Aptavani-4 Part - 2

Aptavani - 4
As expounded by the
Gnani Purush "Dada Bhagwan"
8 7
6 5
Originally Compiled in Gujarati by :
Dr. Niruben Amin

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Trimantra
The Three Mantras that Destroy All Obstacles in Life
Namo Vitaragaya
I bow to the One who is absolutely free from all attachment
and abhorrence
Namo Arihantanam
I bow to the living One who has annihilated all internal en-
emies of anger, pride, deceit and greed
Namo Siddhanam
I bow to the Ones who have attained the state of total and
final liberation
Namo Aayariyanam
I bow to the Self-realized masters who impart knowledge of
liberation to others
Namo Uvazzayanam
I bow to those who have received the Knowledge of the Self
and are helping others attain the same
Namo Loye Savva Sahunam
I bow to all saints everywhere who have received the Knowl-
edge of the Self
Eso Pancha Namukkaro
These five salutations
Savva Pavappanasano
Destroy all demerit karma
Mangalanam cha Savvesim
Of all that is auspicious
Padhamam Havai Mangalam
This is the highest
Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya
I bow to all who have attained the absolute Self in human form
Om Namah Shivaya
I bow to all human beings who have become instruments for
salvation of the world
Jai Sat Chit Anand
Awareness of the Eternal is Bliss
™™™™™
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INTRODUCTION
[1]
Awakened Awareness
One is the Atma (Self) and is capable of illuminating the
entire universe.As the Self, one has infinite energy (anant shakti).
Even so, all the helplessness, suffering, pain and insecurity are
experienced by the ‘self’. How unusual is this! What is the
reason for it? It is because, one is not aware of the Self
(swaroop), One’s own energy (shakti; power), and the realm
(satta) of the Self. Once the Self becomes awakened (jagrut),
there prevails the bliss of the ‘Owner’ of the entire universe.
The whole world is entrapped in asleep to the Self
(bhaavnindra). The lack of awareness, as to what is beneficial
and what is harmful in this world, and in the world hereafter:
anger, pride, deceit, greed; disputes, and worries, are all
perpetuated because of the prevailing bhaavnindra. Whereas
the whole world is preoccupied with the pleasures of the non-
Self complex (pudgal), the Gnani is in the state of the
awareness of the Self, and in the bliss of the Self (Atma-
ramanata). Perfect awareness is the absolute knowledge
(Kevalgnan), when the awareness reaches one hundred percent,
absolute knowledge arises.
Awareness (jagruti) is truly the mother of liberation
(moksha). As the awareness about the worldly life increases,
one realizes its meaningless futility. Ultimately this results in the
highest dispassion towards all worldly pleasures (vairagya).
And the one who has reached the height of awareness of the
knowledge of the senses, is not divisive as a result of differences
of opinions with anyone, but is ‘everywhere adjustable.’
However, the birth of anger, pride, deceit, greed (kashays–
inner enemies) only occurs in the absence of awareness. The
one who has no awareness of kashays is very much in an
ignorant state. The one, who is aware of them, is slightly alert.

13
And the one who ‘washes’ them off after they occur through
repentance (pratikraman) is awake and alert (jagrut). And the
one who is exceptionally alert will turn the kashays around even
before they occur. Furthermore, the one who ‘fuels’the kashays
is terribly ignorant.
The vision that sees one’s own faults is the measure of
awareness. The vision that sees faults of others shrouds one’s
awareness with serious ‘veils’ (coverings). The Gnani sits on
the summit of awareness. His subtler (sookshmatar) and
subtlest (sookshmatam) mistakes, hurt no one; he sees them in
Gnan and he ‘washes’them away. He is faultless (nirdosh) and
he sees the world as being faultless – this is called the state of
awareness. The highest awareness is that while conversing with
someone, he has the continuous awareness (laksha) that the
other person is pure Soul (Shuddhatma).
In the Kramic path, the traditional step-by-step path to
Self-realization, the awareness of the intention (bhaav jagruti,
‘cause’ karma) is considered the best of all; whereas in the path
of Akram Vignan, the current, unique, non-sequential and direct
path to Self-realization, the Self-awareness which is beyond
intent or non-intent (bhaav-abhaav), is easily gained by the
grace of the Gnani! The constant presence of the complete
knowledge in the form of Gnata (the ‘Knower’) and the gneya
(object to be known) is called complete awareness! To
ceaselessly remain in the special directives (Agnas) of the
Gnani Purush is considered a high level of awareness! The
application of seeing pure Soul in every living being is also a high
level of awareness.
Initially, the awareness arises in the worldly interactions
(vyavahar). After that, one ‘sleeps’ in the worldly interactions
and awakens to the awareness of the Self (nischay). When
there is no conflict anywhere, when there is no dissension as a
result of differing opinion, one is said to be in the awareness of

14
the worldly interactions (vyavahar). In this awareness, there are
many kashays; whereas in the awareness of the Self (nischay),
these kashays (anger, pride, deceit and greed) have become
rootless! Being aware of each and every act of the antahkaran
(the inner complex of the self comprised of mind, intellect, chit
and ego), is the true awareness.
In the early stages of awareness, nobody suffers at any
time because of us. Subsequently, we have no suffering at any
time, because of others. In the stages of awareness, there is
natural oneness with the pure Soul.
The awareness of awakening Kundalini (yogic power;
corporeal energy) or traditional methods of meditation do not
help increase awareness, but they do increase the ego.
‘Meditation’ is a form of intoxication primarily for the ego
(maadakata). There is a possibility for awareness to flourish
during a situation of internal ‘burning’ (due to kashays), but the
intoxication of ‘meditation’, covers the awareness with ashes.
It is possible to attain the awareness needed for liberation
through the worship of the Souls with the awareness; beginning
with the one who has just attained the Self, and going all the way
up to the one who has reached the state of absolute knowledge
(Kevalgnan). Through the Gnani’s grace, one can make a
connection with the current living Tirthankar – Shree Simandhar
Swami, who dwells in Mahavideh Kshetra. He has Absolute
Awareness and He is a vital instrument for our liberation
(moksha). Through His continuous worship, it is possible for us
to go there from here, and reside at His lotus feet (in the next
life), and thereafter, attain liberation (moksha).
In the mundane worldly matters, where the world is
awake; the Gnanis are ‘asleep’, and in spiritual matters, where
the world is ‘asleep’, the Gnanis are awake! The worldly
awareness is with the ego; whereas with awareness without the
ego, there is liberation (moksha)!

15
[2]
Dhyan (Meditation)
What is meditation (dhyan)? Meditation is not something
that one has to ‘do’. Meditation (dhyan) happens naturally.
Meditation is a result. What the world calls meditation, is not
meditation (dhyan), but it is concentration (ekagrata).
Vitarags (the fully enlightened beings who have no
attachment or abhorrence), have described four types of
meditation: When someone insults you, and you experience
wrath at that time, the resulting anger is called raudradhyan
(adverse internal meditation that hurts the self and others), and
the effect of this result will hurt the ‘self’and will reach others!
However, if it affects only you and no one else, then it is
artadhyan (adverse internal meditation that hurts the self).
Artadhyan also comprises worries such as, “What will become
of me?” and worries about the future, etc.
In events that cause an effect on us, when a person
regards them as: “This is the manifestation of the unfolding of my
own karma. The other person is simply instrumental (nimit) in
it; he is faultless (nirdosh)”; when such a state results within, it
is called dharmadhyan (virtuous meditation; absence of
artadhyan or raudradhyan). If it remains in one’s awareness
(laksha) that, “I am pure Soul (Shuddhatma)”, and others are
seen as pure Soul, then that is called shukladhyan (meditation
as the Self).
Once the goal (dhyeya) is decided and one becomes
the dhyata (one who meditates on the goal) and when the two
(dhyeya and dhyata) make a connection, then meditation
(dhyan) at the time, is simultaneous and occurs naturally. The
ego is present when the goal (dhyeya) is being decided, but it
is absent during meditation. There is ego in doing actions, but
not in meditation. Doing actions is not meditation, but that which
results from the act of doing is meditation, and here, the ego is

16
absent. Meditation (dhyan) is not ‘done’ (it cannot be ‘done’);
it happens (naturally). Artadhyan and raudradhyan just happen
by themselves. There is no ‘doer’ in dharmadhyan.
Shukladhyan (meditation as the Self) is a natural state.
After artadhyan occurs, if there is the belief that, “I am doing
artadhyan,” then the ego of ‘doership’ is present. The ego is the
dhyata (the one that meditates) in artadhyan, raudradhyan
and dharmadhyan. In shukladhyan, however, the ego is not
the dhyata, so therefore it is a natural state. It is the state of the
Self (Atma-parinati).
For the purpose of attaining moksha, no other meditation
is as important as the meditation of pure Self (Atmadhyan or
shukladhyan). The meditation of the Self (Atma) keeps one in
constant bliss.
To remove attachment-abhorrence, meditation is not
required. If the science of the Vitarag is known, attachment-
abhorrence departs naturally.
[3]
Prarabdha – Purusharth
Without understanding the line of demarcation between
destiny (prarabdha) and self-effort (free will; purusharth),
how can one understand one’s own ‘doership’ or ‘non-
doership’? The whole world is engulfed in this unsolved
problem. Who else can show you the difference between the
two, other than the Gnani Purush, who has attained the exact
state of real purusharth? In the world, in this day and age of
the time, the subtlest differences between destiny and self-
effort have been exposed through the speech of the deeply
revered Gnani Purush Dadashri. It opens up a new way for
the seekers!
Whatever is done through the five senses is not self-effort
(purusharth), but destiny (prarabdha). From morning till

17
evening, a person runs around, preoccupied with his job or
business, respires, reads books and scriptures, meditates, does
chanting of God’s name (japa or mantra) and penance. That is
destiny (prarabdha). After we eat our food, what purusharth
(self-effort) do we make for its digestion? Nature runs our ‘inner
machinery’so pleasantly, without any interference in our part, so
will it not run the ‘outer’ matters as well? But because of the
ignorance about it, one cannot help one’s egoism of, ‘I am the
doer’!
In the running waters of the river Narmada, if a rock turns
into the shape of an idol (shaligram), who did what sort of self-
effort there? And if the other rocks remained stones and sunk in
the ocean, is it because of their ‘laziness’? Who is the ‘doer’
here, and how much ‘doership’ is there? Things happen
according to whatever circumstances one encounters! In the
path of natural and spiritual evolution (samsaran marg), all the
living beings, some after infinite collisions and wanderings, take
birth in India. And there, if one meets the Gnani Purush, and
by his grace, attains the Self-realization, one becomes an idol
(shaligram)! Only after Self-realization does one become the
‘Self’ (Purush) and does the ‘real’ ‘Self-effort’ (purusharth).
Until then, it is called deluded or illusory self-effort (bhrant
purusharth). Real Self-effort is when there is no attachment-
abhorrence in the resultant effect of the non-Self complex
(pudgal).
Because of the existence of ego, the seeds (causes) of
karma are being sown. And when they yield fruits (effects); the
result is either bitter or sweet. Now it is considered deluded
self-effort (bhrant-purusharth) to change an improper ‘effect’
to a proper one! Whatever circumstances that present themselves
is destiny, and self-effort is needed to maintain equanimity. To
maintain steadiness in ‘slippery’circumstances, is self-effort. To
change artadhyan and raudradhyan into dharmadhyan is self-
effort.

18
The ‘Akram Vignani’(the ‘scientist’ of the direct path to
the Self) has removed the web of misunderstanding about
destiny (prarabdha) and self-effort – free will (purusharth) and
unraveled the right understanding about ‘who the doer is’,
through his discovery of vyavasthit shakti (‘Scientific
Circumstantial Evidence’). This helps the Self-realized to reach
the state of the absolute Self! As long as there is the awareness
of, ‘I am the ‘doer’,’the understanding of ‘Scientific Circumstantial
Evidences’is like a golden dagger! Where there is ego; the ‘self’
becomes the ‘doer’. Where there is no ego, the ‘doer’ is
‘Scientific Circumstantial Evidences.’
Pure, applied, awakened awareness of the Self (shuddha
upayog) is the ‘real’ self-effort (purusharth). The victory over
kashays (anger, pride, deceit and greed) is called self-effort
(purusharth). And absolute equanimity (samata) has been
called the state of the Self that arises from Gnan. Self-control
(yama), disciplines (niyam), and restraints (saiyam) have been
called self-efforts. What is the difference between restraints
(saiyam) and penance (tapa)? There is no penance (tapa) in
saiyam; whereas in penance (tapa) there is ‘heat’; the mind is
being heated! To obey the Gnani’s Agnas (special directives
given by the Gnani Purush that sustains the enlightened state
after the Gnan Vidhi) is Self-effort – that is the only religion.
Neither destiny nor self-effort is the higher; the one who
understands them both is the higher, so says the Gnani Purush.
To eat junk food is karma of destiny (effect) and to get
dysentery is the result of destiny karma (effect of effect). Eating
junk food is the result of the accumulated karma (sanchit
karma) of the previous life! So now, how can this result of
destiny karma be changed? Change can only be made while the
accumulating karmas are being ‘charged’ or created.
That which happens in this life (dravya), is all destiny, and
intent (bhaav) is all self-effort. In the state of illusion (non-Self-

19
realized; bhranti), all human beings have continual intent-based
self-effort (bhaav purusharth), on account of which the bonds
of karma for the next life are created; moreover, they
themselves are not even aware of this!
[4]
Shraddha (Faith)
Those who make a mockery of blind faith (andha-
shraddha) do not know how much blind faith they themselves
have! On what faith is the act of drinking water done? What
proof is there that there is no poison in it? What is the proof that
an insect or a tiny lizard has not fallen in the food? Does anyone
inquire about this? Are people not moving on, with blind faith?
Thus, not a single step is taken without blind faith, so how can
one criticize anyone else’s blind faith?
[5]
Opinion
Vision (drashti) is created on the basis of opinions
(abhipraya), and then one ‘sees’ according to that vision. It is
not the fault of the vision if one feels uneasy with a certain
person. The mistake is being made by the opinion that has led
to such a vision (drashti).
The vision with “prejudice” creates the worldly life (the
perpetual cycle of birth and death). In spite of being an
eyewitness to a theft, the one who does not have any
prejudice in vision is a Gnani (the enlightened One). What
proof is there that tomorrow the thief will not become honest
and respectable?
There is nothing to object to. If the senses relish a tasty
mango, but afterward if the memory of it lingers on; it is
detrimental, because behind the memory there is the opinion that
“this mango is good,” and that opinion will result in attachment-
abhorrence (raag-dwesh).

20
A strong opinion focused on one particular thing will result
in a major obstruction (atkan). Comparatively the effect of the
obstruction of many scattered opinions will be significantly
terrible.
“The sensual pleasures (vishay) do not have attachment
- abhorrence; only the belief of the opinion has attachment-
abhorrence.” ~ Dadashri
This quote of the Gnani drives away the notion of doing
relentless exertion to become free from sensual pleasures. By
saying it is ‘like an elephant’s bath’(elephants after bathing in
water, spread dirt on themselves); it makes one alert towards
removing the root cause: the wrong belief about the opinion, of
there being any lasting happiness in the pleasure of the senses.
Once it is decided that opinions are to be broken, they
start to break down. Opinions that are very deeply entrenched,
can be depleted after doing pratikraman (repentance and
asking for forgiveness for the error) everyday for two hours!
The one who has attained the Soul (Atma), the one who has
become Self-realized (Purush), is capable of any endeavor
(purusharth) or extraordinary effort (parakram)!
Whatever one’s opinion, such will be the non-Self
complex of mind, speech and body (pudgal) that forms in the
next life.
It is necessary to detach and remove the opinion, about
the opinion that has remained in a subtle form.
Who makes one make opinions? Only societal influence
(loksangnya; worldly peer pressure), because one’s belief is
based on popular knowledge, and accordingly, the intellect
makes the decision as to how one behaves. Once the
‘knowledge of the Gnani’ (Gnani-sangnya) is followed, the
effect of the knowledge of people (loksangnya) becomes
extinct!

21
The vibrations of even the slightest adverse thought about
another person will reach that person and give results. Here
doing ‘shoot-on-sight’ pratikraman will prevent those vibrations
from reaching that person, or else erases the vibrations that may
have reached that person. And once the opinion is erased,
speech and conduct towards that person become natural, to the
extent that they cannot even ‘touch’the other person. Conversely,
the view with the opinion of seeing faults, casts its shadow on
the mind of the other person. And it is because of that, that one
feels uneasiness in that person’s presence.
To change the opinion, one has to supplant it with its
opposite opinion. To erase the opinion, that someone is a thief,
one has to say that he is an honest and respected man and
ultimately, the vision that he is really ‘pure Soul’ (Shuddhatma)
has to be applied!
Opinion is the reason (cause) for speech with the link of
continual hurt (tantili vani—speech associated with lingering
effect); whereas, suspicion (shanka) is one of the reasons
(cause) for opinion.
“Opinion is dependent upon the receptacle of the
intellect (buddhi no ashaya)” ~ Dadashri
The opinion depends on where the intellect has perceived
happiness to be. If one thinks happiness lies in a French haircut,
one’s opinion for a French haircut develops.
What hinders the state of the infinite bliss of the Self, after
Self-realization in Akram Vignan? – Opinion! Once two to five
major opinions are gone, a state of liberation prevails!
The seed (of karma) is sown, not by action (kriya), but
by motive (hetu–intention behind action); by opinions! The only
opinions worthy of welcome are those for celibacy
(brahmacharya), and for the fact that the physical body is the
greatest of deceivers (dago)! Opinion is made up of subatomic

22
particles (parmanus) of the ego. Opinion shows personalities: it
alters one’s vision completely. There is no objection to ‘lifeless’
opinions; however, opinions backed with insistence, veil the
Gnan.
To be free from the opinions about the inanimate
(achetan) is relatively easy once you decide to do so. Whereas,
even if you give up the opinions about the mishrachetan (power
chetan; the relative self, other living beings), the other person
will still not leave you alone! By forming opinions about other
human beings, whose faces contort with anger and revenge,
what grave results are invited!
Opinion invites obstacles (antaray). There are terrible
perils from the obstacles caused by opinions; they increasingly
bind one in places where one needs to be free.
This human body complex, works according to the
opinion of the ‘charged’ self (pratishthit atma; the relative self),
within which the Self is only giving presence as the One with
devoid of worldly attachment (udaseen bhaav).
[6]
The Blindness of ‘Know-How’
He that knows nothing in this world is a ‘Gnani.’ The
Gnani, who appears to others as ‘highly intelligent’, is actually
abuddha (free from the use of intellect). The Gnani says, “Even
at age seventy, I still do not know how to shave.” Those who
believe that they are “experts” are cheating themselves and
everyone else. No one is capable of becoming an “expert”.
Being an expert, is a natural gift. A Gnani is an expert in the
science of Soul (Atmavignan).
A person has come into this world and brought with him
all that is necessary for the mind, and all that is necessary for the
chit (inner component of knowledge and vision), intellect and
ego. Nature supplies them all. In this, where does one’s own

23
self-effort come in? Therefore, one should keep the chit in its
natural state and not waste its energy. One will have to
understand the essence of this life, yes?
[7]
Obstacles
‘I am Chandubhai’. Once you say this, an obstacle
(antaray) arises. You are the absolute Self (Parmatma) and
you call yourself ‘Chandubhai’? You are the master of the
universe, the owner of infinite energies, and capable of attaining
whatever you want; yet in spite of that, why you cannot get
anything? It is because of obstacles. Obstacles veil the energy
(shakti)!
Desire (ichchha) invites obstacles. When there is no
desire for air, is there any obstacle for it? The Gnani has no
desire (nirichchhak) and is in an obstacle-free state (nirantaray
pad). He does not have ‘want’ for anything at all.
How is an obstacle created? When someone is donating
something and you interfere by saying, ‘Why are you doing
that?’ then in your next life, you may be hindered from receiving
a donation.
In the state of ignorance, one protects hurtful and negative
thoughts when they occur; whereas in the state of Gnan
(knowledge of the Self), one does repentance and ask for
forgiveness (pratikraman) immediately when such thoughts
arise. Approval and support for the good or positive actions
become beneficial for one’s self and for the rest of the world. If
approval and support is given to others, they will reciprocate! If
one calls the other person ‘stupid,’ it will create an obstacle to
one’s own intelligence.
If there is a strong determination (nischay) against the
obstacles arising in the path of liberation (moksha), the energy
of the Self (shakti) will grow. Obstacles occur when there is

24
a lack of determination. Determination (nischay) breaks down
the obstacles (antaray). Once the ultimate determination
(nischay), ‘I am the Self’ is attained, all obstacles come to an
end.
Obstacles that arise because of the worldly intellect are
like knots. And obstacles that arise from the intelligence of
religion are like big complex knots because; they make one
wander around for infinite lives. The belief or sense of, “I know
something” is the biggest obstacle in the path to the Self. It is
evident that nothing is known where there is artadhyan
(adverse internal meditation that hurts the self) or raudradhyan
(adverse internal meditation that hurts the self and others).
The biggest obstacle is one which impedes one’s attainment
of the knowledge of the Self (Gnanantaray). It is one’s inner
sense that says, “In matters of spirituality and Soul, I am the only
one who understands, and everyone else does not understand
anything at all.”
Another obstacle is to interfere in the process whereby
someone’s attainment of Self-knowledge is hindered.
Or even if after meeting a true ‘Gnani’ one thinks, “I have
seen many such ‘Gnanis’.” All of these sow the seeds of
obstacles to the knowledge of the Self (Gnanantaray).
However, even, if a person were to feel, “A ‘Gnani’is close by,
but I am unable to go and see him!” it would break down the
obstacles.
“How can there be moksha within just one hour?” Once
this is vocalized or felt, there will be an obstacle to one’s own
moksha! This universe is such that it cannot be measured by
one’s intellect.
Obstacles to one’s skill are created with, “I don’t know
how to do it.” And with a firm, “Why can’t I know how to do
this?” the obstacles (antaray) will break down.

25
The Gnani Purush can break down obstacles to
knowledge (Gnanantaray) and obstacles to vision
(darshanantaray). Nevertheless, in matters related to the break
down of the ‘religion’ of humility (vinaya dharma), even the
‘Gnani’ is not able to help. There should not be a single
negative thought about the ‘Gnani.’ In order to break the
obstacles that prevent one from meeting the ‘Gnani,’ one can
beseech the Gnani to break down the obstacles through his
prayers (vidhi). Obstacles can be broken through intentions
(bhaav)! Intentions break obstacles. They happen when the
time is right.
For the ‘Atmagnani’ (the Self-realized One), the obstacles
are in the form of circumstances (saiyog) which by their very
nature, have the tendency to dissipate (viyog). The Self has no
circumstance (asaiyogi); therefore, it does not dissipate.
[8]
Contempt – Dismiss with Scorn
There is fear for that which is disdainful (scornful;
tiraskar). Fear is born out of scorn. Disdain for the courts or
for the police, will create fear of them.
Scorn (tiraskar) brings about a ‘mild’ result, whereas,
contempt (tarchhod) creates dreadful obstructions. One should
be extremely aware, and avoid any contempt towards anyone.
For the one who has been contemptuously rejected (tarchhod)
by us will close his doors to us forever. Contemptuous rejection
caused by speech, will inflict deep wounds which will not heal!
Know for sure that a single ‘wound’ of contempt to even one
human being, will impede your moksha. There is grave liability
in contempt.
[9]
The Aura of the Individual
The personality of a ‘Gnani Purush’is extraordinary. His

26
love is nowhere else, but in the Self. He conducts himself as the
Self; completely separate from the mind, speech and body. In
spite of conducting business, his conduct is without attachment
or abhorrence (vitarag). Just look at the achievements of such
an ‘Akram Vignani’ (The scientist of the direct path to
liberation)!
He did not take any vows (vrat), and the only disciplines
(niyam) he observed, were chovihaar (the practice of eating
food before sundown) and drinking boiled water. He also read
and meditated on the ‘Vachanamrut of Shrimad Rajchandra’
and scriptures of all the religions.
This wonderful science of Akram Vignan manifested
naturally! One evening in 1958, while sitting on a bench at the
Surat (city in Gujarat, India) train station before the enlightenment
occurred; amidst the noisy din of the vast crowds, inner stillness
and peace prevailed. Even then, this was still intermingled with the
ego! There was a supreme effulgence of the light of the absolute
Self! In this light of Gnan, he “saw,” the universe in its entirety. He
experienced complete separation from the body, mind and
speech, and attained a state of absolute Knowledge and absolute
Vision (Keval Gnata-Drashta), and eternal bliss (parmanand).
The most glorious day had dawned in the history of the world!
From that day, the ego was gone! The ‘My-ness’
(mamata) was gone!! And from his auspicious mouth flowed
words that were void of any attachment or abhorrence (vitarag
vani). These words, that are proof of absolute spiritual
perfection, symbolize the eleventh wonder of this Kaliyug
(current era of the time cycle characterized by lack of unity in
mind, speech and conduct), Akram Vignan (step-less path to
Self-realization) - Asaiyati Puja (Worship of an enlightened one
living a worldly life; non-ascetic worship); could not remain
hidden from the world. In the course of twenty or so years, this
Akram Vignan (the spiritual science of the step-less path to

27
Self-realization) has been bestowed upon some twenty thousand,
very fortunate persons. And that is a phenomenon in itself!
What is the daily routine of the ‘Gnani’? The ‘Gnani’ is
always present in the “activity” of the Self (Atma-charya; to
dwell in the Self); he is in the state of liberation. By referring to
his own speech as a ‘taped record,’ he severs the ties of
ownership! Such a competent nimit (instrument) will accept any
deficiencies in our qualification for the attainment of Self-
realization.
Without love, devotion (bhakti) cannot begin. God is not
forgotten at any time when devotion is filled with love.
The Gnani Purush, after himself becoming faultless
(nirdosh) and making the vision faultless (nirdosh drashti), sees
the entire world as being faultless. The pure Soul will be
considered ‘faulty’ if the pure Soul has faults. But the pure Soul
is a ‘non-doer’, so how then can the faults be seen? In the
“discharge” of karma, how can anyone be at fault? Even if a
single person is seen as having fault, there is no purity, but only
the knowledge that is prescribed by the senses (indriya-gnan).
Here, the knowledge of the pure Soul (atindriya-gnan) is
absent! A person who hurts others through his intent (bhaav;
thought) commits a fault of Nature; while the one who actually
hurts others, commits a fault of the world. They will both receive
justice for sure. The one, who hurts others with his thoughts,
becomes guilty in the next life; whereas the one, who actually
hurts others in this life, gets punished in this life. This is the way
karma is settled.
There is no problem in saying, “I ate,” but there should be
the knowledge within as to ‘who is eating.’
“What I received is not Atmagnan (knowledge of the
Self), but what has manifested within me, is Atmagnan.”
~ Gnani Purush Dadashri

28
To follow the Gnani’s Agnas (special directives) will
bring about the grace (krupa) of Gnani.
How can you describe such a Gnani when words have
limitations; where one’s understanding falls short, and in the
absence of any comparison, he is himself unfathomable; he
solely resides in the Self, where there is absolutely no room for
the ego, and therefore he lives not in the mind, neither in the
speech, nor in the body; the very places that are host to the ego.
He is free of all anger, pride, deceit and greed. His humility,
although a ‘given’ as far as a Gnani Purush is concerned, is
immaculate. He is egoless; he blesses even those that curse or
insult him. The Gnani is not void of interest (nispruha), but
neither is he with interest (saspruha; with inclination); he is
saspruha-nispruha (with interest-without interest). He is
nispruha towards others’ worldly happiness and saspruha
towards their liberation.
The Gnani’s speech has vitaragata (void of any
attachment). It is not possible for anyone to attain moksha
without listening to such speech! In his speech, there is no
disapproval of anyone’s viewpoint, nor is there any evidence of
his own opinion! There is no opposition to anyone, nor is
anyone told, “This is wrong”. Speech that is syadvaad is
accepted by all and hurts no one. In such speech, there is no
debate (vaad), dispute (vivaad) or discourse (samvaad). It is
purely dependent on the person who is instrumental (nimit;
questioner). The Gnani Purush’s speech arises from great
depths and flows spontaneously and constantly.
[10]
Akram Path
The Gnani Purush, in whom the Lord of the fourteen
regions (lokas) of the universe has manifest, and who is Himself
the embodiment of the absolute Self. Once his grace is received,
there is nothing that needs to be done, but to remain in his

29
Agnas (special directives) and to follow him. Such a Gnani
Purush has manifested in this time period. Once his grace is
bestowed upon the recipient, and through this path of Akram
Vignan (the step-less path to Self-realization) one needs only to
jump on the elevator to the highest peak of Self-knowledge and
reach there within just one hour! Wonderful and amazing is the
accomplishment of this exceptional path!
In this Kalikaal (the current era of the fifth time cycle),
this step-less path has manifested magnificently! This is the
unprecedented stage of spiritual science! Lack of controversy is
evident in the entire speech of the Gnani Purush at all times.
Here is where the wrongful deeds of infinite lifetimes are washed
away within one hour and Self-realization is attained, where the
awareness or non-awareness of one’s readiness for Self-
realization is not heeded, where the seeker attains a state of the
highest of awareness as a result of the auspicious event of
meeting a tremendously powerful instrument (nimit): the Gnani
himself, whereby all the kashays (anger, pride, deceit, greed)
are eradicated, where the ego (ahamkar) and ‘My-ness’
(mamata) end, where no ‘doership’ remains, and where one
only experiences the absolute bliss of the Self. He who bestows
such a state is not a Gnani, but a ‘Scientist’. Just look at the
unimaginable special spiritual power and energy (siddhis) of his
step-less path!
[11]
The Atma and The Ego
“I am ‘Chandubhai’, I am the husband of this woman, I
am the father of this boy, I am a businessman, I am fat, I am fair-
skinned…etc.” These and many such countless ‘wrong beliefs’
have been covering up one’s own ‘right belief’, one’s own pure
vision and pure knowledge. The Gnani Purush fractures those
‘wrong beliefs’, and unveils all the covers: opening that
magnificent portal to ‘right vision’ – Self-realization!

30
The ego is the ‘ignorant’ proclamation of “I did”, where
one is not the ‘doer’. And because of the ego, there is bondage
of karma, bondage of body, bondage of mind, and bondage of
speech. Any bondage of the non-Self complex (pudgal) is
attributed to the ego.
To worship the Soul (Atma) and the absolute Soul
(Parmatma) as being separate, is the way of the worldly,
‘relative’religions. And to worship the Atma and Parmatma as
one (not separate), is the religion that transcends beyond the
world (alaukik); and from the ‘real’ religion comes Moksha! In
the real religion, there is no merit karma (punya) or demerit
karma (sin; paap); there is no ‘doership’ of anything at all!
One becomes ‘certified’ for moksha, when one’s
worldly pleasures and happiness become a heavy load of pain
and suffering! The Gnani Purush gives one moksha, because
the Gnani Purush is the ultimate liberator.
[12]
Arrangement of Vyavasthit
The regulation of the universe happens naturally and on its
own. The ‘Akram Gnani’ calls it “vyavasthit shakti or
scientific circumstantial evidence”. This “scientific circumstantial
evidence” has no control over the six eternal elements in the
universe. All the elements are independent; they do not
recognize each other, they do not obey each other even though
one of them the element of the Self (chetan), is the Parmatma
itself!!!
If surrender and ‘selfless service’ went hand in hand, that
would be excellent. But the result of service is merit karma, and
not moksha. Yes, if there is Self-realization, there is no
‘doership’ and therefore no bondage of karma.
The world is replete with bloodshed, cruelty, violence,
fighting, massacres and the agonizing outcome of world wars.

31
The Gnani Purush sees these as ‘scientific circumstantial
evidences’ (vyavasthit)! Who pays attention to the violence and
death occurring in the ocean amongst the big fish and small fish?
Is that also not ‘scientific circumstantial evidences’?
[13]
Religion of the World: Religion of the Self
Worldly religion is where one receives pleasure from
giving pleasure to others, and if one gives pain, one will receive
pain in return. Do people not get security for their lives when
they follow the rules of traffic laws? If one does hurtful action
(adharma), he will have a ‘collision’ and get into an accident!
Thus, to get the security of happiness, one gives happiness to
others, and therein lays the secret of the “relative” religions! In
the “real” religion (Atma-dharma) however, one has to attain
the Self.
When there is a solution available in all circumstances, it
is called ‘real’ religion. When there is a solution or even a lack
of solution, it is called ‘relative’ religion.
While looking for eternal happiness, and in not finding it,
a living being (jiva), springs into imaginary happiness, and
because that imaginary happiness results in pain, he attempts
various ‘imaginary’ endeavors, only to become more and more
entangled! Eternal bliss exists only within the Self! To attain true
happiness or eternal bliss, one has oneself to become ‘true’. To
attain worldly happiness, however, one has to become ‘worldly’!
Once a living entity enters the passage of flow in the
universe (samsaran marg), it experiences relentless internal
burning and suffering. One’s worldly life ceases when this
‘burning’ is quelled.
As long as there is a balance between inner happiness and
outer happiness, there will be peace in one’s worldly interactions.
The outer happiness is enjoyed at the cost of inner happiness.

32
As a consequence, a person loses his mental stability, to the
extent that he becomes reliant on sleeping pills.
Where there is not the slightest vestige of pain; there is the
Self (the Soul).
With wrong vision (viparit darshan) there is pain: with
the right vision (samyak darshan) there is bliss, bliss, and
nothing but bliss!
Complete surrender under the Gnani’s protection is the
vehicle for moksha; however, for the worldly happiness one
should serve one’s parents and one’s guru.
In people’s understanding, happiness lies in loksangnya
(related to other peoples’beliefs). In the Gnani’s understanding,
happiness lies in the Atma.
Saints (santo) take pleasure in pain whereas the ‘Gnani’
takes pleasure in the Self. Saints proceed believing pain as
pleasure.
To derive pleasure from the body (pudgal; non-Self
complex) is a ‘borrowed’ transaction that you will have to
‘repay’. When the son jumps onto his lap saying,
“Daddy…daddy,” the father enjoys ‘borrowed’ pleasure. But
when the same son grows up and says, “Dad, you have no
sense!” the time has come for that borrowed pleasure to be
‘repaid’! So why not be cautious from the very start? The
pudgal is itself vitarag (without attachments and abhorrence)
but when the ‘self’ (relative self) acquires, the transaction of
borrowing begins!
[14]
The True Understanding of Religion
The traditional worldly (laukik) religions give worldly
happiness and the real (alaukik; beyond the world) religion
gives eternal bliss. All actions carried out in the presence of

33
ignorance of the Self (mithyatva), materialize in the worldly life.
Religion that is beyond the world is not found in renunciation
(tyaag) nor is it found in pleasure (bhoga). ‘That which is
renounced, will be met with ahead.’ One can accumulate as
much burden as one can carry! True renunciation, is that which
helps get rid of artadhyan (adverse internal meditation that hurts
the self), and raudradhyan (adverse internal meditation that
hurts the self and others)!
That which protects you in your troubled times is religion
(dharma)! At the time of artadhyan and raudradhyan, true
religion will be ever present for our protection! For endless
lifetimes, people have followed religion but if they did not
receive any protection in their time of need, how can one call
this following a religion? If one experiences worries, then it can
be said that one has not understood religion at all.
Whatever becomes religion, and yields results, is called
religion. Whenever someone shouts abuse or curses, religion is
there to help us! Religion yields results; whereas non-religion
does not. One, who maintains equanimity in times of trouble,
receives the stamp of approval to attain liberation (moksha).
One does not have to ‘follow’ (ritualized activity) religion;
one has to remain sincere to religion (dharma). While doing the
Lord’s darshan in a temple if at the time the person ‘sees’
(thinks about) his shoes that he left at the entrance, or thinks
about his shop, how can he be considered sincere? True religion
is one that gives one freedom from all types of pain.
The one and only path to moksha is through Gnan
(knowledge), vision (darshan), conduct (charitra) and penance
(tapa): there is no other path.
For infinite lifetimes, one paid devotional observation
(darshan) to the ‘form’ (murta – the physical; tangible form).
If only once, the darshan of the ‘formless’ (amurta) occurs
within a person, the losses of infinite lifetimes are made up.

34
When can all these losses be made up, and that too in this
insolvent Kaliyug (the current fifth era)? That is why one should
just accept the Gnani’s protection (sharanu) and ask him for
liberation. Only then can everything be resolved in a short time.
[15]
Dharma in One’s Conduct
The Lord does not look at the conduct (activity of mind,
speech and body), but He does give significance to the intent
(bhaav). Conduct (aacharan) is “discharge” karma, and the
“charge” (of new karma) happens according to the intent
behind the action.
The constant contemplation of ‘Life as a human should
not go in vain’ will someday bear fruit.
To be free from conflict is the greatest religion. There is
no religion where there are clashes, and there are no clashes
where there is religion.
Show kindness (daya), remain peaceful (shanti), remain
in equanimity (samata). These dictates of religions, are futile in
these current times. What can be done when they cannot be
observed even after millions of attempts? That is why the Gnani
Purush shows us a new path, in a new form; one that is
attainable even by the common person.
When anger, pride, deceit and greed (kashays) happen,
it is not a problem, but one should do repentance (pratikraman)
for them. If you commit a theft, it is not a problem, but you must
do pratikraman for it. If you just abide this one Agna (special
directive) of the Gnani, you will attain the essence of all
religions. There is no other higher religion, than to please the
Gnani. Nothing else pleases the Gnani more than if you follow
his Agnas! Only the Gnani’s Agnas can take one to the ultimate
moksha!
Knowledge itself brings action.As soon as the knowledge

35
that ‘It is fun to steal’ becomes instilled, one will begin to steal.
The action always changes as the knowledge changes! Without
changing the knowledge, the actions will never change, even
after millions of lifetimes!
For knowledge of ignorance (worldly knowledge), the
energies are easily facilitated by the pudgal (body or non-Self
complex). This energy is easily wasted in theft, violence and
carnal pleasure. However, for the attainment of Gnan (knowledge
of the Self), prayer and independent efforts are necessary!
Prayer means asking for the higher meaning of it all, and one can
ask for this from one’s own Self or from the Gnani. In the
‘ignorant’ stage (when one has not attained Self-realization), one
can pray to one’s guru, an image of God, or one’s favorite deity.
A true prayer, done by a person with a pure heart, will always
be successful.
[16]
Relative Religion: Spiritual Science
Where there is impartiality, there is the religion of the
Vitarag (one who is free from attachment and abhorrence). The
Vitarag religion is the religion of siddhants (irrefutable principles
that accomplish the ultimate). That which is experienced by the
senses, is “relative”. And the ‘relative’ has arisen only because
there is the Real! The ‘relative’ is in the form of situations
(avastha) and the ‘real’ is in the form of eternal elements
(tattva swaroop).
Relativity – Mudhatma; the state of the Soul in the
ignorance of the Self involved in religion or non-religion.
Reality – Gnanghan Atma (The Self with Knowledge;
antaratma; the interim soul that is awakened to the Self).
Absolute – Vignanghan Atma (The Soul with the
Knowledge of Science; the Parmatma – The Absolute Soul)
The essence of the world (jagatsaar) is the enjoyment of

36
sensual pleasures. The essence of religion (dharmasaar) is to
be free from artadhyan (adverse internal meditation that hurts
the self) and raudradhyan (adverse internal meditation that
hurts the self and others). The quintessence (marmasaar) of all
this, is moksha. The essence of time and the Atma (samaysaar)
is to be established in the Self.
Religion (dharma) is ‘relative’ and science (vignan) is
‘real’. Science is without controversy; it is with principles that
lead to liberation and automatically effective in itself.
[17]
Knowing God Through the Vision of Gnan
We are not a portion of God; God cannot be fragmented.
We are complete and absolute. It is only a matter of time for the
veil of ignorance to be removed and the Self to express!
If God is in every particle, then where should we look for
Him? Where can we defecate? And if this were so, then there
would be no difference, between the inanimate (jada; lifeless)
and the animate (chetan; living). God is in each and every living
being.
Where the ownership of something is established and if its
removal causes the owner pain, it is called sankalpi-chetan. In
fact, both Gnan (knowledge) and vision (darshan) are present
in the chetan.
[18]
Understanding the Knower
Three things are necessary for the path of moksha:
1. An intense desire to attain the Soul (Atma; Self).
2. An intense desire to meet and know a Gnani Purush.
3. If one cannot meet the Gnani Purush, then to
continue to have the profound intention to meet him.

37
When one says, “I ‘see’ all the living beings in the universe
as Godly forms (Bhagwat swaroop)”, then it would also include
all the ‘relative’ religions of the world. The Self can be studied
(swadhyaya) once the Self is known. Whatever is done without
knowing the Self is the study of paradhyaya (study of the non-
Self)!
It is considered as awakening to the Self, when that which
was believed to be the ‘Knower’ (Gnata) for an infinite period
of time, comes to be known as gneya (that which is to be
known).
Liberation from ignorance of the Self is the religion of
moksha (moksha dharma). After liberation from ignorance, the
science (vignan) that arises is moksha!
[19]
The True Path of Worship
Until the God that sits resplendently within, is experienced
directly (pratyaksh darshan), the indirect (paroksh) prayer of
someone who sits in front of an idol, will reach the present God.
For that reason:
‘Oh Vitarag Lord! You reside within me, but I am unable
to experience that; therefore, I am doing Your darshan. The
Gnani Purush has taught me this, so I am doing the darshan
accordingly. Please grant me Your grace so that I may know
‘my’own ‘Self’.’ ~ Gnani Purush Dadashri
This is how the darshan should be done everywhere.
For the purpose of attaining God, whatever is done
through the five senses, is bhakti (worship). One can attain God
by doing direct worship (pratyaksh bhakti). With indirect
worship (paroksh bhakti), there is a gradual progress upwards.
Direct worship means to worship the one in whom God has
manifested fully. This will result in moksha.

38
There are subtle differences in worship. The chanting of a
name (naam jaap), is overt worship; veneration of the idol is
subtle worship (sookshma bhakti); with dravya (worship with
the external physical substances) is subtler worship, and the
subtlest worship is, that which is done with intent (bhaav).
Does moksha occur by following the path of worship, or
by following the path of knowledge? When one rail of the path
of knowledge is laid and there is another rail of the path of
worship, parallel to it, then this train will reach moksha! As
much knowledge that is attained that much worship will
spontaneously arise. Worship done without the knowledge of
the Self yields its results for the worldly life; however, when both
(Self knowledge and worship) are done together, there is
attainment of moksha! Where the intellect creeps into worship,
it becomes a worldly form of worship (apara-bhakti).
Nevertheless, the highest form of worship is the worship of the
Self (para-bhakti), and the result of that is moksha (Final
Liberation). The manifestation of this highest form of worship is
the priceless gift of the Akram marg (the step-less path to
Liberation)!
[20]
The Guru and The Gnani
Once a person establishes his guru (religious leader,
teacher, guide), that guru should not be denounced even if
circumstances indicate that he may be delirious. Not only should
there be no criticism, but there should not be even a single
negative thought about him; this would be considered a
tremendous disservice. It can take one all the way to hell.
The one who teaches you what is good and what is bad in
the world is a guru. And the one who frees you from good and
bad, and places you in the pure (shuddha), Self, is a Gnani.
How much need is there for a guru? Without a guru, not

39
even the alphabet can be learned. So then, how can one
worship God without a guru? Even if a person wants to go to
a railway station, and is lost, he will need a ‘guru’. A guru is
needed, every step of the way. But for moksha, only a Gnani
is needed!
Where there is no ‘doership’ left, there is the grace of
the Gnani. The one who bestows liberation (mukti) is a
Gnani.
A true worldly guru is the one who points you to the right
path, just like a ‘point man’. Those who change the course of
the path and lead you in the wrong direction are the gurus of
today’s world. ‘Guru’means heavy. And ‘heavy’means that not
only does he drown himself, but he also drowns others who sit
in the same boat with him. If a guru has a ‘guru-key’ (gurukilli);
he does not let his disciples drown. “I am the disciple of the
whole world,” is the gurukilli! The one who does not have the
awareness of, ‘this is my disciple’, even for a second, has the
authority to make disciples.
Once the guru’s place is established in the heart, the true
disciple will not refute any adverse developments in the guru’s
behavior, speech or even his delirious or crazed state. Only
one’s uninterrupted sincerity will take one to moksha! It is very
treacherous to refute the guru after accepting him as your guru.
The guru is the fifth ghati (destroyer) karma. No one should
see anything negative in his guru; otherwise, it is better not to
accept the guru in the first place. It is acceptable for one to not
be devoted to one’s guru, but one must not refute him. Human
beings nowadays, have this affliction from their previous lives:
they cannot remain quiet, they cannot refrain from finding faults
in the guru, or even criticizing him!
You do not make someone a guru; the guru happens to
you. The one who settles and pleases your heart, as soon as you
cast your eyes on him, is the one that should establish the ‘guru’s

40
place’ in your heart. Otherwise, who has developed the ability
to examine and establish the guru?
The one who helps you to walk the auspicious path in this
world is the guru, and the one who gives direct moksha is the
Gnani!
[21]
The Purpose of Penance
How much need is there for chanting of mantra (japa),
penance (tapa) or for vrat (taking religious vows)? Do you use
all the medicines from the pharmacy? Only those that are
prescribed for you are the right ones. However, there is no
reason to say that the other medicines are wrong. There are
other ‘patients’ for whom chanting mantra and penance, etc.,
result in binding auspicious karma.
The current time is not one for doing penance through
insistence or even deliberately. This is the time to do penance
that comes naturally before you, and to settle it with equanimity.
For those people who, because of the lack of the effect of merit
karma, when there is a shortage of grain, kerosene, sugar and
milk, they distress over it day and night: what more penance can
there be?
For the Gnani, renunciation or acquisition is not possible.
He will settle with whatever circumstance that may come before
him! The Lord did not say that the renunciation of material things
is renunciation. He has said that the renunciation of intense
attraction (murchha) for material things is renunciation. God will
only see the root cause of the problem!
The one who can do the agiyaras (observance of
fasting done on the eleventh day of the lunar cycle), in
accordance with the revered Dadashri’s instructions and
approval, will definitely attain salvation. True agiyaras is when
the gnanendriya (Five senses; Sense organs of knowledge

41
namely: hearing-ears, touch-skin, sight-eyes, taste-tongue, and
smell-nose), karmendriya (five organs of action) and the mind
(mun), as the eleventh ‘sense’, are deprived of ‘food’. If the
‘fast’ is done with the right applied awareness (upayog), the
mind, body and speech will be purified! Aayambil, eating food
made from only one variety of grain, should be done with
discretion and limitation, by the person that practices it. It is
useful for a person to fast, if he suffers from indigestion, until
his indigestion is cured.
As a matter of fact, the Self is such, that it cannot be
found through the practice of penance, chanting or fasting.
There is no penance like unodari (eating less food than
what one has appetite for). Dadashri did not fast even once in
his life. Yes, but for his entire life, he did unodari.
What is the result of fasting if after a hundred thousand
fasts, the kashays (anger, pride, deceit and greed) are not gone?
Tremendous loss is incurred if one fasts and does kashays at the
same time. If food is not available till two o’clock, tell the mind,
‘Today is the day for fasting’and remain in equanimity. There is
no other fast like it!
[22]
Worldly Religions
If there is even the subtlest desire in religion, then that
religion is not religion; it is a business!
He who earns in the ‘relative’: loses in the ‘real’. There
should be no robbery in religion. The perils are beyond
imagination.
Without first understanding the siddhants (irrefutable
principles that accomplish the ultimate), that are to be
undertaken with devotion and understanding, how can one do
spiritual practice (sadhana; spiritual endeavor; undergoing

42
self-discipline for spiritual development)? Moksha and partiality
contradict one another. There is no other solution except the
words of the Vitarag. It is impossible to attain moksha
without a Gnani.
[23]
The Goal Is to Attain Moksha
The state of the Siddha is Supreme Soul (Parmatma).
Nothing is to be done there. It is the natural state of being the
Knower-Seer (Gnata-Drashta), and being in the absolute bliss
(parmanand)! There in Siddha gati (location of the Siddhas),
one is in eternal and endless bliss.
Moksha is the ‘feeling’ of liberation. Firstly, there is
freedom from the worldly miseries. And then there is liberation
from all the karma. Moksha is attained from he who is
liberated.
Where there is no beggarly need of any kind, such as
want or desire for wealth, fame, sexual pleasures, disciples,
temples or respect, all the power of the world will become
submissive!
Moksha occurs when there is mistake-free understanding.
The intellect that is involved with the pudgal (body complex) is
indeed the worldly life (sansar), and the intellect that is
submissive only to the Atma (Self) is moksha.
Moksha is not a state to be reached or attained. It is
one’s own natural state. One is already in the state of moksha;
only the awareness of it is lacking. The Gnani Purush awakens
you to the Self within you, and thereafter the experience of
moksha begins!
If there is the easiest thing in this world, it is the way to
moksha. An ox will go from the farm to the home easily, but it
will have to be forcibly pulled to the farm. Moksha is our own

43
home. The world is a ‘farmer’s field’ to be ploughed; except
here, there are the horrible physical difficulties, obstacles, and
the complications of the interfering intellect (buddhi).And in our
own ‘home’, there is no vikalp (the belief of ‘I am Chandubhai’);
there is absolute bliss, and there is no ‘doership’!
The Self has always been free, and has never been bound.
Bondage seemingly appears because of illusion. By the grace of
the Gnani, this illusion is dispelled and the awareness of
liberation occurs!
[24]
Conviction On the Path to Moksha
To attain moksha:
What is the religion? Religion of the Self.
What is the attire? Any that you like.
What is the place? Place of the Vitarag (One who
is free from attachment-
abhorrence)!
In what state? In the state of Vitaragata!
In which sect? Where there is no partiality!
How to identify the One who is continuously the
sadguru? Self; the ultimate guru! His
speech is unprecedented,
unparalleled and yet it leads
one to the experience of the
Self.
What is the conviction There the wandering Soul rests.
(pratiti)?
What is the characteristic A state free of kashays (inner
of moksha? enemies of anger, pride, deceit
and greed).

44
In these times, where is The Revered Gnani Purush
the end? Dadashri.
How to attain it? With absolute humility (param
vinaya).
Where can one attain right From the sadguru, who is free
vision? from kashays.
How can one practice From a kashay-free sadguru.
religion?
What is the tool of Being ready and aware for
religion? liberation.
What is the definition of That which reduces kashays.
religion?
What is the easy way to To serve the kashay-free
moksha? Gnani.
What are the means through Through the Knowledge of the
which to get moksha? Self.
Does the worldly life No, Ignorance of the Self is the
obstruct moksha? obstruction.
In the path to moksha, is Yes, to prevent obstructions in the
there a need to worship the path.
ruling deities?
In Jainism, is the fourth day correct or the fifth, for fasting?
The one that is suitable is correct. Whichever one that
leads to religion (dharma) is correct. The one that causes
adharma is wrong.
Who is considered a Jain? The one who has heard the
speech of the Jina or the Jineshwar (absolute Self-realized).
Having heard it, having faith in it, and following it completely,
is a saint (sadhu). The one who follows it partially is a devout
follower (shravak).

45
[25]
I and My
“Separate ‘I’ and ‘My’ with the Gnani’s ‘separator’. ‘I’
is immortal. ‘My’ is mortal.”
Wherever there is the attachment of ‘My,’ if that
attachment is removed, then in the end the absolute ‘I’ is found.
“‘I’ is God and ‘My’ is illusion.”
The Gnani establishes the line of demarcation between
‘I’ and ‘My.’
[26]
Memory Is Dependent on Raag-Dwesh
Memory is dependent on attachment-abhorrence (raag-
dwesh). One will feel harassment from the memory of attachment
or abhorrence.
The one, who has no memory of anything other than of
the Self, is Vitarag. Because the Gnani is always established in
the Self, he has no memory of the world, but he can ‘see’
everything in his vision. Memory is the energy of the non-Self
complex (pudgal). Vision (darshan) is the energy of the Self.
That which comes in the memory is acquisition (parigraha).
However, if the Gnani comes in one’s memory, that attachment
(raag) is prashasta raag (attachment of the highest quality). It
is this attachment that will remove the ‘My-ness’ (mamata)
from the world, and place it into the Gnani. Therefore, that
attachment becomes the reason for moksha.
When there is no attachment for those who offer flowers,
and no abhorrence for those who utter obscenities, it is called
equanimity (samata). The intention to remain in equanimity

46
(samata bhaav) may lead to an error, but the Knower-Seer
state (Gnata-Drashta) will impart constant awareness.
There is satisfaction (santosh) in the worldly life, but there is
no contentment (trupti). With satisfaction new seeds can be sown.
[27]
Open and Straightforward
True straightforwardness (nikhalasata; purity) is where
there is the Knowledge of the Self (Atmagnan). There is no
need to read the scriptures. There is the need to become pure!
An extraordinary person would be one who is helpful to
every single living being! Such a person rises above the forces
of the non-Self complex (prakruti). Such is the one who attains
true liberation!
[28]
The Laughter of the Liberated One
The liberated smile (mukta hasya) is the permanent
radiance on the face of the completely liberated One (Purush)!
The inner tug of war about various things, and the whims of
etiquette, keep the smile tensed up. The freedom of a smile is
proportionate to the simplicity and fault-free state! Where there
is Vitaragata, there is the entirely liberated smile!
[29]
Worry: Equanimity
Worries create ‘causes’ for a life in the animal kingdom.
When the Gnani is sitting, he touches God; while the
person who sits near the Gnani, is sitting very close to God!
What else can be there, other than pure blissful silence and peace?
[30]
Saiyam Parinam
The Lord does not consider external restraints as saiyam.

When not a single evidence or result of the non-Self arises, then
it is called complete saiyam (control of kashays: anger-pride-
deceit-greed). The result that is there when there is no anger,
pride, deceit or greed is called saiyam parinam (absence of
kashay reaction). It is only through saiyam that the energy of
the Self manifests.
[31]
The Laws of Fulfilling Desires
The nature of the mind is to find something new each day.
When all kinds of desires arise within, Nature says, “All your
requests will be granted, but at our (Nature’s) convenience!” If
something becomes available upon desiring it, then it will take
one on a downward path. On the other hand, if there is a desire
for something that is not easily available; it will take one on an
upward path.
[32]
The Habit of Watching Television (TV)
The human body is attained after great and strenuous
effort and yet, one spends it according to one’s understanding.
Lord Krishna has said the same thing in the Gita that people are
wasting their time in meaningless activities. Because of lack of
understanding, precious human lifetime is snatched away and all
the time is wasted.
[33]
Greed
The one who has everything, but is still searching for
more, is called greedy. The knot of greed is broken by saying,
“Whatever is there for me in the ‘scientific circumstantial
evidence’, let it be.”
[34]
Let Go of the Reins
Even for a moment, one cannot let go of the reins of the
47

‘horses’ of the five senses. On a downward slope, one loosens
the reins, instead of tightening them, and at an incline, instead of
loosening the reins, one tightens them! This is why the Gnani
Purush gives you the practice of handing over the reins to
vyavasthit (‘scientific circumstantial evidence’); while all you
have to do is just ‘see’.
By practicing this every Sunday of the week, you will begin
to understand ‘scientific circumstantial evidence’ in its exactness:
what one’s conduct is like, what type of ‘record’ is playing in
one’s speech. One has to ‘see’all that; ‘see’the mind and ‘see’
the ‘Self’.Absolute knowledge (Kevalgnan) unfolds in relation to
the degree to which the mind, speech and body are ‘seen’ as
separate. One does not have to dismiss or change the activity of
the mind, speech and body; one only has to ‘see’ them! How can
‘discharge’ (dissipation of karma) be changed? When one only
‘sees’ the effects of one’s own pudgal (non-Self complex), one
is in the realm of absolute Knowledge. To continuously ‘see’what
is happening, is the final saiyam of the Gnanis.
[35]
The Theory of Karma
Where there is closure (samadhan), there is religion;
where there is no closure, there is no religion.
What is karma? If you are a ‘Gnani’ (Self-realized), the
karmas are not Yours: if you are ignorant of the Self, then the
karmas are yours.
One is bound by karma because of intent (bhaav): a
sense of ‘doership’ (karta bhaav - the belief of “I am doing”).
The assertion with the belief (aropit bhaav) of, “I did it”, binds
karma. “I am Chandubhai” is in itself karma. The Self is not the
‘doer’ of karma. It appears this way, because of illusion
(bhranti). Once the illusion dissipates, there is no ‘doer’ of
karma, and there is no karma. Who is the ‘doer’ of karma?
Is it the pudgal (non-Self complex) or is it the Self? Neither one
48

of them is the ‘doer’. It is the ego itself does the karma. From
the ‘relative’ viewpoint (vyavahar; worldly perspective), the self
is the ‘doer’, but from the ‘real’viewpoint (nischay) the Self is
not the ‘doer’.
The Self is the ‘doer’ of its own nature (Knowing and
Seeing). But because of the wrong belief, “I am Chandubhai”,
one binds karma. The ego and the intent of ‘doership’ arise in
the presence of the Self. It is because of this that the pudgal
(non-Self complex), becomes active (sakriya). Once the ego is
gone, all this ends! After the Gnani Purush bestows upon you
the knowledge of the Self, you will bind no more karma.
The meaning of the karma of infinite past lives is that it
is not the aggregate of all the karma of all the lives, but it is the
balance of all the karma that is carried forward! A person finds
pleasure in the enjoyment of the effects of merit karma (punya),
and pain when he has to face the effects of demerit karma (paap).
The results of overt (sthool; perceptible) karma, i.e.,
karmas those are experienced with the five senses; are experienced
in the here and now. And the results of subtle (sookshma)
karma, those that are not visible, and those that are not known
even to the ‘doer’, are experienced in the next life.
Giving a donation is an overt karma; its results will surely
be rewarded immediately by people, in the form of praise and
fame. However, at the time the donation was being given, what
was the prevailing inner intent (bhaav) of the giver? Was it, ‘I
have to give this donation, because the mayor pressured me into
it; otherwise, I would not have given anything’? Or was it, ‘If I
had more, I would have given more’? Whatever the prevalent
intention, will determine the results for the next life. The
‘charging’ of subtle karma is done by the opinion or inner intent
(bhaav) behind the visible and overt actions. The visible
karma is in the form of ‘discharge’; they are in the natural
mode of action, and no one is the ‘doer’ of the ‘discharge’
49

karma; whereas, the ‘doer’ of subtle (intent) karma is the
ego. The Akram science, says that through the intent of, “I
did”, one binds karma. Your everyday life is run by ‘scientific
circumstantial evidences’ (vyavasthit shakti), and not by
karma. The karma is already there behind the actions, but
what brings it into action is vyavasthit shakti (scientific
circumstantial evidences). Karma is just one component of the
scientific circumstantial evidences!
The power of the energy of the Self is such, that the
wrong belief gives rise to vikalp; ‘I am this’ and so instantaneously
the subatomic particles (parmanus) which, by their very nature,
are prone to activity, become ‘charged’, and they wrap around
It (the Atma; the Self). This is what is known as karma.
Whatever is done without hesitation, and with complete
unity of the mind, speech and body, results in the binding of
terribly ‘sticky’ karma. It is very difficult to be free of this. The
only way out of this is through alochana (acknowledgment of
mistake), pratikraman (repentance) and pratyakhyan (remorse
and avowal to not repeat the mistake). When you do these
repeatedly over and over, countless number of times, it will free
you from karma.
Whatever karma is done with the belief of ‘I am
Chandubhai’, regardless of whether it is done without expectation
of its outcome (nishkaam), such a karma is binding. Unless one
becomes the ‘non-doer’, how can nishkaam karma be done?
Unless the answer to “Who am I?” is decided, how can one do
nishkaam karma? As long as there is the existence of anger,
pride, deceit and greed, how is nishkaam karma possible?
How can the belief of, “I am doing nishkaam karma,” be
removed? Nishkaam means to do karma without expectation
of its outcome. Who is capable of doing this?
The instigation (anumodana) given to the doing of karma
is of two types. In the first type, the action is done precisely and
50

directly, on the basis of direct or indirect ‘command’ or
instigation (anumodana); this carries more liability. And in the
second type, there is only a “yes, yes” (approval). However, in
the latter, even if the ‘yes’is not there, the action will not differ;
this type of instigation does not carry that much liability. The
wrong type of encouragement or persuasion that may be given
in matters of religion, will bind karma of very serious
consequence.
[36]
Bhaav, Bhaavya and Bhaavak
There are the bhaavako that make one do intentions
(bhaav). The Self however, does not ‘do’intentions. Within us
there are bhaavako that make one ‘do’ intentions (bhaav): a
‘krodhak’, which makes one ‘do’ anger (krodh); a ‘lobhak’,
which makes one ‘do’ greed (lobh); the ‘nindak’ which makes
one ‘do’ hurtful gossip (ninda) and even the ‘chetak’ which
makes one become cautious (chetak). When the bhaavak
makes one ‘do’ the intent (bhaav), the self becomes involved
(bhaavya - one doing the intent). This is because the self has
not become awakened and aware! When the self (bhaavya)
mixes with the one that makes one do bhaav (bhaavak), the
seed for the next life is sown. If he can remain separate, without
mixing with the bhaavak (which makes one do bhaav-
intention), and is restricted to the ‘seeing’, there will be no
bondage of karma. Only this much of science of the Self need
be understood.
The bhaavak the one that makes one do bhaav
(intention) that is not the one who suffers, nor is it a vikalp (false
belief). It is not a part of the antahkaran (the inner complex of
the self: the mind, intellect, chit and ego). Even the inner
instrument of the self (antahkaran) is directed by the bhaavak
(which makes one do intention). When the bhaavak makes one
do intentions, the worldly self (not the realized Self), becomes
51

covered with illusory attachment (murchhit – deluded; unaware
spiritually). That which changes every second, cannot be the
Self. That indeed is the bhaavak.
The level of knowledge one (The Self—pramaata)
possesses is proportionate to the matter to be known (gneya -
projection - prameya). As one’s prosperity and worldly intent
grow, so do one’s projection and projector grow proportionately.
The true projector (pramaata) is the One whose Atma
illuminates the entire universe. This projection (prameya; gneya)
is for the whole universe (lok).
[37]
The Energy of Action: The Energy of Intent
Only the energy of intention (bhaav-shakti) is within
one’s control: the energy of action (kriya-shakti) is not.
Therein, too, it is not worth making intentions for anything
other than those for attaining moksha. Whatever intentions are
done, they are deposited into Nature, and Nature helps bring all the
other circumstances together, to help one bring it into action (effect).
Intent is a very subtle thing that cannot be seen by
anybody except the Gnani! From intent is created a plan that
gives results in the next life. Desire is a result: intent (bhaav) is
the cause. When it is decided that, ‘I do not want anything in this
world’; the intent is sealed. After one attains knowledge of the
Self (Atma; the Soul), the desires that arise are only in the form
of effects.
There is a vast difference between thought and intent
(bhaav). Without Gnan, intent is the only thing that cannot be
truly understood. Thought is an effect. Intent is a cause. After
a very long time, intent (bhaav) materializes into effect
(dravya). Intent goes as input into ‘the computer’, and for it
to materialize into results, all the other circumstances have to
come together.
52

The world cannot help reacting with antagonism or
opposing intent (pratipakshi bhaav) to what has been said
with, “Why did this person say that to me?” However, to the
one who has attained an extraordinary spiritual understanding
and inner vision (parakram bhaav), this same incident will
appear as: “This is an unfolding of my own karma.”Antagonistic
intents, occur when, not just the mind, but the whole antahkaran
(the inner complex of the self comprised of mind, intellect, chit
and ego) become spoilt. If the mind is spoilt it can be restored
by doing pratikraman (repentance and apology).
One does not see any vestige of intent in the Gnani’s
eyes. Not only is there no trace of adverse intent, but there is
absolutely no intent of any kind. Therefore, upon doing darshan
of such a being, one is filled with tranquility and blissful inner
silence (samadhi).
If the ‘form’ for intent was filled out, it would procure a
result instantaneously, after all other ‘evidences’come together. If
a person does not want to get married, and he remains steadfast
in his intention of not getting married, that person will meet with
those very ‘evidences’ (of not getting married)! But if the ‘seed’
(of intent) was never sown to begin with, how would it grow, no
matter how much rain has fallen on the ground? Just as there is
no growth in a rotten seed, an irresolute intent will not materialize
and will be blown away without producing any results.
After attaining the Knowledge of the Self, the cause
karma (bhaavkarma; charge karma) does not occur, and all
that remains is the intent from the previous life (‘effects’ for this
life). The intent for the future (bhaavi), ceases; whereas the
present intent prevails in the Self !
In the ignorant state, one is bhaavatma (state of ‘I am
Chandubhai and these are all my intents’). And in the
enlightened, awakened state of the Self, one is Gnanatma
(Interim state of the Self, ‘I am pure Soul’).
53

The intents that occur in the self has authority to do
intents, go through the self and into Nature, which in turn,
changes them into a non-Self complex that will materialize as an
effect in one’s next life. The Self does not participate in any
‘doership’ or activity (sakriyata) in this at all. Only the ‘scientific
circumstantial evidence’ (vyavasthit) will ‘adjust’ it all.
When the intent to remain in brahmacharya (celibacy)
becomes persistent and constant, one becomes bhaav-swaroop
(absolute intent filled state) in this life, and in one’s unfolding
karma for the next life, will then be one of extraordinary
brahmacharya. With the continual and constant intent of, ‘How
can I bring about the salvation of the world’, one becomes a
bhaavatma of jagat kalyan (salvation of the world). At first,
one becomes the ‘causal’ Tirthankar, and then one becomes
the Tirthankar in ‘effect’. Vikalp (‘I am Chandubhai’) gives
birth to intent (bhaav)! Whatever the subatomic particles
(parmanu) within one demand, scientific circumstantial evidences,
procures everything to fulfill it. Intent is, the winding of the string
around a spinning top (bhaav or ‘cause’), and the unwinding of
the ‘top’ is result (dravya or effect of the cause).
The pure Soul (Shuddhatma) does not have any intent at
all, but the ‘relative self’ (pratishthit atma) does. An intent
translates into form or action, when it becomes strong.
In the Kramic path (the traditional step-by-step path to
Self-realization), one has to keep breaking down the external
‘effect’ (dravya). In the path of Akram Vignan (the step-less
path to Self-realization), the external ‘effect’ (dravya) and the
intentions (bhaav), are both set aside, and thus the state of the
pure Soul (Shuddhatma) prevails.
The ‘intent-mind’ (bhaav-mun, the ‘causal’ mind) arises
because of illusion (bhranti), and the ‘effect-mind’ (dravya-
mun) is ‘physical’. The causes (bhaavkarma) of the previous
life are the effects (dravyakarma) of this life.
54

This ‘effect’ karma (dravyakarma) is in the form of a
‘veil’; a ‘vision’ of eight categories of karma. New intents arise
as a result of viewing through this ‘vision’ (chakshu). These
intents automatically attract the subatomic particles (parmanus)
of the body which latch on to it and bring corresponding effect
(dravya). When the parmanus are caught, they become
prayogsha (charging parmanus), and they remain within, as
mishrasa (mixed–awaiting to give effect) parmanus. These
mixed parmanus leave after yielding bitter or sweet results and
go back to the vishrasa (pure parmanus, in original state)
state! But if one becomes absorbed (tanmayakar) in it at the
time of karmic effect, then the new ‘charging’ of parmanus
(prayogsha) occurs and the cycle continues. Since there is no
involvement or absorption in the Self-realized state, the process
of ‘charging’ comes to a halt.
If a person does something wrong, and it stays on his
conscience/mind as, “This was wrong”, it is considered pratibhaav
(intent of opposition). Gnanis do not have pratibhaav.
[38]
The Power of the Self Is Only in the Domain of the
Self
If one is engrossed in a situation, one will become
confused and entangled. When one remains in the Self, there is
clarity and alertness.
[39]
The Nature of Gnan: The Nature of Time
Every human being is bound by destiny (prarabdha); this
is the reason for life after life. Akram Vignan is such that after
receiving the Knowledge of the Self, there is no binding of
destiny (effect) for the next life.
The Gnani Purush always remains in the present
(vartaman)! Therefore, He is beyond time!
55

[40]
The Nature of Speech
The speech that comes forth comes from a ‘taped record’
(a recorded tape). It is not the self that speaks. However, one
does the ego that says: “I spoke”. The Self does not have the
attribute of speech, and neither does the pudgal (non-Self
complex). Words are a phase of the non-Self complex (pudgal
paryaya). It is similar to the sound that is made by the friction
of the subatomic particles (parmanus) in a horn!
The Gnani’s speech is also a ‘taped record’; it is not
alive. But it emanates after touching the Self (chetan)! The
Gnani’s speech is syadvaad, (that which accepts all viewpoints
and never hurts anyone’s viewpoint) and does not disrupt
anyone’s standard normality whatsoever. It is spoken with
absolute awakened alertness, and it is only for the other
person’s benefit. There is no worldly intent (bhaav) in it,
whatsoever.
By listening to the speech of the Gnani, repeatedly and
joyfully, one’s speech also becomes like that of the Gnani.
When all karmas come to an end, when all the kashays
(anger, pride, deceit, greed) have been eradicated; when the
whole science of the vitarag is present, that is when the
experience of the Self becomes distinctly clear. And when the
role of the ego has ended, and when the entire world is seen as
faultless (nirdosh); that is when the syadvaad speech will arise
with all its grandeur! In the meantime, it is just the talk of intellect
and worldly interaction. And to preach on the path to moksha,
is considered a dangerous liability.
Where there is no discussion (vaad) or controversy
(vivaad) but only syadvaad speech; only such a person can
talk about moksha. There is no discussion or argument when it
comes to understanding the Eternal (Sat).
56

The intent: “What I am saying is true and, therefore,
others should believe it,” is also a horrible disease! Right and
correct speech will be accepted by the other person, with
certainty. And if he does not accept it, then you should let it go.
Speech that is free of mistake only occurs when one does
not have ‘ownership’ of its words. If the sense (or intent) of, “I
spoke so nicely,” is there, then there is definitely ‘ownership’in
the speech.
In religious discussion, one way to defend one’s own self
is through speech. Another way would be to remain in a state
that is free of anger, pride, deceit and greed (kashays) and then
‘convince’ the listener. And if while trying to change the other
person, you yourself become affected by the conversation, you
too will change as a result, which would be yet another way.
The Gnani, whose conduct is vitarag (absolutely free from
attachment and abhorrence) has syadvaad speech, which is
sweet and pleasant, and does not shock or evoke a reaction
within the listener. Such speech, which is completely without
insistence, will touch the hearts of others; only then salvation for
the listener will occur. Such speech is unparalleled as it is replete
with the Gnani’s miraculous spiritual energy. We can attain it as
well, by praying with the intent, “Let my speech also be this way.”
One is said to have energy and power in speech
(vachanbud) when everyone hearing it, conduct themselves with
enthusiasm, according to words! That which destroys the power
of one’s speech is: misuse of speech, threats, lying to protect
oneself and undue insistence. The speech that hurts others’ hearts
will result in one losing the ability to speak in one’s next life.
“I do not want to give the slightest pain to anyone at all.
I pray to attain such power and energy of speech.” The Gnani
fulfills this for that he asks this. When a person remains silent
(maun), where there is room for him to speak up, the energy of
57

penance (tapobud) is attained from this silence. Silence alone is
of no consequence, unless it accompanies the energy of
penance. Gnanis possess the energy of penance of silence
(maun tapobud), and this in itself can bring about salvation for
the whole world. When the expressions of pleasure or
displeasure are not evinced on a person’s face, one should
know that the person no longer has ownership of speech, and
that here, there is absolute liberation.
Without the ego, speech cannot be spoken. Speech is the
open expression of the ego. Only the Gnani Purush’s syadvaad
speech is spoken without the ego. However, when he talks about
other matters, the ego is there, but it is a ‘discharge’ ego.
The attachment and ownership (parigraha) of speech
where a person feels: ‘I spoke very well’ or ‘I am the one who
is speaking’, will sow seeds of karma. This is the speech that
makes one roam around in the cycles of life after life. The
vitarag speech, on the other hand, can bring an end to all that!
How is the ‘taping’ (recording) of this ‘tape-record’
done? A ‘codeword’ is first initiated by ego, and established
within. Then from this ‘codeword’, a ‘shorthand’ is processed,
and after this, it is played and the speech is heard, as it comes
out in ‘full detail.’
When no expression of like or dislike (bhaav-abhaav) is
evident on someone’s face, one should know that the speech
being ‘taped’, is according to one’s intention (bhaav). In
intention, if one simply has the intent to insult someone, then,
when the circumstances come together, the abusive speech will
emit for hours on its own. When the intention arises, it is instantly
imprinted as a ‘codeword’ and then transcribed into ‘shorthand’;
thereafter, it is emitted in ‘full form’!
After the parmanus (subatomic particles) are in close
proximity to the Self, the vibrations of likes and dislikes are created,
58

because of the presence of the Self, and as soon as the ego
becomes involved in it, the vibrations are ‘typed’ up. When prior
intents come into effect to give their results, the ‘taped’ speech, as
a consequence, instantly comes out as speech. The speech that
subsequently issues forth is the exact ‘discharge’ of prior intents.
When the slightest right or wrong is spoken about anyone,
it gets ‘recorded’. The human mind and body, nonetheless, are
themselves also ‘taping’. Even when a negative word is said about
someone who is asleep, that too gets caught up (recorded)! Here,
it is Nature’s machinery! When ill words are spoken, in darkness
or while alone, the person responsible for the utterance will find
himself in a circumstance where he himself will have to listen to
venomous words. As soon as we experience such vibrations
within us, we should dispel them with pratikraman.
Not only what we speak is a ‘taped record’, but what
another person speaks, is also a ‘taped record’. When one
understands this, no one will be afflicted by anyone’s words.
“Gross circumstances, subtle circumstances and the
circumstances of speech are of the non-Self (par), and are
under the influence of the non-Self (paradhin).”
What is the limitation of speech? In spite of having the
understanding of the absolute Vision, one cannot clear more than
one ‘viewpoint’“at a time”; whereas, the Vision can encompass
all the degrees “at a time”!
To attain the knowledge of all the secrets of the universe;
to learn the subtlest knowledge, there is no other option, but to
go to the ‘Atma Gnani Purush.’ For this reason, the scriptural
scribes have referred to the ‘Gnani Purush’, as the embodiment
of the absolute Self (dehadhari Parmatma). One attains the
Self, through his encounter!
- Dr. Niruben Amin
59

CONTENTS
(1)AwakenedAwareness
May One BeAware of His Unchanging Nature 1
WakeUpfromBhaavnindra 1
Awareness of the Non-Self Complex:
Awareness of the Self 2
AbsoluteKnowledgeMeans… 2
Awareness of theWorld: Cause of Suffering 3
PlayingwithToys 4
AwarenessItselfWillResultinMoksha 4
Knowledge Mediated Through the Sense Organs:
Awareness 6
TheVisionThat Sees the Fault of the ‘self’ 8
‘Topmost’Awareness 9
BhaavJagruti:SwabhavJagruti 10
TheBeginningoftheAwakenedAwareness… 10
Yoga and Rituals Do Not Lead toAwareness of the Self 11
Awareness OnlyThrough theWorship of the One with
Awareness 15
AvoidBhaavnindra 15
TrueSamadhiThroughAwakenedAwareness 16
Knowing ‘WhoAm I’Blossoms theAwareness of the Self 17
Non-Doership IsWhereAbsoluteAwareness Lies 18
What Is Upayog? What Is Jagruti ? 19
AwakenedAwarenessThroughAkramVignan 20
InsistenceIsBhaavnindra 21
Awareness Is to Know What Is Beneficial and
HarmfultoYou 21
Where the Gnani IsAwake, theWorld IsAsleep 23
Restlessness Is the Cause of Misery 23
60

(2) Dhyan (Meditation)
The Nature of Dhyan 26
Dhyan:ConnectionbetweenDhyeyaandDhyata 27
Ego – Not in Dhyan but inActions 29
ResultsofDhyan 32
AtmadhyanIsSamadhi 33
(3)Prarabdha–Purusharth
WhatIsPurusharth? 35
HowMuchPurusharthinDigestingFood? 37
HowDoesALivingBeing(Jiva)Evolve? 39
ThenWhatIsTruePurusharth? 42
Prarabdha and Sanchit Karma 43
IllusoryPurusharthandPrarabdhaKarma 44
What Purusharth Should One Do? 45
PurusharthMeansLifewithUpayog 51
TheExactUnderstandingofVyavasthit 52
WhichIsGreater,DestinyorPurusharth? 57
KramicPathIsDependentonIllusoryPurusharth 59
How Does Prarabdha Unfold? 62
ThatWhichBringstheUltimateResultIsPurusharth 64
(4)Shraddha(Faith)
BlindFaith–IgnorantFaith 66
Atma Shraddha – Prabhu Shraddha 67
Faith–Gnan 67
(5)Opinion
TheBlindnessofOpinion 68
Opinion and the Sense Organs 69
Opinions Lead to Obstruction 69
How to Rid Opinion? 69
61

OpinionsWorthWelcoming! 74
The Nature of an Opinion 74
OpinionsAboutHumanBeings 74
(6) The Blindness of ‘Know-How’
The Ego of ‘Know-How’ Prevents ‘Expertise’! 76
TheLedgerofAnalysis! 78
(7) Obstacles
How Is an Obstacle Created? 80
Obstacles on the Path to Moksha 83
CausesofGnanantarayandDarshanantaray 84
(8) Contempt – Dismiss with Scorn
You Fear ThatWhatYou Despise 87
HowHarmfulIsDismissingwithContempt? 88
What Is the Solution forTarchhod? 89
(9) TheAura of the Individual
‘This’GnaniIsVitarag 91
ThePhenomenalVisionof1958! 92
There Is No Method to Gnan 94
The Gnani Gives Proof of Moksha 94
The Great Importance of the Nimit 97
TheSelfandPunya 99
Dharmadhyan 99
Shukladhyan 100
The Mind and The Soul 100
Love andWorship 100
WithFlawlessVisiontheWorldIsFlawless 101
ASeed of Karma Is Sown ifYou Become the Doer 102
DidYou Receive the Knowledge of the Self or
DidItManifest? 103
62

TheScienceofSpeechTellsAll! 104
…WhatAmazingBliss! 104
TheGnaniCultivatesTheSelf’sEnergy 105
Can Gnani Be Compared withAnyone? 105
RecognizingaGnani 106
Aptavani(AuthenticorTrustworthySpeech)-
HowFunctional!! 106
(10)Akram Path
AttainedOnlyThroughtheGraceofGnani 109
Unprecedented and Non-contradictory 110
WorthinessinAkramVignan! 111
SuchanAmazingGnan! 112
(11) TheAtma and The Ego
EternalSelf 115
Nature 115
Who Controls Whom? 115
The Nature of Ego 117
Religion:RelativeandReal 118
Only a Savior Can SaveYou 119
(12)Arrangement of Vyavasthit
‘VyavasthitShakti’ 121
TheTimeCycle 121
Total Surrender in the Service of Others 122
The Formation of Social Order 123
(13) Religion of the World: Religion of the Self
WhichReligionShouldOneAdoptforHappiness? 125
There Is Nothing but BlissWhen the Self IsAttained 126
BlissOnlyinSelf-Realization 127
What Is the Fault of theTime Cycle? 129
63

InternalHappiness–ExternalHappiness 129
EternalBlissWhentheEgoMelts 131
MiseryOnlyComesfromtheMithya Darshan
(DeludedVision) 131
Suffering(Dukh)BecomesBeneficial 132
PhysicalHappiness:BorrowedHappiness 133
(14) The True Understanding of Religion
RoleofReligion 135
Religion:ForRenunciationorIndulgence? 135
DidReligionHelp? 136
BeforeBirthandAfterDeath… 140
UnderstandingRealReligion 141
The Path of Moksha Is… 143
To Be the Self Is the Religion of the Self 145
(15) Dharma in One’s Conduct
Dharma and Conduct 147
TheTrueSuccessofHumanLife 147
Conflict – No Dharma There! 147
Akram Science –ACompletely NewApproach!! 148
AgnaItselfIstheReligion 150
Changes HappenAccording to Knowledge 150
You Have toAsk for the Energies 151
EnergyAttainedThroughPrayer 152
Prayer:InsistenceonTruth! 153
(16) Relative Religion: Spiritual Science
TheDevelopmentofRelativeReligion 155
One Needs the Vitarag Dharma for Moksha 156
TheLimitationsofRelativeReligion 157
The“Thermometer”ofRealReligion 157
64

The Bhavna (Main Intent) for the Path of
Moksha(Liberation) 158
TheAtmaThroughtheStages 159
GnanghanAtma 159
TheVignanghanAtma 161
SectarianViewpointsLieinRelativeReligion 161
TheEssenceofReligion 163
What Is Religion? What Is Science? 164
(17) Knowing GodThrough theVision of Gnan
Is ‘IAm a Part of God’True? 165
Is God Omnipresent? 166
The Life Given to Inanimate Objects by ‘My-ness’ 167
(18) Understanding the Knower
AreYou the Self? DoYou Know the Self? 168
Is It the Mistake of the Soul? 168
Swadhyaya:Paradhyaya 170
UltimatelytheEgoWillHavetobeDissolved 170
Gneya:Gnata 171
Freedom from the Non-Self Is Liberation 173
(19) The True Path of Worship
OnlyFaithWillBeFruitful 174
Can God BeAttainedThroughWorship? 175
Worship:DirectandIndirect 177
Worship: From the Gross to the Subtlest 178
Moksha:ThroughGnanorBhakti? 180
DirectWorship:IndirectWorship 181
(20) The Guru and The Gnani
TheTrueGuru 182
WorldlyGurus 183
65

RelativeReligionIsLikeaCompanion 184
ThereMustNotBeAnyBusinessinReligion 185
WhataMagnificentPrincipleoftheGnaniPurush! 188
TheMeaningofReligion 190
EvenThat Kind ofAwareness Is a GreatAwareness! 190
RecognizingTheGuru 190
(21) The Purpose of Penance
Penance,RenunciationandFasting 192
PenanceThatPresentsNaturally 193
IsThereRenunciationandAcquisitionfortheGnani? 194
TheAwareness of the Pure Soul 195
AgiyarasAccordingtoDada 196
Aayambil:AScientificProcess 198
AppliedAwarenessWhileFasting 199
Dada’sWay of Fasting 202
Unodari forAwareness 203
Fasting, andYet Kashays? 203
IsThereLiberationThroughFasting? 207
‘DoIt’–ButOnlyYourFaithWillBringtheFruits 208
(22) Worldly Religions
WhichReligionIsforMoksha? 210
Religion:PartialorImpartial 211
BusinessTendenciesEveninReligion 212
…Therefore a ReturnTicket to a Lower Life-Form! 213
Only the Gnani Can Make One Realize theAtma 214
WorldlyReligionKeepsYouinDuality 215
ThatWhichProducesInstantResultIsReligion 216
(23) The Goal Is to Attain Moksha
What Is Moksha? 218
66

ThePathofAttainingMoksha 219
MokshaMeansEternalBliss 220
What Is the State as the Siddha? 221
The Nature of Moksha 222
NoLiberationEveninHeaven 223
YouDon’tWanttheTemporaryThing 223
When Does the WorldYield? 225
BecomeFaultless! 225
The Resolve Only for Moksha 226
Moksha:ALocation or a State? 227
Which Is More Difficult, Path of Moksha or
PathofWorldlyLife? 228
What Is a True Seeker? 229
In What Respect Is the Self Unbound? 229
WhoAttains Moksha? 229
(24) Conviction On the Path to Moksha
AttainingMoksha-ClearVisionforThis 231
Moksha Is the ‘self’Knowing the Self 233
(25) I and My
How Can ‘I’ Become Separate? 237
OnlyGnaniGivesOriginalSolutions 239
(26) Memory Is Dependent on Raag-Dwesh
WithIntenseMemoryComesIntenseRaag-Dwesh! 241
ItIsDifficulttoRemember,ItIsDifficulttoForget! 242
The Gnani Is Beyond Use of Memory 243
Prashasta Raag Is a ‘Cause’ for Moksha 244
Memory Is a Huge Parigraha 245
(27)OpenandStraightforward
Nikhalasata Makes One Fearless! 246
67

(28) The Laughter of the Liberated One
FaultlessnessGivesRisetotheLiberatedSmile! 249
TheLiberatedLaughteroftheLiberatedPurush 250
(29)Worry:Equanimity
Who Remembers the Past Now? 252
Taking OverAnother’s Control Leads toWorries! 253
EnteringintoThoughtsIstheObstruction 254
IsTherePeaceinIllusion? 255
BlissinthePresenceoftheGnani 256
NoAttachment-AbhorrenceWhereThere Is
Equanimity 257
Sambhav: Samata – What Is the Difference? 257
TheTenaciousDecisiontoSettleaFilewithEquanimity 258
Equanimity and the Knower-Seer State 258
Desire,Satisfaction,Contentment 259
(30) Saiyam Parinam
WhatIstheExactDefinitionofSaiyam? 261
TheEnergyoftheSelfWillManifestOnlywithSaiyam 262
TakeAdvantageoftheOpportunityofSaiyam 263
Saiyam Is Indeed the Purusharth 263
SaiyamAgainstGreed 264
(31) The Laws of Fulfilling Desires
How Methodical Nature Is! 266
Desire Is Indeed the Obstacle 268
PratyakhyanforDesires 269
(32) The Habit of Watching Television (TV)
…What Is Important atThatTime? 271
PassingTimeorWastingYourLifeAway? 272
68

(33) Greed
Why Be GreedyWhen It Is Not inYour Hands? 273
DoYou Gain or Lose with Greed? 273
WithoutKnowingtheSelf,ContentmentIsNotPossible 273
A Greedy Person Looks for More, Despite Having It! 274
(34) Let Go of the Reins
Then the Practice of ‘Doership’Will GoAway! 275
TheGnani’sProcess 276
The Science of Charge and Discharge of Karma 277
As ‘Discharge’, Others as Faultless 279
In the ‘Dramatic’ There Is No Doership! 279
SaiyamoftheFinalState 280
(35) The Theory of Karma
What Is Karma andWhat Is Dharma inVyavahar? 282
TheWorld Only Knows theTheory of Doership 282
Who Is the ‘Doer’of Karma? 283
Who Removes That Ego? 285
ContinuousBindingofKarmaWhere
There Is Ignorance 286
No Binding of Karma in the Presence of Gnan! 286
LighterKarmasAreBoundThroughRepentance 287
Karma Is Bound Only in the Human Form 288
Karma–ABalanceofManyLifetimes 289
How Is a KarmicAccount Paid Off? 290
Aashrav, Bandh, Samvar and Nirjara 291
The Thermometer for Good or Bad Karma 294
Overt Karma: Subtle Karma 295
LiberationfromWrongDeeds 302
Karma of Paap-Punya 303
69

DefamationBindsKarma 303
The Supreme Power to Destroy Karma 304
HelpbyRememberingGod 305
Karma Binds Even God! 305
TheDivineKarmaoftheGnaniPurush 305
The Nature of Karma 306
KarmaandVyavasthit 307
Beware of the Seeds of Bhaav! 307
ConvictionofDestructionofKarma 308
The Mirror of Life Is the Cause of Karma 308
The Solution to Become Free from ‘Sticky’ Karma 309
What Is ‘Sticky’ Karma? 310
How Can One Create Nishkaam Karma? 311
TheAtma and KarmaAreAlwaysThere 313
To Do, to Make Others Do, and to Incite Others to Do! 313
(36) Bhaav, Bhaavya and Bhaavak
Only the Bhaavak Is the Doer of Bhaav 316
IfYouEnterintoBhaav,ThenYouBecomeBhaavya 316
The Nature of the Bhaavak 317
Worldly Knowledge Is the Bhaavak’s Support! 318
TheBhaavakForeverChangingintheSamsaranPath 320
Liberation IsYours ifYou Do Not Become
OnewiththeBhaav 322
Contained‘self’–ManifestSelf 324
Prameya-Boundary:Pramaata-theSelf 325
(37) The Energy ofAction: The Energy of Intent
The Energy ofAction Is Dependent upon the Non-Self 326
FruitAccordingtoBhaav! 327
TheDifferencebetweenBhaavandIchchha 327
Bhaav Is the Root ofAll the Circumstances 328
70

BhaavAreDifferentandThoughtsAreDifferent 329
OnlyBhaavHasValue! 330
AdverseBhaav 332
The Nature of Bhaav 334
BhaavItselfIstheMainEvidence 335
Dravya-Bhaav 338
BhaavMun:ThePratishthitAtma! 340
Pratibhaav 343
Swabhav – Swa-kshetra: Par-bhaav – Par-kshetra 344
(38) The Power of the Self Is Only in the Domain of the Self
Avastha MaAsvastha – Uneasiness in Condition or
PhasesofEvents 346
Avastha:Paryaya 348
(39) The Nature of Gnan: The Nature of Time
TheOneWhoDeservesSelf-RealizationinAkramVignan 351
TheGnaniRemainsinthePresent 352
TheEternalElementofTime 355
(40) The Nature of Speech
Speech Is Not anAttribute of the Soul! 356
Syadvaad Speech 357
Who Has the Right to Preach? 358
Touched by Saraswati 361
The Powerful Speech of the Gnani Purush 361
Power in the Penance of Silence 362
ALiveTape Recorder –What a Responsibility! 365
Speech Is the Embodiment of Ego 372
NoSolutionWithoutVitaragSpeech 374
The ‘Taping’of Speech 374
The‘ChargingPoint’ofSpeech 376
Where the Lamp Is Lit,YourWork Gets Done! 377
71

Special note to the reader
The word Self, with ‘S’, refers to the awakened Self or
Soul, which is separate from the worldly soul (non-
awakened self), written with ‘s’. The term Shuddhatma
(pure Soul) is used for the awakened Self, after the Gnan
Vidhi given by the Gnani Purush.
Similarly, any word in the middle of a sentence, with an
initial capital or words in inverted commas, e.g. ‘You’,
‘Your’, at the beginning of a sentence, refers to the
awakened Self or Pragnya. This is an important distinction
for the correct understanding of the difference between
the awakened Self or the Self and the non-awakened self
or the worldly self.
Wherever the name ‘Chandubhai’ is mentioned, the
reader should substitute it with his or her name.
Dadashri uses the term ‘We’, ‘us’ or ‘our’ - meaning the
Gnani Purush.
We welcome your comments, suggestions, corrections
and any constructive criticism of this translation so future
editions can be improved. Please e-mail them to:
engtranslation@dadabhagwan.org
™™™™™
72

174 Aptavani-4
(19)
The True Path of Worship
Only Faith Will Be Fruitful
Dev (the deity; God) is according to your belief. How
would it benefit you to do darshan (see or visit with devotion)
of an idol (murti), if you did not have any belief in it? If your
‘belief’ was constant, then you would remember God day and
night. Therefore, place your faith (shraddha) in the idol. The
idol is not God; your faith itself is God. Nevertheless, when you
do the Lord’s darshan, you should do it with bhaav (devotional
feelings). If you make the effort to do darshan, but your heart
is not in it, then your efforts will be in vain. If you wish to do
the true darshan of the Lord, in a temple or a derasar, then I
will teach you the right way to do that. Tell me, does anyone
wish to do that?
Questioner: Yes, we do. Teach us, Dada. From tomorrow,
we will start doing it that way!
Dadashri: When you go to the derasar say, “Dear
Vitarag Lord, You reside within me! However, as yet, I have
not experienced that. This is why I am doing your darshan here.
This is the way the Gnani Purush, Dada Bhagwan, has taught
me to do your darshan and that is why I am doing Your
darshan in this way. So bless me so that I may realize my own
Self.” And do darshan in this way wherever you go. These are
just the different names that are given. ‘Relatively’, they are
different, but ‘really’ they are one.
Although the shop is far away, you are sitting here thinking

Aptavani-4 175
about it! Hey! Why don’t you just think about where you are
sitting? You will go on thinking about your shop even while you
are walking along. And when they set out to go to the temple,
no one is thinking about religion. They think about their shops
instead. So many people just have a habit of going to the temple
every day. Alas! Is it just out of habit that you go to do the
Lord’s darshan? Every day the darshan of the Lord should feel
new. And at the time of going to do darshan, your fervor and
joy of going there should be as fresh, each time. This going to
the temple for darshan every day, has just become a sort of
habit.
How can you practice dharma? Should one do karma or
dharma the whole day? Only those, whose merit karma
(punya) allows them to do just a couple of hours of work a day,
which they get done in no time, can do dharma and attain it.
Can God Be Attained Through Worship?
Questioner: Can anyone attain God by doing devotional
worship (bhakti)?
Dadashri: You cannot do anything to attain God (Ishwar)
through your five senses. That would be indirect devotion
(paroksh bhakti).
Questioner: Wouldn’t that be kalpanik (of the
imagination) bhakti?
Dadashri: That is all just kalpanik bhakti. And when the
bhakti (worship) becomes nirvikalp (without ego) then your
work gets done. Vikalp worship is done through the mind.
Questioner: I like bhakti (devotional worship) in
everything.
Dadashri: Bhakti is your tuber (granthi; knot). Thoughts
of bhakti, thoughts of darshan, are granthi (tuber). Sooner or
later you will have to become nirgranth (free from tubers;

176 Aptavani-4
without knots). If you hear that you will be visiting Dakor (place
of pilgrimage to do darshan of Lord Krishna) in two days, a
granthi for going there will keep ‘sprouting’. Mind you, there is
nothing wrong in that. It is better than having bad thoughts. What
is bhakti? If you become immersed in bhakti, then it will keep
all the world’s ‘diseases’ at bay.
Questioner: When I read about bhakti marg (the path
of devotional worship), I feel like it is worth doing. And when
I read about yoga, about karma, about the path of Gnan, then
I feel that too is worth doing. What is that?
Dadashri: The whole world suffers from a ‘disease’
called ‘swachhand’ (to understand and do according to one’s
own intellect), so one measures everything according to his own
intellect.
Questioner: You give Gnan, but shouldn’t there be some
qualification (support- foundation; paayo) on our part?
Dadashri: All these people (mahatmas) lacked such a
foundation. No one has ever had a foundation. If you stumble
or trip over something you know, wouldn’t that be considered
darkness? You will not stumble or trip in the light. If you can
maintain equanimity in adversity, then it is Gnan. Anyone can
maintain equanimity in a state of equanimity. To say, ‘I did this,
I did that, I worshiped,’ is all egoism. Gnan is without egoism.
Ranchhodji (Lord Krishna) is not wrong: it is your
worship that is wrong. Nevertheless, your worship is indirect
worship (paroksh bhakti); it is a ‘secondary’ bhakti (worship).
The fruit of paroksh (indirect worship) is apara-bhakti (indirect
worship of the Self), and the fruit of aparoksh bhakti (direct
worship), is para-bhakti (direct worship of the Self). Para-
bhakti leads to moksha.
All these devotees become intoxicated by the rhythm
(taal) and beat of the drums. Rarely would you find someone,

Aptavani-4 177
who is lost in the rhythm of the Lord. Just doing this in the
Lord’s name accomplishes so much!
Worship: Direct and Indirect
Questioner: In the path of devotion (bhakti), do the
worldly difficulties create a barrier?
Dadashri: There are two kinds of bhakti marg (paths of
devotion). One is indirect (paroksh) worship, which yields
worldly fruit while it gradually elevates you spiritually. The
second is direct (pratyaksh) worship, which is directed towards
the One in whom God has manifested. And it is here that your
work will get done. There are many obstacles in indirect
devotion (paroksh bhakti). One’s own thoughts become
obstacles. The path of bhakti (devotional worship) is good, but
it may disappear according to the changes in one’s circumstances;
whereas Gnan always remains with You.
Questioner: Who bears the responsibility in the path of
devotion? Is it God?
Dadashri: Yes.
Even Narsinh Mehta (a great poet and devotee of Lord
Krishna) used to say, ‘Dear Lord, liberate me!’ All devotees
experience inner suffering (artata). He expressed his inner pain
to the Lord saying, ‘Dear Lord, liberate me from this suffering.’
Even so, such a devotion is still good; his devotion was
exclusively to the Lord. Whose devotion is the highest? The true
devotee’s. He is not worshiping the real God, but he is
worshiping the indirect God. Nevertheless, it is still a true
worship, because it will lead to the direct (pratyaksh) God (the
Self within). But when can one be called a true devotee? When
sankalp-vikalp (worries and doubts) do not seize him, he is
considered a true devotee. He leaves everything to God, saying
that God will do the sankalp-vikalp. Whereas here, when a
man gets his son married, he takes all the credit for it and when

178 Aptavani-4
the child is born, he distributes sweets to everyone. But when
the child dies, he blames God. A true devotee will leave
everything to the God. He will say to God, “Lord, why should
I worry? It is Your reputation that is at stake here.” Such
devotion is very rare to find.
One ‘realizes’ the ‘relative’ and another ‘realizes’ the
‘real’. What happens when devotees claim to have had the
direct experience of the Lord? They ‘see’ within them the image
of the flute-playing Lord Krishna. They have brought with them
from their past life, such spiritual energies (siddhis).
If he came to me, I would tell him, “What you see is the
image (drashya), and you are the Seer (Drashta). The Krishna
you see playing the flute, is not the real Krishna. That is the
image (drashya) and the one who sees the image is the real
Krishna, which is You yourself. This is just the vision (drashti)
that has fallen on the image (drashya). When the vision
(drashti) falls on the Seer (Drashta), then the goal can be
accomplished.”
Even the devotees have not attained this goal. They too
yearn for this. Once there is a goal (dhyeya), only then can one
become dhyata (the Self), but to understand the nature of the
goal, one needs a guru.
What did Narsinh Mehta sing?
‘Jaha lagi Atma tattva chinhyo nahi; tyahaa lagi
sadhana sarva joothi.’
‘Until one attains the Atma (Self); the entire search is
in vain.’
Worship: From the Gross to the Subtlest
Questioner: Scriptures of every religion place great
importance on name (naam), and the chanting of names. Why
is that significant?

Aptavani-4 179
Dadashri: It is all done for the sake of concentration
(ekagrata). ‘Name’ is something sthool (gross-concrete);
therefore it is bhakti at a gross level. Then instillation of an idol
(sthapana) is subtle worship (sookshma bhakti). Dravya
(actual presence) constitutes subtler worship (sookshmatar
bhakti). And lastly, bhaav (intent; here it means vision as the
Self) which is subtlest worship (sookshmatam bhakti). There
are these four types of worship (bhakti). Even reciting Lord
Mahavir’s name is sthool worship. When one does sthapana,
i.e., placing a picture of Lord Mahavir and then reciting,
“Mahavir…Mahavir,” it is considered subtle worship (sookshma
bhakti).
Instead of doing bhakti in front of my picture, if you do
it in my presence, it is considered subtler worship (sookshmatar
bhakti). Moreover, if you just abide by my Agnas, it is
sookshmatam bhakti (the subtlest kind of worship). What I am
saying is that when my Agnas become established in Your
bhaav (vision and understanding), it is considered bhaav
bhakti. This will give you immediate results. The other three
kinds of worship (naam, sthapana and dravya) give you
worldly benefits. But only ‘this’ one will give you the real ‘cash’
(the fruits are realized immediately), which is why I say, “This is
the cash bank in the world.” The reason it is called a cash bank
is because it is ‘here’ (in the presence of the Gnani Purush),
that the final and the ultimate bhaav worship happens.
Naam bhakti is not entirely wrong. There is no rule about
names.As far as names go, it is fine to utter Rama, and it is also
acceptable for someone to keep saying ‘limdo, limdo (Neem
tree)’. All that is needed, is a name for it to be uttered. It allows
you to maintain focused concentration (upayog) in whatever you
are saying, so that your attention is not diverted somewhere else.
The atma (self) must never be allowed to stay idle at any given
moment, which is why you need something to preoccupy it, and
that is why recitation of a name (naam-smaran) is not entirely

180 Aptavani-4
wrong. There is nothing that is wrong in this world. However
naam, sthapana and dravya are all vyavahar (interactions
related to the world); whereas bhaav is nischay (related to the
Self). In vyavahar, they have been doing the same thing over
and over, throughout infinite past lives; they have roamed and
roamed and roamed and roamed! Throughout the ages, people
have become acharyas, sadhus, sadhvis (spiritual leaders and
monks), and this is how they have wandered around, but they
still have not found the right path.
Moksha: Through Gnan or Bhakti?
Questioner: Is moksha attained through the path of
devotion (bhakti marg), or through the path of knowledge
(Gnan marg)?
Dadashri: What do you understand by the path of
devotion? Bhakti follows after the path of Gnan (knowledge of
the Self) begins. Will you not follow the directions that you have
been given to go to the station? To follow the directions of the
path, from the knowledge (gnan) given to you, is considered
bhakti.
What is the real meaning of the word bhakti? This word
bhakti incorporates aashraya (the intent and the goal). All these
people, to whom I have given Gnan, are also on the path of
bhakti. You have to do bhakti (worship) of whomever that
shelters you.
Questioner: So is there also a bhakti marg in the
Akram path?
Dadashri: ‘This’ is para-bhakti (direct worship of the
Self). In the Akram path, the bhakti that one does after
attaining the Self is the bhakti of one’s own Self. The one, who
is making a garland, is doing the bhakti of her own Self, even
if she puts the garland on me. Doing the bhakti of a Gnani
Purush is essentially the same as doing one’s own (of the Self)

Aptavani-4 181
bhakti. Until your own Atma has not fully been expressed, the
Gnani Purush is your Atma (Self). The Gnani Purush has no
shalya (internal torment). He has a chit that is pleasing to others
(prasanna) so that it brings great joy for those who come to do
his darshan. Mere darshan of the Gnani destroys the sins of
many lifetimes.
Direct Worship: Indirect Worship
The worship (bhakti) that the whole world is in search of
is apara-bhakti (worship through the non-Self; through intellect
and ego). Any bhakti (worship) in which the intellect (buddhi)
does not enter at all, is called the bhakti of moksha (liberation).
Bhakti should be for moksha. And when the intellect enters into
it, it becomes apara-bhakti (of the non-Self). When the intellect
comes out of it, it then becomes para-bhakti (the worship of
the Self). The bhakti that goes on ‘here’(in Dada’s satsang) all
throughout the day is para-bhakti and the fruit (reward) of that
is moksha (liberation). Ours is a path of moksha. Where there
is no path to moksha, there is the path of the worldly life
(sansar). When the intellect enters into bhakti, it renders a
person emotional, and makes him aware of his ‘relative’ self, ‘I
am Chandubhai, I am the chief blacksmith.’ The intellect will not
allow para-bhakti to occur. Whereas here, after you attain the
Gnan, it is all para-bhakti. Para-bhakti would be that which
is done for the Atma (Self); for the Shuddhatma (pure Soul),
and anything else that is done for the sake of the Atma. If one
remains awake (aware) for the Self, one is ‘sleeping’ with regard
to the world. Eating for the benefit of the Atma (Self) is fasting,
and doing bhakti for the Atma is para-bhakti.
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182 Aptavani-4
(20)
The Guru and The Gnani
The True Guru
Questioner: I already have a guru from before, so can I
make you my guru now?
Dadashri: You need two gurus. The worldly (sansari)
guru teaches you about the shubha-ashubha (what is beneficial
and what is harmful in life); whilst here I free you from the
shackles of shubha-ashubha. In truth, this is not a gurupad
(position or a state of guru). You will not find anything
detrimental (badhak; obstructive or harmful) here; there are only
sadhak (conducive to attaining moksha) things here.
Nevertheless, you do need a guru in the worldly life (sansar).
If you have his blessings, they will be useful to you for your
happiness in the world (bhautik sukh). However, ‘this’(Gnan)
goes beyond the material things of this world. Those others are
considered worldly (laukik) gurus.
Questioner: What is a worldly (laukik) guru?
Dadashri: Someone who teaches you good things is a
worldly guru. What can improve your current worldly life? It all
happens based on the planning that was done in our past life.
Therefore, you receive good parents and good grounding in
your upbringing. You come prepared with everything from your
past life. The Gnani’s grace is silent. He would never say
outright things like, ‘May you be wealthy’ or ‘May you have a
son’. Through the Gnani’s grace, you attain moksha!
Questioner: If everyone is going to moksha anyway,
then why would we need a Gnani?

Aptavani-4 183
Dadashri: First, you must arrive at the Central Station
(the Self), only then can you make such a statement. Every living
being (jiva) has been around from time immemorial, but it is
only when one meets the Gnani Purush that one arrives at the
beginning of the end.
Questioner: So, is there a need for a guru on the path
of moksha?
Dadashri: Yes, so many people say that there is no need!
That would be like snuffing out a light. The guru is a light, but
wouldn’t you have to recognize the guru? When you believe that
darkness is light, how can you attain anything?
All these acharyas-maharajs (religious teachers and
heads) are considered gurus. Who is a sadguru? It is someone
who has attained the Self (Sat). If he has attained such a state,
he will not become irritated with you, if you do something
wrong. And the Gnani Purush is one who has swa-purusharth
(constant awareness and conduct as the Self). The Gnani
Purush is considered the wonder of the world.
Questioner: How can we recognize a Gnani?
Dadashri: Say to the (so called) ‘gnani’, “Sir, help me
solve my problem,” and if he says to you, “Go and do this
much,” then you should tell him, “Sir, I have been doing that for
such a long time, but it has not got me anywhere.” If you try to
get a small child to run errands for you, is he likely to do it? Only
adults have to do that. In the same way, if you meet a Gnani
Purush, ask him directly what you want. A real guru is the one
who gives you liberation from the worldly life (sansar). There
are many other kinds of gurus, but what are they good for? You
would even need a guru who knows the directions, if you
wanted to go from here to the station.
Worldly Gurus
These worldly gurus may not be Gnanis, but do you

184 Aptavani-4
know ‘who they are’? They are like the railway ‘point-men’.
If there is a train going to Delhi, a point-man will set it on the
right track. But these days, the trains to Delhi have been
diverted to Surat which has caused head on collisions. Hey!
You are being paid to do your job as a ‘point-man’ so why
can you not even do that? Simply by winning debates and
arguments, they have set themselves up as the gurus of the
world! Are they gurus by attribute, or just by name? Would
you not have to judge that for yourself? If he is a guru by
attribute, it will raise further questions. There is no problem if
he is by name.
The Lord had said, ‘I am the disciple of the entire world.’
No one can become a guru of the whole world. Nowadays they
have become just commercial enterprises; no devotion to
religion remains anywhere. Their preoccupation is with eating,
drinking and ensuring their status and fame. Do you think I like
using such stern words? Nevertheless, I have to do that, so that
you can stay mindful. Only the one who does not need anything
will speak the truth. There are however, some true and sincere
persons, but they are very few and far between, perhaps two or
five percent. Who can make you walk a straight line? Only those
who walk the straight line, one hundred percent themselves can
make you do the same. How can they teach others if there is
something wrong in them? I can teach you only that in which I
myself am a hundred percent correct. Only then will my words
be effective (vachanbud).
Relative Religion Is Like a Companion
The ‘relative’ religion is like a companion. If the person
that is accompanying you is good and strong, then your path will
be smooth, but if he is a rogue, then he will rob you. Company
means that which has a ‘beginning’ and an ‘end’. What good is
company that has no beginning and no end? Company means a
natural coming together of like-minded people. Ours is a

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‘science’, from zero to one hundred. It takes you all the way, in
relation to the past and the future.
Religion is something that carries you from one end to the
other. But that never happens now, does it? And if it does, then
your work is certainly done. But if you do not find anything, then
it is better to have the companionship of ‘relative’ religion.
There Must Not Be Any Business in Religion
The one who becomes a disciple of the whole world is
worthy of being a guru. If you do not have awareness, even for
a moment of, ‘He is my disciple,’ then you can make disciples.
I have given Gnan to five thousand people, but I have never felt
for even a moment, that they are my disciples.
The Lord has said that it is fine if you do everything else
wrong, but when you choose a guru, make sure that he is
straightforward. For infinite lifetimes you have been wandering,
because you have come across the wrong gurus. People in India
have made a business out of religion and that is wrong. There
should be religion in business. But you cannot have business in
religion. Even if the guru is not a Gnani, if you feel at peace just
by seeing him, then you should stay there. But do not stay with
someone that makes a business out of religion. If you cannot find
honest men, then it is worth following Bhima’s example. When
Bhima (character from the epic Mahabharata) could not find any
honest person to make his guru, he took a pot, painted it and
wrote on it ‘Namo Neminathaya’ (I bow down to Lord
Neminath) and there he did his worship. It really is nobody’s
fault. This current time cycle is very peculiar and what we find
today is typical of this time cycle. What can that poor man (the
guru) do? He is trapped in it too.
Questioner: If we go and bow down to an ascetic
(sadhu), does that mean that we have made him our guru?
Dadashri: No, you have to talk to him; you have to

186 Aptavani-4
make a bargain with him. This is all for a ‘business’ that you
have to draw up a ‘contract’ with him by telling him, “From
today onwards I embrace you in my heart as my guru.” Once
you have established him as your guru, you are considered to
have laid the foundation, and once that is done, it is a sin to
destroy it. Do not lay a foundation otherwise. In the Lords
words, do not lay a foundation, and if you do, then you must not
destroy it.
If there is anyone that knows how to make a guru, it is the
Khojas (ethnic group of Shia Muslims). If your guru were to get
married, not even married, but if he interfered with someone,
you would all gang up on him and keep beating him. Whereas
when the Aga Khan (hereditary title of Imam -high priest- of
followers of the Shia faith) married a European lady, they all
celebrated his marriage. That is called a true disciple. You should
not see faults in your guru. You can look at other people’s faults,
but do not see faults in your guru; otherwise do not make him
your guru. Where religion is concerned, the one who eradicates
mistakes is considered God. You must not find faults in anyone;
it is a grave liability to do so.
Do you know what Sahajanand Swami (The Godhead of
the Swaminarayan religion in the Swaminarayan sect of Hinduism)
discovered? ‘The guru is the fifth doom.’ If you see even the
slightest fault in your guru, then you are doomed! And should
you happen to see anything negative about him, you should tell
yourself, ‘No, that is not so’ and then close your eyes.
Otherwise, all the living beings (jiva) will fall (out of grace).
Only the followers of Aga Khan have remained protected. Just
look! Has anyone amongst them ever complained? And if our
people were his disciples, they would judge him in so many
ways.
I am not asking you to worship (aradhana) a guru, but
do not speak negatively (viradhana) about him. However, if

Aptavani-4 187
one does aradhana, then he will surely be blessed, but he does
not possess the strength or energy for that. What I am saying is
that even if you have to have a really crazed guru, then go ahead
and have one, but as long as you make sure that you remain
completely sincere to him your whole life, you will be truly
blessed. If you remain completely sincere to a guru that is
absolutely crazy, all your kashays (inner enemies of anger, pride,
deceit and greed) will come to an end! But you would need to
understand at least this much! The least you can do is reach this
level of understanding that is precisely why the deity is depicted
in stone for you, because given people’s mentality, they cannot
demean it or find fault in a stone effigy. Oh, but no! They even
find fault with the stone, by criticizing the adornments, ‘that
aangi (The silver-plating over the idols of God) is not quite
right’ on the statue. These people are so nitpicking! They are so
analytical, to the extent that they find fault in their guru. Forget
about looking at their own faults, but they even pick faults in the
guru. That is how much ‘alertness’ they have!
I guarantee you that if you were to make any crazed guru
your guru, and you remained sincere to him throughout your
whole life, then it is possible for you to attain moksha within
three lifetimes. Mind you, the guru must be living. People could
not afford to do that, which is why these stone idols have been
established instead.
Questioner: And whatever agna (special directive) the
guru gives us, we have to follow it, don’t we?
Dadashri: Yes, even if that agna is outrageous, you still
have to stick with it. If you want to go to moksha, then if you
make a guru, you have to remain sincere to him throughout your
life. A true disciple is one who finds his own happiness in the
happiness of his guru. He looks for what pleases his guru. And
if he does this his whole life, then all his kashays will end. A
crazed guru is a vehicle for you to get rid of all your own

188 Aptavani-4
kashays, or else a Gnani Purush can wash away your
kashays. Any others, that come in between will only make you
wander around unnecessarily. To remain under the Agna of the
One who is liberated is true religion.
Once you establish someone as your guru and you
worship him, you should not criticize him, no matter how crazed
he is. If the guru’s weaknesses are exposed, you should not
criticize him, at all. If the guru does something wrong, it is
entirely his responsibility and no one else’s. These Khojas do
not criticize their guru. They are so wise! One should adopt that
kind of wisdom. Even the vitarags used to say that one should
adopt any attribute of wisdom one sees in others. Being as
‘developed’ as they are, the Hindus are quick to criticize things,
‘how can this be?’They have even become the guru’s judges!
They begin to interfere. Cast your intellect aside! I call such
people purva viradhak (the one who has opposed and
criticized in the past life) because all the garbage that was left
over came over into this time cycle. The beings of the fourth time
cycle are the leftover ‘rubbish material’ from the Satyug,
Dwapar and Treta (previous time cycles); therefore they all
possess nothing but viradhana (criticism and opposition). They
talk negatively about those who feed them, they speak ill of the
gurus who teach them, and they even speak negatively about the
mothers and fathers who feed them. They complain to neighbors,
“My dad fights with my mom, he is a worthless.” So the
neighbors will then incite the son. He divulges all the family
secrets to the outside world! Alas, there is no sincerity left at all
these days.
What a Magnificent Principle of the Gnani
Purush!
Once you venerate someone, then no matter what
wrong he does, you do not change the way you view him. My
principle has always been that if a plant that I watered and

Aptavani-4 189
nurtured is in the way of my plans to run a railway line, I would
take the track around it, but I would never uproot the plant!
There has to be a principle (siddhant) in place. Once you
have built something, you must never destroy it. Not just
speaking about destroying, but the impression I have of you
from the first time we meet, will always remain the same. It will
not ever change; not even for a moment. Today, if I have
decided that this gentleman is honest, and he takes money
from my pocket, then even if someone came and told me that
he had himself witnessed the man taking the money; I will still
maintain that he is not a thief. That is because my understanding
is different. I have seen what he has been like all along, so I
would not make a mental note of his actions and dismiss his
actions that are driven by circumstances. The whole world
makes a mental note (nondha) about actions that are
propelled by circumstances. The purva viradhak (those who
have opposed and criticized in previous lifetimes) beings are
prone to thoughts of viradhana (criticism and contempt);
therefore, I do not regard them as being at fault. What I am
saying is that it is not unusual to have such wayward thoughts,
but You do not get caught up in it, and become that.
You will be able to go to moksha, if you have destroyed
your every mistake. But without destroying your mistakes, you
cannot go to moksha.
When you remain tranquil, under whatsoever circumstance,
and your commitment to your goal does not change, then you
can indeed say that you have attained religion. People “remain”
good in order to appear good in the eyes of others or they
remain good because adverse circumstances do not arise for
them. Our goal is just Shuddhatma and moksha, and so
nothing else affects us at all. Circumstances of the non-Self do
not affect me (the Self). Presently your entire day is spent in a
state of the non-Self, and you are looking for moksha?! You
only need that single goal for moksha.

190 Aptavani-4
The Meaning of Religion
Religion (dharma) exists even outside. Religion exists in
places of worship; in temples and monasteries, and everywhere
people go. But there is no meaning left in it. You cannot find
meaning (marma) there any longer. If you have a nice big
mango, but when you slice it, all you find is just the stone and
the skin around it, so what meaning (marma; substance) is there
to it? It is just like the religions of today; without substance!
Religion means to look for the real thing (Self), but with a wrong
belief. ‘This’ (Akram) here, is a science. Religion should be
something that helps you gather the tools (sadhan) to guide you
for spirituality.
Even That Kind of Awareness Is a Great
Awareness!
Viradhana of the guru is to oppose, criticize and offend
the very person from whom one has attained something; it is to
destroy the foundation that one has created through one’s guru.
Such a person is called purva viradhak jiva (did viradhana in
his previous life). In this era, there are purva viradhak souls, of
which I myself too was one once. I became aware that I too
was one of them and it was after this realization that the Gnan
manifested in me.
Recognizing The Guru
Questioner: If I make someone my guru, without much
thought, and later I realize that it was a mistake and I picked the
wrong person, what should I do?
Dadashri: You do not have to recognize the guru; you
just develop a liking for him that leads you to make him your
guru. No one knows how to recognize a guru. Where is the art
of recognizing precious jewelry? These people are likely to
present you with glass instead of diamonds. We have ways to
test authenticity of diamonds, but where are you going to find

Aptavani-4 191
ways to test humans to see if one is a genuine guru. What
happens is that you become overwhelmed by the person and
you make him your guru on the spur of the moment: ‘As of
tomorrow sir, you are my guru.’
Questioner: Yes, so do I have to stick to him once I
make him my guru?
Dadashri: After you make him your guru, if he happens
to go insane as a result of the effect of his karma, do you
assume that his position as guru goes away? His madness is
displayed because of his unfolding karma, and for someone to
hangs on to his position of guru, the Lord considers as aradhak
pad (the state of being worshipped), which means that you must
never have contempt for the person once you have worshipped
him.
Questioner: It is also said that without a guru, you will
not attain gnan.
Dadashri: The guru shows you the way, and he guides
you on the path and the Gnani Purush gives you Gnan. The
Gnani Purush is the one for whom there is nothing left to know.
He remains only as the Self. The Gnani Purush can give you
everything, while the guru guides you in your worldly life
(sansar), and if you do what he tells you to, you will be happy.
Nevertheless, with the guru your suffering (dukh); external
suffering (upadhi) do not go away, do they? External problems
will be there all the time. At the most, when people worship a
guru, they may find some worldly (sansarik) happiness, but their
external problems will still be there. The one who gives you bliss
(samadhi); amidst mental suffering (aadhi), physical suffering
(vyadhi) and externally-induced suffering (upadhi) is the Gnani
Purush.
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192 Aptavani-4
(21)
The Purpose of Penance
Penance, Renunciation and Fasting
Questioner: Are penance (tapa), vows (vrat) and
disciplined rituals (niyam) necessary or are they unnecessary?
Dadashri: All the medicines that are available in a
pharmacy are all necessary, but they are necessary for other
people, and you only have to take the medicine that you need.
In the same way, penance, fasting, renunciation, vows, etc., are
all necessary. There is nothing false or wrong in this world.
Stealing is not wrong and neither is levying income tax. When
your pocket is picked, it is the Nature’s tax! The one’s imposing
the tax are the thieves themselves! There is nothing wrong in that
either. There is nothing wrong with fasting, penance or chanting.
Everything is correct according to each individual’s viewpoint
and expectation.
Questioner: So is it necessary to do japa-tapa (chanting
or penance)?
Dadashri: No. Is it necessary for you to take all the
medicines that are in a drugstore? You take the medicine
according to the illness that you have, and you will only need a
couple of bottles of it. If you took all the bottles, it would kill
you! If you are fond of japa-tapa, then you should do it.
Questioner: Is it possible to be fond of japa-tapa?
Dadashri: Would anyone do it without being fond of it?
This is how it goes: fondness for women, for alcohol or for

Aptavani-4 193
cigarettes, etc., are considered ashubha (inauspicious) fondness;
whereas this japa-tapa is considered shubha (auspicious).
Everything that one has to do day in and day out, is considered
fondness.
Questioner: Does one bind karma doing japa-tapa?
Dadashri: Of course, you bind karma in it! You bind
karma in everything. Even when you sleep at night, you bind
karma. And with chanting (japa) and penance (tapa) however,
there is considerable binding of karma. But that will be karma
of merit (punya), which in the next life, will bring one happiness
and material wealth.
This entire path of the vitarag is a path of labhalabha
(gain and loss). Do not expend even five cents on religion, if you
can help it.A person fasts, and then goes around bragging about
how many days he fasted, but when his son comes along, he
starts quarreling with him: ‘Why were you not at the shop this
morning?!’ For goodness sakes, why bring the shop into this?
Why don’t you just get on with your fasting! When the son
replies, ‘I could not go to the shop today’, he has a row with
him. While in the other room sits the mother, who has also been
fasting, and when she hears the sound of breaking glass, she
yells, ‘What happened? What just broke?’ Dear old lady, it is
your soul that just broke! Just one glass breaks and her chit is
out there! They are all suffering nothing but loss.
Penance That Presents Naturally
In this day and age people do not need to go out in search
of penance (tapa). People have been told to do penance that
presents itself naturally. This is because, in this Kaliyug (current
era of the time cycle characterized by lack of unity in mind,
speech and conduct), people are already suffering, be it at
home, in the bedroom or at the temple; they are already in
torment. What is the point of making someone do penance

194 Aptavani-4
(tapa) when he is already suffering (natural penance)? It is like
putting a turban over your combed hair. There is no point to it.
Do penance if a glass smashes. If your son does not go to work,
you do penance. When the prakruti (the relative self) starts
acting up during adverse circumstances, it creates a lot of inner
turmoil, and that is when you have to do penance (tapa). In this
age, you need to do the penances that just present themselves
to you on their own. In Satyug throughout his entire life, the man
of the house never had to worry about where the family’s rice
came from, or how much it cost! Things came naturally. Today,
however, everyone in the family would know that he had gone
out to buy the ration and he will return with some rice and sugar.
Just look at these punyashadi (lucky people) here! They have
constructed the tallest of buildings, but they have fallen short of
merit karma (punya)!
Is There Renunciation and Acquisition for the
Gnani?
A man who follows the path of the Vitarag must spend
his life with applied awareness (upayog). He uses this awareness
to turn inauspicious (ashubha) situations around into auspicious
(shubha) ones.
Questioner: ‘The Gnani does not have to renounce, nor
does he have to acquire anything’. Would you please explain this
sentence?
Dadashri: It means that if the Gnani is served a plate of
food and if the soup (kadhee) is salty, the Gnani will settle for
it (with equanimity). And if the soup (kadhee) is very tasty, he
will settle for that too. He will not say, ‘I have renounced this’.
When you say tyaag it is considered scorn (tiraskar). And
atyaag (acquisition; grahan) is attachment (raag). The Gnani
does not have attachment (raag) or abhorrence (dwesh);
therefore, tyaagatyaag (renunciation and acquisition) is never
an issue for him. He accepts whatever comes before him with

Aptavani-4 195
vitarag bhaav (complete non-attachment from within), and he
deals with it.
The Lord does not consider, what people in general
consider, as renunciation (tyaag). True renunciation in the
Lord’s eyes, is the renunciation of murchha (infatuation due to
attachment) incited by material things. This ‘Dada’ has all the
things. He has wealth, he has a business in his name, and he has
checks in his name. Dada has not renounced a thing. And
because he has no murchha, it means that he has renounced
everything.A sadhu maharaj should never say that he was born
in such and such a town, because despite having renounced
everything, he still carries it all inside and so that murchha and
moha (attachment for illusory things) do not go away. Whereas,
in whatever I am telling you, there is no cause for any sort of
renunciation. What is there that does not warrant renunciation
anyways? Things do not have to be renounced, but what does
need to be renounced, is the murchha for them. What is
murchha? It is mohaniya karma (karma that does not let one
see ‘as it is’; karma of illusory attraction). People have
renounced many things; however all those things still stand,
because their murchha over them has not left.After attaining the
knowledge of the Self, you no longer have murchha. This is
because You are now Shuddhatma (pure Soul). Upon becoming
Shuddhatma, all the murchha vanishes. Your mohaniya karma
is completely destroyed; otherwise the awareness of the
Shuddhatma could never be established. As long as there is
even a drop of mohaniya karma left, the awareness (laksha)
of Shuddhatma can never be established.
The Awareness of the Pure Soul
Questioner: Dada, is one considered to have attained the
awareness (laksha) of the Self, when he experiences the Self?
Dadashri: When you wake up at night, what is the first
thing that comes into your awareness (laksha)?

196 Aptavani-4
Questioner: I am Shuddhatma.
Dadashri: Just know, that if ‘I am Shuddhatma’
happens by itself, the awareness (laksha) has been established.
You do not have to make the effort to remember it. And if you
tried to remember, you might not be able to if your memory was
not all that good. Laksha is awakened awareness (jagruti).
And You also have the anubhav. Experience (anubhav),
awareness (laksha) and conviction (pratiti) – You have all these
three. Only after you experience the Self (Atma), can you
perform your actions with equanimity and make progress
(towards absolute Self-realization).
Agiyaras According to Dada
Doing agiyaras (fasting on the eleventh day of the lunar
fortnight) is also ‘scientific’. If a person does Dada’s agiyaras
just once in his life, he can attain salvation. Just once, in Dada’s
name, it should be done.
Questioner: How should I do Dada’s agiyaras?
Dadashri: Do not give any nourishment to the five
gnanendriya (sense organs of knowledge), five karmendriya
(organs of action) and the mind, which makes up the eleventh
component. The eyes (see), ears (hear), mouth (taste), nose
(smell) and touch are sense organs of knowledge (gnanendriya);
the karmendriya are the hands, feet, excretory, etc., and the
eleventh is the mind. Just for one day, You deprive them of their
‘food’. Of course, the ears will hear, but You should not listen
out. You will see with your eyes, but do not get up to look. You
should not do anything the whole day; just starve the mind.
Questioner: Can we move about?
Dadashri: No. You cannot do anything.
Questioner: Can we go to sleep?
Dadashri: You can lie down.

Aptavani-4 197
Questioner: What if we feel sleepy?
Dadashri: Then you should sit up again. You have to
spend the entire twenty-four hours in constant awareness. The
Atma will be completely separated if you did just one agiyaras
like this.
Questioner: This is difficult to do.
Dadashri: If you make a firm decision (nischay), you will
be able to do it. If your decision (nischay) is there, along with
my power and energy of words (vachanbud) you will definitely
be able to do it.
Questioner: If we want to fast, do we need your agna
(permission) for it?
Dadashri: I do not give people such agna (permission)
to fast. But if you want to fast, then you should make a firm
decision (nischay), then come to me for my agna and then go
ahead and do it. Through the agna and with my vachanbud
(power of the Gnani’s words), your work will be done.
Questioner: If you are not here in Mumbai and I want
to do a fast, should I take the agna from your picture?
Dadashri: Yes, there is not a problem in you taking the
agna first before you do it. I will be present if you call for me,
but you do not know how to call me!
Questioner: I understand about the karmendriya (five
organs of action) and the gnanendriya (the five senses of
knowledge), but what about the mind, Dada? Doesn’t it just
wander around?
Dadashri: Let it wander around. Just do not give it any
food; starve it. Even if it jumps around or settles down, just do
not feed it. Do not give your hands any ‘food’. Do not give food
to your eyes. On that day, you should just sit and not ‘feed’your

198 Aptavani-4
legs. Do not sit with a book, keep saying “Dada,” but not out
loud; just in your head. In your mind, keep reciting Dada’s
name. Just doing one of these agiyaras, will benefit you
completely. However, on the contrary, when these people do
agiyaras they stuff themselves even more on that day, with
moriyo (special grain), laddu, puri fried in ghee, kadhee and
a variety of vegetables (shaak).
Questioner: What does one get out of doing penance,
fasting and aayambil (Jain practice of eating bland food just
once a day)?
Dadashri: It purifies the body and the mind. At times, it
can improve the speech or sometimes even ruin it. If you asked
someone to speak after he had dined well, on a full stomach he
may not even be able to. And on the other hand, if his stomach
was empty, he would show signs of anguish!
Aayambil: A Scientific Process
Questioner: How old is the practice of aayambil? Does
it date back to the time of Lord Mahavir?
Dadashri: Aayambil is a science. It goes back to the
time of Lord Rushabhdev. It is not for the purpose of attaining
the Atma (Self), but for the body’s benefit. It serves to keep the
body healthy. Anyone whose body has toxicity or who does not
keep well, should do aayambil. It should be done systematically.
You should only eat one staple food, which is one staple grain,
and nothing else. Aayambil is considered very practical and
correct. ‘This’is the only ‘chamber’from the Lord Tirthankar’s
palace that is still standing today. Everything else has collapsed
into ruins.
Questioner: In the aayambil, the rituals they perform, the
prayer beads they do and all that, is all of that considered right?
Dadashri: There is no connection with aayambil and

Aptavani-4 199
those rituals. That is something completely different. Aayambil
only means that you should eat just one type of grain, only just
once a day, and keep reciting the Lord’s mantras that is all.
You can still say that you have practiced aayambil if you just
eat one type of grain just once a day, even if you do not chant
the Lord’s name. Even Muslims can do that. Just to sustain
yourself with eating just one kind of grain, is an enormous
physical penance (tapa). It is the best way to rid the body of
all kinds of toxins. It was the Tirthankar Lords who made this
scientific discovery. That is why I tell all those who are Jain,
that they are so fortunate to have retained this science. Even
today people eat just one kind of grain and stay healthy. Many
skin diseases are cured with aayambil. It is beneficial for
vitiligo as well.
Questioner: Many people have been doing aayambil for
years and years. What is the benefit in that?
Dadashri: Aayambil is only beneficial if it is practiced for
a certain period of time. It is detrimental if it is prolonged over
an extensive period of time. It will create deficiencies in vitamins
and other nutrients that the body requires. Everything needs to
be within normality.
Applied Awareness While Fasting
Questioner: What is it when people fast for three days,
nine days, one month, three months?
Dadashri: Fasting is a good thing, but it is for those
who have eaten too much. Why should those unfortunate ones,
whose food is rationed, have to fast? The Lord has not said
anything wrong when he said to fast. He said, ‘You may fast,
but if at the end of your fasting you do not find the Atma, then
the fasting was done in vain.’ If at the end of your fasting
period, you do not have the awareness of the Self (Atma),
then you will reap some benefits in the worldly life (sansar)

200 Aptavani-4
and you will bind karma of merit. These people have been
fasting through countless lifetimes. The Lord has called it
fasting without understanding. This is because all the fasts that
you have done without the right awareness, have been done in
vain!! You are more likely to succeed in doing penance if you
sit with someone who does penance. The Self never eats; it is
only the body that eats. You will only understand this after you
realize what the Self is, and unless you do, you will never
understand this.
The Lord said, that if you do just one single fast with pure
applied awareness (upayog), you will accomplish your work.
Since You have attained the knowledge of the Self, You will be
able to fast with upayog (applied awareness) of the pure Self
and therefore, your fast will be done with pure applied
awareness (shuddha upayog). You have the ‘main’ thing (the
Self) in Your hands; the kite’s string is in Your hands. To stop it
taking a dive, is in Your hands. If you can manage a single fast,
then try it and see for yourself. Experience the ‘taste’ of it
yourself! On a Sunday. When you do not have to go anywhere,
you can do it then. On that day, you should not sleep. You
cannot maintain awareness during sleep, now can you? This fast
should be done with pure applied awareness (shuddha upayog).
During this time, if you read or sing spiritual songs (pado)
throughout the day, there will be inner and outer purity. Or else,
use Dada’s Five Agnas for support.
If you spend the entire day in shuddha upayog in this
way, you will not even feel that you have fasted the whole day.
You will only feel hungry, if you happen to slip away from
upayog (awareness of the Self). You will be aware of the
hunger, but You will not suffer its pangs. If you suffer the hunger,
it means that you have lost the upayog. But ‘to know’ the
hunger, is upayog. Many people feel very good on the day of
their fast. They feel comfortable experience (shata vedaniya).
Therefore, everything depends upon the belief.

Aptavani-4 201
Questioner: Dada, there is no upayog anywhere, so no
one talks about it.
Dadashri: There is no upayog left anywhere. That is why
no one is talking about upayog. People have failed to use
upayog and that is why it has been set aside. Otherwise, is it not
easy to understand upayog when it is explained to you?
Questioner: It is easy when someone explains it.
Dadashri: The Lord has said that if you turn something
that is inauspicious (ashubha), into something auspicious
(shubha), do it with applied awareness (upayog). And once
you enter shuddha (pure), then it is shuddha upayog (pure
applied awakened awareness), which means that You are now
Parmatma (the Absolute Self). That is why You have been told
to maintain upayog. Really, you can do just about everything,
but it does not mean anything. Nevertheless, you will benefit in
some way, your efforts will not go to waste. Not even for a
minute have I ever forsaken shuddha upayog (pure applied
awakened awareness) any given day. I am constantly in pure
awareness. I have no use for shubha upayog.
‘Shuddha upayogi ne samatadhari, gnan dhyan manohari,
Karma kalank ko dur nivari, jiva vare shivnari’
‘The one with shuddha upayog is poised in the Self
His knowledge and meditation captivates the mind
Aloof he remains from the binding of karma,
Becomes he the absolute (Shiva)’
Questioner: What if our mahatmas who have attained
Self-realization practice fasting?
Dadashri: It will help them a lot. A single fast will give
them a whole year’s benefit, but they must maintain a lot of
awakened awareness (jagruti).
The Lord has said that if a person fasted for just one day

202 Aptavani-4
with shuddha upayog (pure applied awareness) it will generate
an entire year’s worth of shuddha upayog for him. For fasting,
you have to ‘lock up’ (no eating or drinking) on the night before.
Before going to bed, you have to make a firm decision that you
are going to fast with pure awareness the following day. After
giving you my agna (special directive), you will maintain the
awareness of, ‘I am pure Soul’ and you will also be able to
remain in the Five Agnas. In this way, if you can, put a lock on
your mouth for thirty-six hours, you will attain awareness for a
whole year. And the Lord has also said that if you have not
attained Gnan and you fast, you will reap the benefit of staying
hungry; if you have a fever, you will feel better. So many people
fast, just to get on a procession carriage (celebrating the effort
and courage of those who have fasted).
For crying out loud! Why are you bothering to fast when
all your ribs are showing? It is only good for someone who is
fat. The fasting that the Lord spoke of is not wrong. In fact, it
is very beautiful, but who was it meant for? If you fast with the
awareness as the Self that I have given You, You will indeed
reap the benefits that the Lord has spoken of.
Fasting was recommended for the bygone people who
enjoyed pure fresh milk in the morning and pure ghee (clarified
butter) at mealtimes. Their grain was not rationed, their ghee was
ample and everything they ate was unadulterated, unlike today’s
food. The wretched mortals today are already starving, so why
would they want to fast? Is there even any strength in them? You
can even see their ribs! It is okay to do two or three fasts.
Dada’s Way of Fasting
Questioner: How many times did you fast in order to
become a Gnani?
Dadashri: To tell the truth, I have not fasted even once.
I am always doing unodari tapa (the penance of eating less than

Aptavani-4 203
full satisfaction). This is something I have discovered. Constant
unodari is like fasting all the time. If you went about trying to
practice all the twelve tapa, when would it all ever end?
Unodari for Awareness
Questioner: What if I cannot fast in order to make
progress on the path of moksha? Is there anything else I can
do?
Dadashri: Do unodari (consuming less than what the
stomach demands).
Questioner: What does unodari mean?
Dadashri: If you eat four rotlis (flat unleavened wheat
bread), then first you start with eating three, and then two. That
is called unodari. This ‘pot’ (stomach) is not meant to be filled
to the brim!
Questioner: If we do not eat enough, then how are we
supposed to make an effort to practice religion?
Dadashri: Unodari means that, if you are hungry, then
you should eat, you are not asked to practice religion on an
empty stomach. With unodari, you are less likely to doze off.
Unodari is one of the best things you can do. Divide your meal
into four parts. Allow one part for rotli and vegetables, one part
for water and keep one part vacant for air to move around in.
If you do not, then you will lose your awareness (jagruti) for
sure. Real unodari is where awareness (jagruti) never fails you.
You should fast if you have overeaten or you feel sickly.
However fasting is not mandatory.
Fasting, and Yet Kashays?
Questioner: On the day I fast, the moment I wake up,
I feel it would be good if someone were to do my work for me.
Dadashri: It would be better if you did not do penance

204 Aptavani-4
(tapa) than to have such beggarly thoughts. Lord does not tell
you to become dependent instead of independent.
Questioner: On the day I am fasting, if I start feeling like
eating something, I have to remind myself that it is my fast day,
but I still make sure to set aside some of my favorite food so
that I can eat it the following day. Is that wrong to do?
Dadashri: The person who eats will be better off than
that. This is because the person who fasts is bound, by his
wrong deed (dosh). Whereas the person who does not fast;
does not get bound. He eats and forgets about it. On the other
hand, someone who despite not eating, is fixating, ‘I will eat
tomorrow’, and so he becomes bound. When this deception
eventually comes into fruition, he will find himself in the primal
form of a four-legged beast! Isn’t that the whole lunacy of
religion? My goodness! This is a mighty responsibility that you
have taken on. ‘I will eat it tomorrow’ you will think to yourself
at night, as you think about your pantry, and your focus (dhyan)
will be, ‘It is in the pantry so I will get to eat it tomorrow.’Now
is there anything that this dhyan is not capable of? It can make
two legs into four legs (take one from human to animal life-
form). If you keep falling over with two legs, then you will have
four; at least you will not keep tripping over then!
Here they are all fasting, and yet along with it they do
kashay (anger, pride, deceit and greed). If you want to do
kashay, then do not fast, and if you want to fast then do not do
kashay. Your fast should be void of artadhyan (adverse internal
meditation that hurts the self) or raudradhyan (adverse internal
meditation that hurts the self and others). However, on days
where a person is not fasting, if he does not get to eat until two
in the afternoon, he creates havoc. The ‘top’ (Dada’s analogy
for people- bhammardo—Dadashri uses this analogy: the string
wound around it represents causes or charging of karma in past
life.And the spinning, as the string unwinds, represents the effect

Aptavani-4 205
or the discharge of those karmas in the present life) would go
haywire. ‘What sort of town is this, where there are no
restaurants?!’ he would yell.
This presents the right occasion for him to exercise
caution. For goodness sakes! Just do the fast the vitarags have
told you to do, so that your mind does not go bouncing around
and bothering you. And when it comes to a wedding feast,
where there are all kinds of good food to eat, a person will say,
“I am fasting today”. He just says that and stands around! That
is what has become of them all!! People have no clue about
when they should fast. When you do not have anything to eat,
or you do not get what you like to eat, then do penance (tapa).
Food will present itself to you naturally, when the time is right.
And when you do not get any food, you should simply accept
the fact that it might not be possible on that day, and that would
mean that it is a day to fast.A hungry businessman, on the other
hand, would go into a ‘Laxmi Lodge’ (wayside cafe), climb
upstairs and comment, ‘This place is filthy and they all look
dirty.’ He comes back down and does kashay.
Everything is all there and waiting for you.All the different
foods and spices; such an abundance and array that people
could easily tire of. And yet why is it that you do not have
access to it and it does not appear in front of you? It is because
you have brought so many obstacles (antaray) with you. It is
possible for one to get a meal that consists of thirty-two different
dishes, but people have brought so many obstacles with them
that they cannot even get khichadee (staple rice and lentil
mixture) with pure ghee.
The Lord tells us that we should not to do any kashay.
It would be better not to do any penance at all rather than doing
it with kashay. Kashays carry a greater value. The losses
incurred from kashay far outweigh the benefits of doing penance
(tapa). The religion (dharma) of the Vitarag places emphasis
on benefit over loss (labha-alabha). This means that if out of

206 Aptavani-4
a hundred percent profit, you have a loss of ninety-eight percent,
you should conduct your business with the understanding that
you have the net gain of two percent. With kashays, everything
is destroyed. Kashay devours everything. How does it devour
it? It is like a blind man who weaves a rope while on the other
end, a calf chews on it. The blind man thinks that the rope is
getting longer, but all along the calf is chewing it up. All this is
the fruit of deeds done in ignorance.
It is possible to move ahead once you have understood
this. You have been doing the same thing over and over
throughout countless lifetimes. People have done chanting (japa)
and penance (tapa), except that it was done without permission
(agna). They did it with their own viewpoint (mata), and with
swachhand (self-guided). If you have a guru who is Self-
realized; with the right vision, then you should do it according to
his agna. The guru must be samkiti (Self-realized; with right
vision); a mithyatvi (with deluded vision) guru will not do. A
guru with a deluded vision will not be able to rid you of your
deluded vision; nevertheless, you can still offer him your services
(seva) if required. But to get ahead, you do need a guru that has
realized the Self (Atma). If you make a guru of someone who
has realized the Atma, you will succeed in getting your work
done. Otherwise, if you begin a relationship with a mithyatvi
guru, not only will it prevent your progress, but it will lead you
astray and you never know where you might end up stranded.
Questioner: What is a ‘fast done with awareness’?
Dadashri: If your fasting is done with the guidance of
someone who has awareness (Self-realized; jagrut), then it
would mean that it is done with awareness.At this moment, I am
the person with full awareness, and if you fast according to my
words, then it would be regarded as a fast with awareness.
Questioner: Didn’t Christ and Buddha also fast to attain
enlightenment?

Aptavani-4 207
Dadashri: It was not just fasting. They did so many other
things.
Food in itself is an intoxicant. Regardless of the kind of
food it is, it is intoxicating and people take pleasure in its
intoxication. Through fasting, the intoxication is reduced. But if
fasting does not support one’s awareness, then it would be futile.
All it does is keep the body healthy, and perhaps clears the mind
a little, and that is about it. But later on, the person may not be
able to stay awake so he falls asleep. Sooner or later he will
have to eat, will he not? However, once you are fully aware
(jagrut) it does not matter whether you eat and drink. Once his
‘eyes are opened’ eating and drinking will not get in the way.
You have to take in whatever food that suits you. If the ‘food’
of penance appeals to you, then you should take it, and if it does
not appeal to you, then don’t. Even penance (tapa) is food.
Nevertheless, if you have indigestion, then you should fast.
There is no connection between God and food. Why would the
Atma (Self) need to fast? People fast and say that they are
doing it for their Atma. And the Atma says, how are you
obliging me by doing this? So if you feel like undertaking the
penance, then you should go ahead with it.
Is There Liberation Through Fasting?
Every day you keep feeding this body, so if you did not
give it anything to eat for just a day, it would stay clean, your
mind would stay well and all in all, everything would be healthy;
therefore, fasting is not detrimental. But all this is really not
necessary for those who wish to go to moksha. Fasting does
play a helpful role, but one should not become too obsessed
with it. If you want to attain moksha, then all you need to know
is: ‘Am I bound or not?’, ‘How was this bondage created?’,
and ‘How can I break free from this bondage?’ You should
know the answers to these.
The way to break the bondage is to ask someone who

208 Aptavani-4
himself is free (mukta): ‘Sir, if you have become free then I will
sit with you; otherwise why would I want to waste my time if I
do not get anything out of it?’ I am in bondage and if you are
too, then how can we see eye to eye? Haven’t you found
anyone who has told you that he has become free?
Questioner: Haven’t I found your satsang?
Dadashri: Very well then, ‘we’ are telling you that ‘we’
have become free. So if you want liberation, then come here.
There is no fee or anything else, and besides, this is the Lord’s
path where there is no such thing as fees. The Gnani Purush
has no beggarly desire for money, for fame, for disciples, for
sexuality or anything in this world. Hence! He attains the state
of Gnani Purush.
‘Do It’ – But Only Your Faith Will Bring the Fruits
Questioner: The astrologer tells me that the planets Rahu
and Ketu are creating obstacles for me, and for that I need to
fast on Wednesdays.
Dadashri: Then fast on Wednesday. Is there any harm in
it? If you go to an astrologer, then you have to fast on a
Wednesday, or else do not go there. Because you went to
consult the astrologer, it created a doubt in your mind, right? So
then you should fast on Wednesdays. Besides, it will do your
health some good.
Questioner: It is a tradition in our house to fast on
Mondays.
Dadashri: Then do it. Do you have faith in it or not?
Questioner: Of course, I have faith in it.
Dadashri: Whatever you do, do it with faith, but if your
faith falters, then do not carry on with it. Say you got on a train,
if you have a niggling feeling like: ‘Yesterday the train was

Aptavani-4 209
derailed, what if it happens again today?’At that very moment,
you should get off. What good is it if you have no faith? Do
anything, as long as you have faith in it, and if you do not have
faith, then stop doing it.
Faith should be such that, even if you are beaten or
insulted, it will not be shaken, no matter what. This is how
steadfast your faith should be.
™™™™™

210 Aptavani-4
(22)
Worldly Religions
Which Religion Is for Moksha?
Questioner: Can any seeker reach moksha if he
practices religion properly?
Dadashri: A seeker is partial (pakshapati), and who do
you think God is partial to? Surely He must be impartial
(nishpakshapati), now wouldn’t He be?
Questioner: Yes.
Dadashri: Those involved in partiality (paksha) will
never attain liberation (moksha). Yes, they may receive worldly
happiness. There is no moksha for those who are in the
‘standard’ (relative worldly religions). If you come ‘out of
standard’ then you can attain moksha. Here, we are ‘out of
standard’. Everyone comes here. Muslims, Jains and Vaishnavs,
they all come here.
All these different religions – the Jain religion, Vaishnav
religion, Shiva religion, Muslim religion – are all ‘relative’
religions. Not one of them is a ‘real’religion.A‘relative’religion
means it will help you develop. However, it will not help you
‘develop fully’. And moksha is only for those who are ‘fully
developed’ (known the Self). One can attain moksha when,
despite having a body, the Atma (Self) within remains separate.
The Vitarag speech and nothing else, is the only solution
for moksha. Any other speech contains attachment (raag; my-
speech). Vitarag speech means the speech that does not hurt

Aptavani-4 211
anyone’s viewpoint (syadvaad). It does not violate the foundation
of any living being. Even if a butcher came along; he would be
in his own dharma (carrying out his duty as a butcher). In the
Vitarag’s eyes, no one ever steps out of the bounds of his
dharma (role in life), not even for a moment. No one can live
even for a moment without dharma, but despite this, adharma
(kashay) creeps in. An atheist may not believe in God, he may
not believe in religion, but he believes in ethics, and ethics is the
greatest dharma. Without ethics, there is no religion (dharma).
Ethics is the foundation of a religion. Even though one does not
believe in God, he is in religion (dharma) if he is being ethical.
No one is without religion. There is Atma (Self), and so there
has to be religion. Every person has a religion! Yes, and along
with it there is also irreligion (adharma).
Religion: Partial or Impartial
Each religious sect asserts its own matagraha (obstinacy
of viewpoint) and it is deep in kadagraha (entrenched in its
viewpoint). They all believe that they can attain moksha through
their own faith. However, they are all uncompromising and
opinionated. Those who are insistent (aagrahi) will never attain
moksha. Only the non-insistent (niragrahi) will attain moksha.
People immersed in sects will not attain anything from reading
the scriptures of that sect. When one extracts the essence of
every sect, reads every scripture of every religion; then one is
considered to have attained religion. What is religion (dharma)?
You will not understand that until you have grasped the essence
of religion. Otherwise, all who are trapped within any sect are
sheep, and whoever comes out of it, are lions. The Lord says
that my opinion is vitarag (absolutely devoid of attachment and
abhorrence) and yours is full of attachment (raag) and
abhorrence (dwesh).
All the twenty-four Tirthankars had vitarag opinion.
Those who are involved in partiality (sects) do not have vitarag

212 Aptavani-4
opinion. After the Lord had left, partiality crept in and these
sects and divisions began to emerge. Not only did the path to
moksha not remain true, but relative religion did not remain true
either. True religion is to practice and remain within the Lord’s
Agnas. Practice whatever Agna you can, even two, but there
should not be any falseness in it. Here you have people who
keep glancing at their watches while they do introspective
meditation (samayik)! The Lord says do samayik if you can,
do a few if you cannot do many, but all the same, do it right and
properly. The Lord’s Agna will never get old no matter if you
practice it a million times. But because a person does not
understand it, he fails to follow it properly. It is not his fault. You
can only practice dharmadhyan (virtuous meditation) of the
Vitarag Lord provided that you do not get caught up with any
kind of sectarianism. Dharmadhyan disappears when one
becomes involved in any kind of partiality. To be partial means
to adhere to a particular viewpoint. There will be no differences
of opinions (matbhed) if You stay in the center, and that is when
You will attain moksha. If You put yourself at any ‘degree’,
there will always be ‘ours’ and ‘yours’, and as long as you stay
there, you cannot attain moksha.
Business Tendencies Even in Religion
All religions that exist in the worldly life (sansar), are
termed as business, because they carry some sort of subtle
desire. You will not attain the Self, if there is a trace of subtle
desire. If one himself is drowning, how can he save you from
drowning too? Without Gnan, those desires will not leave.
Desire itself is a burning flame. When it arises, it ignites itself, so
then it has to be extinguished. Today’s people are trying to put
it out with ‘petrol’! If you leave home after a nice and satisfying
meal, are you likely to look at anyone’s shop for food?
Questioner: No.
Dadashri: In the same way, the Gnani Purush gives you

Aptavani-4 213
absolute contentment (trupti) from within, so that you do not
experience external desires.
Questioner: What will become of those who go around
pillaging?
Dadashri: Those who are being robbed are really
making an ‘earning’. Being robbed in the ‘relative’ would be
considered as an earning in the ‘real’.
Questioner: What is maha-mohaniya (greatly deluding)
karma?
Dadashri: Any misuse in matters of religion is maha-
mohaniya karma, and such a karma will bind terrible lifetimes
to come. Any money-related business in religion, is not
considered so bad, but if there is immorality, then one will bind
horrendous karma. Misuse in worldly matters is called deluding
(mohaniya) karma, and misuse in matters of religion is called
maha-mohaniya (greatly deluding) karma.
…Therefore a Return Ticket to a Lower Life-
Form!
In the worldly religion, if you say to the guru, ‘Sir, do this
for me,’ he will be well pleased. That is perfectly fine. Because
how can one live without the ego? But money and sexuality
should never enter into religion. If I accepted money, then it
would mean that people are beggars and so am I. Then what
would be the difference between a Gnani Purush and other
people? Therefore, the Gnani Purush does not have any
beggarly desire for anything. He desires nothing. I do not have
any desire for respect, any desire for money, any desire for sex,
any desire for fame or any desire for disciples – No desire of
any kind. Wherever there is even a trace of desire, Bhagwan
(God) and bhakta (devotee) remain separate. And in the
absence of desire, it means that Bhagwan and devotee
(bhakta) have become one. Not everyone quarrels in religion;

214 Aptavani-4
however, the ones that do, are the ones who hold a ‘return
ticket’(to lower life-form). To quarrel in the worldly life, is not
of great consequence, but quarreling in the religion is the work
of those who possess a ‘return ticket’.
Questioner: What do you mean by ‘return ticket’?
Dadashri: It means that one has come into the human
form from the animal life-form with a ‘return ticket’, so that is
where one will be going back to. In religion (dharma) there
should not be any dispute such as our religion is Islam and ours
is Hindu. No one should interfere with religion. Only he that has
come with a return ticket will interfere. Having contempt for any
religion is to have disputes with every religion. Straightforward
people would not do such a thing. There are very few people
who are that way inclined; with civility.
Only the Gnani Can Make One Realize the
Atma
Would the Vitarag’s speech ever be wrong? Does it
sound like a mother-in-law’s and daughter-in-law’s speech?
One has developed a bad habit for bathing and that is why one
rubs mud on oneself. Unless his bad habit goes away, he will not
stop rubbing the mud. Instead, know God; know the Atma
(Self). He who has known the Self, knows everything. And the
one who has not known the Self, should just go to a jungle and
let out a loud cry so that he gets to cry to his heart’s content.
No one here gets to cry to his heart’s content. In the path of the
Vitarag, each and every word is completely replete with bliss
(sukh). Has Dada made anyone renounce anything here? He
has not given any pacchakhaan (pratyakhyan; vow not to
repeat mistakes) nor has he made anyone renounce anything.
Just look at how everyone is experiencing such happiness
without having to do anything! And it is the kind that You will
never run short of. You have been given light that will never go
down. Infinite light!

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Worldly Religion Keeps You in Duality
‘Relative’ religions create dualities, but ‘this’ (Akram),
however is the ‘real’ path. This here, takes you beyond all
duality. If there was such a thing as a true ‘shop’ for religion,
then it would be well and good, but these just lead you astray,
so what good are they? They say, ‘Realize the Self.’So you say,
‘Even my father told me to do the same, and that is why I have
come to you so that you can help me realize it.’ But wherever
you go they bathe you with cold water on a cold winter’s day.
Without ever having learned a single word about Atmagnan
(knowledge of the Self), here sits one who has become a gnani.
How can you call someone a Gnani when his anger, pride,
deceit and greed are alive and kicking? You would call someone
a Gnani if he has no pravrutti (worldly activity). He does not
possess anger, pride, deceit and greed. The one who has
become vitarag is considered a Gnani. This intellect that
creates division (bhed buddhi) has arisen because of the
physical eyes! It even creates differences of ‘you and I’ between
two brothers. It will create differences even between a husband
and a wife, so that when they quarrel, it is ‘you’ and ‘I’! This
is how the ‘relative’ life is; it will not end until it crushes you
completely and brings you (your ego) to zero. ‘Relative’ religion
causes division (bhed); whereas ‘real’ religion carries you all the
way, without creating any division. It stays abheda (as one).
All ‘relative’ religions are considered worldly religions
(laukik). They do not take you to moksha. They will always tell
you to do things, ‘do this or this, or to do that’. They make you
do things. You are not the ‘doer’. Nevertheless, they will keep
you in ‘doership’; whilst ‘we’ do not tell you to do anything, and
that is why this is called an alaukik (beyond the world) religion.
Anyone that comes here, will surely attain moksha. That is why
‘we’ first ask him, “Do you want moksha? Do you want to get
rid of your ‘disease’?”And then if he wants to, ‘we’will perform
the ‘operation’ (separation of the Self and the non-Self). If he

216 Aptavani-4
does not desire moksha, but wants worldly happiness, then
‘we’ will even help him make that ‘adjustment’ too. If he has
problems at home, ‘we’ will help him solve them and help him
adjust at home. ‘Adjustment’ is the main dharma (religion). If
someone owes you money and refuses to repay you, if there is
a breakdown of your ‘adjustment’, then it signifies failure in your
religion (dharma)!
That Which Produces Instant Result Is Religion
What is considered religion (true nature of a thing;
dharma)? It is that which produces instant result. It is only
religion if it yields immediate results; otherwise it is non-religion
(adharma). Doesn’t anger give instant results? Just as non-
religion (adharma) gives instant result, so should religion
(dharma) give you an instant result too. Even if a person who
is not Self-realized, practices true religion, he will still have a
home that is free from conflict. Where there is kashay (anger,
pride, deceit and greed), there is no religion. It is a wonder that
people are looking for religion where there is kashay. People
are not capable of assessing. After attaining enlightened view
(samyak darshan) one will not like the worldly life (sansar).
And that is why samyak darshan says, ‘After you attain me,
you will have to go to moksha! So think before you worship
me.’ This is why Kavi sings:
‘Jeni re Santo, koti janmo ni punya jaage re,
Tene re Santo, Dada na darshan thaaye re,
Ghatma eney khatkaro khat khat vaage re’
‘Oh Saints! The one whose merit karma of infinite lives has
awakened-
They, Oh Saints! Will have the darshan of Dada
And they will have the clock-like warning from within.’
Reminder (khatkaro) means that once you have met
Dada, you will want to keep doing His darshan. That is why

Aptavani-4 217
‘we’ say, ‘If you want to go back (to sansar) then do not get
together with me, but if you do meet me, then you will have to
go to moksha! And if you want to roam around in the four life-
forms (gatis), I can also make that possible. If you get the
stamp (of approval) for moksha here, then you will have to go
to moksha.’ ‘We’ tell you not to get stuck here, because once
you do get trapped, you will not be able to get out.
™™™™™

218 Aptavani-4
(23)
The Goal Is to Attain Moksha
What Is Moksha?
Questioner: What is the final liberation (moksha) and
what is freedom (mukti)?
Dadashri: Both the words are closely related. They are
‘sons’ of the same ‘mother’.
If you want liberation (mukti) from all karma and you
want full moksha, then you must first become free from
ignorance (of the Self). This means that you are bound only by
the ignorance. Once the ignorance has left, you will find that
things will be simpler and straightforward; there will be peace
and day by day, you will experience more and more bliss and
You will find freedom from karma.
Moksha means to attain the awareness of being free.
Even while living, the awareness of ‘I am free’ should always be
there. Moksha is no good to you after you die. That would be
like a deception. Moksha should be instant ‘cash’, it is not
acceptable if it is ‘on credit’ (pending collection; has yet to be
experienced). These times are such, that if you ask someone to
buy you vegetables, he is likely to charge you a commission for
it! So then can you even accept moksha on credit in this day
and age? If someone offers you such a moksha, you should say
to him, ‘moksha in the next life’; tell him you do not want that
kind of moksha if it is ‘on credit’. At times like this, you should
not be doing business on credit. Adulteration even exists in
religion. Gone are the days of adulterating real ghee (clarified

Aptavani-4 219
butter), by adding vegetable ghee (margarine) to it. Now they
resort to adulterating even the vegetable ghee! If someone says,
‘get rid of your anger, pride, deceit and greed’, you should say
to him, ‘Sir, even I know that, but just tell me something that will
help get rid of my anger, pride, deceit and greed (krodh, maan,
maya, lobh).’ What is the point of carrying on like this? Go to
someone that has vachanbud (power and energy behind
words), and whose conduct carries so much energy
(charitrabud) that anger, pride, deceit and greed will be forced
to leave. If a weak person can remove his weaknesses by
himself, then why would he need a strong person?
When people go to listen to religious discourse, they call
it shrutagnan (scriptural knowledge through listening); however,
real shrutagnan is something that, upon hearing, one’s ‘disease’
(of kashay) begins to subside on its own.
The Path of Attaining Moksha
Questioner: How can one attain moksha?
Dadashri: There is no method for it. Moksha happens
when artadhyan and raudradhyan go away.
Questioner: Even so, how does one attain moksha?
From whom do we attain moksha?
Dadashri: You can attain moksha only from the Gnani
Purush. The One who is himself free, can give you freedom.
How can a man free others, when he himself is shackled? So
you are free to go to whichever ‘shop’ you want to. But you
have to ask there, ‘Sir, will you give me moksha?’ If he says,
‘No, I am not ready to give moksha’, then you have to go to
a second one, and then to a third one. You have to keep looking
until you find one that will give you what you want. What
happens if you just stay in one shop? You will just end up taking
a beating. The reason that you have wandered around for
countless lifetimes is because you have been sitting in just one

220 Aptavani-4
shop, not bothering to investigate: ‘By sitting here, am I
experiencing freedom (mukti) or not? Have my anger, pride,
deceit and greed decreased?’You never even looked at that.
When you want to get married, you inquire about the
family and its background. You ‘realize’(investigate) everything
else, but you never ‘realize’ this. What a huge ‘blunder’this is!
Questioner: What is the first step for attaining the state
of the Vitarag (The one who is free from all attachments)?
Dadashri: The real thing is to go to moksha.
Questioner: Isn’t moksha attained later?
Dadashri: At this time, there is no moksha for the body,
but there is always the Atma’s moksha, isn’t there? Because of
the current time cycle, moksha for the body has been prevented
from this world (kshetra); however, the Atma’s moksha is still
possible, isn’t it?
Questioner: Yes, it is.
Dadashri: That in itself is more than enough.
Questioner: What should I do to attain the moksha?
You show me how.
Dadashri: I can show you how, but you will not be able
to do it. You will forget when you get home. In this time cycle,
you will find that people do not have that kind of stillness and
steadiness. Instead, just come to ‘us’, and within an hour ‘we’
will give you instant moksha. You will not have to do anything
after that. You will only have to abide by ‘our’ Agnas.
Moksha Means Eternal Bliss
Questioner: Man has not experienced anything about
moksha, and yet he attempts to attain it.
Dadashri: In this world, the experience of happiness-

Aptavani-4 221
unhappiness (sukh-dukh) is essentially just unhappiness (dukh).
Whatever happiness one experiences is only through one’s
imagination. Something that you find appealing may make
someone else unhappy when you give it to him. Doesn’t that
happen? True happiness is that which makes everyone happy.
Everyone shares the same opinion about real happiness.
Every living being searches for happiness and avoids
unhappiness. No one likes unhappiness. Now this happiness is
‘temporary’, and they do not like it because it is followed by
unhappiness. What kind of happiness (sukh) do people like?
They like permanent happiness (sanatan sukh), which once
attained, will never allow unhappiness (dukh) to enter. What is
permanent happiness (sanatan sukh)? It is moksha; it is
liberation (mukti)! Only if there is moksha, can eternal
happiness (sanatan sukh) arise. In bondage, there is unhappiness.
Indifference towards worldly pain (dukh) is the first
experience of moksha. You will experience that, the day after
‘we’ give you Gnan. Next you will experience the weight and
burden of your physical body and karma to lift. Thereafter, you
will experience so much bliss that is indescribable.
What Is the State as the Siddha?
Questioner: After we attain moksha, what state will we
be in?
Dadashri: In the state of Parmatma (absolute Self).
Questioner: Does one have to do anything after that?
Dadashri: There is nothing to be done there. Even now,
your Atma (Self) does not do anything. Whatever is being done,
is done through agnan bhaav (the intent of the non-Self, ‘I am
Chandubhai’), a ‘mechanical’ bhaav (intent). The Atma (Self)
does not have the ability to carry out any actions. It is simply the
‘Knower’ (gnayak), by nature. In Siddha gati (location at the

222 Aptavani-4
crest of the universe where all liberated souls ascend and reside
eternally), they exist in the state of Knower (Gnata), Seer
(Drashta) and in absolute bliss (parmanandi). There, in Siddha
gati, there is so much bliss, that should just a minute’s worth of
that bliss falls to earth it would create such an abundance of joy
in this world, that would last every single day of an entire year!
The Nature of Moksha
Questioner: So after attaining moksha, one never takes
birth again?
Dadashri: Who would want to come back to this chaotic
mess? This is something that gives great misery. Don’t you see
how much dependency there is in the world? It is like believing
yourself to be happy when you are intoxicated with alcohol. This
worldly life (sansar) is like some sort of possession. You are
possessed by the ‘ghosts’ of the mind, speech and body! You
will realize it when you have a toothache. When a king has a
toothache, what does he love, his kingdom or his queen?
Questioner: Neither.
Dadashri: This is a horrendous difficulty. Whereas in
moksha, there prevails natural bliss.
Questioner: In spite of living in the worldly life (sansar),
can a person experience moksha?
Dadashri: If you tie a blind man to a pole, winding a lot
of rope around him and then, without touching him, from behind
him you slowly cut one round of the rope with a blade, would
he not know?
Questioner: Yes, he would.
Dadashri: He would know that the bondage is broken
from that side. That is how one experiences moksha.
Moksha means a sense of liberation, and you do not feel

Aptavani-4 223
bound. Even if you are arrested by the police, you will not feel
bound.
No Liberation Even in Heaven
Questioner: What do they mean when they say that
moksha is like attaining heaven, and to attain vaikunth (God’s
abode), is to merge with God?
Dadashri: There is no heaven, or any such place there.
Heaven means a place where you enjoy worldly happiness, and
hell is where you suffer worldly miseries. And in this middle
world (madhyalok; our galaxy) there is a ‘mixture’ of both
worldly happiness and suffering. Even in heaven there is
bondage. You will have to stay there even if you do not like it.
If you cannot get along with your spouse over there, you will still
have to live with them. It is because over there, lifespan cannot
be reduced.
For hundreds of thousands of past lifetimes the desire for
freedom has always been there in everyone’s vessel of intellect
(buddhi no ashaya), but they still cannot escape and they have
made vain efforts. No matter how hard you struggle, you are not
likely to find it. Even when a man tries to live without a wife and
children (tyaagi-renouncing the worldly life), he still gets
nowhere, so then in his next life, he becomes worldly (sansari).
He has tried all kinds of ways to find happiness. Whatever one
does in order to attain the nirvikalp (the state of the Self), it is
all vikalp (wrong belief) of vikalp (ego). These entanglements
are not easy to get rid of. If one’s entanglement of the married
life goes away, then entanglements of renouncing possess him;
there is worldly life there too, is it not?
You Don’t Want the Temporary Thing
What should one do for liberation (mukti)?
You should have the inner intent (bhaav) that You want

224 Aptavani-4
nothing else except a Gnani Purush. ‘I do not desire anything
that is temporary in this world.’You should say this five times
every morning upon waking up. The one who remains sincere to
this will not bind any karma. But who is the ‘I’? You should
decide this before saying it.You should decide that, ‘I am the pure
Soul (Shuddhatma), and it is the body that has needs. It is
‘Chandubhai’ who wants. That is not excessive, is it? Whatever
there is in vyavasthit is well and good, and if there is not, then
so be it, but nevertheless, ‘I do not want anything’. This is the
inner intent that you should have. And if you remain sincere to it,
then interference (dakho) is not likely to happen. You will only
receive what vyavasthit has in store for you, nothing can make
a difference to that. You will however acquire benefits like fewer
worries and less frustration. Both these dravyas (the Self and the
non-Self) are separate. You just have to experience each of them
separately. You do not have to do anything else. Even when the
intellect (buddhi) interferes by entering your thoughts and creating
confusion, You are still not the ‘doer’. ‘You’(the Self) just keep
Your part separate. When ‘You’(the Self) and ‘Chandubhai’(the
non-Self) live as neighbors, then nothing touches you! If You
remain sincere to ‘Yourself’, then this is a science of a kind that
will keep You untouched (nirlep).
You work in the warehouse. When you are at work, are
you ‘sincere’ or not?
Questioner: Yes.
Dadashri: It is difficult to stay sincere in such situations,
but it is not so difficult here. If a person feels that he still wants
to relish the worldly life, but that his sincerity cannot be
maintained, he should let me know so that I can help him find
a way out. But if he is confused and bewildered by doubts about
whether or not he will bind karma, then he will not get
anywhere. The theory of binding of karma is altogether a
different thing. That, You have to understand from me.

Aptavani-4 225
When Does the World Yield?
He whose every beggarly desire (bheekh) has diminished,
is given all the world’s scripture in his hands (to speak about
them).
How many kinds of beggarly desires (bheekh) must there
be? There is the bheekh for respect (maan), the bheekh for
money (lobh), the bheekh for carnal pleasure (vishay), the
bheekh for disciples, the bheekh to build temples. All sorts of
bheekh, nothing but beggarly desires. How will such penury be
cleared away? Amidst such rampant beggary, how can one
attain liberation?
The entire world’s realm (satta) falls into the hands of, he
that is free from any kind of beggarly desire (bheekh). At the
moment, it is in my hands.And this is because my every bheekh
has departed. Until you meet the One who is free of all passions,
you will not attain true religion (dharma). It is extremely rare to
meet such a person in this world. You will accomplish the work
for moksha if you meet one. If you do not find such a person,
for how long can you let it go like that? If it is just respect
(maan) that you are hungry for, then you can deal with that. But
for those who covet money, carnal pleasure (vishay), and fame,
it is inexcusable.
Become Faultless!
Atmabuddhi in the Atma (to be in the Self) is moksha.
And atmabuddhi in the deha (to be in the non-Self) is the
worldly life (sansar).
This vision (drashti) continues to fall on images (drashya;
object to be seen), but it never falls on the Seer (Drashta).
Questioner: But doesn’t one only see what the physical
eyes allow one to see?
Dadashri: Drashti can never fall on the Drashta through

226 Aptavani-4
the physical eyes. Only when divyachakshu (the vision of the
Self) arises does the vision fall upon the Drashta (Seer).
To know the Atma (Self) you simply have to understand
the facts. There is nothing for you to do. Someone asked the
Lord, ‘When will I attain moksha?’and the Lord replied, ‘You
will attain moksha when your understanding (vision; darshan)
becomes free of mistakes.’ Now tell me, what is wrong in what
the Lord said?
Questioner: He is right.
Dadashri: Then he asked the Lord again, ‘What about
the chanting (japa) and penance (tapa) one has to do?’ So the
Lord said to him, ‘On the day you have indigestion, you can
fast. I do not expect you to do japa-tapa. All I want from you
is that you make your gnan and understanding mistake free.’
How many mistakes do you have at the present time? ‘I am
Chandubhai, I am this woman’s husband, I am this boy’s father.’
Just look at all these mistakes... an endless chain of mistakes. If
the mistake is at the root, what can you do? One thing is
temporary and one thing is permanent. If you try to ‘multiply’ the
two, by that time, the temporary will have disappeared. So you
will never be able to ‘multiply’ and you will not see a result.
‘Friday never ends and Saturday never comes.’ “Every day is
Friday,” and it will remain “Friday”, meaning everything remains
as status quo. People have ended up in a crooked alley.
Mistakes will not improve even the worldly life, so how do you
expect to attain moksha? In reality, your own nature is moksha
itself. You yourself are the Parmatma; therefore, all You need
is the awareness of Gnan (knowledge) that is faultless and
understanding (vision; darshan) that is faultless. You are indeed
Shuddhatma (pure Soul), but you need to become aware of
that.
The Resolve Only for Moksha
Questioner: Give me that understanding. I have a strong

Aptavani-4 227
desire to attain that awareness, and that is why I have come
here.
Dadashri: Life after life, people have desired that Gnan
(knowledge), but they have not made a firm niyanu (strong
resolution) to attain it. If one had made a true resolution
(niyanu) then all his merit karma (punya) would have been
spent on just that, and he would indeed have attained what he
desired. The nature of niyanu is that all your merit karmas
(punya) are expended only on the resolution itself. So much of
your merit karma (punya) has been spent on your extravagant
houses and your body. It has been spent on cars and homes and
keeping your wife and children happy. As for myself, I only
brought with me the niyanu for moksha, which is why things
have run smoothly. I never have any problems. The meaning of
niyanu is that one should have a single goal: I want only this,
and nothing else! It is only worth doing the niyanu for moksha.
The goal should just be for Shuddhatma and niyanu for only
moksha (final liberation). That is all, and nothing else. Now all
You have to do is embrace it with firm determination (nischay)
and focus all Your energies on that niyanu. If You have just this
one niyanu, You will no longer prolong your lifetimes. You will
be liberated in a couple of lifetimes. This worldly life is nothing
but a pit of entanglements.
Moksha: A Location or a State?
Questioner: But what I wanted to know was whether
moksha is a place where we go to, or is it something we have
to acquire or is it some kind of a state?
Dadashri: Moksha is your own nature (swabhav).
Your own nature (swabhav) is moksha itself. But in order for
you to realize your nature, would you not have to do
something? Your nature is moksha, but because you are not
aware of this state, you are not experiencing the bliss from it.
You do not have to go to any place for moksha. Freedom

228 Aptavani-4
from all pain (unhappiness; dukh) is the first stage of moksha,
and the second stage of moksha is liberation from the worldly
life (sansar)! Once you attain the first moksha, you will see
the second moksha right in front of you, it will come to you
on its own. The first liberation (mukti), is in the form of
‘causes’, and the second is in the form of ‘effect’. After
freedom from ‘causes’, you can carry on with your worldly
duties of marrying off your children and all that. There is intent
of freedom (mukta bhaav) even in that and right now, ‘effect’
moksha is not possible. I myself remain in the ‘causes’
moksha and all other work carries on.
By whichever body (deha) one attains the awareness of
freedom, one only has one or more lifetimes (deha).
Which Is More Difficult, Path of Moksha or Path
of Worldly Life?
The moksha marg cannot be difficult, but sansar marg
(the path of the worldly life) is. How many things do you need
to boil water in a large tank? And how much effort is required
to boil that water? And then what do you have to do to cool the
water? Thereupon a person will be baffled by, ‘how to cool it
down?’You being gnani (knowledgeable) would say to him,
‘Just put out the fire and get some sleep’. He would be
wondering, how after taking so long to heat, the water would
manage to cool down so quickly. But the inherent nature of
water is to be cold, so naturally it will cool by itself. To heat
water is the same as bringing it into the nature of the worldly life
(sansar). To come into the nature of the Self (swabhav) is
called moksha, and to go out of it (vibhav-attribute that is not
of the Self; ‘I am Chandulal’) is the worldly life (sansar). For
you to attain such a Bhed Gnan (the knowledge that separates
the Self from the non-Self), you must meet a Gnani, only then
Your work is done; otherwise you will never find any stability for
millions of lifetimes.

Aptavani-4 229
What Is a True Seeker?
It is stated very clearly in the scriptures, that true
mumukshu (seeker of moksha) is one who can immediately
recognize a Gnani. He whose only desire is moksha, will be
quick to recognize the Gnani Purush as the one who bestows
it. But those who have other desires; respect, fame, disciples,
will not be able to recognize a Gnani Purush. This is because
there is a veil of ignorance covering them. The Gnani Purush
is so simple and straightforward; he is so easily recognizable.
But if upon seeing him your impression is, ‘Why is he dressed
like that?’ Then you are going to head the wrong way!
In What Respect Is the Self Unbound?
Questioner: They say that the Atma (Soul; Self) is
unbound (abandha), then who is it that attains moksha?
Dadashri: When it comes to the Atma, if you understand
the language of the Gnani, then you will find the answers.
Abandha (unbound) is different according to the common
language of the world, and in the language of the Gnani, it is
also different. If you understand abandha in the language of the
Sarvagnya (the Gnani, the Knower of all elements), then it is
possible for you to attain such a state; the unbound state. In the
Gnani’s language, the Atma is unbound (abandha), for it is in
a constant state of moksha. Never has it ever become bound.
This is the language of the Sarvagnya; it is ‘as it is’; ‘it is a fact’.
If a person has even a momentary doubt about whether or not
he is bound, then he will bind karma. Beyond any doubt, the
Self is unbound.
Who Attains Moksha?
Questioner: How can we differentiate between death,
mukti and moksha?
Dadashri: If you are really Chandubhai, then you will

230 Aptavani-4
surely face death (mrutyu), and if You are Shiva (the Self), then
You have mukti (first stage of moksha) and the fruit of that
mukti is moksha (second stage). Mukti should happen here. I
have attained mukti.
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Aptavani-4 231
(24)
Conviction On the Path to Moksha
Attaining Moksha - Clear Vision for This
Questioner: For someone who seeks moksha, what
religion would he need?
Dadashri: He needs Atma-dharma (religion of the Self).
Questioner: In what attire does one attain moksha?
Dadashri: Attire and moksha do not have anything to do
with each other. Whether one runs around naked or clothed, it
does not matter. Moksha can be attained in any attire.
Questioner: At what spiritual level can one attain
moksha?
Dadashri: Moksha is attained through the vitarag
dharma (religion). You attain moksha at the level of the
Vitarag.
Questioner: In what state does one attain moksha?
Dadashri: In the vitarag state.
Questioner: In which sect or division is true religion
found? What is a sect? Is there any need for them?
Dadashri: All sects are incomplete religions; ‘relative’
religion. Where there is any kind of partiality or bias, there is no
moksha. ‘Real’ religion is absent. True religion (dharma) does
not exist in sects, because they are all ekantik (individualized
perspective; narrow-minded).

232 Aptavani-4
Questioner: How can we recognize a sadguru?
Dadashri: A Sadguru is someone who has the constant
awareness of the Atma (Self) all day and night. You will have
never come across his speech in any of the scriptures, nor ever
have heard speech like his, and yet you experience it.
Questioner: How can we say that this is indeed the
sadguru?
Dadashri: If you feel tranquility in his presence, then he
is the sadguru.
Questioner: What are the qualities of a sadguru?
Dadashri: He is free of all kashays (anger, pride, deceit
and greed).
Questioner: Where can sadgurus be found in this time
cycle?
Dadashri: He is sitting in front of you.
Questioner: What do we have to do to attain the
sadguru’s grace?
Dadashri: Absolute humility (param vinaya).
Questioner: Samyaktva (right understanding), beej-
Gnan (seed of Gnan) or bodha-beej (beginning of Gnan) are
considered main components of religion, so how can one attain
them?
Dadashri: From a sadguru who is free of kashay.
Questioner: How does religion originate or how can we
attain religion?
Dadashri: Through a sadguru who has no kashay.
Questioner: By what ritual (kriya; deed) or doing what,
do we acquire religion?

Aptavani-4 233
Dadashri: Religion is attained through Gnan kriya
(knowledge; it means to Know and remain as the Self) and
darshan kriya (vision; it means to See and remain as the Self).
Questioner: By what means do we attain religion
(dharma)? What is considered religion (dharma)?
Dadashri: In order to attain religion your spiritual
readiness (upadaan) should be there. What is considered
religion? When kashays decrease, then You will know that
religion has arisen. Know that You have attained religion, when
your kashays have gone.
Questioner: How can we become still in religion (dharma)?
Dadashri: By awakening upadaan (spiritual readiness),
You can find stillness.
Questioner: What is the simple and straightforward
solution to moksha?
Dadashri: The path of moksha becomes easy through
serving the Gnani Purush who is free from all kashays.
Questioner: What sort of tools do we need to attain
moksha?
Dadashri: One attains moksha through Gnan (knowledge
of the Self). Moksha can be attained with sadgnan (right
knowledge) and Atmagnan (knowledge of the Self).
Moksha Is the ‘self’ Knowing the Self
Questioner: How does it benefit the self (worldly self),
unless the conviction of the Atma (Self) arises from within? The
Atma has understood that it is completely separate from the
mind, speech and body, and all other substances, but until it
becomes free from the states of ‘doership’ and the states of
suffering and pleasure in the worldly life (sansar); until that
happens, how is one to progress in religion?

234 Aptavani-4
Dadashri: Once you have the conviction (pratiti), about
the Gnani, it is inevitable that you will have the conviction
(pratiti) of the Self. After You attain the conviction (pratiti) of
the Self, and after You attain the awareness (laksha) of the Self,
You cease to be doer-sufferer (karta-bhokta) in the worldly life
(sansar). The worldly activities continue on their own.
Questioner: Under the present circumstances, I do not
feel that it is possible to live a worldly life and at the same time
be on the path of moksha.
Dadashri: It is not just a possibility, but it is something
that you can experience. You will understand it when You
experience it. You may not think it possible, but it is something
that you can experience. This is because the two things are
separate, and it is possible to experience each one separately.
People believe that the Atma (Soul) is same as ‘I am’. To call
that Soul (Atma), is wrong.At the moment, it is the ‘mechanical’
atma (self) that they are referring to when they say, ‘I am’. The
original (dar assal) Atma (Soul) is separate from that. When
you attain the awareness of the ‘original Soul’, you will become
aware of the Atma (the Soul). It is then that ‘I’ will ‘fit’ into the
original Self (Soul). The Self (the Soul) has its astitva
(existence), its vastutva (elemental substance; the Self) and its
purnatva (the state of being complete; absolute state). All
people are aware of their existence (astitva), but not their
vastutva (real nature or what they truly are), so when ‘we’ give
them the awareness of vastutva (Self-realization), one ‘fits’ into
‘ones’ own Self; moving towards purnatva (absoluteness).
Thereafter, You (the Self) remain in your own nature, the pudgal
(the non-Self complex; prakruti) stays in its nature. They are
both separate and therefore, they function separately.
The Gnani Purush has all kinds of special spiritual
energies (siddhis) that is why this is possible. He has many kinds
of special spiritual energies (siddhis) and of great wonder. That

Aptavani-4 235
is because, He has no expectations of any kind; therefore he has
all kinds of siddhis.
Questioner: Wouldn’t the worldly life present an obstacle
on the path to moksha?
Dadashri: Essentially what I am trying to say, is that if the
worldly life was indeed an obstacle, then it would mean that all
these sadhus, sanyasis and acharyas who have renounced their
worldly lives, will have had their problem solved; that is what it
means. But that does not happen. As a matter of fact, the
worldly life does not hinder moksha at all. For moksha, it is not
the worldly life that gets in the way; it is ignorance of the Self.
The Gnani Purush gives you such a precise and unfailing
Gnan, that it immediately comes into your vartan (conduct as
the Self; experience). The Gnan that gives results is Gnan.
Anything else is not Gnan.
Questioner: The path of moksha is a path of liberation
(mukti); therefore it should be free of expectations. Then why
do we have to please the Shaashan (guardian) celestial deities
(devas and devis), that protect the path?
Dadashri: You have to keep pleasing the guardian
celestial deities, because humans in this time cycle, are purva-
viradhak. Purva-viradhak means that they are here because in
their past life, they have harmed others in one way or another.
And that is why until now, they have wandered aimlessly from
one life to another. The reason for revering the celestial deities
is so that they will not hold any ‘claim’ against us, nor present
obstacles on our path, allowing us a safe passage to moksha,
and giving us their ‘help’. If you have an old dispute with the
people of this village, if you maintain an inner intent (bhaav) of
reverence towards them, it will end the dispute and moreover,
it will make things even better for you.
However, even if you are reverent towards the rest of the

236 Aptavani-4
world, and not just with the guardian deva-devi, you will fare
well. The Shaashan deva-devis will come to your aid,
whenever you are confronted by obstacles in their reign or in
any religion. With this particular path of moksha, it is not
possible to go directly to moksha from here. In this path, you
will still have one or two more lifetimes before you can attain the
final moksha (liberation). This time cycle (kaad) is so peculiar,
that a person brings with him, karma which is ‘compressed’, so
that no matter if he flies around in a plane all day long, he never
gets his work done. Therefore, one or two lifetimes worth of
karma remain pending.
So wouldn’t you call this moksha? You can experience
moksha here and now. You will experience the awareness of
separation; ‘I have become separated’.
Questioner: In your opinion, which is the right day (tithi)
for Jains to observe, chotha (fourth day of lunar fortnight) or
pancham (fifth day)?
Dadashri: Whatever is convenient for you, is right.
Anything which allows you to do dharma (religion), is right, and
anything that causes adharma (harm) is wrong.
Questioner: Whom can you call a Jain?
Dadashri: Jina means Atmagnani (the Knower of the
Self) and Jineshwar means Tirthankar (The Absolute Savior;
Absolutely enlightened One). Someone who listens to a Jina or
Jineshwar is considered Jain. Someone who has heard it, has
faith in it and has observed it to an extent, is referred to as a
shravak, and someone who observes it fully is a sadhu.
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Aptavani-4 237
(25)
I and My
How Can ‘I’ Become Separate?
I came across a German couple when I went to Lonavala.
What were their names?
Questioner: Susan and Lloyd.
Dadashri: I asked them, “Would you like to be
immersed in ‘I’ or ‘My’? There are ponds of this ‘I’ and ‘My’.
Those who have been immersed in the pond of ‘I’ have never
died, while those who are immersed in the pond of ‘My’ have
never lived.” So they said, “We want it to be such, that we will
never have to die again.” So I explained, “There is no worry in
‘I’. Don’t worry for ‘My’. ‘I’ is immortal, ‘My’ is mortal.”
Therefore, separate ‘I’ and ‘My’!
Within just half an hour they understood this and they
were delighted.
Questioner: But how do I understand ‘I’ as separate?
Dadashri: What is your name?
Questioner: Chandubhai.
Dadashri: Who are you?
Questioner: Chandubhai.
Dadashri: Don’t you recognize the contradiction between
‘I am Chandubhai’, and ‘My name is Chandubhai’? When you
say, “I am definitely Chandubhai,” do you mean you are also the
hand?

238 Aptavani-4
Questioner: No, the hand is mine.
Dadashri: Look, first take away the name from what you
believe to be ‘I.’ Then take away all the things that are clearly
visible on the outside. Do you experience that this name is
separate from you? Anything that comes under ‘My’ is worth
deducting. Both ‘I’ and ‘My’ are always separate; they never
become one. After you take away the name, do the same for the
rest: This is my hand, This is my body, My eyes, My ears…
keep subtracting all these organs. After you have subtracted all
the physical tangible things, then take away: My mind, My
intellect, My chit, My egoism. Subtract all that. Once you have
deducted all the things that come under My-My, whatever that
remains, is chetan (the Self). Nothing else should remain
besides that chetan (the Self). Everything in ‘My’ is all pudgal
(the non-Self complex); it is of the non-Self (parbharyu). ‘I’
and ‘My’ are completely separate. ‘My’ is a temporary
adjustment and ‘I’ is the permanent adjustment.
Questioner: What should one do to get rid of ‘My’?
Dadashri: I can show you the way, but you will not be
able to do it. It is complex and this time cycle (kaad) is
altogether strange. That is why you will need my help. You will
not be able to subtract all the ‘My’from the ‘I’. You will be able
to take away the drashti-gamya (that which is visible). Then,
you will be able to separate the two through buddhi-gamya (the
intellectual). But you will not be able to subtract whatever lies
beyond buddhi-gamya. Only the Gnani can do that. You will
not be able to get rid of the final the subtlest (sookshmatam)
ego. For that, you will need the Gnani Purush. I will separate
everything for you. Thereafter, You will continue to experience ‘I
am pure Soul (Shuddhatma).’You should be able to experience
that. Besides that, I will also give you the divine vision
(divyachakshu) with which You will see the Atma (Soul) in
every living being (atmavat sarva bhuteshu).

Aptavani-4 239
Only Gnani Gives Original Solutions
Shouldn’t we put a ‘Demarcation line’ between the ‘I’ and
‘My’? One being a ‘Spiritual Adjustment’ and the other,
‘MechanicalAdjustment’; the two need to be separated. Or else
how would you tell which one is India and which one is
Pakistan? Because a ‘line of demarcation’ (between I and my)
has not been placed, there are conflicts every day.
‘My’ is completely mechanical. ‘I’ is not mechanical. ‘I’
is Absolute.
Nature helps ‘My’ in every way. Therefore, do not stick
your hands into ‘My’. All You have to do is just ‘see’ (keep
watching). This ‘machine’ (the non-Self complex) will continue
to receive its fuel, water and air. And even that will be more
‘tasteful’ and you will get it ‘free of cost’!
In the worldly life (sansar), the ‘My’ eats up all the weight
of the ‘I’, so that now the ‘I’ is five pounds and the ‘My’ is a
hundred thousand pounds. If the weight of ‘My’ went down, the
weight of ‘I’ would increase.
The ‘I’ is God (the Self) and the ‘My’ is illusory
attachment (maya). ‘My’ is Relative to ‘I’. ‘I’ is Real. The
Atma’s attributes, if projected on to the ‘I’, will result in great
increase in ‘your’ energies. Without the Gnani, you will never
be able to know the main Atma; however, the ‘I’ and ‘My’ are
“Complete separate”. If everyone, including foreigners,
understood just this much, most of their problems would lessen
considerably. Foreign scientists are quick to grasp this
discussion. This is a science. This is a fundamentally unique
spiritual research of Akram Vignan. ‘I’ and ‘My’ are
absolutely separate. ‘I’ is the natural state of the Self, whereas
‘My’ is a sense of ownership.
The foreigners keep trying to research into reincarnation.
To them I say, instead, why they do not figure out whether the

240 Aptavani-4
‘I’ and ‘My’ are indeed Separate? Do they not say, “My birth”
and “My death”?
You may use the word ‘My’in your worldly interactions
(vyavahar), but it should be purely “dramatic” (play-acting).
You can use it after separating the ‘I’ from it. ‘My’ is for
bhogavavoo (suffering; pleasure) but not meant to ‘Reinvite’
(create new karma). ‘Complete Happiness’ belongs to ‘I’
without ‘My’.
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Aptavani-4 241
(26)
Memory Is Dependent on Raag-Dwesh
With Intense Memory Comes Intense Raag-
Dwesh!
I do not even remember what day it will be tomorrow,
and yet this world still carries on. If I ask, there will be three
people ready to say it is Sunday. There are many people to
remember that.
Whom can you consider to have become a Vitarag? It is
he who does not remember anything except for the Atma (Self),
and all the tools that help him attain the Self.
The more the memory goes, the more vitarag you
become. The Vitarag has no memory (smruti) of any kind. Not
remembering the worldly life (vismruti) itself is moksha.
People try very hard to increase the power of their
memory (smaran shakti). But there is no such thing as memory
power. Memory power is a result of attachment-abhorrence
(raag-dwesh). I do not have any attachment-abhorrence and
therefore, I have no memory power. You can tell from your
memory where you have attachment and where you have
abhorrence. That is why people have tried to look for ways to
forget the world.
Questioner: Would that mean, that if someone passes his
exams with first class, he has a lot of attachment-abhorrence?
Dadashri: He will get higher marks in where his ‘interest’
lies. If he likes (has raag for) History, he will attain higher marks

242 Aptavani-4
in that. There are some children who cannot remember anything
in their studies. We realize that they do not have any interest in
their studies; whereas in the things that interest them, they
display a good memory. You become an ‘expert’in things that
you have attachment (raag) for. I had attachment (raag)
towards spirituality, and that is why I became an ‘expert’ in it.
Many people have a tremendous attachment for scriptures,
which is why they have such an intense memory for them. When
the attachment (raag) for the Atma (Self) develops, worldly life
(sansar) and everywhere else, is cast into oblivion.
It Is Difficult to Remember, It Is Difficult to
Forget!
Questioner: Today, I remembered something that I had
not thought about for the past fifteen years. What would you call
that? What kind of attachment-abhorrence (raag-dwesh) is that?
Dadashri: That is dependent on the attachment-abhorrence
(raag-dwesh). There are certain things that come into your
memory frequently, and there are certain things that only come
when the time for it has matured to yield its result.
Questioner: Why is it easy to remember things, but
difficult to forget them?
Dadashri: It is not easy to remember and it is also not
easy to forget; they are both difficult. Those who cannot
remember, find it very difficult to remember. Then wouldn’t it be
quite easy for them to forget? And those who can remember a
lot, find it very difficult to forget.
Questioner: I have a question. How can we be free from
the memories of this world? How can we forget?
Dadashri: It is impossible to forget the world even for an
hour. Even if you were to spend thousands of rupees, trying to
forget just an hour’s worth of this world, it would not be

Aptavani-4 243
possible to do so. You will remember all sorts of things. While
you are eating you will only remember your sick relatives! Now
why would you be reminded about a sick person during your
mealtime? So it is primarily memory, that harasses people.
Questioner: But then I question how I would deal with
paying sales tax and income tax, if I forget about the world. Will
that not get me into trouble?
Dadashri: It is not like that. It is possible for the world
to remain out of your mind, and your work in the world to go
on as well. On the contrary, it will occur spontaneously and
naturally.
The Gnani Is Beyond Use of Memory
It is memory that gives rise to misery (dukh). I had
tremendous memory prior to this Gnan, and it caused me lot of
misery. It would keep me up at night. From that, I was able to
deduce where misery (dukh) lies. Looking at it this way, I was
happy in every way, but there was endless dukh because of this
memory. I would remember many things at a time. But memory
is a paudgalik (of the non-Self) matter; it is not chetan (of the
Self). Then after Gnan I began to ‘see’. It was not a ‘vision’
from memory, but it was a direct and exact ‘vision’.
Questioner: You say that you do not have any memory,
but today when you give examples of incidents that took place
ten years ago, you describe it exactly just as it happened. It
seems to come out in a systematic manner, in the same ‘link’,
word for word, just like a recording. What would you say that
is? What kind of power (shakti; energy) is that?
Dadashri: ‘Memory’ is dependent on attachment-
abhorrence (raag-dwesh), and that is why it is never exact. That
which comes out of me is based on the vision (darshan);
therefore, it is exact. I can see everything, from the time I was four
years old, until now. I do not have to think about it or recall

244 Aptavani-4
anything. If I look back to the age of fourteen, I can see
everything or if I look back on age twenty, then I can see that too.
When someone comes to ask me questions, I have to first
assess his ‘file’ and then give my answers accordingly. My
answers will be in ‘connection’ with what I had told him earlier
and what the present situation is now. Everyone’s ‘file’ is
different and therefore, the answers are all different. The answer
depends on the ‘file’. Now someone may ask, “Dada, why
don’t you have the same answer for everyone?” That cannot be
so. Everyone’s ‘files’ are different, everyone’s ailment is
different, and that is why I have different ‘bottles’ and different
‘medicines’. Everyone’s ups and downs are different. In my
siddhantik (involving principle) discussions there can be no
changes. No one can ever put a cross over it in any time period
– past, present or future. These solutions to the worldly
questions depend upon the questioner (nimit; the instrumental
source).
Whatever you make me remember, I can envision it all.
Even if Kanubhai (Dadashri’s business partner’s son), were to
tell me something about our business, I can see everything. I can
see the bridge and all its supporting beams, I can see what is
where, and where it is not; I can see all that. When you remind
me, I place the upayog (applied awareness) and I can see
everything in its proper order.
Questioner: So you see it through upayog (applied
awareness), right?
Dadashri: As soon as someone reminds me, the upayog
goes straight there. If the upayog did not go there, there would
be a breakdown in the worldly interaction (vyavahar).
Prashasta Raag Is a ‘Cause’ for Moksha
When the time comes, ‘we’ remember everything. ‘We’
still have attachment (raag) for satsang. That is why when it is

Aptavani-4 245
time for satsang, ‘we’ remember about going to satsang. ‘We’
also have attachment (raag) for mahatmas. This form of
attachment is considered prashasta raag (attachment of the
highest kind – it leads to the Self). It does not bind karma, but
it does create an account with Mahavideh Kshetra. Everyone has
to go to the Lord Simandhar Swami in Mahavideh Kshetra. That
is why you should understand about Him and become familiar
with Him. That is why I keep making you sing in praise of Him.
Questioner: And what if we keep remembering ‘Dada’?
Dadashri: That is prashasta raag. Prashasta raag
makes you vitarag. Such attachment is worth having! One has
to remove attachment from everywhere else and place it in this.
There is an enormous difference between the attachment for all
that leads to the Atma (the Self) and the attachment for the
body. The attachment (mamata) for the goal that leads to the
Atma (Self), is the attachment for the Atma, which will
ultimately give you your liberation.
So many people are like jada (lacking sensitivity;
impervious or without care). Even these people do not have the
ability to remember. Lack of memory without Self-realization, is
the same as being inanimate (jada). When you eat a lot, sleep
a lot and become slothful, it will make the mind ‘dull’. It will take
you to a lower life-form.
Memory Is a Huge Parigraha
What is acquisitiveness (parigraha)? It is something that
you keep remembering. ‘Is the ring still on my finger? Has it
fallen off?’ If you are not reminded of this, then you are free
from acquisitiveness (aparigrahi). You cannot become free
from acquisitiveness (aparigrahi) through renunciation. On the
contrary, the more you try to renounce something, the more you
will remember it.
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246 Aptavani-4
(27)
Open and Straightforward
Nikhalasata Makes One Fearless!
I have no problem with you not reading books or not
knowing anything. But become open and straightforward
(nikhalas). Truly nikhalas. Thereafter, knowledge that makes
the one who is open and straightforward (nikhalas) shine, will
manifest automatically.
Questioner: Being nikhalas (candid and guileless) in the
worldly interactions (vyavahar) can cause problems.
Dadashri: But no one can be nikhalas. Only after
attaining the knowledge of the Self (Atmagnan) can one
become nikhalas.
Questioner: We would be considered fools if we
became nikhalas in our worldly life.
Dadashri: Fools can never be nikhalas (open and
straightforward). People consider them as honest (nikhalas).
Someone who is nikhalas is different altogether. He would be
frank and honest (nikhalas) in everything he does, not just one
or two things.
Questioner: Please explain nikhalas more clearly.
Dadashri: A nikhalas person is a very ‘pure’person. He
is not just a human; he is a superhuman. Only then can he
become nikhalas. A nikhalas person is very pure and
transparent. He does not have a single impure thought. Now

Aptavani-4 247
does that ever come about?After attaining the knowledge of the
Self one gradually becomes like that.
Questioner: Don’t people take advantage of people who
are nikhalas?
Dadashri: No. The person who comes to take advantage
would not even be able to come within a hundred feet of him.
He will lose courage.
Questioner: Does nikhalas mean to stay in one’s own
swaroop (the Self)?
Dadashri: When I give you Gnan (knowledge of the
Self), even You remain as the Self. But you would not call that
nikhalasata. A nikhalas person does not have a single thought
about worldly life (sansar); his heart is absolutely pure. You
however, still have those thoughts and you become engrossed
(tanmayakar) in them. You will not become transparent, as long
as you have thoughts about your home, your business, sex and
any other kinds of thoughts.
Questioner: What does a nikhalas person think about?
Dadashri: He has no thoughts at all. His mind is
constantly moving at every moment; it becomes samayvarti
(prevailing in the alertness of the smallest fraction of time; i.e. it
does not get stuck on any particular thing; it is always in the
present moment).
A nikhalas person has infinite special energies (siddhis).
But, he does not use them. Ultimately, even You will have to
become like that, will You not?
Write an ‘essay’ about what one has to live life for and
bring it to me! Write about all the positive sides and the all
negative sides of it. Won’t you have to make some kind of
progress? How long will you remain as an ordinary man?At the
age of thirteen, I had thoughts about becoming an extraordinary

248 Aptavani-4
man. To me, ‘ordinary’meant being like some sort of vegetable.
An extraordinary person is not faced with the difficulties that an
ordinary human faces. An ordinary man cannot help anyone;
whereas an extraordinary human exists only to help others. That
is why the world accepts him.
Questioner: How do we define an extraordinary man?
Dadashri: Extraordinary means that one becomes helpful
to everyone; to every living being of this world. When one
becomes independent (free), when one transcends the prakruti
(the non-Self complex), one becomes extraordinary.An ordinary
human will experience helplessness. He will be helpless if you
keep him hungry for three days. So, become extraordinary and
then there will be no end to the bliss within.
When you see an important person, it will develop an
inferiority complex within you. You are bedazzled by him. Why
are you bedazzled when he is just an ordinary person himself?
There is no need for anyone to be afraid of anything in the
world if he becomes nikhalas. Such a person will be
‘automatically’ protected. No one can destroy such a person.
After attaining the knowledge of the Self there will arise an
absolute state, and no one will be able to hurt or destroy You;
no one will even bother You.
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Aptavani-4 249
(28)
The Laughter of the Liberated One
Faultlessness Gives Rise to the Liberated Smile!
Dadashri: How old are you?
Questioner: Seventy.
Dadashri: Just look at how even at this age, he looks at
me and chuckles like a child! That is called simplicity and
straightforwardness (saradata). Has people’s laughter been
snatched away from them? Why can’t they laugh? One would
say it is because of inflexibility and unnaturalness (asaradata).
So what I tell them to do, is sit here in satsang, all day long.
In doing so, their inflexibility and unnaturalness (asaradata) will
go away and their laughter will open up. I make you do arati
(the ritual of waving lamps in front of an idol or a deity while
singing a hymn), because it opens up your laughter. Laughter
should arise from the naval (unrestricted). Why do you laugh just
from the throat? It is because you have got impurity in your
mouth. And when you do arati, all that impurity falls out.
Questioner: What do you consider a mukta hasya (the
smile and the laughter of the liberated One)?
Dadashri: Have you seen such mukta hasya?
Questioner: We have seen yours, Dada!
Dadashri: Does it seem free and unrestricted to you?
Questioner: Yes, it is absolutely the laughter (hasya) of
the Vitarag (unattached; free).

250 Aptavani-4
Dadashri: That is called mukta hasya.
Questioner: We have encountered circumstances to
attain mukta hasya, so how come it has been obstructed?
Dadashri: It has not happened, because there are all
kinds of ‘ghosts’ within you. No one other than a liberated man
can remove them for you. The liberated One (mukta Purush)
can create within you such a mukta hasya through his own
mukta hasya. A person has all kinds of insistence (khench) that
lie within him, and that is why he does not cry at the time of
crying and laugh at the time of laughing.
What creates laughter? Why does this elderly gentleman
laugh so much? It is because of his innocence (nirdoshata;
faultlessness) and because he is sarad (flexible; straightforward).
Sarad means flexible. It means that he will bend (adjust) in
whatever direction you want him to, just like gold (malleable).
You can mold him anyway you want to, within an hour.
Questioner: So does that mean that as faultlessness
increases, so will mukta hasya?
Dadashri: Yes, it is the attribute of faultlessness
(nirdoshata). Today, when people with etiquette, laugh at the
dinner table, it is considered a polished laugh. It is a new kind
of thing altogether, sort of weird and artificial. It is better to be
quiet than to have a fake laughter. It is better to speak less, than
to speak artificially.
Since this man has been here, he has been experiencing a
new sort of bliss that he has not felt before. Only he and I know
this. That is because he is flexible (sarad) and he experiences
bliss just from my darshan.
The Liberated Laughter of the Liberated Purush
The Gnani Purush is in a constant state of liberation, and
because of that, others become free from within. ‘Our’ mind

Aptavani-4 251
remains free; it does not get bound even for a moment by any
circumstance. Everyone becomes cheerful just doing darshan of
the Gnani Purush and by doing so, many karmas are
dissipated.
Except for the completely vitarag Lord’s, there is no
other laughter that is karma-free laughter. Such laughter has
manifested at such a time (the current time cycle) in the Gnani
Purush of the Science of Akram. And it can destroy all the
karma. No matter when you look at the Gnani Purush, even
if you see him at two in the morning, he will still have the same
mukta hasya, while other people’s laughter (hasya) is filled with
kashays.
Questioner: Does mukta hasya stop with vairagya
(dispassion towards the worldly life)?
Dadashri: In vairagya there is indifference (udaseenta).
Udaseenta is incomplete (with reference to liberation); mukta
hasya is complete.
Questioner: While talking to you, sometimes we too
laugh freely. Is that considered mukta hasya?
Dadashri: Yes, it is unrestrained at that time. That is how
You get practice. Otherwise, why would we need to recite,
‘Dada Bhagwan na aseem jai jaikar ho’? During that time all
the inner garbage comes out and You become free.
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252 Aptavani-4
(29)
Worry: Equanimity
Who Remembers the Past Now?
Questioner: How can we afford not to worry about
tomorrow?
Dadashri: There is never a tomorrow. No one in the
world has seen tomorrow. Whenever you look, it is always
today. Tomorrow is the reason of difficulty. Yesterday means the
time that has passed. Yesterday means the past. So there is no
need at all to worry about tomorrow.
Questioner: So then why do you buy tickets in advance?
Dadashri: That is an ‘evidence’. Sometimes, it may not
even come true. Don’t you make plans, for example, that you
want to go to Mumbai on the 25th
and to Vadodara on the
28th
? You have that in your vision. You do not see very clearly
through that vision. You see it through a “blurry” vision. In the
exact vision, You can remain still and “see” clearly. The rule is
that you will have a clear vision up to a certain ‘boundary’, and
if you go beyond that, then for the time being you will stumble.
Do not look at what you do not need to. If you keep looking
at the clock, you are bound to trip over. Therefore, through
this vision, look only at a certain distance ahead of you as you
walk.
When there is no such thing as tomorrow, then what is the
point? The present time is the now, and the time gone by is
yesterday, which is the past. Not even a fool would go looking
for the past, and tomorrow is in the hands of scientific

Aptavani-4 253
circumstantial evidence (vyavasthit). Therefore, remain only in
the present; just stay in the present time which is now.
Taking Over Another’s Control Leads to
Worries!
All kinds of difficulties come to a home that has worries!
Worrying is an ego. Do you have any control over running all
this? If you take away the control from the one who has the
control, then he will not stick his hand in it again. Leave the
control in the hands of the controller.
Questioner: What should we do so that we do not have
any worries?
Dadashri: Turn around. Or else, get rid of your ‘egoism’.
If there is a Gnani Purush and if he gives you Gnan, then you
will not have any worries. What is the consequence of worrying?
Questioner: I do not know.
Dadashri: The consequence, is a birth in the animal life-
form. Worrying is an ‘above-normal egoism’.
Questioner: I worry a lot.
Dadashri: You have relatively fewer worries, which is
why you have the chance to even come here. These wealthy
businessmen (sheths) do not even have the time to use the toilet.
That is how many worries they have. They have two businesses
and they want to start a third one! Greed, greed and greed.
How much have you decided to earn? One million rupees?!
Questioner: The more, the better.
Dadashri: Haven’t you had enough yet? Even when your
black hair has turned grey, you are still not done? That is why
it is a betrayal (dago). Now just let go of all this hassle and live
in contentment; have your tea and snacks in peace, eat your
meals peacefully and get on with your work.

254 Aptavani-4
Entering into Thoughts Is the Obstruction
Worrying will delay all your work. Is the morning likely to
come any earlier if you spend the whole night, sitting outside,
worrying about how soon it will come? On the contrary, it will
come even later. Why don’t you just get under the covers and
go to sleep? Worrying will delay your work. If you worry about
whether or not you will find any vegetables, then you will not
find them either.
Why worry about something that you have no solution
for? There is no remedy for death, so does anyone worry about
dying?
What do you do when you worry?
Questioner: Recite the Lord’s name.
Dadashri: Do you have a friend with whom you are not
acquainted?
Questioner: No, how can one have a friend without
being acquainted to him?
Dadashri: Then how can you recite the Lord’s name
without being acquainted with Him?
When you start worrying, you should know that the work
at hand will be ruined, and if you do not have worries, then be
assured that it is going to turn out good. Worry is an obstruction
to any work. It will ruin the business.
Questioner: What causes this worry?
Dadashri: You have the aropit bhaav (a wrong belief):
‘I am Chandubhai’. It is because you do not know your ‘real’
self. When does one worry? Worrying occurs when you
become one with (tanmayakar) the thoughts that arise in the
mind. Thoughts are inanimate (jada) while you are chetan
(living). Worrying occurs because of a mixture of jada and

Aptavani-4 255
chetan. Worrying is an internally induced suffering of the mind
(parishah). It gives rise to suffering of pain. In order to avoid
worrying, you must realize that thoughts of the mind are subtle
circumstances; they are ‘gneyas’ (the objects to be known) and
You are the Gnata (the ‘Knower’of the gneyas). Thoughts will
come, but you have to do pratikraman for them, or else they
have to be made insignificant. Thoughts that come to You are
really inanimate. You create obstacles the moment you start
worrying. Why stick your hand in the energy that is not Your
own?
With the Akram Gnan that ‘we’give you, if you still have
worries, then you can hire an attorney and sue ‘us’ if you want.
‘We’ are giving you this much of a guarantee. When your
worldly worries go away, that is the first moksha. The second
moksha occurs when the account of karma is settled. The
second moksha is the Absolute State (purnahuti).
Is There Peace in Illusion?
How can one attain peace in this world? It would not
happen, even if you had millions of rupees. How can there be
peace (shanti) where there is illusion (bhranti)?
Questioner: Why isn’t there peace all the time in spite of
our practicing so much religion?
Dadashri: It is because you are constantly in the state of
the non-Self (achetan). If you remain in the Self (chetan), you
will experience constant peace.
Questioner: What efforts should I make to acquire
peace?
Dadashri: You can never find peace if you have to put in
an effort for it. It is all ghadbhanj (an activity of construction
and destruction).
There are all kinds of peace in this world, but they are all

256 Aptavani-4
illusory (murchhit) peace; whereas Atma shanti (peace of the
Self), is one without any kind of illusion. There is absolute
contentment (trupti) in the peace of the Self, and in the others
there is no contentment.
When a state of bliss replaces a state of restlessness
(ashanti), realize that the binding of karma has ceased and only
then will come the solution (liberation).
Bliss in the Presence of the Gnani
We had gone to visit Lake Vihar. There, a gentleman by
the name of Shayada Saheb brought a Muslim friend, who was
a senior government officer, to do my darshan. He brought his
wife and children along with him. He was a thinker and a very
devout man. As he started to sit down on the dirt someone said
to him, “The ants will bite you there, sit next to Dada.” So he
answered, “How can ants bite me in the presence of Dada?”
Then I made him sit by me. After ten minutes or so, he tells me,
“I have visited so many religious places, but I have never
experienced the kind of peace that I have experienced here in
the last ten minutes, since I have come here. What is the reason
behind this?”And I told him, “There is no other reason. You are
sitting very close to Allah. Would you not experience happiness
and peace if you were in close vicinity withAllah?Allah is sitting
right next to ‘me’ – almost touching me – and you are sitting next
to me. So then you have come very close to Him, have you not?
So what kind of peace are you likely to experience?”
The Gnani Purush has a “cash department.” ‘This is a
cash bank of divine solution.’ Anyone whose merit karmas
(punya) have matured, will meet me and his work will be done.
Questioner: What is bliss (anand), what is peace
(shanti)?
Dadashri: Peace is ‘relative’ and eternal bliss
(parmanand) is absolute. Parmanand means absolute

Aptavani-4 257
contentment (param trupti). When all the karmic accounts of
this body are settled, You will experience contentment and
eternal bliss. As long as the burden of the body is there, there
will be no contentment.
No Attachment-Abhorrence Where There Is
Equanimity
Equanimity (samata) is very important. If a man’s wife
says something hurtful to him and he just listens and takes it in,
people call it equanimity (samata), but that is not equanimity
(samata). How can you call it equanimity when there is internal
turmoil and restlessness (ajampo)?
Equanimity (samata) is when there is no attachment
(raag) towards a person who garlands you with flowers, and
there is no abhorrence (dwesh) towards the one who insults
you. Both the good (shubha) or the bad (ashubha), are
considered as equal. When there is no attachment-abhorrence in
good and bad, it is called equanimity. You can only consider the
vitarags (absolutely enlightened beings) as having this quality.
Sambhav: Samata – What Is the Difference?
Questioner: What is the difference between samata and
sambhav?
Dadashri: There is a big difference. What is sambhav
(intent of equanimity)? Say we have a weighing scale that is
tipped on one side. We will put a counterweight on the other
side to balance it out, however, if we were to use a frog as the
counterweight, how long would the scale remain balanced?
Nevertheless, sambhav is considered the highest intent. You are
at least trying to maintain a balance, are you not? Samata
however, means that there is no attachment (raag) towards the
person who showers you with flowers and no abhorrence
(dwesh) towards the person who throws rocks at you;
moreover, you would even bless him!

258 Aptavani-4
The Tenacious Decision to Settle a File with
Equanimity
This dictum of Akram, ‘Settle all files with equanimity,’is
an amazing thing. If You decide to follow my Agna, that you
want to ‘settle all your files with equanimity’, then it will be there
for You. You just need the firm and resolute determination
(nischay) that you want to settle matters in this way. These
words themselves are in the form of Gnan. The rest that
happens on the outside, is in the hands of vyavasthit. However
it requires a strong inner intent of determination to follow this
Agna.
To settle with equanimity (sambhave nikal) means to
settle in accordance with the circumstances, without attachment
or abhorrence. That is not the case in samata (absolute
sameness; equanimity).
When someone you do not like, appears before you, the
mind, body, chit and ego will all ‘jump around’ restlessly. It is
at this time, that You have to say, “I have to settle with
equanimity,” then everything will calm down. The very moment
You make the decision about settling matters with equanimity, it
has an effect on the other person and it will calm him down.
However, sometimes, the karmic account with him may be so
‘sticky’that it may not appease him! That is not Your lookout.
All You have to do is hold a strong decision (nischay) that You
want to settle the matter with equanimity. Sooner or later he is
bound to cool down. Everything happens only according to
vyavasthit.
Equanimity and the Knower-Seer State
Questioner: What is the difference between samata and
the Gnata-Drashta (Knower-Seer) state?
Dadashri: In the ‘state’ of samata you can ‘nod off to
sleep’ (lose absolute awareness) and you have to be woken

Aptavani-4 259
back up with a small tap. Whereas Gnata-Drashta is always
awake (jagrut).
Questioner: Is samata a state of the mind?
Dadashri: It is a state of the mind, but when can the state
of the mind remain like that? It only remains if there is awareness
and Gnan within. Otherwise, the mind always leans towards
one side or another. When does samata remain? It is when one
attains the Atma (the Self).
As long as you are ‘Chandubhai’ vishamta (raag-dwesh,
attachment-abhorrence) is bound to occur, and when the
awareness of “I am Shuddhatma” occurs, Your work is done.
Desire, Satisfaction, Contentment
You get satisfaction (santosh) from eating, drinking and
enjoying worldly things, but you do not get contentment (trupti)
from that. With satisfaction, new seeds of karma are sown.
However, when contentment (trupti) arises, desire (trushna)
will not remain. Desire leaves. There is a great difference
between contentment (trupti) and satisfaction (santosh).
Everyone experiences satisfaction, but only few experience
contentment. With satisfaction, come further thoughts. If you ate
cheesecake, you will have satisfaction, but a desire for it will
remain. That is called satisfaction (santosh). With contentment
(trupti), however, there is no desire again and you will not even
think about it again.Aperson who has contentment (trupti), will
not have a single thought about sex again. No matter how much
understanding people may have, they have become ensnared by
sexual pleasures, because they do not have contentment! The
science of the Vitarag brings You contentment (trupti).
People say, “I am eating.” Hey!Aren’t you merely putting
out the fire of the hunger? The thirst for water is fine, but the
thirst for money is very dangerous. No kind of “water” can
quench such a ‘thirst’.

260 Aptavani-4
Desires will never come to an end. Satisfaction will
happen, but there will be no contentment. Satisfaction (santosh)
is a ‘psychological’ result; it will not last.
To believe that there is contentment in the non-Self things
(sadhan), living and non living, is psychology, and contentment
in the Self (sadhya) is the science of the Atma (Self).
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Aptavani-4 261
(30)
Saiyam Parinam
What Is the Exact Definition of Saiyam?
There are two types of saiyam (self-discipline); external
and internal.
The Lord does not consider external (visible through
mind, speech and body) saiyam as saiyam. That saiyam is
dependent upon the unfolding of karma. To say, “I maintained
saiyam”, when saiyam is dependent on unfolding karma, is an
illusion (bhranti).
Questioner: What is saiyam parinam in the true sense?
Dadashri: Sampurna saiyam (complete discipline) is
when par-parinati (state of the non-Self) does not arise at all.
This begins when all the tendencies (vruttis) return home to the
Self. The beginning of the ‘fractional change’ is called saiyam.
The state of saiyam parinam happens after one attains Self-
realization.
Saiyam of sense pleasures (vishay) is not considered
saiyam. Absence of anger, pride, deceit and greed is called
saiyam parinam. Otherwise, the renunciation people do is just
of worldly things; they renounce money, they renounce sex, and
we are not negating it, but that is called tyaag (renunciation). It
is not the saiyam the Lord has spoken of. The saiyam of the
physical body is not called saiyam, as that saiyam is dependent
upon circumstances; it is an effect of previously charged
karmas. Whereas, the saiyamit mun (the disciplined mind), the

262 Aptavani-4
mind that does not react to ‘evidences’ of anger, pride, deceit
and greed, is dependent on purusharth.
Saiyam (absence of kashay: anger-pride-deceit-greed)
should prevail amidst intense adverse situations.
One lady tells me, “Dada, my husband slapped me last
night.” I asked her, “Then what did you tell him?” She replied,
“I turned the other cheek for him.” I asked, “What was your
inner state at that time?” She told me, “Completely peaceful. I
did not have even a single negative thought. Your Gnan was
present.”
This is called saiyam. Everyone in the world suffers pain
and adversity with tears, and the Gnani suffers it with a smile.
You will have to suffer (bhogavavoo) it, will you not?
The Energy of the Self Will Manifest Only with
Saiyam
If one remains in such a saiyam (absence of kashay) just
once, it will give rise to enough energy within to practice saiyam
twice. Then the power of two will generate four times, and four
will generate sixteen times the energy. It is a rule of multiplication.
In all that, the Self has infinite energy. That energy starts to
manifest as one comes into saiyam.
What is swanubhav (experience of the Self) state? After
attaining the Atma (Self), as much as one remains in saiyam,
that much is the state of the experience of the Self (swanubhav).
The one who has a fraction of that will attain the complete state.
Even the Lord has praised the one with saiyam. Such a
one is worthy of darshan, he has conquered death.
Questioner: How has he conquered death?
Dadashri: When one does not have the fear of dying,
one is considered to have conquered death.

Aptavani-4 263
Take Advantage of the Opportunity of Saiyam
When someone says, “Chandubhai has ruined everything,”
the inner results within will change as a reaction. However, to
know that “what is happening within is wrong” is half the saiyam
(ardha-saiyam). And if such results do not arise at all, then it is
considered complete saiyam.
Questioner: When someone scolds me, or insults me, I
just shut the window on that side. I will not listen to that. They
can just carry on talking.
Dadashri: You had the ‘scope’to practice saiyam in that
situation, but you did not take advantage of it. If you were to say
to someone, “Tell me off so I can try and practice saiyam
(equanimity, absence of kashay),” that will not work, will it?
This opportunity for saiyam happens naturally and rarely, and
when it happens, people turn a deaf ear to it and shun it, “Oh
go away! He will say that, he has a bad habit of doing that!”
How much do you benefit in doing that? If there is a foul stench
and you pinch your nose, what saiyam did you exercise?
At one time, I even put out a reward of five hundred
rupees, stating that anyone in need of money, should come here
and slap me and collect the five hundred rupees. Would anyone
be ready to slap me for free? Goodness! No, no one came to
slap me despite the reward. People told me, ‘Dada, where
would we go if we slap you?’ That is how it is. Therefore, do
not miss the opportunity when it comes around.
My energy has increased through the multiplication of
saiyam. After attaining the Gnan, a state of endless saiyam
resulted in me. So whatever I received, was beneficial. During
external adversity, the saiyam of the Self that prevails is
tremendous.
Saiyam Is Indeed the Purusharth
Real saiyam (kashay-free state) arises in the presence of

264 Aptavani-4
the Self. From the moment conviction (pratiti) of the Self is
established, true saiyam begins. Thereafter, one begins to see
one’s own faults and does pratikraman (apology coupled with
repentance) for them. That is a true saiyam. Saiyam itself is
purusharth. Only after one becomes a Purush (the Self), after
knowing the Self, can one do purusharth. Saiyam applies only
to the Purush (the Self), and not to the prakruti (the non-Self).
The Prakruti is dependent on the unfolding of karma; how can
there be saiyam there? One is considered to have come into
real saiyam only after the Self manifests. Otherwise, this worldly
saiyam is like the ‘practice’ to improve the worldly interactions.
Only the one with saiyam has the awareness of the Self.
Such people will not allow one mistake to give rise to another.
If someone drops a hot charcoal on you, you have already
incurred one loss, but then you create another big loss by getting
agitated within (ajampo) and expressing it (kadhapo; visible
anger; outburst that hurts other). This is how one becomes
‘bankrupt’. Endless loss is created from just one loss. The
Gnan will shake it off and the bliss of saiyam that arises from
it defies all words!
When is worldly interaction (vyavahar) considered good?
From the time saiyam (self-discipline, absence of kashay)
begins. The worldly interaction (vyavahar) of the person
without saiyam is not considered complete. The Gnani’s
speech, conduct, everything about him has saiyam, and this
state will win over the minds of others.
Saiyam Against Greed
Questioner: Please explain the saiyam (equanimity
against kashay) of pride (maan) and the saiyam of greed (lobh).
Dadashri: Some people have already attained a fraction
of saiyam against pride. If someone were to insult them, they
would be able to maintain ardha-saiyam (partial freedom from

Aptavani-4 265
reaction to kashay). In the case of greed however, one loses
complete self-control and awareness. And in this situation there
is more asaiyam (expression of kashay; discomposure). Then
later, when the awareness comes, one fourth of the saiyam will
arise. The Vaniks (business class) have a large tuber (granthi;
knot) of avarice, and Kshatriyas (the warrior class) have a large
tuber (granthi) of pride. One is not able to maintain saiyam in
the kashay in which one has a large tuber (granthi). In that
case, one has to come into purusharth dharma (be the Self
through the Five Agnas), and in the state of parakram
(extraordinary effort as the Self).
When confronted with situations that create internal
suffering (parishah) and external suffering (upsarga) one does
not let it affect him, and if the suffering does arise, to ‘know’
that, it is saiyam. To ‘know’ the suffering is saiyam. Lord
Mahavir just ‘knew’ of His suffering; He did not suffer. He
suffered only “dramatically” (with the prevailing exact knowledge
of the Self and the non-Self).
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266 Aptavani-4
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The Laws of Fulfilling Desires
How Methodical Nature Is!
The things in the world are limited, but the desires of
human beings are endless, are infinite. If you make a note of all
the desires the human beings of the world possess, and a note
of all the wealth in this world, will you be able to match them?
Questioner: What should I do to fulfill my desires?
Dadashri: The nature of mind is such that it will always
look for something new. It will look for a new sofa for the home,
it will look for a new apartment, etc.Aperson starts talking about
a new flat when he is healthy, if his health is not good, he will say,
‘I do not want the flat anymore.’ Then for his health to improve,
he will make some kind of religious pledge. The mind will jump
around like a monkey and that too without a tail! Nature says,
“Accept what I give you and consider it vyavasthit. I will slowly
fulfill all your desires at my convenience before you die.”
When your desire for something dies, the object of your
desire will come to you of its own accord. One man had a
desire to get married right up until the age of fifty-five. He would
tell people to find him a bride. And then, when he turned fifty-
eight, someone came to him and said, “I have a daughter if you
want to get married.” So now the man says “No, my desire is
now dead.”
What is the point of buying diamond earrings for a
seventy-year-old lady?

Aptavani-4 267
But the laws of nature are different. The laws that carry
one into a higher life-form are different from the laws that drag
one down to a lower life-form. Nevertheless, everyone’s desires
will be fulfilled for sure.
The law of nature is such that if one desires something and
the desire is immediately fulfilled, one is slipping down into a
lower life-form.And if you have a desire for something and you
do not get it, but when you do get it, you no longer desire it, it
will transport you to a higher life-form. That is a good thing.
Questioner: Some people’s desires are fulfilled the very
moment the desires occur. What would you call that?
Dadashri: When a person’s desires are fulfilled
immediately, he becomes so full of himself (intoxicated with ego)
that he cloys himself to the point of death and heads for a lower
life-form. Because the nature of the mind is such that once it
finds a place to jump around in, it will keep on jumping.
This is Kaliyug (the current era of the time cycle
characterized by lack of unity in mind, speech and body), and
so the fulfillment of desire increases a person’s ego, and the
‘wagon’ goes the wrong way (crazed ego). Therefore, it is
better to stumble and fall in this time cycle. Desires are fulfilled
because of merit karmas (punya). Because people’s desires get
fulfilled, they create all kinds of tumult. They squander their merit
karma (punya), and that gives rise to all these entanglements.
Isn’t that all because of the mad ego? Therefore, in this age, this
tripping and stumbling to acquire the higher state, is more
beneficial to you.
How wonderful Nature’s arrangement is! For those who
are to go to a higher life-form, Nature arranges everything for
them according to their desires, but only after their desires die.
And those who are to go to a lower life-form, Nature arranges
it so that their desires are immediately fulfilled. Therefore,
understand this fact about Nature.

268 Aptavani-4
Desire Is Indeed the Obstacle
Questioner: Where does desire (ichchha) originate?
Dadashri: Desire arises from the pressure of
circumstances. Right now, no one has a desire to cover himself
up with a blanket, but if it suddenly turns very cold, everyone
will have the desire to cover themselves. Circumstances make
them do that.
Questioner: Desire is dependency, so why should one
desire anything?
Dadashri: Even though you may not want to desire, it is
not something you can be free of, is it?
Questioner: In parabrahma (the Self), there is no desire
and no mind, is there?
Dadashri: The Self (Parabrahma) never has any
desires. Desire is a state of dependency. If there is a desire-free
(nirichchhak) man in the world, it is only the Gnani Purush. A
desire-free person does not have any kind of desire. Even if you
gave him all the gold in the world, he would have no use for it.
Such a being does not have even a single thought about sex
(vishay). He is absolutely indifferent to respect (maan) or insult
(upmaan). He has no beggarly desire for fame (kirti), disciples,
or building temples. He has become free from ownership of the
body (swamitwa). Such a Gnani Purush makes us free of
desire.
When can one remain in applied awareness of the Self
(upayog)? It is when all desires become weak. Won’t they have
to be weakened sooner or later? The slightest of desire is a
beggary. It is because I have become completely free of desire
that I have attained the state of a Gnani.
No obstacles remain for the one whose desires come to
an end. Obstacles arise when desires arise.

Aptavani-4 269
He that desires, cannot see, because the veil of desire
shrouds him.
Questioner: How do you fulfill an intense desire?
Dadashri: Whatever you have an intense desire for, is
bound to come your way. It will come to you in two years, five
years, but it will eventually come to you. Intense desire itself
says that it will be fulfilled for sure. The desires for those who
are heading towards moksha have to be fulfilled. Only then can
they go to moksha.
Pratyakhyan for Desires
You should all search within you to see which desires still
remain. First ask, “Is there a desire to go to the movies?” If the
answer is no, then ask about a second thing, and a third thing,
etc., and you will get the answers from within. The moment you
get up in the morning, say five times with a sincere heart, “I do
not want any temporary thing in this world.” Say this much and
go about your day. After that, if desire arises, then immediately
do pratyakhyan (firm determination to never commit the
mistake again, and asking for the energies for this). Should a
desire arise, where you did not desire it, you should ‘minus’ that
‘plus’ desire with pratyakhyan. Then there is no liability.
Questioner: Why do we have hopes and then despair?
Dadashri: Hope, despair and desire is the role (dharma)
of the deha (non-Self body complex). It continues to play its
role. Does the Self have any desires? If it did, then it would be
called a beggar. All the desires that occur after attaining the Self
are ‘discharging’ (effect) desires. ‘Charge’ desires cause bondage.
Questioner: When can we say that desire is ‘charged’?
Dadashri: Are you sure that ‘you are Chandubhai’?
Questioner: No.

270 Aptavani-4
Dadashri: Then how can you bind karma without you
being a ‘doer’? ‘I am Chandubhai’ is ignorance (agnan), and
the ‘doership’ is through this ignorance. The ‘doership’ is gone
when this ignorance goes away. Then there is no more
‘charging’. All that remains is the ‘discharging’.
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Aptavani-4 271
(32)
The Habit of Watching Television (TV)
…What Is Important at That Time?
Dadashri: There is satsang every Sunday, close to
where you live. Why don’t you attend?
Questioner: On Sundays, I have to watch TV Dada!
Dadashri: What connection do you have with TV? You
have bifocals now, and you are still watching TV? In our
country, you do not even need to watch TV or see plays,
because it is all happening on the streets outside your door.
Don’t you see it?
Questioner: It will all end when we get there, will it not?
Dadashri: Lord Krishna has said the same thing in the
Gita, that humans are wasting away their precious time
meaninglessly. Going to work to feed the family is not
meaningless.Alas, until one attains the other vision (of the Self),
this vision (worldly vision) is not likely to leave, is it?
When would a person rub stinking mud over his body? It
is when he feels a lot of burning sensation. Similarly, the TV, the
movies, etc., are like the stinking mud. You do not gain anything
with substance from them. I do not have a problem with
television; you are free to look at anything you want to. But say
you had a choice between five to ten minutes of TV or five to
ten minutes of satsang, which would you prefer? If you have an
exam at eleven, and you have to eat at eleven, what would you
do? That is the kind of understanding you should have!

272 Aptavani-4
Passing Time or Wasting Your Life Away?
There are people in India who would waste eight hours
looking for the fifty cents they lost. People’s time is spent
according to their understanding. One has attained this human
life with very great difficulty. This body is invaluable, but it is
used according to one’s understanding. Would it not be used
according to a person’s own understanding? I am not saying that
what you are doing is wrong. There is no such thing as “wrong”
in this world. But wouldn’t you be wasting your time in it? It is
a ‘waste of time’. Just because of such a lack of understanding
one forfeits this rare human life-form, only to end up with four
legs, six legs, eight legs. You wander around while all precious
time turns to dust.
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Aptavani-4 273
(33)
Greed
Why Be Greedy When It Is Not in Your Hands?
Questioner: I have a ‘knot’ of greed, what can I do
about it?
Dadashri: You should say, “Whatever it is to be in
vyavasthit, let it be. And whatever is not in vyavasthit, so be it”.
Do You Gain or Lose with Greed?
Questioner: When does the ‘knot’ of greed explode?
Dadashri: When you have accumulated ‘99’. (One is
constantly striving to turn that sum into 100 and so one becomes
greedy in the process). A person may be a millionaire, but how
is it possible for him not to have any greed (lobh)? A greedy
person is obsessed with just one thing. He is not too bothered
about pride. It will trouble a proud man to be insulted; whereas
a greedy man will say, “I made two hundred rupees today, so
what if he insulted me?” As long as there is pride and anger in
a person, he is not considered greedy. Greed is a bad habit that
has formed through life after life. A greedy man may make a
profit for the first five to ten years, but in the end he will incur
a loss without fail. An honest man will not lose anything. But
when Nature changes its results, no one is spared. What is for
certain is that an honest man will have less to fear.
Without Knowing the Self, Contentment Is Not
Possible
The antonym of greed (lobh) is satisfaction (santosh). A
person receives satisfaction for something good that he did in his

274 Aptavani-4
previous life. He may also find a degree of satisfaction in
understanding the world. But where there is knowledge of the Self
(Atmagnan), he will experience nothing but contentment (trupti).
If he has enjoyed something for countless lifetimes, he may not
want anything, because he is already experiencing satisfaction. The
person who has not had that experience, on the other hand, will
perpetually feel, “I want to enjoy this, I want to enjoy that.” If you
have enjoyed royalty in your past life, you will not like it if you
were offered the same in this life, because you will get tired of it.
Questioner: There are some people who want what
others have. If they see others with a car, then they want it too.
Dadashri: When does loksangnya (loksangnya – to be
dictated by what the world does; societal influence) arise? It
arises when one is not satisfied from within. Even to this day, I
have not found a single person who could give me happiness.
Even when I was young I never felt the need to have a radio.
Aren’t all these just living, walking ‘radios’?
A Greedy Person Looks for More, Despite
Having It!
Questioner: Isn’t a greedy person (lobhio), also miserly
(kanjoos)?
Dadashri: No, misers are different. A person becomes a
miser because he does not have money; whereas a greedy man
may have twenty-five thousand rupees at home and yet his chit
will be stuck on where he can find the cheaper ghee (clarified
butter). His chit is constantly in greed. Even when he goes to the
market, he looks for a heap of cheap vegetables.
The one who has awareness in every facet of greed is
considered a greedy man. A man who goes to the neighbor and
gets something from him, because he has run out at home, is not
greedy. The one who has everything and yet keeps looking for
it elsewhere is considered greedy.
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Aptavani-4 275
(34)
Let Go of the Reins
Then the Practice of ‘Doership’ Will Go Away!
Here, in Akram, we do not have worldly samayik,
dhyan, or any other rituals. All that, you find on the outside.
Worldly samayik or dhyan means that you decide on an
external boundary for yourself and then you do not allow
anything to enter into it. You continue to push out anything that
tries to come into it. But things will come in even if you try to
keep them out. Whereas in our samayik, You simply have to
“see” what enters, and what happens within. You just have to go
on ‘seeing’ all the thoughts that come along, whether they are
good thoughts or bad thoughts. When you watch a movie and
you see the actors fighting and creating havoc, you do not get
emotional, do you? Just as it is in a cinema, so it is a ‘cinema’
within you. This samayik is like watching a movie within you. It
is indeed beneficial, especially if you do it for forty-eight minutes.
Just try this experiment, of letting go of the reins, just
one day of the week. On Sunday, let go of your reins early in
the morning and say, “Dada, I am handing this rope over to
you.” Hand over to Dada the reins of all the five “horses” (the
senses), and then just see how they all run. I will not let this
“chariot” fall into a ditch or do anything else. You do not know
how to handle the reins which is why you let go of them on a
downward slope and keep pulling hard while going uphill and
so the poor “horses” get exhausted and bleed from their
mouths. That is why Lord Krishna told Arjun to sit and let him
guide the chariot. Arjun’s chariot began to run straight when

276 Aptavani-4
Lord Krishna took over the reins. I ask you to let go of the
reins only once a week. However, if mistakes still occur, then
say, “Dada, I apologize for taking over the reins again. I will
not do that again,” then let go of them again. Initially, you will
make mistakes. It takes time for it to come into practice. You
will get it right after two or three times. Then for further
progress You have to continue ‘seeing’ what ‘Chandubhai’ is
saying, and whether it is correct or not.
The Gnani’s Process
In our Gnani’s program, I see each and every kriya
(action through mind, speech and body). That is why I call “this”
speech a record. I keep “seeing” what this record is playing and
what it is not; whereas people become engrossed (tanmayakar;
become one with) with their speech. To remain completely nir-
tanmayakar (one does not become one) is considered absolute
knowledge (Kevalgnan).
The way the world sees things is also the way the agnani
sees things. But what they ‘see’ will be of no use to them. This
is because their ‘basement’ is ego (ahamkar). ‘I am Chandubhai’
is their ‘basement’ (foundation), and our (mahatmas’) basement
is ‘I am Shuddhatma.’ Therefore, whatever I see counts
towards a fraction of kevalgnan. For whatever fraction You
‘see’; however much of a fraction you ‘see’ yourself as being
separate; your speech as being separate and you ‘see’ what this
‘Chandubhai’ (the non-Self) is doing, all gives rise to a
corresponding fraction of kevalgnan. When someone insults
me, it is in my Gnan and when this ‘record’ speaks, it is also
in my Gnan. It is in my Gnan when this ‘record’ says anything
wrong. For me there is complete awareness (jagruti) all the
time. And complete awareness is kevalgnan. In the worldly life,
people have worldly awareness, but that awareness is based on
ego. Whereas “this” awareness, is the awareness that comes
after You become Shuddhatma (pure Soul). This is a fraction of

Aptavani-4 277
the awareness of kevalgnan and from that point onwards, it
becomes kalyankari (ultimate benefit towards salvation).
Do not allow the inner machinery to slack off. You have
to keep an eye on where the wear and tear occurs and what
happens to it; with whom you used harsh words? There is
nothing wrong with saying them, but you have to keep ‘seeing’:
‘Wow! ‘Chandubhai’ spoke harshly!’
Questioner: But wouldn’t it be better to stay quiet as
much as possible?
Dadashri: It is no longer in Your hands, whether to speak
or not. You are a general manager, so you will immediately
understand when I explain things to you.
The Science of Charge and Discharge of Karma
What is considered a ‘discharge’? Say there is a motor,
which runs when you wind it up. The winding is equivalent to
‘charging’. Then when you leave it to ‘discharge’, would it be
under your control?
Questioner: No.
Dadashri: It is not under our control after that. It will
unwind only as much as you wound it. If you wound it only half
way it will go only half the way, if it is wound a quarter of the
way, it will only go quarter of the way, and if you gave it a full
turn, it will unwind fully. You will not be able to stop it. That is
called ‘discharge’. The speech is being discharged in the same
way. Three ‘batteries’are being discharged; the batteries of the
speech, the conduct and the mind. Even thoughts, whether you
wish them too or not, continue to ‘discharge’. They go on
discharging whether they are good thoughts or bad. As these
three ‘batteries’ discharge on one end, simultaneously three new
ones are being ‘charged’ at the other end: a new mind is
forming, and new speech is being ‘recorded’. As long as a

278 Aptavani-4
person does not have awareness of the Self, there is no such
‘basement’; these new ‘batteries’ will continue to be charged.
They will carry on discharging as well. So they are just
‘batteries’.All three, run down and all three are getting charged.
As long as the imposition of the wrong belief (aropit bhaav) of
‘I am Chandubhai’ is there, the batteries just carry on charging,
because of the ignorance of the Self. And when You have the
awareness of, ‘I am Shuddhatma,’ you no longer ‘charge’ any
new ‘batteries’. The old ones of course, will continue to
‘discharge’ for everyone; the Self-realized and the non-Self-
realized alike, as well as for the animals – they all will have
batteries that ‘discharge’.
No effort is needed in this ‘discharge’. Their nature is to
discharge; therefore, they will continue to discharge on their
own. Your hand will move on its own even if you decide you do
not want to move it. That is because all this ‘machinery’ is
‘discharging’. People however, try to alter the ‘discharge’, now
how can that be possible? At the very least, they can change the
‘charge’ in the ‘charging’ process. When the ‘discharge’ occurs
according to a person’s wishes, his ego will increase, because he
feels that everything is going his way. But when it goes against
what he wants, he will say, “God did this to me. My karmas are
not good.” They utter all kinds of nonsense. It is ‘discharge’
when it happens according to one’s desires and it is also
‘discharge’when it happens contrary to one’s desires. It shows
its nature ‘discharge’. Two kinds of things happen here – either
you like it or you don’t. For the world, this gives rise to
attachment (raag) and abhorrence (dwesh) towards things.
Attachment towards things one likes, and abhorrence towards
what one dislikes. So the world persists through attachment,
abhorrence and the ignorance (agnan) of ‘I am Chandubhai’.
Jainism calls it raag (attachment), dwesh (abhorrence) and
agnan (ignorance of the Self) and Vedanta (Hindu scriptures)
calls it mudd (impurities), vikshep (obstructed view; false
projection) and agnan (ignorance of the Self).

Aptavani-4 279
As ‘Discharge’, Others as Faultless
It is a different matter to look at everything from the
outside but when You continue to ‘see’within, You will be in the
realm of kevalgnan. But that would be a fraction of kevalgnan,
not the absolute kevalgnan. If you have bad thoughts, you
should just ‘see’ them and if you have good ones, you should
just ‘see’ them as well. Have no attachment (raag) towards the
good and no abhorrence (dwesh) towards the bad. You do not
need to look at what is good and what is bad, because you have
no control over it. So what do Gnanis look at? They see the
whole world as faultless (nirdosh). They see that all this is
nothing but ‘discharge’, so how can all the poor things be
blamed? It is a ‘discharge’ when someone insults or curses you,
and it is a discharge when the boss confuses you. The boss is
an instrumental (nimit). No one is at fault in this world. The fault
you see in others is your own fault (effect of the cause in the past
life), and that is the very ‘blunder’which gives rise to the worldly
life. Enmity is created through seeing faults or negativity in
others.
In the ‘Dramatic’ There Is No Doership!
If you do not have the ‘real’ vision (vision as the Self), you
will see everything the way people of the world see it with their
worldly vision of, “This is my brother-in-law, this is my uncle…”.
By saying “my,” attachment (raag) arises. However, after you
attain the knowledge of the Self, when You say “my”, it now
becomes ‘dramatic’. The ‘my’ carries a ‘dramatic’ intent
(bhaav). ‘Dramatic’ (characteristic of drama; fictitious, acting:
There is a clear separation in the vision of the Self and the non-
Self). It is a short and simple thing. You only have to understand
it.
The mind, speech and conduct are continually discharging,
and now all You have to do is keep ‘seeing’ them. The
‘discharge’ is not in your hands. It is no use trying to meddle in

280 Aptavani-4
it. You (the Self) have to just ‘see’what ‘Chandubhai’(the non-
Self) is doing. This is the only thing that Lord Mahavir was
doing. He was only ‘seeing’ what was going on in his pudgal
(non-Self complex) and nothing else. How wise He was! Just
talking about Him gives me so much joy!
Questioner: But even by being ‘dramatic’ in the worldly
life, doesn’t one still have to do things?
Dadashri: Nothing needs to be done in the ‘dramatic’; it
all happens on its own. Besides, there is nothing worth doing, it
happens by itself. You fall asleep when it is time to sleep and you
wake up when it is time to wake up. Everything just goes on
happening. You cannot say, ‘It is got to be done, it is worth
doing’ or you cannot say, ‘It is not to be done or it is not worth
doing’either, because ‘doership’is not in Your hands. The Atma
(the Self) is not the ‘doer’.
Saiyam of the Final State
Questioner: But whatever karma one has to do in the
worldly interactions (vyavahar), are bound to come, aren’t
they?
Dadashri: All that happens on its own. You (the Self)
have to say to ‘Chandubhai’ (the non-Self), “Chandubhai, it is
time for you to go to work, why are you not going?” That is all.
You have to alert him to this much. It all happens. ‘Discharge’
means that it continues to happen. If you say something hurtful
to someone, there is nothing wrong in telling ‘Chandubhai’ that
it would be better if he would not say hurtful things to others.
Despite this, if something hurtful does get said, then You should
tell ‘Chandubhai’, “Why did you do atikraman (aggression
through thoughts, speech or action)? You said things that hurt
this young man, so do pratikraman for it.” Then You make him
do the pratikraman in the young man’s name. This is all You
have to understand.

Aptavani-4 281
To miss ‘seeing’ ‘what is happening’ is considered
asaiyam, and to continuously ‘see’ ‘what is happening’ is
saiyam.
This is the final saiyam; it is the saiyam of the Gnanis.
People generally consider saiyam as referring to the control of
the body’s functions. But all that is talk at the gross level, while
‘this’ is the ultimate discussion about saiyam. With ‘this’
saiyam, the rule is that the pudgal (body complex) of the one
who attains it, will gradually become saiyamit (natural and
without kashays). Alas! This ultimate saiyam is the only thing
worth coming into.
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282 Aptavani-4
(35)
The Theory of Karma
What Is Karma and What Is Dharma in Vyavahar?
When two people interact and resolve their pending
accounts of karma with each other, it is called dharma.
Not to resolve a pending account amicably with anyone,
is karma (binding new karma).
If the vegetable dish is too salty, to eat it is dharma, and
to say, “Why did you make it so salty?” is karma.
The World Only Knows the Theory of Doership
Questioner: The theory of karma is not in Jainism, but
it is in the Gita, why is that?
Dadashri: The theory of karma has been accepted in
Jainism, as well as in other religions. Those who believe in ‘life
after death’, believe in the theory of karma.
Understand the theory of karma. All people look at, is
the ‘theory of doership’ of atma (worldly self). They have seen
the theory of “He insulted me; he is the ‘doer’”, but they have
not come across the theory which states that the other person’s
action is the result of the unfolding karma of the one being
insulted. Many people say, “My karmas are obstructing me”,
but they have not seen that theory. If they understood what
karma is, then there would be no grounds for accusing the other
person by saying, “Why did he do that to me?”
Because of karma, all living beings (jivas) are experiencing

Aptavani-4 283
terrible suffering. Moreover, at the same time, they go around
accusing others, “He did this to me and he did that to me.” And
in this way, the karmas only double. If they would just
understand the root cause behind why things happen to them,
and that the reason why their loved ones bother them so much,
is because of their own karmic accounts from the past life, and
that the fault is of the sufferer; then their suffering will abate.
Questioner: Does the worldly life run according to the
theory of karma?
Dadashri: No, there is no theory of karma in it.
Questioner: What is karma? There is no resolution if one
even depends on the theory of karma. If one considers God as
the ‘doer’, even then it does not fit into the equation. Then there
has to be something else that regulates all this. What is that?
Dadashri: It is all run by scientific circumstantial evidences.
The whole world is run by this energy. These words are not easy
to understand unless you think about them very closely.
Who Is the ‘Doer’ of Karma?
Questioner: What is karma? What is the root of it?
How is karma bound?
Dadashri: Karma is bound through ‘doership’ (karta-
bhaav). “I am doing it” is ‘doership’. Someone else does it and
one claims, “I did it.” He passes his college examinations on the
basis of some other energy, and yet he claims that he passed the
exams. That is a wrong belief and this is what binds karma. ‘I
am Chandubhai’ is itself karma.
Questioner: Then who does the karma? Does karma
affect the Atma (the Self) or the pudgal (the non-Self
complex)?
Dadashri: If you are a Gnani (Self-realized), then the

284 Aptavani-4
karmas do not belong to you, but if you are agnani (ignorant
of the Self), then they are yours.
It is wrong to believe that the Atma (the Self) is the
‘doer’ of karma. In fact, the Atma is not the ‘doer’ of
karma. If it was the ‘doer’ of karma, it would never attain
liberation. Even the absolutely liberated ones, the Siddhas who
have gone to moksha, would continue binding karma, if the
Self was a ‘doer’ of anything. There is no superior entity that
binds karma or releases one from karma. What there is, is
only you.
Questioner: If the Self is pure (shuddha) then who gets
smeared and tainted by karma?
Dadashri: The ‘doer’.
Questioner: If the pudgal (non-Self complex) is the
‘doer’, doesn’t it remain here (after death)?
Dadashri: Neither the pudgal (non-Self complex) nor
the Self create, or bind karma. It is in the presence of the Self
that ego arises. And it is that very ego that is the doer of karma.
This is the ego that says, “I did this, I am happy, I am unhappy,
I attained Gnan, I slipped into ignorance (agnan).” The ego
does all this. Once the ego leaves, one becomes the Self. Just
so that the world could comprehend this, the vitarags have said
that the self from the perspective of the vyavahar (worldly
interaction) is the ‘doer’; however, from the perspective of
nischay (of the Self), it is a ‘non-doer’. ‘By relative viewpoint’,
the self is a ‘doer’ of karma. However, it is not the ‘doer’ of
these visible karmas (those evident through mind, speech and
body), it is the ‘doer’ of bhaavkarma (‘I am Chandubhai’), and
this charges karma. The ‘doer’ of the visible karma is Nature;
it is vyavasthit.
“By ‘real’ viewpoint” the Self is the ‘doer’ of swabhav
karma (its natural state of Knowing and Seeing).

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One’s own wrong belief of ‘I am Chandubhai’ arises!
With this wrong belief karma is created. The pudgal (non-Self
complex) alone cannot create karma. It requires the Atma’s
presence. The ego that arises because of the presence of the
Atma (Self) is doing the work. All this ends when the ego is
‘fractured’. The ego binds karma, and Nature frees you from
karma. Nature frees you from karma when the timing is right,
and when all the other ‘evidences’come together. When you are
being freed from that karma, the ego suffers (bhogavey) it and
binds a new karma.
Who Removes That Ego?
Questioner: Do you mean to say that the Atma (Self)
binds (‘charges’) and ‘discharges’ karma through the body
complex (pudgal)?
Dadashri: No, it is not like that. The Self has absolutely
no involvement in this. In fact, the Self is free. It is independent.
It is the ego, which has been created through a false imposition
(of ‘I am Chandubhai’) that binds karma, and it is the ego that
experiences the fruits of karma. You are Shuddhatma (the pure
Soul), and yet you claim ‘I am Chandubhai’. To claim to be
what you are not, is called the ego. This is the false imposition
of the ego. Egoism is to usurp someone else’s space and call it
your own. When this ego departs, You can return to Your own
place.
Questioner: Can we get rid of our ego through our own
efforts, or does it happen naturally?
Dadashri: You cannot get rid of it completely, however,
you can up to a certain extent. When you wash clothes with
soap, the soap will leave its residue behind on the clothes. Then
Tinopal (stain-remover) will leave its residue behind if you try to
remove the soap residue with it; the final residue will not come
out on its own. You need a Gnani Purush to remove the final

286 Aptavani-4
“dirt,” but until that happens the ego breaks down through a
series of natural beatings.
Continuous Binding of Karma Where There Is
Ignorance
Questioner: Aren’t we binding karma at each moment
right now?
Dadashri: Not just every moment, but even at night while
you sleep. During the day, you are aware that you are binding
karma, but you are also binding karma during the night. That
is because even while you are sleeping, you do not forget, ‘I am
Chandubhai.’
No Binding of Karma in the Presence of Gnan!
Questioner: How do we stop binding karma?
Dadashri: It is when You have the awareness of your
own Atma. After the Gnani Purush gives You the awareness of
the Self, You will no longer bind any karma.After that, you will
not bind any new karma, and the old ones will continue to
‘discharge’.
Questioner: How can one become free from the karmas
that are being bound through the bodily functions of eating and
drinking?
Dadashri: After Self-realization, you do not bind any
karma whatsoever. From then on, in eating, drinking,
wandering about or wearing spectacles, you do not bind any
karma.
Questioner: But doesn’t eating and drinking kill a lot of
living beings (jivas, embodied souls)?
Dadashri: As long as one is violent (himsak), there will
always be violence (himsa) in one’s every action. ‘I am
Chandubhai’ is a wrong belief, and that in itself is a violent intent

Aptavani-4 287
(himsak bhaav). And where you yourself become the Self, it
means that you have become a non-violent (ahimsak), and the
fault (dosh) of violence (himsa) does not fall on You. But
because there is no awareness of the Self, only violence prevails
everywhere. Only the vision (drashti) needs to change.
Lighter Karmas Are Bound Through
Repentance
Questioner: Are you saying that I do not bind any
karma if I have non-violent intention in my heart, while carrying
out worldly obligations with my body?
Dadashri: No. You will still bind karma. As long as you
have the belief of, ‘I am Chandubhai’, the violence (himsa) does
occur, even though in your mind, your inner intent (bhaav) is, “I
do not want to do any violence.” Despite that, if it does happen,
you will still have to confront the consequences of your karma,
and what would that be like? You will probably get hit by a small
stone and your karma will be paid off. Whereas another person
with the inner intent of, “I want to do himsa” will be hit by a
large rock. The violence (himsa) is the same for both, but
because of the differences in the inner intent, the fruits of the
karma are different.
Questioner: Do I have to repent for carrying out the
body’s functions (dharma)?
Dadashri: Of course! Until you attain the awareness of,
‘I am the Atma’, you will bind even stronger karma if you do
not repent. The ‘knots’ of karma become lighter as you repent.
Otherwise, the consequence of that demerit karma (paap) will
be very grave. You will even lose the coming life as a human
being.And should you happen to be born as a human again, you
will encounter many difficulties. You will never come across any
food, drink, or respect; only unrelenting disrespect and insult.
That is precisely why repentance and all these other actions are

288 Aptavani-4
so necessary. This is called indirect (paroksh) worship (bhakti).
Until you attain Atmagnan (knowledge of the Soul) you have to
do this kind of indirect worship.
Karma Is Bound Only in the Human Form
Questioner: If I do not repent for my daily actions, do
they accumulate in the long run?
Dadashri: No, they do not accumulate. Karmas will
shed once they are bound. For example, if one binds karmas
that lead to the animal life, then one takes birth in an animal life-
form and dissipates karmas there, before returning back to the
human form. Karmas do not accumulate from one life to
another. One lifetime’s earning of karma (causes in human life),
he will spend them in five to seven lifetimes in the animal life-
form, before returning.
Questioner: Does one bind karma in the animal life-
form?
Dadashri: No, karmas are not bound there. Only
humans bind karma. Even the celestial beings (devas, devis) do
not bind karma. Everyone goes into other life-forms, only to
dissipate their karma (discharge).
Questioner: The living beings (jivas) of the Tiryancha
gati (lower life-forms) are violent (himsak) too. Even they have
kashays, so don’t they bind karma?
Dadashri: No. No animal binds karma, except for
humans.
Questioner: Will the karma, bound in the human form,
have to be suffered in a lower life-form?
Dadashri: Yes, if you have taken or enjoyed anything that
is not rightfully yours, it is a ‘bestial’ karma which will have to
be suffered by going into the animal life-form.

Aptavani-4 289
Questioner: And after suffering there, does he return to
the human life-form?
Dadashri: Yes, he returns to the human life-form. Even
if he goes into the celestial life he has to return to the human
life. One only has the right to venture into the realms of other
life-forms from the human life-form. In the human life-form,
there is both ‘charging’ and ‘discharging’ of karma, whilst in
other life-forms, there is only ‘discharge’ of karma. Only
human life is a “test examination”. Those who fail, will go to a
lower life-form or to some infernal realm. Those who pass, will
remain as humans, and if they have an ‘exceptional grade’,
they will go on to life as a celestial being. The fifth gati (realm
or life-form) is moksha which is only attained by way of the
human life-form.
Questioner: Does one have to make a stop in the human
life-form, on the way from one lower life-form to another lower
life-form?
Dadashri: No, from one lower life-form to another lower
life-form, is eight lifetimes at the most and no more. One then
returns to the human life-form.
Questioner: You also find the same sort of human
understanding in the animal life-form, so why do animals not
bind karma?
Dadashri: Animals have ‘limited’ understanding and
humans have ‘unlimited’ understanding. Animals even have
limited ‘minds’. Therefore, they are unable to bind karma.
Karma – A Balance of Many Lifetimes
Questioner: Are my present karmas, from my countless
past lives?
Dadashri: Each life is in the form of a ‘balance sheet’ of
endless previous lives. It is not the sum of all previous lives,

290 Aptavani-4
because the rule is that upon maturation, the karma has to bear
its fruit, or else so many karmas will stay pending!
How Is a Karmic Account Paid Off?
Questioner: If we have created enmity (veyr) towards
someone, then do we have to face him in another life to settle it?
Dadashri: No, it is not like that. A score is not settled in
that way. When enmity is created, attachment-abhorrence
(raag-dwesh) is involved. If you had created enmity with your
son in the past life, wouldn’t you wonder about which lifetime it
would be settled? How will you come together again like this?
Your son may even come as a cat in this life. If you offer it milk,
it will scratch you on your face. That is how it all is! This is how
your enmity gets settled. The rule of the maturation time for
karma, is that the karmic account (hisaab) is paid off quickly.
When I ask you, have you done anything for moksha in
your countless past lives? It means, what is the balance sheet of
all your past lives? Isn’t it that artadhyan and raudradhyan
have continued to carry on?
Whatever you have to experience and suffer, is itself the
fruits of your past karma, and nothing else. You cannot see
karma. You can see the ‘fruit’ (effect) of karma. When
someone slaps you or you have a stomachache or headache or
paralysis, etc., is all referred to as karma, but it is not that at
all. Some attribute these afflictions to this body (pudgal) and its
actions. But in truth, it is not that. The body (deha) is not
kusangi (a negative influence; wrong company). If the
understanding veered in this direction, it would help them along
their way to moksha. This is just a glitch in one’s understanding.
The belief that ‘I am Chandubhai’ and everything done
under this belief, is the cause of the worldly life (sansar).
Questioner: Often, when people burn themselves or fall,

Aptavani-4 291
in the absence of a nimit (instrumental person), what karma has
caused that?
Dadashri: You get hurt because in your past life, you
made an inner intent (bhaav) to hurt another.And if you had not
made such an inner intent, then nothing will harm you.
When everyone around is being robbed, but if there is as
honest man in their midst, he will never be robbed. The thieves
themselves will not be able to rob such a man. That is the kind
of “safe-side” there is in this world.
Aashrav, Bandh, Samvar and Nirjara
Questioner: How should I understand the term
‘discharging of karma’?
Dadashri: What is the root cause of karma? Attachment-
abhorrence (raag-dwesh). In Jainism it is said, ‘If you want to
go to moksha, then you have to get rid of attachment (raag),
abhorrence (dwesh) and agnan (ignorance of the Self).’And in
Vedanta it says, ‘You attain moksha when mudd (impurity),
vikshep (obstructed view; false projection) and agnan (ignorance
of the Self) go away.’ Agnan (ignorance) is common to both.
Agnan is the basis for attachment-abhorrence (raag-dwesh).
Karma will begin to fall off when ignorance of the Self (agnan)
goes away. How can you get rid of ignorance (agnan)? With
Gnan (Knowledge of the Self). Liberation is halted because of
the ignorance of the Self.
Who do you think is the ‘doer’ of karma?
Questioner: The Atma (Soul).
Dadashri: How can the Atma be kriya-vadi (‘doer’ of
anything)? This is very important to understand. No one is able
to shed even a single karma. Karma is shed when samvar
(stoppage of karmic matter) occurs. With all this continuing
aashrav (influx of karmic matter), how can the karma be

292 Aptavani-4
shed? To discharge (shed) karma and at the same time aashrav
(influx) to continue, is contradictory. If you want to shed karma,
you must have samvar (stoppage of the influx). But first, unless
you make the distinction between jiva-ajiva (living-nonliving;
the Self and the non-Self), you will not get anywhere. Essentially
all you will be doing is enduring the inauspicious (ashubha)
karma and binding auspicious (shubha) karma. Otherwise, the
karma will continue being bound.
Questioner: How does aashrav (influx of karmic
matter) occur?
Dadashri: When you have bad thoughts in your mind, it
is called udaya-bhaav (intent that arises due to the unfolding of
past karma). If the atma (relative self) becomes involved
(tanmayakar) with the thought, it is called aashrav (influx of
karmic matter). Now for that atikraman (negative bhaav), if
you immediately do pratikraman, it will get erased. If you
cannot do pratikraman, then the karma will bind.
Just one lifetime going to waste is not of great consequence,
but what is crucial, is that one will bind karma for another
hundred more lifetimes.
Questioner: What is samvar?
Dadashri: Samvar means the stoppage of ‘charging’. As
long as there is this awareness of ‘I am Chandubhai’, both influx
(aashrav) and bondage (bandh) will continue. And if the
awareness of ‘I am Shuddhatma’ is present, there will be
samvar (stoppage of charging new karma). How long does the
awareness of ‘I am Shuddhatma’ remain with you?
Questioner: It stays with me the whole time since you
gave me the Gnan.
Dadashri: Therefore, there is no binding of karma
(bandh) for You from now on. You have samvar (blockage),

Aptavani-4 293
and the aashrav (influx) from before, will continue to discharge
(nirjara). Now no more new karma is bound. There is
discharging (nirjara) of karma for every living being. When you
do not have the knowledge of the Self, your past karma will
continue to discharge (nirjara), but at the same time, you will
continue to bind new ones.
After swaroop Gnan (knowledge of the Self), there is
only discharge of karma (nirjara). In other words, the charging
of karma ends, leaving only those that need to be ‘discharged’.
With whatever inner intent (bhaav) the karma was ‘charged’,
it will be ‘discharged’ with the same inner intent. Except, in this
case, You have no new charging (samvar) while the karma is
being discharged; you do not charge any karma, whilst others
do.
Those who have pure awareness of the Self (shuddha
upayogi) do not bind a single karma.
Questioner: Can bondage be destroyed in the smallest
fraction of time (samaya)?
Dadashri: Yes, it can. On account of pure applied
awareness (shuddha upayog) it is possible. Through Akram
Vignan, it is possible for one to remain in shuddha upayog.
Questioner: What is true penance? What is the discharge
(nirjara) of karma that Lord Mahavir has shown us?
Dadashri: As long as there is no ‘charging’ of new
karma (samvar), sakaam (moksha hetu bhoot – for the
purpose of attaining liberation) discharge will not occur. Sakaam
discharge occurs only when there is no new charging (samvar).
Even cows and buffaloes have akaam (without ultimate
purpose) discharge.
Questioner: Please explain what is bandh and anubandh?
Dadashri: With anubandh, your karma is unfolding and

294 Aptavani-4
coming into effect. Your meeting with Kaviraj is because of
anubandh (effect). At that moment you again bind karma
(bandh). So you have to understand where the responsibility lies.
Questioner: What causes bandh (binding of karma) and
anubandh (discharge of karma)?
Dadashri: It is because of the belief of ‘I am Chandubhai,
I am the ‘doer’ of this.’
Questioner: Does that lead to bandh (binding of karma)
or anubandh (discharge of karma)?
Dadashri: Anubandh.
Questioner: Then how does bandh occur?
Dadashri: After anubandh, the same old process
continues. As long as the ‘doership’ stays, bandh (binding of
karma) continues. But if You have the realization at that time
that, ‘I am Shuddhatma and vyavasthit is the doer’, then the
‘charging’ will not occur. In spite of anubandh (discharge of
karma), there will be no bandh (charging).
The Thermometer for Good or Bad Karma
Questioner: What is the “thermometer” (gauge) to
recognize shubha (auspicious) karma and ashubha (inauspicious)
karma?
Dadashri: When a shubha karma unfolds, you feel its
sweetness, you feel peaceful and you have a sense of comfort
and tranquility around you, but when a bad karma (ashubha)
is unfolding you feel a bitterness and your mind feels uneasy and
restless. A bad karma causes you internal suffering, while a
good karma lets you experience pleasure.
Questioner: There are times when we feel we are
binding bad (ashubha) karma, even though externally the event
unfolding is one of good karma.

Aptavani-4 295
Dadashri: Yes. That happens. Right now the event may
be of shubha (good) karma, but one may be binding bad
karma from within.
Overt Karma: Subtle Karma
Questioner: How can we tell whether a karma is old
(discharging, effect) or new (charging, cause)?
Dadashri: Nobody can see whether a karma has been
created (charged) or not. Only the Lord, the One with absolute
knowledge (kevalgnan), can know this. There is not the
slightest trace of new karma in what you see in the world today.
As long as you stay as the Knower-Seer (Gnata-Drashta) of
the unfolding karma, you will not create a new karma. But if
you become tanmayakar (‘I am Chandubhai, I am doing this’),
then you will bind new karma. It is only after You become
Atmagnani (knower of the Atma), that you stop binding
karma.
All the upchar (remedies-spiritual/religious) and medicines
that are around in this Kaliyug (the current era of the time cycle
characterized by lack of unity in mind, speech and body) are
wrong. If a man does charitable work, is pious in his religion,
donates money to temples, he does all that throughout his day,
he is regarded by people as a ‘religious’ man. But within him, the
man conceals intentions like, ‘How do I amass more?’ And
‘How can I find gratification?’ His real desire is to take from
others, what is not rightfully his. In this Kaliyug (the current era
of the time cycle), people generally desire to take things that are
not rightfully theirs. They are always ready to enjoy something
they have no right to. He may, on the outside, be displaying his
generosity by acting charitably and flaunting his ‘religious’ nature
with visible austerities, but internally he is harboring thoughts of
illicit money and sex. The Lord does not grant such a man a
single penny’s worth of credit. Why is that? It is because these
are all sthool (perceptible; overt) karma. All of which you see

296 Aptavani-4
on the outside; what you see in a person’s behavior, is overt
(sthool) karma. The person will realize the fruit of his sthool
karma, here and now. People think of these sthool karmas as
karma for the life to come, but the fruits of these karmas will
be realized here in this very life. Whereas the fruits of subtle
(sookshma) karma that are being bound internally, that are not
perceptible to others, will be realized in the next life.
If a person were to steal today, the stealing is overt
(sthool) karma. And he will receive the fruit of that karma in
this very life. In one way or another he will be disgraced; with
punishment from the police perhaps – but in any case he will
receive the fruit of his overt (sthool) karma in the present
lifetime. When someone gives a generous donation, people will
give him considerable praise and importance. ‘Oh, what a great
philanthropist he is!’ they will say. While all along, the man is
having negative thoughts about his donation! This is the subtle
(sookshma) karma that he is binding from within. This overt
(sthool) karma and overt (sthool) conduct that is overtly
visible, will be of no help to you ‘over there’ (in the next life)!
Over there, only ‘What is subtle (sookshma) thought?’ will
carry weight. And ‘what is subtle (sookshma) karma?’ is all
that will be helpful to you over there. Now the whole world has
“adjusted” (become accustomed) to the overt (sthool) karma.
The practice of meditation and penance by the monks and
ascetics is all overt (sthool; effect) karma. Where is the subtle
(sookshma) karma in all that? There is no subtle (sookshma)
karma in it for their next life. For their overt (sthool) karma,
they will receive praise in this life. The acharyas do their
pratikraman, samayik, give lectures and discourses, etc., but
that is their conduct; their overt karma. But you have to look
at what is going on inside. It is what is being ‘charged’ inside that
is going to help you over there. Their conduct today is a
‘discharge’. Their entire external conduct is in the form of
‘discharge’. They all say, “I did samayik, I did dhyan, I

Aptavani-4 297
donated.” One will be rewarded for all that, here. For all that,
they will be rewarded here (in this life), but what does that have
to do with the next life? The Lord is no fool that He will accept
such falsehood from you. They may be doing samayik on the
outside, but who knows what is going on inside.
One man was doing introspective meditation (samayik)
when someone knocked on his door. His wife opened the door.
A man had come looking for him. “Where is the sheth (the
boss)?” he asked, and the wife replied, “He has gone to a
garbage dump (a bad part of town, renowned for illicit
activities)!” The sheth, upon hearing his wife’s reply, looked
within and realized that indeed, that is where his mind was!
Although on the outside he was doing a samayik, he kept
having bad thoughts within. God does not allow such falsehood
to carry on. If samayik prevails internally, although it may not be
the case on the outside, it will still be acceptable ‘there’
(moksha). But this external ostentation will not work over there.
I will explain to you what overt (sthool) karma is. Say
you become very angry. Even though you do not want to get
angry, the anger still comes. Doesn’t that happen?
Questioner: It does happen.
Dadashri: When that anger happens, you reap the
consequences right here and now. People will say, ‘Let him be,
he has got a ferocious temper anyway.’Someone may even slap
you. Therefore, either through disgrace or by some other way,
you will receive the fruit of your karma. So, to become angry
is your overt (sthool) karma. But if your inner intent (bhaav)
of today is one of, ‘It is necessary to get angry’, then it would
be, that you are creating another account of anger. But if today
you have decided in your mind that you do not want to get angry
at all, but despite that if you still do, then there will be no binding
(karma of anger) in the next life. In this overt (sthool) karma,
because you displayed your anger, you will have to suffer its

298 Aptavani-4
consequences in this lifetime. Even then, you will not bind any
karma for the life to come. This is because, you have firm
resolve (nischay) in the subtle (sookshma) karma, to not
become angry.
Now if a man does not get angry with anyone, but thinks
to himself, ‘These people will only shape up if someone got
angry with them’, then in his next life he will become an angered
individual. So whatever anger one displays on the outside, is
overt (sthool) karma, and whatever internal intent he has at the
time, is subtle (sookshma) karma.
If you understand just this much, there is no binding in
overt (sthool) karma whatsoever. That is why I have put
forward this science in a different light. Until now, people have
been brainwashed into believing that bondage of karma occurs
through the overt (sthool) karma, and that is why people are
very frightened.
You have a wife at home. You want to go to moksha and
you are married. You may think to yourself, ‘I am married, how
can I go to moksha now?’ Look here, it is not your wife who
is getting in the way, she is not an impediment, but your subtle
(sookshma) karma is. Your overt (sthool) karmas are not an
obstacle. That is why I ‘open’ this science to you. If I do not
‘open’ this science to you, you would feel constant fear and
nothing but confusion and anxiety. Those ascetics proclaim that
they will attain moksha (liberation). How on earth are you going
to manage that? You do not even know what you are going to
renounce in the first place. You have only renounced the things
that are overt (sthool; perceptible). You have renounced what
you see with your eyes and what you hear with your ears. The
fruit of that will be rewarded to you in this very life. This,
however, is a new kind of science! It is Akram Vignan. This
science ‘facilitates’ people in every way; it has made it very easy
for people to attain liberation. How can you leave your wife and

Aptavani-4 299
run away to moksha? And is it possible for one to attain
moksha after having abandoned one’s wife? Is it possible to
attain moksha after hurting someone? So take care of all your
obligations and responsibilities towards your wife and children.
So calmly eat what your wife serves you, and know that it is all
your overt (sthool; effect) karma! But make sure that the
opinion you have behind the overt (sthool) karma is not one
that will lead you to ‘charge’ subtle (sookshma) karma for the
next life. For that very reason I have given you these ‘Five
statements’ (Agnas). Within you, You should not have the
opinion that, ‘This is correct, what I am doing, and what ever
I am enjoying is correct.’You should not have such an opinion.
If you change your opinion, just this much, then that is all that
is needed.
Parents become furious when their teenager has bad
tendencies, and they go around saying, ‘My son is like this; he
is a thief, he is worthless’. Good heavens! Just drop it, why
don’t you. What is done is done! For the present time, change
his inner intent (bhaav). Change his internal opinions. The
parents do not know how to change their child’s intents. This is
because they are not ‘certified’ parents. They do not have a
‘certificate’ and they have become parents? If the boy picks up
a habit of stealing, his parents will keep scolding and punishing
him. They will keep telling him, “You have no sense, you do this
and you do that.” This is how the parents go ‘overboard’ (talk
excessively). Needless to say, such extreme reactions on the
part of parents do not help. So what does the child do?
Mentally he decides, “Let them say what they want to, I am
going to do it anyway.” The parents are turning this boy, more
and more into a thief. People have started to use the tools that
were employed in the ages of Dwapar, Treta and Satyug in
today’s Kaliyug (the current era of the time cycle characterized
by lack of unity in mind, speech and body).
Nowadays, the way to turn children around is different.

300 Aptavani-4
You have to change their inner intent (bhaav). Talk to your child
affectionately. Embrace him and tell him, “Come here son, let
your mom yell. She may yell, but how would you feel if someone
took money out of your pocket, the way you stole from
someone else? Imagine how bad you would feel at the time. In
the same way, wouldn’t he too feel bad?” You have to explain
this whole ‘theory’ to your son. You just need to impress upon
him once, for him to realize that his actions are wrong. If you
keep punishing over and over, he is likely to get more agitated
and defiant. You just need to change the way you deal with your
children.
In this case, the father is like a policeman. At home, his
wife and son cannot laugh or open their mouths in his presence.
That is how tight a control he has of them. Should there be such
control and fear? Are you some kind of an animal, like a lion or
a tiger? You should not exercise such fearful authority on others.
One eye should be stern, while the other should show affection.
The reason for your strictness should be so that they do not go
awry and venture on a wrong path. Don’t they have emergency
alarm chains on the trains, in case something falls out? But say
a pack of cigarettes fell out and you pulled the chain, wouldn’t
that be considered a violation?
The world has only understood overt (sthool) karma. It
has failed to understand subtle (sookshma) karma altogether.
And if it had understood subtle (sookshma) karma, it would
not be in the state that it is in!
A wealthy businessman donated fifty thousand rupees to
a charity. So his friend asked him, “Why did you give away so
much money?” and the businessman tells him, “I am not the sort
that would give even a penny, but I got pressured into it by the
lord mayor.” Now what consequences will arise from this? The
fifty-thousand rupee donation he made was overt (sthool;
visible) karma, and the businessman will glean its reward in the

Aptavani-4 301
here and now. People will sing his praise and he will attain fame,
but what sort of subtle (sookshma) karma must he have
bound? It would be, ‘I am not the sort that would give any
money’. And the fruit of that, will come for him in his next life.
This means that in his next life, he will not be able to give a single
penny towards a donation. Now who could understand such a
subtle thing?
Questioner: Dada, is the ‘doer’ of sookshma (cause)
karma and sthool (effect) karma different?
Dadashri: Yes, the ‘doers’ are different in both cases.
These sthool (effect) karmas are ‘discharge’ karmas. Just like
a battery, once charged, wouldn’t it just go on discharging?
Even though you do not want it to, wouldn’t it continue
discharging?
Questioner: Yes.
Dadashri: That is how the overt (sthool; effect) karmas
are ‘discharge’ karmas, and the new ones, that are being
charged internally, are subtle (sookshma; cause), which will
‘discharge’ in the next life. And in this lifetime, charged
‘batteries’ of the previous lifetime are continually discharging.
The battery of the mind, the battery of the speech and the
battery of the body are all discharging, while simultaneously new
ones are being charged from within.
When I speak, you believe that, ‘I (Dada) am speaking’,
but that is not the case. This is a ‘record’ that is playing! It is the
speech’s ‘battery’that is discharging. I am not the one speaking.
Whereas all people say, “Just look at how well I spoke!” That is
all a wrong belief. They are merely doing ‘egoism’. Is there
anything else left once the ‘egoism’ leaves? This egoism alone is
ignorance and it is itself the illusion of the Self (Bhagwan ni
maya). This is because the ‘doer’is someone else, and yet your
‘adjustment’is your belief that ‘I am the doer’.

302 Aptavani-4
The subtle (sookshma) karmas that are charging within,
all go into a “computer”. One computer is vyashti (individual)
and the other computer is samashti (universal). The subtle
(sookshma; cause) karmas first go into the vyashti (individual),
then they go into the samashti (universal) ‘computer’. From
there, the samashti takes over and does all the work. All the
rest, are subtle karmas that are being charged, so there is no
real worry. But to really say and believe that, ‘I am Chandubhai’,
is the very way that a karma is bound. “Who am I?” If you just
realized this much, then from that point on you will become free
of all the karma.
Therefore, ‘this’ science is presented in a simple and
straightforward way. Otherwise not even millions of efforts can
make you the absolute Self. ‘This’ is the exact “theorem of
Absolutism”!
Liberation from Wrong Deeds
Questioner: I do wrong things, but I do not have the
courage to extricate myself from them.
Dadashri: You will not have the courage. How can you
find courage, when at such a time, the burden of wrong deeds
has increased so much? So, for once you just have to declare
‘bankruptcy’. Then you can begin to pay off your debts. You
will have to pay off your debts (suffer the effect), will you not?
I will find a way for you.
Questioner: When people know that after they die, there
is another life to come, why do they keep doing bad deeds?
How does one do good deeds?
Dadashri: It is against one’s wishes that one does wrong.
From the moment you wake up in the morning, nothing is under
your control; it is all beyond your control. That other control is
in the hands of another energy which I call ‘vyavasthit’. What
does this vyavasthit shakti (energy) do? When your merit

Aptavani-4 303
karma (punya) comes into fruition, it brings together
circumstances that are agreeable. And when your demerit
karma (paap; sinful) comes into play, it dismisses those
agreeable circumstances. Therefore, everything, whether it is
good karma or bad karma, is in the hands of this external
energy! Every living being (jiva) is under this external control
until it attains ultimate vision of the Self (parmartha samkit).
Karma of Paap-Punya
Questioner: Are demerit karma (paap) and karma the
same thing, or are they different?
Dadashri: Paap and punya are both karma. But the
karma of punya (merit) will not bother you, whereas the karma
of paap (demerit) will not allow things to go the way you want
them to and it will create problems for you.
Questioner: What sort of karma would people have
done to merit worldly happiness?
Dadashri: If you give happiness to someone who is
unhappy, you will bind punya, and as a consequence, you will
receive the same happiness in return. If you give unhappiness to
someone; you will get unhappiness. Therefore, give to others
what you would like for them to give to you.
There are two kinds of merit karma (punya). With one
kind of merit karma (punya) you receive worldly happiness and
the other kind of merit karma (punya) will procure real
liberation for you.
Defamation Binds Karma
You should not do anyone’s ninda (criticize or slander a
person in their absence). Hey, you should not even talk about
them even a bit. From that you will acquire great fault (dosh).
Particularly in this satsang; in this gathering of enlightened
beings, you must not utter a single word about anyone. Just an

304 Aptavani-4
inkling of negativity will bring a tremendous covering of
ignorance over your Gnan. So can you imagine how dense the
cover will be if you criticize or speak negatively about a
mahatma in his absence? In satsang, you should blend with
others just like sugar dissolves in milk. It is the intellect that
interferes in all this. I know everything about everyone, but I
never say a word about it to anyone. Even a single negative
word will bring a huge veil of ignorance over your Gnan.
You bind tremendous karma when you say, “He cheated
me”. Instead if you slapped him a couple of times you would
bind lesser karma. You are cheated only when your karma for
getting cheated unfolds. How is it the other person’s fault? On
the contrary, he did help you shed your karma. He is a nimit
(instrumental).
The Supreme Power to Destroy Karma
Questioner: We have to suffer the effects of our karma,
don’t we?
Dadashri: Yes. That is the law of karma.
Questioner: Can the Gnani free us from that?
Dadashri: The Gnani Purush destroys your karma.
But there are two kinds of karmas involved. Some have
become frozen solid like ice, while others are like water and
vapor. The Gnani eliminates the karmas that are like water
and vapor, but you have no choice but to suffer the effects of
those that have solidified like ice! However, after attaining
knowledge of the Self, there is a difference in the way these
karmas are suffered. The cut from the jab of a dry thorn will
feel like a small pin prick. The suffering will seem a lot less
intense. The Gnani Purush can destroy those karmas that
remain in the ‘causal’ form, but those karmas that are in the
‘effect’ form, those that have become solid like ice, will
definitely have to be suffered.

Aptavani-4 305
Help by Remembering God
Questioner: Our karma either sinks us or it keeps us
afloat. Why should we think about God and pray to Him
(prabhu smaran) during that time?
Dadashri: God is light, it is absolute Light. If you do not
think about Him, you will not receive the light; that is the only
problem. Otherwise, He does not interfere in anything else. If
you want help in sinking or in swimming, then you should
remember God (prabhu smaran). You are bound to receive His
light if you remember Him.Your karma will improve through the
light. But your remembrance of Him (prabhu smaran) should
be done with a true heart. You should not have the wrong belief,
like ‘He is up there!’ There is no one up there. He that sits inside
you is God Himself!
Karma Binds Even God!
Questioner: All those who became God on this planet
like Lord Rushabhdev, Lord Mahavir and Lord Neminath,
weren’t they also subject to the bondage of karma?
Dadashri: Everyone had come under the bondage of
karma, which is why they were born from a mother’s womb.
There is not a single God who has not taken birth from the
mother. Those who became a God, had attained knowledge of
the Atma (Self) in their two or three previous lives, and lastly
they became God. It is possible for those who have attained
awareness of the Atma, to become a God in two to four more
lives. If you want to go directly to moksha, it is possible, and
if you want to work on the salvation for the world, then it is
possible for you to become God. You can do one or the other.
The Divine Karma of the Gnani Purush
The scriptures say that the Gnani’s every karma is divine
(divya) karma. This is because he is completely egoless, and he

306 Aptavani-4
resides in a state that is completely void of ‘doership’. That is
why he is called vitarag. You cannot find an absolute Vitarag
in this present age. I am vitarag, but I am not complete
vitarag.
I am vitarag with every single one of the countless living
beings (jivas) in this world, with the one exception being, that
I still have attachment (raag) for the salvation of the world
(jagat kalyan). There is still a little bit of attachment (raag) left
in me, to interfere for the salvation of the world, but only as
much as to ‘discharge’ my karmas. I in general, am always in
a perpetual state of moksha. The Gnani remains untouched by
time, karma and illusion (maya). He who moves about
unrestricted by physical matter (dravya), place (kshetra), time
(kaad), inner intent (bhaav) and life (bhav) is a Gnani.
The Nature of Karma
People say that karmas take a hold of them. But karma
is neither female nor male. It has no gender. And You the Self
are Parmatma (absolute Self).
Karma is neither non-living (jada; inanimate) nor living
(chetan; animate), but it is nischetan chetan (lifeless life;
mechanical). One receives the fruit of karma because of the
presence of the Self. Karma is charged because the nischetan
chetan (mechanical self) comes into contact with the pure
chetan (Self). Once you attain the knowledge of the Self, you
will cease to bind karma.
Questioner: What kind of relationship does the Atma
(Self) have with karma?
Dadashri: It is a ‘relative’ relationship.
Questioner: Does the karma entrap the Self, or does
the Self bind the karma?
Dadashri: The karma entraps the Self. The pudgal

Aptavani-4 307
(non-Self complex) has so much energy; just look how it has
entrapped the Parmatma (absolute Self)!
Questioner: Can the atma (worldly self) shed the
karma if it wanted to?
Dadashri: How can one become free when one oneself
is bound? Karma can only be shed if you attain the state of the
Self. Once you attain this state of the Self, you will be able to
shed any kind of karma. Behold how the Gnani Purush
destroys all the karmas within just an hour! That is precisely
why You maintain the constant awareness of the Self, that you
would not manage otherwise.
Karmas are in the nature of the pudgal (influx-output;
non-Self), and they will continue to display the par-parinam
(results of the non-Self). You, Shuddhatma (the pure Soul), are
swa-parinam (result of the Self). Par-parinam (results of the
non-Self) is in the form of gneya (that which is to be known),
and ‘You’ (the Atma) are in the form of the Knower (Gnata).
Karma and Vyavasthit
Questioner: Is the vyavasthit that you talk about,
according to karma?
Dadashri: Karmas do not run this world. The world is
run by vyavasthit shakti. Who brought you here? Karma? No.
Vyavasthit brought you here. The karma was already lying
there within. So why didn’t it bring you here yesterday, why did
it bring you here today? Vyavasthit brings the time, the place
and all the other circumstances together, and so you come here.
Karma is just one part of vyavasthit.
Beware of the Seeds of Bhaav!
The Lord has said, ‘You are Parmatma (the Supreme
Soul). You are separate from the effect (dravya-bhaav;
discharge intent ready for the next life; past life cause ready at

308 Aptavani-4
the time of effect in this life). You are separate from each and
every circumstance. But people cling to circumstances more.
Isn’t there a difference between the seed that is in your
hand and another that has fallen on the ground?
That is why the Lord tells us to gently put away the seed
that is in your hand aside. But keep a lookout for the seed that
fell on the ground, because if it comes across other ‘scientific
circumstantial evidences’, it will sprout. Once the seed falls on
the ground, it will meet up with other ‘evidences’, so be careful.
If there is the slightest sign of growth, you should uproot it and
discard it or else it will grow into a tree.
All the negative intent (bhaav) that come to you right
now, are ‘seeds’ that have already fallen. Although you do not
want to kill an insect, it still gets crushed under your feet, so you
should know that it was a seed that had already fallen. In such
a case, you should be mindful and do pratikraman.
Past karmas continue to burn (being discharged) in the
world’s ‘sacrificial fire’, while new karmas continue being
bound.
Conviction of Destruction of Karma
Questioner: How can we tell if the effect of a karma has
been wiped out?
Dadashri: Whatever the circumstance your karma is
related to, if you do not experience any attachment (raag) or
abhorrence (dwesh) in it, then you can be assured that the
particular karma has been destroyed. If it gives rise to like and
dislike, then you should understand that the karma is still at
large.
The Mirror of Life Is the Cause of Karma
Questioner: What is the link between the subatomic

Aptavani-4 309
particles (parmanus) and the binding of karma? How is karma
bound?
Dadashri: The energy of the Self (chetan shakti) is such
that with ‘wrong belief’it creates the vikalp of: ‘I am this, I am
this’, which is itself the bondage of karma. Just as when looking
in the mirror, you capture an instant image, because the
parmanus (indivisible particles of an atom) are active, whatever
vikalp arises, the corresponding parmanus (subatomic particles)
immediately arise accordingly. The fundamental parmanus are in
an elemental (tattva) form, but when they come together they
become the situation (avastha). These are all miracles of
sakriya (nature of action). It is this pudgal (non-Self matter)
which confuses the Atma. It is its action that brings about
confusion. The activity of the pudgal is such, that even though
it is inanimate by nature, it creates the illusion of being animate.
It is just like a little bird that pecks at the image of itself in the
reflection on the mirror; perceiving it to be another bird.
The Solution to Become Free from ‘Sticky’
Karma
Questioner: Is it because karmas are very ‘sticky’ that
we have to suffer pain (dukh; unhappiness)?
Dadashri: The karmas were created by you, so it is
your own fault. No one else in the world is at fault. Others are
just instrumental (nimit). The pain (dukh) is yours, and it is
brought to you in the hands of the nimit. If you receive a letter
notifying you of the death of your father-in-law, how can you
find fault with the postman who brings the letter to you?
Questioner: What do you mean by ‘sticky karma’?
Dadashri: When you do anything with absolute unity of
your mind, speech and body where no other contradictory inner
intent (bhaav) is present, you bind terrible ‘sticky’ karma. The
karma you create with such intensity for the purpose of attaining

310 Aptavani-4
the Self will liberate you in two or three lifetimes. But the ‘sticky’
karma created for the worldly life (sansar) will take significantly
longer to maturate. This is why the worldly life is still thriving.
If a straightforward man were to pick someone’s pocket
for the first time, he will get caught. This is because his karma
will mature immediately, and he is freed from this karma. And
the experienced pickpocket, on the other hand, will never get
caught. People would normally perceive the one getting caught
in the act, as the guilty one. Nature, however, is in his ‘favor’.
Nature will give the gentler person his ‘reward’ and take him to
a higher life-form; whereas the experienced one, already shows
signs of heading for a lower life-form, in the simple fact that he
cannot be caught.
What Is ‘Sticky’ Karma?
So many karmas simply fall away on their own. Many
karmas can be shed through repentance. The ‘sticky’ karmas
are those that, even after much repentance, still cannot be shed,
but have to be endured. The Jain refers to them as sticky
(nikachit; heavy and ‘sticky’ karma that one has no choice but
to suffer its effect) karma. If someone spits on you, and you
throw some water on it, it will immediately wash off. Some may
spit on you, but no matter how hard you try to wash it off with
soap and water, you still will not manage to remove it. Now
those are extremely sticky.
Questioner: Why is it that although I have made a strong
decision (nischay) to settle matters with equanimity (sambhave
nikal), I still come across dispute?
Dadashri: In how many places does that happen? A
hundred?
Questioner: It only happens in one place.
Dadashri: Then that is sticky (nikachit) karma. How

Aptavani-4 311
can you wash away such sticky (nikachit) karma? Through
alochana (recall transgression; confession), pratikraman (petition
for forgiveness) and pratyakhyan (avowal never to repeat
transgression). The karma will lighten as a result of this.
Thereafter, you will be able to stay Knower-Seer (Gnata-
Drashta). You have to continuously do pratikraman for that.
As much ‘force’ it took for that karma to become sticky
(nikachit), you will need just as much ‘force’ in your
pratikraman in order to wash it off.
Questioner: What kind of effort (purusharth) should
one do towards sticky (nikachit) karma?
Dadashri: You have to maintain tremendous awareness
there. When you come across a slippery patch, notice how
cautious you are? When you see wolves and tigers in the jungle,
how cautious are you? So if you can keep similar awareness in
this as well, you can be free.
How Can One Create Nishkaam Karma?
Questioner: Does rebirth (punarjanma) happen because
of attachment (aasakti) or as a result of karma?
Dadashri: Attachment (aasakti) exists as a result of
karma, and it is because of attachment (aasakti) that rebirth
occurs. Attachment (aasakti) is a ‘stepping’.
Questioner: Is there rebirth even for someone who does
nishkaam (without expectation of reward) karma?
Dadashri: Even if you do nishkaam karma, it is not
possible to prevent another life. It can be stopped only after one
attains the knowledge of the Self.
Questioner: How does nishkaam karma bind karma?
Dadashri: When a person does nishkaam karma with
the belief of ‘I am Chandubhai,’ he binds karma without a

312 Aptavani-4
doubt. By doing nishkaam karma, the worldly life (sansar) will
run smoothly. In truth, without first ascertaining, ‘Who am I?’,
nishkaam karma is not possible. How can nishkaam karma
be done as long as there is the presence of anger, pride, deceit
and greed?
One believes he is doing nishkaam karma when the doer
is someone else. Whatever activity he does, is all discharge. To
believe ‘I am doing nishkaam karma’is itself bondage. As long
as there is a doer of nishkaam karma, there is bondage.
Lord Krishna showed people a different way by which to
attain worldly happiness! What is considered nishkaam karma?
You have your own income. You receive income from your land
and some from the printing press you have started. In twelve
months you receive an average of 20-25 thousand from your
assets. But if you base your expectation on this amount, and you
make five thousand, you feel the loss of 20 thousand. And what
if you had not made any expectations at all? Nishkaam karma
means to do everything without expecting anything in return.
Lord Krishna has given people a very wonderful thing, but is it
possible for anyone to achieve this? People are not capable of
this. It is very difficult to understand nishkaam karma precisely.
That is why Lord Krishna said, that there might be just one or
two persons who would understand the subtlest meaning of the
Gita.
Questioner: If we do something without any intent of
expectation (nishkaam bhaav), then we will not bind any
karma, will we?
Dadashri: Do it with nishkaam bhaav (the intent of
nishkaam). However, as long as you have the belief of, ‘I am
Chandubhai,’ and you do nishkaam karma, then you will bind
merit karma (punya). No matter what, the binding of karma
will occur. If you become the ‘doer’then the bondage of karma
is inevitable.

Aptavani-4 313
Questioner: How can one become nishkaami (doing
without expectation)?
Dadashri: Do your work without thinking about the
results. Continue working without worrying, whether or not your
boss will reprimand you or get upset with you. If you decide to
take an exam, then do it without worrying or thinking about
whether you will pass or not.
They have not understood a single word of what Lord
Krishna was saying to them and they go around accusing Him
of indulgence in worldly pleasures. Heavens! Who do you think
was indulging in pleasures? Was it Krishna or is it you? Krishna
was Vasudev, from human He became God!
The Atma and Karma Are Always There
The Vitarag have said that karma and the Atma have
been in existence since time immemorial. Neither of them have
a beginning (aadi). Therefore, it is karma that gives rise to inner
intent (bhaav), and inner intent (bhaav) that gives rise to
karma. And this is how it continually carries on. The Atma
remains exactly where it is.
To Do, to Make Others Do, and to Incite Others
to Do!
Questioner: What is the difference between doing
something yourself (karavu), making others do it (karavavu),
and encouraging and instigating others into doing it (anumodana)?
Dadashri: The greatest fault (dosh) falls on those who do
anumodana (instigating and encouraging others into doing
something). The secondary and lesser fault, befalls on the one
who makes others do something (karavavu). The one who
does (karavu) it himself, is guilty of a lesser fault. The butcher
who chops up goats and sells the meat, commits a lesser fault
(dosh) than those people who say, “We should eat meat,

314 Aptavani-4
because there will be a shortage of grain if we do not.” Those
that preach in this way, commit a greater fault (dosh). The poor
butchers are just doing it to ‘feed their bellies’ (provide for their
family). And what about the ‘goats’(!) these zealots of the
religion of ahimsa (non-violence) kill? What are they killing for?
Questioner: I did not understand that.
Dadashri: These butchers who kill goats are better! They
kill the animal with a single clean (halaal) cut, but they do not
torture it. Whereas these people inflict a slow torture. If they
lend you five hundred rupees, in twelve months, four hundred of
it alone will be the interest! And again, they kill you with their
intellect (buddhi); they do not need a handgun. If a customer
ventures into a fabric shop, he will be enticed by, “This is a high
quality fabric, just newly imported fromAllahabad.”, so – being
as naive and gullible as he is – he ends up buying it. The
shopkeepers recognize that the customer is not very astute, so
they take advantage of him. So they shoot him with their ‘bullet’
of intellect (buddhi). This is considered tremendous
raudradhyan (adverse internal meditation that hurts the self and
others).
What is going to become of them? These businessmen
(sheths) use such far out tactics that all the farmers in the district
bring their money home to them. They charge interest upon
interest upon interest, so the poor farmers who are laboring so
hard to pay off, the exorbitant interest, are reduced to corpses;
whereas the sheths, strut around with their corpulent 150kg
bodies! But when the time changes, that very body will be
reduced to chutney (crushed condiments)! Krupadudev Shrimad
Rajchandra said that, those who eat to increase their body flesh
are all flesh eaters. Food is meant for survival. But instead, it
bloats up here and plumps up there, until it is a fat tub!
Questioner: So the one who encourages and instigates
(anumodana) others is at greater fault?

Aptavani-4 315
Dadashri: There are two kinds of anumodana
(instigation). One anumodana is where all the activities are
solely based on the person instigating them. The other
anumodana is where one says ‘yes’ to everything, “Yes sir, yes
sir” (agreeing to what is being done). There is not much of a fault
(dosh) here. If others are doing something and you say, “Yes, I
like this, it is very good,” it is not really very significant. Whether
you said it or not, they were still going to do it. You commit a
greater fault, if an action, which would otherwise not take place,
is carried out solely because of your own anumodana
(instigation). Which anumodana that carries the greatest weight?
It is the one that runs the world.
™™™™™

316 Aptavani-4
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Bhaav, Bhaavya and Bhaavak
Only the Bhaavak Is the Doer of Bhaav
Questioner: Who is the ‘doer’ of inner intent (bhaav)?
Is it the Self?
Dadashri: The ‘bhaavako’ within, is the one which
makes you do the bhaav. The Self does not do bhaav. People
believe that it is the bhaavkarma (causal karma) that takes
possession of them. But in fact, those that make you do inner
intent (bhaav), are sitting within you. The Self never does
bhaav.
Questioner: Who is this bhaavako?
Dadashri: It is not the only bhaavak. There is the
krodhak, which makes you do krodh (anger). There is the
lobhak that makes you do lobh (greed). There is the nindak,
which even though you may not want to, will make you do
ninda (gossip). The Self does not participate in any of this. Now
if the Self were to do the bhaav, what state would it be in? It
would be finished. There are others too that make you do
bhaav. They are called bhaavak. The bhaavako make you do
bhaav. At that moment in time, the ‘self’ becomes bhaavya
(tainted with bhaav). ‘It’ likes that. Because one does not have
awareness of the Self, this effect comes about.
If You Enter into Bhaav, Then You Become
Bhaavya
‘Mahila bhaavak bhaavya bhadey to,

Aptavani-4 317
Chitraman navu thaaya ja chhe sto.’
~ Navneet
‘When one mixes with the one with the inner intent,
It creates a new cause for sure.’
~ Navneet
When a bhaav arises within, the bhaavya (the self)
becomes one with the intent (bhaav). This paints a new ‘scenario’
for the next life (binds new karma). The self (worldly self) is
bhaavya and from within, the bhaavako (of kashay: anger,
pride, deceit and greed) makes one do bhaav (inner intent). What
is wrong in having the bhaav? If the bhaavya (self) does not
become one with the bhaav (inner intent), but just continues to
see: “Wow! The bhaavako are even making one do these kinds
of bhaav!” Let the bhaavako make you do whatever bhaav they
like, allYou have to do is just keep ‘seeing’, andYou will not bind
karma. This is the ultimate science.
The Nature of the Bhaavak
Questioner: How does one know that the bhaavak
made one do the bhaav? Can you explain this in detail?
Dadashri: You have lived in the busy city of Mumbai and
suddenly you have to leave and you find yourself in a desert.
There are no trees and no shade. This is when you have bhaav
like: ‘Where shall we sit? Where can we find coolness? Where
do we take shelter?’ It is the inner bhaavako that makes you
have such bhaav. They are all sitting inside you. The whole
world is on this natural path to moksha. This is all a natural flow,
and all the living beings (jivas; embodied souls) are naturally
flowing along in the current. Along the way, all sorts of
bhaavako (what makes one do bhaav) arise on this path.
Questioner: Does it mean that shata-ashata vedaniya
(karma of pleasant and unpleasant experience) has occurred?

318 Aptavani-4
Dadashri: No, no. Not shata-ashata vedaniya.
Vedaniya (suffering) can only be called vedaniya (suffering).
Whereas this is bhaavako. They make you do all kinds of
bhaav. You may not want to be afraid of anything; you may be
free from fear, but the moment you see a snake, it will
immediately make you do a bhaav of fear. Would it make you
do that or not?
Questioner: It will. Is that called vikalp?
Dadashri: No. It is not even called vikalp. As you see
the snake pass, you become involved (tanmayakar) with the
bhaav of fear prompted by the bhaavako of fear. It is the
bhaavak of fear.
Worldly Knowledge Is the Bhaavak’s Support!
This worldly knowledge is such that it makes one become
bhaavak. If You have the main Gnan, then it would not dare
bother You. Gnan means ‘I am Shuddhatma’. Once you have
this awareness of ‘I am Shuddhatma’, the bhaavak no longer
has any influence. But until then the bhaavak will continue to
push and manipulate you. It will push you from here and from
there, making you collide, just like a football.
Questioner: In which part of the antahkaran (the mind,
intellect, chit and ego) is the bhaavako located? Is it in the mind?
Dadashri: No. The bhaavako is even separate from the
antahkaran! It is not a part of the antahkaran. The
antahkaran will do what the bhaavako makes it do. The
bhaavako makes the atma (self) murchhit (immersed in
illusion), and so the atma (self) becomes the bhaavya. This then
starts up the antahkaran. And if You have the awareness of, ‘I
am Shuddhatma (pure Soul)’, then even if thousands of such
bhaavako were to come along, you would not have any
problem. The bhaavak (which makes one do bhaav) inside is
not alone. There is a krodhak (which makes one do anger), a

Aptavani-4 319
lobhak (which makes one do greed), a nindak (which makes
one do malicious gossip), a chetak (which makes one become
cautious), and many such ‘k’s inside. ‘K’ means karavnaar
(that which makes you do things). There is an entire universe
within!
Questioner: So does the bhaavako give rise to such
bhaav that make the atma murchhit (deluded)?
Dadashri: No, it is not like that. The bhaavako gives
rise to such a state within, that the atma (self) becomes
immediately deluded (murchhit). Murchhit means that one
completely loses one’s own awareness. Wouldn’t everyone be
made unconscious if there were a gas explosion? That is how
the bhaavako makes the atma (self) do the bhaav, which
causes the effect. Who is not affected? The one who has the
awareness of the Self, is not affected. If not, this ‘worldly
knowledge’ does not guard the self from its effect. There is so
much pressure from the circumstances that it does not allow it
to stay free from effects. When one knows, ‘I am Shuddhatma,’
the bhaavako will not exert its influence. The common
understanding is that the Self does the bhaav and that is why
time, bhaav and karma are bound. But if the Self were to do
bhaav, we would be done for, it would be the end. That would
mean that the Self is beggarly and needy.
The bhaavako makes one do the bhaav, and it is
bhaavako that makes the self (atma) bhaavya (one with the
bhaav).
Questioner: Is this bhaavako in the form of subatomic
particle (parmanu) or in the form of a solid knot (gaanth)?
Dadashri: They are parmanu. They are in the form of
pudgal parmanu.
Questioner: Does it mean that the self becomes absorbed
in (tanmayakar; one with) with whatever it likes?

320 Aptavani-4
Dadashri: Yes, and it does not become absorbed
(tanmayakar) with anything that it does not like. This means
that as long as the self does not become bhaavya, nothing will
happen.
Questioner: So does it mean that as long as one does
not become absorbed in (tanmayakar), the ‘picture is not
drawn’ yet?
Dadashri: It is fine if you do not become absorbed
(tanmayakar), but ‘it’ (self) will not be able to manage that.
Only if the self has the awareness of the Self, then it will not
become absorbed (tanmayakar).
The Bhaavak Forever Changing in the
Samsaran Path
The bhaavako will also continue to change. The bhaavako
on the tenth mile, are different from the ones on the eleventh mile
and the ones on the twelfth mile will be even more different. That
is because all living beings are all on a course of progression
(samsaran path). So in reality, there is no real ‘doer’. Neither
the Atma, nor the pudgal (the non-Self complex) is the ‘doer’
in this world. If the pudgal were the ‘doer’, then it would have
to suffer, and if the Self were the ‘doer’, it would have to suffer.
But neither the Atma suffers anything, nor does the pudgal
suffer anything. It is just the ego that suffers.
Questioner: Everything that has arisen, has come about
because we have brought it with us in our intents (ashaya), is
that not so?
Dadashri: No, no intents (ashaya) or anything of the
sort. People have just become trapped. If it did happen because
of your intention (ashaya), then you would be considered the
guilty one; you would be the ‘doer’.
Questioner: All that has arisen prior to one attaining

Aptavani-4 321
Atmagnan (knowledge of the Self) is because of the ashaya
(intent of the past life), isn’t it?
Dadashri: From the ashaya, it will seem to you that a
result may be created by a particular ashaya, however, the
ashaya is not the ‘doer’. You may feel that these are your
ashayas and that is why all this has come to you. Whatever your
ashaya, that is what you will get. The rule is that if you have
bought this kind of a ticket, then you will get to Calcutta.
Ashaya is like buying a ticket.
It is through ego, that one says, this happened because of
my ashaya. The worldly life (sansar) continuously moves along.
A man asked the Lord, ‘What do I have to do, to speed up my
moksha?’ And the Lord said, ‘Your state of development
(bhavsthiti) is not yet ready. Moksha is a long way off for you.’
If moksha is at the eighteenth mile, how can you go there if you
are at the eleventh mile? Even if you spent all your time with the
Gnani Purush, you still will not get there. However, when you
reach a certain ‘boundary’, and you encounter a Gnani Purush,
your liberation will be at hand.
It is the bhaavako within that makes one do the bhaav.
This is a very elevated science. If we are in a ‘Zaveri Bazzar’
(shopping district for jewelry in Mumbai) we have a different
inner intent (bhaav). If we are at ‘darukhana’ (a bar or liquor
store), our inner intent (bhaav) would be different, and if we
were at the ‘chor bazaar’ (black-market) we would have a
different inner intent (bhaav).
Questioner: That happens because the inner intent
(bhaav) changes every second.
Dadashri: That which changes is not the Self, but it is the
bhaavako. If you go around as Shuddhatma (the pure Soul),
you will not be affected by ‘Dongri’, nor will you be affected by
liquor stores and bars, or even when you are at a jeweler’s. If

322 Aptavani-4
your support comes from ‘relative’ knowledge, then as your
location changes, so too will your inner intent (bhaav). This is
knowledge mediated through the senses (indriya-gnan) and it is
because of it, that the inner intent (bhaav) changes. Once the
knowledge of the Self is attained, the bhaavako will no longer
have the control.
Therefore, all this is an effect of subatomic particles
(parmanus). Just as the miles (on spiritual path) change, so do
the parmanus. So one gradually moves forward on the path to
moksha.
Questioner: So in the end, there are no more bhaavak
parmanus left? Does the Gnani have these ‘k’s?
Dadashri: In the state that ‘we’ are in, there are no
parmanus of bhaavak left at all. When You arrive at where
‘we’ (the Gnanis) are sitting, even your bhaavak will not
remain. There will not be anything shouting inside you. When
You have clear and distinct experience (spashta vedan) of the
pure Self (Shuddhatma), none of the ‘k’ s will remain. All you
have to do is understand this ‘science’. This Gnan works by
‘itself’ (swayam kriyakari). If you understand this subtle fact,
only then you will attain moksha.
Liberation Is Yours if You Do Not Become One
with the Bhaav
What does the Lord deem as penance (tapa)? The Lord
does not consider the penance that people do, penance. This is
people’s penance, which is deemed as worldly penance. The
penance for moksha is beyond worldly penance. When the
inner bhaavako makes you do all the inner intent (bhaav), at
that time You would maintain such a penance that You do not let
go of what is ‘Yours’(maintain separation between the Self and
the non-Self). Lord Mahavir practiced the very same penance.
Until the very end He unrelentingly endured the penance, and

Aptavani-4 323
went on seeing through the Gnan, and He remained untouched
from all effects.
Questioner: How can one remain unaffected?
Dadashri: All the bhaavako are inside you. When you
yourself (self) become bhaavya, you will have bhaav, and so
you become trapped. You are Parmatma (Supreme Soul). So
‘know’ the inner intent. And if You remain the Knower-Seer
(Gnata-Drashta) of the inner intent (bhaav), You will not get
trapped. If there were no bhaavak, then you are truly the
Parmatma. Who is this bhaavak? It is the mistakes from the
past life that are the bhaavak, and the seeds are sown because
of them. When the bhaavak and bhaavya become one, the
seed drops into the yoni (a seed gets planted). And from that,
the worldly life (sansar) emerges. If the bhaavak and bhaavya
do not become one, if You remain ‘strong’; You do not become
bhaavya, then although the ‘discharge’ karmas come into
fruition, they will dissipate (discharge) without creating any new
bondage.
When I give you this Gnan, I place a ‘chetak’ (vigilant
one who alerts) within you. All you have to do is to make ‘him’
strong. “There is joy in sex.” – This is where you will need help
from the chetak. Surrendering to sexuality (vishay) should be
like something is being forced upon you by threats from a
policeman. That is how strong this chetak should become. Only
then he will stand up to that bhaavako. Otherwise the chetak
will become weak. This ‘k’ (of sexuality) is very strong and
oppressive.
Chetak will caution You against the obstacles in the
worldly life (sansar). After attaining the knowledge of the Self,
new “stations” of alochana, pratikraman and chetak, etc., are
established and the generations of the families of the ‘k’s will
automatically begin to leave.

324 Aptavani-4
Contained ‘self’ – Manifest Self
Questioner: Please explain:
‘Vyaapak ne vyavasthit khode chhe,
Divyachakshu eni lhaani maane chhe.’
~ Navneet
‘The vyavasthit is seeking the one who wants to pervade
The divine vision of the Self enjoys the bliss of ‘this’.’
~ Navneet
Dadashri: What Kaviraj, in the spiritual song (pada), is
saying is that ‘vyavasthit’ is searching for vyaapak (the one
who wants to pervade)! The entire world is run by vyavasthit,
which continually keeps it vyavasthit (in order). No one can
change that. And vyavasthit never makes it avyavasthit
(disorderly).
Here, a large ‘number’ (strong karma) is being divided
by a large number (will have strong effect). You may wonder,
‘Why does my own son misbehave and cause so much
damage?’ Hey, you! Won’t you need as heavy a ‘number’
(karma) to divide with, in order to cancel out your heavy
‘number’ (karma cause)? The heavier the number (cause of
karma), the heavier the ‘divider’ (effect), and the lighter the
number (karma), the lighter the ‘divider’. But the division does
take place.
Questioner: Does vyaapak mean Ishwar (God)?
Dadashri: Here, in the spiritual song (pada) the word
vyaapak means something else. The word sarva-vyaapak (all-
pervading; omnipresent) is different and this word is different.
Just like bhaavak, chetak, there is vyaapak. The Atma (Soul)
is vyaapya (has the property of being all-pervasive) and the
inside is filled with vyaapako. These vyaapako make the Atma
vyaapya (all pervasive). There are all kinds of vyaapako sitting

Aptavani-4 325
within. Vyaapak means those that bring about the state of
pervasiveness, and vyaapya means, for example, the light in this
vessel, when it is taken out of the vessel and diffuses, it becomes
vyaapya. As many places it can, it spreads to. It should receive
the ‘scope’, or chance to spread. And what does vyaapak
mean? It remains as vyaapak in every living being. It is spread
throughout the body.After the Self has expressed, after attaining
knowledge of the Self, it remains vyaapya (omnipresent). In
reality, the Self is vyaapya (pervasive; omnipresent), but as far
as devotees are concerned, only saying ‘vyaapak’ will benefit
them.
Prameya-Boundary: Pramaata-the Self
The Atma (Soul) is pramaata. Whereas, what does
prameya mean? What is the prameya (limit) for these laborers?
You would say that it is as far as their ‘maintenance’ and the
education of their children. So some towards education and
some towards the worldly life. This is their prameya (limit) and
their atma (self) is confined within those bounds. ‘Prameya
pramaney pramaata thai.’ (The self spreads according to the
prescribed boundaries). It spreads as the prameya (boundary)
enlarges.As the businessman’s wealth expands to ten bungalows,
factories, cars, money, etc., and his worldly intent (sansar-
bhaav) increases, the prameya (boundary) will also increase
accordingly, and with it, the pramaata (self) will increase. But
ultimately, who is regarded as the pramaata (the Self)? It is
considered the true pramaata when its light pervades the entire
universe! The whole universe is prameya. How much of it is
prameya? Only the part that is within the universe (lok), and not
the part which is outside the universe (alok). The Atma (Soul)
only reaches the limits of the prescribed space (pramaata),
which is the universe; it does not venture beyond it.
™™™™™

326 Aptavani-4
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The Energy of Action: The Energy of Intent
The Energy of Action Is Dependent upon the
Non-Self
Dadashri: Do you want to live through yet another
hundred lifetimes, or do you want to go to moksha early? Then
the Gnani Purush can write you a note accordingly. He can do
whatever he chooses. That is because he is not the ‘doers’ of
anything. The Gnani Purush is considered the “giver” of
moksha.
Questioner: He can point us in the right direction, but
then isn’t it up to us to do the rest?
Dadashri: The kriya-shakti (energy to do) is not in your
hands. The only thing that is in your hands, is energy of intent
(bhaav-shakti). At best, You can do the bhaav that You want
to follow Dada’s Agnas. You can do that kind of inner intent
(bhaav). You cannot do anything else. You are only free to use
bhaav-shakti. You may say, “I went to Surat and came back.”
Well now, did the train go to Surat or did you go? Then you say,
“I am tired.” Now if you say, “The train went to Surat and
arrived at Surat where I got off,” you will not feel tired. ‘I am
doing’, is illusion (bhranti). The state of ‘doership’ is the state
of illusion. Have you ever understood this before?
Questioner: No, I have never understood this.
Dadashri: The entire state of ‘doership’ is a state of
illusion. If the state of ‘doership’ were indeed a real state, then
a man would do whatever he feels like, with his beard and

Aptavani-4 327
everything else.Alas, would he have allowed himself to go bald?
He would rather have a jungle of hair on his head, than a dry
patch of ‘desert’! But here, some have become deserts and in
many other places they have become jungles! You do not have
any control (satta) in your hands.A single tiny toothache makes
you cry out loud!
Fruit According to Bhaav!
Aside from doing inner intent (bhaav), we do not have
the power to do anything else. Even your inner intent (bhaav)
should not be expressed. When you do inner intent, the ego is
always behind it. Except for the attainment of moksha, it is not
worth having any other kind of ego. It is not even worth having
the ego to do jagat kalyan (salvation of the world). Everyone
is a nimit (instrumental). No one is a ‘doer’. Why are they
called nimit? How does someone become a nimit? If someone
makes the inner intent, ‘I want to sort these people out,’ his
inner intent (bhaav) gets ‘deposited’ by Nature and becomes
‘noted’.And when the time comes for Nature to ‘sort them out’,
it draws all the necessary circumstances towards the nimit who
had made the bhaav. So for the person who made the inner
intent (bhaav), the event that he made the bhaav for, occurs.
The world continues to do bhaav and abhaav. Bhaav-
abhaav (relative positive and negative intent) is in itself
attachment-abhorrence (raag-dwesh). When ‘we’give You the
knowledge of the Self, from that time onwards, You stop making
bhaav, as ‘we’ put a halt to both the positive and the negative
bhaav for you. But when a prior bhaav comes forth to fruition,
you wonder why you have such a bhaav. Actually, it is not a
bhaav, but a desire (ichchha; a wish).
The Difference between Bhaav and Ichchha
Questioner: What is considered bhaav?
Dadashri: What is considered a real bhaav? It is not

328 Aptavani-4
what you see, but the plans that are being carried out. In the
next life, they will come into effect. The planning is conducted
through these bhaavs, but you will not be aware of this.
Questioner: What is desire (ichchha)? Why does one
have desires?
Dadashri: It is like a corncob. This only happens if a
seed has already been sown. Whatever bhaav you have, its
desire will arise. The desire is a result (karmic effect) and
bhaav is the ‘cause’. Desire is all ‘effect’. You should decide
that you do not want any worldly thing, and this will become
‘sealed’(ratified) within. After attaining knowledge of the Self,
all the desires that you have, are an ‘effect’. And you have to
suffer all the ‘effects’.
Bhaav Is the Root of All the Circumstances
Questioner: What is the difference between a circumstance
(saiyog) and an inner intent (bhaav)?
Dadashri: There is a big difference. A circumstance is a
sthool (a tangible and overt) thing and bhaav is a very subtle
(sookshma) thing. Actually, even bhaav can be considered a
circumstance (saiyog). That is why Lord Mahavir said:
‘Shesha mei baheera bhaava savve sanjog lakhana.’
‘The rest are all my external intents, all circumstances
have recognizable attributes.’
The rest are the external intents (baheera bhaava). So
how can one recognize them as such? The answer is that you
can tell from the circumstances you encounter, what kind of
bhaav you had created in the past life.
What kind of external bhaavs did you make in order for
us to meet?
Questioner: Of satsang.

Aptavani-4 329
Dadashri: That is why this circumstance of this satsang
came about, and what if you had made the bhaav to drink
alcohol?
Therefore, you encounter circumstances according to
your bhaav. You can infer what your bhaav must have been
for such a circumstance to occur, and destroy it by its root.
The Gnanis discover the root cause from the bhaav and
destroy it.
Bhaav Are Different and Thoughts Are Different
Questioner: To have bhaav and to have thoughts, what
is the difference between the two?
Dadashri: Bhaav is not what people understand it to be.
“I have a great bhaav for jalebi (Indian sweet),” – the word
bhaav used here, is random and used very loosely, in all kinds
of situations. The fact is that bhaav is not something that you
can perceive with your eyes. What people refer to as a bhaav
is actually a desire.
Thoughts and bhaav have nothing to do with one another.
Questioner: Thought arises and bhaav occurs. There is
no ‘demarcation’ between the two.
Dadashri: Whatever thought arises, is in the form of
‘discharge’ and bhaav is ‘charge’. No matter how many
thoughts you have, there is nothing wrong with them as long as
‘You’ remain in Gnan.
Questioner: Does one reap the fruit in this very life of
bhaav done in this life?
Dadashri: No. So many things have to come together
before the bhaav comes into effect (dravya). It takes a long
time for the bhaav to manifest into an effect. It is only when the
karma matures, that it comes into fruition.

330 Aptavani-4
Just because you bring some milk, does not mean that it
has become doodhpaak (milk delicacy). You need to light the
stove, put the milk in a pan, keep stirring it, and then the
doodhpaak will be made.
Only Bhaav Has Value!
In the worldly life (sansar), worldly things do not present
an obstacle, but your bhaav is an obstacle. The Lord said that
if the dravya is there, the bhaav will occur. This is what it was
like during the good eras of the past time cycles. When a person
made a donation, he would be so elated, that he would wonder
when such an occasion would arise again. Whereas in this age,
the effect (dravya) is different and so is the inner intent (bhaav).
Nowadays, while giving the donation a person’s inner intent
(bhaav) will be, ‘I would never give it, if it was not for the
mayor who pressured me into it.’ Therefore, the mind is
different, the speech is different and the conduct is different.
That is how they bind causes for a lower life-form. Because they
are deceitful.
When a person goes to worship God, along with that, he
also has to worship his shoes and his business! (his mind is on
his shop and his shoes he left outside). The dravya (effect) is
towards God, and the bhaav is towards his shoes and his shop.
So what God says is that your bhaav is not according to your
dravya; therefore, you have not practiced your religion (dharma)
at all, and to believe ‘I practice religion’, would mean that you
are being deceitful. For that reason you will definitely go into a
lower life-form. On the path of the Vitarags, even this much of
insincerity cannot be afforded by anyone.
Bhaav is of value. Today, nothing happens according to
bhaav, does it? You may have made bhajiya (fritters), but if you
have made them with bhaav, then they are worth even more.
People do not know how to recognize bhaav. Even when they
are offered delectable food with abhaav (absence of bhaav;

Aptavani-4 331
negative intent), they will eat it with relish. But when they are
served a simple rotlo (dense, rustic unleavened millet flat-bread)
with bhaav, they will pull a face. Really, if the rotlo is made with
bhaav, you should just eat it with some water. I would even
swallow poison, if it were served with bhaav. The value is in the
bhaav. If people were to conduct their interactions with bhaav
(good intention) then this too could be Satyug (Era of unity in
mind, speech and acts). Wouldn’t it be beautiful if employers
and employees interacted with each other with bhaav (good
intent)! Today, there is no bhaav at all. Alas, even if chanting
mantras was done with bhaav, you would not have any
worries. The kriya (action) of bhaav is a living kriya, even if it
does belong to the relative self (nischetan chetan; mechanical
self). And the kriya (action) of abhaav (negative intent) is
lifeless.
When you give food to someone, when you offer to Jain
sadhus (monks), you should do it with bhaav. So many people
do not even present offerings to their maharaj (high ranking
ascetic) with bhaav. The maharaj is the seat of the Vitarag
Lord. They should be looked after! There is Atma (Soul) within
him. It immediately recognizes whether you are giving with
bhaav, and whether or not it is given with humility. If you do not
have the facility at home or you cannot afford much, then you
can feed your guests basic rotlo and vegetables, but do not spoil
your bhaav. Shouldn’t there be nobility in your vyavahar
(worldly interaction)? In the Kramic path, only bhaav is
considered most valuable.
‘Let no one be hurt in the slightest through this mind,
speech and body of mine.’ If you understand this one statement,
it is more than enough.
Questioner:As long as we have this body, to live without
hurting any living being (jiva) is very difficult.
Dadashri: Just because it is difficult, you cannot say that

332 Aptavani-4
you want to live your life by hurting others. Even then you should
have the inner intent (bhavna) that you do not want to hurt
anyone. You are only responsible for your bhavna. You are not
responsible for your actions.
Adverse Bhaav
The whole world is binding karma through adverse intent
(pratipakshi bhaav). A Self-realized person does not have
adverse intent (pratipakshi bhaav). There is an effect, but he
does not bind karma. And when his highest spiritual effort
(parakram) occurs, he will not be affected at all. Now what
happens in a state where he is affected? In such a state, if
someone curses or insults him, he will feel, ‘Why did they even
say that to me?’ That is how he will feel. Whereas parakram
would say, “It must be your own fault, for him to say such things
to you. And the reason you have lost out, is because you do not
know how to do business.” When You talk to yourself in this
way, you will get to know yourself, you will experience your
own Self, you will undergo the experience of sitting in Your own
seat; the seat of Shuddhatma (the pure Soul). But you quickly
jump out of your seat here. This is because of the familiarity
(parichaya; habit) of infinite past lives, and also because of the
suffering that still remains pending!!
Your own mistake, awakens the demerit karma (paap)
and sets the ceiling fan in motion which then falls on you. The
account of karma (hisaab) is indeed your own!
What do we mean by spoiling the mind? It is not only the
mind that gets spoiled. The entire antahkaran (the inner
complex of the self comprised of mind, intellect, chit and ego)
becomes spoiled. After the entire ‘parliament’ (the four
components of the antahkaran) makes a decision, the adverse
intent (pratipakshi bhaav) will arise. ‘I am going to do this to
him or that to him,’ is what you will feel. It is not only the mind
that does this. The mind is gneya (to be known) and it is

Aptavani-4 333
vitarag (detached; non-attachment) by nature. If the mind
becomes spoiled, then do pratikraman. The decision undertaken
by the ‘parliament’ of the antahkaran, and the ‘spoiling’ of the
mind, are two different things.
If you go into an office to ask for a permit, but the man
in charge refuses to give it to you. You will think to yourself,
‘That man is useless, he is like this and like that.’ Now you have
no idea about the consequences of this intent (bhaav). That is
why you have to change your bhaav and do pratikraman. We
call this awareness (jagruti).
If you utter anything negative about any living being it
undoubtedly becomes ‘recorded’. The slightest provocation is
bound to start the ‘record’ of adverse intent (pratipakshi
bhaav) playing.
Questioner: But it should not even enter the bhaav,
should it?
Dadashri: If you provoke someone, attacking intent
(pratipakshi bhaav) will not refrain from arising within him. If
he is strong, he may not say anything, but will he not feel it in
his mind? If you stop talking, the other person’s intent (bhaav)
will also come to an end.
I never, regardless of the circumstance, have adverse
intent (pratipakshi bhaav). Sooner or later, you are bound to
arrive at such a stage.
In ‘our’ eyes, you will not see any other bhaav, which is
why people do ‘our’ darshan. One should not be able to read
any kind of negative bhaav in these eyes. That is when one will
feel samadhi (state of the Self which is free from any effects of
mental, physical or externally induced pain), just by looking into
those eyes. You will not feel such an attraction towards someone
who is after something, such as: respect, fame, anger, greed or
attachment.

334 Aptavani-4
The Nature of Bhaav
Your bhaav should be present. Then all the other
evidences will come together. Because you are not ready with
your bhaav, many of these evidences go to waste.
If you want to get married, keep the bhaav to get
married, ready. And if you do not want to get married, then
keep the bhaav of not marrying, ready. The appropriate
circumstances will come together according to the bhaav you
keep present. Because one of the ‘evidences’, is indeed the
presence of bhaav.
So what is this like? If a lazy farmer does not bother going
out to his field to sow seeds, then what can rain do? The rain
will fall anyway, but the farmer will not gain anything from it.
While another farmer has already sown seeds, so everything will
sprout as soon as the rain falls.
Questioner: If a person has only one bhaav, which does
not change, will that bhaav go away if the rest of evidences do
not come together?
Dadashri: Yes. Even that can happen! That only happens
rarely. Such a bhaav is considered a weak bhaav from the
previous life, you would call a wavering bhaav. Otherwise that
will not happen. Just like nothing would grow from a rotten
seed, a weak bhaav does not produce anything. You will
recognize it. It will waver. ‘Should I sow the seeds or should I
not?’ ‘Should I sow the seeds or should I not?’ That only
happens sometimes.
And ‘we’ are telling you the fundamental thing, and that is
when you offer up your bhaav, everything will come together
accordingly. If you want to start a business, then you have to
make a decision beforehand that you want to start a business.
Then, if not today, but six months down the road, the
circumstances will come together. But you have to be ready,

Aptavani-4 335
keep your bhaav ready. And the rest is in the hands of
vyavasthit.
You should not allow any new bhaav to arise. The Atma
(the Self) does not have any! Since you attained the Self, Your
bhaavkarma (charging karma) ceases. These are your previous
bhaav, those which we call past (bhoot) bhaav. When the
unfolding of karma from the past (bhoot bhaav) occurs, the
deed gets done, and that is what we deal with. We do not do
bhaav for the future (bhaavi bhaav). The present bhaav is our
swabhav (I am pure Soul)! Indriya-gnan (knowledge mediated
through the senses) gives rise to bhavnas and Gnan beyond the
senses does not give rise to any bhavnas; the Shuddhatma
does not give rise to bhavna.
Bhaav Itself Is the Main Evidence
In the state of ignorance, the self is in the form of bhaav;
it is bhaav-atma. And in the state of Gnan it is a Gnan-Atma.
The bhaav-atma only has the control over bhaav, and that is
all it uses. It does nothing else. All the bhaavs that are done go
into Nature. Then Nature, mixing with the pudgal (body-
complex), yields its results. This is a very subtle science. If you
have one bad thought, the external parmanus (subatomic
particles), instantly create an account and join with the internal
parmanus, and settle in. Once that karmic account (hisaab) is
established, it will issue its fruit and depart. They will not go
away just like that. The Atma does not do anything in all this.
And there is no God out there to come and bring you the fruit.
It is vyavasthit shakti (scientific circumstantial evidences) that
looks after things for you. In all this, the Self (Atma) does not
do anything. It does not eat, it does not drink, it does not even
experience pleasure of any kind; it only is the ‘doer’ of bhaav.
There is no problem if the self becomes the ‘doer’of the ‘nature
of the Self’ (swabhav). But because it has become the ‘doer’
of that which is beyond its realm (vibhav-attribute that is not of

336 Aptavani-4
the Self; ‘I am Chandulal’; extra intent) it has given rise to this
worldly life (sansar). Through the doer of the nature of the Self
(swabhav), there is moksha.
Even if a man has a hundred queens, if he starts having a
bhaav of wanting to attain brahmacharya (absolute freedom
from any sexual impulses through mind, speech and body), and
the bhaav that he should not indulge in sexual activities, then
through such recurring thoughts he will become bhaav-swaroop
(absolute intent-filled state of brahmacharya). And what a
wonderful state of brahmacharya he will experience in his next
life! To practice perfect celibacy through mind, speech and body
is not in one’s hands. It will come as an effect of the bhaav that
was done in the past life.
The Tirthankars, after attaining Gnan, have a final bhaav
of the salvation of the world (jagat kalyan). Their own salvation
has already happened. Now, they have the bhaav of, how can
others attain salvation? According to their bhaav, the bhaav-
atma takes its form. First, there is a bhaav-atma (causal; one
creates causes for becoming a Tirthankar; vyavahar atma)
Tirthankar, and then the dravya-atma (effect; discharge
pratishthit soul; one behaves as a Tirthankar in the next life)
Tirthankar. Even that is not the result of nirvikalp (the Self),
but the result of vikalp (non-Self), it is the result of bhaav.
Questioner: Are yogi purush, such as yourself, able to
see the subtle actions of the parmanus (subatomic particles)?
Dadashri: Yes, they can, which is why it is the only way
this puzzle can be solved. Otherwise, there is no other way that
this puzzle can be solved.
People may say that a person died because someone
gave him poison. That is not the correct way to look at it. Firstly,
the antahkaran (mind, intellect, chit and ego complex) is
poisoned. This is a subtle (sookshma) form of poisoning, while

Aptavani-4 337
the other is an overt (sthool; tangible) form of poisoning. The
action initially takes place internally, before it happens externally.
The food that we eat daily, we do not ask everyday that
something specific should be made for us. And even if we did
ask, it would not be made the way we wanted it. Whatever the
parmanus (subatomic particles) within you are asking for,
vyavasthit shakti (scientific circumstantial evidence) furnishes
their demands on the outside. Everything is arranged according
to vyavasthit. When inside you, you need to taste something
bitter, you will come across bitter-gourd curry (karela nu
shaak). The fools however, make such a ruckus: “Why did you
make bitter-gourd curry (karela nu shaak) today?” Even this is
a science.
I have said: “Mind is effective, speech is effective, body
is effective.” Now you should have many thoughts about the
way in which they are ‘effective’.
When you feel hurt, it is the effect of subatomic particles
(parmanus) of the mind and here, no one is at fault. It is only
an effect. No one on the outside hurts you. All those that are on
the outside, are just nimit (instrumental in the process). First it
happens internally, and only then does it happen on the outside.
Therefore, I am able to tell from what goes on internally, what
is about to take place shortly. That is how I see things.
At least you understand that poison can kill a person, you
do not need God’s help there, do you? God does not have to
come over and do the killing. It is the parmanus that do the
killing. The real killers are within you. The world would not
operate if you could not physically (sthool) see things! This
entire illusion (bhranti) is there because of the sthool (tangible;
visible). Any good doctor will make you vomit out the sthool
poison, but whatever there is in the subtle (sookshma),
regardless of how much vomiting you do, will kill you anyway.
This is a science that is worth knowing.

338 Aptavani-4
Questioner: So whatever we encounter has been residing
inside us all along in a subtle form, and that is why we come
across it on the outside?
Dadashri: Then who else is going to bring it together? If
you have been served this much vegetable curry (shaak), don’t
you sometimes leave a couple of pieces of it behind on your
plate? Why is that? Hey! Don’t you even leave behind a single
grain? You will be able to eat only what the account is within
(what is coming to you as a karmic effect); everything else that
remains is not yours.
Your good bhaav will yield good fruit and your bad
bhaav will yield bad fruit. And when you do neither good nor
bad bhaav and become Shuddhatma (the pure Soul), you
cease to be the ‘doer’. Then the old bhaav will come and give
its result and leave, and another new one does not come along.
This is a science, not religion (dharma).
Religion is there to pave the way for the science.
Otherwise, science is a science. It will lead you all the way to
liberation.
Dravya-Bhaav
Questioner: Which is higher, dravya (effect) or bhaav
(cause; inner intent)?
Dadashri: Bhaav is the greatest, according to the Lord.
Dravya (effect) can also be wrong. You do not have to see that,
you just have to look at the bhaav.
It is very difficult to understand dravya-bhaav. When this
top spins and its string unwinds, that is effect (dravya) and when
it gets wound up again, that is cause (bhaav; intent).
The pure Soul does not have any kind of bhaav. The
bhaav of pratishthit atma (relative soul) is considered bhaav.
Both Gnanis (those who are Self-realized) and agnanis (those

Aptavani-4 339
who are not Self-realized) alike, have a pratishthit atma. The
one who has not realized the Self may make a strong decision
of, “I really want to do pratikraman”. When he makes such a
strong bhaav, then effect (dravya) will arise, and from that
effect (dravya), a bhaav will arise.
Questioner: What is bhaav-mun and dravya-mun?
(mun is mind)
Dadashri: When you create a pratishthit atma, that is
the beginning of bhaav-mun which manifests into dravya-mun.
The bhaav-abhaav (like-dislike; good intent and bad intent),
that people do, belong to the pratishthit atma (relative self).
Shuddhatma (the pure Soul) does not have bhaav. Whatever
you can see is ‘discharge’. You cannot see ‘charge’ and you
would not even be aware of it. Bhaav is not easy to find. Very
few can understand bhaav. Nevertheless, because they believe
that bhaav comes from pure Soul (Shuddhatma), they create
much confusion.
Without Gnan, it is impossible to grasp what bhaav is.
Bhaav is very deep, deep, deep – even if you said ‘deep’ a
million times, you would not reach the end of its unfathomable
depths.
A person may say, “In order to do this work, I have done
a lot of bhaav.” What does the Lord say to that? That it is a
strong decision of the mind. You do not call that bhaav.
Questioner: What is dravya-bhaav?
Dadashri: You sow the seeds of whatever dharma
(religion; duty; action) you do. That is why the ganadhars (chief
disciples of the Tirthankars) said that people should do
dravya-bhaav. But in this age (current time cycle) the effect
(dravya) is different and the cause (bhaav) is different.
Listening to a spiritual discourse, is as a result of the effect
(dravya) of considerable merit. But while sitting there you may

340 Aptavani-4
have all kinds of bhaavs, on ways of how to make profit in
some way. In previous ages, the dravya-bhaav was true;
whatever the dravya, so was the bhaav (because of unity in
mind, speech and body). If a person was tying a bandage on
someone, he would be completely absorbed in his act. That
would mean that he has instilled his dravya-bhaav. People
today however, may be tying bandages, but in the back of their
minds, they will be wondering how they got lumbered with it. If
a person’s conduct is in accordance with his dravya-bhaav,
then that is sowing a true seed.
Dravyakarma is the fruit (effect of your past karma) that
you receive. Bhaavkarma (charge karma) is the seed that you
sow (causes for new karma in your next life). Bhaav from
dravya and dravya from bhaav (cause from effect and effect
from cause), and so it continues in this way.
If, while in the act of stealing, you maintain a positive
bhaav you will receive fruits of merit karma (punya). If your
bhaav, at the time of stealing, is that you wish you did not have
to resort to stealing, then you would bind merit karma
(punya).
If while doing samayik (introspective meditation), you
keep looking at the clock, you are sowing the seeds of bhaav
in the wrong way.
The dravya-kriya (visible physical actions) that you do, is
what vyavasthit shakti makes you do, so what is your part in
it? The Lord says that He does not look at dravya-kriya
(visible physical action). In this era of time, dravya (effect) is
unpredictable, so make the right kinds of bhaav, so that you can
move ahead.
Bhaav Mun: The Pratishthit Atma!
Questioner: Does charging mind (bhaav-mun; causal
mind) mean the atma?

Aptavani-4 341
Dadashri: If you go on calling charging mind (bhaav-
mun), atma, then it is not a wonder that you go wandering
around life after life! In the Kramic path, the charging mind
(bhaav-mun) itself is referred to as the Atma, whereas in
Akram, I have eliminated both the charging mind (bhaav-mun)
and the discharging mind (dravya-mun).
Questioner: Is charging mind (bhaav-mun) the same as
pratishthit atma (relative self, ‘I am Chandubhai’)?
Dadashri: Charging mind (Bhaav-mun) is not pratishthit
atma. The charging mind (bhaav-mun) gives rise to a new
pratishthit atma. The discharging mind (dravya-mun) is
actually the pratishthit atma. The dravya-mun is the ‘discharge’
mind and the bhaav-mun is the ‘charge’ mind.
The world is constantly trying to destroy effect (dravya);
attempting to change external actions. In our Akram Vignan,
we have put aside, both the effect (dravya) and the cause
(bhaav). No more stepwise arduous climb; just straight ‘direct’
attainment of the Self within an hour. Otherwise, never in a
million lifetimes would you manage to attain such samkit (Self-
enlightenment).
Questioner: But one can experience the result of this,
can’t he?
Dadashri: If you cannot experience it, then it is no good
to you. When you put sugar in your mouth, you should be able
to experience its sweetness. If you kept reading, “Sugar is
sweet” you still will not experience it. If you just kept reciting,
“I am Atma…I am Atma”, you would get nowhere. If You
could experience the Atma every second, then it is of worth.
Questioner: Is it necessary for us to go on reciting it,
once we have already gained the experience?
Dadashri: There is no need to recite or do anything

342 Aptavani-4
else. You need to understand Akram Vignan. If you understand
it just once, You will always have freedom (mukti). This
science is such that you will no longer ‘charge’ any new
karma.
The discharging mind (dravya-mun) is entirely physical,
and the charging mind (bhaav-mun) arises out of illusion
(bhranti). As long as there is illusion (bhranti), there is charge
mind (bhaav-mun). The vision of dravyakarma (subtle
discharging karma) brings forth the vision of eight karmas (four
ghati and four aghati karma) from one’s past life, and based
on that vision, one does bhaav. The subatomic particles
(parmanus) latch onto this bhaav (cause), and as a result, the
effect (dravya) takes place. This is all a science.
Questioner: Does one’s bhaav (subtle intent) in the final
hour of one’s life formulate the pudgal (non-Self complex)?
Dadashri: It will attach immediately. The bhaav that is
done is the illusory intent (bhranti bhaav); intent of the non-
Self. It is not the bhaav of the swabhav (of the Self).
As an illusion occurs in the mind, pure parmanus on the
outside, known as vishrasa, begin to flow inwardly in a stream
of prayogsha (new charging of parmanus) and when they
produce results (in the next life through a pudgal), they are as
mishrasa (mixed; awaiting to give effect) which yield bitter or
sweet results, before eventually departing. This body, at the
moment, is made up of mishrasa parmanus. They produce
results and leave. New seeds are not sown when You attain
awareness of the Self.
No one is spared from the unfolding of his karma. Once
caught in the net of vyavasthit, you will be pinned in from all
sides. The ‘pegs’ of circumstances will be clamped down from
all directions. Whatever pleases the mind, it will pursue. You
may not like it, but the mind does, doesn’t it? That is why you

Aptavani-4 343
become engrossed (tanmayakar) in it. The nature of the mind
is such, that as long as it does not get what it likes, as long as
it does not have its way, it is not going to be satisfied. It is not
worth entering the ‘exhibition’ of the worldly life (sansar).
Pratibhaav
Questioner: What is a pratibhaav?
Dadashri: When you say something wrong, and from
within you feel, ‘That was wrong, I should not have said that’,
that is called pratibhaav (sense of opposition; remorse). For
the very thing that you say, you have the bhaav that you should
not have said it, is considered pratibhaav.
Questioner: Therefore, awareness (jagruti) is pratibhaav
itself?
Dadashri: Pratibhaav occurs if there is awareness
within. Once you “fire the bullet” (harsh words), if in your mind
you feel, “I should not have fired it,” that is pratibhaav. This
pratibhaav is considered your purusharth (spiritual effort).
Questioner: What kind of pratibhaav does the Gnani
have?
Dadashri: We do not have pratibhaav.
Questioner: In the event of ‘firing a bullet’ what state is
the Gnani in?
Dadashri: The ‘bullet’ naturally does not fire from within,
so then is there a need for the bhaav? And when tiny ‘bullets’
go off, I just keep ‘seeing’ them, “Wow! The fireworks are
going off!” That is not what you would consider a bhaav. Inside
the body, there are many such ‘bullets’ that continually go off,
and that is not considered bhaav.
Questioner: When we become engrossed (tanmayakar)
with the ‘discharge’, are more bhaav not being created?

344 Aptavani-4
Dadashri: Yes, of course everything is a liability! When
you do pratikraman, it is cleared. Even doing pratikraman is
a par-bhaav (of the non-Self). With that, you bind merit karma
(punya), it is not swabhav (of the Self). The binding of merit
karma (punya) and the binding of demerit karma (paap)
belongs to the non-Self. When you settle them with equanimity
(sambhave-nikal), they are reduced.
Therefore, pratibhaav does not occur to those who are
ignorant of the Self (agnani). They do not have any awareness
(jagruti) to make them realize that what is happening is wrong.
Even the Gnani does not have pratibhaav. That is because no
bhaav whatsoever arises within him, so how can he have
pratibhaav? That is the sign of absolute awareness. And those
who have attained samyak darshan (the vision of the Self),
such mahatmas (those who have attained Self-realization
through Gnan Vidhi) with awareness, have pratibhaav, so that
whenever they have a negative bhaav, the awareness (jagruti)
will instantly alert them and then pratibhaav will arise within
them.
Swabhav – Swa-kshetra: Par-bhaav – Par-
kshetra
Questioner: Whenever I see you, you always look the
same. There is never any change. Why is that?
Dadashri: Is this a flower that it would wither? This is the
Parmatma (Supreme Self), that has manifested and is sitting
within! Otherwise, I would appear withered. What does one
such as he, whose par-bhaav (state of the non-Self) has ended,
whose constant awareness (jagruti) is maintained in the
swabhav (in the Self), who has not the slightest interest in the
non-Self (par-bhaav), need?
With the demise of par-bhaav (state of the non-Self), the
bliss experienced is indeed something special! You should fix

Aptavani-4 345
your sight on that demise. The more the par-bhaav dies, the
more stable You will become in the Self. This is all You need to
understand. Nothing else is worth doing.As long as there is par-
bhaav, there is a par-kshetra (the non-Self location). Once
par-bhaav has gone, for a length of time, you remain as
Parmatma (the absolute Self) before You go on to Siddha
kshetra (location at the crest of the universe where all liberated
Souls ascend and reside eternally). Being the Self is the entrance
to the Siddha kshetra.
™™™™™

346 Aptavani-4
(38)
The Power of the Self Is Only in the Domain of
the Self
Avastha Ma Asvastha – Uneasiness in
Condition or Phases of Events
Questioner: What is the definition of mithyatva?
Dadashri: Mithyatva means to become engrossed
(tanmayakar) in any situation (avastha). What is the result of
that? Uneasiness and restlessness (asvastha). And what is the
definition of samyak darshan (right vision, samyaktva)?Tranquility
(svastha). The one who dwells in the Self does not dwell in
situations. Such a person would consider all situations as
‘discharge’ and he would dwell in the stillness (nirakudata) of the
Self. Nirakudata is the natural state of the Siddha Lords (the
absolutely liberated Ones). This science of ours is so beautiful that
you will not have to think about a thing. The moment You say
settle (nikal; dispense with), you become free from it.
The entire world dwells in situations (avastha;
circumstances). It cannot come out of avastha. Those that
dwell in avastha, are in a state of disquiet and restlessness
(asvastha) all day and all night. If he does not find a seat on the
train, it will constantly bother him. Goodness! Why do you let
it bother you? Just tell yourself, “Such is the effect of my
karma”. He keeps looking around at the other passengers,
anticipating someone to leave their seat!
What kind of understanding does a mithyatvi (with the
wrong vision of ‘I am Chandubhai’) have? He is always

Aptavani-4 347
absorbed in the situation (avastha) at hand. If the situation
(avastha) is poverty, he will become tanmayakar (one with) by
poverty, and if he becomes wealthy, he gets absorbed
(tanmayakar) in his wealth, baring an inflated chest, with a
pompous gait! When he has a fever, he becomes absorbed
(tanmayakar) with it, saying he cannot walk. Someone like me
would say, “Set a tiger running after him.” Then will he run or
not? People needlessly make themselves feeble from saying, “I
cannot walk, I cannot walk...”
You become whatever you say you are. That is because,
the nature of the Atma is such that one becomes whatever one
says he is. Then the legs will know, that they do not have to
move, since there is no one to tell them off. We have to tell
them, “How dare you not walk, I am not finished with you yet.”
If you scold them a bit like this, they will automatically walk.
How come they can run when a tiger is after them? You feed this
body, you give it drink, nice spice tea (masala chai), and still
they will not walk?
Whatever situation (avastha) a person falls into, he will
preserve and protect. He can be free his whole life, but if he has
to spend the last six months in jail, he yells, “I am a prisoner!”
When a woman gets married, she enjoys the happiness of a
marriage, and when she becomes a widow, she suffers a
widow’s grief. “I am a widow.” She will say. In her last life she
was widowed, but even then, didn’t she become married again?
What else is there in this world besides “rundapo” (to end) and
“mundapo” (to begin)?
All situations (avastha) change. The Atma, stays the same;
its form never changes. Changes never take place in the Atma.
Eternal element (vastu) never gets destroyed. Situations (avastha)
die from second to second. The entire world exists only in
situation (avastha). “I am Chandu, this is my son, this is my wife”
– in this situation they dwell. Moreover, they will say, “I have

348 Aptavani-4
grown old!” How could the Atma ever get old?All these are not
the Atma’s situations (avastha). They are the situations of the
non-Self (prakrut avastha). How did they come about? Through
the pressure of saiyog (circumstance). Just by coming in touching
with the Atma, the causes arise. They become ‘charged’ (as
karma), and then eventually they ‘discharge’.
What happened to your children from your past life? Do
they still remember you? Have you written to them? In his final
hour, a man will say, “My little girl still remains unmarried!” He
deserted his children in the previous life and now in this life he
says, “My children, my children!” and stays absorbed
(tanmayakar; consumed) in it. One is constantly forgetting the
situations of the past, while remaining absorbed (tanmayakar)
in new situations (avastha)! To remain absorbed (tanmayakar)
in the situation (avastha) is called the worldly life (sansar),
which is what sows the seeds of the worldly life, and to remain
absorbed in the Self is called moksha.
What is it like in this worldly life (sansar)? It is where
people forget whatever pain (dukh; sorrow) they have suffered,
and whatever happiness (sukh) they have had; they even forget
the vengeance (veyr) they bind in their childhood. They will then
sit together to have tea and forget about everything. They
endorse and sign whatever situation (avastha) that happens to
arise at the time. Once signed, the ‘signatures’ cannot be erased.
The problem is with the signing. People tend to sign on just
about everything. They unnecessarily oppress others and ‘sign
away’ on that as well. In fact, even if someone abducted your
daughter, you still cannot “sign” on that. People just go on
drafting everything in all the situations (avastha). They even
draw up a picture about killing.
Avastha: Paryaya
Dadashri: How many avasthas (situations) do human
beings have?

Aptavani-4 349
Questioner: Baal-avastha (childhood), youva-avastha
(adolescence), praooddha-avastha (maturity) and vruddha-
avastha (old age).
Dadashri: Are there only the four avasthas? Isn’t death
also an avastha?
Questioner: That is a full stop (a period).
Dadashri: Even death is considered a situation (avastha).
When a living being (jiva) enters the womb (garbha), it is a
state in the womb (garbha avastha). Prior to this there was the
avastha of death (maran avastha). So the wheel of avastha
keeps moving. You think that there are only four avasthas,
don’t you? But all this changes every five minutes. One moment,
you will be thinking about your home, and the thought may last
for two or three minutes, then you will think about something
else. All these avastha keep changing. You have given me the
names of all the major situations (avastha) in one’s life. But one
continues to dwell only in avasthas. “All these are temporary
adjustments.”
Questioner: Right now we are certainly in an avastha.
Dadashri: Those situations are not the kind that will bring
peace and closure. Gnan is something which allows you to
remain nihshank (doubt-free) in every situation (avastha). Our
Gnan is such that in every avastha (situation) it will give you
nihshank samadhan (doubtless inner satisfaction). Whereas
here, you have people who get ‘depressed’ when their pockets
get picked, and so ‘tight’ (conceited) when they are given an
accolade.
Questioner: What is avastha (situation) and paryaya
(phase)?
Dadashri: Relative knowledge is all the knowledge of
avastha. Paryaya is a very profound and subtle thing. And

350 Aptavani-4
avastha is a very gross and tangible thing. Anything that can be
experienced through the five senses is avastha, and paryaya is
something that can be understood through Gnan.
All things have avastha (situations). Take this fan for
example. By nature (swabhav) it is a fan, and at the moment its
avastha is to turn, then will come its avastha, to stop. Avastha
is temporary, and the fundamental form (swaroop) is an
elemental form (tattva swaroop), which is eternal.
Every situation (avastha) only comes forth to free you.
Whatever the situation; good or bad, painful (ashata vedaniya)
or pleasant (shata vedaniya), it comes to liberate you. What
does the situation (avastha) tell you? “Free yourself!” If You
maintain Your awakened applied awareness (upayog) in that
situation (avastha), then You will clearly be free. When that
stain comes along, won’t it be you who has to wash it off?
™™™™™

Aptavani-4 351
(39)
The Nature of Gnan: The Nature of Time
The One Who Deserves Self-Realization in
Akram Vignan
Questioner: Does a man bound by the noose of
prarabdha (effect in this life of causes laid in past life) have a
right to attain Gnan?
Dadashri: Even Lord Mahavir was bound by His
prarabdha, and He was entitled to absolute knowledge
(kevalgnan), so why would you not be entitled to Atmagnan?
Every human is bound by prarabdha, which is why there is
another life (reincarnation; avatar). Even the final life is bound
by prarabdha, and that is why it takes place.
Questioner: Does the prarabdha then let go?
Dadashri: Then one does not bind anymore prarabdha
(effect for next life). After I give you Gnan, You will no longer
bind any prarabdha. This means that your past karma will
‘discharge’, and you will not be ‘charging’ any new ones. That
is how this science is.
Questioner: Can a married man be entitled to Gnan?
Dadashri: In the current era we live in, it is not worth
looking at someone’s eligibility. In this present age, no one has
any kind of eligibility. That is why I have made this Gnan
available for anyone who comes along. Do you know what time
period this is? In Jainism it is referred to as Dushamkaal and
in Vedanta it is called Kaliyug. What is Kaliyug? That there is

352 Aptavani-4
no respite from pain, stress and worries. The torment of ‘What
will happen tomorrow? What will happen tomorrow?’, never
goes away. And what is Dushamkaal? In spite of intense
suffering, there is no equanimity. Now in this sort of age, if you
went out in search of eligibility, who would qualify? No one
would be eligible!!
Questioner: Would you call the Gnan that you give, a
form of grace (krupa)?
Dadashri: Only through grace (krupa) will the work get
done. The grace of the ‘Dada Bhagwan’ that has manifested
within me, passes directly into You. You have to get Your work
done through this grace. Each person receives grace according
to his receptiveness, and the more humility (vinaya) he has, the
more grace he will receive. The highest quality one can have in
the world is the quality of humility (vinaya).
Questioner: Isn’t there a saying, that one can attain
moksha quicker in Kaliyug?
Dadashri: That is true. There is a reason for that.
Because people would not pass in this Kaliyug, the “professors”
decided to lower the standards more. Otherwise, how would
anyone be able to pass? In Kaliyug, the standard by which
one’s humanness is ascertained, has become so ‘low’, that is
why you have become worthy, no? Otherwise who would let
people of the current era of this time cycle enter moksha?
Someone has to be allowed to pass the examinations; otherwise
you will have to shut down the ‘college’. That is why the ‘level’
has been lowered.
The Gnani Remains in the Present
Questioner: In the definition of time cycles, was there
ever a Kaliyug before?
Dadashri: There is a Kaliyug in every time cycle.

Aptavani-4 353
Kaliyug is like the night that follows the day. Does it not? That
is how Kaliyug is. It is because of Kaliyug, that Satyug (Age
of unity in mind, speech and action) is called Satyug. If there
were no Kaliyug, Satyug would have no value.
Questioner: Is man subject to yug (age of time cycle) or
is yug subject to man?
Dadashri: Man is presently subject to time. But the
muda samaya (time as an eternal element) has arisen because
of you (because of the belief I am this non-Self). ‘You’(the Self)
yourself are the king, and all this has come about in the king’s
wake.
Questioner: Is samaya (time) God, and is samaya
(time) Parmeshwar (absolute God)?
Dadashri: Time cannot be Parmeshwar. Otherwise,
people would go around chanting, “Time, Time...” (Instead of
God). You yourself are Parmeshwar, and you need to know
that Time is just a nimit (instrumental) in the middle.
How much difference is there between ‘Us-the Gnani
Purush’ and You? ‘We’ have conquered time. People are
consumed by time. ‘You’ still have to conquer time. How can
you conquer time? The past is forgotten. The future is in the
hands of scientific circumstantial evidences (vyavasthit); therefore,
You need to remain in the present. So then time can be
conquered. As You go on to do our ‘Akram’samayik, You will
learn how to hold onto the present. It does not come straight to
you. When You do samayik (being the Self and ‘seeing’the self)
for an hour, You are in the present (vartaman).
What does it mean, to stay in the present (vartaman)?
When you are writing down your financial accounts, don’t you
stay fully focused on your accounts? If you (your mind) drift
off into the future, you will make errors in your accounting. If
you remain in the present, it is possible not to make a single

354 Aptavani-4
error. What I am telling You, is that You should experience the
present that is before You. The past is gone. Even intellectuals
would not stir up the past. And to think about the future is to
worry.
Therefore, remain in the present. While the satsang is
going on now, listen to it with concentration (ekagra) of chit.
When you are balancing your books, do it with such
concentration (ekagra) of chit. And when you are swearing at
someone, do it with the same concentration (ekagra) of chit.
He who perpetually remains in the present, is a Gnani. People
cannot enjoy the present, because they worry about the future
and the past. They even make errors in their accounting. The
Gnani Purush will never ruin the present.
Questioner: Do we have to forget about the past and the
future?
Dadashri: No, you do not have to forget, you just have
to remain in the present. Forgetting is a burden. You cannot
forget even if you want to, and besides, the more you try to
forget something, the more you will remember it. One man was
telling me, “When I sit down to do a samayik (meditative
introspection) I think to myself, ‘Today I am not going to be
reminded about the shop’. And on that very day, the first thing
I see in my samayik is the shop!” Why does that happen? It is
because, when he said he did not want to be reminded of it,
essentially he showed contempt towards it! You should not be
contemptuous of anything.
There is only one thing, and that is to remain in the
present. You have nothing whatsoever to do with the past or the
future. Remaining in the present is immortal state (amarpad).
‘We’remain exactly as ‘we’are in the present. If you wake ‘us’
up at night ‘we’ will be the same, and if you wake ‘us’ up in the
day, ‘we’will be the same. Whenever you see ‘us’‘we’ will be
just the same as ‘we’ are now.

Aptavani-4 355
The Eternal Element of Time
Questioner: How does the dravya (element) called
kaad (time) function?
Dadashri: Time is only naimitik (instrumental; evidence).
The time it takes for one parmanu (subatomic particle) to leave
its space and move into another space is called ‘samaya’ (the
smallest division of time). This worldly life (sansar) is constantly
evolving (samsaran). It is constantly flowing. It cannot be made
still at all. A single second (pala) is comprised of many samaya
(smallest division of time).
The moment I tell you something and you understand it
immediately, that is considered a higher development. The less
time it takes; the higher the development, and the more time it
takes; the lesser the development. Kaad (time) is subtle
(sookshma). Samaya is the subtlest. For ‘us’ (Gnanis), time is
closer to samaya, and the Tirthankars have samaya. If you
could reach samaya today, then you would attain moksha. The
peculiarity of this age is that one cannot reach samaya.
™™™™™

356 Aptavani-4
(40)
The Nature of Speech
Speech Is Not an Attribute of the Soul!
Dadashri: Who is the one doing this talking?
Questioner: You, Dada Bhagwan, are speaking.
Dadashri: I myself am not speaking. I do not have the
energy (shakti) to speak at all. This is the ‘original tape-record’
that is ‘speaking’. If you wanted to, from this one, you could
record another ‘tape-record’, a third and fourth... and don’t you
believe, ‘I am talking’, when you speak? It is because you
speak yourself that you are in this ‘puzzle’, while I am sitting
here, after having ‘solved’ the ‘puzzle’. When you speak, you
have the ego of, ‘I am speaking’. Yours too is a ‘tape-record’
that is ‘speaking’.
The Atma cannot speak. The Atma does not have the
attribute of speech. Words are not one of the Atma’s attributes,
and neither are they attributes of the pudgal (non-Self complex).
If it were an attribute of either of them, then it would last forever.
But ‘this’ (the body) dies. In fact, the word is actually one of the
paryaya (phases) of pudgal (non-Self complex). It is a situation
(avastha) of the pudgal. When two parmanus (subatomic
particles) collide, they produce a sound. What happens when
you beep a car horn? Speech (vani; sound) comes out.
Questioner: If you have to press it for the speech (vani;
sound) to come out, then it would be termed as mechanical
speech (vani). But the Gnani’s speech is not mechanical, is it?

Aptavani-4 357
Dadashri: Our (Gnani’s) speech is a ‘taped-record’,
and so is yours. Except the Gnani’s speech is syadvaad
(speech that does not hurt anyone).
Questioner: Is syadvaad speech that is chetan (living)?
Dadashri: Speech can never have life; whether it is yours
or ‘ours’. Yes, ‘our’ speech (vani) emanates, after having
touched the absolute pure Self, and so it appears to be alive.
Questioner: Can one say ‘speech (vani) is lifeless
(jada)’?
Dadashri: It is okay to say, ‘speech is lifeless’, but you
can never say speech has life. When you press on a car horn,
doesn’t it produce a honking sound? When you press it like that,
the parmanus (subatomic particles) that are in it, become
agitated and collide with one another, to create all this noise. Just
listen to the sound coming out of the horn! That is how it all
comes out of the ‘horn’, after continuously colliding. All this is
‘mechanical’. The Atma is itself Parmatma (the absolute Soul).
Syadvaad Speech
Questioner: Your speech, the speech of the Gnani, what
is it like?
Dadashri: It is syadvaad (speech that does not hurt
anyone); it is considered anekant (impartial; perspective of
universal acceptance).
Questioner: What does syadvaad mean?
Dadashri: It is speech that will not hurt the foundation of
any religion. Such speech is embraced by Vaishnavs, Jains,
Swetambars, Digambars, Sthanakvasi, Parsis, Muslims. They
will all ‘accept’ it. It is not ekantik (partial; polemic; individualized
perspective) towards any single viewpoint. It is anekantik
(impartial; accepting of all viewpoints and accepted by all).

358 Aptavani-4
Questioner: Is it free from insistence (niragrahi)?
Dadashri: Yes, you can say that. There is no kind of
insistence in it.
Questioner: For speech that is non-insistent (niragrahi),
do we have to think before we speak?
Dadashri: No. If you think before you speak, your
speech will never be niragrahi. This directly comes out after
touching the chetan (the Self). The Gnani’s speech comes out
with awareness (jagruti). It is only for the benefit (hitta; good)
of others. The awareness (jagruti) remains to the extent that no
one’s benefit (hitta) is compromised.
When you keep listening with zeal, to the Gnani Purush’s
speech, even your speech becomes like that. Just imitating it will
not work.
Questioner: When does one’s speech become syadvaad?
Dadashri: When all the karmas are destroyed; when
anger, pride, deceit, greed (krodh, maan, maya, lobh) are
destroyed, then the speech that emits will be syadvaad (hurts no
one) speech. The entire science of the Vitarag Lords must be
present. It will only occur if one has clear and distinct experience
(spashta anubhav) of the Atma. Until then, it is all talk related
to the intellect, and is considered as talk pertaining to the
worldly life (vyavahar). Unless your speech is syadvaad, you
take on a big risk when you preach about the path of moksha.
Who Has the Right to Preach?
Who can give spiritual discourse (updesha)? Only
someone who does not raise the listener’s objection. However,
in our path, there is no discussion. How do you go about
understanding our books? No two people will have the same
comprehension. One may have the right understanding, while the
other person’s understanding will be incomplete. So if the one

Aptavani-4 359
with the incomplete understanding insists: ‘I am the one who is
right’, then you should just say, “Yes, you are correct,” and
move on. In understanding the Truth (Sat; eternal), there should
be no controversy.
You must not have the belief: ‘Mine is right’. If you
continue to believe, ‘It is mine, so it is right.’ you could say that
you are afflicted with a disease. If indeed you are right, the other
person would accept what you say without fail. And if he does
not do that, then you should just let it go. When I say something,
the other person’s Atma will most certainly agree to it. When he
does not agree, it is because of his obstinacy. Mistake cannot
occur because this speech does not belong to me. Where there
is, ‘This is my speech’, mistakes will occur.
If someone went out to give spiritual discourse (updesha)
in this day and age, he is likely to get himself bound. To give
updesha (preach) in the presence of kashays (anger, pride,
deceit and greed) is a sign of going to hell. At best, it can be
tolerated from a person whose kashays are relatively mild.
Otherwise, however, this carries a very heavy liability.
What does kashay-free speech mean? It is where one
does not have the ‘ownership’ of his speech. If one is the owner
of speech, one will say, “I spoke so well! Did you like it?” So
he ‘cashes’ in his check. ‘We’ are not the owner of the speech,
or of the mind, or even of the body.
When does syadvaad (that which does not hurt) speech
arise? When the role of the ego comes to an end. When you see
the whole world as faultless (nirdosh), and not a single being is
seen at fault at all! I do not even see a thief as being at fault.
People say stealing is a crime. But the way a thief looks at it,
is that he is merely carrying out his duty (dharma; role). If
someone brought him to me, I would put my arm on his shoulder
and ask him in private, “Son, do you like this business? Does it
please you?” Then he would open up to me. He would not feel

360 Aptavani-4
intimidated with me.Aman will lie, because of fear. I would then
make him understand: “Do you have any idea about the
responsibility you carry, and the consequences of your actions?”
And ‘You are stealing’, does not even exist in my mind.
And if it were in my mind, it would cast an effect on his mind.
Each and every person is in his own nature (dharma).
Syadvaad speech is to not hurt the praman (measure; worth)
of any dharma. Speech that is syadvaad, is complete.
Everyone’s prakruti (non-Self complex) is different, even so,
syadvaad speech does not disregard anyone’s prakruti.
The Gnani Purush can show you every remedy. He will
find the cause of the ‘disease’ and he will even show you the
remedies. All you have to do is ask him what the truth is, and
tell him how you have understood it, so that he can immediately
show you which ‘button’ to press, to get things started!
There are many different ways in which religion is being
discussed, in order to give a person the right understanding.
1. Using speech to defend and protect oneself. That is
one way.
2. To ‘convince’ the other person. Is another way. No
matter what religion the other person practices, his belief will
change. But you should know how to speak this way, shouldn’t
you? Surely you should have that much power and energy
(shakti), shouldn’t you? The amount of Gnan you understand,
determines the energy that arises within you.And while trying to
‘convince’ the other person, there should not be the slightest,
anger, pride, deceit or greed (kashay). Or else, the other person
will not be convinced at all. When kashay arises, it is a
weakness.
3. Some people are weak, because when they attempt to
convince others, they themselves become influenced by them
and change their minds. The other person will ask questions that

Aptavani-4 361
will confuse him. He will end up feeling discouraged and think
that he has no Gnan (knowledge) whatsoever.
Touched by Saraswati
The Gnani Purush’s speech is sweet and pleasant; it
does not shock or alarm (aaghaat) anyone, and it does not
create pratyaghaat (reaction to shock) in anyone who listens to
it. When the words that come forth do not hurt anyone to the
slightest extent, it is charitra (conduct as the Self). You can
recognize the strength of a person’s character by his speech.
There is really no other way you can tell a person’s strength of
conduct (charitrabud). If the intellect is syadvaad, then it may
create an impression of being syadvaad, but it is incomplete.
Whereas with Gnan-syadvaad (speech that flows in the state of
Gnan), the conduct (charitra) of the speaker is vitarag
(without attachment or abhorrence). People of every religion
uphold Gnan-syadvaad as the standard. In such speech, there
is no insistence (pressure).
This is a science (vignan). When speech assumes the
form of Saraswati (the Goddess of Knowledge), it touches
people’s hearts, and that is when people are blessed. In this
world, it is difficult to come across speech that touches hearts.
My speech touches your heart and if only you fully digest just
one word of it, it will take you all the way to moksha.
Questioner: If one wants to make his speech like that,
what should he do?
Dadashri: Everyday, with a prayerful and sincere intent
(bhaav), you must ask, ‘Let me not hurt anyone through my
speech. Let my speech give happiness to others.’ If you nurture
this ‘cause’, you will attain such speech.
The Powerful Speech of the Gnani Purush
There is tremendous power of speech (vachanbud) in the

362 Aptavani-4
Gnani Purush’s each and every word. Power of speech
(vachanbud) is something that when I tell them to, everyone
stands up. When people act according to what they are told, it
is called vachanbud. With vachanbud, speech continues to
become siddha; it accomplishes the intent. There is not any
vachanbud left these days, is there? When a father says to his
son, “Go to bed.” his son will say, “No, I am off to see a
movie.” It is called vachanbud, when everyone at home does
what you tell them to do.
Questioner: How can we attain power of speech
(vachanbud)?
Dadashri: How have you lost vachanbud? It is because
you have misused speech. You have lied, you have berated
others, you have scared dogs, and you have been deceitful,
which is why your vachanbud has broken down. Vachanbud is
also destroyed when you protect yourself by lying, when you
insist on your own truth or when you negate truth.
You scold your boy, “Sit up straight stupid”. So in front
of your son, you lose your vachanbud. If you use speech, that
deeply hurts someone, in your next life, your speech will be
completely snatched away from you, so that you will remain
mute for ten-fifteen years.
Speak as truthfully as you are able to understand. It is
okay not to speak when you do not understand. Your
vachanbud will increase all the more. “I do not want to say
anything that will hurt anyone”, is what you need to decide, and
you should constantly ask Dada for strength (shakti) and with
that, you will attain it. It requires my vachanbud and a strong
desire on your part. My vachanbud will remove all your
obstacles. You will be tested, but you will come through.
Power in the Penance of Silence
Questioner: What do they mean when they say, that

Aptavani-4 363
staying silent (maun) is considered power of penance
(tapobud)?
Dadashri: A penance of silence would be where a
person, who stays silence (maun) in situations where he would
not normally stay silent, so then the maun (his silence), goes into
tapobud (power of penance). If his servant breaks a cup and
he does not utter a thing, it is rendered a penance (tapa). There
is nothing as powerful as silence in this world. This power is
dissipated the instant you utter something. Silence is the highest
penance. If you are having a dispute with your father, if you stay
silent (maun), you are doing a penance. Everything ‘melts’ in
that penance and from that, science comes about. Nowadays
people stay silent for a day and then the next day they vent their
bottled up boiling anger! The penance of silence can do much
good. It can bring salvation to the entire world.
That is why Kavi wrote:
‘Sat purush nu maun tapobud,
nischay aakhha jaga ne taarey’
‘The penance of silence of the realized Soul,
will definitely liberate the entire world.’
~Kavi Navneet
You are free to say anything in the presence of Dada;
nevertheless, maintaining your silence is power of penance
(tapobud).
Questioner: What is considered maun (remaining silent)?
Dadashri: Whatever you say, that is related to the Atma,
is considered maun (here it means anything said for the salvation
of others).
Questioner: If we stop speaking overtly (sthool), and
we remain silent, will it benefit us?

364 Aptavani-4
Dadashri: Overt silence (sthool maun) will really upset
the overt ego (sthool ahamkar). Words have created all the
world’s entanglements. And through silence, power (shakti) can
grow immensely. Overt speech can hurt others; it can hurt like
a rock. Can you imagine how much you accomplish on the day
you observe silence? Maun brings saiyam (control over kashay
– anger, pride, deceit, greed). Even overt maun brings about
saiyam. That is considered silence of the ego. And if the
awareness, ‘I am Shuddhatma’ is present, then it is considered
the silence of the pure Soul.
Questioner: Then how should maun be?
Dadashri: Maun is where there is no nokashay
(neutral kashay): no laughter, grief, fear, disgust, or anything
else. There is no subtle inner speech either. During times of
maun, you obviously would not speak, but writing is speech
as well. So even writing does not constitute maun. Maun
(silence) puts an end to all the agitation. When there is an
absence of written or suggestive communication, it is called
true silence.
Questioner: If we feel angry inside, but we are silent on
the outside, what can we do?
Dadashri: That is why I say, that no matter what you say
and how crazily you behave, ultimately you should stick to the
Lord’s side (with the intention not to hurt at all). All this may
have transpired when you were on the side of evil, but you
should keep your mind on the Lord’s side. If you give way to
evil, you will be doomed.
Questioner: Isn’t it the mind that is at work in all these
matters?
Dadashri: It is because of the mind that this worldly life
(sansar) has come about. With one mind the worldly life
(sansar) sets, and with other mind it arises.

Aptavani-4 365
Questioner: If we cannot understand the other person’s
viewpoint, what should we do?
Dadashri: Stay silent (maun). It was because of maun
that stupid people are considered wise. If someone says to you,
“you have no sense in you.” then just remain silent.And if at the
time, you retaliate, he will remember it and think, ‘This one really
is an idiot.’
In this Dushamkaal (present age), speech alone causes
bondage (bandhan). In Sushamkaal (the previous age), it was
the mind that created bondage. If it was not for words, moksha
could be easily attained. Therefore, you must not utter a word
about anyone. To say something bad about someone, is the
same as throwing dirt on your own self. To utter a single word
is very risky. When you speak wrongly, you are throwing dirt
over yourself and even when you have wrong thoughts, you are
throwing dirt on yourself. For these wrongs, you must do
pratikraman (repent), so that you can free yourself from its
effects.
A Live Tape Recorder – What a Responsibility!
There are all kinds of devices such as tape recorders,
transmitters, that exist today. Prominent people live in fear of
someone recording their conversations. These devices are only
meant to record words. The human mind and body, however,
will record everything. Nevertheless, people are not afraid of
this at all. When the other person is asleep, and you say, “He
is worthless”, inside him, it gets ‘taped’! At a later time, it will
produce a result. So you must not say anything even about a
sleeping person. Not even a single word. This machinery is such,
that it will record everything. If you must speak, then say
something good like, “You are really a great man.” If you uphold
good inner intent (bhaav), you will be rewarded with happiness.
But if you say something even slightly negative, whether you say
it in the dark, or even when you are alone, the consequences of

366 Aptavani-4
it will be as bitter as poison. It will all be recorded anyway. So
make sure you record only the good things.
Questioner: I do not want anything that is at all bitter.
Dadashri: If you want the bitter, then say bitter things, or
else do not say them at all. Even if someone hits you, you should
not say a thing to him. Just say to him, “I am much obliged to you.”
The Lord has said that in these times, if someone insults
you, you should invite him for dinner. Even if he has a ‘wild’
temperament, you should still forgive him. If you tried to get
‘revenge’, you will be pulled back into the worldly life (sansar)
again. You must not take ‘revenge’in this age. There is nothing
but ‘wildness’ in this Dushamkaal (the present era). You can
never tell what kind of thoughts you will have. You will even
have thoughts about the end of the world! In this age, so many
jiva (living beings) are going to collide with each other. And if
you create enmity with such people, you too will have to collide.
That is why we say, “I salute you sir!” In this time cycle, it is best
that you instantly forgive someone, or else you will have to
suffer. And this world is founded on vengeance (veyr).
In this age, it is impossible for you to go and reason with
someone. And if you are capable of making others understand,
then you can explain to them using good words, so that even if
it does get ‘recorded’, you are not held accountable. So stay
‘positive’. In this world, only the ‘positive’ will give you
happiness; the ‘negative’ will give you nothing but a great deal
of grief (dukh). Can you imagine the magnitude of liability!
Those who go about looking for justice and injustice will insult
and give abuse to so many people. It is not worth looking for
justice and injustice. Justice and injustice is a “thermometer”
(gauge) for the world, to assess whose “fever” has come down
by how much, and by how much has it gone up? The world will
never become just, nor will it ever become unjust. The same
corrupted mess will continue on.

Aptavani-4 367
The world has been like this ever since it began. In
Satyug (Time cycle of unity in mind, speech and actions) the
environment was not so spoilt, but today, its effect is worse.
Don’t you think, that in the days of Lord Rama, when there
were kidnappers who abducted Sita (His wife), that they would
not be around today? This is never-ending. This ‘machinery’ has
been like this from the very beginning. One has no insight, one
has no idea about his responsibility, so do not say anything
irresponsible. Do not act irresponsibly or do anything
irresponsible. Take everything positively. If you want to do
something good for someone, then go and do it. But do not do
things that are bad, and do not have bad thoughts. Do not listen
to anything bad about someone. It is very risky. Otherwise, in
this huge and vast world, moksha lies right there within you, and
yet you cannot find it!!! And besides, you have been wandering
for countless births!!!
In ordinary worldly interaction (vyavahar), speaking is
not a problem. But when you say anything negative about a
human being, it gets ‘recorded’ inside him! If you want to record
a ‘tape’ of those in sansar (people), how long does it take? If
you provoke someone even slightly, it will create the provocation
and a hostile intent (pratipakshi bhaav) will continue to be
‘taped’ (recorded). ‘You have so much weakness in you, that
even before provocation, you will start speaking.’
Questioner: Let alone not saying anything negative, we
should not even have a negative inner intent (bhaav), right?
Dadashri: You should not have that kind of bhaav, that
is true. Whatever enters your bhaav, will inevitably come out in
your speech. Therefore, to stop speaking, will also stop the
bhaav. This bhaav is an echo behind the speech. There is no
way to prevent a bhaav of hostility (pratipakshi bhaav) from
surfacing now, is there! I do not have such bhaav. You have to
also reach that state. That weakness of yours needs to go, so

368 Aptavani-4
that the hostile bhaavs do not arise. And should they arise at
times, you have the weapon of pratikraman, with which you
will be able to erase them. If water seeps into your factory, as
long as it does not freeze over, it is fine. If it does freeze, then
it is out of your hands.
If in a letter, you wrote something wrongly about
someone, as long as you have not mailed the letter yet, you still
have a chance to add a footnote to say, ‘ I have written some
hurtful things about you in the above letter, and it is
because I was out of my mind at the time, so please forgive
me.’ If you write that, all will be forgiven. But at that time, a
person would not let go his pride. So he will not write it. Rarely
does a person do that, because it would hurt his pride.
Just look at all these ‘scraps of prestige’! It takes so much
clothing, to hang on to one’s pride. And even then, if they tear,
you have to mend them. If a man’s clothes get dirty, he starts a
row, “You have not even washed my white cap. The boat-
shaped one I used to wear? Why haven’t you done any
ironing?” Now he starts quarreling about the ironing. Why does
he guard his reputation so much? You should look for the kind
of reputation where people would worship you, even if you went
around naked.
You have infinite energies (shakti) within you.You can turn
these energies any way you want to. You just need to know how.
The only type of speech this ‘tape recorder’ can handle,
is the kind that expresses love in every ‘dealing’ with others. For
that, you will receive great appreciation.
The scriptures tell you that you should not say anything
bad, or think anything bad. You may ask yourself why they keep
saying the same old thing over and over. This ‘machinery’is just
that way, so it records everything. So when all the evidences
come together, there is havoc.

Aptavani-4 369
Questioner: Do the evidences (puraava) present
themselves as circumstances (saiyog)?
Dadashri: Yes. When circumstances come together, they
manifest externally. There are some evidences that remain within
and torment you. Even that happens when the circumstances
come together. They are considered internal circumstances. That
is scientific circumstantial evidence.
If while at home, a man scolds his wife, he will think, ‘No
one has heard anything, this is normal!’ In the presence of their
young children, the couple says whatever they like to each other.
According to them, what is a child going to understand? Hey
you! What about the ‘taping’ that is going on inside him? It will
all come out when the child grows up!
Questioner: If we do not want to ‘tape’ (record)
anything, then what is the answer to that?
Dadashri: Do not give out any vibrations. Just keep
‘seeing’ everything. But that is not going to happen! Even this is
a ‘machine’and moreover, it is dependent on other entity. This
is why I am showing you another way, so that if it does get
‘taped’, you can immediately erase it, and it will be alright. This
pratikraman is the tool for erasing. With that, a change will
happen within a couple of lifetimes, and hurtful speech will come
to an end.
Questioner: After I have attained the awareness of the
pure Soul, the pratikraman is always going on.
Dadashri: Then you are no longer responsible.
I hear Kaviraj’s spiritual songs (pados) in the same
‘exact’ voice and in the same tune and melody continually for
two to three hours. What must that be? This is a machine. Even
this is the greatest science. The other kind of machine is man-
made and this is not man-made (that which is happening

370 Aptavani-4
effortless; anupcharik). Man cannot create such a machine.
This does not require an electric current or batteries. It will run
in the daytime, in the nighttime, in the rain, in the heat, and even
when it snows, it stays on.
If you saw someone fifteen years ago and you met him
again today, you would still recall him. That is how this machine
works.
Each and every parmanu (subatomic particle) has the
energy (shakti; power) to ‘tape’ (record). The eyes have the
energy (shakti; energy) to film. Inside, you have infinite energies.
From this single internal machinery, countless others are created.
Therefore, this is extremely powerful machinery.
As long as you have need of this world’s interaction
(vyavahar), you should speak in a pleasing manner, that will win
over the minds of others (manohar). He whose speech,
conduct and humility have become manohar (win over the
minds of others), becomes prematma (the embodiment of love).
But how can you learn this? People use such speech, that a
person who is about to offer them a cup of tea will change his
mind.
If you go to an unfamiliar village, and you keep saying,
“These petty vendors are so...” and you go on complaining, then
are you going to find anything to eat there in the evening?
Instead if you just say, “You people are so kind.” If you say this,
people will actually come up to you and ask, “Have you eaten
yet or not?”
In this era of the time cycle, you should not even, ridicule
someone. You should not say a single word. If a man is fat, you
should not call him “fat”. If a man is tall, you should not call him
“tall”. People have turned into ‘plastic’ (insensitive). Our people
will criticize anyone. Not just humans, but they even criticize this
fruit. “This will give me gas”, they will say. “This will produce too

Aptavani-4 371
much heat in my intestines”. Hey now! You may get gas from it,
but others will not. Their whole language is awkward, so what
can you do?
This world has arisen through speech, and it will end
through speech.
In these ‘developed’ households, of cultured people, it is
not their careless behavior, but their careless speech, that causes
unhappiness (dukh; grief). Do you think that these people throw
stones at each other at home? No! They shoot arrows of words.
Is it better to throw a stone or is it better to strike with harsh
speech?
Questioner: A stone is better.
Dadashri: Our people prefer stones over something that
does not physically hurt them. If something causes bleeding or
burning when it hits you, you can get a doctor to treat you. But
when words cause a wound, it will never heal. Even after fifteen
years or so, that wound will go on hurting! Why is that so? It
is because you believe that the words came from the person
himself. I guarantee you that, every living being’s speech is a
‘record’. Even mine is a ‘record’! If this ‘record’ is playing,
“Chandubhai is not a good man, Chandubhai is not a good
man...” would you be become defensive?
Questioner: But that is a machine, isn’t it?
Dadashri: Even when human beings speak, they are all
‘records’. If you consider your own words, as a ‘record’ and
the other person’s words as a ‘record’ you will find a solution.
There is no other way to win over the world. As soon as you
utter, “record”, the other person has become faultless (nirdosh)!
When in a state of ignorance, as long as a person feels,
‘He keeps going on and on... How can I take any more of
it?!’, sickness will not leave. You do not have to suffer or

372 Aptavani-4
tolerate anything. You just have to understand that it is a
‘record’. If you do not believe that speech is in the form of a
‘record’, then even your speech will come out like that.
Therefore, the cycle of effect and cause, cause and effect will
just perpetuate.
Speech is entirely a ‘thermometer’.
This science is such that it will bring about a solution. If
someone tells you off, or if he laughs at you, then you should
laugh along with him. You know that this is how the record is
playing. How can the other person be saying anything? He
himself is a ‘top’ (spinning toy) there. This poor man only
deserves sympathy!
Questioner: At the time, I do not have this kind of
awareness.
Dadashri: First, you have to decide that, “Speech is a
record.” Speech is a record, is a record, is a record… “Overt
(sthool) circumstances, subtle (sookshma) circumstances, and
circumstances of speech (vani) are of the non-Self (par) and
they are dependent on the non-Self (paradhin).” Speech is
neither in the hands of the speaker, nor is it in the hands of the
listener. Circumstances of speech are of the non-Self and they
are dependent on the non-Self. Who would stick out his hand
when these firework rockets go off?
Bhagwan (God) moves away from any discussion that
goes beyond two minutes. When the conversation turns
reckless, Bhagwan leaves. It is okay to discuss something, as
long as there is no insistence in it. With insistence, one increases
the burden.
Speech Is the Embodiment of Ego
Speech is just an open ego. What is being said, and how
much is being said, is all an open ego. Except, when the Gnani

Aptavani-4 373
speaks syadvaad (that speech which does not hurt any living
being), there is no ego in it. However, when he says anything
else, it is only his ego that is coming out. That ego is one that
is leaving. It is called a ‘discharge’ ego.
Questioner: So, it is speech without ego that comes out?
Dadashri: It is called a ‘lifeless’ (nirjiva) ego. If the
speech has a ‘living’(sajiva) ego, then it will hurt others. ‘Our’
speech is without ‘My-ness’ (nirmamatva), and is egoless
(nirahamkari), which is why people experience joy.
Just by listening to someone speak, you can tell the kind
of ego, and to what extent it has been ‘charged’. Speech that
is without syadvaad is all ego. Ego is not as apparent in one’s
conduct. Only on occasion you might see a person’s chest
inflated with ego, perhaps when you go to a wedding.
‘How well I spoke!’ is a parigraha of speech. ‘I am
talking’ is the awareness by which a new seed of karma is
sown.
Questioner: What is spontaneous and natural (sahajik)
speech?
Dadashri: One that does not have the slightest bit of ego
in it. Not even for a second do I become the owner of this
speech, so therefore my speech is spontaneous and natural
(sahajik).
The worldly self (atma) is sacharachar (mixture of the
still, the Self and the changing, the non-Self). There are three
‘char’ in ‘sachar’: aachar (conduct), vichaar (thoughts) and
uchchar (speech). If these three remain within the bounds of
‘normality’there is no problem. When they are in normality, a
human’s ‘fragrance’ can indeed be perceived. What is the
greatest test for a person? Do not test him by his conduct, do
not test him by his thoughts, but do test him by his speech.

374 Aptavani-4
No Solution Without Vitarag Speech
Someone asked the Lord, “By what means do we attain
moksha?” And the Lord replied, “Without vitarag speech,
there is no other way.” Such speech is that which accomplishes
the ultimate (siddha speech); it grows on the listener.
Questioner: What is the definition and level (praman) of
vitarag speech?
Dadashri: Vitarag speech means that it is acceptable to
every soul and every religion. Only an obstinate person will not
accept it. Vitarag speech is pleasing to the Atma, while other
speeches are pleasing to the mind. From the moment you hear
the vitarag speech, it will appear new to you, it will seem,
unprecedented (apurva) to you. Apurva means that it has never
been heard before and you will not have read it anywhere
before. You can say that it is the speech of a Vitarag, because
everyone will embrace it; believers and non-believers alike.
Even non-believers will say, “We accept what you say, but it is
really not for us”.
The ‘Taping’ of Speech
Questioner: You say that you are not speaking, but that
it is a ‘tape-record’ playing. Please explain how that is so?
Dadashri: You can tell by its attributes (gunadharma).
There are no attributes (gunadharma) of the Atma in it. There
are not any gunadharma of the pudgal (non-Self) in it either.
It is a stage (avastha; state) of the pudgal. Speech is ‘taped’
(recorded), prompted by the ego (ahamkar). The ego
(ahamkar) does not ‘tape’ on its own. It only prompts the
‘taping’. From within, the ego does the prompting: ‘When I am
in court, I want to say it like this...or I want to say that’, and that
is how the ‘tape’ comes out.
Questioner: When would your speech have been
‘taped’?

Aptavani-4 375
Dadashri: It was taped in the past life and now it is being
played in this life.
Questioner: Is speech the sthool (tangible; overt) result
of sookshma (subtle)?
Dadashri: Yes, the subtle turned into the overt.
Questioner: Where did the subtle (sookshma) originate
in the first place?
Dadashri: Before that, the subtle (sookshma) again
arises from the overt (sthool). When it is sthool, on account of
attachment-abhorrence (raag-dwesh), once again a new subtle
(sookshma) one arises. If for just one lifetime, you manage to
remain vitarag (absence of attachment and abhorrence), the
whole process would end. But people just go on sowing those
seeds (through attachment-abhorrence).
Questioner: Wouldn’t you call the language that you are
speaking, a samadhi bhasha (language that gives inner stillness
and peace)?
Dadashri: If you want to call it a samadhi bhasha, then
you can call it a samadhi bhasha. If you want to call it
syadvaad, then it is syadvaad. ‘Our’ speech will never give
unhappiness to others; it renders happiness to all. ‘We’ do not
‘own’ this speech. Once the ego is completely gone, the
‘record’ is clean. My record (speech) became clear after Gnan
manifested in me.
Questioner: When can one say that his speech is a
record?
Dadashri: When you do not notice any like or dislike
(bhaav-abhaav) on the person’s face, ownership of the speech
has indeed been lost, and that is where your ‘end’ (liberation)
comes.

376 Aptavani-4
The ‘Charging Point’ of Speech
Questioner: If this is a ‘discharging tape’, then how do
we create a new ‘tape’?
Dadashri: While you are speaking right now, a new
‘tape’ is simultaneously being recorded. That ‘tape’ is created
through your bhaav (inner intent). It is ‘taped’ according to your
bhaav. What is my bhaav when I am talking? If it is: ‘I want
to insult you’, then that is how it will be ‘taped’. If it is: ‘I want
to respect you and act lovingly towards you’, then it is ‘taped’
in that way. So it gets ‘taped’ according to the inner intent
(bhaav).
Questioner: Is it created anew when bhaav occurs?
Dadashri: Of course. When the bhaav occurs, a new
tape is created. And you will not be able to change it, even if
you try. This speech is not the property (dharma) of the pudgal
(the non-Self complex). It is something aupcharik (not real).
Therefore, the inner intents (bhaav) from the previous life; those
that have passed, come into effect in the present, and that is how
they are immediately ‘taped’ and released as words. It all gets
done ‘speedily’. It is astonishing! The speech that comes out
today, is not the muda-bhaav (charge), but the old bhaav.
Gata-bhaav (past bhaav) is a ‘discharge’ bhaav, and it is
because of this that the speech comes out. Therefore, speech is
the ‘discharge’ of the ‘discharge’. And the mind is a “pure”
‘discharge’. ‘Discharge’bhaav means ‘lifeless’(nirjiva) bhaav.
Questioner: How did speech get ‘taped’ in the first
place?
Dadashri: The Atma encounters circumstances of
subatomic particles (parmanus), and that is where ‘charging’
occurs. The Atma’s presence, gives rise to vibrations of like-
dislike (bhaav-abhaav), and if ego enters into it, then those
vibrations get ‘taped’.

Aptavani-4 377
Speech is such that it cannot show two viewpoints ‘at a
time’. This means, that in order to express something, you have
to say it again in another sentence. In your inner vision
(darshan) you can see it in all its entirety, but no man can
express it ‘at a time’ (spontaneously). That is why speech is
called syadvaad.
Reciting mantras is the overt (sthool) thing. There is a
benefit in the sthool, however you must take it to the subtle
(sookshma) level. After saying, “I bow down to Dada
Bhagwan,” you should be able to visualize ‘Dada,’ even without
his photograph. Then you have to go on to the subtlest
(sookshmatam), and at the subtlest (sookshmatam) level you
will reap instant benefits!
Where the Lamp Is Lit, Your Work Gets Done!
Because the Atma has not become known, this entire
world is in shambles. People believe that all the movement and
action they see, would not occur without there being an Atma
within. But what they refer to as chetan (life), is not chetan at
all. We call it nischetan chetan (mechanical self; energized non-
Self complex). It is not real chetan, it is a ‘discharge’ chetan,
which has been mechanically wound up. The real chetan (Self),
lies within. It is always constant (sthir) and always still (achar);
whereas the other is constantly changing (sachar; in movement).
That is why these worldly beings are called sacharachar. That
which will perish is changing (sachar), and that which is eternal
is achar (immovable and unchanging).
That is why it is written in every scripture: ‘Know
Atmagnan (knowledge of the Self)’ but it is not so easy to do.
If you have been pursuing it for innumerable past lifetimes, then
it is possible for it to manifest. Or else, it can be attained from
a Gnani Purush! Otherwise Atmagnan is not something that is
easy to come by. A person may know all the scriptures, but he
will not find the Atma through them. He can memorize all the

378 Aptavani-4
excerpts in all the scriptures, but even then he will not know
about the Atma. And even if he did know something, it would
only be in terms of words. So what would that be like? He will
be able to describe what it is like, ‘The Atma is like this, like
this...’You sorry chap! Just say, “I am like this, I am like this”!
Then he’d say, “No, how can I say that?” That is why, only he
who becomes ‘That’ (the Self) can say, “I am full of infinite
knowledge, I am full of infinite vision, I am full of infinite energy.”
Do you say that or not?
Questioner: Yes, I do.
Dadashri: That is because you have become ‘That’ (the
Self).
Questioner: But, Dada, only He who knows the Self can
help others know the Self; no one else can, can he?
Dadashri: That is why it has been said, “Know the
Atmagnani as the Parmatma (the absolute Self) in a human
physical form.” Previous Gnanis have all said that the Gnani
Purush has, in the human form, become Parmatma, so we
should get our work done. The absolute Self has manifested
inside the Gnani Purush, and that Self is worth knowing. If you
want to know the Atma, then go to the Gnani Purush. Any
other ‘Atma’ of scriptures and books, will not do. If there is a
picture of a candle in a book, you can see what a candle looks
like, but there will not be any light coming out from it. You will
not get anything out of it. To know the Atma you have to meet
with the Gnani Purush personally, and only then you can
accomplish your goal.
Jai Sat Chit Anand

Aabaru Reputation
Aacharan Conduct; Put into practice
Aadhi Mental suffering
Aaghaat Shock
Aagraha Insistence
Aasakti Attachment
Aashrav Influx of karmic matter
Aayambil Eating food made from only one variety
of grain; Jain practice of eating bland
food and only once a day
Abandha Unbound
Abheda As one
Abhimaan Excessive pride due to material
possessions
Abhipraya Opinion
Abrahmacharya Sexuality
Abuddha One who does not use intellect
Achar Still; Immovable and unchanging
Acharya Spiritual master
Achetan Void of the Self; Lifeless; The non-Self
Adharma Any hurt caused to others; Non- religion;
Irreligion; Inauspicious and hurtful
actions; (kashay)
Adhyatmik Spiritual
Adhyatmik jagruti Spiritual awareness
Agiyaras Observance of fasting done on the
eleventh day of the lunar cycle; Fasting
on the eleventh day of the lunar fortnight
Agna Special directives given by the Gnani
Purush that sustains the enlightened state
after the Gnan Vidhi; Special directive
Agnan Ignorance of the Self; Worldly or relative
knowledge
GLOSSARY

Agnan bhaav The intent of the non-Self, ‘I am
Chandulal’
Agnani One who is not Self-realized; Ignorant
of the Self
Agnya-shraddha Ignorant faith
Ahamkar Ego; I am the “doer”
Ahamkari jagruti Awareness through ego
Ahimsak Non-violent
Ajagrut Unaware; Without awakened awareness
Ajagruti Unawareness
Ajampo Internal turmoil and restlessness
Akarta Non-doer
Akhand Continual
Akram marg The step-less path to Liberation
Akram Vignan The spiritual science of the step-less
path to Self-realization; Step-less,
direct path to Self-realization
Akram Vignani The scientist of the direct path to
liberation
Alakh The unknowable; Imperceptible
Alaukik Beyond the world; The Real
Alochana Recall transgression; Confession;
Acknowledgment of mistake
Alok The part which is outside the universe
Amarpad Immortal state
Amurta Formless
Anaadi Since time immemorial
Anand Bliss
Anant shakti Infinite energy
Anatma The non-Self
Andha-shraddha Blind faith
Anekant Perspective of universal acceptance
Anekantik Accepting of all viewpoints and accepted
by all

Antahkaran The inner complex of the self comprised
of mind, intellect, chit and ego
Antaratma The interim soul that is awakened to the
Self; Interim state of the Self, ‘I am pure
Soul’
Antaray Obstacle
Antaray karma Obstructing karma
Antardaah Inner burning
Anubandh Discharge of karma; Effect
Anukampa Compassion; Empathy
Anumodana Instigation; Instigating and encouraging
others into doing something
Anupcharik That which is happening effortless
Anuyoga Paths that lead to the Self
Apara-bhakti Indirect worship of the Self
Aparigrahi Free from acquisitiveness
Aptavani Authentic speech of the Gnani Purush
Aradhak pad The state of being worshipped
Aradhana To worship
Arati The ritual of waving lamps in front of an
idol or a deity while singing a hymn
Ardha-saiyam Partial freedom from reaction to kashay
Aropit bhaav False assertion; Imposition of the wrong
belief of ‘I am Chandubhai’
Artadhyan Adverse internal meditation that hurts
the self
Artata Inner suffering
Asaiyam Expression of kashay
Asaiyogi No connection with any circumstance
Asaradata Inflexibility and unnaturalness
Asatya Untruth
Ashanti A state of restlessness

Ashata Painful; Unpleasant
Ashata vedaniya Unpleasant experience; Painful situation
Ashaya Intention
Ashubha Inauspicious
Ashubha upayog Inauspicious applied awareness
Astitva Existence
Asvastha Uneasiness and restlessness
Atikraman Aggression through thoughts, speech or
action
Atindriya Beyond the senses
Atindriya-gnan Knowledge beyond the senses
Atkan Major obstruction
Atma The Self; Soul
Atma-charya To dwell in the Self
Atma-dharma Religion of the Self
Atmadhyan The meditation as the Self; Meditation
of the Self
Atmagnan Knowledge of the Self
Atmagnani The Self-realized One; The Knower of
the Self
Atma jagruti Awareness of the pure Soul (Self
awareness)
Atmanubhav Experience of the Self
Atma-parinati State of the Self
Atma-ramanata Bliss of the Self
Atma shanti Peace of the Self
Atma shraddha Faith in the Self
Atmavignan Science of the Soul
Atyaag Acquisition
Avagaman Coming and going
Avastha Situations
Avastha drashti Situational vision

Avirata Unending
Aviyogi No dissipation; Eternal
Avyavahar jivas Unnamed embodied souls
Avyavahar rashi Embodies souls in an unnamed state
Bandh Binding of karma
Beej Gnan Seed of Gnan
Bhaav Inner intent
Bhaav-abhaav Like-dislike; Intent – non-intent; Positive
and negative; Good intent and bad intent
Bhaavak It is the one that makes you do the
intentions
Bhaavatma ‘I am Chandulal’; Relative self
Bhaav jagruti Awareness of intent through, ‘I am
Chandubhai’
Bhaavkarma Cause karma; Charge karma
Bhaav-mun The causal mind; Charging mind
Bhaavnindra Asleep to the Self; Unaware of the Self
Bhaav purusharth Intent-based self-effort
Bhaav-shakti Energy of intention
Bhaav-swaroop Absolute intent filled state
Bhaavya One doing the intent
Bhagwan God
Bhagwat swaroop Godly form
Bhagya Destiny
Bhakta Devotee
Bhakti Worship; Devotion
Bhaktiyoga Cultivation of a devotional relationship
with God through prayer
Bhammardo A spinning top
Bharat Kshetra Planet earth
Bhasha Language
Bhav Life

Bhavna Desire
Bhavsthiti State of development
Bhed Division
Bhed buddhi Intellect that creates division
Bhed Gnan Knowledge that separates the Self from
the non-Self
Bheekh Beggarly desire
Bhoga Pleasure
Bhranti Illusion
Bhrant jagruti Illusory awareness
Bhrant purusharth Illusory effort
Bodha beej Beginning of Gnan
Brahmacharya Celibacy;Absolutely free from any sexual
impulses of the mind, speech and body
Buddhi Intellect
Buddhi-gamya Intellectual
Buddhi no ashaya Receptacle of intellect
ChaitanyaParmatma Absolute Self, Life energy
Chakra A chakra is believed to be a center of
activity within the body that receives,
assimilates and expresses life force
energy
Chakshu Vision
Chanchal Restless
Chanchalata Restlessness
Charananuyoga The path of surrender and devotion
Charitra Conduct
Charitrabud Strength of conduct
Chetak Makes one become cautious
Chetan The Self; Animate; Life energy
Chetan shakti Energy of the Self
Chetan tattva Element of the Self

Chinta Worries
Chit Inner component of knowledge and
vision
Chori Stealing
Chovihaar Practice of eating food before sundown
Daanat Intention
Dago Betrayal; Deception
Dakho Interference
Darshan Vision; Devotional viewing; InAkram
Vignan it is vision as the Self
Darshanantaray Obstacles to vision as the Self
Darshan kriya Vision; To See and remain as the Self
Daya Kindness
Deha-buddhi To be in the non-Self
Dehadhari Parmatma The embodiment of the absolute Self
Dehadhyas Belief ‘I am the body’
Deha Samadhi Calmness of the body
Derasar Jain temple
Devas and Devis Celestial deities
Devgati Life as a celestial being
Dharma Religion; Duty; True nature of a thing
Dharmadharma Relative religion
Dharmadharma atma Deluded soul; One who believes this
relative world as real; The one who is
asleep (without any awakened
awareness) in this world
Dharmadhyan Virtuous meditation
Dharmasaar Essence of religion
Dhyan Meditation; Focus; Awareness
Dhyata One who meditates on the goal
Dhyeya Goal
Divya Divine
Divyachakshu Vision of the Self ; Divine vision

Dosh Fault; Error; Mistake
Doshit At fault
Drashta Seer
Drashti Vision
Drashti-gamya That which is visible
Drashya Image; Object to be seen
Dravya Physical matter/element; Effect of karma
Dravya-atma Discharge pratishthit soul; One behaves
as a Tirthankar in the next life
Dravya-bhaav Past life cause ready at the time of effect
in this life; Discharge intent ready for
next life
Dravyakarma Effect karma; Subtle discharging karma
Dravya kriya Visible physical action
Dravya mun Discharging mind; Effect mind
Dravyanuyoga In Jainism, the philosophy of the essence
of life and liberation through scriptures
Dukh Pain; Misery; Unhappiness
Duragrahi Obstinate
Dushamkaal (Same as Kaliyug), current time cycle
characterized as a time of lack of unity
in people’s thought, speech and action;
An era of moral and spiritual decline
Ekagrata Concentration
Ekantik Individualized perspective; Narrow-
minded; Partial; Adhering to a single
viewpoint
Ekendriya jiva One-sensed organism
Farajiyat Mandatory
Gaanth Knot; Tuber
Gachha Sect
Galan Discharge; Output
Ganadhars Chief disciples of Tirthankars

Garbha avastha State in the womb
Garva Ego of doership
Ghadbhanj An activity of construction and
destruction
Ghati Destroyer
Ghemaraji Pompous display without any substance
Gnan Knowledge of the Self
Gnanantaray Obstacles against Knowledge of the
Self
Gnanatma Interim state of the Self, ‘I am pure
Soul’
Gnan-Darshan Knowledge-Vision
Gnanendriya Five senses; Sense organs of knowledge
namely: hearing-ears, touch-skin, sight-
eyes, taste-tongue, and smell-nose
GnanghanAtma The Self with Knowledge; The interim
state of the soul, ‘I am pure Soul’
Gnani Purush The Enlightened One, and is able to
enlighten others
Gnanis Those who are Self-realized
Gnani-sangnya Knowledge of the Gnani
Gnan jagruti Awareness of the Self
Gnan kriya To know and remain as the Self
Gnanswaroop The state of the Self
Gnan-syadvaad Speech that flows in the state of Gnan
Gnata The Knower
Gnayak The Knower
Gneya The object to be known
Grahan Acquisition
Granthi Tuber; Knot
Gunadharma Attributes and nature
Gurukilli Guru-key
Guru krupa Guru’s grace

Hari God
Hasya Laughter
Hetu Intention; Motive; Purpose
Himsa Violence
Himsak Violent
Himsak bhaav Violent intent
Hitta-ahita Benefit-harm
Ichchha Desire
Indriya Sense organ
Indriya-gnan Knowledge attained through the medium
of the senses
Ishwar God
Jada Lifeless; Inanimate matter; Non-living;
Also mean lacking sensitivity; Impervious;
Inhumane
Jagat kalyan Salvation of the world
Jagatsaar Essence of the world
Jagrut Awake and alert
Jagruti Awakened awareness; Awakened
awareness of the Self
Jalebi Indian sweet
Japa Chanting of God’s name or mantra
Jignyasu Inquisitive person
Jivanmukta One with freedom from wandering life
after life; Freedom while living
Jivas Embodied souls; Living beings
Kaad Time
Kadagraha Entrenched in one’s own viewpoint
Kadhapo Outburst that hurts others; Visible anger
Kadhee Soup

Kaliyug Current era of the time cycle
characterized by lack of unity in mind,
speech and conduct
Kalyan Blessed eternally
Kalyankari Beneficial
Kandamood Root vegetables
Kanjoos Miserly
Kankaas Ongoing clash
Kapat Deceit
Karan sharira Causal body
Karmendriya Five organs of action
Karnanuyoga In Jainism, the path of understanding the
law of cause and effect, the description
of the universe
Karta The doer
Karta bhaav A sense of doership
Kashays Anger, pride, deceit and greed
Kathanuyoga In Jainism, stories of the great human
beings who have attained the Self
Kevalgnan Absolute knowledge
Khatkaro Reminder
Khench Insistences
Khichadee Staple rice and lentil mixture
Khyal Awareness
Kirtan Sing religious songs
Kirti Fame
Klesha Conflict
Kramic path Traditional step-by-step path to Self-
realization
Kriya Actions and rituals through mind, speech
and body
Kriya-shakti The energy to do
Kriya-vadi The doer of something

Krodh Anger
Krodhak That which makes one do anger
Krupa Grace
Kshama Forgiveness
Kshatriya The warrior class
Kshetra Place; Location
Kucharitra Unpleasant and unacceptable conduct
Kundalini Corporeal energy; Yogic power
Kunta Mother of the five Pandavas in the
Mahabharata
Kusangi Wrong company;Anegative influence
Labhalabha Gain and loss
Laksha Awareness
Laukik Worldly
Lobh Greed
Lobhio A greedy person
Lok The universe
Lokas Regions of the universe
Loksangnya Societal influence; Worldly peer pressure
Maadakata Intoxication of the ego
Maan Pride; Respect
Maardavata Tenderness
Madhyalok Middle world
Maha-mohaniya Greatly deluding karma
karma
Maha-mukta Supremely free
Maharaj High ranking ascetic
Mahatmas Those who have attained Self-realization
through Gnan Vidhi
Mahavideh Kshetra Mahavideh is the name of a location in
this universe where currently there are
twenty Tirthankars, deeming it the most

sacred kshetra; a special world from
where souls can attain final moksha
through darshan of existing Tirthankars
Mamata My-ness;Attachment
Manohar Win over the minds of others
Marajiyat Free will
Marma Meaning
Marmasaar Essence of the meaning of religion
Mata Viewpoint; Opinion
Matagraha Obstinacy of viewpoint
Matagrahi Pertinacious about one’s own opinion
Matbhed Dissension because of differing opinions
Maun Maintaining silence
Maya Deceit; Illusory attachment
Mishrachetan Power chetan; The relative self
Mishrasa Mixed parmanus waiting to give effect
Mithya darshan Deluded vision
Mithya drashti Illusory vision
Mithyatva Ignorance of the Self; Wrong belief of ‘I
am Chandubhai’
Mithyatvi One with the wrong vision of ‘I am
Chandubhai’; One with deluded vision
Moha Illusory attachment
Mohanindra Sleep of illusory attachment
Mohaniya Deluding
Mohaniya karma Karma of illusory attachment
Moksha Liberation
Moksha dharma The true nature of liberation
Moriyo Special grain
Muda samaya Time as an eternal element
Mudhatma Deluded soul (‘I am Chandubhai’); The
state of the Soul in ignorance of the Self
Mukta Free

Mukta hasya Liberated smile (the permanent radiance
on the face of the completely liberated
One—Purush); The smile and the
laughter of the liberated One
Mukti Liberation; Freedom
Mumukshu Desirous for only moksha; Seeker of
moksha
Mun Mind
Mundapo To begin
Murchha Intense attraction; Infatuation; Infatuation
due to attachment
Murchhit Illusory state; Deluded; Unaware
spiritually
Murta Form; The physical; Tangible form
Naam Name
Naam jaap Chanting of a name
Naam-smaran Recitation of a name of God
Naimitik Instrumental; As one of the evidences;
Apparent doer
Naimitik purusharth Evidence-based effort; Evidential effort
Namaskar Vidhi The vidhi of salutations; Obeisance to all
the Gods
Namrata Humility
Nanami Funeral pyre
Narak gati A life in hell
Naseeb Destiny
Niddidhyasan Inner visualization; Envisioning
Nihshank Free from doubt
Nikachit Sticky
Nikachit karma Heavy and ‘sticky’ karma that one has
no choice but suffer its effect
Nikal To settle
Nikhalas Open and straightforward; Candid and
guileless; Frank and honest

Nikhalasata Straightforwardness; Purity
Nimit A person who is instrumental; Instrument;
Evidence
Ninda Criticize or slander a person in their
absence; Do gossip
Nindak That which makes one ‘do’ hurtful
gossip
Niragrahi Non-insistent; Free from insistence
Nirahamkari Without ego; Egoless
Nirakudata Dwelling in the stillness of the Self,
which is the natural state of the Siddha
Lords (the absolutely liberated Ones)
Niralumb Non-dependent
Niralumb darshan The vision of absolute independence
Niralumb Gnan The knowledge of absolute independence
Nirantaray Obstacle-free
Nirantaray pad An obstacle-free state
Nirdosh Faultless
Nirdoshata Faultlessness
Nirdosh drashti Faultless vision
Nirgranth Free from tubers; Without knots
Nirichchhak Desire-free state
Nirjara Discharging of karma
Nirlep Absolutely detached; Untouched
Nirmohi One who is free from illusory attachment
Nirvikalp Egoless state; The state of the Self
Nirvikalp Samadhi The blissful state of the Self
Nischay Related to the Self; The Self; Real
viewpoint;Also meaning Strong
determination; Firm decision
Nischay jagruti Awareness of the Self
Nischetan chetan Mechanical self; Lifeless life; Energized
or charged non-Self complex;
Mechanical

Nishkaam Without desires
Nishkaami One doing without expectation
Nishkaam karma Karma done without expectation of
rewards
Nishpakshapati Impartial
Nispruha Without interest
Niyam Disciplines
Niyantran Regulation
Niyanu Strong resolution
Nokarma Neutral karma
Nokashay Neutral kashays
Nondha Mental note
Paap Sin; Demerit karma
Paarinamic bhaav Intent as or of the Self
Pacchakhaan Making a firm decision not to eat certain
food
Pad Spiritual song
Paksha Partiality
Pakshapati Partial
Pala A second, which is made up of many
samaya—smallest division of time
Par Of the non-Self
Para-bhakti Direct worship of the Self
Parabrahma The Self
Paradhin Under the influence of the non-Self
Paradhyaya Study of the non-Self
Parakram Extraordinary effort as the Self
Parakram bhaav Extraordinary spiritual understanding and
inner vision
Param trupti Absolute contentment
Param vinaya Absolute humility
Paravalumban Dependency on the non-Self
Par-bhaav The state of the non-Self

Parbharyu Belongs to the non-Self
Par-dharma The nature of the non-Self, The nature
of the other
Parichaya Familiarity
Parigraha Acquisitiveness;Attachment and
ownership
Parishah Internal suffering of the mind; Internal
suffering
Par-kshetra The non-Self location
Par-lok The next life
Parmanand Eternal bliss;Absolute bliss
Parmanandi In absolute bliss; Supremely blissful
Parmanus Subatomic particles
Parmartha samkit Ultimate vision of the Self
Parmatma Supreme Soul; Absolute Self
Parmatma Purusharth Staying continuously as the Self,
“Knowing” and “Seeing”
Parmatma swaroop The absolute state of the Self
Parmeshwar Absolute God
Paroksh Indirect
Par-parinam Results of the non-Self
Paryaya Phase
Paudgalik Of the non-Self complex
Paudgalik jagruti Awareness of the non-Self complex
Prabhu shraddha Faith in God
Prabhu smaran Remembrance of God
Prabuddha Extremely intelligent
Pradesh Locations; Region
Pragnyashakti The liberating energy of the Self
Prakhar Solid and steady
Prakrut avastha Situations of the non-Self

Prakruti The relative self; The non-Self complex;
Also means inherent nature
Pramaata The Knower (Gnata)
Praman Level
Prameya The object to be known (Gneya);
Projection or boundary
Prarabdha Destiny; Ordained; Effect
Prarabdhavadi Lazy
Prarthana Prayer
Prasanna That which pleases others
Prashasta raag Attachment of the highest kind – it leads
to the Self
Prashchyataap Repentance
Pratibhaav Intent of opposition; Sense of opposition;
Remorse
Pratikraman Repentance and asking for forgiveness
for the error; Repentance and apology
Pratipakshi bhaav Adverse intent; Attacking intent;
Opposing intent
Pratishthit atma The charged self; The relative self
Pratiti Conviction
Pratyaghaat Reaction to shock
Pratyakhyan Remorse and avowal to not repeat the
mistake
Pratyaksh Direct
Pratyaksh bhakti Direct worship
Pravrutti Worldly activity
Prayatna Effort
Prayogsha New charging of parmanus
Prem Love
Premlakshanabhakti Worship with love of God
Pudgal The non-Self complex of mind, speech
and body

Pudgal maya Illusory attachment to the worldly things
Pudgal paryaya Phase of the non-Self complex
Pudgal shakti Energies of the non-Self complex
Pudgal sukh Pleasures of the non-Self complex
Puja Worship
Punarjanma Rebirth
Punya Merit karma
Punya- Merit karma that binds more new merit
-anubandhi-punya karma
Punyashadis Those with tremendous merit karma
Puraava Evidences
Puran Charged in past life; Causes; Input
Puran-galan Input-output
Puris Kind of fried bread
Purnatva The state of being complete; Absolute
state; Absoluteness
Purush The Self; The Self-realized One
Purusharth Independent effort; Free will
Purusharth dharma Be the Self through the Five Agnas;
Religion of the Self
Purusharthi Industrious; One making the effort; Hard
working
Purusharthvadi Industrious
Purvagraha Prejudice
Purva viradhak jiva The one has opposed and criticized in
the past life
Raag Attachment
Raag-dwesh Attachment-abhorrence
Rajipo To please
Ranchhodji Lord Krishna
Raudradhyan Adverse internal meditation that hurts
the self and others

Rotli Flat unleavened wheat bread
Rotlo Dense, rustic unleavened millet flat-
bread
Ruchak Pradesh Appropriate regions
Rujuta Natural frankness
Rundapo To end
Saar Essence; Substance
Sachar Changing
Sacharachar Sachar is that which is going to perish
(temporary) and moves, and that which
is eternal is immovable and unchanging
is called achar
Sadhan Tool
Sadhana Spiritual endeavor; Undergoing self-
discipline for spiritual development;
Spiritual practice
Sadhya The ultimate goal; The Self
Sadgnan Right knowledge
Sadguru Ultimate guru
Sadhus Male ascetics
Sadhvis Female ascetics
Safada Succeed in doing
Sahaj Spontaneous and natural
Sahajanand Swami The Godhead of the Swaminarayan
religion in the Swaminarayan sect of
Hinduism
Sahaj samadhi Natural and spontaneous bliss
Saiyam Control over passions like anger, pride,
deceit and greed; Absence of kashay
(anger-pride-deceit-greed); Kashay free
state; Also means self-control; self-
discipline
Saiyamit Natural and without kashays

Saiyamit mun Disciplined mind
Saiyam parinam Absence of kashay reaction
Saiyog Circumstances
Sakaam For the purpose of attaining liberation
Sakriya Active
Sakriyata Activity
Sakshatkar Exact experience of the Self
Samadhan Closure; Resolution
Samashti Universal
Samata Equanimity; No attachment-abhorrence;
Absolute sameness
Samata bhaav Intention to remain in equanimity
Samaya The smallest fraction of time; The smallest
division of time; The time it takes for
one subatomic particle to leave its space
and to move into another space is called
‘samaya’
Samayik Meditative introspection; Being the Self
and ‘seeing’ the self
Samaysaar Essence of the smallest fraction of time;
The Self
Sambhav Intent of equanimity
Sambhave nikal To settle with equanimity
Samkit Right vision; Right belief
Samkiti Self-realized
Sampradaya Religious sect
Sampurna saiyam Complete discipline
Samsaran Constantly evolving
Samsaran marg Path of natural and spiritual evolution;A
path of evolution for every living entity
Samvaad Discourse
Samvar Blockage; Stoppage of charging new
karma

Samyak charitra Conduct of the Self
Samyak darshan Right vision; Enlightened view; Vision of
the Self
Samyak Gnan Knowledge of the Self
Samyak samjan Right understanding
Samyaktva Right understanding; Right vision
Sanchit karma Accumulated karma
Sankalp My-ness
Sankalpi-chetan The extension of life in a non-living thing
through ‘My-ness’
Sankalp-vikalp Worries and doubts
Sansar The worldly life
Sansar-bhaav Worldly intent
Sansari Worldly
Santo Saints
Santosh Satisfaction
Sapeksha Depends on context: With expectations;
Relative
Sarad Flexible; Straightforward
Saradata Straightforwardness
Sarvagnya Knower of all elements
Sarva-vyaapak All-pervading; Omnipresent
Saspruha With interest
Sat The Eternal; The Self
Sat-chit-anand The awareness of the eternal is bliss
Satsang Gathering of Self-realized beings
Satta Realm
Satya Truth
Satyug Era of unity in mind, speech and acts
Seva Service
Shakti Energy; Strength; Power
Shaligram A rock turns into the shape of an idol;

Shaligrams are symbolic round stones
that represent the lingam in the worship
of Lord Shiva
Shalya Internal torment
Shanka Suspicion
Shanti Peace
Sharanu Protection
Shata Pleasant
Shata vedaniya Experience of pleasure
Sheth Wealthy businessman
Shiva The Self; The absolute
Shraddha Faith
Shree Simandhar Current living Tirthankar
Swami
Shrikhand Yogurt pudding
ShrimadRajchandra Also known as Krupadudev, Gnani
Purush of the Kramic path who became
enlightened
Shrutagnan Scriptural knowledge through listening
Shubha Auspicious
Shuddha Pure
Shuddhatma Pure Soul
Shuddha upayog Pure applied awareness as the Self
Shuddhikaran Inner purification
Shukladhyan Meditation as the Self
Shunyata State of no mind/mindless state,
no vibrations
Shushupti Dreamless sleep
Siddha Absolutely liberated One;‘siddha’ also
means: To accomplish
Siddha gati Location of the Siddhas; Abode of the
absolute liberated Souls

Siddha kshetra Location at the crest of the universe
where all liberated Souls ascend and
reside eternally
Siddhantik Involving principle
Siddhants Irrefutable principles that accomplish the
ultimate
Siddhis Special spiritual energies
Smaran shakti Memory power
Smruti Memory
Sookshma Subtle
Sookshmatam Subtlest
Sookshmatar Subtler
Spandano Vibrations
Spashta vedan Clear and distinct experience
Spruha Desires
Sthapana Instillation of an idol
Sthirata Stillness
Sthool Gross; Overt
Sthool karma Karma experienced with the five senses
Sthool maun Overt silence
Sukh Happiness
Swa The Self
Swabhav Innate nature; Also nature of the Self
Swabhav-bhaav The Self
Swabhavik Natural
Swabhavikpurusharth ‘Effort’to remain as the Self, “Knowing”
and “Seeing”
Swabhav jagruti Awareness as the Self
Swabhav karma Natural state of “Knowing” and “Seeing”
Swachhand To understand and do according to
one’s own intellect
Swa-dharma Being the Self

Swadhyaya Study of the Self
Swavalumban Dependency on the Self
Swanubhav Experience of the Self
Swa-parinati The natural state of the Self
Swa-purusharth Constant awareness and conduct as the
Self
Swaroop The Self
Swaroop Gnan Knowledge of the Self
Swayam-buddha Spontaneous Self-realization
Swayam kriyakari Works by itself
Syadvaad Speech that is accepted by all and hurts
none; Speech which accepts all
viewpoints and never hurts anyone’s
viewpoint
Taal Beats and rhythm of the drums
Tanmayakar To become absorbed; To become
engrossed
Tantili vani Speech associated with lingering effect;
Speech with the link of continual hurt
Tapa Penance
Tapobud Energy of penance
Tarantaaran A Savior; He has crossed the ocean of
the worldly life and he can help others
across as well
Tarchhod Contempt; Dismissing with contempt;
Contemptuous rejection
Tattva Eternal element
Tattva drashti Elemental vision
Tattva swaroop Form of eternal element
Tiraskar Scorn
Tirthankar Absolutely enlightened One; The
Absolute Savior
Tiryancha gati Lower life-forms;Animal life-form

Trupti Contentment
Trushna Desire
Tyaag Renunciation
Tyaagi Renouncing the worldly life
Udaseen bhaav Devoid of worldly attachment
Udaseenta Indifference
Udaya-bhaav Intent that arises due to the unfolding of
past karma
Unodari Eating less food than what one has
appetite for
Upadhi Externally induced problems
Upadaan Spiritual readiness
Upashraya A short-term monastic domicile; Jain
Monastery
Upayog Applied awareness; Focused
concentration
Updesha Spiritual discourse; Preach
Upmaan Insult
Vaad Debate
Vachanbud The energy and power of words
Vaikunth God’s abode
Vairagya Dispassion towards the worldly life
Vani Speech
Vaniks Business class
Vartan Conduct
Vastu Eternal element; The Self
Vastupal-Tejpal Two brothers in the thirteenth century,
who built a temple dedicated to the 22nd
Tirthankar Lord Neminath
Vastutva Elemental substance; The Self; Self-
realization
Vedanta Philosophy taught by the Vedas, the
most ancient scriptures of India

Veyr Enmity; Vengeance
Vibhav Attribute that is not of the Self; ‘I am
Chandulal’; Extra intent
Vidhi Special energizing blessings of the Gnani
Purush; The prayers which are given in
Charan Vidhi
Vignan Science
VignanghanAtma The Absolute Soul
Vikalp The belief of ‘I am Chandulal’
Vinaya Humility
Vinaya dharma Religion of humility
Viparit darshan Wrong vision
Viradhana Negative talk; Criticism and opposition
Vishamta Attachment-abhorrence
Vishay Sense pleasures
Vishay sukh Pleasures of the senses
Vishesha Extra
Vishesha bhaav Extra-expression of intent
Vishesha parinam Extra result
Vishrasa Pure parmanus
Vismruti Not remembering
Vitarag The fully enlightened beings who have
no attachment or abhorrence
Vitaragata Void of any attachment
Vitarag bhaav Complete non-attachment from within
Vitaragi Purush Self-realized being, who is free from all
the worldly attachments
Vitarag vani Speech that is free of attachment or
abhorrence
Vivaad Dispute; Controversy
Viyog Dissipation of the circumstances
Vrat Vows

Vruttis Tendencies
Vyaapak Which makes one bring about
pervasiveness
Vyaapya The property of being all pervasive
Vyadhi Physical suffering
Vyagra Restlessness
Vyashti Individual
Vyavahar Worldly interactions; Also means from
relative viewpoint; Worldly perspective
Vyavahar dharma Worldly religion
Vyavahar jagruti Awareness of worldly life interactions
Vyavasthit Scientific circumstantial evidence
Vyavasthit shakti The energy of scientific circumstantial
evidence
Yama self-control
Yogi Purush One who has attained the final union
with the Self
Y
ug Era
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Aptavani-4 Part - 2

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Aptavani-4 Part - 2