5.1 In the Samvat year 1877, on Shrãvan vad 9 [1st September, 1820], Swãmi Shree Sahajãnandji Mahãrãj was sitting on a decorated bedstead on the veranda outside the north-facing rooms of Jeevã Khãchar’s darbãr in Sãrangpur. He was dressed entirely in white clothes. A sabhã of munis, as well as haribhaktas from various places, had gathered before Him.
5.2 Then, Muktãnand Swãmi asked a question: “Which method of eradicating worldly desires is so powerful that it alone incorporates all other methods?”
5.3 Shreeji Mahãrãj replied, “The worldly desires of a person will be eradicated, if he has the following four characteristics in his heart: shraddhã, faith in the words of Bhagvãn and His bhaktas, love for Bhagvãn, and the knowledge of the greatness of Bhagvãn’s svarup. Of these, if the knowledge of Bhagvãn’s greatness is extremely powerful and the other three – shraddhã, faith, and love – are weak, they will also become extremely powerful. On the other hand, although a person may appear to have intense bhakti, if it is not coupled with the knowledge of Bhagvãn’s greatness, it will ultimately be destroyed. For example, a ten-year-old girl who has contracted tuberculosis will certainly die before she matures into a young woman. Similarly, a person whose bhakti lacks the knowledge of Bhagvãn’s greatness will find that his bhakti will be destroyed before it matures.
5.4 “Furthermore, if a person has bhakti for Bhagvãn in his heart coupled with the knowledge of Bhagvãn’s greatness, then even though he does not possess any other kalyãn-kãri qualities, they will still develop in his heart. Conversely, if a person does not have bhakti in his heart coupled with the knowledge of Bhagvãn’s greatness, then even though he possesses kalyãn-kãri qualities, such as tranquillity and self-restraint, they are as good as being absent because they will ultimately be destroyed.
5.5 “Therefore, even if a person has only bhakti coupled with the knowledge of Bhagvãn’s greatness, his worldly desires will still be eradicated, and all the kalyãn-kãri qualities will develop and reside within his heart. Bhakti of Bhagvãn coupled with the knowledge of His greatness is the greatest and most reliable method to eradicate a person’s worldly desires.”
5.6 Then, Svayamprakãshãnand Swãmi asked, “What is the anvay nature of the jeev, and what is its vyatirek nature? What is the anvay nature of ishvar, and what is its vyatirek nature? How should Purushottam Bhagvãn be known in His anvay form, and how should He be known in His vyatirek form?”
5.7 Shreeji Mahãrãj explained, “When the jeev is said to experience births and deaths, that should be known as the jeev’s anvay form. When the jeev is said to be achhedhya, abhedhya, and avinãshi, that should be known as the jeev’s vyatirek form.
5.8 “When ishvar behaves as one with its three bodies of virãt, sutrãtmã, and avyãkrut, that should be known as the anvay form of ishvar. When ishvar is described as sachidãnand, and as greater than its body (the brahmãnd), that should be known as the vyatirek form of ishvar.
5.9 “The anvay form of Akshar is the inspirer of Prakruti-Purush and all the devs, such as Surya, and Chandra. The form in which there is not even a trace of the influence of Prakruti-Purush, and in which only Purushottam Bhagvãn resides, should be known as the vyatirek form of Akshar.
5.10 “The anvay form of Purushottam is that which resides in the hearts of both bound jeevs and released jeevs as their witness. However, He remains untouched by such states of bondage and release. In the same way, He also resides in the hearts of ishvars and Akshar as their witness, but He remains unaffected by their influence. The form that is greater than jeev, ishvar, and Akshar should be known as the vyatirek form of Purushottam. These are the anvay-vyatirek natures of the various entities.”
5.11 Again, Muktãnand Swãmi asked, “Does the importance of Bhagvãn’s darshan, the importance of chanting His holy name, and the importance of the touch of Bhagvãn, apply only to the bhaktas of Bhagvãn, or does it also apply to all beings?”
5.12 Shreeji Mahãrãj answered, “The modes of darshan are certainly different, so please listen as I explain them to you. When a person does darshan of Bhagvãn with his eyes coupled with his mind, then that darshan could not be forgotten, even if he tired to forget it. In the same way, if the skin is coupled with the mind when he touches Bhagvãn, then that touch will also not be forgotten. For example, the Shreemad Bhãgvat narrates the words spoken by the gopis to Bhagvãn: ‘O Bhagvãn! Since the day we touched your feet, all the pleasures of the world, apart from you, have seemed like poison to us’. Similarly, when all the gnãn-indriyas are coupled with the mind and are then engaged in darshan, listening, and touching, the experiences are never forgotten.
5.13 “To give another example, an ignorant person who indulges in the vishays when the five gnãn-indriyas are coupled with his mind, can never forget them, even if he wants to forget them. Similarly, only that darshan of Bhagvãn, and listening to the talks of Bhagvãn, which have been done with the mind engaged, should be known as darshan and listening.
5.14 “On the other hand, a person may do darshan, but it is as good as not having done darshan at all. This is because at the time he was doing darshan, his mind was wandering elsewhere. As a result, he will certainly forget that darshan within a day, or maybe within five days, or maybe within fifty days, or maybe within six months, or maybe after one year, or after five years; eventually, it will not remain.
5.15 “Therefore, only a person who engages the five gnãn-indriyas (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, skin) coupled with the mind, in the darshan and touch of Bhagvãn with intense love and the understanding of His greatness, attains the fruits of that darshan and touch. Others, who have the darshan and touch of Bhagvãn, attain only the seeds. However, the real importance applies only to those who engage in the darshan and touch, coupled with the mind.”
End of Vachanãmrut Sãrangpur || 5 || 83 ||