Prasang A Day

I Continuously Deliver Discourses to Instill this Gnan “It is precisely for the purpose of somehow instilling this gnãn in your minds that I continuously deliver discourses. Because if a discourse eventually does truly inspire you, then this gnãn will become instilled in you. Conversely, if a person does not understand this and instead harbours a sense of I-ness and my-ness by believing, ‘This is my caste, this is my mother, this is my father, these are my relatives,’ then he should be known to be an extremely ignorant person possessing a worldly perspective.” [Gadhadã III-24]

Only God is like God, no one can become like Him “Only God is like God. Many have attained qualities similar to His by worshipping Him, yet they certainly do not become like God. If they did become like God, this would suggest the existence of several Gods. As a result, the governance of the world would not remain orderly. One God would say, ‘I will create the world,’ while another God would say, ‘I will destroy the world.’ One God would say, ‘I will make it rain,’ while another would say, ‘I will not.’ One would say, ‘I will instil human instincts in animals,’ while another would say, ‘I will instil animal instincts in humans.’ A stable state would not be possible in this situation. But see how orderly everything functions in the world! There is not even the slightest irregularity. Thus, the governor of all activities and the lord of all is one God. Not only that, it seems that no one can ever challenge Him. Therefore, God is definitely one, and no one can become like Him.” [Gadhadã III-39]

Pleasing God “… In the same way, then, when a person who has affection for the panchvishays encounters evil company, one can never be certain about him. “Thus, to please God, a devotee should totally discard the panchvishays. He should also abandon any affection for objects which may hinder his love for God.” [Gadhadã II-56]

Realising that only God is All-Blissful “One who has understood the greatness of God realises that only God is all-blissful, whereas the pleasures derived from the panchvishays have only a slight fraction of the bliss of God; thus he would never become attached to any object. The Moksh-dharma also mentions: ‘Compared to the bliss of the abode of God, the pleasures of the other realms are like narak.’ This is the understanding that a devotee of God should have. If he does not have this understanding, he will fall away from God…” [Gadhadã III-28]

Three Types of Awareness for Personal Happiness Thereupon Muktãnand Swãmi asked, “Mahãrãj, life is full of difficulties. Amidst all these difficulties, what understanding should a devotee of God cultivate in order to remain happy at heart?” Shriji Mahãrãj began, “To answer that, I shall tell you about My own experience.” He then explained, “By keeping the following three forms of awareness, I am not hindered by any disturbances: constant awareness of the ãtmã, which is distinct from the body; the awareness of the perishable nature of all worldly objects; and the awareness of God’s greatness. By keeping these three forms of awareness, no difficulties hinder Me in any way.” [Gadhadã II-60]

The Greatest Merit and the Gravest Sin “Thus, there is no merit greater than that of serving devotees of God, and there is no sin graver than that of spiting devotees of God…” [Gadhadã II-63]

The 'Brave Soldier' Analogy “Now, in this example, the flag represents the abode of God, and the brave soldiers of the kings represent the staunch devotees of God. Regardless of whether they encounter honours or insults in this world; regardless of whether they encounter bodily comforts or miseries; regardless of whether their bodies remain healthy or unhealthy; and regardless of whether their bodies survive or die, staunch devotees of God never harbour timid thoughts such as, ‘We will suffer this much pain,’ or ‘we will enjoy this much happiness.’ Neither of these two types of thoughts arises within their minds. Such devotees firmly believe, ‘We want to attain the abode of God within this very lifetime; we do not want to become enticed by anything along the way.’ ” [Gadhadã II-22]

A godly person “Moreover, I personally feel, ‘If one previously has kept the company of the great Purush or has had the darshan of God, then one will only perceive one’s own flaws but will never perceive flaws in any other devotee of God.’ A person with such characteristics should be known to be godly.” [Gadhadã II-44]

How can one distinguish between a godly and a demonic person? Then Shuk Muni asked, “How can one distinguish between a godly person and a demonic person?” Shriji Mahãrãj replied, “In a godly person, vicious natures such as lust, anger, avarice, etc., are due to the influence of unfavourable circumstances. Under the influence of favourable circumstances, however, they are destroyed within a short time. But in a demonic person, vicious natures such as lust, anger, avarice, etc., are never destroyed. If someone were to speak some harsh words to a demonic person even once, he would not forget them for as long as he lives. Then, if that demonic person were to become a satsangi, he would initially appear to be better than all of the other devotees. But, he would be like the following: Silt that has gathered in the region of Bhãl – where there was previously sea – has made the soil fertile. As long as the silt remains, sweet water can be obtained by digging below; but if one were to dig much deeper, then extremely saline water would emerge. In the same way, even if a demonic person has become a devotee of God, the moment his wishes are not fulfilled and he is even slightly disturbed, then compared to the service of the sãdhus he had previously performed, he would malign them thousands of times more. Even then, his mind would not be content.” [Gadhadã III-14]

All-in-one - The extremely divine bliss of God “The pleasures associated with sights, sounds, smells, tastes and touch are all found to co-exist in one place – the blissful and divine form of Purushottam Bhagwãn. When we have the darshan of that form of God, we can enjoy the bliss of that beauty, as well as the bliss of the other four types of vishays, i.e., sounds, touch, etc. That gratification occurs simultaneously. With worldly vishays, however, when one indulges in one vishay, one receives the gratification of only that vishay, but not of the others. Thus the pleasures of worldly vishays are found separately. Moreover, those pleasures are futile, perishable and ultimately the cause of extreme misery. But in God, one enjoys the bliss of all of the vishays simultaneously. That bliss is extremely divine; it is eternal and imperishable. Therefore, a spiritual aspirant should develop vairãgya towards the worldly vishays and become totally attached to the divine and blissful form of God.” [Gadhadã III-27]