56.1 In the Samvat year 1876, on the evening of Mahã vad 12 [11th February, 1820], Shreeji Mahãrãj was sitting on a decorated bedstead on the veranda outside the west-facing rooms in front of the mandir of Shree Vãsudev-Nãrãyan in Dãdã Khãchar’s darbãr in Gadhadã. He was wearing a white khes, and had covered Himself with an orange reto, interlaced with gold and silver threads. He had also tied a reto, with a deep orange border, around His head. A sabhã of munis, as well as haribhaktas from various places, had gathered before Him. After singing the ‘Nãrãyan’ dhun, some munis were singing kirtans to the accompaniment of a jhãnjh and mrudang.
56.2 Shreeji Mahãrãj then said, “Please conclude singing kirtans, and let us conduct a question-answer discussion for a while.” Having said this, Shreeji Mahãrãj said, “Let me ask a question.”
56.3 He then began by saying, “Shree Krishna Bhagvãn mentions four types of bhaktas in the Geetã. Of these, the bhaktas with gnãn are described as being the best. However, if all four have an equal level of nishchay in Bhagvãn’s svarup, how is the bhakta with gnãn superior?”
56.4 The munis attempted to answer that question, but were unable to give a satisfactory answer.
56.5 Shreeji Mahãrãj then explained, “The bhakta possessing gnãn behaves as brahm-svarup and thoroughly realises the greatness of Bhagvãn. As a result, no desires remain in his mind except for those of Bhagvãn’s svarup. However, the other three types of bhaktas do not fully realise the greatness of Bhagvãn, despite having nishchay in Bhagvãn. This means that desires, other than those for Bhagvãn, still continue. That is why they do not come equal to those bhaktas possessing gnãn. Therefore, if any desires, other than those related to Bhagvãn, remain in a bhakta, it is a serious flaw.
56.6 “Another major flaw is when a person who has no worldly desires at all and has intense vairãgya, behaves arrogantly on account of that vairãgya. Also, he may have the intense force of knowledge of the ãtmã, or may have the force of intense bhakti towards Bhagvãn. However, if out of arrogance, he is unable to bow before humble bhaktas or is unable to address them humbly, then that is also a serious flaw in him. As a result of that flaw, his strength in satsang does not flourish.
56.7 “Consider the analogy of a stone-cutter digging a well. If the stone underneath sounds hollow when he strikes it, he predicts, ‘There will be plenty of water in this water-well’. However, if the stone sounds solid on the surface, and sparks fly when he strikes it, then the stone-cutter assumes, ‘If there is going to be any water in this water-well at all, there will be very little’. In the same way, a person who remains arrogant due to the pride of his gnãn, vairãgya, and bhakti, may be called great, but his greatness will be very limited, as he does not perceive the gun of humble bhaktas. Therefore, whoever wishes to please Bhagvãn should not become arrogant due to the pride of his gnãn, vairãgya, and bhakti, or due to any other glorious gun he may have. As a result, pratyaksha Shree Krishna Nãrãyan will become pleased, and will reside in his heart.”
56.8 Muktãnand Swãmi then asked, “Mahãrãj, by which method can a person overcome the pride which arises due to gnãn, vairãgya, bhakti, and other glorious gun?”
56.9 Shreeji Mahãrãj replied, “While realising the greatness of Bhagvãn’s bhaktas, if he physically bows down to them, serves them, recognises thoughts of pride when they arise in his heart, and maintains the force of thought, then pride is eradicated.”
56.10 Shreeji Mahãrãj then continued, “A bhakta’s great, loving bhakti for Bhagvãn may be so intense, that Bhagvãn does as that bhakta wishes. However, if that bhakta develops pride in his heart due to that bhakti, it presents a serious flaw on his part. Also, a bhakta may be arrogant due to his knowledge of the ãtmã or due to his vairãgya, but that arrogance only serves to strengthen his belief of being the body. Therefore, bhaktas of Bhagvãn should not hold on to any form of pride whatsoever. That is the only means to please Bhagvãn.
56.11 “Furthermore, if great bhaktas of Bhagvãn examine themselves and look inwards towards their own hearts when even a little pride arises, they would notice an expression of disgust on the murti of Bhagvãn residing within their hearts. Conversely, when they behave humbly, Bhagvãn’s murti residing within their hearts would appear to have an extremely pleased expression. Therefore, using the force of thought, a bhakta of Bhagvãn should not allow any sort of pride to arise.
56.12 “However, if pride does exist with gnãn, vairãgya, and bhakti, it is rather like impurities added to gold. If impurities are added to twenty-four carat gold, it becomes twenty-two carat. Adding more impurities renders it eighteen-carat. Adding even more impurities renders it twelve-carat gold. In the same way, as impurities (pride) mix with that bhakta’s gnãn, vairãgya, and bhakti, the purity of all three gradually decreases. Therefore, gnãn, vairãgya, and bhakti without pride, are like twenty-four carat gold.
56.13 “If a person is arrogant, the qualities of gnãn, vairãgya, and bhakti may make him appear virtuous from the surface, but he does not have any inner-strength. For example, this pruthvi, with a surface area of 500,000,000 yojans, supports the oceans, the mountains, and all forms of life, and so it appears very strong. However, because the pruthvi floats on jal like a dung-cake, jal appears to be much stronger than pruthvi. Likewise, tej appears to be much stronger than jal, and vãyu appears to be even stronger than tej. Finally, although it appears to have no strength at all, ãkãsh is the strongest of them all since it supports all the other four. Similarly, the qualities of gnãn, vairãgya, and bhakti of a bhakta who has no pride, are as powerful as ãkãsh. He may not outwardly appear to be powerful, but such a humble bhakta is superior to all.
56.14 “Moreover, just as a child never has any feelings of pride, in the same way, no matter how much praise or respect he encounters, a sãdhu should always behave without pride – just like a child.”
56.15 Muktãnand Swãmi then asked another question: “The jeev is distinct from the indriyas, antah-karans, and prãns. It is also distinct from the three mental states of jãgrat, svapna, and sushupti, and the three bodies of sthul, sukshma, and kãran. After hearing this in satsang, a firm belief of this has been developed. So why does the blissful jeevãtmã, while engaged in the bhajan and smaran of Paramãtmã, still associate with the indriyas, antah-karans, prãns, the three mental states, and the three bodies, causing it to become miserable due to the influence of disturbing thoughts?”
56.16 Shreeji Mahãrãj replied, “Many people become siddh, many become sarvagna, and many become devs. Therefore, they attain countless types of greatness, including Akshardhãm. All this is achieved through the force of the upãsanã of Bhagvãn, and without upãsanã nothing can be accomplished. Therefore, the distinction between ãtmã and non-ãtmã cannot be realised by merely understanding the distinction as given in the shãstras, nor can it be realised by listening to talks from senior sãdhus and deciding in the mind, ‘I shall now distinguish between ãtmã and non-ãtmã’. Instead, it is the extent of a person’s nishchay in his ishta-dev that determines how much distinction he develops between ãtmã and non-ãtmã. In fact, without using the strength of his ishta-dev, no spiritual activities can be fulfilled.
56.17 “In contrast, a person who has loving bhakti for Bhagvãn, like the gopis, has completed all spiritual activities. However, if a person does not have such love, then he should understand the greatness of Bhagvãn in the following way: ‘Bhagvãn is the master of Golok, Vaikunth, Shvet-Dvip, and Brahm-Mahol. Although He appears to be like a human for the purpose of granting happiness to His bhaktas, His murti in His dhãms like Golok and Vaikunth, radiates with the brilliance of millions and millions of suns from each part of His body. However, in Mrutyu-Lok, humans serve Him, and He becomes visible only when a small oil lamp is lit in front of Him. Nonetheless, it is He who provides light to those like the sun and the moon. That Bhagvãn is such that Radhikã, Lakshmi, and His other bhaktas constantly serve Him in His dhãms. Following the destruction of the brahmãnds, it is only this pratyaksha Bhagvãn who remains. Also, it is this same Bhagvãn who, at the time of creation, creates countless millions of brahmãnds through Prakruti and Purush’.
56.18 “Thinking of Bhagvãn’s greatness in this way, is the only method for understanding the distinctions between ãtmã and non-ãtmã. In addition, the extent of that bhakta’s nishchay in Bhagvãn, coupled with the knowledge of Bhagvãn’s greatness, also determines the amount of vairãgya that develops in that bhakta’s heart. Therefore, after abandoning the dependence on the strength of other spiritual activities, a person should rely exclusively on the strength of Bhagvãn’s upãsanã.
56.19 “Such a bhakta believes, ‘However great a sinner a person may be, if at the end of his life, he utters ‘Swãminãrãyan’, he will be redeemed of all sins and will reside in Brahm-Mahol. Then, how can there be any doubt about a bhakta, who has taken refuge in that Bhagvãn, attaining the dhãm of Bhagvãn?’ That is how he understands the greatness of Bhagvãn. Therefore, a bhakta of Bhagvãn should increase the strength of their upãsanã of Bhagvãn day by day, by practicing satsang.”
End of Vachanãmrut Gadhadã I || 56 || 56 ||