41.1 In the Samvat year 1880, on Kãrtik vad 11 [28th November, 1823], Swãmi Shree Sahajãnandji Mahãrãj was sitting on a large decorated bedstead on the veranda outside the west-facing rooms of Dãdã Khãchar’s darbãr in Gadhadã. He was dressed entirely in white clothes. He was wearing garlands of yellow flowers around His neck, and tassels of yellow flowers had been inserted in His pãgh. A sabhã of munis, as well as haribhaktas from various places, had gathered before Him.
41.2 Out of compassion, Shreeji Mahãrãj then began to preach to His bhaktas, saying, “When a person who wishes to worship Bhagvãn receives an opportunity to serve Bhagvãn and His bhaktas, he should serve them considering it to be his extremely great fortune. Moreover, he should do so only with bhakti, for the sake of pleasing Bhagvãn and for his own kalyãn – not for the sake of receiving praise from others.
41.3 “However, the nature of a person is such that he only enjoys doing that which satisfies his pride. Without that, he does not enjoy performing even bhakti of Bhagvãn. For example, a dog takes a dry bone to an isolated place to chew on. As a result of the chewing, its mouth is grazed and the bone becomes covered in blood. Then, licking the bone, the dog becomes overjoyed. But, little does the fool realise, ‘The taste that I am enjoying is that of the blood from my own mouth’. In the same way, even a bhakta of Bhagvãn is unable to abandon the bone (pride). In fact, all the spiritual activities he performs are governed by pride; they are not performed for the sole purpose of pleasing Bhagvãn, while thinking of them as bhakti towards Bhagvãn. Moreover, of all the bhakti that he does offer to Bhagvãn, he does so only when it nourishes his pride, but not for the sole purpose of pleasing Bhagvãn.
41.4 “There must be very few bhaktas like Ratanji and Miyãji who offer bhakti to Bhagvãn solely for the purpose of pleasing Bhagvãn without any cravings for praise. However, not everyone is capable of abandoning the taste of praise.”
41.5 In reference to this, Muktãnand Swãmi recited a verse by Tulsidãs:
41.6 Hearing this verse, Shreeji Mahãrãj added, “The enjoyment which a person experiences from pride cannot be obtained from any other object. Therefore, amongst all bhaktas, a person who abandons pride and worships Bhagvãn should be known to be an extremely great bhakta.”
End of Vachanãmrut Gadhadã II || 41 || 174 ||