Aptavani-2 by Dada Bhagwan (interesting novels to read .txt) 📕

‘We’ challenge anyone in this entire world that whatever he is doing, it is not under his own independent power. Arey! Even when you go to the toilet to evacuate your bowels, it is not your own independent doing. Some 250 very prominent doctors came to satsang in Baroda and ‘We’ asked them, “You claim to treat your patients who are constipated, but do you think it is under your control to evacuate their bowels?” They all claimed, “But indeed we are the ones who help them go to the toilet.” ‘We’ asked them, “When you do not have independent control over your own bowel movements, how can you have control over someone else’s? You will realize this when you become constipated yourself, you will discover that it is not under your independent control. The prakruti makes one do everything but the ego within says, ‘I did it’.”

That which increases the keyf (intoxicate the ego) is relative knowledge

The knowledge of all prominent scholars, of those who have studied the scriptures extensively, the knowledge of prominent sages, preceptors and spiritual teachers is all worldly knowledge; it is relative knowledge (prakrutgnan). The difference between prakrutgnan and atmagnan (knowledge of the Self, real knowledge) is like the difference between milk and buttermilk. How does relative knowledge work? It uses prakruti

to wash away prakruti; doing this makes the prakruti light. A person can spend his entire life time washing away his prakruti (the non-self complex) but if in his next life he falls into bad company, his prakruti can become very dense again. The Lord has equated this to an elephant bathing in a muddy pool. When an elephant bathes in water, he becomes nice and clean but the moment he comes out of the water, he dusts his body with mud. Such is the state of the human being. Atmagnan is rare, extremely, extremely rare. Liberation is merely a word and any reference to it is mere talk because it is not so easy to attain. Everyone with prakrutgnan believes, ‘I know everything’. The pitiful ones! All they know is prakrutgnan; it is all relative knowledge. What they need to know is atmagnan (knowledge of the Soul). For so many lifetimes all you have attained is prakrutgnan and what do you claim? All along the prakruti has been the doer and yet you claim, ‘I did it’. Prakruti makes you dance, it makes you wake up in the morning, but you claim, ‘I woke up’. Even when you sleep, it is the working of the prakruti. Sometimes you cannot sleep even when you want to and when the prakruti makes you sleep, you claim, ‘I fell asleep!’

‘We’ are telling you this with absolute assurance that the entire world is caught up in prakrutgnan. Whether a person is reading the scriptures, or reciting Lord Mahavir’s forty-five Agams or reciting the four Vedas, ‘We’ would still tell him that he is under the spell of prakrutgnan. The difference between atmagnan and prakrutgnan is like the difference between milk and buttermilk; they both look white. But prakrutgnan increases one’s ego (keyf ) whereas atmagnan decreases it. That which decreases the ego is atmagnan.

Questioner : Does the ego increase by studying scriptures?

Dadashri : Yes, because it is prakrutgnan, it serves to increase the ego of, ‘I know’. For heaven’s sakes what do you know? Your worries and restlessness and their effects on others has not decreased. Even when someone breaks a simple glass in your home, you act like your soul is broken. The Gnani, on the other hand, will remain unaffected even if his diamonds were to get lost. Prakrutgnan keeps one entrenched in the ego of ‘I know something’, that is all it does.

In the current time cycle, renowned ascetics, sages and religious preceptors (acharyas) all dwell in the intoxicated ego of ‘I know’. When they preach or say anything, they do so at their own risk and liability. All of them have lost the real path but alas what can anyone do? They are not at fault. They too desire liberation and abide by the Lord’s agnas (cardinal directives), but the current time cycle is very peculiar and that is why they are caught up in a twisted misunderstanding. Everything is prakrutgnan and it increases the level of the ego whereas atmagnan decreases it. It would be good even if they had constant awareness that they do not have atmagnan, but on the contrary they go around concealing their ego. They strike back when ever someone challenges them. When one becomes free from such intoxication, he will have the world in the palm of his hands. You are the owner of this world; you yourself are the Lord of this universe! If these preceptors were to admit, ‘We don’t know anything about atmagnan’, they can come closer to their liberation.

Is having the knowledge of prakrutgnan of any use? No, because atmagnan is needed for liberation. Atmagnan is not found in books or scriptures; it exists with the Gnani. It is the task for the one who has nothing left to know in this world, no scriptures to read and no rosary to turn. If we see someone reading scriptures or turning the rosary, can we not deduce that he is still in the process of learning? Can we not deduce that he is in a certain standard? How can he teach us when he himself still has to study? Only the one who has become absolute can be of help to us. All the religions in the world are relative and of varying standards. Everyone finds an appropriate standard depending upon his or her spiritual development. However for the real religion, religion of the Self, you will have to go ‘out of standard’. Only after having passed and accepting all the standards, does one become the supreme Self!

How can there be liberation for the one who takes sides?

Jainism, Vaishnavism, Shaivism, Swaminarayans, Islam, Christianity are all relative religions; they are religions of ‘standards’. They are religions of different viewpoints. Whatever one sees according to his viewpoint, he accepts it as being correct and gets entrenched in it. When is liberation attained? It is when absolute vision is attained? When is real knowledge attained? This happens when there is no conflict of opinion with anyone in this entire world and when there is no partiality towards any being. The one who is partial can never attain moksha. Why does one become partial? People with ego create sides to support their ego, whereas the impartial Gnani unites everyone. The Gnanis are always impartial; the vitarag Lords (fully enlightened supreme beings who have no attachment to their relative self or the world) are always impartial. They have no partiality towards any race or creed; they are absolutely and perfectly impartial. They have oneness with everyone; even with the minutest living thing.

All beings are ‘packings’ (packages) of one kind or another. There are all varieties of packing but within them resides the Self. The ‘material’ within, i.e. the soul within everyone is exactly the same. However, divisive intellect has arisen because of the external differences. The Gnani does not look at the packing at all; he only sees the ‘material’ within. He constantly sees the soul in the person in front of him. The Gnani’s vision is the vision that sees only the soul (atma drashti). Divisiveness and segregation remains because of the vision that sees only the packages and that is the reason the worldly life continues to exist. By being partial, one energizes the pillars of partiality and divisiveness. You fools! Do you want liberation or do you want to remain in partiality? Liberation and taking sides is a contradiction. The Lord himself is impartial and yet people have become partial. The Jains say, “This is ours, that is not, that belongs to the Vaishnavs.” The Muslims too say, “This is ours. This is not, this belongs to the Hindus.” Everyone in all religions take sides. Here, with the Gnani there is clarification for people of all religions. Everyone that comes here, regardless of his or her religious belief, feels no alienation. They feel as if ‘We’ are talking about their very own religion and that is because ‘We’ are absolutely impartial. Only here is there a coming together of all religions.

When people become partial, they move further away from the Lord within. Not only have people become partial but they have also created so many different divisions within just one faith. Even amongst Jains, there are eighty-four different sects and there are so many factions amongst the Vedantis too. What is the definition of the Jain dharma? It is when one does not take sides. What is more, if someone creates divisions, a true Jain would go to that person to explain things to him in details and try to overcome any conflict of opinions. The definition of a true Jain is that even when he is right and the other person is completely wrong, he would still approach the other person himself. Many will say to him, “Why do you bother with him when you are right?” But the one practicing true Jainism will say, “I am a Jain and that is why I have to approach him.” A Jain is someone who has no obstinacy about any perspective and who listens to everyone. He will listen to everyone and will not allow any viewpoints to cloud his own vision; he remains focused. He would not resort to deceit, ‘Yours is wrong and mine is right’. Surely one should listen to that which reaches the self within, should one not?

Lord Mahavir used to listen even when someone of a different religion came to him. But people have created so many factions within the very religion of Lord Mahavir.

Today, the ascetics and sages too have become partial. What is the difference between the sages of religious sect and the sages of the vitarag Lords? The sages of religious sect are partial; they even fight amongst themselves. Just as two brothers fight with each other. The sages of the vitarag Lord are impartial and never interfere in anything. We pay obeisance to the sages of the vitarag Lords who never take any sides, regardless of whether they are a Digambari (‘sky-clad’ or ‘naked’ the sect of Jains who believe nothing besides the atma merits owning and hence they do not believe in rituals or idols) or a Swetambar (the Jain sect that believes in idol worship and rituals and visit derasars). But here the maharaj of one religious sect will not go to listen to another religious sect. Can they attain liberation if they are caught up in taking sides? If it is the truth, then it must be accepted even if it comes from anybody’s home. But where does truth exist today?

Sages of certain religious sects have quarreled over whether they should clothe the idol of the Lord or to leave it naked. What was the reason behind leaving the Lord’s idol naked? Adorning an idol is an undeveloped ritual, but it attracts people to come and do the Lord’s darshan, does it not? Whereas the previous concept is for those who want knowledge, but nowadays everything is completely turned around. A sage from one religious sect came to me and told me, “Surely liberation will come only to us, will it not?” ‘We’ asked him, “Why do you say that?” and he replied, “Why? Did God not say, “Nagga ae mokha magga”? (Only the one who sheds his ‘clothes’ will attain liberation)?” ‘We’ told him, “Yes, you are right, the Lord did