19.1 In the Samvat year 1876, on the evening of Posh sud 1 [18th December, 1819], Shreeji Mahãrãj was sitting in Dãdã Khãchar’s darbãr in Gadhadã. He was dressed entirely in white clothes. A sabhã of paramhans, as well as haribhaktas from various places, had gathered before Him.
19.2 Then, Shreeji Mahãrãj said, “In this satsang, those bhaktas who seek their own ãtyantik kalyãn cannot fulfil that aim by ãtmã-nishthã alone; nor can they fulfil that aim by lovingly offering the nine types of bhakti alone; nor can they fulfil that aim by vairãgya alone; nor can they fulfil that aim by svadharma alone. Therefore, all four qualties – ãtmã-nishthã, bhakti, vairãgya, and svadharma – should be perfected since all are dependent upon each other. Now, please listen as I describe how these four qualities are interdependent.
19.3 “If a person has ãtmã-nishthã, but does not have love towards Bhagvãn, then he does not attain the compassion of Bhagvãn, which can only be attained by love. Such compassion results in the achievement of the desirable and great divine power of not being overpowered by the gun of Mãyã. On the other hand, if a person does have love for Bhagvãn, but has not attained ãtmã-nishthã, then due to the belief that he is the body, that love cannot be perfected. Also, a person may have both ãtmã-nishthã and love for Bhagvãn, but if he lacks firm vairãgya, then the desires for worldly five vishays will prevent the perfection of ãtmã-nishthã and love for Bhagvãn.
19.4 “Then again, a person may have vairãgya, but if he lacks ãtmã-nishthã and love for Bhagvãn, he does not experience the profound bliss associated with the svarup of Bhagvãn. Also, a person may have svadharma, but if love for Bhagvãn, ãtmã-nishthã and vairãgya are absent, then he will not be able to rise above Bhur-Lok, Bhuvar-Lok, and all the other loks up to Brahmã’s Svarg-Lok. That is to say, he will not be able to rise above the brahmãnds and attain Bhagvãn’s Akshardhãm, which is greater than the darkness of Mãyã. On the other hand, a person may have the three qualities of ãtmã-nishthã, love for Bhagvãn, and vairãgya; but if svadharma is lacking, the three cannot be perfected.
19.5 “In this way, ãtmã-nishthã and other three qualities are dependent upon each other. A bhakta, who has extremely firmly established these four qualities within himself through the profound association with Bhagvãn’s ekãntik bhaktas, has completed all spiritual activities. Only he should be known as an ekãntik bhakta. Therefore, a bhakta having any deficiency in these four qualities should overcome that deficiency by serving and profoundly associating with the ekãntik bhakta of Bhagvãn.”
End of Vachanãmrut Gadhadã I || 19 || 19 ||