10.1 In the Samvat year 1877, on Shrãvan vad 14 [6th September, 1820], Shreeji Mahãrãj was walking with all the sãdhus from Kundal and, along the way, they arrived at Khãmbhdã. They settled themselves under a pipal tree. The people of the village then brought a decorated bedstead for Shreeji Mahãrãj to sit upon. He was dressed entirely in white clothes. A sabhã of sãdhus, as well as haribhaktas from various places, had gathered before Him. Some of the sãdhus were singing kirtans.
10.2 Shreeji Mahãrãj then asked the sãdhus to stop singing, and addressed the village people, “In this world there are two types of people: Those who follow the path of honesty (dharma) and those who follow the path of sin (adharma). Of these, the person who follows the path of honesty, abandons stealing, adultery, slander and all other forms of sin. Fearing Bhagvãn, such a person remains within the disciplines of dharma. As a result, everyone in the world trusts him, be it a member of his family or anyone else; and whatever he says is accepted by all as the truth. A person who follows dharma, likes the company of a true sant.
10.3 “On the other hand, a person who follows the path of sin(adharma), is engrossed in evil deeds such as stealing, adultery, eating meat, drinking alcohol, changing someone’s varna and ãshram by force, and having his own varna and ãshram changed by force. As a result, no one in the world ever trusts him. In fact, even his own relatives do not trust him. Such a sinful person never likes the company of a true sant; and if someone else were to keep the company of a sant, the sinful person would spite him too.
10.4 “Therefore, a person who aims to attain kalyãn, should not follow the path of sin (adharma). Instead, he should follow the path of honesty (dharma), and keep the company of a true sãdhu. As a result, he would certainly, without a doubt, attain kalyãn.”
10.5 Hearing this talk, many people of the village accepted the refuge of Shreeji Mahãrãj.
10.6 Shreeji Mahãrãj then returned to Sãrangpur, and sat on a decorated bedstead on the veranda outside the north-facing rooms of Jeevã Khãchar’s darbãr. He was dressed entirely in white clothes. A sabhã of munis, as well as haribhaktas from various places, had gathered before Him.
10.7 Shreeji Mahãrãj then said, “If a person looks at the dhãms of Bhagvãn – Golok, Vaikunth, Shvet-Dvip, Brahmpur – from a physical perspective, they appear to be very far away. However, if a person looks at them from the ãtmã’s perspective, they are not even an atom’s distance away. Therefore, the understanding of a person who views from a physical perspective is false, and the understanding of a person who views from the perspective of the ãtmã is true. In reality, Bhagvãn and the dhãm of Bhagvãn are not even an atom’s distance away from a sãdhu who believes, ‘Bhagvãn is forever present in my chaitanya. Just like the jeev resides in the body, Bhagvãn resides within my jeev. My jeev is the sharir, and Bhagvãn is the shariri of my jeev’. Such a sãdhu also believes that his jeevãtmã is distinct from the three bodies – sthul, sukshma, and kãran – and that Bhagvãn forever resides within his ãtmã. Such a sant is like a mukta of Shvet-Dvip. When a person has the darshan of such a sant, he should realise, ‘I have had the darshan of Bhagvãn Himself’. A person who has such an understanding has nothing more to attain.
10.8 “If a person is unable to attain such an understanding, then he should maintain profound associations with a sant. If that sant were to daily beat him five times with a pair of shoes, he should still tolerate such insults. In no way should he abandon his association with a sant, just as an opium addict cannot abandon his addiction. Such a person should be known to be equal to the sant mentioned earlier. Also, whatever that sant attains, a person who continues to profoundly associate with such a sant, also attains.”
End of Vachanãmrut Sãrangpur || 10 || 88 ||