46.1 In the Samvat year 1876, on the evening of Mahã sud 11 [25th January, 1820], Shreeji Mahãrãj was sitting facing south on the platform near the mandir of Shree Vãsudev-Nãrãyan in Dãdã Khãchar’s darbãr in Gadhadã. He was wearing a white khes and had covered Himself with a white chãdar. He had also tied a white pãgh around His head. A sabhã of munis, as well as haribhaktas from various places, had gathered before Him.
46.2 Then, a vedãnti brãhman by the name of Maheshvar Bhatt asked Shreeji Mahãrãj, “Everything is merged during the state of samãdhi, but how does ãkãsh become merged?”
46.3 Shreeji Mahãrãj replied, “Please listen carefully as I explain the characteristics of ãkãsh in detail. Ãkãsh is the name given to vacant space. All objects that exist, reside only within that vacant space. Moreover, ãkãsh pervades and resides within all of those objects. In fact, there is not a single object in which there is no ãkãsh. It even exists in the smallest particle of pruthvi. If we cut that particle into millions of pieces, ãkãsh will exist within those pieces as well.
46.4 “So, when a person looks from the viewpoint of ãkãsh, the other four bhuts cannot be identified; only ãkãsh can be identified. Everything is dependent on that ãkãsh. The three types of bodies, sthul, sukshma, and kãran, stay within ãkãsh. This brahmãnd also resides within ãkãsh, along with its creator, Prakruti and Purush. But that ãkãsh also resides within Prakruti-Purush and their creations, the body and the brahmãnd. Ãkãsh resides externally as their supporter. Therefore, this ãkãsh is never merged, neither during the state of sushupti nor during samãdhi.
46.5 “Someone may argue, ‘The five bhuts have evolved from tamo-gun, so how can that ãkãsh be called the supporter of Prakruti and Purush? Also, how can it be said to pervade them all?’ Well, if Prakruti did not contain ãkãsh in the form of vacant space, then how could maha-tattva – which emerges from Prakruti in the way fruits and flowers emerge from a tree, and a calf emerges from a cow’s womb – emerge at all? Therefore, ãkãsh does reside within Prakruti. Furthermore, ahankãr also emerges from maha-tattva, so ãkãsh resides within maha-tattva as well. The three gun emerge from ahankãr, so ãkãsh resides within ahankãr as well. The five bhuts emerge from tamo-gun, so ãkãsh resides within tamo-gun as well. However, the ãkãsh that has evolved from tamo-gun is subject to change, whereas the ãkãsh that is the support of everything is not subject to change and is eternal. It is this ãkãsh that is known as Brahm and as Chidãkãsh, and is the supporter of all. Moreover, it is within this ãkãsh that Purush and Prakruti undergo the states of expansion and contraction.
46.6 “How is this so? When Purush gazes at Prakruti – just as children are born to a man and woman – with Purush as the husband and Prakruti as the wife – children in the form of maha-tattva are produced. In this way, Prakruti takes the form of the twenty-four tattvas as well as the form of the body and the brahmãnd. This is her state of expansion. Purush pervades all entities that evolve from that Prakruti, with his powers. This is his state of expansion.
46.7 “In time, when all the entities that have evolved from Prakruti are destroyed, and Prakruti appears to remain absorbed in Purush’s body, that is Prakruti’s state of contraction. When Purush reverts within his own self – at the time when all the entities that have evolved from Prakruti are destroyed – that is known as Purush’s state of contraction. For example, when a tortoise expands, all of its limbs emerge from its shell; and when it contracts, it withdraws all of its limbs back into its shell and remains totally motionless. That states of expansion and contraction of Prakruti and Purush are similar to this.
46.8 “Also, it is only Purush, and not the all-supporting Chidãkãsh, which has an anvay-vyatirek relationship with Prakruti and the entities evolved from her. After all, how can something that is all-supporting ever be vyatirek from anything? On the contrary, Purush always resides in everything.
46.9 “This brahmãnd is surrounded on all four sides by the Lokã-Lok mountains, just like a fort. Beyond the Lokã-Lok mountains is Ãlok; beyond Ãlok are the seven barriers; beyond that is nothing but darkness; beyond that darkness, there is divine light, which is known as Chidãkãsh. Above, the brahmãnd extends up to Brahm-Lok; above which are the seven barriers (jad prakruti); above which there is darkness (Mãyã); above which there is again divine light, which is known as Chidãkãsh.
46.10 “Below, brahmãnd extends down to the seventh Pãtãl; below which are the seven barriers (jad prakruti); below which there is darkness (Mãyã); below which there is again divine light, which is known as Chidãkãsh. In this way, Chidãkãsh is present on all four sides of the brahmãnd, as well as within the brahmãnd. When a person’s vision reaches the perspective of that all-supporting Chidãkãsh, it is given names like dahar-vidyã or akshi-vidyã. However, they are all called brahm-vidyã.
46.11 “That Chidãkãsh is extremely luminous and eternal. It is neither created nor destroyed. Whenever there is any mention of the creation and destruction of ãkãsh, it is with reference to the ãkãsh that has evolved from tamo-gun, and which is full of darkness. This ãkãsh can be merged, but the all-supporting Chidãkãsh is never merged. This is the answer to your question. If anyone still has any doubts please do ask.”
46.12 Then, the vedãnti brãhman and all the haribhaktas replied, “None of us have any doubts at all now.”
End of Vachanãmrut Gadhadã I || 46 || 46 ||