66.1 In the Samvat year 1881, on Posh vad 1 [5th January 1825], Swãmi Shree Sahajãnandji Mahãrãj was sitting on a mattress with a large, cylindrical pillow that had been placed on a decorated bedstead on the veranda outside the east-facing rooms of Dãdã Khãchar’s darbãr in Gadhadã. He was dressed entirely in white clothes. Garlands of yellow flowers and red guldãvadi flowers were hanging around His neck, and a tassel of yellow flowers decorated His pãgh. A sabhã of munis, as well as haribhaktas from various places, had gathered before Him in a sabhã. Some of the sãdhus were singing a vishnupad to the accompaniment of a sarodã and dukad.
66.2 After the kirtans had finished, Shreeji Mahãrãj said, “Today, I wish to ask all the senior sãdhus some questions.” Having said this, He directed His first question to Ãnandãnand Swãmi. He said, “Suppose there is a person who recognises his own faults and does not look at the avgun of other bhaktas, despite having little intelligence; instead, he looks only at their gun. On the other hand, suppose there is another person who is very intelligent, but he does not see his own avgun. Moreover, he overlooks the gun of other bhaktas and looks only at their avgun. Why is it that the person with little intelligence finds avgun in himself, whereas the person with much intelligence cannot realise his own avgun? That is the question.”
66.3 Ãnãnd Swãmi answered to the bet of his ability, but he was unable to give a satisfactory reply.
66.4 So, Shreeji Mahãrãj explained, “The answer to that is as follows: It is because that person has offended some great bhakta of Bhagvãn either in this life or in a past life. As a result of that sin, his intellect has become corrupted. That is why he perceives avgun in bhaktas without being able to realise avgun in himself. This is the only answer to that question.”
66.5 Next, Shreeji Mahãrãj asked Nityãnand Swãmi a question, “Is there only one method to attain Bhagvãn, or are there many? You may say that Bhagvãn can be attained by four methods – gnãn, vairãgya, bhakti, and dharma. However, if Bhagvãn is attained by these four methods, then the principle that kalyãn can be attained exclusively by seeking the refuge Bhagvãn is invalid.”
66.6 Nityãnand Swãmi tried to answer the question in many different ways, but was unable to do so satisfactorily.
66.7 So, Shreeji Mahãrãj said, “Kalyãn is only attained by the refuge of Bhagvãn. However, Bhagvãn is very powerful; even the devs live under His ãgnã. In fact, out of fear of Bhagvãn, even the causes of all the brahmãnds, such as Kãl and Mãyã, faithfully follow His ãgnã. Therefore, a bhakta of Bhagvãn should also strictly follow Bhagvãn’s ãgnã; that is the very characteristic of a bhakta of Bhagvãn. For this reason, all other spiritual activities should also be performed strictly. Therefore, kalyãn is possible only through Bhagvãn, whereas those spiritual activities are for the purpose of pleasing Bhagvãn. That is the only answer to the question.”
66.8 Then, Shreeji Mahãrãj asked Brahmãnand Swãmi, “Is the jeev that dwells within the body, sãkãr, or is it nirãkãr?”
66.9 Brahmãnand Swãmi replied, “It possesses a svarup.”
66.10 Hearing this, Shreeji Mahãrãj replied, “If the jeev did possess a svarup, then that would mean it has hands, feet, and other limbs. However, a shlok in the tenth skandh of the Shreemad Bhãgvat states, ‘Bhagvãn created the buddhi, indriyas, man, and prãns to enable the jeev to attain kalyãn’. If the jeev itself did possess a svarup, then what would be the need of creating the buddhi, indriyas, man, and prãns for it? Therefore, after seeing such words in the shãstras, a person can only conclude that the jeev is sachidãnand.
66.11 “That jeev also possesses the kãran body, which is the embodiment of eternal ignorance. Just as a magnetic rock attracts iron and then sticks to the iron, similarly, the jeev has a nature of sticking. Therefore, the jeev sticks to the two mãyik bodies – the sthul body and the sukshma body. Then, due to its ignorance, the jeev believes those bodies to be its own. In reality, the jeev is not at all like those bodies.”
66.12 Then, Brahmãnand Swãmi asked, “After the ignorance of the jeev is removed by the bhakti of Bhagvãn, the association between the jeev and the three mãyik bodies (sthul, sukshma, and kãran) no longer remains. So, when the jeev attains the dhãm of Bhagvãn, with what type of svarup does it stay there?”
66.13 Shreeji Mahãrãj replied, “When the jeev’s ignorance is dispelled, its association with the three mãyik bodies is broken. Then, the jeev remains pure and composed of chaitanya. Then, by Bhagvãn’s will, the jeev receives a body composed of chaitanya prakruti – which is distinct from the eight types of jad prakruti of Bhagvãn. Then, with that body, the jeev stays in Bhagvãn’s Akshardhãm. This is the answer to your question.”
66.14 Then, Shreeji Mahãrãj asked Gopãlãnand Swãmi a question; “It is due to the grace of Bhagvãn and His sant that a person can master ashtãng-yog or see the ãtmã. Then, why is it that even though Bhagvãn and His sant are the cause of these, they become secondary; and instead, a person’s interest in yog and ãtmã-nishthã increases?”
66.15 Gopãlãnand Swãmi replied, “After practicing ashtãng-yog, when a person actually masters it, he develops a little pride. As a result, he becomes somewhat less interested in Bhagvãn.”
66.16 To this, Shreeji Mahãrãj commented, “When a yogi attains siddh-dashã, he also becomes brahm-rup, and no form of pride is possible in brahm. Therefore, your answer is not correct.”
66.17 Gopãlãnand Swãmi then said, “Mahãrãj, I cannot understand this. Please be compassionate and explain it to me.”
66.18 So, Shreeji Mahãrãj said, “It should be understood in the following way: When a person wishes to eradicate his faults, he should eradicate them after seeking advice of a great sant. For example, if a person has some worldly task to perform, and he wants to accomplish that job extremely well, he should seek the advice of some experts. Similarly, such advice is also necessary for eradicating faults. For example, even though Shukji had become brahm-svarup, he studied the Shreemad Bhãgvat with great enthusiasm. In fact, even to this very day, he engages in the bhakti of Bhagvãn. Also, the eighty-eight thousand rushis, including Shaunak, had become brahm-svarup; but, they too listened to the kathãs related to Bhagvãn from Sutpurãni. Therefore, a person should take guidance from such words to strengthen his bhakti.
66.19 “For the faults that a person cannot recognise, he should pray to Bhagvãn: ‘Mahãrãj, please be compassionate and destroy whichever faults I may have’ – just as when a man has been accused of something and has no witnesses to disprove the allegation, he proves his innocence by holding a red-hot iron ball. Similarly, if a fault cannot be realised, he should pray to Bhagvãn for the eradication of that fault, which amounts to holding the iron ball. A person should eradicate his faults in this way. That is the answer to your question.”
66.20 Then, Shreeji Mahãrãj asked Muktãnand Swãmi a question: “Suppose a bhakta of Bhagvãn has thoroughly realised Bhagvãn, but Bhagvãn does not show him any miracles. Now, if some other performer of magical spells does show him a miracle, then upon seeing this, would the mind of that bhakta sway from Bhagvãn, or not?”
66.21 Muktãnand Swãmi replied, “Mahãrãj, if a person has absolute nishchay in Bhagvãn, then he would never have nishchay in anyone but Bhagvãn. On the other hand, if a person does have nishchay in someone else, then he does not have nishchay in Bhagvãn at all. Such a person is merely a false bhakta; he cannot be called a true bhakta of Bhagvãn.”
66.22 Hearing this, Shreeji Mahãrãj agreed, “That is the exact answer to the question.”
66.23 Finally, Shreeji Mahãrãj asked Shuk Muni, “If a bhakta of Bhagvãn has attained the understanding of Bhagvãn and His sant, then how does he benefit while he is alive, and how does he benefit after he dies?”
66.24 Shuk Muni said, “Mahãrãj, that question can be answered only by you.”
66.25 So, Shreeji Mahãrãj said, “While alive, a person who has attained Bhagvãn and His sant spends his days and nights engrossed in kathãs and kirtans related to Bhagvãn. He also has the direct realisation of his jeevãtmã, which is beyond the three mental states, as being brahm-rup. With the exception of Bhagvãn, he develops vairãgya for all other objects. Also, he discards adharma and abides by dharma.
66.26 “When that bhakta dies, Bhagvãn makes him just like Himself. In fact, Bhagvãn had blessed Brahma: ‘O Brahmã! By my grace, may you know me as I am, my glory as it is, and my qualities and actions as they are’. So, just as Bhagvãn has blessed Brahmã, He also grants the same blessings to all of His faithful bhaktas. In addition, just as Bhagvãn is free from Kãl, karma, and Mãyã, in the same way, these bhaktas of Bhagvãn also becomes free from Kãl, karma, and Mãyã. Also, he forever resides in the sevã of Bhagvãn. This is how that bhakta benefits after he abandons his body. That is the answer to the question.”
End of Vachanãmrut Gadhadã II || 66 || 199 ||