Who am I? by Dada Bhagwan (if you liked this book txt) 📕

the medium of words. Eventually he will experience, “I am Soul.. Your former conviction that you are Chandulal is now broken, and the absolute conviction that you are Pure Soul has been established, along with the laksh (awareness) of Pure Soul.

 

Once you become Pure Soul, your liberation is guaranteed. There is absolutely no doubt about this. How much of the Pure Soul state do you experience? It is primarily from the conviction. If you are awakened in the night, immediately you become aware that you are Shuddhatma. This means that there is a one hundred percent conviction and the awareness has also been established. Awareness (laksh) means jagruti (alertness, vigilance, and state of spiritual awakening). This jagruti will keep increasing until it becomes complete. Thirdly, you have the experience (anubhav). It is due to this experience of the Pure Soul, that you are attending Satsang (Sat = absolute truth, Sang= association) daily. You have tasted something and found sweetness in it.

 

From now on, you will have experience, awareness, and conviction of your Real Self. This is a natural occurrence. The duration of time may vary. Experience and awareness fluctuate, whereas conviction of the pure state is constant. When the conviction is constant, such a state is called kshayak samkit. The conviction that fluctuates is called samyak darshan or upsham samkit. Awareness tends to change, depending on what one is doing. If he is talking to someone, his awareness will not be there. As for experience, this occurs when he is alone. So through these three aspects, conviction, experience, and awareness (pratiti, anubhav, and laksh), all mental and bodily tendencies (vrutis) that have wandered outwardly, for endless lives, now revert to the Self. They change direction, ending all aimless wanderings.

 

Questioner : What kind of tendencies (vrutis)?

 

Dadashri : All kinds. These are of the chit (the component of inner vision and previous knowledge in the mind), those related to acquiring materialistic things, those wanting to experience sensual pleasures. There are many different kinds of tendencies. Those tendencies that used to wander in the marketplaces of the world, now revert and return to the Self and stop wandering.

 

THE STATE OF THE SELF IS ABSOLUTELY PURE

 

 

After this Gnan, your preexisting illusion of, “I am the ‘Doer’,” is shattered. You are Absolutely Pure. To perpetuate the state of the pure awareness, the state has been called ‘Shuddhatma’ (Pure Self). It represents the awareness that is pure.

 

Say ‘Chandulal’ (your relative self) becomes angry and abusive towards someone. Even then, ‘You’ (the Soul) is completely separate and remains pure. In such negative circumstances however, ‘You’ have to ask Chandulal, “Why are you committing this aggression (atikraman) that results in unhappiness for the other person? Do pratikraman.”

 

If you have said and done anything that hurts others, it is an act of aggression. It is an atikraman and therefore pratikraman should be done. Pratikraman means apologizing and asking for forgiveness from the other person, “I have committed this fault and I understand that it is wrong and I am making a decision not to repeat this mistake again.” Such a vow must be taken. If you commit the same fault again, then again you have to repent. You have to do it as soon as you realize your mistakes. In this way, your faults will decrease and eventually go away.

 

Questioner : So how should we perform pratikraman towards an individual?

 

Dadashri : Recall the Pure Soul (Shuddhatma), the one who is absolutely separate from the thoughts, speech, actions, bhaavkarma (charge karmas), dravyakarma (effect karma), nokarma (neutral karmas), of that person; recall the Shuddhatma that is separate from the name and all the associated attachment of that person. In this way the Pure Soul has to be recalled. Then ‘Chandulal’ will need to recall his mistakes (aalochana), repent for the mistake (pratikraman), and vow never to repeat it (pratyakhyan). ‘You,’ the Shuddhatma, have to remain an observer of how ‘Chandulal’ performs the pratikraman and with how much sincerity.

 

DEHADHYAS IS ‘I AM THIS BODY’

 

 

Ordinarily, people in this world are not able to let go of the awareness of, “I am this body.” They are not aware of the Real Self. You, however, have received this Gnan and are now without ego. “I am Chandulal,” is egoism and when the awareness of Shuddhatma is established, there is no attachment to anything connected with the body. Even then, initially you will make mistakes and you may feel a sense of suffocation.

 

PRAGNYA WILL ALERT YOU FROM WITHIN

 

 

Because this Gnan is scientific, you will experience it increasingly, and it will automatically alert you from within. You will not have to do anything. The other, traditional, kramic-path knowledge necessitates a ‘doership’ on your part.

 

Questioner : Yes, I experience something within that alerts me.

 

Dadashri : We have now found this path and have crossed the first entrance into the realm of Shuddhatma. No one can turn us back from here. What is it that warns you from within? It is Pragnya. Pragnya is the direct light of the Soul and it begins after this Gnan Vidhi.

 

Pragnya in the samkit state is like a partial phase. It is like the second day of the moon (like a sickle shaped moon as compared to a full moon). For all those who have received Gnan, pragnya is fully expressed, like the full moon. The full force of pragnya keeps you constantly alert. Its role is to take you to the final liberation. King Bharat had to employ servants to warn him and keep him alert. His servants used to yell three times every fifteen minutes, “Be aware King Bharat...Be aware King Bharat.” On the other hand, pragnya warns you constantly from within. That is the experience of the Soul.

 

THE STEPS OF EXPERIENCE

 

 

Questioner : Is it necessary to do anything to further the experience of the Self?

 

Dadashri : Do you have the awareness of Shuddhatma all day long?

 

Questioner : Yes.

 

Dadashri : Then what other experience is needed? That awareness itself is the experience of Shuddhatma. Go ask anyone in this entire population of India whether he has the awareness of Shuddhatma? After this Gnan, the experience of Shuddhatma has occurred and its phases keep growing day by day.

 

The Enlightened World View itself is the experience of the Soul. You have experienced the fact that you are Shuddhatma. That fact is decided. And now, there will be a gradual increase in this experience, until you reach Keval Gnan (Absolute State). Keval Gnan is the state of complete, full experience. Currently there is partial experience.

 

EXPERIENCE EXISTS

 

 

The moment you receive Gnan, the experience does not leave. How can it? The experience of that which I gave you, the Gnan, remains forever. The effects of your previous karma however, tend to cloud the experience. I cannot change that. That effect has to be endured.

 

Questioner : We do not think of it as suffering anymore, Dada.

 

Dadashri : That is a different matter. But the accounts are there nevertheless. Some have many accounts while some have a few. Some may have to suffer more. What does it matter? I have lifted you to the state of Pure Soul. You may experience mild suffocation because of your past karma.

 

EXPERIENCE OF THE SELF, EXPERIENCE OF THE BODY

 

 

When mental problems (aadhi), physical problems (vyaadhi) or external problems (oopadhi) do not bother you, then you know that your Gnan is real. If you lose your wallet with a lot of money in it, then you will experience some inner restlessness and at such time, if ‘You’ say from within, “This is vyavasthit,” you will be able to pacify ‘Chandulal’ (file number one). This inner experience is the experience of the Soul. If on the other hand ‘Chandulal’ is unable to remain calm and he loses his peace of mind, then that is the experience of the physical body (dehadhyas). Are you familiar with these two experiences?

 

Questioner : Yes the bliss prevails. Such is the experience, Dada.

 

WHAT ELSE REMAINS ?

 

 

The other path is kramic. This is the Science of Akram. This is the Gnan of the Vitaraags (the Fully Enlightened ones; the Omniscient; the Absolute Knowers). There is no difference in the Knowledge of the two paths.

 

After this Gnan, you experience the Soul. What else is left for you to do? All you need to do, is follow the aagnas of the Gnani Purush. These aagnas become your religion. These aagnas represent your penance. My aagnas are such that they never interfere or become restrictive in any matters related to the worldly life. Even though you live the worldly life, nothing of the worldly life will affect you. Such is the glory of the Science of Akram.

 

This extraordinary Science is such a wonder that it keeps you alert about your True Self from within. Even as one is involved in negative acts, he is warned from within immediately. Therefore, there is no need for you to do anything. The Science of this Gnan itself takes over all doership. All you have to do from now on is make a firm decision (nischay) that you want to follow Dadashri’s aagnas. These aagnas will protect you from influences of every kind. The warnings will come even in your sleep. Now what more do you need?

 

Follow the path of my aagnas if you want to be liberated within one more lifetime.

 

AAGNA IS THE RELIGION

 

 

The one who desires liberation does not need to be involved in doership. The one who wants moksha needs only Gnan and the Gnani’s aagnas. The one who wants to go to heaven, or desires worldly pleasures, needs doership.

(13) THE IMPORTANCE OF THE FIVE AAGNAS

There is no need for any penance or renunciation in the path of liberation. The only thing required is to meet a Gnani. Then the acquisition of his aagnas becomes your religion and your penance. Gnan (correct knowledge), darshan (correct vision), charitra (correct conduct), and tapa (penance), are the four pillars of the foundation of moksha. The direct result of aagnas is freedom, because all the four pillars are contained in them.

 

STAY WITH THE GNANI

 

 

Never before, has love arisen for the Gnani. Once this love arises, all solutions follow. In your previous lives you have not acquired anything else besides a spouse and children. The Enlightened Ones have said that one should stay with the Gnani, after acquiring Gnan from him.

 

Questioner : In what sense can we stay with him?

 

Dadashri : There should be no devotion in any other direction except in the direction of the Gnani. We know that this is Akram Science and people have brought with them innumerable files, and therefore, I have given you the freedom to go and deal with these files. But I am not letting you go away completely. I am letting you go so that you can deal with your files with equanimity. Otherwise, it is desirable that you remain with the Gnani.

 

This aside, you should feel troubled from within, night and day, that you are not able to take full advantage of this opportunity and be in the presence of a Gnani. Your only desire should be to increase the opportunity to be with the Gnani. Your innermost desire should be that your ‘files’ decrease so that you can give yourself the opportunity to be with Him.

 

Mahavideh Kshetra awaits such a person. The one in