29.1 In the Samvat year 1885, on the night of Posh sud 2 [7th January 1829], Shreeji Mahãrãj was sitting on a decorated bedstead that had been placed on the platform in front of the medi in Dãdã Khãchar’s darbãr in Gadhadã. He was dressed entirely in white clothes. A sabhã of sãdhus, as well as haribhaktas from various places, had gathered before Him.
29.2 Then, Shreeji Mahãrãj asked Shuk Muni a question: “Suppose there are two satsangis. Both are twenty years of age, and both possess nishchay, sneh, bhakti, vairãgya, and dharma to an equal extent. However, due to prãrabdha, one of them married, whereas the other did not find anyone and so remained a sãnkhya-yogi. He also had a desire to marry, but he could not find someone. Since neither of them had intense vairãgya from the beginning, both have an intense desire for indulging in the vishays. Then, the question is whose desire will be calmed: the grahastha or the sãnkhya-yogi? When replying, keep in mind that the Veds state: ‘Only a person who has intense vairãgya should become a tyãgi from the brahm-chãrya ãshram; whereas a person whose vairãgya is feeble should become a grahastha for the purpose of diminishing his intense desire to indulge in the vishays. Only then should he accept the vãnprasth ãshram, and then the sannyãs ashram’. Therefore, answer carefully.”
29.3 Shuk Muni attempted to answer the question but was unable to do so satisfactorily.
29.4 Answering the question Himself, Shreeji Mahãrãj said, “The grahastha is good, and the other who is a sãnkhya-yogi is bad. This is because he lacks intense vairãgya. As a result, he does not realise that the vishays are worthless and false. Also, for the same reason, he has no firmness in his ãtmã-nishthã. For this reason, if he happens to leave satsang and encounter vishays, he will become attached to them. However, if he does not come across vishays, he will be compelled to come back into satsang. On the other hand, the grahastha will progress even if he has the darshan of a sãdhu once every six months. Therefore, it is not appropriate for a person who is deficient in vairãgya to become a tyãgi; it is only appropriate for someone who has intense vairãgya. If someone who is deficient in vairãgya does become a tyãgi, then his tyãg will not continue throughout his life. After one year, two years, or after even ten years, difficulties will definitely arise in his tyãg.”
29.5 Then, Shuk Muni raised a doubt. He questioned, “Mahãrãj, if the person whose vairãgya is weak listens to the greatness of Bhagvãn from a sãdhu and thinks over it in his mind, then will he not develop intense vairãgya? In fact, only very few people, due to their prãrabdha, have intense vairãgya from the beginning. Generally, we see that a person develops vairãgya even though he did not possess it initially. How should this be understood?”
29.6 Shreeji Mahãrãj explained, “The answer to that is that a person can never develop intense vairãgya merely by thinking by himself, or by any other means for that matter. However, if a person develops love for a great sant who possesses the four qualities of dharma, gnãn, vairãgya, and bhakti, then all the actions he performs (seeing, listening, talking) will be performed according to the wishes of that great sant; he will not do anything which is against the sant’s wish. In his mind, he constantly fears behaving against the wishes of that sant, and feels, ‘If I do not behave according to his wish, then he will not maintain love for me’. That is why such a person will constantly behave according to the sant’s wishes. Therefore, if someone has developed such attachment for a sant, then even if he does not have vairãgya, his tyãg will remain till the end.
29.7 “In our satsang, all the males, females, and paramhans, are attached to me. Also, all the females observe vartmãns to the same extent as the three senior females (Lãdu-Bã, Jeevu-Bã, and Rãj-Bãi). This is because in their mind, they realise, ‘If we do not remain alert and observe the vartmãns, the love which Mahãrãj has for us will not remain, and He will become unhappy’. The paramhans also behave in the same way. In fact, it is the same for all the other satsangis, brahm-chãris and pãrshads. All the male and female bhaktas living far and wide are also alert in observing the vartmãns; they too feel, ‘If we do not behave properly, Mahãrãj will become displeased.’ Therefore, all of them strictly observe dharma out of love for me, even though they may possess vairãgya to a greater or lesser degree.
29.8 “However, when I recently fell ill in Panchãlã, if something serious had happened to me, then everyone’s firmness would not have remained as it is now. At such a time, a person who has intense vairãgya can remain within dharma; or a person who has lovingly attached his jeev to a person who has intense vairãgya can remain within dharma; or a person who keeps contact with satsang and, realising Bhagvãn to be antaryãmi, behaves according to the niyams that have been prescribed for him, can remain within dharma. Except for these, others cannot remain within dharma. Therefore, what I have just explained is the only answer to the question I had asked.”
End of Vachanãmrut Gadhadã || 29 || 263 ||