Prasang A Day

A True Devotee of God “Who can be called a true devotee of God? If some prolonged illness were to plague a person's body, or if he receives neither food to eat nor any clothes to wear; in fact, regardless of the extent of pain or pleasure that come his way, if he still does not regress even slightly from the worship and bhakti of God, niyams, dharma, or shraddha, but on the contrary, progresses with time – then he can be called a true devotee.”  [Gadhadã III-25]

Miseries Expelled by the Darshan of God and His Sant “Countless types of mental and physical suffering arise during the final moments of a person’s life. But when one has the darshan of God and His Sant, all those miseries are expelled. Such is the greatness of God and His Bhakta. In actual fact, the Bhakta of God is indeed nothing but a form of Brahma. That is why one should never perceive human traits in him.”   [Gadhadã II-63]

Becoming Like a Golden Thread “However, one whose gnãn, vairãgya, dharma and bhakti are not extremely firm will most certainly suffer a setback. For example, a thread dipped in wax remains stiff in winter and monsoon, but when summer comes, it invariably becomes slack. In the same manner, monsoon and winter represent the period when the devotees here are happy in every way and are also honoured in Satsang. During that period, gnãn, vairãgya, dharma and bhakti appear to be very intense. But with the advent of summer – the period when a devotee is insulted in Satsang or when he becomes physically distressed – his gnãn, vairãgya, dharma and bhakti become limp like the thread dipped in wax. Even then, I do not forsake such a person. But he, of his own accord, becomes obliged to withdraw from Satsang. Thereafter, even if he is supposedly a satsangi, he does not experience the bliss of satsang within.   [Gadhadã III-21]

Developing Conviction of God on the Word of the Sant “What is the conviction of God? Well, consider how it is in worldly life. Since childhood, one has the conviction of one’s parents, caste, sub-caste, ãshram, gender, as well as the conviction that this is an animal, this is a man, this is water, this is fire, this is the earth, this is the wind, this is the sky, and so on. All this is due to the scriptures. Even if one has not heard the scriptures, one has been convinced by principles prevalent in society – which themselves were derived from the scriptures. Similarly, the attributes of the Sant – being free of lust, avarice, egotism, taste, attachment, etc. – are also described in the scriptures. The Sant who possesses these attributes has a direct relationship with God. Therefore, one should develop the conviction of God based on his words. In fact, to have firm faith in the words of the Sant is itself the conviction of God.”   [Gadhadã III-27]

What Body Does the Jiva Have in Akshardham? Then Brahmãnand Swãmi asked, “After the ignorance of the jiva is dispelled by the bhakti of God, the association between the jiva and the three mãyik bodies, i.e., sthul, sukshma and kãran, no longer remains. So when the jiva attains the abode of God, with what type of form does it stay there?” Shriji Mahãrãj replied, 'When the jiva's ignorance is dispelled, its association with the three mãyik bodies is broken. Thereafter, the jiva remains as pure existence and consciousness. Then, by God's will, the jiva receives a body composed of chaitanya prakruti - which is distinct from the eight types of jad prakruti of God, i.e. pruthvi, jal, etc. With that body, then, it stays in God's Akshardham. This is the answer to your question.'   [Gadhadã II-66]

A Selfish Person will Never See a Person's Faults “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. Why? Because his affection is based on self-interest. Similarly, if a person has self-interest in mind that God will free him from the fear of births and deaths, then he will never perceive faults in God. But one who attributes faults in God by thinking, ‘God changes His stand based on the prompting of others,’ has neither the inclination of gnãn nor the inclination of affection.”   [Gadhadã III-1]

Not Associating with Evil Influences, Regardless of One's High Understanding “… So, being a renunciant or a householder is of no significance; rather, he whose understanding is greater should be known as being a greater devotee than the rest.   [Vartãl-20]

One's Inclination of Bhakti “… Whichever of the nine types of bhakti relieves the pain of these ‘wounds’ caused by the vishays and makes one oblivious of the vishays themselves, should be thought of as the application of a bandage to the ‘wounds’. Also, that particular type of bhakti should be known to be one's inclination in worshipping God. “Then, abiding by that particular inclination, one should engage in mãnsi pujã or the mental chanting of God’s name. In fact, whatever one may do, one should do so within one's own particular inclination. One will benefit tremendously as a result of this.”   [Gadhadã III-15]

Shriji Maharaj's Detachment for Worldly Objects “I deliver these discourses to you not from any imagination of My mind, nor to display any sort of aptitude. I have experienced all that I have spoken about. In fact, I speak in accordance to what I practise. Outwardly, I may have a great deal of contact with women, wealth and the panchvishays. In fact, wherever I go – Surat, Amdãvãd, Vadodarã, Vartãl, etc. – thousands of people gather; they obey Me, honour Me and welcome Me with great fanfare. There I stay in luxurious places and receive rich clothes, vehicles, etc. Despite all of this, whenever I look towards My ãtmã and towards the greatness of God, it all seems absolutely insignificant. I cannot become attached to any of it. In fact, I become oblivious to it all, just as one is oblivious to one’s past lives. The reason I can behave in such a manner is that I have thoroughly realised the aforementioned two topics. In fact, whosoever realises them would also behave accordingly if ever he were somehow put in similar circumstances. Therefore, these two topics should be understood by all means.”   [Gadhadã III-39]

Attitudes Worthy of Being Imbibed “When God and His Bhakta are pleased on a devotee, he should feel, ‘It is my great fortune that God and His Bhakta are pleased with me.’ Also, when, for the purpose of teaching a lesson, they reprimand him, he should feel, ‘It is my great fortune that they reprimand me; after all, it will help in removing my flaws.’ In this way, one should be pleased even if reprimanded; one should not feel any grief in one’s mind, nor get upset, nor even regard oneself as being very sinful. Indeed, one should always remain pleased. This attitude is also worthy of being imbibed.”   [Gadhadã III-23]