a diamond, it reflects white light; in the presence of light, it reflects white rays. Now, if a red cloth is placed underneath it, then the entire diamond would appear red, and if a green cloth is placed underneath it, then the diamond would appear green, and the light that reflects from it would be green too. The Self is just like that; it becomes like the circumstan­ces that come before it. If anger arises, then it gets heated up. In reality, the pure Soul has never become spoilt. When oil and water are mixed, no matter how much they are stirred, the oil and water never become one; similarly, the Self has never become spoilt. In infinite lifetimes, the Self has never been cut, It has never been crushed; whether It has taken the form of a snake or a cat, whatever life-form It has entered in, but the Self has not been spoilt by even a fraction; only the physical form has changed!

I am the Eternal Pure Soul

Worldly life perpetuate­s because of [the opinion,] ‘These circumstan­ces are good and those are bad.’ However, if one says, “All these circumstan­ces entail suffering,” then he has begun his journey towards moksha! This verily is the Science of the vitaraag (absolutely detached) Lords. What a great scientist Lord Mahavir was! The vitaraag Lords knew that the world has come about simply because of circumstan­ces! People turned them into agreeable and disagreeab­le circumstan­ces and maintained attachment and abhorrence towards them, whereas the

Lord made them both disagreeab­le, and became liberated!

[Lord Mahavir had stated,]

‘ Ego me shasho appa, naan danshan sanjjuo.’

I am the eternal Self, I am the eternal pure Soul with Knowledge and Vision, I am permanent, I am nothing but the Self ( Sat).

‘ Shesha me bahirabhaa­va, savve sanjog lakhkhana.’

Everything else that remains is an intent of the non-Self ( bahirbhaav). What are the characteri­stics of those intents? They appear as circumstan­ces. What are these intents of the non-Self? To appear as a circumstan­ce means a negative thought is a circumstan­ce, thoughts that arise of getting married are circumstan­ces, thoughts that arise of becoming a widow or widower is are circumstan­ces. Those are all considered intents of the non-Self, and they appear as circumstan­ces. The characteri­stics of all of them are that they are in the form of circumstan­ces. That which is going to dissipate, all of those are circumstan­ces. They were invited by mistake [because of the wrong belief of ‘I am Chandubhai and I am the doer’ in the past life], so they have come.

‘ Sanjog moola jeevena, patta dukham parampara,

Tamha sanjog sambandham, savvam teeveehen vosariyaam­i.’

All those circumstan­ces lie at the root of the cycles of suffering of living beings. ‘ I am surrenderi­ng all these

circumstan­ces to Dada Bhagwan, the vitaraag Lord,’ meaning I am surrenderi­ng them; this means that You are no longer the owner of them. How many circumstan­ces are there? There are infinite. Of these infinite circumstan­ces, when will You let go of each and every one? Instead, if You surrender all the circumstan­ces to Dada, then You are free!

The Self has infinite energy. It has so much [energy] that It can take up infinite circumstan­ces within an hour and It can eliminate infinite circumstan­ces within an hour! But who has the right to eliminate them? Only the Gnani Purush!

Feeding and Eliminatin­g, Influx and Outflow, and the Pure Soul

There are just two things in this world: the pure Soul and circumstan­ces. Whatever is encountere­d externally is a circumstan­ce; the breeze that feels cool, even the thoughts that arise are circumstan­ces. However, through the intellect, it is perceived that, ‘This is good and that is bad,’ and because of that, one continues to engage in attachment and abhorrence. The Gnan conveys that both the circumstan­ces are indeed equal. ‘You’ are indeed free from the circumstan­ces, so then why are You interferin­g?

And in fact, ‘we’ say it clearly, don’t we? That there is the pure Soul and puran (influx) and galan (outflow). Credit and debit, credit and debit. There is nothing else that is going on whatsoever. Does anyone’s money that is deposited in the bank remain stagnant? It will come and go. A person keeps two types of accounts, that of puran and galan. To withdraw [money from the bank] is galan, and to deposit is puran.

Whatever you had filled in the past life, whatever you had credited, that is continuous­ly being debited in this life. Moreover, if currently the crediting is going on anew, then it will be useful in the next life. Then it’s like the money deposited in the bank, you can spend that for the rest of your life. Whatever is filled will come out.

What is profit and loss? It is [subject to] puran-galan. The Self is a permanent thing, and all these things are subject to puran-galan. When puran occurs, one will have attachment, saying, “It’s increased, it’s increased.” And when galan occurs, he will have abhorrence, saying, “It’s gone,” and thus, he binds worldly life. In fact, One is the absolute Self ( Parmatma), but in this worldly life which is subject to puran-galan, he suffers a beating due to a lack of understand­ing.

So, have you understood this in brief, in short? “Come to the short,” otherwise, this is something that has no end to it. There are five things in this world. There are three in this body; puran, galan and the pure Soul. And there are only two things on the outside; bhojanalay and shaochalay. Bhojanalay is something that is worth enjoying and shaochalay is something that is worth letting go of.

Bhojanalay and shaochalay, puran and galan, and the pure Soul; the Gnani does not See anything else in this world besides these. Bhojanalay are things to be enjoyed and consumed, and shaochalay is

what is let go of upon consuming them. What remains is puran and galan and the pure Soul.

So the entire world is encompasse­d in this much, in these five words. Moreover, all of this can even be encompasse­d in just these two words, the pure Soul and circumstan­ces; there are just these two. When the people of the world do not even understand concepts that are subtle ( guhya), how can they understand concepts that are even subtler ( guhyatar)? Then, what is there to say about ‘our’ discussion­s, they are in fact at the subtlest ( guhyatam) level.

With whatever intent you do the filling ( puran), that is the intent with which the emptying ( galan) will happen. What happens is that when a person speaks, all the parmanu that get drawn in at that time become like that [charged based on the intent with which the person spoke]. So, the time when those parmanu got drawn in is referred to as ‘ pud’, and thereafter, when those parmanu undergo galan after giving off the effect, that is referred to as ‘ gal’. They enter within and then they undergo galan after giving off the effect. Puran happens at the time of binding of the karma, and galan happens as the time of dischargin­g of the karma. So that is what is referred to as pudgal. At the time they undergo galan, it is called nirjara, and at the time they undergo puran, it is called bandh.

Say you bring a wicked person here; he is currently undergoing puran (filling in; charging) of wickedness. Even if you put him in an ‘ocean’ of virtuousne­ss, he will still keep undergoing the puran of wickedness whilst the galan (emptying out; dischargin­g) of virtuousne­ss keeps taking place. But for the one who is undergoing the galan of wickedness, ‘we’ can make him virtuous. Whatever stock was filled in is indeed what is undergoing galan. Even though this neem tree is being watered with sweet water, yet there is bitterness in each and every leaf. If you cut it with an axe, the axe will smell bitter. Just look at how much bitterness there is even in a small neem tree! Just look at this craftsmans­hip of the pudgal! No matter what efforts you make, even if you water it with sweet water, its bitterness will continue to increase. There is not a single thing in this world that does not undergo puran-galan. Its very nature is puran-galan. It is but natural.

Upon Subtractin­g Out the Influx and Outflow, the Pure Soul Is Found

Questioner: [You are the first to have] Given the explanatio­n regarding the pudgal, the filling and emptying ( purangalan) process. This explanatio­n that you have given, I don’t think that anyone after Lord Mahavir has understood this matter.

Dadashri: No, but how would people understand this besides the Gnani? People are not capable of this at all, are they! People simply keep saying [ the word] pudgal. What is pudgal? They respond, “The body. So, another name for the body is pudgal.” I spent an extensive amount of time over the course of twenty years to discover this, the pudgal and all these other words, and how God can be found.

This word pudgal is a groundbrea­king discovery. So, if you only understand this filling and emptying ( puran-galan), it is more than enough. This is filling and emptying and You are the pure Soul. So, if You See that which is filling and emptying on its own, and subtract all of that out, then You are indeed the pure Soul. Now, people certainly do not have this much understand­ing. So they need to come to the Gnani. By teaching them this, by talking about such things, they understand, ‘What you are saying is correct,’ but then they find it difficult to put it into practice, don’t they!

By Continuous­ly Seeing It, the Pudgal Parmanu Will Become Pure

‘You’ consider Yourself as the pure Soul, but this external worldly part that we call pudgal says, “But what about me? Now, You have become the pure Soul, but You will not become free; as long as a settlement does not come about for me once and for all, until then You will not be able to attain freedom.” What it is saying is, “As long as You do not enable me to regain my original state, I am not going to set You free. This is because You are indeed the one who ruined my original state, so now You place me back into my original state!”

Questioner: But it is actually telling ‘us’ that this skin, this blood, these bones and flesh that are within; that which is comprised of the five elements of air, water, light, earth, and space ( panchbhoot), what does that have to do with ‘us’? What is the need for it?

Dadashri: No, no, no. Chandubhai is alive. You are the pure Soul and Chandubhai is alive. He is not a physical body of blood, flesh, pus and all that; he is alive. ‘You’ will actually have to bring a settlement to him once and for all!

Questioner: We do not spoil anything for anyone; everything happens as per vyavasthit.

Dadashri: No, that is not acceptable. What the pudgal parmanu are saying is, “‘You’ have spoiled us; You have made us unnatural ( vikrut) like this. From the natural and pure pudgal that we used to be, You made us impure and unnatural.” They [ pudgal parmanu] became unnatural only when you did the intent [of ‘I am Chandubhai’]!

Questioner: But Dada, what does it matter to the pudgal, to the inanimate matter ( jada), whether it is natural ( swakruti) or unnatural ( vikruti)?

Dadashri: There is an energized self (power Chetan) within, isn’t there! ‘You’ are separate and this pudgal, the one energized with the intent of the Self ( chetan bhaav) is separate. In the pudgal, there is an energized self, not the real Self.

Questioner: Who defiled the pudgal?

Dadashri: The intent that you made; that itself is the bhaavkarma (cause karma; subtle charge karma). That gave rise to the pudgal (non-Self complex). Had the subtle charge karma not happened, then this pudgal would not have arisen. The pudgal parmanu have nothing to do with it; the poor things are vitaraag indeed. The moment you do the intent, the pudgal parmanu immediatel­y transform. So the

parmanu that have become impure need to be purified through purity, nothing else.

So, however much the discharge remains pending, that many impure parmanu remain; and that too, as You See them [as separate], they will leave after becoming pure.

The Gnani Prevails in the ‘Home Department’

‘Our’ Penance is such that it does not let ‘us’ stay in worldly life even for a moment. ‘Penance’ means ‘I’ never go from the ‘home department’ [the Self] to the ‘foreign’ [the non-Self]. ‘It’ calls out from within even before ‘I’ try to enter the foreign in the slightest. So, ‘our’ Penance remains at the junction between ‘the home’ and ‘foreign’. So, par-parinati (to believe ‘I am doing’ in what are results of the non-Self) and swa-parinati (the natural state of the Self), have you heard those words? That is why parparinat­i does not arise for ‘us’ even for a second.

The Lord has said there are four pillars of moksha: Gnan (Knowledge of the Self), Darshan (Vision as the Self), Charitra (Conduct), and Tapa (Penance). It is not possible for a human being to see these four through the five senses. The Penance which no one can see, yet there is Penance, takes One to moksha. The penance that is visible takes one to any of the four life-forms ( chaturgati).

Questioner: I did not understand that, Dada. Please explain that again, in a little detail. Please unfold the secret of that a little.

Dadashri: For the One who has these four pillars, Knowledge, Vision, Conduct, and Penance, nothing of His can be seen externally. The Knowledge cannot be seen, Vision cannot be seen, Conduct cannot be seen, and even Penance cannot be seen. They cannot be seen through the five senses; they can be understood by becoming familiar with them. This is because this is all internal. Whereas external gnan ( knowledge), darshan ( vision), charitra ( conduct) and tapa (penance) are the cause of worldly life.

The Gnani’s Penance Is at the Junction of the Self and the Non-Self

‘We’ are continuous­ly in Penance for twenty-four hours, but ‘our’ Penance is invisible internal Penance ( adeethh Tapa). One binds merit karma for the penance that is visible. The penance that other people can see binds merit karma. One attains moksha through the Penance that is not visible. So, there is invisible internal Penance.

Questioner: What is invisible internal Penance like?

Dadashri: It is such that no one can see it. ‘Our’ Penance is at the junction of the Self and the non-Self. It is at the junction where it does not allow them to become one, it does not allow one to become tanmayakar (to become one with the body and mind). So how can people see that inner Penance outside? Outside, everything will be as per the unfolding of karma, but internal Penance is referred to as adeethh Tapa. That does not allow One to go from the ‘home department’ [the Self] to the ‘foreign’ [the non-Self]. It keeps One ‘superfluou­s’ [superficia­l]

in the ‘foreign’. Whatever unfolding of karma is there in the ‘foreign’, it keeps one dependent on the unfolding karma. ‘One’ does not interfere in that. Do you see any of ‘my’ Penance?

‘We’ are always in Penance. ‘We’ are not outside of Penance even for a samay (the smallest division of time). Now does Penance mean You have to get heated up in it? My Penance is a different Penance. Mine does not enter the ‘foreign’ at all. The upayog (applied awareness as the Self) does not go in the ‘foreign’ at all, the upayog remains only in the ‘home’. My Penance is of that state.

The Pure Soul Knows the One Who Remains Restless or Poised

Questioner: Even though One is able to See and Know that one remains restless ( aswastha) in this situation, he is not able to remain poised. Does this mean there is a denser veil of the intellect?

Dadashri: What happens there is that the Seer is the Self that Dada has given. The pure Soul Itself is this Seer. If You remain in that form [as the Self], then there is no problem. Otherwise, there is no end to the cycle of restlessne­ss and calmness.

Questioner: What is the key for that?

Dadashri: The key is this: Whether there is restlessne­ss or calmness, the Knower of both [states] is the pure Soul. As restlessne­ss occurs, it means one [the developing I; pote] is sticking his hand in the ‘foreign’. Whether he becomes restless or poised, ‘our’ business is to Know. These are all temporary states ( avastha) of the non-Self complex and the Knower of the temporary states of the non-Self complex is called the pure Soul. Paudgalik means that which has been filled ( puran; influx, charged) and is emptying ( galan; outflux, dischargin­g)! The restlessne­ss arises in you only if it had been filled [previously]; only then can it arise now. So, it arises now and gets emptied out.

One is bound to be burnt if he sticks his hand into the ‘foreign’. ‘We’ do not stick ‘our’ hand in the ‘foreign’ at all. This is because the fruit (effect) that is meant to be received will definitely be received. Moreover, because he stuck his hand in it, he receives double the fruit. Meaning, he incurs two losses. Just one loss should be incurred. ‘You’ should continue to Know that Chandubhai is restless. The restlessne­ss will come to an end after a quarter of an hour. ‘You’ will not incur two losses if You continue to See.

Questioner: The longer a situation lasts, does it mean that one has that many more veils of ignorance?

Dadashri: Yes, however many the veils, that much longer the situation lasts. However, if You, as the pure Soul, keep Seeing, then no matter how many veils exist, they will dissipate quickly, in an instant. The situation will be resolved. And if you stick your hand in it, then it gives rise to problems unnecessar­ily.

Leave the Foreign and Enter the Strong Room of the Pure Soul

Now there is bliss no matter where you sleep. There will be bliss even if

you have to sleep on the terrace on a cold night. If You enter the ‘cave’ of the pure Soul within, in your own way, then the cold will go away, whereas a wealthy businessma­n will feel cold even in his bungalow. This is because he keeps fumbling around on the outside [in the non-Self]. Hey, why don’t You go into Your own ‘room’ [the Self]! But he has not seen that ‘room’, so where would he go? Whereas You sleep in Your ‘room’, so what does it matter that it is going to rain or be cold on the outside!

Now You will not waver even if there is a huge storm outside, will You?

Questioner: Not at all.

Dadashri: ‘You’ have a strong room of the pure Soul. This is such a strong room that no one will bother You. Enter Your ‘home department’, all this is actually the ‘foreign’. Let them scream as much as they want to in the ‘foreign’, once You enter the strong room in the ‘home’, then there will be no one to bother You. You will now experience that! It is only after You sit in the ‘home’ that the experience begins! Until then, You keep going into the ‘foreign’. Even now, after becoming the pure Soul, You are not going within, You keep going outside. This is because You do not have the practice of going within. There is a lack of practice, isn’t there? So, You should first practice some of this, shouldn’t You?

There are still many storms that will take place within, so bring about a solution with steadiness even there! What kinds of storms will come? Of karma bound in the previous life. So, it is the filled stock of karma. It had been charged and when it discharges, it kicks up a storm. At that time, You should maintain steadiness that, ‘The storm has come.’ ‘You’ are the pure Soul, You should keep Seeing it while sitting in the ‘home department’.

As for You, the Self prevails a hundred percent separately and the pudgal prevails separately and You have been given the state of the pure Soul. Now nothing will be ruined for You, it will never be ruined. If you deliberate­ly try to uproot it, then it will be uprooted; otherwise, it will not be uprooted. The understand­ing may be more or less, that is not an issue. There is no need to understand that at all. It is indeed the result of the grace of the Gnani Purush. This is Akram Vignan (the Science of Absolutism), so You do not have to do anything.

Chandubhai Is the Experiment, the Pure Soul Is the Experiment­er

Would the experiment ( prayog) and the experiment­er ( prayogi) be separate or identical? Chandubhai is the experiment, and You, the pure Soul, are the experiment­er. Now, people have believed the experiment itself to be the experiment­er. In an experiment, substances have to be removed and added, whereas there is no adding and removing ( purangalan) from the experiment­er. In this ‘experiment’ [the non-Self complex], food and drink is to be added in, and it is to be discharged in the toilet.

‘ Pote ja prayogi chhe, prayogoni moorchhnam­a.’

‘ The Self is indeed the experiment­er,

caught up in the state of gross unawarenes­s arising from the illusory attachment, of

the experiment­s.’

- Kaviraj Navneet

The experiment­er Himself is wound up in the moorchhna (state of gross unawarenes­s arising from illusory attachment) of the experiment, so He has lost awareness ( bhaan) of His Real form ( Swaroop). If there is an experiment going on right now, if there is boiling water, what would happen if one were to stick his hand in it? One understand­s when it comes to this, whereas one does not understand when it comes to the Self, so he keeps sticking his hand [in the experiment; the non-Self]. Then separation does not prevail. So, ‘I am separate,’ would never prevail, would it!

Questioner: Who is the original experiment­er in this?

Dadashri: The Self is indeed the experiment­er. These words are only being used to explain this to you. This body is the experiment, and that which is separate from it is the Self. Therefore, do not interfere in the experiment.

Upon Saying, “I am Pure Soul,” the Parmanu Do Not Enter Within

As long as there was [the belief], ‘I am Chandubhai,’ even if religious rituals were done the entire day, parmanu would keep entering within; the charging ( puran) would continue. [If you were to ask,] ‘Hey parmanu, why do you keep entering my home?’ Then they would reply, ‘You yourself are pudgal. If you are the Self, then we cannot enter. Yes, it is because you say that I am Chandubhai that we enter.’ Now, if You say, ‘I am pure Soul,’ then none of these parmanu will enter. No matter what activity You do, the parmanu cannot enter. And if the parmanu enter, then the charging of the pudgal continues, and thus, the dischargin­g is bound to happen again.

However, for the One who has attained the Self, the parmanu will not enter at all. So then where is the possibilit­y of giving any result? There will be neither bitter results nor sweet ones. ‘One’ remains in the bliss of the Self. Whereas these bitter or sweet [results] do not allow the bliss of the Self to come, and keep one only in the bitter or sweet results. Whereas that other is the spontaneou­s bliss of the Self, which keeps one absolutely content; it keeps one constantly content. The bliss of the Self is such that it will do even if You do not have any material thing.

One Is the Pure Soul, Asang, Free of Associatio­n

You have been given the Self. You have been given Your Real form ( Swaroop), the Self that is free of all associatio­n ( asang). No associatio­n ( sang) affects It, and if an associatio­n affected It, then the self would never become the Self. After being made free of that associatio­n, this Gnan has resulted within You; otherwise, it would not bring about results, would it! Now, as per the Self ( Nishchay), You are free of associatio­n ( asang), so You have become free of associatio­n as the Self. Even worldly people will say this, but that does not work. For You,

the laksh (establishe­d awareness) of the form that is free of associatio­n remains on its own. What does laksh mean? It is considered Atma dhyan (internal state that results in the constant awareness of ‘I am pure Soul’). Before [attaining Gnan,] there was the internal state of being ( dhyan) that ‘I am Chandubhai,’ now You have the internal state of being that ‘I am pure Soul.’ In this internal state of being of ‘I am pure Soul,’ a majority of it falls under Atma dhyan. When there are too many ‘files’ [Dadashri’s special term for karmic accounts that take one away from the Self and into worldly life], then it may be missed out to a certain extent, but even then, what is in the internal state of being? The pure Soul. That is shukladhya­n (internal state of being in which One prevails in the awareness of ‘I am pure Soul’), it is the form that is free of associatio­n. There is no higher state in the world than this. This is actually the uninterrup­ted state. Hence, the only thing that You have to take care of is that You come into the uninterrup­ted state. So, all of this will have to be cleared, won’t it? When You remain in ‘our’ Agnas (five directives that preserve the awareness as the Self in Akram Vignan), that much will be solved.

Asang ( absolutely without any associatio­n) means ‘I am the pure Soul,’ there is no experienti­al awareness ( bhaan) other than that. ‘One’ is the pure Soul that is free of associatio­n.

The Greatest Vision Is to See the Pure Soul in All Living Beings

Questioner: After attaining the

Knowledge of the Self, what is the sign that I have become completely nirvikaari (free from all unnatural activity as the Self) [free of associatio­n], or that my karmic stock has completely discharged?

Dadashri: The sign is that there is constant samadhi (a state that is free from the effects of mental, physical, and externally-induced problems). Samadhi remains even in the midst of upadhi (externally-induced problems and resultant suffering).

Questioner: I do experience that to a certain extent even now.

Dadashri: No, but if it remains completely, then that indeed is the sign, nothing else. Constant jagruti, that indeed is complete.

Questioner: That upadhi is actually gone. We have become free from worry; you have made us so. Even then, there must be some sign of even that; we should attain some Vision that if a certain thing happens, then it means we have become completely aware that way?

Dadashri: ‘ You’ have indeed attained the greatest Vision. The Vision is that ‘I am the pure Soul’ and You See the pure Soul in others. Other visions are of no use, are they! Other visions are useless; they are considered vision for the sake of carrying out the [worldly] drama.

Every living being is the pure Soul, in the non-manifested form; they are all indeed the pure Soul. However, the Light of the pure Soul should manifest. When that Light manifests, it works like a lighthouse. It can work as an observator­y.

Questioner: So is it absolutely pure ( vishuddha)?

Dadashri: It is indeed absolutely pure, every single living being is absolutely pure, but they do not have the awareness of that absolute purity. When they become aware of that, they become a lighthouse. They can give Light to others. Therefore, this Gnani brings us into awareness; [otherwise, everyone] prevails in unawarenes­s. Whatever people have said, they decided on that knowledge and they have accepted it. So, they have proceeded according to the influence of other people, they have not proceeded according to the influence of the Gnani. If they had done that, then they would have become free.

After Attaining Gnan, One Dwells in the Self

After attaining Gnan, after the intent arises that ‘I am pure Soul,’ all these causes have come to a stop. The state as the sufferer-enjoyer ( bhoktapanu) has stopped and You have become the experience­r of Your own inherent nature ( Swabhaav), Your Real form ( Swaroop). The entire world is dwelling in the nonSelf ( par ramanta), in suffering-enjoying the pudgal; whereas the One who has attained the Self dwells in the Self, experience­s the Self. When One becomes the experience­r of the Self, nothing else, nothing negative is going to enter, is it! The fact that Swaramanta (dwelling in the Self) arises, that itself is moksha.

Questioner: The dwelling in the Self that begins through our Akram Gnan (Knowledge of the Self through the stepless path), can you give a bit of explanatio­n about that Gnan?

Dadashri: It is Gnan that does not let You become one with the intent of the non-Self ( parbhaav; belief of ‘I am Chandubhai’). It is Gnan that does not let You become engulfed in dwelling in the non-Self, and that indeed is the Self. It keeps You only in the ‘home department’ and does not let You enter the ‘foreign department’.

‘ Gnan’ itself is freedom, It keeps One in moksha, It doesn’t let One become bound.

To believe this world as it exists to be the truth and to dwell only in that, that is the impure chit (inner component of knowledge and vision). And to believe that whatever the knowledge and vision ( gnan-darshan) of this world is, it is not true, and to remain dwelling in the Real eternal element [the Self], that is known as the pure chit. The pure chit is itself the pure Soul.

That is why the vitaraag Lords have said, “When the chit comes into the Self amidst endless parmanu, there will be a solution.” So what should One dwell in? The Self. While speaking with you, ‘we’ are dwelling in the Self. While sleeping, eating, drinking, walking ‘we’ are indeed dwelling in the Self!

Dwelling in the Pure Soul Is the Most Important Thing

Dwelling as the pure Soul is the main thing. Up until now, there was this dwelling in the pudgal. All this is indeed considered the pudgal, right! Whatever

form you call it, whether you call it this form or that form, but in every form, it is all nothing but the pudgal. All those who are on the path which uses tools, they are all dwelling in the non-Self!

And dwelling in the pudgal is verily known as worldly life. There will be no end to it. No matter who you are [in the relative], what does that have to do with God? If one were to ask the Lord, “What is this person dwelling in?” then Lord would reply, “He is dwelling in the pudgal.” Then the person might say, “Sir, he has knowledge of all the scriptures.” [The Lord would say,] “We have no problem with that. He will get the fruits of that knowledge. But what is he dwelling in?” The answer is, “He is dwelling in the pudgal.”

‘I am Chandubhai and all this is mine. I am her husband, and I am his father, and I am his maternal uncle.’ Even the scriptures are considered the pudgal. The ascetics and monks keep ‘being entertaine­d by’ the scriptures, which are also considered ‘toys’ made up of the pudgal. As long as this is going on, dwelling as the Self ( Atma ramanata) will not arise.

To become free of the pudgal is called virati. The entire world is involved only in rituals, but it is just the [right] Vision that is needed. Everyone is indeed dwelling in the non-Self, not a single person is dwelling in the Self. They dwell in the scriptures, dwell in maintainin­g disciples, dwell on [worshippin­g] photos, all of that is indeed dwelling in worldly life. If One samples dwelling in the Self for even a second, then freedom will be attained. Except for the Gnani, no one can get a person to dwell in the Self.

The Agnas Make One Steady in Dwelling in the Self

After dwelling in the Self arises, there is nothing left to be done. ‘We’ give you the Self; You will not have to give rise to dwelling in that. ‘We’ place such a thing within that the dwelling arises on its own. ‘You’ do not have to do anything; this is natural and spontaneou­s. If you have to do anything, then it is certain that you have not met the Gnani Purush. The Gnani Purush does not leave anything for You to do. He places you in a ‘lift’ [elevator] and takes you to moksha, and then the Gnani Purush Himself operates [that ‘lift’]. All You have to do is remain seated in accordance with His Agnas. After attaining dwelling in the Self, what dharma (function; religion) do You have to follow? Simply remain in the Agnas He has given. The Agnas are protection. What is the protection of the dwelling in the Self that has been attained? It is the Agnas! That is why ‘we’ give all five of the Agnas.

Upon realizing the Self, if One follows the five Agnas, then One has learned how to enter into dwelling in the Self. That dwelling then slowly becomes steady, and the dwelling in the pudgal begins to cease. Then, when One becomes free from dwelling in the pudgal, One is considered to be constantly free; that is the state of eternal bliss. ‘One’ has become free from dwelling in the nonSelf. Subsequent­ly, One is indeed free; free even while residing here!

To Know Even That Which Is Disliked Is Dwelling in the Self

[ After attaining Gnan,] Moksha has indeed been attained. But now, the dwelling that ends up happening is of two types.

(1) ‘Knowing’ that ‘I am pure Soul’ while having to dwell in that which is disliked. You may not like going outside, but because you had endorsed it in the past life, you have to dwell in that.

(2) Secondly, there is dwelling in the Real form as the Self ( Swaroop).

Other people [those who have not attained Gnan] become engrossed in the first [type of] dwelling. Whereas for You, although dwelling of the first type does arise, You remain as the Knower-Seer of that. ‘You’ do not become engrossed in that.

Questioner: Yes, that is true. ‘I’ keep Seeing Chandubhai.

Dadashri: Whatever it is that Chandubhai does is to be known, while You are the Knower. When You are the Knower, that is dwelling in the Self, to See the object to be known ( gneya) is dwelling in the Self.

‘You’ have to come into the inherent nature of Knowing and Seeing; that is considered Charitra ( Conduct as the Self). However much the uninterrup­ted Gnan-Darshan accumulate­s, that much Charitra arises.

Charitra means dwelling ( ramanata). It is to remain as the Seer, it is to remain as the Knower-Seer and to dwell in that, that is Charitra.

Dwelling in the Self ranges from the establishe­d awareness ( laksh) of ‘I am pure Soul’ all the way to prevailing in pure Conduct as the Self ( shuddha Charitra).

Questioner: Is dwelling in the inherent nature as the Self ( Swabhaav ramanata) itself yathakhyat Charitra?

Dadashri: Yes, that is considered yathakhyat. The Charitra beyond yathakhyat Charitra is considered as keval Charitra (absolute Conduct as the Self). When this becomes complete, it is called keval Charitra.

Subsequent­ly, One dwells only in vitaraag Charitra (the Conduct that is absolutely free of attachment and abhorrence); One dwells only in that, that is Lord Mahavir’s Charitra.

This dwelling prevails until the absolute state of the Self develops. For how long does one dwell in the Self? Once the complete state as the Self arises, there is indeed no more dwelling [in the Self], is there! The Self [developing I] has indeed become the Self! Meaning, the absolute state of the Self.

Besides, One certainly is the pure Soul. Completely in One’s inherent nature ( Swabhaav) in every sense, meaning that there is no other inherent nature as the Self, to be the Knower-Seer and in permanent bliss, that verily is Its Swabhaav; that is to say, One’s own inherent nature. And once

the pure Soul has been understood, it’s complete, all the [spiritual] work is done.

[The awakened awareness that,] ‘I am the pure Soul, the Knower-Seer; I keep Seeing what Chandubhai is doing,’ that is referred to as Atma ramanata. That is considered as being occupied with the Self. Our path is that of being occupied with the Self. The entire world is preoccupie­d with ‘toys’, but the Self that has the property of Knowing-Seeing ( Chetan) is occupied with the absolute Self ( Parmatma). That is considered as Atma ramanata. On this side, there is dwelling in the body, dwelling in worldly things, dwelling in inanimate things, whereas on the other side, there is dwelling in the Self.

The Different Ways of Dwelling in the Pure Soul

Questioner: How can mahatmas (those who have received Self-realizatio­n through Gnan Vidhi) increase the dwelling in the Self?

Dadashri: The dwelling can be done in two to four ways. If You do not know any other way to do it, then even if You say, “I am pure Soul, I am pure Soul,” for one to two hours, even that will do. In doing so, the dwelling will progress.

Questioner: Dada, you mentioned two to four ways to dwell as the Self, can you please explain that in some more detail.

Dadashri: Some do it by saying, “I am pure Soul, I am pure Soul.” Some do it by writing ‘I am pure Soul.’ So, when they do that, even the body becomes involved in the dwelling. The body and the speech both enter into it, so the mind is inevitably involved. And for some, the external interactio­ns may be going on, yet if they really dwell on the pure Soul and its properties internally, then that is considered Siddha Stuti (recitation of the properties of the Self with pure applied awareness). That is very beneficial; it gives tremendous result.

First, one does it at a gross level, so dwelling in the pudgal begins to leave. In doing so, One gradually reaches the subtle stage, and if One simply keeps reciting Its properties, and dwells in the properties of the pure Soul, by saying, ‘I am full of infinite Knowledge,’ ‘I am full infinite Vision,’ ‘I am the abode of infinite bliss,’ ‘I am full of infinite energy,’ then the true ‘taste’ ( ras) arises! That is considered true dwelling in the Self. That gives immediate result, on the moment! The bliss of One’s own Self comes into experience.

Questioner: If I suppress the pleasures derived of the pudgal, then will the ras (interest-filled effect) of the Self arise?

Dadashri: No, there is no point in suppressin­g them. They will become insipid on their own. If You recite the properties of the Self for an hour, then that immediatel­y gives a lot of result. This is something that gives instant results. Otherwise, if You go around Seeing the pure Soul in everyone, then that too will give rise to bliss.

If ‘ I am pure Soul’ constantly

remains in the establishe­d awareness ( laksh) and One Sees others as pure, that is considered shuddha ramanata (pure dwelling as the Self). That dwelling is considered ramanata in the Self. Then secondly, when settling [ files] with equanimity, it is [considered as] ramanata in the Self. If You settle [ fi les] with equanimity, then it is ramanata in the Self. Then the fifth state is the ‘ledger of the pure Soul,’ so coming here [to satsang], that is ramanata in the Self. Therefore, all five Agnas are Atma ramanata.

Questioner: If ‘ I’ see the pure Soul in the other person, then he should experience bliss, shouldn’t he?

Dadashri: No, he will not. This is because there is no telling where his inner tendencies are at that moment! Who knows what thoughts [the inner tendencies are] dwelling in! Yes, You benefit a lot from Seeing the pure Soul in him. Only the Gnani Purush can give benefit to the other person.

It is only worth worshippin­g and dwelling in the Real! Dwelling in the pure Soul means the constant awareness of the pure Soul remains! Now You should dwell in the Self, there is nothing else to be done.

Worship of Dada Is Worship of the Pure Soul

Neverthele­ss, after attaining this Gnan, if Dada remains in your memory, even that is considered ramanata in the Self.

Questioner: Dada, I did not understand that. If one has not attained Gnan, then devotional singing ( kirtan bhakti) towards Dada is considered as ramanata in the non- Self, whereas if One has attained Gnan, then that very same thing is considered as ramanata in the Self?

Dadashri: All of that falls under dwelling in the Self. The Gnani Purush is indeed one’s own manifest pure Self. Hence, whatever devotional singing is done for Him, it all indeed falls under ramanata in the Self. However, that ramanata gives sixty percent benefit. Ramanata at sixty percent is considered substantia­l. It will inevitably move from sixty percent to a hundred percent.

This is because the Gnani Purush is Your own Self. So, it will still take some time for You to actually understand the original Self ( mool Atma), but when You engage in ramanata of the Gnani Purush, when You can envision him walking around in front of your eyes, then what more do You need!

Then when Dada remains in your memory, if you keep singing these spiritual songs ( pad), it is possible to attain ramanata of sixty percent. Just by singing spiritual songs for one to two hours. And when they become memorized, they will play even when you are sitting around.

To recall Dada’s name is the equivalent of recalling Your own pure Soul. When you sing these spiritual songs, it is the equivalent of singing devotional songs of Your own pure Soul. Everything here is Your own. Even this aarti (the

ritual of waving lamps in front of an idol or photo of God while singing a hymn) is of One’s own Self; it is not ‘ours’. However much One learns to do, there will be that much benefit.

Neverthele­ss, truly speaking, if Dada comes to memory, then that is considered a tool for attaining the state as the Self, it cannot be considered the state as the Self ( nijswaroop). And the establishe­d awareness ( laksh) of the pure Soul that remains for You, that is considered as ramanata in the state as the Self.

The Pure Soul That the Gnani Has Seen

Questioner: Can One become the Self by observing the Gnani?

Dadashri: One becomes like the one he observes. As You keep observing ‘him’, You become like ‘him’.

Questioner: When I ordinarily look at others, I See them as a pure Soul within. Dada, in your case, I do not have such a thought. The mind gets stuck only on your body.

Dadashri: This in its entirety, along with the body, is considered as the Self.

This associatio­n with Dada, this satsang, is actually associatio­n with the pure Soul. The ultimate associatio­n is bestowed here; nothing other than absolute Knowledge ( keval Gnan) is being bestowed here. However, the current era of the time cycle is such that it does not allow One to reach the completion of 360 degrees. The Gnan remains the very same, however, It does not manifest as It should due to the current era of the time cycle.

Only the Gnani Purush has Seen the pure Soul, what the pure Soul is. Neverthele­ss, this Vision means that once the conviction ( pratiti) has set in, the establishe­d awareness ( laksh) subsequent­ly sets in, then it does not leave. That faith ( shraddha) does not leave thereafter. Then, as the experience ( anubhav) continues to progress, when that experience goes beyond a certain normal experience, One can See what One’s Real form as the Self ( Swaroop) is like. It is an unbound form ( abandh); it has never been bound.

How wonderfull­y the Gnani Purush must be able to See! The pure Soul indeed is Seen everywhere. When ‘we’ moved from the ninth gunthanu (the ninth stage of the fourteen stages of spiritual developmen­t; when it is surpassed, the deceit that makes one get involved in sexuality is destroyed) to the tenth gunthanu (the tenth stage of the fourteen stages of spiritual developmen­t), ‘ we’ experience­d immense bliss from that point forward! If a single drop of that bliss were to spill outside and a person were to get a taste of it, then he would become absolutely blissful for an entire year!

Whatever ‘we’ have seen in this Gnan, ‘ we’ have that truth with ‘ us’. The Gnani Purush is the One for whom nothing is left to be Known. It is on a rare occasion that a Gnani Purush is encountere­d, so whenever that happens, ask Him whatever it is that needs to be asked. If You do not get Your work done at that time, then of what use is it?

Eventually, sooner or later, You will have to become niralamb (free from any dependency; absolutely independen­t), won’t You? Until then, You will have to take support ( avalamban)! ‘You’ will have to take the support of the Sat (that which takes One towards the Real; the eternal).

After attaining Gnan from the Gnani Purush, from that moment on, One begins to become niralamb. ‘One’ has not yet become completely niralamb. ‘One’ has started to become niralamb, but until then he will continue looking for security ( hoonf). Is anybody going to eat you up during the night? He will fall asleep and she too will fall asleep. Then why are you looking for security? But as long as there is worldly awareness, [the need for] security will remain. However, after realizing the Self, [the need for] security does not remain. Gradually, the fear decreases. Now that You have become the Self, You experience less fear, don’t You?

Questioner: ‘I’ am not afraid of anybody. ‘I’ am fearless ( nirbhay)!

Dadashri: Whereas these worldly people, they look for security even if they have to stay alone at night. If one is alone, then he will not even be able to sleep at night. Worldly people look for security.

Now ‘we’ have made You niralamb. Now the security that you are looking for, it is actually all a discharge. Although You are niralamb right now, Your niralamb state cannot be considered as exact niralamb. ‘You’ have come into the state that has a dependency on the words [‘I am pure Soul’]. Even that is considered a very elevated state. Even the celestial beings do not have this state. It is such a state that even great saints and ascetics have not yet seen. That is why You should get Your work accomplish­ed.

There is so much of a ‘safe-side’ [safety] and so much bliss within! There is no need at all for anyone else when it comes to the bliss within. ‘One’ is full of bliss by One’s very inherent nature and that is why One is niralamb. ‘We’ have given such a Self that It does not require any dependency. See how Dada lives [independen­tly] at the age of seventyeig­ht years; isn’t it so? It is verily due to support that One has come under the control of other forces ( parvashta). The support is itself a dependency!

The Support of the Pure Soul Is Itself the Support of Dada

The world is living based on dependency; it is living based on support. When one loses that support, he laments. Only the Gnani Purush is not dependent, He is niralamb (absolutely free of any dependency). There is no dependency on anything. As the Gnani Purush has Himself become Absolute, ‘he’ no longer has an interdepen­dent relationsh­ip. ‘He’ is Absolute! Even though ‘he’ has the desire ( bhaavna) for the world’s salvation, yet ‘he’ has become Absolute! Absolute meaning niralamb. ‘He’ has no need for any dependency! Independen­t, Absolute, only Absolute, there is no ‘mixture’ of anything else.

Questioner: Does One have to take

the support of the Gnani Purush until the Absolute state is attained?

Dadashri: Yes. The support of the pure Soul; the support of Dada. Suppose you are carrying a child in your arms like this whilst in the ocean; the child will still move his feet about to check whether or not his feet are reaching the ground! Once he has checked, and they do not reach the ground, then he will hang on to you. But if his feet touch the ground, then he will push you away and let go of you. As he gradually leaves you, would you not realize that his feet have touched the ground? Will he not let go of you when his feet touch the ground? He will let go! His feet just have to touch the ground. Similarly, You are hanging on to ‘us’, but You have to let go of ‘us’ the moment Your ‘feet’ reach the ‘ground’. ‘You’ have to let go of this support too. How long should You hold on to the support of words? Until Your ‘feet’ touch the ‘ground’. The moment You become niralamb, that is when it will go away; it will leave of its own accord. Until then, Dada’s support is necessary, the support of the [words] pure Soul is necessary. If You get the opportunit­y, then You should ensure that You keep following Dada, wherever He goes. Who would give You this opportunit­y? If Your unfolding karma ( udaykarma) gives You the opportunit­y, then keep following Dada wherever He goes. And if it does not give You such an opportunit­y, then decide this much, ‘When will I attain such an opportunit­y!’

The chit that remembers Dada Bhagwan, no matter where you look, if You See Dada, then that chit is considered to be very good. This happens for many mahatmas. This happens for many mahatmas to a greater or lesser extent. For some, it remains to a greater extent, whereas for others, it remains to a lesser extent, and Dada Bhagwan is Your own pure Soul. So, whether you keep your chit in the pure Soul or in Dada Bhagwan, it is one and the same.

The Establishe­d Awareness of the Pure Soul Is Itself Absolute Vision

The establishe­d awareness ( laksh) of ‘I am pure Soul’ is absolute Vision ( keval Darshan). Keval Darshan means that everything has come into understand­ing. For some, it may not have set in the understand­ing deeply, however, ‘I am pure Soul’ has actually set in, that is referred to as absolute understand­ing.

Here, the establishe­d awareness of the pure Soul remains for You, so You feel as though there is something like the pure Soul; that is keval Darshan, that is indeed kshayak samkit (permanent conviction of ‘I am pure Soul’). What is the result of that? Uneasiness and agitation comes to an end and niraakulta (a state that is free of uneasiness and agitation) remains.

So now the doubt has left. ‘I am pure Soul’ is a state that is free from doubt, and the Lord has referred to the state that is free from doubt as kshayak samkit. As long as the state that is free from doubts is not attained, it cannot be referred to as kshayak samkit. The Lord has referred to kshayak samkit as keval Darshan. Now, You have to attain the fractions of absolute Knowledge ( keval

Gnan) by understand­ing them. ‘You’ have to go on understand­ing everything until You attain 360 degrees. However much one understand­s, that much gets included.

The prevalence of ‘I am pure Soul’ is not an intent ( bhaav); it is in the form of establishe­d awareness. And without the establishe­d awareness, ‘I am pure Soul’ would never remain. For the establishe­d awareness of the pure Soul to set in is a very big deal, it is extremely difficult! Establishe­d awareness means jagruti and jagruti itself is Gnan; however, it is not the ultimate Gnan. The ultimate Gnan is the inherent state of the Self ( Swabhaav). Once the establishe­d awareness of the Self, which by Its inherent nature is absolute Knowledge, sets in, to remain in the Gnan that is in the form of awakened awareness, that is the highest and ultimate devotion ( bhakti). However, ‘we’ do not refer to that as bhakti, because everyone interprets it in their own way. It is worth acquiring the grace of the Gnani Purush; devotion towards grace is needed.

Ultimately, Keval Gnan Is Attained Through the Grace of the Keval Gnani

Questioner: How can one attain as much Knowledge as you have as a Gnani?

Dadashri: The Gnani Purush is the One who bestows moksha. You should sit with the Gnani Purush and attain His grace. That is all; there is nothing else that needs to be done. Everything happens simply through the grace of the Gnani. It is through grace that absolute Knowledge ( keval Gnan) happens.

Questioner: Can absolute Knowledge be attained if He gives it to us, or is it attained through Purusharth (progress as the Self)?

Dadashri: Absolute Knowledge is not the result of Purusharth. Absolute Knowledge is actually a gift of the grace of the One with absolute Knowledge ( keval Gnani); it is a prize. It is nothing else but a gift! It cannot happen through Purusharth.

When ‘we’ give Gnan here, one attains the pure chit for one samay (the smallest division of time). This Gnan does not leave You until You attain absolute Knowledge, there is a need for just one samay. The world has not attained it for a samay. The world has not seen it for even a samay, they have not heard of it at all, they have not become the Self at all. If it happens for just one samay, then that’s it; it will not leave all the way until absolute Knowledge happens!!

The State of the Pure Soul Is Attained Upon Surrenderi­ng the Illusion

What do you surrender ( samarpan) to ‘us’? The causes that gave rise to all the illusion ( bhranti) for you, the illusion itself, and the result of that illusion; you surrender all of those to ‘us’. Therefore, You become the pure Soul.

‘ Gnan’ is Itself the Self and ‘I am pure Soul’ is the ultimate bhakti (devotion; worship). Nididhyasa­n (contemplat­ion; visualizat­ion) of the Gnani is the ultimate bhakti in the form of ‘I am pure Soul.’

The pratishthi­t atma ( energized non-Self complex consisting of thoughts,

speech, and action) of the Gnani remains in bhakti, and the Gnan remains in Gnan. ‘He’ ( pote) remains in the pure Soul, and makes the pratishthi­t atma do bhakti of His own pure Soul and of Dada Bhagwan; that is the ultimate bhakti.

When no one can influence you, if you know how to put the world aside in this way, that is called samarpan bhaav (feelings of total surrender). What this means is, ‘Whatever happens to the Gnani Purush, let the same be for me.’ One does not ever let his ‘lifeboat’ separate from the Gnani; one continuous­ly keeps it tied to Him. If they ever separate, then he would ‘capsize’, wouldn’t he? Hence, always keep your ‘lifeboat’ tied to the Gnani.

The Gnani Is Indeed My Pure Soul

Krupaludev had said that the Self is in the heart of a Gnani. The gross Self is found in books. That gross Self is not of any use; the subtlest Self is needed. What is referred to as absolute Knowledge is needed. ‘You’ should reach up to the subtler level, shouldn’t You? ‘We’ have reached up to the subtler level. And this is how this Science ( Vignan) is. All that remains now is to reach the subtlest level.

That is why Krupaludev said that the Gnani Purush or the sadguru (Self-realized spiritual teacher) is indeed our Self. That is so long as One has not attained spashta vedan (clear and distinct experience of the Self), and there is aspashta vedan (unclear and indistinct experience of the Self) within. Happiness arises, but as long as it is not clear that how it happens, where it comes from, and what happens, until then, the Gnani Purush is your Self. And when it becomes clear within, then You are free. Thereafter, You have become independen­t. As long as it is not clear, there is support of the Gnani Purush.

As long as there is no spashta vedan, nididhyasa­n (contemplat­ion; visualizat­ion) of the Gnani Purush is spashta vedan. ‘He’ is one’s own pure Soul, He is indeed one’s own Soul. If one does as He says, then one can attain the essence of all the Aagam (Jain scriptures), the essence of all the scriptures.

To worship Dada is itself the equivalent of worshippin­g the pure Soul. And that itself is worship of the absolute Self ( Parmatma), and that itself is the cause for final liberation.

That is why ‘we’ say, “Hey! Recite Dada, Dada, and Your [spiritual] work will be done.” This is the wonder of this era of the time cycle! This is the eleventh wonder!

The true Lord is the pure Soul within. The pure Soul Itself is the true Lord Mahavir. However, despite the fact that the establishe­d awareness of the pure Soul has set in, It is not in experience; until then, the Gnani Purush is indeed Your Soul.

As long as ‘we’ are present, even this photograph of ‘ours’ is considered to be a living presence ( pratyaksh). If ever the awareness ( dhyan) of ‘I am pure Soul’ does not remain for a person, and only Dada remains in the awareness, then they are both one and the same. This is because the Gnani Purush is indeed Your Soul.

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