2.1 In the Samvat year 1877, on Shrãvan vad 6 [29th August, 1820], Shreeji Mahãrãj was sitting facing north, on a decorated bedstead which had been placed on the veranda outside the north-facing rooms of Jeevã Khãchar’s darbãr in Sãrangpur. He was wearing a white khes and had tied a white pãgh around His head. He had also covered Himself with a white pachhedi. A sabhã of munis, as well as haribhaktas from various places, had gathered before Him.
2.2 Then, addressing the munis, Shreeji Mahãrãj said, “Please begin a question-answer discussion amongst yourselves.”
2.3 Svayamprakãshãnand Swãmi then asked, “How can a bhakta of Bhagvãn develop intense love for the murti of Bhagvãn?”
2.4 The munis then attempted to answer the question amongst themselves, but were unable to give a precise answer.
2.5 So, Shreeji Mahãrãj replied, “Love can develop due to beauty, due to lust, due to greed, due to some selfish motives, or due to the other person’s qualities. Of these, love which stems from beauty lasts only until a person sees the disfigurement caused by leprosy in the other person’s body, or until the person develops leukoderma. After that, the love which once existed would dissolve. In the same way, love stemming from greed, lust, and selfishness also eventually dissolves. However, love developed due to the other person’s qualities, ultimately survives.”
2.6 Then, Somlã Khãchar asked Shreeji Mahãrãj, “Which qualities are these? Are they external ones, or internal ones?”
2.7 Shreeji Mahãrãj replied, “How is it possible to develop love due to external qualities? To be more precise, it is love stemming from the qualities of the person’s speech, thoughts, and deeds, which does not dissolve. Now, are you asking only about a bhakta developing love for Bhagvãn? Or, are you also asking about Bhagvãn developing love for the bhakta?”
2.8 Svayamprakãshãnand Swãmi clarified, “We are asking about both.”
2.9 Shreeji Mahãrãj then began to explain by saying, “A person should not hurt any living being with his speech. Also, during a question-answer discussion where principles are being debated with Bhagvãn and a senior sãdhu, those who are junior should give in to those who are senior. Also, in a sabhã, he should not ask questions that may embarrass a sãdhu who is senior to himself. Instead, he should purposely accept defeat before Bhagvãn and a senior sãdhu, regardless of whether it seems appropriate or inappropriate. Of these, he would not doubt an appropriate ãgnã. But, even if it seems inappropriate and leads to doubts, he should not refuse to abide by it, at least at that time. He should certainly agree and say, ‘Mahãrãj, I will do just as you say’. If that ãgnã is such that he cannot accept it, and if it is the wish of Bhagvãn and a senior sãdhu to hear his plea, then he should fold his hands before them and say with bhakti, ‘Mahãrãj, the ãgnã which you gave me is fine, but I have certain doubts about it’. In this way, he should speak modestly. However, if it is not really the wish of Bhagvãn to hear his plea, then he should say to a senior sãdhu or a bhakta who is close to Him, ‘Although Bhagvãn has given such an ãgnã, I simply cannot accept it’. Then, the senior sãdhu would find a compromise regarding that ãgnã. However, regardless of whether the ãgnã seems appropriate or inappropriate, he should not immediately refuse to abide by it. He should use politeness to delay the following of the ãgnã given by those who are senior, but when initially told, he should not immediately refuse. This is how a person should behave regarding the qualities of speech. As a result, Bhagvãn and the senior sãdhu develop love for that bhakta, and the bhakta also develops strong love towards Bhagvãn.
2.10 “Next, how should a person behave physically? Well, if his body seems to be hyperactive, he should weaken it by engaging in bhajan or by keeping the chãndrãyan vrat. Then, on noticing this, it is well and good if Bhagvãn or a senior sãdhu takes care of his body. However, he should knowingly take care of his own body. Also, he should physically serve Bhagvãn and His bhaktas. When Bhagvãn or a great sãdhu notices a person behaving in this way physically, they develop love for him, and that bhakta also develops love for Bhagvãn.
2.11 “Now, I shall describe the way in which a person should behave regarding the qualities of the mind. When a bhakta does darshan of Bhagvãn, he should do so with a focused mind and concentrated vision. Instead, when a person, or a dog, or some other animals, or a bird, disturbs him while he is performing darshan of Bhagvãn, then his vrutti is broken from Bhagvãn’s darshan. He begins to glance here and there, up and down, and also see them at the same time. Bhagvãn and the senior sãdhus are not at all pleased upon seeing a person with such wandering vision.
2.12 “When such a bhakta does perform darshan, how does he do it? Well, he does it just as any ordinary person does. A person who has such an ordinary vision, should be known to be like a squirrel that squeaks and raises its tail at the same time. He performs darshan of Bhagvãn and notices other objects at the same time. When he begins to perform darshan in such an ordinary way, he does not remain as devout as he previously was, and he declines day by day. Therefore, while performing darshan of Bhagvãn a person should not look from side to side.
2.13 “The novelty and divinity experienced in a person’s heart at the time of the first darshan of Bhagvãn, should remain exactly the same. Moreover, he should look at the murti with a fixed gaze, and then closing his eyes, he should internalise that murti, exactly as it, is in his heart. For example, in Dharmapur, Kushalkunvar-Bãi did my darshan, and at the same time, closed her eyes and internalised the murti in her heart. Similarly, a person should perform darshan with an attentive mind and a fixed gaze, but he should not perform darshan as other ordinary people do. If, along with the darshan of Bhagvãn, he also looks at the other people, or cats, or dogs, then when he has a dream, he sees not only Bhagvãn, but also those other objects. That is why a person should perform darshan of Bhagvãn with a fixed gaze, and not with a wandering gaze.
2.14 “A person who performs darshan of Bhagvãn while keeping his sight under control, will feel that darshan to be continually new. In addition, he would also feel any ãgnã that Bhagvãn may have given, to be new. On the other hand, a person who performs darshan superficially, with a ordinary vision, would feel Bhagvãn’s darshan and ãgnã to be ordinary. Although he may perform darshan every day, for such a person it is as if he has not performed darshan at all. When such a person engages in bhajan, his mind would not remain stable. Specifically, when he attempts to concentrate on Bhagvãn while his thinking is dispersed, other objects he may have seen would spontaneously come into his mind, along with Bhagvãn. Therefore, a person should perform darshan only of Bhagvãn. The mind of this person remains only on Bhagvãn during bhajan and smaran. His thinking does not become dispersed. Instead, it becomes concentrated.
2.15 “Furthermore, I am able to determine when a person is performing darshan with wandering eyes. A great sãdhu whose own sight and mind are kept under control also realises, ‘This person is performing darshan in a superficial way’. A person who performs darshan in such an ordinary way, then begins to decline from satsang day by day.
2.16 “For example, a man who is overcome by kãm fixes his gaze on a beautiful woman with a focused mind. At that time, if some animal or bird were to pass by or make a noise, he would not notice it. In the same way, a person should attach himself to Bhagvãn with a similarly focused gaze, but he should not perform darshan in an ordinary way.”
2.17 Then, Nirvikãrãnand Swãmi raised a doubt, “Mahãrãj, we have to travel and speak to people all over the country. As a result, our mind does not remain concentrated.”
2.18 In reply, Shreeji Mahãrãj questioned, “I have given an ãgnã for you to speak to people, but when have I ever given an ãgnã for you to ignore the darshan of this murti and perform darshan of other things?”
2.19 Having said this, Mahãrãj continued, “The same divinity that a person feels when he has darshan of the murti of Bhagvãn for the first time, can be retained if he keeps his mind and gaze fixed on Bhagvãn. So, when he behaves in this way, in accordance with the qualities of the mind mentioned previously, then the love that Bhagvãn has for that bhakta remains renewed. Moreover, the love which that bhakta has towards Bhagvãn also constantly remains renewed.
2.20 “Also, both the eyes and ears should especially be kept under control. This is because worldly talks are prevalent everywhere. If a person is attracted towards them through the vrutti of the ears, and he listens to them, then all of those worldly words would be recalled when he attempts to engage himself in bhajan. Furthermore, anything seen by a person who has a wandering gaze, is also recalled during bhajan. That is why both of these indriyas should be kept strictly under control. However, while performing darshan of Bhagvãn’s murti, if the vrutti of person’s eyes and ears leaves the murti aside and is attracted towards other things, he should lecture them, by saying, ‘O fools! What are you going to achieve by looking at svarups other than Bhagvãn, and by listening to words other than the talks of Bhagvãn? As of yet, you have not attained siddh-dashã where you can instantly receive whatever you wish. This is because you are still in the process of attaining siddh-dashã. As a result, you are not going to be able to obtain those vishays that you desire. So, why are you pointlessly grasping for them and leaving Bhagvãn aside? Moreover, even if you were to attain some insignificant vishay, then due to the sin incurred as a result, there will be no end to the beatings you will receive in Yampuri’. In this way, a person should tell off his eyes and ears.
2.21 “A person should also tell them, ‘When you become stabilised in the murti of Bhagvãn, you will attain siddh-dashã in this very life. As a result, you will be able to naturally hear any talks occurring in any brahmãnd. If you desire to have a charming svarup like that of Brahmã, Vishnu, or Shiv, then you will be able to attain such a svarup. Or, if you wish, you will become a bhakta like Lakshmi or Rãdhikã. Moreover, while worshipping Bhagvãn, if you do not attain siddh-dashã in this very life, you will attain siddh-dashã after death when you become a mukta. However, without attaining siddh-dashã, even if you constantly look at some beautiful object until you die, you will still not be able to attain that beauty; and even if you listen to worldly talks until you die, you will still not attain anything. Instead, your mind will become extremely polluted by it’. In this way, a person should advise his eyes and ears, and keep them fixed only on the murti of Bhagvãn. A person, who behaves in this way, increasingly develops love for the murti of Bhagvãn day by day. As a result, Bhagvãn’s love and the great sãdhu’s love for that bhakta, also increases day by day.”
End of Vachanãmrut Sãrangpur || 2 || 80 ||