Vachanamrut English

On Māgshar sudi 14, Samvat 1876 [30 November 1819], Shriji Mahārāj was sitting in Dādā Khāchar’s darbār in Gadhadā. He was dressed entirely in white clothes. At that time, an assembly of munis, as well as devotees from various places, had gathered before Him. Thereupon Brahmānand Swāmi asked, “Mahārāj, what is the nature of ‘vāsanā’?” Shriji Mahārāj explained, “A desire within the antahkaran to enjoy vishays that have been previously seen, heard or indulged in is called ‘vāsanā’. Moreover, a desire within the antahkaran to enjoy those vishays that have not been previously indulged in is also called ‘vāsanā’.” Thereafter Muktānand Swāmi asked, “Mahārāj, who can be called an ekāntik bhakta of God?” Shriji Mahārāj replied, “A person who has no ‘vāsanā’ except that of God and who offers bhakti to God realizing himself to be brahmarup is called an ekāntik bhakta.”

On Māgshar sudi 13, Samvat 1876 [29 November 1819], Shriji Mahārāj was sitting in Dādā Khāchar’s darbār in Gadhadā. He was dressed entirely in white clothes. At that time, an assembly of paramhansas, as well as devotees from various places, had gathered before Him. Thereupon Shriji Mahārāj said, “Once when I was traveling from Venkatādri to Setubandh Rāmeshwar, I encountered a sādhu by the name of Sevakrām. He had studied the Shrimad Bhāgwat and the other Purāns. But it so happened that during his journey, he fell ill. He had a thousand rupees worth of gold coins with him, but since he had no one to nurse him, he began to cry. I consoled him, saying, ‘Do not worry about anything; I shall serve you.’ “On the outskirts of the village was a banana grove which had a banyan tree within which a thousand ghosts lived. Because that sādhu had become extremely ill and was unable to walk any further, I felt extreme pity for him. I prepared a bed of banana leaves one-and-a-half feet high under that banyan tree. As the sādhu was suffering from dysentery and was passing blood, I would wash him and attend to him. “The sādhu would give Me enough of his money to buy sugar, sākar, ghee, and grains for himself. I would bring the ingredients, cook them, and then feed him. As for Myself, I would go to the village for My meals. On some days, when I did not receive any food from the village, I had to fast. Despite this, that sādhu never once said to Me, ‘I have enough money. Cook for both of us so that You may dine with me.’ “After serving the sādhu for two months in this way, he began to recover. Thereafter, as we walked towards Setubandh Rāmeshwar, he made Me carry his belongings weighing about 20 kgs, whereas he would walk with only a rosary in his hand. By then, he was healthy and capable of digesting half a kilogram of ghee, yet he would make Me carry his load while he walked empty-handed. In actual fact, My nature was such that I would not keep even a handkerchief with Me. But respecting him as a sādhu, I walked carrying his belongings weighing 20 kgs. “Although I served that sādhu and helped him recover, he did not offer Me even a single paisa worth of food. Therefore, realizing him to be ungrateful, I abandoned his company. In this way, a person who does not appreciate favors done by others should be known as an ungrateful person. “In addition, if a person has committed a sin but has also performed the prescribed atonement for it as laid down in the scriptures, then whoever still considers him a sinner should himself be known as a sinner just like an ungrateful person.”

On Māgshar sudi 12, Samvat 1876 [28 November 1819], Shriji Mahārāj was sitting in Dādā Khāchar’s darbār in Gadhadā. He was dressed entirely in white clothes. At that time, an assembly of munis, as well as devotees from various places, had gathered before Him. Thereupon Shriji Mahārāj said, “Suppose a person has developed a conviction of the manifest form of Shri Krishna Bhagwān, offers bhakti to Him and does His darshan. But, despite this, he still does not consider himself fulfilled and feels a deficiency within his antahkaran instead; that is, ‘As long as I have not seen the radiant form of this very same God in Golok, Vaikunth, and the other abodes, I have not attained ultimate liberation.’ Even talks about God should not be heard from a person with such ignorance. “Conversely, if a person has firm faith in the manifest form of God and believes himself to be fulfilled merely by His darshan and desires nothing else, then God Himself forcefully shows him His divine powers and forms in His abodes. “Therefore, one with singular faith in God should desire nothing except the manifest form of God.”

On Māgshar sudi 11, Samvat 1876 [27 November 1819], Shriji Mahārāj was sitting in Dādā Khāchar’s darbār in Gadhadā. He was dressed entirely in white clothes. At that time, an assembly of sādhus, as well as devotees from various places, had gathered before Him. Thereupon Shriji Mahārāj said, “If the vruttis of the indriyas are engaged in the service of Shri Krishna Bhagwān and His Bhakta, then the antahkaran is purified and the sins that have been attached to the jiva since time immemorial are destroyed. On the other hand, if the vruttis of the indriyas are directed towards women and other vishays, then one’s antahkaran becomes polluted and one falls from the path of liberation. “Therefore, one should indulge in the vishays only as prescribed in the scriptures; but one should never indulge in them by transgressing the regulations that are described in the scriptures. Also, one should keep association with the Sant and should shun bad company. In this manner, when a person shuns bad company and maintains an association with the Sant, the sense of I-ness that he harbors towards his body and the sense of my-ness that he harbors towards his bodily relations are eradicated. He also develops profound love for God and vairāgya towards everything except God.”

On Māgshar sudi 10, Samvat 1876 [26 November 1819], Shriji Mahārāj was sitting in Dādā Khāchar’s darbār in Gadhadā. He was dressed entirely in white clothes. At that time, an assembly of sādhus, as well as devotees from various places, had gathered before Him. Thereupon Shriji Mahārāj said, “No one is able to understand the philosophical principles found in the scriptures; in fact, all are confused by them. Therefore, please listen as I explain those principles precisely as they are. “Behaving as if united with the three bodies of sthul, sukshma and kāran is the anvay form of the jiva. The jiva as distinct from these three bodies and characterized by eternal existence is its vyatirek form. “Ishwar when together with its three bodies of virāt, sutrātmā and avyākrut is its anvay form. Ishwar as distinct from those three bodies and characterized by eternal existence is its vyatirek form. “When Aksharbrahma pervades māyā and the entities evolved from māyā - the countless millions of brahmānds - it is said to be in its anvay form. When it is distinct from everything and has the attributes of eternal existence, consciousness, and bliss, that is said to be its vyatirek form. “When Shri Krishna Bhagwān is the antaryāmi of and the controller of Aksharbrahma, the ishwars, the jivas, māyā, and the entities evolved from māyā - the brahmānds - that is said to be the anvay form of God. When He is distinct from all and resides amidst the light of Brahma in His abode, Golok, that is said to be the vyatirek form of God. “These five entities - Parabrahma, Aksharbrahma, māyā, the ishwars, and the jivas - are eternal.”

On Māgshar sudi 9, Samvat 1876 [25 November 1819], Shriji Mahārāj was sitting in Dādā Khāchar’s darbār in Gadhadā. He was dressed entirely in white clothes. At that time, an assembly of munis, as well as devotees from various places, had gathered before Him. Thereupon Shriji Mahārāj said, “In this Satsang fellowship, a person who is wise increasingly finds flaws within himself and perceives virtues in God and His devotees. Moreover, when God and His Sant utter harsh words of advice for his own benefit, he accepts them as beneficial and is not hurt by them. Such a person steadily attains greatness in Satsang. “Conversely, as a person who lacks wisdom practices Satsang and listens to discourses in Satsang, he continually perceives virtues within himself. Moreover, when God and His Sant highlight his flaws and advise him, he misinterprets such advice due to his arrogance. On the contrary, he perceives flaws in God and His Sant. Such a person steadily declines and loses his reputation in Satsang. Therefore, if a person renounces the vanity of his own virtues, becomes brave, and keeps faith in God and His Sant, then his ignorance is eradicated and he attains greatness in Satsang.”

On Māgshar sudi 8, Samvat 1876 [25 November 1819], Shriji Mahārāj was sitting in Dādā Khāchar’s darbār in Gadhadā. He was dressed entirely in white clothes. At that time, an assembly of Paramhansa, as well as devotees from various places, had gathered before Him. Thereupon Shriji Mahārāj said, “One should meditate on Shri Krishna Bhagwān together with Rādhika. If during that meditation one cannot behold the form within one’s heart, one should not lose faith and stop the meditation. Those who persist in this way will earn the immense grace of God. Moreover, God will be bound by their bhakti.”

On Māgshar sudi 7, Samvat 1876 [24 November 1819], Shriji Mahārāj was sitting in Dādā Khāchar’s darbār in Gadhadā. He was dressed entirely in white clothes. At that time, an assembly of sādhus as well as devotees from various places had gathered before Him. Then Shriji Mahārāj said, “Devotees of God should not harbor jealousy amongst themselves.” Thereupon Ānandānand Swāmi said, “But Mahārāj, even then, jealousy still remains.” Hearing this, Shriji Mahārāj explained, “If one does harbor jealousy, it should be like that of Nāradji. Once, both Nāradji and Tumbaru went to Vaikunth for the darshan of Lakshmi and Nārāyan. There, Tumbaru sang before them. As a result, both Lakshmi and Nārāyan were pleased and rewarded him with their clothes and ornaments. Seeing this, Nāradji became jealous of Tumbaru and thought, ‘I shall also learn to sing like Tumbaru and please God.’ “Then, Nāradji learned the art of singing and sang before God. But God commented, ‘You do not know how to sing like Tumbaru.’ Thereafter, Nāradji performed austerities to please Shiv and received his blessings to master the art of singing. However, when he sang before God again, God was still not pleased. In this way, Nāradji continued for seven manvantars. Despite this, God would not be pleased with his singing. “Finally, Nāradji learned to sing from Tumbaru himself and then sang before Shri Krishna Bhagwān in Dwārikā. Only then was Shri Krishna Bhagwān pleased, and only then did he reward Nāradji with his own clothes and ornaments. Thereafter, Nāradji abandoned his jealousy towards Tumbaru. “Thus, if one is to harbor jealousy, one should imbibe the virtues of the person towards whom one is jealous and should also abandon one’s own faults. If this cannot be done, then a devotee of God should at least totally abandon any form of jealousy that would result in harming another devotee of God.”

On the night of Māgshar sudi 6, Samvat 1876 [23 November 1819], Shriji Mahārāj was sitting in Dādā Khāchar’s darbār in Gadhadā. He was dressed entirely in white clothes. At that time, an assembly of munis as well as devotees from various places had gathered before Him. Thereupon Shriji Mahārāj said, “Even one who can constantly see the form of God in his heart should recall the divine actions and incidents of God performed in His various avatārs in various places. He should also maintain affection for the brahmachāris, sādhus and satsangis and should remember them as well. Why? Because if at the time of death he forgets God’s form but remembers the divine actions and incidents performed by Him at various places, or if he remembers those satsangis, brahmachāris or sādhus, then by that association, God’s form will also be remembered. Thereby, that person attains an elevated spiritual status and benefits tremendously. That is why I perform grand Vishnu-yāgs; annually celebrate Janmāshtami, Ekādashi and other observances; and gather brahmachāris, sādhus and satsangis on these occasions. After all, even if a sinner remembers these occasions at the time of his death, he will also attain the abode of God.”

On the night of Māgshar sudi 5, Samvat 1876 [22 November 1819], Shriji Mahārāj was sitting in Dādā Khāchar’s darbār in Gadhadā. He was dressed entirely in white clothes. At that time, an assembly of sādhus as well as devotees from various places had gathered before Him. Thereupon Mayārām Bhatt asked Shriji Mahārāj, “Mahārāj, please describe the characteristics of the highest, intermediate and lowest levels of vairāgya?” Shriji Mahārāj explained, “A person who has the highest level of vairāgya engages in worldly activities, either by God’s command or as a consequence of his prārabdha karmas. But, like King Janak, he is not affected by those activities. He may indulge in the most alluring of the panchvishays - sights, sounds, smells, tastes and touch - attained as a consequence of his own prārabdha, but he does so dejectedly and with total indifference towards them. Those vishays are unable to entice him; thus, his renunciation remains undiminished. He invariably views those vishays as flawed and treats them like enemies. Moreover, he constantly remains in contact with sādhus and the sacred scriptures and remains in the service of God. Even if he were to encounter adverse  his understanding would not diminish. Such a person is said to possess the highest level of vairāgya. “A person who has an intermediate level of vairāgya also indulges in the best of the panchvishays and remains unattracted to them. But, if he were to encounter adverse places, times, company, etc., he would become attached to those vishays. Consequently, his level of vairāgya would diminish. Such a person is said to possess an intermediate level of vairāgya. “As for a person who has the lowest level of vairāgya, if he were to encounter ordinary or inferior vishays, he may indulge in them, but he would not become bound by them. However, if he were to encounter and indulge in appealing vishays, he would become bound by them. Such a person is said to possess the lowest level of vairāgya.”

On the night of Māgshar sudi 4, Samvat 1876 [21 November 1819], Shriji Mahārāj had come to the residential hall of the sādhus in Dādā Khāchar’s darbār in Gadhadā. He was dressed entirely in white clothes. At that time, an assembly of sādhus as well as devotees from various places had gathered before Him. Thereupon Shriji Mahārāj asked, “Which is the most difficult of all spiritual endeavors?” The brahmachāris, sādhus and householders answered according to their own understanding, but none could give a satisfactory reply. Shriji Mahārāj then said, “Allow Me to answer. There is no spiritual endeavor more difficult than to continuously engage one’s mind on the form of God. The scriptures state that there is no greater attainment for a person whose mind’s vrutti is constantly focused on the form of God, because the form of God is like a chintāmani. Just as a person who possesses a chintāmani attains whatever he desires, a person whose mind’s vrutti is constantly focused on the form of God can instantly see, if he so wishes, the forms of jiva, ishwar, māyā and Brahma. He can also see Vaikunth, Golok, Brahmamahol and the other abodes of God. Therefore, there is no spiritual endeavor more difficult nor is there any greater attainment than to continuously engage one’s mind on the form of God.” Thereafter, the devotee Govardhanbhāi Sheth asked Shriji Mahārāj, “What is the nature of God’s māyā?” Shriji Mahārāj replied, “Māyā is anything that obstructs a devotee of God while meditating on God’s form.” Then Muktānand Swāmi inquired, “What type of body does a devotee of God attain when he leaves his physical body, which is composed of the five bhuts, and goes to the abode of God?” Shriji Mahārāj answered, “A devotee who has sought 1 will attain, by the wish of God, a divine body composed of Brahma. When such devotees leave their body and go to the abode of God, some go by sitting on Garud, some go by sitting on a chariot and some go by sitting on a celestial vehicle. This is how they reach the abode of God. Those who have mastered yogic samādhi can actually witness these events.” Thereafter, the devotee Harji Thakkar asked Shriji Mahārāj, “Some have been practicing satsang for quite some time, yet they do not harbor the same profound love for the Satsang fellowship as they do for their own body and relatives. What is the reason for this?” Shriji Mahārāj explained, “Such a person has not fully realized the greatness of God. Consequently, when the Sant - by whose association God’s greatness is fully realized - talks to him about his swabhāvs, the person is not able to overcome them. Instead, he bears an aversion towards the Sant. It is due to this sin that he does not develop intense love for the Satsang fellowship. After all, sins committed elsewhere are washed away through association with the Sant, but sins committed against the Sant are washed away only by the grace of the Sant himself, not by any other means. The scriptures also state: