1.1 In the Samvat year 1882, on Vaishãkh vad 11 [1st June 1826], Swãmi Shree Sahajãnandji Mahãrãj was sitting on a mattress with a cylindrical pillow that had been placed upon a beautifully coloured, decorated cot. The bedstead rested on the high veranda outside the west-facing rooms in the courtyard of the mandir of Shree Vãsudev-Nãrãyan in Dãdã Khãchar’s darbãr in Gadhadã. He was dressed entirely in white clothes. Beautiful tassels of mogrã flowers decorated the large, white pãgh that was tied around His head. Also, a garland of mogrã flowers was hanging around His neck, and a string of flowers decorated His wrists. A sabhã of munis, as well haribhaktas from various places, had gathered before Him.
1.2 Then, Shreeji Mahãrãj asked the paramhans, “What is the understanding of a bhakta who experiences no obstacles in his bhakti towards Bhagvãn, despite facing unpleasant circumstances?”
1.3 The paramhans replied according to their understanding, but they were unable to provide a precise answer.
1.4 Then, Shreeji Mahãrãj said, “A person who worships Bhagvãn needs firm vairãgya, and ãtmã-nishthã. If vairãgya is lacking, then when he obtains desired objects, he will also develop love for those objects in the same way that he has love for Bhagvãn. If ãtmã-nishthã is lacking, then when the body experiences pain or pleasure, that bhakta’s vruttis become disturbed. Then, he develops love for anything he considers to be full of happiness, and hates anything he considers to be full of misery. In this way, his mind becomes polluted. Therefore, a bhakta of Bhagvãn needs extremely firm ãtmã-nishthã as well as extremely firm vairãgya.
1.5 “This is because, by vairãgya, all worldly forms except for Bhagvãn’s murti are proven false; and through ãtmã-nishthã, worldly pleasures and miseries are proven false. A person who does not have the ãtmã-nishthã and vairãgya, even though he has attained nirvikalp samãdhi, experiences happiness and peace only while he remains in samãdhi. But, when he comes out of samãdhi, he becomes attached to pleasurable object upon seeing them, as Nãrãyan-Dãs did.”
1.6 Then, Shreeji Mahãrãj said, “A bhakta of Bhagvãn either has the strength of gnãn or the strength of love towards Bhagvãn. Of these, a person who has the strength of gnãn understands the greatness of Bhagvãn and cannot stay without Bhagvãn even for a moment. For example, Jhinã-Bhãi, Dev-Rãm, and Prabhã-Shankar have the strength of gnãn. Such bhaktas who understand the greatness of Bhagvãn should be known as having the strength of gnãn. A bhakta who has love for Bhagvãn, like the gopis of Vraj, should be known as having the strength of love.
1.7 “Of these, a person who has the strength of gnãn realises Bhagvãn as being antaryãmi and believes, ‘Bhagvãn does not make judgements based on what He hears from others. Instead, Bhagvãn recognises a bhakta’s strengths and speaks to him accordingly, but He does not act based on the advice of others’. Conversely, a person who believes, ‘Bhagvãn lectures me based on someone else’s words, even though I am not at fault’, has no gnãn of Bhagvãn.
1.8 “Even in worldly life we notice that a person who has selfish motives of gaining something from another will never see the other person’s faults. This is because his love is based on self-interest. Similarly, if a person has the self-interest that Bhagvãn will free him from the fear of births and deaths, then he will never perceive faults in Bhagvãn. But, a person who perceives faults in Bhagvãn by thinking, ‘Bhagvãn changes His opinion based on the prompting of others’, has neither the strength of gnãn nor the strength of love.”
1.9 Having said this, Shreeji Mahãrãj said to the senior paramhans, “Please reveal which of these two is your strength.”
1.10 All the paramhans replied, “We have the strength of gnãn.”
1.11 Then, Shreeji Mahãrãj continued, “A person who has the strength of love will do anything for his loved one, even that which is not fit to be done. For example, in the world, thieves have love for their wives and children. However, when they go to steal, they kill other people and pass on the money to their own family. In reality, that thief is quite cruel, but since he has love for his own family, he is not cruel towards them. Similarly, a person who has love for Bhagvãn and His bhaktas can never become angry at or jealous of Bhagvãn or His bhaktas, and in no way does he perceive faults to them. A person who has such love can be said to have the strength of love. A person with neither the strength of gnãn nor the strength of love is said to be fickle and unpredictable.”
1.12 Having delivered this talk, Shreeji Mahãrãj returned to His residence.
1.13 On the evening of that same day, Shreeji Mahãrãj was seated on a mattress with a cylindrical pillow placed on a decorated bedstead on the veranda outside the east-facing rooms of Dãdã Khãchar’s darbãr. He was dressed entirely in white clothes. He was also wearing a garland of mogrã flowers around His neck. A sabhã of munis, as well as haribhaktas from various places, had gathered before Him. Some sãdhus were singing kirtans to the accompaniment of a dukad and sarodã.
1.14 When the sãdhus had finished singing, Shreeji Mahãrãj addressed the sabhã: “The Shikshãpatri which I have written should be read daily by all of my followers – tyãgi sãdhus and brahm-chãris, as well as all male and female grahasthas. Those who do not know how to read should listen to it daily; and those who do not have the facility to listen to it should worship it daily. I have stated this in the Shikshãpatri itself. A person should do upvãs on the day he fails to do any of the three. This is my ãgnã.”
1.15 Then, everyone promised to follow this ãgnã of Shreeji Mahãrãj by saying, “O Mahãrãj, we will do as you have said.”
1.16 Hearing this, Shreeji Mahãrãj became extremely pleased. He embraced all the sãdhus and brahm-chãris and imprinted His holy footprints on the chests of all the satsangis.
End of Vachanãmrut Gadhadã III || 1 || 235 ||