Shree Swaminarayan Temple, Itasca

Jay Shree Swaminarayan

Spiritual significance or Gyan-Pralaya

Chapter-24

What is immune against the materialism.

The effect of finding fault with God.

Satsang

On the sixth day of the first fortnight of the month of Paush, 1876, Shriji Maharaj was seated in the evening on a cot in the verandah facing east, in the Durbar of Shri Dada Khachar at Gadhada. He had put on a white turban and a cotton side cloth was about his shoulders. He was dressed in red coloured jersey made from fine fabric and wool. He had covered his person with a cotton shawl. Paramhams and the devotees from the various places were assembled before him.

Then Shriji Maharaj, addressing the Paramhams, said,'I shall explain to you how the knowlege of the divine self or Atma and Paramatma can Brahmnise a devotee. The source from which this knowledge emanates is beyond Prakriti and Purush. Therefore, one within whom this knowlege is kindled and is so Brahmnised, has dissolved his empiric state of mind. Prakriti and Purush and all their evolutes make no impact on him. Such a state is known as the state of ultimate rest or Gyanpralaya, wherein one sees only all pervading Chaitanya, in which is seated Lord Purushottam. All other forms remain dissolved in this state of Gyanpralaya. At times, he sees only all pervading Chaitanya and at times the Lord seated within that Chaitanya. This Brahmic state is attained only by concentrating the Chitta on the personal God manifesing in human form. To that extent one has realised him in human form, one is to uplifted as to be able to sustain divine lustere and hear divine musical sounds. To that extent only he is relieved of mundane thoughts. When he so realises fully the divine form of God in his human manifestation, the empiric state of his mind fully dissolves, just as one who has sucked half a lemon gets his teeth affected with acidity. He then can only chew softly roasted grams. And one who has sucked a full lemon can not chew roasted grams or other pulses. Still further, one who has sucked many lemons can not even chew cooked rice. Similarly, a devotee who has realised God and has known his glory, his Antahkaran and Indriyas are so afflacted by the impact of such knowledge that his mind can not think of mundane objects, his Chitta fails to sustain any interest in Panchvishayas, his Buddhi is uhable to cognise the Panchvishayas and his ego is deprived of its power to lay its hand on such Panchvishayas. All his cognitive and conative organs refuse to be drawn towards the Panchvishayas. One, however, who has not known God perfectly, his Indriyas and Antahkaran remain drawn towards the Panchvishayas. The God, however, even though in human form, is beyond Maya, and her three Gunas such as Sttava, Rajas and Tamas. He has assumed human form to redeem Jivas with the great compassion. However, he is immune to all the influence of Maya. Still those devoid of intelligence attribute human instincts to God- who is perfactly divine. Such instincts emerge from their Buddhi which is polluted by Maya. These vicious instincts are so inextricably involved with their Buddhi that they conspicuously develop within their own selves, according as such instincts emerge from passion, covetousness, anger or envy. Just as one tries to throw dust against the sun receives it back on him, similarly when he ascribes such vicious instincts to God, they affact him adversely. One who is over powered by such instincts and yet visualises divinity in God will ultimately be extricated from all his vices. Then Brahmanand Swami asked, 'One who is not drawn to the Panchvishayas and has discarded all vicious thoughts, and feels that he has known God, still he experiences an emptiness and his heart remains devoid of all bliss. What can be the reason for such a distorted. state of mind ?'

Shriji Maharaj, in reply said, 'It can be called the gross defect of a devotee that even when his mind is stabilised and he possesses the requisite knowledge of God, he does not feel fulfilled and gratified, where as on the other hand mundane beings are caught in the vortex of the baser instincts like passion anger, covetousness, infatuation, envy, hope, desire etc. and are greatly oppressed under the agony of the Trividh-Taap. As for himself Lord Purushottam has showered his grace upon him by inspiring in him the knowledge of his divine form and has eradicated all his baser instincts. He has also given him out of grace the divine contact of his Saints like Narad and Sanaks, which is a great fortune endowed upon him. If he can not indulge in such high thinking and feels depressed, he suffers from a gross spiritual draw back, as a child can not realise the value of a touch-stone and· does not feel fulfilled by having it, similarly such a devotee, in spite of his realisation that Lord Purushottam has revealed his divine form to him, does not feel fulfilled and' beats a retreat. If, however one feels that a particular devotee does not behave in consonance with the code of ethical behaviour, and still he has attachment for Satsang, one should realise that he really must have commited sanctified deeds in his previous birth or in this birth, due to which he has joined this holy Satsang. He therefore should be properly appriciated.' Saying so, Shriji Maharaj said "Jai Satchitanand" and retired to his chamber.

Thus Ends Vachanamrit : Gadhada First - 24.

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