Shree Swaminarayan Temple, Itasca

Jay Shree Swaminarayan

The trangression that God does not forgive.

Nature of envy.

Aims and objectives of Satsang.

Chapter-71

On the fourth day of the second fortnight of the month of Chaitra of Samvat 1876, Swami Shri Sahajanandji Maharaj was seated on a cot in the evening near the stair way facing wert in the Durbar of Shri Dada Khacher at Gadhada. He had wrapped arournd his neck a white and folded side cloth and had covered his body with a white cotton shawl. He had put on a white turban. Minis and devotees from the various places had assembled before him. Muktanand Swami and other Sadhus were singing Kirtans accompanied With musical instruments.

Shriji Maharaj then stopped the singing and instructed them to ask question amongst themselve. Thereupon Somla Khachar asked, 'It is said that God forgives all the faults of the devotees, but which of the faults does he not forgive ?' Shriji Maharaj said in reply, 'When one maligns a devotee and betrays him, he is never forgiven for this fault. One should therefore never betray a devotee of God. Further, one who belives that God is formless, is never forgiven for this fault, as out of all other fault, these faults are the most unredeemable. One should therefore never entertain such an uncanonic belief regarding the form of God as it involves a sin greater than Panch Maha Paps or the five great sins. God has always a divine form and one who belives that God has no form commits blasphemy. Purushottam Narayan in his divine form always resides in his celestial abode Akshardham, which shines with a lustre like that of suns and moons. In this divine abode, he is seated with a divine form surrounded by millions of released souls who serve his lotus feet. With a great compassion for the Jivas, he desceuds on earth to redeem the souls who, are wrapped in Maya. During his Manifestation on earth in human form, he transmutes all the Tattvas or the evolutes of Maya that are accepted by him into divinity. Such as that of Lord Rama and Krishna, we find the three bodies : causal, the ten Indriyas and five Pranas, that appear in his human form, even though they appear as the evolutes of Maya are totally divine and have no trace of Maya in them. One, therefore, should drive out the notion that God is formless. Then Matra Dhadhal asked, "What is jealousy?" Shriji Maharaj explained, "One who is jealous of others never feels happy at their betterment and would rejoice only when some miseries befall them." Then Shriji Maharaj asked Munis, "One who has the realization that God even though transcendental, has maniferted himself in human form, and has been observing all the rules of Dharm necessary for leading a pious life, is such to be redeemed. But how do the scriptures define the law of redemption ? It is difficult to understand the Vedas and therefore, they are not usually read. But the Shrimad Bhagwat and Mahabharat, Which contain the quintessence of the Vedas, are widely read.Now please ten is how these scriptures explain the law of redemption ? Shankaracharya says God has no form, and Ramanujacharya has accepted that God has a divine form. Therefore explain this matter with the authority of scriptures. Then the Munis discarded the philosophy of God without form and supported theer view with the authority of scriptures. They concluded that benediction can be attained by worshipping God having a form. Shriji Maharaj then said, "I 'quite concur with you, but, may I ask you as to how on spite of the knowledge that the all transcendental God, who is beyond his infinite and unfathomable divine abode Akshardham has manifested himseff here in human form, one still persist in wishing to See the divine abodes of God - Brahmpura, Golok, Vaikuntha, Shwetdweep. Can such a devotee really be said to have the knowledge of God? The Munis, replying to this, said, "Those who cherish such a desire that so long as we do not see the divine abode Akshardham or the lustre of millions of such, we shall not be finally be redeemed have not known the God in human form."

Then, Shriji Maharaj said, "How can it be said that he has not known God if he entertains such a desire ?" The Munis said, How can one who has attained full faith by personally seeing God in human form, should have dislike for Brahmapur, Golok and other abodes of God ? he would not desire them." Again Shriji Maharaj put them a Queston more, "The abodes of God and the relesed souls staying in those abodes are all divine and beyond Maya. More over, the attendants of God on earth here are mortals and the houses in which God and his attendants stay are also perishable. How do you reconcile this ?" The Muni's in reply said. "The houses in which God stays on earth are equivatent - to Brahmpur and his attendants here are the released souls and therfore divine.

Shriji Maharaj, arguing further said; The abode of God and his release Jivas who serve God in that abode are all divine then how do you declare them equal to the motals of this Loka and their perishable houses. Then Nityanand Swami prayed, "Oh Maharaj ! Explain this to us." Then Shriji Maharaj said, "When God descends on earth for the redemption of the Jivas and assumes human form, his divine abode AkShatdham, the released souls and his fufledge lordship all descend on earth, but they can not be seen by those who have not the divine vision. But when some devotee gets a divine vision during the superconscious state, he then beholds that God in human form shines with divine lustre equivalent to the light of millions of suns. He also beholds the divine abode Akshardham and the released souls, all in the company of God. However, God in human form, accepts offerings of his devotees, and prefers to reside with them in their houses which are made of stons and mud. He accepts with love and grace all the offerings, Such as incense, fire, food, clothing etcetera, offered to him by his devotees with a view to transforming them into divinity. God as the great comuniserator, thus confers upon these divotees the eternal bliss of his realm. Therefore, a devotee must realize.that God manifests himself on earth along with his divine abode, Akshardham and should understand and explain this divine phenomenon of the descent of-God on earth along with his divine abode Akshardham -to all.

Thus Ends Vachanamrit : Gadhada Pratham - 71