English Vachanamrut

The Vachanmr ut 1
| | Sh r i Sw mi n r ya n o Vi j a ya t e | |

The Va cha n mr ut
Spi r i t u a l Di s cou r s es of Bh a gw n Sw mi n r ya n
(An En gl i s h Tr a n s l a t i on )

The Vachanmr ut 2

P u bl i s h er s :
Sw mi n r ya n Ak s h a r pi t h

The Vachanmr ut
Spirit ual Discourses of Bhagwn Swminryan
(An English Translat ion)

Compiled by:
Muk t nand Swmi, Goplnand Swmi,
Nit ynand Swmi, Shuk nand Swmi

Copyright 2001 Swminryan Ak sharpit h.
All right s reserved. No part of t his book may be used or
reproduced in any form or by any means wit hout permission
in writ ing from t he publisher,
except for brief quot at ions embodied in reviews and art icles.

Publisher s:
Swminr yan Akshar pit h
Shhibaug, Amdvd 380 004
India
The Vachanmr ut 3
Blessings by H.D.H. Pramukh Swmi Mahrj
(English Translation)
7 Oct ober , 2001
Amdvd Mandir

Pur na Pur ushot t am Bhagwn Swminr yan, in or der t o
liberat e innumerable people and t o est ablish ekntik dharma,
incar nat ed along wit h His divine abode, Gunt it nand Swmi, and
count less muktas . He init iat ed 500 sdhus who, in addit ion t o
renouncing bot h women and wealt h, abided by t he five vows of non -
lust , non -avar ice, non -t ast e, non -at t achment and non -egot ism. So
t hat upsan r emains et er nally on ear t h, He built mandirs. Also,
He inst r uct ed Pujya Mukt nand Swmi and ot her sdhus t o aut hor
scr ipt ur es nar r at ing t he life of t heir ishtadev, Bhagwn
Swminr yan Himself. So, in or der t o st r engt hen t he fait h and
convict ion of t housands of aspir ant s and allow t hem t o at t ain
ult imat e liber at ion, t he sdhus aut hor ed scr ipt ur es.
The Vachanmr ut is amr ut in t he for m of t he wor ds of
Bhagwn Swminr yan. The t eachings and pr inciples ut t er ed by
Bhagwn Swmi-nr yan in assemblies at Gadhad, Sr angpur ,
Kr iyni, Loy, Panchl, Var t l, Amdvd and ot her places had
been compiled by t he sdhus so t hat all can par t ake of t hat amr ut .
Fr om t hat compilat ion t hey cr eat ed a t hor ough scr ipt ur e; and
amr ut in t he for m of t hose wor ds is t he Vachanmr ut , which all
devot ees r ead daily. Fr om t he Vachanmr ut , one r ealises t m-
Par amt m, Br ahma-Par abr ahma, Akshar -Pur ushot t am, Swmi-
Nr yan. That is, one ident ifies ones self wit h Akshar and wor ships
Pur ushot t am, t her eby at t aining t he et er nal, lust r ous and divine
Akshar dhm of Pur ushot t am Nr yan. Also, dharma, gnn ,
vairgya and bhakti coupled wit h t he knowledge of t he glory of God
t hat is, ekntik dharma ar e st r engt hened. One becomes fr ee fr om
desires and free from t he influences of my, t hus et er nally
r emaining in t he ser vice of Mahr j. One also at t ains et er nal bliss.
Such is t he t r emendous glor y of t he Vachanmr ut . It s wor ds ar e t he
divine wor ds of Bhagwn Swminr yan. It is t he essence of all
script ures. It serves t o uplift , benefit and liberat e all people.
Pr eviously, Shr i Har shadbhai T. Dave had t r anslat ed t his
glor ious and liber at ing Vachanmr ut int o English so t hat all t hose
The Vachanmr ut 4
living bot h in India and abroad benefit . And now, a t eam of sdhus
has r e-t r anslat ed t he scr ipt ur e. Aft er all, in t his day and age, only if
such a scr ipt ur e is available in English will people living abr oad
benefit . English is an int er nat ional language. Due t o such a
t r anslat ion, t he divine wor ds of Bhagwn Swminr yan become
available t o people of all count ries of t he world. Also, yout hs, devot ees
as well as scholars in bot h India and abroad will benefit .
So, r ealising t he impor t ance of such a glor ious scr ipt ur e,
everyone should read t he Vachanmrut daily and st udy it deeply.
Also, all should inspir e ot her s t o r ead and st udy it , which is a gr eat
ser vice t o ot her s. By doing t his, Mahr j, Swmi, Shst r iji Mahr j
and Yogiji Mahrj will be pleased. One will also at t ain peace, bliss
in life and t he divine Akshar dhm of Mahr j.

J ai Swminr yan fr om
Shst r i Nr yanswar upds

The Vachanmr ut 5
An Introduction to the Vachanmrut
The Vachanmr ut is a collect ion of 273 discour ses (t he last 11
addit ional discourses are accept ed only by t he Amdvd diocese)
deliver ed by Bhagwn Swminr yan dur ing t he last t en year s of
His life, bet ween 1819 CE and 1829 CE. These discourses were
compiled by four of His pious and scholar ly r enunciant s: Goplnand
Swmi, Mukt nand Swmi, Nit ynand Swmi and Shuknand
Swmi. The scr ipt ur e encapsulat es t he ver y essence of t he pr inciples
and philosophy of t he Swminr yan Sampr ady and is t hus most
foundat ional.
The scr ipt ur e is divided int o 10 sect ions, based on t he var ious
villages in which discour ses wer e deliver ed. The sect ions ar e
chr onological in or der and ar e named as follows: Gadhad I,
Sr angpur , Kr iyni, Loy, Panchl, Gadhad II, Var t l, Amdvd,
Gadhad III and finally Addit ional Vachanmrut s. Wit hin each
sect ion, individual Vachanmr ut s ar e ar r anged in chr onological or der
and ar e number ed sequent ially.
Each Vachanmr ut begins wit h an int r oduct or y par agr aph
t aking t he r eader back in t ime t o t he exact envir onment in which t he
discour ses wer e held, t her eby ment ally pr epar ing him for t he
pr ofound wisdom t hat is t o come. The compiler s met iculously and
ingeniously det ailed all of t he major aspect s of t he set t ing of t he
assembly, even at t he r isk of sounding r epet it ive. Invar iably, t hey
ment ion t he dat e, t he mont h, t he year , t he village, t he locat ion
wit hin t he village, as well as t he audience seat ed in t he assembly. In
many inst ances, t hey even ment ion t he t ime of day and t he dir ect ion
in which Bhagwn Swminr yan was seat ed. In many inst ances,
t hey have even described t he seat upon which He was seat ed as well
as t he dr ess and ador nment of Bhagwn Swminr yan at t he t ime.
Pr imar ily, t he r eason for t heir met iculousness was t hat t hey wer e
convinced of His divinit y. They under st ood t hat t he assembly was
not an or dinar y, wor ldly assembly of people, but a divine assembly
pr esided over by t he Supr eme God Himself. Aft er all, much mor e
t han anyt hing else, divinit y is wor t hy of being r ecalled per fect ly.
Fr om a scholar ly point of view, t his int r oduct or y par agr aph adds a
st amp of aut hent icit y t o t he scr ipt ur e. In t he wor ds of an eminent
Gujar t i scholar , Mr . Bhogill Sndesar : Among all these
scriptures [the scriptures of Buddhism, J ainism, Rmnujchrya,
Vallabhchrya and other chryas] t he posit ion of t he
The Vachanmr ut 6
Vachanmrut is unique because the discourses of Bhagwn
S wminryan were compiled verbatim. There is a reference to the
place and time of the discourses; a note of the year, month and day;
a description of Bhagwn S wminryans garment s and even t he
names of the people participating in the dialogues are mentioned
Thus, t here is no room for int erpolat ion.
If t he int r oduct or y par agr aph of t he Vachanmr ut r ender s t he
scr ipt ur e unique, t he met hod of impar t ing spir it ual wisdom is no less
unique. Inst ead of opt ing for a monologue, pr eaching st yle, Bhagwn
Swminr yan deliver ed His discour ses in t he for m of a dialogue
much like t he met hod used by t he sages in t he Upanishads. At
t imes, Bhagwn Swminr yan would pose a quest ion t o t he
member s of t he assembly, or somet imes He would ask t he assembly
t o pose a quest ion t o Him. On ot her occasions, member s of t he
assembly would ask a quest ion dir ect ly. In His assemblies, all wer e
free t o quest ion and even t o count er -quest ion, regardless of whet her
t hey wer e scholar ly r enunciant s or or dinar y householder s. Keeping
in mind t his quest ion -answer met hod and t he fact t hat many of t he
member s of t he assemblies wer e gr eat scholar s t hemselves, one can
imagine t he t hor oughness of Bhagwn Swminr yans knowledge
on t he subject s discussed.
The issues r aised in t he Vachanmr ut ar e quit e var ied, r anging
fr om deeply philosophical and t heological subject s, such as t he nat ur e
of God, cr eat ion of t he cosmos, clar ificat ions of t he classical Hindu
philosophies of chr yas such as Shankar , Rmnuj, Vallabh and
ot her s; t o mor e spir it ually pr act ical subject s such as t he liber at ion of
t he soul, good and bad company, as well as t he means of at t aining
et ernal happiness. Since t he t opics discussed have no relat ion t o t he
or der ing of t he Vachanmr ut , t he r eader need not r ead t he scr ipt ur e
sequent ially.
Regar dless of t he subject , t hough, Bhagwn Swminr yan had
t he gift of lucidly and elegant ly explaining complex concept s t hr ough
simple day-t o-day examples. In fact , even t he villager s sit t ing in t he
assembly were able t o grasp profound philosophical concept s due t o
His simple language and meaningful examples.
The Vachanmr ut is also an aut hor it at ive scr ipt ur e in as much
as it was spoken by God Himself and writ t en down at t he same t ime.
In fact , it was even reviewed and approved by Bhagwn
Swminr yan dur ing it s compilat ion, a fact evident in
The Vachanmr ut 7
Vachanmr ut Loy-7.2. Mor eover , t he fact t hat t he concept s
expounded in t he Vachanmrut are based on Bhagwn
Swminr yans own personal experience gives it an added not e of
aut hor it y. In fact , He st at es in Vachanmr ut Gadhad III-39.16: I
deliver t hese discourses t o you not from any imaginat ion of My
mind nor to display any sort of aptitude. I have experienced all that
I have spoken about. In fact, I speak in accordance to what I
practise.
The Vachanmr ut can also be consider ed t o cont ain t he essence
of all of t he scr ipt ur es concer ned wit h spir it ualit y. Why? Besides t he
fact t hat t he words were spoken by t he supreme Realit y Himself,
Bhagwn Swminr yan had st udied t he scr ipt ur es t hor oughly, had
mast er ed Asht ng-Yoga and had also scrut inized t he beliefs and
pr act ices of people t hr oughout India. Thus, when He spoke, it was
fr om a base of pr ofound scr ipt ur al wisdom, advanced spir it ual insight
and vast pr act ical exper ience. In t he Vachanmr ut , He has quot ed
ver ses fr om t he Vedas, t he Shr imad Bhgwat and ot her Pur ns, t he
Upanishads, t he Bhagwad Git as well as ot her par t s of t he
Mahbhr at . In fact , in Vachanmr ut Gadhad II-28 Bhagwn
Swminr yan has gone so far as t o say: I have delivered this
discourse having heard and having extracted the essence from the
Vedas, the S hstras, the Purns and all other words on this earth
pertaining to liberation. This is the most profound and
fundamental principle; it is the essence of all essences.
On a mor e scholar ly plane, t he Vachanmr ut is also t he fir st
lit er ar y wor k of pr ose in t he Gujar t i language, t hus pr oviding a good
specimen of t he cult ur e and speaking st yle of t he Gujar t i language
t wo cent ur ies ago. It is a gener ous gift of Bhagwn Swminr yan t o
Gujar t i lit er at ur e.
Having r ead t he above, one can bet t er gr asp why t he compiler s
named it t he Vachanmr ut . Aft er all, it is in essence nect ar ,
amr ut , in t he for m of wor ds, vachan, fr om t he mout h of t he
Supr eme God Himself. J ust as amr ut has t he dist inct pr oper t y of
liberat ing from deat h all t hose who part ake of it , t he words of God
similar ly gr ant liber at ion fr om t he cycle of bir t hs and deat hs t o all
t hose who st rive t o imbibe t heir wisdom.

The Vachanmr ut 8
Preface
Introduction
This English ver sion of t he Vachanmr ut is a complet ely new,
revised t ranslat ion made by a t eam of sdhus wor king dir ect ly fr om
t he or iginal Gujar t i t ext published by Swminr yan Akshar pit h,
which it self is a letter -t o-let t er , pr int ed ver sion of t he or iginal,
aut hent ic manuscr ipt published in 1928 under t he auspices of
chr ya Shr ipat ipr asdji of Var t l. The wor k of t r anslat ion began in
Sept ember 1996 wit h init ial meet ings t o discuss met hods and
convent ions, and concluded in Sept ember 2001 wit h blessings fr om
His Divine Holiness Pr amukh Swmi Mahr j, who cont inually
supplied invaluable inspir at ion t o complet e t he monument al t ask.
Of cour se, t he Vachanmr ut has alr eady been t r anslat ed and
published by t he BAPS Swminr yan Sanst h. Cont inually
inspir ed and guided by Yogiji Mahr j, Shr i H. T. Dave had wor ked
diligent ly and met iculously t o pr oduce t he fir st t r anslat ion int o
English. However , t hr ough t he year s a need for a r evised edit ion
became apparent . A new edit ion could impr ove aut hent icit y by
cor r ect ing omissions, inconsist encies and misint er pr et at ions. Also,
r eadabilit y could be impr oved by using less difficult wor ds,
simplifying sent ence st r uct ur es and cor r ect ing er r or s of usage. The
reader could be provided bet t er facilit ies by cr eat ing a r icher glossar y,
giving meanings of shlokas and by including meaningful appendices.
For t hese and ot her r easons, t he ent ir e Vachanmr ut was r e-
t ranslat ed by a t eam of sdhus wit h a syst emat ic appr oach.
The r eader will find t hat befor e beginning t he t ext ,
underst anding t he approach and t he convent ions adopt ed in t he
t ranslat ion will undoubt edly provide a deeper insight int o t he t ext , as
well as a clear er under st anding of why it has been t r anslat ed as it
has.
The Challenges
Unlike ot her books, t r anslat ing t he Vachanmr ut int o English
posed many challenges. The fir st challenge was it s mer e size t he
or iginal Gujar t i scr ipt ur e was colossal it cont ained 657 print ed
pages! Most impor t ant ly, t hough, it was t o be t r eat ed as a holy
scr ipt ur e. Unlike ot her descr ipt ive books and novels wher e cer t ain
The Vachanmr ut 9
imaginat ive aspect s could be super imposed, in t he case of t his
t ranslat ion, not hing was t o be added and not hing was t o be removed.
Aft er all, t he act of creat ion was already complet e; it was t o be merely
t r anslat ed.
However , unlike t r anslat ing t ext fr om Ger man t o English or
fr om Fr ench t o English, t he t ask at hand r equir ed t r anslat ing
Gujar t i t o English t wo ver y dist ant languages, bot h synt act ically
and cult ur ally! How does one do just ice t o phr ases and concept s such
as Vh u (S t rine vishe bet hy-uthyni
vsan)? or (Moli vt )? or _ (Risni ti)? or
(Lalochapo rkhe nahi)? Of cour se, t he
gr ammat ical r ules of t he English language also r aised issues t hat do
not ar ise in Gujar t i. For example, capit alisat ion is not an issue in
Gujar t i. Now, in English, should Sat sang be capit alised or not ?
Should pronouns referring t o ent it ies ot her t han God be capit alised or
not ? Assuming t hey should not , a mor e fundament al quest ion was
t hat do t hey really refer t o God, or do t hey refer t o a demigod? Many
such decisions had t o be made.
Then t her e was t he quest ion of spelling. Should Kr ishna be
spelled as Kr ishna or Kr ushna, or Kr ashna as it is gener ally
pr onounced in Gujar t i? Sat sang or Sat sanga? gnn or jnn?
swabhw, swabhv, svabhw or svabhv ? Should diacr it ical
marks be used, or should a simpler met hod be employed t o spell
Gujar t i and Sanskr it wor ds? Mor e decisions.
Due t o t he sheer size of t he t ask, t eamwor k was essent ial. But
t his r aised an addit ional issue of account ing for t he var ious st yles
and vocabular ies of t he differ ent t r anslat or s. How t o maint ain a
unifor m, consist ent st yle t hr oughout t he wor k?
Of cour se, as wit h any philosophical scr ipt ur e being t r anslat ed
by humans, t her e was t he obvious issue of simply not being clear
about what t he or iginal t ext int ended t o say. For example, how can
or dinar y mor t als ever visualise t he following: vk
v V _ _ ZI
... (Purushottam Bhagwn je te Vairj
Purushn mastakne vishe rahyu je sahasradalnu kamal tene vishe
pravesh karine Aksharbrahmtmak eavo je nd tene kart hav) in
Sr angpur -6? Yet , since not hing in t he scr ipt ur e was t o be omit t ed,
even such complex and int angible concept s had t o be t ranslat ed.
The Vachanmr ut 10
Count less such decisions major and minor had t o be made
t hr oughout t he durat ion of t he project . Despit e t he challenges faced
by t he t r anslat or s in r ender ing t he scr ipt ur e int o English, t heir job
was never t o r e-wr it e t he or iginal wor ds. They had t o r emain mer ely
t r anslat or s not edit ors reproducing t he message of t he original
int o it s closest , equivalent English.
A Systematic Approach
Despit e t he challenges involved, t he t eam of t ranslat ors decided
t hat wit h Gods gr ace and a syst emat ic appr oach, t he t ask, t hough
formidable, was nevert heless possible. Developing a syst emat ic
pr ocedur e was t he key t o success. So, befor e init iat ing t he wor k of
t r anslat ion, t he t r anslat or s wor ked met iculously t o devise an over all
plan. Fur t her mor e, in or der t o over come minor pr oblems and t o help
shar e each ot her s exper iences, t he t r anslat or s met r egular ly and
discussed pot ent ial complicat ions and confusions. The r egular
meet ings also ser ved t o fine-t une and clar ify t he convent ions t hat
were est ablished as t he need arose.
The following, t hen, is a summar y of t he appr oach adopt ed in
t he t r anslat ion pr ocess.
Aims and Conventions
Fr om t he out set , t he t r anslat or s fixed cer t ain aims and decided
on convent ions t o be adhered t o during t he t ranslat ion process t o
fulfill t hose aims.
Accuracy
Fir st , and of pr imar y concer n, was maint aining t he accur acy of
t he t r anslat ion and it s fidelit y t o t he or iginal t ext . Aft er all, t he
words were not ordinary t hey were t he words of God. This was
cer t ainly a ver y for midable t ask. Since speech pat t er ns and synt ax
differ fr om language t o language, accur at e communicat ion of t he
meaning of t he or iginal scr ipt demanded car eful consider at ion of
sent ence st r uct ur es and cont ext ual meanings of wor ds. For example,
pr akr ut i does not always r efer t o t he philosophical t er m; it also
means a per sons innat e nat ur e. Even small wor ds, such as t hat
st r ess only, wer e not t o be ignor ed. In fact , ever y effor t was made t o
maint ain even t he t one of t he or iginal t ext . For example, t he use of
The Vachanmr ut 11
in t he very last sent ence of Gadhad I-45 adds a lot more
emphasis on t he t opic discussed in t he passage; t hat is why it has
been t r anslat ed as those who do believe [God] to be nir kr just
do not underst and, and not simply t hose who do believe [God] t o
be nir kr do not underst and.
In deciding t he cor r ect met hodology, t he t ranslat ors also opt ed
for a sent ence-by-sent ence appr oach; t hat is, unless change was
absolut ely necessar y, each sent ence in t he or iginal was t o be
sequent ially r ender ed int o English, of cour se adding any necessar y
linking words for bet t er flow. Alt hou gh t his sent ence-by-sent ence
met hod may sound simplist ic or cr ude, it s pr ime benefit was t hat it
assur ed accur acy. Aft er all, year s fr om now, people should not say,
This was not in t he or iginal! or This has been omit t ed for some
reason! Also, a helpful by-product of t his met hodology was t hat it
could t r emendously help t hose who ar e r efer r ing t o t he or iginal
Gujar t i Vachanmr ut . Wit h t his met hod, most ext r act ed
quot at ions fr om t he or iginal Gujar t i t ext t hat ar e used in ot her
books could immediat ely be correlat ed t o corresponding sent ences in
t he English t r anslat ion.
Anot her issue in maint aining accur acy was r et aining cer t ain
Gujar t i or Sanskr it wor ds in t heir or iginal for m. It is a well-known
and accept ed fact t hat cer t ain concept s in t he Vachanmr ut simply
have no equivalent English wor ds. For example, anvay and
vyatirek have no exact , simple, English equivalent wor ds or phr ases.
Manushyabhv can only be r ender ed int o English by using a
phrase a single wor d simply does not suffice. In t hese cases,
inst ead of r epeat edly using a lengt hy English phr ase or an inaccur at e
appr oximat ion, t he or iginal Gujar t i or Sanskr it wor d was kept wit h
t he appropriat e English spelling. In general, t hese words fall int o
t hr ee cat egor ies:
1) Wor ds t hat cannot be t ranslat ed most ly pr oper nouns and
t echnical, philosophical t er ms such as anvay, vyatirek,
ekntik, Pr akr ut i, Akshar br ahma, et c.
2) Wor ds t hat can be t r anslat ed but have many subt le shades in
Gujar t i t hat ar e lost in English. For example, dar shan
could be t r anslat ed as t o see, or t o look at , but in r ealit y t o
do dar shan has much mor e meaning t han just looking at
someone; it incorporat es an at t it ude and devot ional int ent ions
The Vachanmr ut 12
t hat ar e much mor e t han simply looking at someone, or even
looking at someone wit h reverence.
3) Wor ds t hat can be t r anslat ed int o English fair ly accur at ely
but which t he r eader should lear n in Gujar t i nonet heless.
For example, gnn could be t r anslat ed t o knowledge; but ,
t he word gnn mer it s a place in t he r eader s vocabular y
because it is so vit al a concept in t he Vachanmr ut .
Thr oughout t he t r anslat ion pr ocess, t he t r anslat or s cont inually
fine-t uned t his list by adding and r emoving wor ds.
Spelling Conventions
A major decision t hat had t o be made regarding t his list of
Gujar t i and Sanskr it wor ds was t he convent ion t o be used for
spelling. Ideally, diacr it ical mar ks pr ovide an exact r ender ing of
such wor ds t o English; but , t o make t he wor ds mor e easily r eadable
t o a wider audience, a simpler scheme was chosen. Over all, t he
gener al cr it er ia for det er mining spellings of Gujar t i wor ds was
pronunciat ion wor ds wer e spelled as pr onounced (e.g., Ar jun, not
Ar juna). Many t imes Sanskr it spellings of wor ds differ fr om t he
pr onunciat ion of wor ds (e.g., jnn vs. gnn). Even in such cases,
pr onunciat ion was t he pr imar y cr it er ia. Of cour se, in cases t hat
could have caused confusion (e.g., using gun for guna could cause
confusion), or if a different spelling was already well-est ablished (e.g.,
Git is in use ever ywher e, not t he t echnically cor r ect Geet ), t he
gener al r ule of using pr onunciat ion as t he key was over r idden. Also,
if a par t icular wor d was alr eady in t he English dict ionar y and if t he
definit ion t herein mat ched t he connot at ion of t hat wor d in t he
Vachanmr ut (e.g., puja, gur u, et c.) t hen t he English spelling of t hat
wor d was used, and t he wor d was not it alicised. One pr oblem wit h
making pr onunciat ion t he basis for t he spelling of Gujar t i wor ds
was t hat some sounds in t he Gujar t i language could not be
accur at ely r epr esent ed by t he English alphabet . For t his r eason, one
diacr it ical mar k was event ually used in t he spelling convent ions for
Gujar t i wor ds. To differ ent iat e bet ween t he a sound in wor ds like
about and t he Sanskr it -Gujar t i prolonged a sound as in
vaasanaa, sevaa, or fat her t he let t er was used (vsan and
sev), pr onounced as in ar t or car .
Alt hough t his spelling scheme does have dr awbacks, such as it s
inabilit y t o different iat e bet ween let t ers such a s a nd , bot h of
The Vachanmr ut 13
which ar e t r anslit er at ed as t ha, and bet ween let t er s such as and
, t r anslit er at ed as sha, in most cases wor ds can be pr onounced
r elat ively easily. The scheme avoids for cing t he r eader t o lear n a
complex syst em of diacr it ical mar ks, and in most cases, t he wor ds
are pronounced exact ly as t hey are spelled.
Fur t her mor e, t he spellings of all English wor ds follow t he U.K.
English spelling convent ions t hus t he spelling colour inst ead of
color .
Readability
Wit hin t he fr amewor k of accur acy, lit er ar y st yle and r eadabilit y
wer e secondar y concer ns. Sent ences should flow, and wor ds should
be meaningful and suit able. Of cour se, as wit h all t r anslat ions,
lit er al, wor d-t o-wor d r ender ings can be t r agically misleading in many
inst ances and can do gr eat injust ice t o t he meaning of t he or iginal
t ext . So, t he cont ext of t he original words had t o be underst ood in
order t o provide a t ranslat ion t hat did not mislead by being t oo
lit er al.
Wit h r egar ds t o r eadabilit y, t he t r anslat or s wer e faced wit h t wo
difficult ies: fir st ly, all t oo oft en, r eadabilit y must be sacr ificed for
aut hent icit y. Ideal examples of t his ar e t he descr ipt ive par agr aphs
included by t he paramhansas at t he beginning of each individual
Vachanmr ut . In some inst ances, t hey have provided full det ail of
Shr iji Mahr js dr ess, as well as t he locat ion and t ime of t he
assembly. But in cer t ain inst ances, only scant infor mat ion is
available. Tr anslat ing such passages int o English all t oo oft en leads
t o choppy paragraphs. Adding a few ext ra words of descript ion t o
creat e a bet t er flow would be desirable, but since aut hent icit y t ook
priorit y over readabilit y, no such addit ions were made.
The second difficult y was how t o ensur e t hat t he t r anslat ions
linguist ic st yle cat er ed equally t o t he differ ing linguist ic backgr ounds
and preferences of t he various audiences t hat would use t he
t ranslat ion now and in t he fut ure. Differences in t he knowledge of
Gujart i among t he different int ended audiences shaped many of t he
decisions regar ding t he number of wor ds t o keep fr om t he or iginal
Gujar t i t ext . Mor eover , r egar ding t he level of English difficult y,
yout hs, in gener al, would pr efer simple, st r aight for war d sent ences
wit hout complex philosophical t er minology. Scholar s, accust omed t o
such t er minology, would pr efer a mor e classical appr oach wher ein
The Vachanmr ut 14
wor ds such as sent ient , concomit ance, indomit able and
ubiquit ous ar e common and easily under st ood. Keeping t hese issues
in mind, all effort s were made t o st rike a balance bet ween readabilit y
for pr ivat e r eading, academic st udy and usefulness for memor ising.
To help achieve t hat balance, t he final t ext was given t o var ious t ypes
of people young and old, well-educat ed and not so educat ed, sdhus
and householders for scr ut iny. To allow t he t ranslat ion t o be more
easily accessible t o a lar ger audience, common English wit h simple
sent ence st r uct ur es was used. English wor ds wer e kept simple
enough so as not t o r equir e a dict ionar y as a const ant companion.
Yet , t o appeal t o a more scholar ly audience, idiomat ic phr ases and a
purely spoken -English t one were avoided except where absolut ely
necessar y.
To aid memor y and compr ehension, par agr aph br eaks wer e
added or moved t o locat ions t hat were more logical. This did not
violat e t he cr it er ia of aut hent icit y since t he or iginal manuscr ipt s of
t he Vachanmr ut did not have par agr aph br eaks at all. In fact , t o
conser ve valuable page-space, even spaces bet ween words were
omit t ed in t hose manuscr ipt s! Due t o t he mor e st r uct ur ed
appearance of each Vachanmr ut , r eader s will undoubt edly find t hat
concept s ar e easier t o gr asp, and in a cer t ain sense, ar e also much
mor e suit ed for memor isat ion.
Of cour se, one of t he most difficult aspect s of t r anslat ing a t ext
writ t en in a different era is dealing wit h t he t er ms used for social
pr act ices and cust oms of t he t imes. Her e, an effor t has been made t o
maint ain t hose aspect s of t he original, and foot not es have been added
wher e explanat ion may be r equir ed. For example, in Gadhad II-66,
he proves his innocence by holding a red-hot iron ball. may not
mean much t o moder n audiences, but a foot not e clar ifies concisely.
Many wor ds dealing wit h food it ems (e.g., ldu, rotlo, et c.), musical
inst r ument s (e.g., dukad , pakhwj, tl, et c.), dr ess st yles (e.g., pgh,
khes, dagli, et c.), measur ement s of space (e.g., yojan , et c.), et c., have
not been t r anslat ed since t her e ar e no cor r esponding English wor ds
for t hem. Of course, a det ailed Glossary has been creat ed t o provide a
deeper explanat ion of t hose words.
Printing Conventions
Cer t ain pr int ing convent ions wer e also used in or der t o enhance
t he ut ilit y of t he scr ipt ur e and t o facilit at e easy r efer encing.
Specifically, all common nouns t hat wer e not t r anslat ed int o English
The Vachanmr ut 15
have been it alicised and defined in t he Glossar y. Thus, anyt ime t he
r eader encount er s an it alicised wor d, he can immediat ely r efer t o t he
Glossar y t o find an appr opr iat e definit ion. Fur t her mor e, wit h t he
except ion of specific places and specific people, definit ions of most
proper nouns which are always capit alised can also be found in
t he Glossar y. Cer t ain Gujar t i-Sanskr it wor ds t hat have alr eady
been defined in t he t ext it self are in single quot es and not it alicised.
For such wor ds, no definit ion has been given in t he Glossar y since
t he t ext ual explanat ion suffices.
Fur t her mor e, t he t r anslit er at ions of all Sanskr it shlokas have
been it alicised. Hyphens have been added in t hese shlokas in order t o
aid in t he r eading of long, compound Sanskr it wor ds. To fur t her aid
t he r eader , all shlokas have been t ranslat ed in a foot not e wit h a
r efer ence t o it s or iginal locat ion in t he scr ipt ur es. However , t he
shlokas t hat have already been defined in t he t ext have not been
t ranslat ed.
Par agr aph number s have been added t o aid in r efer encing. So,
accor ding t o t he r efer encing scheme, one can r efer t o somet hing in
t he t hir d par agr aph of Vachanmr ut Gadhad I-54 by t he following
not at ion: Gadhad I-54.3. Anot her example: One can r efer t o t he
eight h par agr aph of Loy-12 by using Loy-12.8.
Wherever added explanat ion or a clar ifying int er pr et at ion is
required, foot not es have also been included. Sanskrit shlokas have
also been t ranslit erat ed and explained in foot not es. Foot not es are
referenced by roman numerals in t he t ext and t he foot not e it self is
included at t he bot t om of t he page. In addit ion t o foot not es, endnot es
have been used t o elaborat e on concept s t hat recur t hroughout t he
Vachanmrut and need explanat ion. The endnot es are referenced by
super scr ipt ed number s in t he t ext and t he endnot e it self is given in
Appendix A.
The reader should keep in mind t hat dat es referred t o in t he
Vachanmr ut ar e accor ding t o t he shdhi Samvat calendar just as
t hey ar e in t he or iginal Gujar t i ver sion, wit h each new year
beginning wit h t he mont h of shdh. Mor eover , as fur t her
informat ion for t he reader, corresponding English dat es have been
included in t he t ext .
Proof-checking and Editing
The Vachanmr ut 16
As wit h any wor k of wr it ing, pr oof-checking is pr obably just as
vit al as it is t edious and t ime-consuming. This par t icular t r anslat ion
of t he Vachanmr ut went t hr ough a 6-st ep process before arriving at
t he end pr oduct .
Fir st of all, t he or iginal Gujar t i t ext was t r anslat ed by t he
t eam of t r anslat or s. Then, t he wor k was edit ed by one edit or , t hus
ir oning out any inconsist encies t hat may have result ed due t o several
people wor king independent ly. Ther eaft er , t he r esult ing wor k was
r e-checked by t he or iginal t r anslat or , t hus pinpoint ing anyt hing
over looked by t he edit or . This edit ed ver sion t hen syst emat ically
passed t hrough a panel of proof-checker s compr ising t he or iginal
t eam of t r anslat or s t hemselves wherein each proof-checker was
assigned a specific aspect of scr ut iny. Only t her eaft er did t he wor k
move on t o t he edit or again for final r e-edit ing. This final ver sion
wa s then also checked by scholar s and ot her lear ned sdhus, t hus
helping t o clar ify any sour ces of misunder st anding or
misint er pr et at ion. Ther eaft er , t he t r anslat ion was checked by pr oof-
checker s who wer e r elat ively new t o t he concept s of t he Vachanmr ut
t o ensur e t hat , fr om t he viewpoint of a fir st -t ime r eader , clar it y and
r eadabilit y has been maint ained. The ent ir e pr ocess, t hough t ime-
consuming, undoubt edly helped t o cr eat e a mor e consist ent , accur at e
and fait hful t r anslat ion.
Additional Sections
Reader s should not e t hat in addit ion t o t hese int roduct ory
sect ions and t he act ual t r anslat ed t ext , t wo ver y impor t ant sect ions
are included at t he end of t he book.
Fir st is t he Glossar y, which pr ovides det ailed definit ions of all
it alicised wor ds. Many of t he Gujar t i and Sanskr it wor ds t hat have
been accept ed int o t he English language (e.g., gur u, puja, et c.) have
been kept in English, in t heir non -it alicised for m. Thus, t heir
definit ions have not been included in t he Glossary. However, if t he
dict ionar y definit ion does not suit t he cont ext in which t hat wor d has
been used in t he t ext , t hen it has been it alicised and included in t he
Glossar y. Pr oper nouns t hat ar e not t he names of specific places and
people, and t hus may r equir e a definit ion for clar it y, have been
included in t he Glossar y. Also, if a glossar y wor d has many differ ent
definit ions in different cont ext s, ent ries have been provided in t he
Glossar y for each definit ion. Undoubt edly, r eader s will find t he
The Vachanmr ut 17
Glossar y an invaluable aid in at t empt ing t o under st and t he complex
concept s discussed in t he t ext .
Second are t he Appendices, which give det ails of many of t he
impor t ant concept s t hat r equir e suppor t ing explanat ions. Appendix
A, ent it led Endnot es, elabor at es on many of t he concept s in t he
Vachanmr ut t hat need more det ailed explanat ion (e.g., t he t hree
bodies, t he five r eligious vows, et c.). Since t he t ext cont ains t oo many
occur r ences t o clar ify wit h foot not es, explanat ions ar e given in t he
Endnot es. Readers will find t hat a specific endnot e is marked by
super scr ipt ed digit s in t he t ext . The cor r esponding endnot e is
numbered and explained accordingly in Appendix A. Appendix B,
ent it led The Hindu Calendar & Time Scales elabor at es on t he dat ing
syst em t hat is used t hr oughout t he Vachanmr ut , as well as t he
wor ds used t o measur e t ime. Appendix C, ent it led Cosmogony
shows a char t of t he pr ocess of cr eat ion accor ding t o Bhagwn
Swminr yans philosophy. Appendix D, ent it led Classificat ion of
Hindu Scr ipt ur es cont ains a char t t hat clar ifies t he classificat ion of
t he Hindu scr ipt ur es ment ioned in t he Vachanmr ut .
Afterwards
Fr om commencement t o complet ion, t he t r anslat or s wer e deeply
commit t ed t o t he aut horit y and t he infallibilit y of t he words of God in
t heir wr it t en, scr ipt ur al for m. They fir mly believed t hat t hose words
shed unique light on our pat h t o t hat ver y God, and t hat t hose wor ds
also cont ain divine answers t o t he deepest needs of humanit y.
Despit e t he effor t s, t hough, a cer t ain sense of dissat isfact ion linger ed
even aft er complet ion because, in a sense, no wor k of t r anslat ion is
ever finished. Ther e ar e always mor e meaningful choices of wor ds,
as well as bet t er st yles and st r uct ur es. So, like all t r anslat ions of
such sacr ed and pr ofound wisdom r ender ed by imper fect humans,
t his t r anslat ion undoubt edly falls shor t of it s t r ue goal. Yet , t he
t r anslat or s ar e gr at eful t o Bhagwn Swminr yan and t o His
Divine Holiness Pr amukh Swmi Mahr j for t heir blessings, which
enabled t he realisat ion of t he original goals t o t he ext ent t hey have
been r ealised. Thus, t his new t r anslat ion is humbly offer ed t o t hem
bot h, by whose glor y and gr ace it has been possible. The t r anslat or s
pray: May it lead all who read it t o a bet t er underst anding of t his
sacr ed scr ipt ur e and of it s sour ce Bhagwn Swminr yan. May it
also lead all closer t o t he S atpurush, Pr amukh Swami Mahr j, t he
The Vachanmr ut 18
gat eway t o ult imat e liber at ion, t o which t he Vachanmr ut it self so
fait hfully t est ifies.
The Translators

The Vachanmr ut 19
Bhagwn Swminryan
Bhagwn Swminr yan, t he founder of t he Swminr yan
Sampr ady, was bor n on Apr il 3, 1781, in t he village Chhapaiy
(pr onounced Chhapiy in t he local r egion), near Ayodhy, in Nor t h
India. By t he age of 10, He had acquir ed such mast er y over t he
Vedic scr ipt ur es t hat in a scholar ly debat e in Kshi He defeated
lear ned scholar s many t imes His age wit h His br illiant scr ipt ur al
ar gument s. At t he age of 11, He r enounced home t o embar k on a 7-
year spir it ual sojour n on foot acr oss t he lengt h and br eadt h of India.
Aft er per for ming int ense aust er it ies in t he Himalayas, He ar r ived in
t he forest s of Nepal where He mast ered Asht ng-Yoga from Gopl
Yogi in appr oximat ely one year , at t he age of 14. When He
event ually set t led in Gujar t , wher e He spent t he last 30 year s of His
life spearheading a socio-spir it ual r evolut ion, t he br eadt h of His
script ural knowledge and t he dept h of His spirit ual experience shone
t hr ough in all of His act ivit ies. Wit h a fait hful following of 500
par amhansas, r enunciant s of t he highest or der , He est ablished t he
Swminr yan Sampr ady, int r oducing much needed social r efor ms,
ser ving t he poor and t he needy, and challenging super st it ions,
addict ions and blind fait h. Also known as Sahajnand Swmi and
Shr iji Mahr j, He focused on pr omot ing mor alit y and moulding
spir it ual char act er . In a lifespan of only 49 years, He enriched
humanit y by building six majest ic mandir s and r evealed t he Vedic
philosophy of wor ship of Pur ushot t am along wit h His for emost
devot ee, Akshar . To r eveal t his and ot her impor t ant pr inciples of
spir it ualit y, He deliver ed discour ses wher ever He went . The
pr ofound wisdom impar t ed by Him has been met iculously capt ur ed in
what is t he most fundament al scr ipt ur e of t he Swminr yan
Sampr ady t he Vachanmr ut . What is unique about His life was
t hat , fir st , He was wor shipped as t he Supreme God by hundreds of
t housands of devot ees. Secondly, in addit ion t o profoundly enriching
societ y dur ing His own lifet ime, He pr omised t o r emain ever -present
on ear t h t hr ough a succession of spir it ual gur us. Thus, His pr esence
was maint ained by Gunt it nand Swmi, t he incar nat ion of Akshar .
He, in t ur n, was succeeded by Bhagat ji Mahr j, Shst r iji Mahr j,
Yogiji Mahr j and pr esent ly by Pr agat Br ahmaswar up Pr amukh
Swmi Mahr j. The bhakt i-sampr ady Bhagwn Swminr yan
founded in His time has t hus emer ged as one of t he pur est and most
pr ogr essive for ms of Hinduism, int er nat ionally known as t he
BAPS Swminr yan Sanst h.
The Vachanmr ut 20
H.D.H. Pramukh Swmi Mahrj
In t he good of ot her s lies our own... This maxim by Pr amukh
Swmi Mahr j is not only an inspir ing call for all humanit y, but
also r eflect s t he spir it of his ser vices t o man and societ y. Acclaimed
as a unique and r ar e holy soul of India, Pr amukh Swmi Mahr j
was bor n on 7 December 1921 CE in t he village of Chansad, Gujr t .
He is t he fift h successor in t he illust r ious spir it ual t r adit ion of
Bhagwn Swminr yan. He is t he embodiment of t he univer sal
Hindu ideals in all it s pr ist ine glor y. In his pr esence doubt s dissolve,
confusions clear , hur t s heal and t he mind finds peace. His selfless
love equally soot hes and blesses childr en, yout hs and senior s,
r egar dless of cast e, cr eed or st at us.
As t he guiding light of t he BAPS Swminr yan Sanst h,
Pr amukh Swmi has inst illed char act er in count less people, t hus
cr eat ing a mor ally sound communit y.
Out of compassion for humanit y, he has visit ed over 15,000
villages and cit ies, sanct ified over 250,000 homes and wr it t en over
500,000 let t er s. He has usher ed a cult ur al, mor al and spir it ual
r enaissance in India and abr oad by est ablishing over 400 mandir s.
His divine humanism has pr ovided succour t o count less people in
t imes of nat ural cat ast rophe and need.
His st r iking humilit y, simplicit y and spir it ualism have
impr essed many r eligious and int er nat ional leader s. Above all, his
profound experience and realisat ion of God is t he essence of his
success and divine lust r e.

The Vachanmr ut 21
The BAPS Swminryan Sansth
The Bochsanwsi Akshar pur ushot t am Shr i Swminr yan
Sanst h (BAPS Swminr yan Sanst h) is a socio-spir it ual Hindu
or ganisat ion wit h it s r oot s in t he t r adit ions of t he Vedas. It began
concept ually in t he 18
t h
cent ur y wit h t he bir t h of Bhagwn
Swminr yan and was est ablished officially in 1907 by Shst r i
Yagnapur ushds (Shst r iji Mahr j). It has r eached out far and
wide t o clear t he confusions and quest ions t hat cr owd t he mor al,
social and mat erial world. And because it is founded on et ernal
spir it ual pr inciples, it will cont inue t o do so in t he fut ur e. It s
st r engt h lies in t he pur it y of it s nat ur e and t he clar it y of it s pur pose.
The BAPS Swminr yan Sanst h st r ives t o ser ve societ y by
aiming at families and individuals. At t ent ion is focused on people,
ir r espect ive of class, cr eed, colour and count r y t hr ough var ious
inspir at ional pr oject s. It has an int er nat ional r each wit h a
worldwide net work of over 6,800 cent r es and has r eceived many
nat ional and int er nat ional awar ds. It s wide r ange of humanit ar ian
act ivit ies educat ional, envir onment al, social, medical, mor al and
cult ur al has given it t he dist inct ive st at us of being a Non -
gover nment al Or ganizat ion in Consult at ive St at us wit h t he
Economic and Social Council of t he Unit ed Nat ions. It s wor ld-
r enowned cult ur al and spir it ual complexes like Akshar dhm and t he
Shr i Swminr yan Mandir in London ar e some of it s epoch-making
cont r ibut ions t o societ y.
The Sanst h r uns eight hospit als and healt hcar e cent r es, 23
per manent educat ional inst it ut ions and 30 per manent cent r es for
t r ibal uplift . For mor al uplift , t he Sanst h is const ant ly involved in
de-addict ion campaigns. Dur ing t imes of nat ur al disast er s, t he
Sanst h invar iably r eaches out t o pr ovide r elief and r ehabilit at ion.
Complet e det ails of it s act ivit ies, as well as it s philosophy, hist or y
and worldwide net work, can be accessed on it s websit e at
www.swaminar ayan.or g.
Today, over a million Swminr yan follower s begin t heir day
wit h puja and medit at ion, lead honest lives and devot e valuable hours
of per sonal t ime in ser ving ot her s. No alcohol, no addict ions, no
adult er y, no meat and pur it y of conduct ar e t heir five lifet ime vows.
Such pur e mor alit y and spirit ualit y forms t he foundat ion of over 160
humanit ar ian ser vices per for med by t he BAPS Swminr yan
Sanst h. In addit ion t o t he myr iad act ivit ies in which t he Sanst h is
The Vachanmr ut 22
involved, it s foundat ion is fir mly r oot ed in spir it ualit y. It has over
690 well-educat ed sdhus who work fullt ime t o help it realise it s
mission. Ther e ar e over 500 mandir s wor ldwide, each one ser ving as
a cent r e for a wide r ange of spir it ual, mor al and cult ur al act ivit ies.
The BAPS Swminr yan Sanst h is fir mly r oot ed in t he belief t hat
t hose who wish t o ser ve humanit y must be spir it ually pur e, and only
t hose who ar e spir it ually pur e can ser ve societ y sincer ely.
Under t he inspir at ion and guidance of H.D.H. Pr amukh Swmi
Mahr j, t he BAPS Swminr yan Sanst h, has ear ned an
endear ing and unique place in t he hear t s of millions t hr oughout t he
world.

The Vachanmr ut 737
Ta b le of Con t en t s

Ga dh a d I Sect i on
Gadhad I-1 Cont inuously Engaging Ones Mind on God ...................1
Gadhad I-2 Thr ee Levels of Vairgya ....................................................3
Gadhad I-3 Remember ing t he Divine Act ions and
Incident s of God............................................................4
Gadhad I-4 J ealousy like t hat of Nr adji ............................................4
Gadhad I-5 Per sist ence in Medit at ion ..................................................6
Gadhad I-6 One wit h Wisdom and One wit hout Wisdom.................6
Gadhad I-7 Anvay-Vyat ir ek ....................................................................7
Gadhad I-8 Engaging t he Indr iyas in
t he Ser vice of God and His Sant ...............................8
Gadhad I-9 Desir ing Not hing Except God ............................................8
Gadhad I-10 The Ungr at eful Sevakr m .................................................9
Gadhad I-11 V sa n; An Eknt ik Bhakt a ........................................ 10
Gadhad I-12 The At t r ibut es of t he Element s; Cr eat ion .................. 11
Gadhad I-13 Plant ing t he Br anch of a Banyan or
Pipal Tr ee Elsewher e ............................................... 15
Gadhad I-14 Ant e Y Mat ihi S Gat ihi............................................ 16
Gadhad I-15 Not Becoming Discour aged in Medit at ion................... 19
Gadhad I-16 Wisdom ............................................................................... 20
Gadhad I-17 Negat ive Influence in Sat sang;
Not Ut t er ing Discour aging Wor ds......................... 21
Gadhad I-18 Denouncing t he Vishays; A Haveli ................................ 22
Gadhad I-19 The Int er dependency of t m -r ealisat ion and
Ot her Vir t ues ............................................................. 26
Gadhad I-20 An Ignor ant Per son; Seeing Ones Own Self................ 27
Gadhad I-21 One Possessing Eknt ik Dhar ma;
The Two For ms of Akshar ....................................... 29
Gadhad I-22 Singing wit hout Remember ing God Is as Good as
Not Singing at All; The Digit 1............................. 32
Gadhad I-23 Empt ying a Pot of Wat er ;
Remaining in an Elevat ed Spir it ual St at e ......... 33
Gadhad I-24 The Elevat ed Spir it ual St at e of Gnn; Sour ness
in t he For m of
t he Under st anding of Gods Gr eat ness ................ 35
Gadhad I-25 The Flow of Twent y Pails of Wat er ............................... 38
Gadhad I-26 A Genuine Amor ous Devot ee;
The Nir gun St at e ...................................................... 41
Gadhad I-27 The Under st anding by which God
Et er nally Resides wit hin One ................................ 43
The Vachanmr ut 738
Gadhad I-28 A Smoulder ing Log; Pr ogr essing and Regr essing ...... 45
Gadhad I-29 Int ensifying t he For ce of Dhar ma, Gnn, Vairgya
and Bhakt i;
Prr abdha, Gr ace and Per sonal Endeavour ........ 46
Gadhad I-30 Thought s t hat Leave a Last ing Impr ession................ 48
Gadhad I-31 Gr eat ness Is Due To Fait h.............................................. 50
Gadhad I-32 A Nest and a St ake .......................................................... 51
Gadhad I-33 Blind Fait h, Love and Under st anding ......................... 55
Gadhad I-34 Set t ing t he Wor ld in Mot ion ........................................... 56
Gadhad I-35 Safeguar ding Ones Liber at ion ...................................... 58
Gadhad I-36 A Tr ue Renunciant , Based on
t he Example of a Pauper ......................................... 60
Gadhad I-37 At t achment t o Ones Nat ive Place;
Eleven Honours ......................................................... 61
Gadhad I-38 A Mer chant s Balance Sheet ........................................... 63
Gadhad I-39 Those Possessing t he Nir vikalp or
Savikalp St at e........................................................... 67
Gadhad I-40 Savikalp and Nir vikalp Samdhi ................................. 69
Gadhad I-41 Ekoham Bahu Sy m .................................................... 71
Gadhad I-42 The Obser vance of t he Mor al Dos and Dont s............. 73
Gadhad I-43 The Four Types of Liber at ion ......................................... 76
Gadhad I-44 A Red-hot Br anding Ir on; A Dagli ................................. 78
Gadhad I-45 Does God Possess a For m or Is He For mless?............ 80
Gadhad I-46 The Cr eat ion and Dest r uct ion of k sh ...................... 82
Gadhad I-47 The Char act er ist ics of Those Who Have
t he Four Types of Fir mness .................................... 84
Gadhad I-48 The Four Types of Kusangis ........................................... 87
Gadhad I-49 Ant ar dr asht i..................................................................... 88
Gadhad I-50 One Possessing a Shar p Int ellect .................................. 90
Gadhad I-51 Only a Diamond Can Cut a Diamond........................... 91
Gadhad I-52 Realising God t hr ough t he Four Scr ipt ur es ................ 93
Gadhad I-53 Pr ogr ess and Regr ess ....................................................... 96
Gadhad I-54 Upholding Bhgwat Dhar ma;
The Gat eway t o Liber at ion ..................................... 97
Gadhad I-55 Resolut eness in Wor ship, Remembr ance and
Obser vance of Religious Vows ................................ 98
Gadhad I-56 Hollow St ones .................................................................... 99
Gadhad I-57 The Most Ext r aor dinar y Means t o
At t ain Liber at ion.................................................... 103
Gadhad I-58 The Body, Bad Company and Past Sanskr s; One
Becomes like One Per ceives t he Gr eat ............... 105
Gadhad I-59 Unpar alleled Love .......................................................... 106
The Vachanmr ut 739
Gadhad I-60 Obser ving Eknt ik Dhar ma;
Er adicat ing Wor ldly Desir es ................................ 108
Gadhad I-61 King Bali ........................................................................... 110
Gadhad I-62 Acquir ing t he Vir t ues of Sat ya, Shauch, Et c. ........... 112
Gadhad I-63 Fait h; Realising God Per fect ly..................................... 114
Gadhad I-64 The Relat ionship bet ween Shar ir and Shar ir i; A
Mast er -Ser vant Relat ionship .............................. 119
Gadhad I-65 Gn n-shakt i, Kr iy -shakt i and
Ichchh -shakt i........................................................ 121
Gadhad I-66 Misint er pr et ing t he Wor ds of t he Scr ipt ur es; The
Four Emanat ions of God ....................................... 124
Gadhad I-67 Acquir ing t he Vir t ues of t he Sat pur ush..................... 126
Gadhad I-68 God For ever Resides in t he Eight Types of Mur t is
and in t he Sant ....................................................... 128
Gadhad I-69 The Dhar ma of a Wicked Per son and a Sdhu ......... 130
Gadhad I-70 Kk bhis Quest ion;
A Thief Injur ed by a Thor n.................................... 131
Gadhad I-71 God Manifest s wit h His Akshar dh m ....................... 136
Gadhad I-72 Fait h Coupled wit h t he Knowledge of
Gods Gr eat ness....................................................... 139
Gadhad I-73 Conquer ing Lust ;
Becoming Fr ee of Wor ldly Desir es ...................... 143
Gadhad I-74 Under st anding Is Measur ed in
Times of Har dship .................................................. 150
Gadhad I-75 Redeeming Sevent y-One Gener at ions ........................ 151
Gadhad I-76 An Angr y Per son, a J ealous Per son,
a Deceit ful Per son and
an Egot ist ical Per son ............................................. 153
Gadhad I-77 Not Invalidat ing Dhar ma under
t he Pr et ext of Gn n................................................. 153
Gadhad I-78 The Pr edominance of Place, Time, Et c. ...................... 156

S r a n gpu r Sect i on
Sr angpur -1 Conquer ing t he Mind...................................................... 166
Sr angpur -2 Developing Affect ion for t he For m of God .................. 168
Sr angpur -3 Shravan, Mana n, Nididhys and S ksht kr.... 172
Sr angpur -4 Wisdom in Discer ning bet ween
t m and Non-t m ............................................. 175
Sr angpur -5 Anvay-Vyat ir ek ............................................................... 177
Sr angpur -6 Two St at es wit hin Each St at e;
The Four Types of Speech...................................... 180
Sr angpur -7 Na imishr anya Kshet ra ............................................... 183
The Vachanmr ut 740
Sr angpur -8 The Char act er ist ics of J ealousy.................................. 184
Sr angpur -9 The Pr evalence of t he Dhar ma of t he Yugs; St hn. 185
Sr angpur -10 A Physical Per spect ive ver sus t he t ms
Per spect ive; Being Beat en by Shoes ................... 187
Sr angpur -11 Per sonal Endeavour ....................................................... 188
Sr angpur -12 Thinking about t he t m .............................................. 191
Sr angpur -13 Losing Fait h and Not Losing Fait h ............................ 193
Sr angpur -14 Laziness and Infat uat ion.............................................. 194
Sr angpur -15 Obst inat e, Mediocr e and Mat ur e Gopis ..................... 199
Sr angpur -16 Nar n ryans Aust er it ies ............................................. 202
Sr angpur -17 Differ ences among Mukt as;
The Br anch of a Tamar ind Tr ee........................... 203
Sr angpur -18 Saline Land ...................................................................... 205

K r i y n i Sect i on
Kr iyni -1 A Wor m and a Bee .......................................................... 210
Kr iyni -2 A Cur sed Int ellect ........................................................... 215
Kr iyni -3 Shuk Muni Is a Gr eat Sdhu;
A Per son Cannot Be Known by
His Super ficial Nat ur e .......................................... 217
Kr iyni -4 Awar eness of t he J iva and t he Wit ness..................... 220
Kr iyni -5 Gods Pur pose for Assuming an Avat r ..................... 221
Kr iyni -6 One Who Possesses Mat sar.......................................... 223
Kr iyni -7 Va irgya Due t o Obsession;
Ult imat e Liber at ion............................................... 225
Kr iyni -8 The Sagun and Nir gun For ms of God ......................... 228
Kr iyni -9 Obst inacy like a Buffalo................................................ 230
Kr iyni -10 Checking t he Pulse; Aust er it ies .................................. 231
Kr iyni -11 The Char act er ist ic of Affect ion .................................... 234
Kr iyni -12 Dest r oying t he Kr an Body; A Tamar ind Seed ........ 237

Loy Sect i on
Loy -1 Anger ; Developing Complet e Sat sang........................ 239
Loy -2 One wit h Fait h, Gnn, Cour age or Affect ion ............. 244
Loy -3 One wit h Fait h in God Coupled wit h
t he Knowledge of His Gr eat ness.......................... 247
Loy -4 If One Doubt s God, One Cannot Be Said
t o Have Over come M y ....................................... 249
Loy -5 Cont r olling t he Indr iyas and t he Ant ahkar an ......... 251
Loy -6 Pur ifying t he Company One Keeps ............................. 254
Loy -7 Realising God t hr ough t he Indr iyas,
t he Ant ahkar an and Exper ience.......................... 260
The Vachanmr ut 741
Loy -8 Er adicat ing t he Over -Excit abilit y of
t he Indr iyas; Accept ing Only Wor ds Relat ed t o
Ones Inclinat ion ..................................................... 268
Loy -9 Fact or s which Lead t o t he Development of
Dhar ma, Gnn, Vairgya and Bhakt i ................ 273
Loy -10 Remaining Uninfat uat ed .............................................. 274
Loy -11 Beliefs of a Holy and Unholy Per son .......................... 281
Loya -12 The Six Levels of Fait h; Savikalp and Nir vikalp
Fa it h .......................................................................... 283
Loy -13 Not Being Over come by
Adver se Cir cumst ances ......................................... 285
Loy -14 Per sonal Pr efer ences ...................................................... 289
Loy -15 Explaining t mdar shan Using
t he Analogies of a Doll and a Cow....................... 292
Loy -16 Wor ldly Desir es Becoming Blunt and Upr oot ed ...... 297
Loy -17 Rever ence and Condemnat ion...................................... 300
Loy -18 Convict ion of God ............................................................ 304

P a n ch l Sect i on
Panch l -1 One Who Is Int elligent ;
Applying a Thought Pr ocess ................................. 311
Panch l -2 Snkhya and Yoga .......................................................... 314
Panch l -3 Muni B w; That Which Is Inst r ument al in
At t aining Liber at ion Is Known as Int elligence 321
Panch l -4 Per ceiving Divinit y in
t he Human Tr ait s of God ...................................... 327
Panch l -5 Wher e Is Conceit Appr opr iat e,
and Wher e Is Humilit y Appr opr iat e?................. 334
Panch l -6 Those wit h Fir m Up sa n At t ain Liber at ion .......... 335
Panch l -7 The M y of a Magician ............................................... 337

Ga dh a d I I Sect i on
Gadhad II-1 The Cause of Infat uat ion .............................................. 342
Gadhad II-2 A Small St r eamlet of Wat er ........................................ 347
Gadhad II-3 The Pat h of Amor ousness and
t he Knowledge of t he t m ................................... 349
Gadhad II-4 Const ant Cont emplat ion Is Achieved t hr ough
M h t my and Shr addha;
A Tor n Waist clot h and a Gour d ........................... 352
Gadhad II-5 Fidelit y and Cour age...................................................... 355
Gadhad II-6 A Dr aft ; The Nat ur e of t he Chit t ................................. 356
Gadhad II-7 A Poor Man....................................................................... 358
The Vachanmr ut 742
Gadhad II-8 Ekdashi; Gn n-Yagna; Ant ar dr asht i.................... 359
Gadhad II-9 Convict ion of God; Realising God t o be
like Ot her Avat r s Is Blasphemy...................... 364
Gadhad II-10 Safeguar ding t he Foet us in
t he For m of Fait h in God ....................................... 367
Gadhad II-11 All Kar mas Becoming a For m of Bhakt i ................... 373
Gadhad II-12 The Ar t of Ruling............................................................. 375
Gadhad II-13 Divine Light ...................................................................... 377
Gadhad II-14 Nir vikalp Samadhi ......................................................... 382
Gadhad II-15 Keeping Enmit y t owar ds Ones Swabhvs ................ 384
Gadhad II-16 Fait h in God and Fait h in Dhar ma ............................. 385
Gadhad II-17 The Element s in t he For m of God; St hit apr agna... 390
Gadhad II-18 Nst iks and Shushka-Vednt is .................................. 393
Gadhad II-19 Wr it ing a Let t er Having Become Dist r essed by
Hear ing Shushka-Vednt a Scr ipt ur es............... 396
Gadhad II-20 How Do t he Facult y of Knowing and
t he St r engt h of t he Indr iyas of One Who Has
Mast er ed Samdhi Incr ease?............................... 398
Gadhad II-21 The Main Pr inciple ......................................................... 400
Gadhad II-22 Two Ar mies; The Inst allat ion of Nar-N ryan........ 403
Gadhad II-23 Heat and Fr ost ................................................................ 406
Gadhad II-24 Resolut eness in Snkhya and in Yoga;
Choko-Pt lo.............................................................. 408
Gadhad II-25 A Renunciant Who Har bour s
Wor ldly Desir es and a Householder
Who Has No Wor ldly Desir es............................... 409
Gadhad II-26 Suppr essing t ma -r ealisat ion and
Ot her Vir t ues if They Obst r uct Bhakt i .............. 411
Gadhad II-27 The Gr eat Ar e Pleased When
No Impur e Desir es Rema in.................................. 412
Gadhad II-28 Mah rjs Compassionat e Nat ur e; A Lifeline........ 415
Gadhad II-29 The Char act er ist ics of One Who Is At t ached t o
God ............................................................................. 417
Gadhad II-30 Not Becoming Bound by Women and Gold................ 418
Gadhad II-31 Associat ing wit h Br ahma t hr ough Cont emplat ion . 419
Gadhad II-32 A Cact us Plant ; Unhinder ed Bhakt i .......................... 423
Gadhad II-33 The Vow of Non-Lust ...................................................... 424
Gadhad II-34 Ar e t he Element s J ad or Chait anya?......................... 428
Gadhad II-35 The Under gr ound St or e of Gr ains ............................... 429
Gadhad II-36 Four Means of Maint aining Cont inuous Vr ut t i ....... 433
Gadhad II-37 Er adicat ing Ones Innat e Nat ur es;
Even a Per son Possessing Gnn Behaves
Accor ding t o His Nat ur e ........................................ 434
The Vachanmr ut 743
Gadhad II-38 Mnch Bhakt a; Mer ging............................................. 435
Gadhad II-39 Nat ur al Vir t ues............................................................... 437
Gadhad II-40 Offer ing One Ext r a Pr ost r at ion ................................... 440
Gadhad II-41 A Bone in t he For m of Egot ism.................................... 442
Gadhad II-42 Akshar Has Bot h Sagun and Nir gun Aspect s; The
Key.............................................................................. 443
Gadhad II-43 Br ahmaswar up Love ...................................................... 445
Gadhad II-44 The Char act er ist ics of Godly and
Demonic People ....................................................... 446
Gadhad II-45 Expelling t he Hor de of t he Fift y-One Bhut s ............. 447
Gadhad II-46 The Deat h-line; Falling fr om Eknt ik Dhar ma ...... 449
Gadhad II-47 A Split in t he Pr ut hvi Down t o P t l ......................... 450
Gadhad II-48 The Vandu Devot ional Songs;
Taking Bir t h in t he Company of t he Sant ......... 452
Gadhad II-49 A Gr eat Differ ence Exist s bet ween
Gods For m and Myik For ms;
Not Becoming Cont ent wit h Spir it ual
Discour ses, Devot ional Songs, et c. ...................... 454
Gadhad II-50 The Fundament al Pr inciple;
Wor ldly At t achment ............................................... 455
Gadhad II-51 The Char act er ist ics of One Who
Behaves as t he t m ............................................. 456
Gadhad II-52 What Befit s a Renunciant and
What Befit s a Householder .................................. 457
Gadhad II-53 Not Being Able t o Per ceive
Ones Own Flaws Is Delusion .............................. 459
Gadhad II-54 Sat sang Is t he Gr eat est Spir it ual Endeavour ; A
Gokhar ; Pr ofound At t achment ............................ 460
Gadhad II-55 A Goldsmit hs Wor kshop............................................... 461
Gadhad II-56 A Light ly Dyed Clot h...................................................... 464
Gadhad II-57 The Example of a Lizar d; A Cat -like Devot ee......... 465
Gadhad II-58 The Flour ishing of a Sampr ad y................................. 468
Gadhad II-59 Ult imat e Liber at ion....................................................... 469
Gadhad II-60 Over coming Difficult ies; Being Loyal ......................... 470
Gadhad II-61 Niyams, Fait h in God, and Loyalt y............................. 473
Gadhad II-62 t m -Realisat ion, Fidelit y and Ser vit ude ............... 474
Gadhad II-63 Gaining St r engt h............................................................. 479
Gadhad II-64 Pur ushot t am Bhat t s Quest ion.................................... 480
Gadhad II-65 The Over-Wise ................................................................. 483
Gadhad II-66 Quest ions t o t he Senior Sdhus;
Holding a Red-Hot Ir on Ball ................................ 485
Gadhad II-67 The Gangjaliyo Well..................................................... 489

The Vachanmr ut 744
Va r t l Sect i on
Var t l-1 Nir vikalp Samdhi ......................................................... 493
Var t l-2 Realising God t hr ough t he Four Scr ipt ur es;
Kndsjis Quest ion ............................................... 495
Var t l-3 Four Types of Eminent Spir it ual People ................... 500
Var t l-4 A Fount ain........................................................................ 502
Var t l-5 One Should Not Perceive M y in God; Per for ming
Similar Ser vice ........................................................ 504
Var t l-6 Chimanr vjis Quest ion................................................. 506
Var t l-7 The Char act er ist ics of Godly and
Demonic People; Anvay-Vyat ir ek ....................... 509
Var t l-8 A Spider s Web ................................................................ 510
Var t l-9 How Can One Exper ience
t he Nir gun Bliss of God?........................................ 512
Var t l-10 How t he J iva At t ains Liber at ion ................................ 512
Var t l-11 The Dest r uct ion of t he J iva; Love for
t he Sat pur ush Is t he Only Means t o Realising
t he t m ................................................................... 514
Var t l-12 Fait h Coupled wit h t he Knowledge of
Gods Gr eat ness....................................................... 517
Var t l-13 If Br ahma Per vades, How Can It Possess
a For m?...................................................................... 519
Var t l-14 Whom a Non-believer Consider s a Sinner
Is Not a Sinner , and Whom He Consider s t o
be Sincer e in His Dhar ma
Is Not Really So ...................................................... 521
Var t l-15 The Reasons for Becoming Godly and Demonic....... 522
Var t l-16 Not Feeling Comfor t able wit h
Wor ldly Gr eat Men ................................................. 523
Var t l-17 An Enlight ened Per son Has Conquer ed
His Indr iyas ............................................................. 524
Var t l-18 Fact s That Must Be Under st ood ................................. 527
Var t l-19 Becoming a Devot ee of God; Indiscr et ion................... 531
Var t l-20 King J anaks Under st anding........................................ 532

Amd v d Sect i on
Amd vd-1 Mir aculous Medit at ion .................................................. 534
Amd vd-2 Per for ming Puja aft er Washing and Bat hing........... 536
Amd vd-3 The Implant ed Br anch of a Banyan Tr ee; Upsham 538

Ga dh a d I I I Sect i on
Gadhad III-1 The Inclinat ions of Gnn and Affect ion ..................... 542
The Vachanmr ut 745
Gadhad III-2 The At t ainment of All Pur ushr t hs;
Incar nat e God in t he For m of t he Gur u .............. 545
Gadhad III-3 Compassion and Affect ion ............................................ 547
Gadhad III-4 Bdhit nuvr ut t i .............................................................. 551
Gadhad III-5 Bhakt i Coupled wit h t he Knowledge of
Gods Gr eat ness....................................................... 553
Gadhad III-6 The Fr iendship bet ween t he Mind and t he J iva ...... 556
Gadhad III-7 An Ir on Nail ..................................................................... 558
Gadhad III-8 Remaining Et er nally Happy........................................ 559
Gadhad III-9 The Gat eway in t he For m of Awar eness .................... 560
Gadhad III-10 Vr undvan and Kshi .................................................... 562
Gadhad III-11 Under st anding like t hat of Sit ji................................ 564
Gadhad III-12 A Magical Technique ...................................................... 566
Gadhad III-13 Maint aining Eknt ik Dhar ma amidst
Adver se Cir cumst ances ......................................... 567
Gadhad III-14 The Kyast hs Indiscr et ion; A Donkey ....................... 570
Gadhad III-15 Applying Bandages t o Wounds .................................... 576
Gadhad III-16 The Vow of Fidelit y......................................................... 577
Gadhad III-17 The St or y of Bhar at ji ..................................................... 579
Gadhad III-18 The Degener at ion of Wor ldly Desir es ......................... 580
Gadhad III-19 Two Undesir able Tr ait s of a Renunciant .................. 582
Gadhad III-20 Swabhv, Prakrut i and V sa n .............................. 583
Gadhad III-21 A Golden Thr ead; Dhar ma Possesses t he
Same Eminence as Bhakt i ................................... 584
Gadhad III-22 An Int imat e For m of Bhakt i ........................................ 587
Gadhad III-23 Mnsi Puj ....................................................................... 590
Gadhad III-24 Sixt een Spir it ual Endeavour s;
Va irgya Due To Gn n........................................... 592
Gadhad III-25 Pleasing Shr iji Mahr aj;
A Tr ue Devot ee of God............................................ 595
Gadhad III-26 The Sant Who Suppr esses His Mind and Indr iyas . 598
Gadhad III-27 Not Keeping Any Obst inacy.......................................... 600
Gadhad III-28 Falling fr om t he Pat h of God ........................................ 604
Gadhad III-29 Two Twent y-Year-Old Devot ees of God ...................... 607
Gadhad III-30 Const ant Awar eness of Five Thought s ...................... 610
Gadhad III-31 A Met hod of Medit at ion Using t he
Example of a Shadow............................................. 611
Gadhad III-32 Commit t ing Sins under t he Pr et ext of Knowing
Gods Gr eat ness....................................................... 613
Gadhad III-33 Not Allowing t he Mind t o Become Affect ed by Four
Things ........................................................................ 615
Gadhad III-34 Maint aining Desir es Only for God............................... 619
The Vachanmr ut 746
Gadhad III-35 For cefully Alt er ing Ones Innat e Nat ur e;
God Is Maligned When
His Bhakt a Is Maligned ........................................ 621
Gadhad III-36 The Most Ext r aor dinar y Spir it ual Endeavour for
Liber at ion ................................................................. 625
Gadhad III-37 Object s Enjoyed Pr eviously Ar e Remember ed in
Times of Pover t y...................................................... 627
Gadhad III-38 The Snkhya Scr ipt ur es and Ot her s; Remaining
For ever Happy......................................................... 629
Gadhad III-39 Vishalyakar ani Her bal Medicine ................................ 630

Addi t i on a l Va ch a n mr u t s
Bhugol-Khagol Regar ding Geogr aphy and Ast r onomy........................ 661
Amd vd-4 ..................................................................................... 638
Amd vd-5 ..................................................................................... 640
Amd vd-6 ..................................................................................... 642
Amd vd-7 ..................................................................................... 644
Amd vd-8 ..................................................................................... 645
Ashl li ..................................................................................... 647
J et alpur -1 ..................................................................................... 648
J et alpur -2 ..................................................................................... 650
J et alpur -3 ..................................................................................... 653
J et alpur -4 ..................................................................................... 655
J et alpur -5 ..................................................................................... 658

The Vachanmr ut 1
SECTI ON I
Ga d h a d I -1
Con t i n u ou sly En ga gi n g On es Mi n d on God
1 On t he night of Mgshar sudi 4, Samvat 1876 [21 November
1819], Shr iji Mahr j had come t o t he resident ial hall of t he sdhus
i n Dd Khchar s darbr in Gadhad. He was dressed ent ir ely in
whit e clot hes. At t hat t ime, an assembly of sdhus as well as
devot ees from various places had gat hered before Him.
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j asked, Which is t he most difficult of
all spir it ual endeavour s?
3 The brahmachris, sdhus and hou seholders answered
accor ding t o t heir own under st anding, but none could give a
sat isfact or y r eply.
4 Shr iji Mahr j t hen said, Allow Me t o answer . Ther e is no
spir it ual endeavour mor e difficult t han t o cont inuously engage ones
mind on t he for m of God. The scr ipt ur es st at e t hat t her e is no
gr eat er at t ainment for a per son whose minds vrut t i is const ant ly
focused on t he form of God, because t he form of God is like a
chintmani. J ust as a person who possesses a chintmani at t ains
what ever he desir es, a per son whose minds vrut t i is const ant ly
focused on t he form of God can inst ant ly see, if he so wishes, t he
for ms of jiva, ishwar, m y and Br ahma. He can also see Vaikunt h,
Golok, Brahmamahol and t he ot her abodes of God. Therefore, t here
is no spir it ual endeavour mor e difficult nor is t her e any gr eat er
at t ainment t han t o cont inuously engage ones mind on t he for m of
God.
5 Thereaft er, t he devot ee Govardhanbhi Shet h asked Shr iji
Mahr j, What is t he nat ur e of Gods m y?
6 Shr iji Mahr j replied, My is anyt hing t hat obst r uct s a
devot ee of God while medit at ing on Gods form.
7 Then Mukt nand Swmi inquired, What t ype of body does a
devot ee of God at t ain when he leaves his physical body, which is
composed of t he five bhuts, and goes t o t he abode of God?
The Vachanmr ut 2
8 Shr iji Mahr j answered, A devot ee who has sought refuge in
Dhar makul will at t ain, by t he wish of God, a divine body composed of
Brahma. When such devot ees leave t heir body and go t o t he abode of
God, some go by sit t ing on Gar ud, some go by sit t ing on a char iot and
some go by sit t ing on a celest ial vehicle. This is how t hey r each t he
abode of God. Those who have mast er ed yogic sam dhi can act ually
wit ness t hese event s.
9 Ther eaft er , t he devot ee Har ji Thakkar asked Shr iji Mahr j,
Some have been pr act ising satsang for quit e some t ime, yet t hey do
not harbour t he same profound love for t he Sat sang fellowship as
t hey do for t heir own body and relat ives. What is t he reason for
t his?
10 Shr iji Mahr j explained, Such a per son has not fully realised
t he great ness of God. Consequent ly, when t he S ant by whose
associat ion Gods gr eat ness is fully r ealised t alks t o him about his
swabhvs, t he per son is not able t o over come t hem. Inst ead, he bear s
an aver sion t owar ds t he S ant . It is due t o t his sin t hat he does not
develop int ense love for t he Sat sang fellowship. Aft er all, sins
commit t ed elsewher e ar e washed away t hr ough associat ion wit h t he
S ant, but sins commit t ed against t he S ant are washed away only by
t he grace of t he S ant himself, not by any ot her means. The
scr ipt ur es also st at e:
-=| | - +|+ -|u | | |=|-
-|u | | - +|+ | +| ~|=|-+
i

i
An ya-kshetre krutam ppam teertha-kshet re vinashyat i |
Teert ha-kshetre krutam ppam vajra-lepo bhavishyat i | |
Sins commit t ed elsewher e ar e dest r oyed at a place of pilgr image; [but ] sins
commit t ed at a place of pilgr image ar e as if et ched in ir on [i.e. t ot ally
ir r edeemable].
Skand Pur n
The Vachanmr ut 3
Therefore, if one does not bear an aversion t owards t he S ant, one
develops profound love for t he Sat sang fellowship.
| | Vachanmr ut Gadhad I-1 | | 1 | |
Ga d h a d I -2
Th r ee Levels of Va i r gya
1819], Shr iji Mahr j was sit t ing in Dd Khchar s darbr in
Gadhad. He was dr essed ent ir ely in whit e clot hes. At t hat t ime, an
assembly of sdhus as well as devot ees from various places had
gat her ed befor e Him.
2 Ther eupon Mayr m Bhat t asked Shr iji Mahr j, Mahr j,
please descr ibe t he char act er ist ics of t he highest , int er mediat e and
lowest levels of vairgya?
3 Shr iji Mahr j explained, A person who has t he highest level of
vairgya engages in wor ldly act ivit ies, eit her by Gods command or
as a consequence of his prrabdha karmas. But , like King J anak, he
is not affect ed by t hose act ivit ies. He may indulge in t he most
allur ing of t he panchvishays sight s, sounds, smells, t ast es and
t ouch at t ained as a consequence of his own prrabdha, but he does
so deject edly and wit h t ot al indifference t owards t hem. Those
vishays ar e unable t o ent ice him; t hus, his r enunciat ion r emains
undiminished. He invar iably views t hose vishays as flawed and
t r eat s t hem like enemies. Mor eover , he const ant ly r emains in
cont act wit h sdhus and t he sacr ed scr ipt ur es, and r emains in t he
ser vice of God. Even if he wer e t o encount er adver se places, t imes,
company, et c.
1
, his under st anding would not diminish. Such a
person is said t o possess t he highest level of vairgya.
4 "A person who has an int ermediat e level of vairgya also
indulges in t he best of t he panchvishays and remains unat t r act ed t o
t hem. But , if he wer e t o encount er adver se places, t imes, company,
et c., he would become at t ached t o t hose vishays. Consequent ly, his
level of vairgya would diminish. Such a per son is said t o possess an
int ermediat e level of vairgya.
5 As for a person who has t he lowest level of vairgya, if he were
t o encount er or dinar y or infer ior vishays, he may indulge in t hem,
but he would not become bound by t hem. However, if he were t o
The Vachanmr ut 4
encount er and indulge in appealing vishays, he would become bound
by t hem. Such a person is said t o possess t he lowest level of
vairgya.
Ga d h a d I -3
Remember i n g t h e Di vi n e Act i on s a n d I n ci d en t s of
God
assembly of munis as well as devot ees from various places had
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, Even one who can const ant ly
see t he form of God in his heart should recall t he divine act ions and
incident s of God performed in His various avat rs in var ious places.
He should also maint ain affect ion for t he brahmachris, sdhus and
satsangis , and should remember t hem as well. Why? Because if at
t he t ime of deat h he for get s Gods for m, but r emember s t he divine
act ions and incident s per for med by Him at var ious places, or if he
r emember s t hose satsangis , brahmachris or sdhus, t hen by t hat
associat ion, Gods for m will also be r emember ed. Ther eby, t hat
person at t ains an elevat ed spirit ual st at us and benefit s
t r emendously. That is why I per for m gr and Vishnu-ygs; annually
celebr at e J anmsht ami, Ek dashi and ot her obser vances; and gat her
brahmachris, sdhus and satsangis on t hese occasions. Aft er all,
even if a sinner r emember s t hese occasions at t he t ime of his deat h,
he will also at t ain t he abode of God.
Ga d h a d I -4
J ea lou sy li k e t h a t of N r a d ji
1 On Mgshar sudi 7, Samvat 1876 [24 November 1819], Shr iji
Mahr j was sit t ing in Dd Khchar s darbr in Gadhad. He was
dr essed ent ir ely in whit e clot hes. At t hat t ime, an assembly of
The Vachanmr ut 5
sdhus as well as devot ees from various places had gat hered before
Him.
2 Then Shr iji Mahr j said, Devot ees of God should not harbour
jealousy amongst t hemselves.
3 Ther eupon nandnand Swmi said, But Mahr j, even t hen,
jealousy st ill r emains.
4 Hear ing t his, Shr iji Mahr j explained, If one does harbour
jealousy, it should be like t hat of Nr adji. Once, bot h Nr adji and
Tumbar u went t o Vaikunt h for t he darshan of Lakshmi and
Nr yan. Ther e, Tumbar u sang befor e t hem. As a r esult , bot h
La kshmi a nd Nr yan were pleased and rewarded him wit h t heir
clot hes and or nament s. Seeing t his, Nradji became jealous of
Tumbar u, and t hought , I shall also lear n t o sing like Tumbar u and
please God.
5 Then, Nradji learned t he art of singing and sang before God.
But God comment ed, You do not know how t o sing like Tumbar u.
Ther eaft er , Nradji performed aust erit ies t o please Shiv and received
his blessings t o mast er t he ar t of singing. However , when he sang
befor e God again, God was st ill not pleased. In t his way, Nr adji
cont inued for seven manvantars. Despit e t his, God would not be
pleased wit h his singing.
6 Finally, Nr adji lear ned t o sing fr om Tumbar u himself and
t hen sang befor e Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn in Dwr ik. Only t hen was
Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn pleased, and only t hen did he reward Nr adji
wit h his own clot hes and or nament s. Ther eaft er , Nradji abandoned
his jealousy t owar ds Tumbar u.
7 Thus, if one is t o har bour jealousy, one should imbibe t he
virt ues of t he person t owards whom one is jealous, and should also
abandon ones own fault s. If t his cannot be done, t hen a devot ee of
God should at least t ot ally abandon any form of jealousy t hat would
r esult in har ming anot her devot ee of God.
The Vachanmr ut 6
Ga d h a d I -5
P er si st en ce i n Med i t a t i on
paramhansas as well as devot ees from various places had gat hered
befor e Him.
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, One should medit at e on Shr i
Kr ishna Bhagwn t oget her wit h Rdhik. If dur ing t hat medit at ion
one cannot behold t he form wit hin ones heart , one should not lose
fait h and st op t he medit at ion. Those who per sist in t his way will
ear n t he immense grace of God. Moreover, God will be bound by
t heir bhakti.
Ga d h a d I -6
On e wi t h Wi sd om a n d On e wi t h ou t Wi sd om
dr essed ent ir ely in whit e clot hes. At t hat t ime, an assembly of munis
as well as devot ees from various places had gat hered before Him.
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, In t his Sat sang fellowship, a
per son who is wise incr easingly finds flaws wit hin himself and
perceives virt ues in God and His devot ees. Moreover, when God and
His S ant ut t er har sh wor ds of advice for his own benefit , he accept s
t hem as beneficial and is not hur t by t hem. Such a per son st eadily
at t ains gr eat ness in Sat sang.
3 Conver sely, as a per son who lacks wisdom pr act ises satsang
and list ens t o discour ses in Sat sang, he cont inually per ceives vir t ues
wit hin himself. Mor eover , when God and His S ant highlight his
flaws and advise him, he misint er pr et s such advice due t o his
ar r ogance. On t he cont r ar y, he per ceives flaws in God and His S ant.
Such a per son st eadily declines and loses his r eput at ion in Sat sang.
Ther efor e, if a per son r enounces t he vanit y of his own vir t ues,
becomes brave, and keeps fait h in God and His S ant, t hen his
ignor ance is er adicat ed and he at t ains gr eat ness in Sat sang.
The Vachanmr ut 7
Ga d h a d I -7
An va y-Vya t ir ek
Him.
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, No one is able t o underst and
t he philosophical principles found in t he scr ipt ur es; in fact , all ar e
confused by t hem. Therefore, please list en as I explain t hose
principles precisely as t hey are.
3 Behaving as if unit ed wit h t he t hree bodies of sthul, sukshma
and kran is t he anvay form of t he jiva. The jiva as dist inct fr om
t hese t hree bodies and charact erised by et ernal exist ence is it s
vyatirek for m.
4 Ishwar when t oget her wit h it s t hree bodies of virt , sut rt m
and avykrut is it s anvay for m. Ishwar as dist inct fr om t hose t hr ee
bodies, and char act er ised by et er nal exist ence, is it s vyatirek for m.
5 When Akshar br ahma per vades m y and t he ent it ies evolved
fr om m y t he count less millions of brahmnds it is said t o be in
it s anvay for m. When it is dist inct fr om ever yt hing and has t he
at t r ibut es of et er nal exist ence, consciousness and bliss, t hat is said t o
be it s vyatirek for m.
6 When Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn is t he antarym i of and t he
cont r oller of Akshar br ahma, t he ishwars, t he jivas, m y and t he
ent it ies evolved from m y t he brahmnds t hat is said t o be t he
anvay for m of God. When He is dist inct fr om all and r esides amidst
t he light of Br ahma in His abode, Golok, t hat is said t o be t he
vyatirek form of God.
7 These five ent it ies Par abr ahma, Akshar br ahma, m y, t he
ishwars and t he jivas are et ernal.
The Vachanmr ut 8
Ga d h a d I -8
En ga gin g t h e I n d r iya s
i n t h e Ser vi ce of God a n d Hi s Sa n t
Him.
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, If t he vruttis of t he indriyas
ar e engaged in t he ser vice of Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn and His Bhakta,
t hen t he antahkaran is purified and t he sins t hat have been at t ached
t o t he jiva since t ime immemor ial ar e dest r oyed. On t he ot her hand,
if t he vruttis of t he indriyas are direct ed t owards women and ot her
vishays, t hen ones antahkaran becomes pollut ed and one falls from
t he pat h of liberat ion.
3 Ther efor e, one should indulge in t he vishays only as prescribed
in t he scr ipt ur es; but one should never indulge in t hem by
t r ansgr essing t he r egulat ions t hat ar e descr ibed in t he scr ipt ur es.
Also, one should keep associat ion wit h t he S ant and should shun bad
company. In t his manner , when a per son shuns bad company and
maint ains associat ion wit h t he S ant, t he sense of I-ness t hat he
har bour s t owar ds his body and t he sense of my-ness t hat he har bour s
t owards his bodily relat ions are eradicat ed. He also develops
profound love for God and vairgya t owar ds ever yt hing except God.
Ga d h a d I -9
Desi r i n g Not h i n g Excep t God
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, Suppose a person has developed
a convict ion of t he manifest for m of Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn, offer s
bhakti t o Him and does His darshan . But , despit e t his, he st ill does
not consider himself fulfilled, and inst ead, feels a deficiency wit hin
The Vachanmr ut 9
his antahkaran ; t hat is, As long as I have not seen t he r adiant for m
of t his ver y same God in Golok, Vaikunt h and t he ot her abodes, I
have not at t ained ult imat e liber at ion. Even t alks about God should
not be hear d fr om a per son wit h such ignor ance.
3 Conversely, if a per son has fir m fait h in t he manifest for m of
God and believes himself t o be fulfilled merely by His darshan , and
desir es not hing else, t hen God Himself for cefully shows him His
divine powers and forms in His abodes.
4 Ther efor e, one wit h singular fait h in God should desire not hing
except t he manifest form of God.
Ga d h a d I -10
Th e Un gr a t efu l Seva k r m
befor e Him.
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, Once, when I was t r avelling
fr om Venkat dri t o Set ubandh Rmeshwar , I encount er ed a sdhu by
t he name of Sevakr m. He had st udied t he Shr imad Bhgwat and
t he ot her Pur ns. But it so happened t hat dur ing his jour ney, he fell
ill. He had a t housand r upees wor t h of gold coins wit h him, but since
he had no one t o nur se him, he began t o cr y. I consoled him, saying,
Do not wor r y about anyt hing; I shall ser ve you.
3 On t he out skir t s of t he village was a banana gr ove which had a
banyan t r ee wit hin which a t housand ghost s lived. Because t hat
sdhu had become ext r emely ill and was unable t o walk any fur t her ,
I felt ext reme pit y for him. I prepared a bed of banana leaves one-
and-a-half feet high under t hat banyan t r ee. As t he sdhu was
suffer ing fr om dysent er y and was passing blood, I would wash him
and at t en d t o him.
4 The sdhu would give Me enough of his money t o buy sugar ,
skar, ghee and gr ains for himself. I would br ing t he ingr edient s,
cook t hem, and t hen feed him. As for Myself, I would go t o t he
village for My meals. On some days, when I did not r eceive any food
The Vachanmr ut 10
fr om t he village, I had t o fast . Despit e t his, t hat sdhu never once
said t o Me, I have enough money. Cook for bot h of us so t hat You
may dine wit h me.
5 Aft er ser ving t he sdhu for t wo mont hs in t his way, he began t o
r ecover . Ther eaft er , as we walked t owar ds Set ubandh Rmeshwar ,
he made Me car r y his belongings weighing about 20 kgs, wher eas he
would walk wit h only a r osar y in his hand. By t hen, he was healt hy
and capable of digest ing half a kilogram of ghee, yet he would make
Me car ry his load while he walked empt y-handed. In act ual fact , My
nat ur e was such t hat I would not keep even a handker chief wit h Me.
But r espect ing him as a sdhu, I walked car r ying his belongings
weighing 20 kgs.
6 Alt hough I ser ved t hat sdhu and helped him r ecover , he did
not offer Me even a single paisa wor t h of food. Ther efor e, r ealising
him t o be ungr at eful, I abandoned his company. In t his way, a
person who does not appreciat e favours done by ot hers should be
known as an ungr at eful per son.
7 In addit ion, if a per son has commit t ed a sin but has also
performed t he prescribed at onement for it as laid down in t he
scr ipt ur es, t hen whoever st ill consider s him a sinner should himself
be known as a sinner just like an ungr at eful per son.
Ga d h a d I -11
V sa n ; An Ek n t ik Bh a k t a
2 Ther eupon Br ahmnand Swmi asked, Mahr j, what is t he
nat ur e of vsan?
3 Shr iji Mahr j explained, A desire wit hin t he antahkaran t o
enjoy vishays t hat have been previously seen, hear d or indulged in is
called vsan. Mor eover , a desir e wit hin t he antahkaran t o enjoy
t hose vishays t hat have not been previously indulged in is also called
vsan.
The Vachanmr ut 11
4 Ther eaft er Mukt nand Swmi asked, Mahr j, who can be
called an ekntik bhakta of God?
5 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, A per son who has no vsan except
t hat of God and who offers bhakti t o God realising himself t o be
brahmarup is called an ekntik bhakta.
Ga d h a d I -12
Th e At t r i bu t es of t h e Elemen t s; Cr ea t i on
1 On Mgshar sudi Punam, Samvat 1876 [1 December 1819],
Shr iji Mahr j was sit t ing in Dd Khchar s darbr in Gadhad.
He was dr essed ent ir ely in whit e clot hes. At t hat t ime, an assembly
of sdhus as well as devot ees from various places had gat hered before
Him.
2 Shr iji Mahr j t hen said, When one under st ands t he nat ur e of
t he causes of t he ent ir e cr eat ion, specifically Pur ush, Pr akr ut i, kl,
t he 24 element s
2
including mahat t at t va, et c., t hen one is r eleased
from t he bondage of ones inherent avidy and t he ent it ies evolved
fr om it , t he 24 element s.
3 Ther eupon Mukt nand Swmi asked, Mahr j, how can t heir
nat ur e be known?
4 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, Their nat ur e can be r ealised by knowing
t heir at t r ibut es. I shall now descr ibe t hose at t r ibut es.
5 Pur ush is t he cont r oller of Pr akr ut i and is also dist inct fr om
her . He is indivisible, wit hout a beginning, wit hout an end, self-
luminous, omniscient , sat ya, kshetragna and t he cause of t he
act ivit ies of all object s t hat possess a for m. He also has a divine
body.
6 Pr akr ut i is composed of t he t hr ee gunas. She is bot h jad and
chaitanya, et er nal, nirvishesh, t he kshet ra of all jivas and all
element s including mahat t at t va, and also t he divine power of God.
7 That which dist ur bs m y which is nirvishesh and whose
gunas ar e nor mally in a st at e of equilibr ium is known as kl.
8 Now I shall descr ibe t he at t r ibut es of mahat t at t va and t he
ot her element s, so please list en.
The Vachanmr ut 12
9 Chitt and mahat t at t va should not be r egarded as being
differ ent . The ent ir e wor ld inher ent ly r esides in a subt le for m wit hin
mahat t at t va, which it self is unchanging, luminous, pur e, passive
and full of pure sattvagun.
10 Now I shall descr ibe t he at t r ibut es of ahamkr. Ahamkr is
composed of t he t hree gunas, and is t he cause of t he evolut ion of all of
t he bhuts, indriyas , antahkarans, t heir pr esiding deit ies, and t he
prns. It is passive, dense, and t ot ally ignor ant .
11 I shall now describe t he at t ribut es of t he man . The man is t he
sit e where all desires for women and ot her object s are generat ed. It
is subject t o fluct uat ing t hought s and is t he gover nor of all of t he
indriyas .
12 Now I shall descr ibe t he at t r ibut es of buddhi. It possesses t he
knowledge of all object s. The specific knowledge which all of t he
indriyas possess is also due t o t he buddhi. It s inher ent feat ur es ar e
doubt s, convict ion, sleep and memor y.
13 The at t r ibut e of t he t en indriyas t he ear s, t he skin, t he eyes,
t he t ongue, t he nose, t he voice, t he hands, t he feet , t he anus, and t he
genit als is t o engage t hemselves in t heir r espect ive vishays.
14 Now I shall describe t he at t ribut es of t he five tanmt rs. The
at t r ibut es of sound ar e t hat it is t he indicat or of all object s, and t he
cause of all social int er act ions. Sound also reveals t he nat ure and
class of t he speaker . It dwells wit hin ksh and is also t he tanmt r
of ksh. It is per ceived by t he ear s. These ar e t he at t r ibut es of
sound.
15 I shall now descr ibe t he at t r ibut es of t ouch. It is t he tanmt r
of vyu. Soft ness, har dness, coldness, hot ness and per cept ion by t he
skin ar e t he at t r ibut es of t ouch.
16 Now I shall descr ibe t he at t r ibut es of sight . It r eveals t he
for ms of all object s. It r esides subor dinat ely in all object s, and
changes as object s change. It is t he tanmt r of t ej and is perceived
by t he eyes.
17 Now I shall descr ibe t he at t r ibut es of t ast e. Sweet ness,
pungency, dist ast efulness, bit t er ness, sour ness and salt iness ar e it s
at t r ibut es. It is t he tanmt r of jal and is perceived by t he t ongue.
The Vachanmr ut 13
18 I shall now descr ibe t he at t r ibut es of smell. Fr agr ance and
st ench ar e it s at t r ibut es. It is t he tanmt r of prut hvi and is
perceived by t he nose.
19 Now I shall descr ibe t he at t r ibut es of prut hvi. It suppor t s all
jivas and, in t he for m of a celest ial body, is t heir place of residence.
It separat es t he ot her four bhuts, i.e. ksh, et c., and it gives a
physical for m t o all life for ms. These ar e t he at t r ibut es of prut hvi.
20 I shall now describe t he at t ribut es of jal. It binds prut hvi and
ot her subst ances, and it also soft ens and moist ens all object s. It
sat isfies and sust ains all life for ms. Quenching t hir st , subduing heat
and abundance are also t he at t ribut es of jal.
21 Now I shall descr ibe t he at t r ibut es of t ej. Luminance, causing
t he digest ion of food, absor bing liquids, eliminat ing cold, dr ying,
cr eat ing hunger and t hir st , as well as bur ning wood, ghee and ot her
sacr ificial offer ings ar e t he at t r ibut es of t ej.
22 I shall now describe t he at t ribut es of vyu. Vyu causes t r ees
t o shake, and it gat her s leaves and ot her object s. It also car r ies t he
panchvishays, i.e., sight s, sounds, smells, t ast es and t ouch, t o t heir
respect ive indriyas , i.e. eyes, ear s, et c. It is t he vit al force of all of t he
indriyas .
23 Finally, I shall describe t he at t ribut es of ksh. It provides
space for all jivas, and is t he cause of t he int er nal and ext er nal
act ivit ies of t heir bodies. It is also where t he prns, indriyas and
antahkarans reside. These are t he at t ribut es of ksh.
24 In t his manner , by knowing t he at t r ibut es of t he 24 element s
2
,
Pr akr ut i, Pur ush and kl, one is freed from ignorance.
25 Moreover, one should know t he process of creat ion of all of
t hese, which I shall now descr ibe.
26 While r esiding in His abode, Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn
impregnat es t he womb of m y t hr ough Akshar -Pur ush, t hr ough
whom count less millions of Pr adh ns and Pur ushes ar e pr oduced.
What are t hose Pradh n-Pur ush pair s like? Well, t hey ar e t he cause
of t he creat ion of count less millions of brahmnds. Of t hese, I shall
now t ell you about one Pradh n-Pur ush pair t he cause of t he
creat ion of one brahmnd.
27 Fir st ly, Pur ushot t am Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn, in t he for m of
Pur ush, impr egnat ed t he womb of Pr adh n. Fr om t hat Pr adh n,
The Vachanmr ut 14
mahat t at t va evolved. Fr om mahattat t va, t he t hree t ypes of ahamkr
evolved. Of t hese, fr om sttvik-ahamkr, t he man and t he presiding
deit ies of t he indriyas evolved; from rjas-ahamkr, t he t en indriyas ,
t he buddhi and t he prns evolved; and from t mas-ahamkr, t he five
bhuts and t he five tanmt rs evolved. In t his way, all of t hose
element s were produced.
28 Then, inspir ed by Gods will, each element , wit h it s own
const it uent s, helped creat e t he bodies of t he ishwars and t he jivas. A
par t icular ishwars bodies are known as virt , sut rt m and
avykrut; and a par t icular jivas bodies are known as sthul, sukshma
and kran .
29 The body of t he ishwar called Virt has a lifespan of t wo
parrdhs. Four t een manvantars elapse during one of Virt -Pur ushs
days. His night is of t he same dur at ion as t he day. Dur ing his day,
t he lower t en realms of t he brahmnd r emain in exist ence, and aft er
his night falls, t hey ar e dest r oyed. This is called nimit t a-pralay.
When t he t wo parrdhs of Virt -Pur ush have elapsed, t he body of
Vir t is dest r oyed along wit h Sat yalok and t he ot her r ealms. At t hat
t ime, Pr adh n-Pr akr ut i, Pur ush, and t he 24 element s
2
including
mahat t at t va are absorbed back int o mah m y. This is called
prkrut-pralay. When t hat mah m y is absor bed by t he divine
light of Akshar br ahma like t he night mer ges int o t he day it is
called tyantik-pralay. Also, t he day-t o-day deat h of t he bodies of
individual deit ies, demons, humans and ot her s is called nit ya-pralay.
30 In t his manner , by knowing t he pr ocess of t he cr eat ion,
sust enance and dissolut ion of t he var ious r ealms, one develops
vairgya t owards t he world and bhakti t owards God. In addit ion,
when all of t hose brahmnds are dest royed, all ot her jivas lie
dor mant wit hin m y, wher eas t he devot ees of God at t ain t he abode
of God.
31 Again, Mukt nand Swmi inquired, What is t he abode of God
like?
32 Shr iji Mahr j replied, The abode of God is wit hout a beginning
and wit hout an end; it is divine, infinit e and indivisible; and it is
char act er ised by et er nal exist ence, consciousness and bliss. I shall
descr ibe it using an analogy. Imagine t hat t his whole wor ld, wit h all
of it s mount ains, t r ees, humans, animals and all ot her for ms, is
made of glass. Also imagine t hat all of t he st ar s in t he sky ar e as
br ight as t he sun. Then, just as t his glass wor ld would glow wit h
The Vachanmr ut 15
ext r eme beaut y amidst t his r adiance, t he abode of God is similar ly
beaut iful. Devot ees of God see t his in sam dhi and at t ain t hat
luminous abode aft er deat h.
Ga d h a d I -13
P la n t in g t h e Br a n ch of a Ba n ya n or
P i p a l Tr ee Elsewh er e
1 On t he night of Mgshar vadi 1, Samvat 1876 [2 December
1819], Shr iji Mahr j was sit t ing on a large, decorat ed cot placed on
t he plat form beneat h t he neem t ree near t he mandir of Shr i
Vsudevnr ya n i n Dd Khchar s darbr in Gadhad. He was
wearing a red survl and a red dagli. He had t ied a golden shelu
around His head, and anot her golden shelu was t ied ar ound His
waist . Pear l necklaces hung ar ound His neck, and t assels of pear ls
wer e also dangling fr om His pgh. At t hat t ime, an assembly of
munis as well as devot ees from various places had gat hered before
Him.
2 Ther eupon Nit ynand Swmi asked Shr iji Mahr j, Is t her e
only one jiva wit hin each body, or ar e t her e many? If You say t her e
is only one, t hen when t he br anches of banyan, pipal or ot her t rees
are cut and plant ed elsewhere, exact ly t he same t ype of t ree grows
t her e as well. Has t hat one jiva been dissect ed int o t wo, or has
anot her jiva ent ered t he new t ree? If You say t hat it is t he same jiva,
t hen how has t he jiva, which is whole and indivisible, been cut ?
3 Hear ing t his, Shr iji Mahr j said, Her e, I shall answer t he
quest ion. Pur ush and Pr akr ut i ar e t he inst r ument s of Shr i Kr ishna
Bhagwn. He is t he cause of t he cr eat ion, sust enance, and
dissolut ion of t his cosmos. Thr ough His t wo inst r ument s of Pur ush
and Pr akr ut i, He assumed t he for m of Vir t . Then, dur ing t he fir st
Br hma-kalp, fr om his body in t he for m of Vir t , God gave all beings
fr om Br ahm t o t he smallest blade of grass t heir respect ive bodies.
Ther eaft er , dur ing t he Pdma-kalp, God, t hr ough t he for m of
Br ahm, gave Mar ichi and ot her s t heir r espect ive bodies. Then
t hr ough Kashyap and Daksha, He gave t he deit ies, demons, humans,
animals, and all of t he mobile and immobile life for ms t heir bodies.
That Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn, along wit h His inst r ument s in t he
The Vachanmr ut 16
for m of Pur ush and Pr akr ut i, resides as t he antarym i in all jivas
and gr ant s each jiva a body accor ding t o it s past karmas.
4 That jiva, in it s past lives, has per for med many karmas some
wit h sattvagun pr edominat ing, some wit h rajogun pr edominat ing
and some wit h t amogun predominat ing. As a consequence of t hose
karmas, God gr ant s t hat jiva a body of t he udbhij cat egor y, or a body
of t he jaryuj cat egory, or a body of t he svedaj cat egory, or a body of
t he andaj cat egor y. God also gr ant s it t he fr uit s of it s karmas in t he
for m of happiness and miser y.
5 In addit ion, God makes t he body of t hat jiva give bir t h t o
anot her body again, accor ding t o it s own karmas. J ust as God
creat ed t he various life forms from t he bodies of Kashyap and t he
ot her prajpatis, similar ly, t hat same God, while r esiding in all jivas
as antarym i, creat es ot her bodies from one body by met hods
appr opr iat e t o t hat par t icular body. However , t he jiva, t hr ough
which ot her bodies ar e cr eat ed, does not it self mult iply int o many
for ms. So, in r ealit y, God gr ant s bir t h t o a jiva, t hr ough an
appropriat e body of anot her jiva, according t o t he relat ion of t he
karmas bet ween t he t wo jivas.
| Vachanmr ut Gadhad I-13 | | 13 | |
Ga d h a d I -14
An t e Y Ma t ih i S Ga t ih i
1 On Mgshar vadi 2, Samvat 1876 [2 December 1819], Swmi
Shr i Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing facing sout h on a lar ge,
decorat ed cot under t he neem t ree in front of t he mandir of Shr i
Vsudevnr yan in Dd Khchar s darbr in Gadhad. He had t ied
a whit e pgh ar ound His head. He was also wear ing a whit e khes
and had cover ed Himself wit h a whit e cot t on clot h. Also, t assels of
yellow flowers decorat ed His pgh. Bunches of yellow flowers had
been placed above bot h of His ears, wit h roses decorat ing t hose
bunches. Gar lands of yellow flower s ador ned His neck as well. Wit h
His r ight hand, He was playing wit h a whit e sevant i flower . At t hat
t ime, an assembly of munis as well as devot ees from various places
had gat her ed befor e Him.
2 Shr iji Mahr j t hen asked t he munis , Suppose t here are t wo
devot ees of God. One has renounced worldly life, and alt hou gh he
The Vachanmr ut 17
does not have int ense vairgya, he does physically observe t he
r eligious vows t hor oughly. Never t heless, he st ill har bour s a slight
desir e for wor ldly life in his mind, but he over comes t his by a t hought
pr ocess. He also has fir m fait h in God. Such is t he r enunciant . On
t he ot her hand, t here is anot her devot ee, a householder, who also has
fir m fait h in God. Even t hough he has r emained a householder by
Gods command, he is disint er est ed in wor ldly life. He has t he same
int ensit y of wor ldly desir es as t he renunciant . Of t hese t wo devot ees
of God, who is bet t er?
3 Mukt nand Swmi r eplied, The r enunciant devot ee is bet t er.
4 Shr iji Mahr j count er ed, The r enunciant has r enounced of his
own accor d, out of fr ust r at ion; so how can he be bet t er ? The
householder, on t he ot her hand, has st ayed at home because of Gods
command; so how can he be infer ior ?
5 Mukt nand Swmi at t empt ed t o answer Shr iji Mahr js
quest ion in many ways but was unable t o do so sat isfact or ily. Thus,
he said, Mahr j, please answer t he quest ion Yourself.
6 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, If a r enunciant who is weak -
minded receives rich foods t o eat , t hen desires for worldly life will be
r evived wit hin his hear t . Or , if he encount er s many har dships,
again, desires for worldly life will be revived. Compared t o such a
r enunciant , a householder is much bet t er , because whenever a
householder encount ers t imes of ext reme hardship or even t imes of
gr eat pleasur e, he is always caut ious lest he becomes at t ached t o
t hese pleasures. Wit h t his awar eness, he r emains disint er est ed in
wor ldly life. Ther efor e, a t r ue r enunciant is one who has no desir es
for wor ldly life having once r enounced it .
7 Keep in mind, t hough, t hat a householder is much bet t er t han a
r enunciant wit h wor ldly desires, provided he observes t he dharma
pr escr ibed for householder s. The householder s dharma, however , is
ext remely difficult t o observe, because count less occasions of good and
bad t imes ar e encount er ed. Despit e t his, a t r ue householder s mind
does not waver fr om ser ving t he S ant or fr om obser ving his dharma.
He also realises, The profound associat ion of t he S ant t hat I have
at t ained is like a magnificent chintmani and a kalpavruksh. My
wealt h, pr oper t y, sons and daught er s ar e all mer ely like a dr eam,
whereas t he profound associat ion of t he S ant t hat I have at t ained is
t he only t r ue benefit of life. Mor eover , he r emains undet er r ed amidst
any t ype of adver sit y t hat may come his way. Such a householder is
The Vachanmr ut 18
by far t he bet t er of t he t wo. Therefore, of all t hings, becoming a
devot ee of God is very difficult . Moreover, t o at t ain t he associat ion of
t he Bhakta of God is very rare, indeed.
8 Having spoken in t his way, Shr iji Mahr j t hen ar r anged for
t he singing of devot ional songs wr it t en by Mukt nand Swmi
descr ibing t he glor y of God and His Sant.
9 Ther eaft er Mukt nand Swmi asked, The Shr ut is st at e, --
=| |- | |-
i
. They claim t hat if ones mind is fixed on God at
t he t ime of deat h, one will at t ain a favourable fat e aft er deat h;
ot her wise, one will not . This seems t o be t he int er pr et at ion of t hat
Vedic ver se. If t his is so, what is t he significance of t he bhakti one
has per for med t hr oughout ones life?
10 Shr iji Mahr j explained, A person who has been graced wit h
t he at t ainment of t he manifest form of God never falls from t he pat h
of liberat ion, regardless of whet her he remembers God at t he t ime of
deat h. God invar iably pr ot ect s him.
11 Conversely, a person who has t urned away from God does not
at t ain liber at ion even if he dies nor mally, while being conscious.
Inst ead, he is consigned t o Yampur i aft er deat h. Many sinful
but chers die while st ill fully conscious. But if a devot ee of God suffers
an unt imely deat h, does t hat mean he will not at t ain liber at ion?
Mor eover , will t hat sinner at t ain liber at ion? Cer t ainly not .
Therefore, t hat Vedic verse should be int erpret ed as follows: The
out come at t he t ime of deat h is det ermined by t he present st at e of t he
mind. Thus, a devot ee who r ealises in his mind, My liber at ion is
guar ant eed, will, as a r esult , cer t ainly at t ain liberat ion aft er deat h.
In compar ison, a per son who has not been gr aced wit h t he
at t ainment of t he S ant or t he for m of God will feel in his mind, I am
ignor ant , and I will not at t ain liber at ion. As a r esult , his st at e of
mind will det er mine his fat e aft er deat h.
12 Fur t her mor e, a per son who is a ser vant of God has not hing left
t o do. In fact , ot her jivas at t ain liber at ion by his darshan , so what is

i
Ante y matihi s gatihi
What ever ones ment al st at e is like at t he t ime of ones deat h, such will be t he
st at e of ones jiva aft er ones deat h.
Hir anyakeshiyashkh Shr ut i
The Vachanmr ut 19
sur pr ising about he himself at t aining liber at ion? But t o cult ivat e
ser vit ude t owards God is very difficult indeed. Why? Because a
ser vant of God has t he following char act er ist ics: He r ealises t he
physical body is asat ya, and his own t m is sat ya. He har bour s no
desires t o indulge in t he object s t hat are int ended for his Mast er .
Also, he never behaves cont r ar y t o t he wishes of his Mast er . Such a
person is called a t rue servant of God; whereas a servant of God who
behaves as t he body is a pseudo-devot ee.
Ga d h a d I -15
Not Becomi n g Di scou r a ged i n Med i t a t i on
1 On Mgshar vadi 3, Samvat 1876 [4 December 1819], Shr iji
dr essed ent ir ely in whit e clot hes. At t hat t ime, an assembly of all of
t he sdhus as well as devot ees from various places had gat hered
befor e Him.
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, A person whose heart is filled
wit h bhakti t owar ds God feels, I want t o act only accor ding t o Gods
and His S ant s commands. Such is t he spir it wit hin his hear t .
Moreover, he never even by mist ake ut t er s, I will only be able t o
follow cer t ain commands, but not ot her s.
3 Fur t her mor e, such a per son r emains det er mined t o behold
Gods for m in his hear t . If, while medit at ing on t hat for m, it cannot
be beheld, he does not lose cour age. Inst ead, he const ant ly maint ains
renewed shraddh. While t r ying t o behold t hat for m, dist ur bing
t hought s may ar ise, and, despit e his effor t s, t hey may not be
suppr essed. In t his sit uat ion, by under st anding t he immense glor y of
God and believing himself t o be complet ely fulfilled, such a person
per sist s in over coming t hose dist ur bing t hought s and beholding Gods
for m wit hin his hear t . Even if t his pr ocess t akes 10 year s, 20 year s,
25 years, or even 100 years, he st ill does not become discour aged; and
never does he abandon his at t empt s at beholding Gods for m. Aft er
all, Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn has ment ioned in t he Git :
The Vachanmr ut 20
- |---| =||- +| |- +
i

Therefore, one who cont inues t o behold God in t his manner is called
an ekntik bhakta.
Ga d h a d I -16
Wi sd om
Him.
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, A wise devot ee of God who can
discern bet ween sat and asat ident ifies t he flaws wit hin himself and
t hought fully er adicat es t hem. He also r eject s any appar ent flaws he
perceives in t he S ant or a satsangi and imbibes only t heir vir t ues.
Moreover, he never perceives any fault s what soever in God. In
addit ion, he accept s what ever words of advice God and t he S ant offer
as t he highest t r ut h but does not doubt t heir words in any way.
Thus, when t he S ant t ells him, You ar e dist inct fr om t he mind,
body, indriyas and prns; you ar e sat ya; you ar e t he knower of t he
body, indriyas and prns, which ar e all asat ya he accept s t his t o be
t he tr ut h. He t hen behaves as t he t m dist inct fr om t hem all
but never follows t he inst inct s of his own mind.
3 Fur t her mor e, such a per son ident ifies t hose object s and evil
company t hat may cause bondage or r aise deficiencies in his ekntik
dharma and shuns t hem; but he does not become bound by t hem.
Also, he imbibes posit ive t hought s and avoids
negat ive t hought s. One who behaves in t his manner should be
known t o possess wisdom.

i
Aneka-janma-sansiddhas-tato yti parm gatim| |
[A yogi] who has become r ealised aft er many lives at t ains t he highest st at e of
enlight enment .
Bhagwad Git : 6.45
The Vachanmr ut 21
Ga d h a d I -17
Nega t i ve I n flu en ce i n Sa t sa n g;
Not Ut t er i n g Di scou r a gi n g Wor d s
Mahr j was sit t ing in a west -facing r oom of Dd Khchar s darbr
in Gadhad. He was wear ing a whit e khes and had covered Himself
wit h a whit e cot t on clot h. He had also t ied a whit e pgh ar ound His
head, and a t assel of yellow flowers was insert ed int o t hat pgh.
Wear ing a gar land of yellow flower s, Mahr j was seat ed in t his
manner in a ver y cheer ful mood while a passage fr om t he Shr imad
Bhgwat was being read.
2 At t hat t ime, Shr iji Mahr j called for Mukt nand Swmi,
Goplnand Swmi and some ot her sdhus. Addr essing t hem, He
said, In our Sat sang fellowship, a small element of negat ive
influence r emains, which I wish t o eliminat e t oday. I want t o
conduct t his mat t er in such a manner t hat it encompasses all
satsangis , paramhansas , snkhya-yogis and karma-yogis .
3 Now, what is t his negat ive influence in Sat sang? Well, t hose
who pr each in Sat sang speak discour agingly. That is t he negat ive
influence in Sat sang. What do t hey say? They say, Who can follow
Gods commands t hor oughly? Who can possibly obser ve t he r eligious
vows per fect ly? No one. Ther efor e, we should obser ve only as much
as we possibly can. Aft er all, God is t he redeemer of even t he wicked,
and so He will grant liberat ion t o us as well.
4 Mor eover , t hey say, At t empt ing t o behold Gods for m in t he
heart is not possible by ones own effort s. It is only beheld by t hose
whom God helps out of compassion. Wit h such complacent wor ds,
t hey discour age ot her s fr om pr act ising dharma, gnn, vairgya,
bhakti, and ot her spirit ual endeavours for pleasing God.
5 Ther efor e, fr om t his day onwar ds, no one in our Sat sang
fellowship should ut t er such discour aging wor ds. Inst ead, always
speak cour ageously. Those who do speak such wor ds should be
known as impot ent s. In fact , on days when one speaks such
discour aging wor ds, one should obser ve a fast .
The Vachanmr ut 22
Ga d h a d I -18
Den ou n cin g t h e Vish a ys; A Ha veli
1 Thr ee hour s befor e sunr ise on Mgshar vadi 6, Samvat 1876 [7
December 1819], Swmi Shr i Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing on a
large, decorat ed cot in t he court yard in front of t he veranda out side
t he west -facing r ooms of Dd Khchar s darbr in Gadhad. He
was dr essed ent ir ely in whit e clot hes.
2 Aft er summoning t he paramhansas and satsangis , Shr iji
Mahr j sat engr ossed in t hought for quit e some t ime. Then He
said, I wish t o t ell all of you somet hing, so please list en. He t hen
said, In My mind I feel t hat I should not t alk about t his mat t er , but
under st anding all of you t o be Mine, I shall t ell you anyway. The
mat t er is such t hat only one who under st ands it and act s exact ly
accor ding t o it will become a mukt a. Ot her wise, even by list ening t o,
or st udying and under st anding t he meanings of t he four Vedas, six
Shst r as, eight een Pur ns, and t he Mahbhr at and ot her It ihs
scr ipt ur es, one cannot become a mukt a. I shall now t alk about t hat
mat t er , so please list en.
3 Regardless of t he t empt ing object s which may appear befor e Me,
if t her e is no desir e for t hem in My mind, I am not wor r ied. Besides,
My nat ur e is such t hat even if t he slight est desir e for an object ar ises
wit hin, I feel at ease only aft er shunning it .
4 For t his r eason, I t hought about what act ually causes
dist urbances wit hin t he heart s of Gods devot ees. I considered t he
man , buddhi, chit t and ahamkr as possible causes. However , t he
antahkaran is not t he cause of t hese dist ur bances. The only fault of
t he antahkaran is t he complacency t hat it har bour s due t o eit her
t he power of it s fait h in God or t he st rengt h derived from knowledge
of t he t m . Due t o t his complacency, it feels, I have found God, and
so I have not hing left t o do.
5 Act ually, t he gr eat er fault lies wit h t he five gnn-indriyas ,
which I shall now elaborat e in det ail. Of t he many variet ies of foods
t hat a per son eat s, each has differ ing t ast es and differ ing int r insic
qualit ies. When he eat s t hat food, t he int rinsic qualit ies of t he food
pervade and affect t he antahkaran as well as t he ent ir e body. For
example, if someone drinks bhang, t hen even if he is a devot ee of God,
he loses awareness of his religious vows and t he worship of God due
t o t he st imulat ion caused by t hat bhang. Similar ly, t he int r insic
The Vachanmr ut 23
qualit ies of t he count less t ypes of food are, like bhang, of a count less
var iet y. So much so, t hat t hey seem endless.
6 In t he same way, a per son also hear s a count less var iet y of
sounds wit h his ear s. Those sounds also have a count less variet y of
int r insic qualit ies. Consequent ly, t he qualit ies of what ever sounds he
list ens t o pervade and affect his antahkaran . For example, t her e
may be an ar med and violent per son, an adult er ous per son, a
pr ost it ut e, or a per son who t r ansgr esses t he r ules of t he Vedas and
societ y. List ening t o t he t alks of such vicious per sons is like
dr inking bhang or alcohol; i.e., such t alks pollut e t he antahkaran of
t he list ener and make him for get t he wor ship of God as well as his
r eligious vows.
7 Similar ly, t her e ar e count less var iet ies of t ouch sensat ions.
They t oo have count less var iet ies of int r insic qualit ies. The t ouch of
a sinful per son also has an effect like t hat of bhang and alcohol.
Therefore, even if a devot ee were t o t ouch such a person, t hat devot ee
would lose all of his vir t ues.
8 Ther e ar e also count less var iet ies of t hings t o see. They t oo
have count less var iet ies of int r insic qualit ies. If one looks at an
immor al per son, t he effect is just as det r iment al as dr inking bhang
or alcohol, i.e., looking at an immor al per son cer t ainly does pollut e
ones mind and cause har m.
9 In t he same way, t her e ar e count less var iet ies of smells, wit h
count less var iet ies of int r insic qualit ies. If one smells t he fr agr ance
of a flower or some sandalwood past e fr om the hands of a sinful
per son, it pollut es ones mind in t he same way as dr inking bhang.
10 Conver sely, just as ones mind is pollut ed by associat ion wit h
t he immor al, associat ion wit h God or His S ant pur ifies ones mind.
Even if ones mind is pollut ed, it is purified by list ening t o t he words
of God and His S ant. The mind is similar ly pur ified by t heir t ouch.
If, however , due t o t he const r aint s of ones r eligious vows, one is
unable t o t ouch such a gr eat S ant, t hen mer ely t ouching t he dust of
his feet t o ones head makes one pur e. Likewise, one is pur ified by
t he darshan of t he great S ant; but of course one should do darshan
while r espect ing ones r eligious vows. One is also pur ified by eat ing
his prasd. Her e also, prasd should be t aken in accor dance wit h
t he niyams of ones cast e and shram as set by God. If one is unable
t o t ake prasd, one should offer skar and t ake t hat as prasd. In
The Vachanmr ut 24
t he same manner , smelling t he fr agr ance of t he flower s and
sandalwood past e offered t o t he great S ant also purifies t he mind.
11 On t he ot her hand, if one indulges in t he panchvishays
t hought lessly, wit hout dist inguishing good fr om bad, t hen even if one
is as gr eat as Nrad and t he Sanak dik, ones mind will sur ely
become pollut ed. What is so sur pr ising, t hen , about t he mind of one
who believes oneself t o be t he body becoming pollut ed? Therefore, if
one gives libert y t o t he five indriyas wit hout applying t he
discr iminat ion of what is suit able or unsuit able, ones antahkaran
will become pollut ed. On t he ot her hand, if one indulges only in pur e
vishays t hr ough t he five indriyas , t hen ones antahkaran becomes
pur e. If t he antahkaran becomes pure, one will be able t o const ant ly
remember God.
12 However, if t he object s of indulgence of just one of t he five
indriyas is impur e, t he antahkaran will also become impur e.
Therefore, t he sole cause of any dist urbance experienced by a devot ee
of God during worship is t he vishays of t he five indriyas , not t he
antahkaran .
13 Anot her fact or t hat det ermines t he nat ure of a person s
antahkaran is t he t ype of company he keeps. If he sit s in a gat her ing
of mat erialist ic people in a lavish seven -st or ey haveli decorat ed wit h
beaut iful mir r or s and comfor t able seat s, and if t hose mat er ialist ic
people are seat ed wearing various t ypes of jeweller y and fine clot hes,
and ar e exchanging alcohol amongst t hemselves, wit h pr ost it ut es
per for ming vulgar dances t o t he accompaniment of var ious musical
inst r ument s t hen t he per sons antahkaran will unquest ionably be
adver sely affect ed. On t he ot her hand, if a per son sit s in an assembly
where a paramhansa is seat ed on a t or n mat t r ess in a gr ass hut and
discourses of God, dharma, gnn, vairgya and bhakti ar e in
pr ogr ess t hen t he per sons antahkaran will sur ely be favour ably
affect ed.
14 Therefore, if one t hought fully examines t he influence of good
company and evil company on t he antahkaran , t heir effect s can be
r ealised. A fool, however , cannot r ealise t his. Indeed, t his fact will
not be underst ood by t hose who behave irresponsibly like animals. In
compar ison, one who has even a lit t le wisdom and has sought at least
some r efuge in God will immediat ely under st and. Ther efor e, all
paramhansas , snkhya-yogis and karma-yogis should not associat e
wit h evil people.
The Vachanmr ut 25
15 Regardless of how evil a person may be before joining t he
Sat sang fellowship, he should be accept ed int o Sat sang aft er he t akes
t he appr opr iat e vows. If aft er joining Sat sang, however , t hat per son
r et ains his evil nat ur e, he should be r emoved fr om Sat sang. If he or
she is not r emoved, t hen much har m will r esult . For example, if a
per sons finger is bit t en by a snake, or if it develops gangr ene, and if
t he affect ed part is immediat ely removed, t hen t he rest of t he body
r emains healt hy. But if it is not r emoved, much har m r esult s.
Similar ly, if a per son is r ecognised as evil, you should immediat ely
shun him.
16 In conclusion, be wise enough t o accept t hese words of Mine. If
you do so, I shall consider it t o be equivalent t o you having served Me
in ever y way. I will also bless all of you and be ext remely pleased
wit h you. Why? Because t her eby you will have just ified My effor t s.
Moreover, all of us will dwell t oget her in t he abode of God. However,
if you do not behave in t his manner , we will be gr eat ly dist anced.
Consequent ly, you will be r ebor n as a ghost or a demon, and you will
have t o suffer . Of cour se, t he fr uit s of what ever bhakti you may have
previously offered t o God will be rewarded event ually, but only aft er
much miser y. Even t hen, you will become a mukt a and go t o t he
abode of God only by behaving as I have described.
17 Fur t her mor e, if anyone at t empt s t o imit at e Me, he will
definit ely suffer . Why? Because Nar nr yan r esides wit hin My
hear t . Mor eover , I am et er nally liber at ed. I have not become a
mukt a t hr ough t he pr eaching of ot her s. I exer cise complet e cont r ol
over My man , buddhi, chit t and ahamkr. In fact , I seize My
antahkaran just as a lion clut ches a goat , wher eas ot her s cannot
even see t heir antahkaran . Ther efor e, imit at ing Me, believing t hat
one can r emain pur e even amidst allur ing pleasur es is just not
possible, even for t he likes of Nrad and t he Sanak dik. So what can
be said of ot hers?
18 Count less have become muktas and count less mor e will become
so. Amongst t hem, none have been able t o indulge in pleasur es of t he
senses and yet remain uninfluenced by t hem; none will be able t o do
so in t he fut ur e; nor is t her e anyone like t hat pr esent ly. Even one
who has endeavoured for count less millions of years is incapable of
r emaining uninfluenced amidst t empt at ions. Ther efor e, if you
behave as I have described, you will benefit .
The Vachanmr ut 26
19 Cont inuing, Shr iji Mahr j said, When I lovingly call someone
near, it is for t he benefit of t heir jiva. When I look at someone
affect ionat ely, or eat t he t ast y meals t hey have pr epar ed, or sit on a
decor at ed cot ar r anged by t hem, or accept fr om t hem clot hes,
or nament s, gar lands of flower s and ot her offer ings it is all for t he
good of t heir jiva, but not for t he sake of My per sonal enjoyment . In
fact , I swear by t he name of Rmnand Swmi t hat I do not accept
t hose object s for My per sonal pleasur e. Ther efor e, r ealising t his,
none of you should imit at e Me.
Also, keep t he act ivit ies of your five indriyas ext r emely pur e. Please
accept t his command of Mine wit hout fail. This fact is simple in t hat
it is compr ehensible t o all; so all of you will immediat ely under st and
it . Mor eover , if you ext ensively pr opagat e it t hr oughout Sat sang, I
shall be very pleased indeed.
20 Having deliver ed t his discour se, Shr iji Mahr j bid J ai
Sachchidnand t o all and ret urned t o His residence.
Ga d h a d I -19
Th e I n t er d ep en d en cy of t m -r ea lisa t ion a n d
Ot h er Vi r t u es
1 On t he evening of Posh sudi 1, Samvat 1876 [17 December
assembly of paramhansas as well as devot ees from various places had
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, In t his Sat sang fellowship,
t hose devot ees seeking t heir own ult imat e liberat ion cannot fulfill
t hat aim by t m -r ealisat ion alone; nor can t hey fulfill t hat aim by
lovingly offering t he nine t ypes of bhakti alone; nor can t hey fulfill
t hat aim by vairgya alone; nor can t hey fulfill t hat aim by
swadharma alone. Thus, all four vir t ues, i.e., t m -r ealisat ion,
bhakti, vairgya and swadharma. should be perfect ed since all are
dependent upon each ot her.
3 Now please list en as I describe how t hese four virt ues are
int erdependent .
The Vachanmr ut 27
4 One may have t he vir t ue of t m -realisat ion , but if one does not
have love
i
t owards God, t hen one does not at t ain t he favour of God,
which can only be at t ained by such love. Such favour r esult s in t he
at t ainment of t he desirable and great divine power of not being
overpowered by t he gunas of m y. If, on t he ot her hand, one does
have love for God, but has not at t ained t m -realisat ion, t hen due t o
t he belief t hat oneself is t he body, t hat love cannot be perfect ed. One
may have bot h t he vir t ue of t m -realisat ion and love for God, but if
one lacks fir m vairgya, t hen t he desir es for wor ldly vishays will
prevent t he perfect ion of t m -realisat ion and love for God. Then
again, one may have vairgya, but if one lacks t he vir t ues of t m -
r ealisat ion and love for God, one does not experience t he profound
bliss associat ed wit h t he for m of God. Also, one may have
swadharma, but if love for God, t m -realisat ion and vairgya are
absent , t hen one will not be able t o t r anscend Bhur lok, Bhuvar lok
and all of t he ot her r ealms up t o Br ahms Sat yalok. That is t o say,
one will not be able t o t ranscend t he brahmnds and at t ain Gods
Akshardh m, which t r anscends t he dar kness of m y. On t he ot her
hand, one may have t he t hr ee vir t ues of t m -r ealisat ion, love for
God and vairgya, but if swadharma is lacking, t he ot her t hr ee
cannot be perfect ed.
5 In t his manner , t m -r ealisat ion and t he ot her t hr ee vir t ues
are dependent upon each ot her. A devot ee who has ext remely firmly
est ablished t hese four vir t ues wit hin himself t hr ough t he pr ofound
associat ion wit h Gods Ekntik Bhakta has complet ed all spir it ual
endeavours. Only he should be known as an ekntik bhakta.
Ther efor e, a devot ee having any deficiency in t hese four vir t ues
should over come t hat deficiency by ser ving and pr ofoundly
associat ing wit h t he Ekntik Bhakta of God.
Ga d h a d I -20
An I gn or a n t P er son ; Seei n g On es Own Self
1 On Posh sudi 2, Samvat 1876 [18 December 1819], Shr iji
Mahr j was seat ed on a cushion wit h a cylindr ical pillow on t he

i
Her e, love should be under st ood as bhakti.
The Vachanmr ut 28
veranda out side t he east -facing r ooms of Dd Khchar s darbr in
Gadhad. He had t ied a whit e pgh around His head, and a t assel of
yellow flowers had been placed in t hat pgh. A garland of yellow
flowers had been placed around His neck, and bunches of whit e and
yellow flowers had been placed upon His ears. He had also covered
Himself wit h a t hick, whit e cot t on clot h and was wear ing a black-
bordered khes. At t hat t ime, scr ipt ur al r eading had commen ced, and
before Shriji Mahr j.
2 Then Swmi Shr i Sahajnandji Mahr j said, Please list en, I
wish t o ask all of you a quest ion.
3 Hearing t his, all of t he devot ees said wit h folded hands, Please
do ask.
4 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j asked, Who is t he most ignor ant of
all ignorant people?
5 Everyone pondered over t he quest ion, but no one was able t o
r eply. So Shr iji Mahr j said, Her e, I shall answer Myself.
6 Hear ing t his, ever yone was pleased and said, Mahr j, only You
will be able t o give a precise answer; so please explain.
7 Shr iji Mahr j t hen began, The jiva, which r esides wit hin t he
body, obser ves bot h t he at t r act ive and t he unat t r act ive. It wit nesses
childhood, yout h and old age, as well as a count less number of ot her
t hings. However , t he obser ver fails t o obser ve it s own self. The jiva
looks at object s ext er nally; but it does not look at it s own self.
Ther efor e, it is t he most ignor ant of t he ignor ant .
8 Fur t her mor e, just as t he jiva indulges in a count less var iet y of
sight s wit h t he eyes, it similar ly indulges in and knows t he pleasur es
of t he ot her vishays wit h t he ear s, skin, t ongue and nose; but it does
not indulge in t he bliss of it s own self; nor does it know it s own
nat ur e. For t his r eason, it is t he most ignor ant of t he ignor ant , t he
most senseless of t he senseless, t he most foolish of fools and t he vilest
of t he vile.
9 At t hat point , Shuk Muni r aised a doubt . He asked, Is it t r uly
in ones own hands t o see ones own self? If it is, why does t he jiva
r emain ignor ant ?
10 Shr iji Mahr j replied, For a person who has at t ained satsang,
realisat ion of his jivt m does, indeed, lie in his own hands. In fact ,
The Vachanmr ut 29
when has he at t empt ed t o see his own self and failed t o see it ?
Having become dependent t o and made helpless by m y, t hat jiva
draws wit hin and ent ers t he dream and deep sleep st at es, but never
does it draw wit hin of it s own accord t o see it s own self. On t he ot her
hand, one who cont emplat es on t he great ness of God and draws
wit hin oneself sees ones own self as ext r emely pur e and luminous.
In t he midst of t hat luminance, one beholds t he for m of t he manifest
Pur ushot t am Bhagwn and exper iences bliss in t he manner of Nrad
and t he Sanak dik. Ther efor e, all deficiencies which do r emain in a
devot ee are due t o his own let hargy.
Ga d h a d I -21
On e P osse ssi n g Ek n t ik Dh a r ma ;
Th e Two For ms of Ak sh a r
1819], Shr iji Mahr j was sit t ing facing east on a lar ge, decor at ed cot
on t he veranda out side t he east -facing r ooms of Dd Khchar s
darbr in Gadhad. He was wear ing a black-bordered khes and had
cover ed Himself wit h a t hick, whit e cot t on clot h. He had also t ied a
whit e pgh ar ound His head. At t hat t ime, some sdhus were
singing devot ional songs t o t he accompaniment of a jhnjh and
pakhwj. Many ot her sdhus as well as satsangis fr om var ious
places had assembled before Him.
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j quiet ened t he assembly and said,
Please list en; I wish t o t ell you somet hing. Having said t his, He
sat in cont emplat ion wit h His eyes closed for quit e some t ime.
3 Thereaft er, He began, A devot ee who in his mind desir es t o
int ensely please God can do so by t he following means: unshakeable
r esolve in obser ving t he dharma of ones cast e and shram ; int ensely
fir m t m -realisat ion; dislike for all object s except God; and bhakti
which is devoid of all desir es for fr uit s, and which is accompanied
wit h an under st anding of Gods gr eat ness. It is t hr ough t hese four
spirit ual endeavours t hat God can be ext remely pleased. They are
collect ively known as ekntik dharma. At pr esent , t her e ar e many
devot ees possessing such ekntik dharma in our Sat sang fellowship.
The Vachanmr ut 30
4 In addit ion, a devot ee of God should cont emplat e on t he form of
God while eat ing, dr inking, bat hing, washing, walking and sit t ing
in fact , dur ing all act ivit ies. He should par t icular ly cont emplat e on
God and cont inuously behold His for m when t her e is no ment al
dist ur bance wit hin. However , when t her e is some int er nal
dist ur bance due t o fluct uat ing t hought s, he should r ealise his own
self t o be dist inct from t he body, t he indriyas , t he antahkaran , t heir
presiding deit ies and t he vishays. Only when t hose dist ur bing
t hought s subside should he cont emplat e on t he form of God.
5 Furt hermore, t his body should not be believed t o be ones t rue
self. Nor should ones bodily r elat ions be r egar ded as ones t rue
r elat ions. This is because t he jiva has pr eviously t aken bir t h in each
of t he 8.4 million life for ms
3
. In fact , t he jiva has t aken bir t h in t he
wombs of all females in t his wor ld; it has also t aken bir t h numer ous
t imes in t he wombs of all of t he dogs, cat s, monkeys and ot her t ypes
of life for ms in t he cycle of 8.4 million life for ms. Mor eover , of all t he
differ ent t ypes of females in t his wor ld, which has it not pr eviously
made it s wife? All have been it s wife at one t ime or anot her.
Similar ly, assuming numer ous female bodies, t hat jiva has also made
all of t he differ ent for ms of males it s husband. Hence, just as one
does not believe t he relat ions of t hose previous 8.4 million life forms
t o be ones t rue relat ions, and just as one does not believe t he bodies
of t hose 8.4 million life for ms t o be ones t r ue body, similar ly, one
should not believe t his present body t o be ones t rue self, nor should
one believe t he relat ions of t his body t o be ones t rue relat ions. Why?
Because just as no r elat ionship r emains wit h bodies fr om t he
pr evious 8.4 million life for ms, similar ly t he r elat ionship wit h t his
body will not r emain eit her . Ther efor e, having r ealised t he body, all
possessions and all object s t o be asat ya; and having r ealised ones
own self t o be dist inct from t he body, indriyas and antahkaran ; and
while obser ving ones own dharma, one should offer bhakti t o God
which is devoid of all desires for it s fruit s. Moreover, in order t o
increasingly underst and t he profound great ness of God day by day,
one should also const ant ly keep t he company of a sdhu.
6 A person who does not have t his underst anding, who ident ifies
his self wit h t he body, and who has a mundane at t it ude should be
t hought of as an animal even if he is present ly in t he Sat sang
fellowship. Yet , in t his Sat sang, even animals at t ain liber at ion by
t he pr ofound gr ace of God. What is so sur pr ising, t hen, about
humans at t aining liber at ion? However , such a per son cannot be
The Vachanmr ut 31
called a t rue ekntik bhakta of God. Only one possessing t he
under st anding pr eviously descr ibed can be called an ekntik bhakta.
Aft er such an ekntik bhakta leaves his body and becomes free of all
influences of m y, he at t ains Akshar dh m via t he archim rg.
7 Cont inuing, Shr iji Mahr j explained, That Akshar has t wo
for ms. One, which is for mless and pur e chaitanya, is known as
Chidksh or Br ahmamahol. In it s ot her for m, t hat Akshar r emains
in t he ser vice of Pur ushot t am Nr yan. A devot ee who has reached
Akshardh m at t ains qualit ies similar to t hose of Akshar and forever
r emains in t he ser vice of God. Fur t her mor e, Shr i Kr ishna
Pur ushot t am Nr yan is forever seat ed in t hat Akshardh m. The
count less millions of muktas , who have at t ained qualit ies similar t o
t hose of Akshar, r eside in t hat Akshardh m, and all of t hem behave
as ser vant s of Pur ushot t am. Pur ushot t am Nr yan Himself is t he
mast er of t hem all and t he Lor d of t he lor ds of count less millions of
brahmnds.
8 Keeping t his in mind, all of our satsangis should develop t he
following singular convict ion: We also wish t o join t he r anks of t he
aksharrup muktas and go t o Akshardh m t o for ever r emain in t he
service of God. We have no desire for t he t emporary and vain worldly
pleasur es; nor do we wish t o be t empt ed by t hem in any way.
Keeping such a fir m convict ion, one should offer ekntik bhakti t o
God.
9 Fur t her mor e, by t hor oughly under st anding t he pr ofound
gr eat ness of God, one should, in t his ver y life, er adicat e ones desir es
for women, wealt h and all object s ot her t han God. Ot her wise, if
desires for object s ot her t han God do remain, t hen aft er one dies, if
one encount ers ent icement s along t he pat h t o t he abode of God, one
will for sake God and be lur ed by t hose ent icement s inst ead. This
would pr ove t o be a major obst r uct ion. Therefore, one should worship
God aft er over coming desir es for all object s.
The Vachanmr ut 32
Ga d h a d I -22
Si n gi n g wi t h ou t Remember i n g God I s a s Good a s
Not Si n gi n g a t All; Th e Di gi t 1
i

1 At noon on Posh sudi 4, Samvat 1876 [20 December 1819], Shr iji
Mahr j was sit t ing facing east on a lar ge, decor at ed cot on t he
Gadhad. He was dr essed ent ir ely in whit e clot hes. A t assel of
flowers had been insert ed in His pgh, and bunches of flowers had
been placed upon bot h of His ears. He was also wearing a garland of
guldvadi flower s ar ound His neck. At t hat t ime, while some
paramhansas wer e singing devot ional songs, ot her paramhansas as
well as devot ees from various places had gat hered before Him in an
assembly.
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, Please list en; I wish t o t ell you
somet hing.
3 Hear ing t his, t he paramhansas st opped singing and prepared
t hemselves t o list en.
4 Shr iji Mahr j t hen said, If one does not remember God while
singing t o t he accompaniment of a mrudang, srangi, sarod, t l or
ot her inst r ument s, t hen t hat singing is as good as not having sung at
all. Besides, t here are many people in t his world who sing and play
inst r ument s wit hout remembering God; but t hey do not at t ain peace
of mind. Ther efor e, whichever act ivit y one per for ms whet her it be
singing devot ional songs, r ecit ing Gods holy name, chant ing t he
Nr yan dhunya, et c. one should only per for m t hat act ivit y while
r emembering t he form of God.
5 If a per son specifically at t empt s t o engage himself in wor ship,
he may be able t o focus his vrut t i on God; however , aft er complet ing
t hose act s of worship, if he does not maint ain his vrut t i on God while
engaged in ot her act ivit ies, t hen his vrut t i will not become st eadied
on t he form of God even when he at t empt s t o engage in worship
again. Ther efor e, one should pr act ise maint aining ones vrut t i on t he
for m of God while walking, eat ing, dr inking in fact , dur ing all

i
The t it le r efer s t o t he impor t ance of t he digit 1. A long r ow of zer os has no
value, but when a single 1 is placed befor e t he zer os, t he value of t he composit e
figur e is e xponent ially incr eased wit h each zer o.
The Vachanmr ut 33
act ivit ies. If one does t his, ones vrut t i becomes st eadied on God
when one engages in wor ship as well. Mor eover , when ones vrut t i
begins t o r emain on God, it r emains so even dur ing ot her wor k. If
one is complacent , t hough, ones vrut t i will not remain on God even
when one specifically at t empt s t o engage oneself in worship.
Ther efor e, a devot ee of God should vigilant ly pr act ise maint aining his
vrut t i on t he form of God.
6 Having said t his, Shr iji Mahr j r equest ed, Now please sing
devot ional songs.
Ga d h a d I -23
Emp t yin g a P ot of Wa t er ;
Rema in in g in a n Eleva t ed Sp ir it u a l St a t e
Mahr j was sit t ing on a large, decorat ed cot on t he veranda out side
t he east -facing r ooms of Dd Khchar s darbr in Gadhad. He had
t ied a whit e fet o ar ound His head and was wear ing a whit e angarkhu
and a whit e survl. He had also t ied a deep orange shelu ar ound His
waist . At t hat t ime, paramhansas as well as devot ees from various
places had gat her ed befor e Him.
2 Out of compassion, Shr iji Mahr j t hen began t o speak t o t he
paramhansas , The Vsudev Mht mya scr ipt ur e is ext r emely dear
t o Me because it describes all of t he met hods of how devot ees of God
should wor ship Him.
3 Shr iji Mahr j t hen cont inued, There are t wo t ypes of devot ees
of God: One has a complet e convict ion of God, yet worships God
ident ifying himself wit h t he body. The ot her , however , believes his
own self t o be chaitanya, t r anscending t he influences of t he t hree
st at es waking, dream and deep sleep, and t he t hree bodies sthul,
sukshma and kran . This devot ee worships God while beholding
Gods for m wit hin his own self. As a r esult , he sees his own self,
which t r anscends t he t hr ee st at es and t he t hr ee bodies, as being
ext r emely full of divine light . Wit hin t hat light , he sees t he for m of
God, just as it is in it s incar nat e for m, as being ext r emely luminous.
Such is t he elevat ed spirit ual st at e of t he lat t er devot ee.
The Vachanmr ut 34
4 As long as one has not at t ained t his elevat ed spirit ual st at e, one
is subject t o obst acles, even if one is a devot ee of God. Shivji, for
example, did not behave in such an elevat ed spirit ual st at e and was
t herefore ent iced by t he beaut y of Mohini. Brahm also did not
behave in such a st at e and t hus became infat uat ed on seeing
Sar aswat i. Nradji also did not behave in such an elevat ed spirit ual
st at e and consequent ly har bour ed a desir e t o mar r y. Mor eover ,
because Indr a, Chandr a and ot her s wer e not behaving in such a
st at e, t heir reput at ion s wer e also blemished due t o t heir mist akes.
5 Furt hermore, if a person has not developed t his elevat ed
spir it ual st at e, he will per ceive wor ldly at t r ibut es even in God, even if
he himself is a devot ee of God. King Par ikshit , for example, was not
such a devot ee, and so he raised doubt s about t he divinit y of Shri
Kr ishna Bhagwn aft er hearing of t he rs episode. On t he ot her
hand, because Shukji was such an elevat ed devot ee, he had no doubt s
what soever . Such a devot ee fir mly r ealises, If no flaws can affect me
or bind me in any way, how can t her e possibly be any m yik flaws in
God, by whose worship I have become like t his? Such a devot ee
fir mly r ealises t his.
6 When such a devot ee of God focuses his vrut t i on t he form of
God, t hat vrut t i is divided int o t wo. Of t hese, one vrut t i focuses on
t he form of God, while t he ot her focuses wit hin t he worshipper
himself. The vrut t i t hat is fixed on Gods form is applied lovingly,
whereas t he vrut t i t hat is fixed on t he worshipper himself is full of
cont emplat ion. This lat t er vrut t i negat es all ot her t hought s and
desires except t hose of worshipping God t hat may ar ise in t he
worshipper. It also negat es all of t he flaws wit hin t he worshipper
himself. In t his manner , t he vrut t i of such a devot ee const ant ly
r emains on God.
7 A per son who at t imes wor ships God wit h a concent r at ed mind
and, at ot her t imes, indulges in worldly t hought s does not develop
such an elevat ed spir it ual st at e. Consider , for example, a pot t hat is
filled wit h wat er and empt ied somewher e. If anot her pot of wat er is
subsequent ly empt ied at t he same place on t he following day or t he
day aft er t hat , a pool of wat er will not collect t her e. Why? Because
t he wat er poured on t he first day dries up on t hat very day, and t he
wat er pour ed on t he second day also dries up on t hat same day. On
t he ot her hand, if a t r ickle of wat er wer e t o flow cont inuously, a lar ge
pool of wat er would soon be formed. Therefore, while eat ing,
The Vachanmr ut 35
dr inking, walking, engaging in any act ivit y what soever whet her it
be pur e or impur e in fact , at all t imes, one should const ant ly keep
ones vrut t i on God. While maint aining ones vrut t i const ant ly on
God in t his manner , one at t ains t hat abiding elevat ed spir it ual
st at e.
Ga d h a d I -24
Th e Eleva t ed Sp i r i t u a l St a t e of Gn n ; Sou r n ess i n
t h e F or m of t h e Un d er st a n d i n g of God s Gr ea t n ess
1819], Shr iji Mahr j was sit t ing on a lar ge, decor at ed cot on t he
Gadhad. He had t ied a whit e fet o ar ound His head and was wear ing
a whit e khes. Also, He had donned a warm, red dagli and had
cover ed Himself wit h a t hick, whit e cot t on clot h. At t hat t ime,
befor e Him.
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said t o t he paramhansas , I shall
explain how an elevat ed spirit ual st at e can be at t ained by gnn.
What is t hat gnn like? Well, it t r anscends Pr akr ut i-Pur ush. When
an elevat ed spirit ual st at e is at t ained by t his gnn, Pr akr ut i-Pur ush
and t he ent it ies evolved fr om t hem do not come int o view. This is
known as gnn-pralay. One who has at t ained such an elevat ed
spirit ual st at e sees only pure chaitanya wit hin which only t he for m
of God r esides, wit h no ot her for ms r emaining. At t imes, one cannot
see even t he for m of God wit hin t hat divine light ; only t he light is
seen. At ot her t imes, however , bot h t he divine light and t he for m of
God ar e seen. This is known as t he elevat ed spirit ual st at e at t ained
by gnn. Such an elevat ed spir it ual st at e is at t ained by const ant ly
maint aining ones vrut t i on t he form of t he incarnat e God visible at
present .
3 Cont inuing, Shr iji Mahr j said, The ext ent t o which one has
underst ood t he great ness of God det ermines t he int ensit y of bot h t he
divine light experienced in t he heart and t he divine sound of pranav
t hat is hear d. Fur t her mor e, t he ext ent of ones fait h and
underst anding of t he great ness of God det ermines t he ext ent t o which
The Vachanmr ut 36
vicious t hought s ar e cur bed. Thus, when one develops absolut e fait h
in God and t hor oughly under st ands His gr eat ness, all of ones vicious
t hought s ar e eliminat ed.
4 For example, if a per son has sucked a slice of lemon, his t eet h
become a lit t le sensit ive, but he is st ill able t o chew soft chan .
However , if he has sucked a whole lemon, he is unable t o chew even
chan ; in fact , he chews even a mung bean wit h much difficult y. If,
however , he has sucked many lemons, he would be unable t o chew
even cooked rice. In t he same manner, when one has developed
sour ness in t he for m of fait h in God and an under st anding of His
gr eat ness, ones gums in t he for m of t he four antahkarans and t en
indriyas become sensit ised. In t hat st at e, t he jiva is unable t o
chew chan in t he for m of t hought s for t he vishays wit h it s gums in
t he form of t he man. Wit h it s gums in t he for m of t he chit t , t he jiva
becomes incapable of cont emplat ing on t he vishays. Wit h it s gums in
t he form of t he buddhi, t he jiva becomes incapable of developing a
resolve for t he vishays. Wit h it s gums in t he for m of t he ahamkr,
t he jiva becomes incapable of developing any form of consciousness
relat ed t o t he vishays. Similar ly, t he jiva, wit h it s gums in t he for m
of t he five gnn-indriyas and five karma-indriyas , becomes incapable
of chewing chan in t he form of t he vishays of t he respect ive
indriyas .
5 Conver sely, t he indriyas and t he antahkaran of a person who
does not have absolut e fait h in God and who has not fully realised t he
great ness of God do not wit hdraw complet ely from t heir respect ive
vishays.
6 Shr iji Mahr j t hen explained, The for m of God t r anscends
m y and it s gunas, and is free of all t ypes of flaws, but it is for t he
sake of t he liberat ion of jivas t hat He appear s t o be like a human. In
fact , God is devoid of each of t he flaws t hat senseless people at t ribut e
t o Him. However , t he int ellect of t he per son at t r ibut ing such flaws
will never be freed of t hose flaws t hat he at t ribut es t o God.
Specifically, a person who believes God t o be full of lust will himself
become int ensely full of lust ; a person who believes God t o be full of
anger will himself become int ensely full of anger ; a per son who
believes God t o be full of avarice will himself become int ensely full of
avarice; and a person who believes God t o be full of jealousy will
himself become int ensely full of jealousy; et c. In fact , what ever t ypes
of flaws a per son at t r ibut es t o God will ult imat ely cause miser y t o t he
The Vachanmr ut 37
per son himself just as a fist ful of sand t hr own at t he sun falls back
int o t he t hr ower s eyes. On t he ot her hand, if a per son r ealises God
t o be absolut ely flawless, t hen regardless of his own swabhvs, he
himself becomes absolut ely flawless as well.
7 Ther eaft er , Br ahmnand Swmi asked, Suppose t here is a
person whose indriyas are not drawn t owards any of t he vishays; nor
do vicious t hought s ar ise in his antahkaran . He also has absolut e
fait h in God. Despit e t his, t hough, a feeling of unfulfillment r emains,
and he feels despondent wit hin. What can be t he r eason for t his?
8 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, That is also a major deficiency in t he
devot ee; i.e., despit e t he fact t hat his mind has become st able and
despit e t he fact t hat he has int ensely fir m fait h in God, he st ill fails
t o experience profound happiness in his heart . Specifically, he does
not feel, I am ext r emely for t unat e and complet ely fulfilled, wher eas
ot her s in t he wor ld ar e const ant ly being t r oubled by lust , anger ,
avar ice, infat uat ion , ar r ogance, matsar , desir es and cr avings. They
are subject t o t he t hree t ypes of sufferings
i
day and night . As for me,
t he incar nat e for m of Pur ushot t am has compassionat ely r evealed His
own for m t o me. He has also fr eed me fr om lust , anger and all of t he
ot her vicious nat ur es. He has also placed me in t he company of
sdhus simila r t o Nrad and t he Sanak dik. Indeed, I am ver y
for t unat e. Failing t o t hink in t his manner , and failing t o r emain
ext r emely elat ed t hr oughout t he day is a major deficiency. In fact ,
such a devot ee is like a child who has been given a chintmani in it s
hand, yet derives no happiness from it because it does not realise t he
chintmanis value. Similar ly, t he major dr awback of t hat devot ee is
t hat despit e having at t ained Pur ushot t am Bhagwn, he does not feel
const ant elat ion wit hin by r ealising, I am complet ely fulfilled.
9 Moreover, when a fault is not iced in a devot ee, one should
t hink, His swabhv is such t hat it is not suit able in t he Sat sang
fellowship; nevert heless, he has at t ained satsang. Regar dless of what
he is like, he has st ill r emained in t he Sat sang fellowship. Sur ely,
t hen, his sanskrs fr om past lives or fr om t his ver y life must be
ext r emely favour able for him t o have at t ained t his satsang. Wit h

i
The t hr ee t ypes of suffer ings ar e adhidaiv (t hose caused by nat ur e and deit ies),
adhibhut (t hose caused by ot her men or animals), adhyt ma (t hose caused by
ones own mind)
The Vachanmr ut 38
t his under st anding, one should highly appr eciat e even such a
per sons vir t ues.
10 Aft er t his discour se, Shr iji Mahr j bid J ai Sachchidnand t o
everyone and ret urned t o His residence.
Ga d h a d I -25
Th e Flow of Twen t y P a i ls of Wa t er
1 On t he mor ning of Posh sudi 7, Samvat 1876 [23 December
1819], Shr iji Mahr j arrived at t he residence of t he paramhansas in
Dd Khchar s darbr in Gadhad. He was wear ing a whit e khes
and had cover ed Himself wit h a t hick, whit e cot t on clot h. He had
also t ied a whit e fet o ar ound His head. He was sit t ing facing east on
t he west er n ver anda. At t hat t ime, paramhansas as well as devot ees
fr om var ious places had gat her ed befor e Him.
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said out of compassion, A devot ee of
God who observes only swadharma does not feel complet ely fulfilled
wit hin his hear t . That feeling of fulfillment can only be at t ained by
t m -realisat ion and t he knowledge of Gods great ness. Moreover,
t he ext ent of t he deficiency in t hese t wo at t ribut es det ermines t he
exten t of t he deficiency in his exper ience of fulfillment . Ther efor e, a
devot ee of God should firmly cult ivat e t hese t wo qualit ies.
3 Mor eover , t he ext ent of t he deficiency r emaining in t hese t wo
fact or s also det er mines t he ext ent of t he hindr ances exper ienced
dur ing sam dhi. Recent ly, I gr ant ed sam dhi t o a devot ee in which
she saw int ense divine light . Seeing t hat light , she began t o scr eam;
she shout ed, Im bur ning! Ther efor e, even t hose who exper ience
sam dhi r equir e t m -realisat ion. If one does not realise ones own
self t o be t he t m and inst ead believes ones self t o be t he body,
much deficiency will r emain. I explained t o t hat devot ee, Your self is
t he t m , not t he body. You ar e not t his Ldkibi of t he Bht sub-
cast e. Rat her , your self is t he t m , which is unpier ceable and
uncut t able. I t hen placed her int o sam dhi again and t old her , Go
t o t he four-pet alled lot us at t he sit e of Ganapat i and behold your own
self t her e.
4 When a per son in sam dhi ent ers t he sit e of Ganapat i, t hat
per son hear s divine sounds and sees divine light . When he ent er s t he
The Vachanmr ut 39
higher sit e of Br ahm, he hear s louder sounds and sees br ight er
light . When he ent er s t he st ill higher sit e of Vishnu, he hear s even
louder sounds and sees even bright er light . In t his manner , as he
ent er s higher and higher locat ions, he hear s incr easingly louder
sounds and sees incr easingly br ight er light . As a r esult of t he
int ense divine light seen in sam dhi, and t he loud t hunderous sounds
t hat occur , even t he most r esolut e become t imid. For example,
despit e being a devot ee of God and despit e being ext remely brave,
Ar jun was st ill incapable of beholding Gods Vishwar up for m. He
t herefore pleaded, O Mahr j! I am incapable of beholding t his for m
of your s. Please gr ant me darshan of your for mer for m. Similar ly,
in sam dhi, when t hunder ing noises like t hose of an ent ir e
brahmnd exploding ar e hear d, and masses of int ense light like
overflowing oceans are seen, even t he brave lose t heir pat ience.
Ther efor e, one should underst and ones own self t o be dist inct from
t he body.
5 Sam dhi exper ienced in t his manner is achieved in t wo ways.
One is cont r olling t he prns t hr ough prnym, wher eby t he chit t is
also cont r olled. The ot her is by cont r olling t he chit t , wher eby t he
prns ar e also cont r olled. When is cont r ol over t he chit t achieved? It
is achieved when ones vrut t is are det ached from everyt hing else and
focused only on God. However, t hese vruttis can be focused on God
only when desires for everyt hing else are overcome and only a
singular desir e for t he for m of God r emains. Ther eaft er , t hose
vruttis will not be deflect ed from Gods form by any means
what soever . For example, if t went y pails of wat er ar e dr awn fr om a
well, and t he flow of wat er from each pail allowed t o flow in separat e
dir ect ions, t hen t her e would be lit t le for ce in each flow. However , if
t he flow of all t went y pails of wat er are combined, t hen t he result ant
flow would become ext remely powerful like t hat of a river and
would not be able t o be divert ed by any means what soever.
Similar ly, when a per sons vrut t is have become free of worldly
desir es, his chit t focuses only on Gods for m.
6 Conver sely, when a per son has desir es in his chit t for t he
pleasures of t he world, his vrut t i is widely disper sed among count less
t ypes of sounds via t he ear s. Similar ly, via t he skin, t he vrut t i is
dispersed among t housands of different t ypes of t ouch sensat ions; t he
vrut t i of t he eyes is dispersed among t housands of different t ypes of
t hings t o see; t he vrut t i of t he t ongue is dispersed among t housands
of different t ypes of t ast es; and t he vrut t i of t he nose is dispersed
The Vachanmr ut 40
among count less t ypes of smells. In t he same manner , t he vruttis of
his karma-indriyas are dispersed among t heir respect ive vishays in
t housands of differ ent ways. In t his way, via t he t en indriyas , his
antahkaran is dispersed in t housands of different ways. Only when
his chit t cont emplat es on God, and his man generat es t hought s of
God, and his buddhi est ablishes t he convict ion of God, and his
ahamkr har bour s t he consciousness, I am t he t m , and a devot ee
of God, can his desir e for God be known t o have become singular .
7 Alt er nat ively, t he cont r ol of t he chit t by cont r olling t he prns is
achieved by ashtng-yoga, which compr ises of eight st ages: yam ,
niyam , san , prnym, pratyhr, dhyn, dhrn and sam dhi.
This ashtng-yoga is a means, and it s fr uit is t he nirvikalp sam dhi
of God. When t his nirvikalp sam dhi is achieved, t he chit t is
cont r olled by cont r olling t he prns. On t he ot her hand, if t he chit t
focuses on God aft er becoming free of worldly desires, t hen t he prns
are cont rolled by cont rol of t he chit t . Ther efor e, just as t he chit t is
cont r olled by mast er ing ashtng-yoga, similar ly, t he chit t can also be
cont rolled by focusing on t he form of God. A devot ee whose chit t s
vrut t i becomes focused on t he form of God mast ers ashtng-yoga
wit hout even at t empt ing t o mast er it . Ther efor e, t he spir it ual
endeavours of t m -r ealisat ion and t he knowledge of Gods gr eat ness
t hat I have just descr ibed should be fir mly pr act ised.
8 Fur t her mor e, ones r eligious vows which ar e Gods
injunct ions should cer t ainly be obser ved. For example, t he dharma
of a Brhmin is t o bat he, lead a pure life and never drink even wat er
fr om a S hudras house. Similar ly, a satsangi should never falt er in
obser ving Gods injunct ions. Why? Because God will be pleased wit h
him if he behaves accor dingly.
9 Mor eover , a per son should ver y fir mly maint ain bot h t he
knowledge of Gods great ness as well as t he knowledge of t he t m
coupled wit h vairgya. He should also feel fulfilled by r ealising, Now
I have no deficiencies r emaining. Wit h t his under st anding, he
should const ant ly offer bhakti t o God. Having said t his t hough, he
should not get car r ied away in t he elat ion of t his under st anding. Nor
should he feel unfulfilled. If he does feel unfulfilled, t hen t he
blessings t hat have been showered upon him by God can be
consider ed as not having ger minat ed like a seed sown in saline soil.
Conver sely, if he get s car r ied away and begins t o behave waywar dly,
t hen t hat is like having t hr own a seed int o a fir e, which bur ns it .
The Vachanmr ut 41
Therefore, if one underst ands as I have explained, t hen no form of
deficiency will r emain what soever .
10 Aft er saying t his, Shr iji Mahr j r et ur ned t o His seat .
Ga d h a d I -26
A Gen u i n e Amor ou s Devot ee; Th e Ni r gu n St a t e
1 On t he aft ernoon of Posh sudi 11, Samvat 1876 [27 December
1819], Shr iji Mahr j was sit t ing on a lar ge, decorat ed cot on t he
Gadhad. He had t ied a whit e pgh ar ound His head. He was
wear ing a whit e khes and had cover ed Himself wit h a t hick, whit e
cot t on clot h. Two lar ge guldvadi flowers had been placed upon His
ears, and a t assel of flowers had been insert ed in His pgh. At t hat
t ime, while some paramhansas were singing devot ional songs t o t he
accompaniment of a t l and pakhwj, ot her paramhansas as well as
devot ees from various places had gat hered before Him in an
assembly.
2 Shr iji Mahr j t hen said, Now please st op singing and list en as
I sing a devot ional song in t he for m of a discour se.
3 The paramhansas said in r et ur n, Ver y well, Mahr j. Please
do.
4 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, If, while singing amor ous
devot ional songs, a per son is at t r act ed only by Gods for m, t hen t hat
is fine. But , being at t r act ed t o anyt hing except Gods for m
const it ut es a major deficiency. Why? Because just as t hat devot ee
develops affect ion for and is at t ract ed by sounds relat ed t o God, he
also develops affect ion for and is at t r act ed by wor ldly songs, musical
inst r ument s, t alks r elat ed t o women, et c. Such a devot ee should be
known t o lack wisdom. Thus, a per son who is at t r act ed t o an equal
ext ent by t he words of God and His S ant, and by worldly speech
should for sake such foolishness. Having for saken such foolishness,
he should experience happiness t hrough sounds and speech relat ed
only t o God. Such a person is a genuine amorous devot ee.
5 Fur t her mor e, just as t hat devot ee wishes for sounds relat ed
only t o God, he desires t he t ouch only of God. When he realises ot her
t ypes of t ouch t o be like t ouching a black cobr a or a blazing fir e, t hen
The Vachanmr ut 42
he is a genuine amor ous devot ee. Similar ly, if a person experiences
profound bliss on seeing God, realising everyt hing else t o be like a
pile of filt h or a decomposed dog, t hen he is a genuine amor ous
devot ee. Similarly, if a person experiences profound bliss on t ast ing
t he prasd of God, not enjoying t he var ious ot her t ypes of t ast es, t hen
he is a genuine amor ous devot ee. Fur t her mor e, such a devot ee
experiences profound bliss on smelling t ulsi, gar lands of flower s,
sandalwood past e, t he many var iet ies of fr agr ant per fumes, et c., t hat
have been offered t o God. He is not pleased on smelling t he perfume,
sandalwood past e, or garlands of flowers worn by mat erialist ic people.
In t his manner , a per son who has int ense love for God-relat ed
vishays and an int ense aversion for worldly vishays is a genuine
amor ous devot ee.
6 On t he ot her hand, a per son who becomes an amor ous devot ee
and yet der ives t he same pleasur e fr om ot her t ypes of sight s, sounds,
smells, t ast es and t ouch as he does from God-relat ed vishays is a
false amor ous devot ee. Why? Because he experiences t he same t ype
of joy from vishays as he does fr om God. Ther efor e, such
amor ousness and mode of wor ship should be for saken. Why?
Because it is not God who is at fault ; it is t he amorous devot ees
at t it ude t hat is at fault ; i.e., he has believed God t o be exact ly like
ot her object s. As a r esult , his bhakti and amorousness are flawed.
7 Now, just as I have descr ibed discr et ion in indulging in t he five
t ypes of vishays for t he sthul body in t he waking st at e, similar ly,
subt le vishays exist for t he sukshma body in t he dream st at e. A
devot ee may experience happiness from God-r elat ed sight s, sounds,
smells, t ast es and t ouch on seeing t he for m of God in his dr eam, but
if he also derives exact ly t he same pleasure on seeing ot her vishays in
his dream, then t hat devot ees amor ousness is false. If, on t he ot her
hand, a per son in his dr eam exper iences happiness only by
associat ion wit h God and feels an aversion for ot her vishays as if t hey
were vomit ed food, t hen he can be said t o be a genuine amorous
devot ee. If he does not experience t his, t hen alt hough t he form of God
seen in his dr eam is t r ue, t hat devot ees under st anding is flawed.
Why? Because he has equal love for God and for ot her vishays.
Thus, t r ue under st anding is t o r emain at t r act ed only t owar ds t he
form of God, and not t owards ot her vishays.
8 In t his way, when only t hought s of God r emain while
cont emplat ing, a st at e of void is at t ained wher ein, wit h t he except ion
The Vachanmr ut 43
of t he form of God, t hat devot ee does not perceive t he body or t he
brahmnd at all. Ther eaft er , while seeing t he for m of God wit hin
t hat void, divine light is generat ed, and t he form of God is seen
wit hin t hat light . So, affect ion t owar ds only t he for m of God in t his
manner is called fait hful bhakti.
9 In conclusion, Shr iji Mahr j added, When you sing amor ous
devot ional songs, I also close My eyes and t hink about just t his.
These t hought s of Mine may be simple, but not hing is able t o per sist
in t hose t hought s except God. In fact , so power ful ar e My t hought s
t hat if any vishay wer e t o come in t he way of t he amorous love t hat I
have for Gods for m, it would be decapit at ed. J ust as you sing
devot ional songs, I have also sung a devot ional song in t he form of
t his discour se, which I have shar ed wit h all of you t oday.
10 In t his way, using Himself as an example, Shr iji Mahr j
delivered t his discourse for t he benefit of His devot ees.
Ga d h a d I -27
Th e Un d er st a n d i n g by wh i ch God
Et er n a lly Resi d es wi t h i n On e
1 Before sunrise on Posh sudi 12, Samvat 1876 [28 December
1819], Shr iji Mahr j arrived at t he resident ial hall of t he
paramhansas i n Dd Khchar s darbr in Gadhad. Ther e, He sat
on a plat for m facing west . He had t ied a whit e fet o ar ound His head.
He had also cover ed Himself wit h a t hick, whit e cot t on clot h and was
wear ing a khes. At t hat t ime, an assembly of paramhansas had
2 Aft er a few minut es of cont emplat ion, Shr iji Mahr j said,
Ever yone wishes t o wor ship God, but t heir under st anding differ s.
But God fully resides in t he heart of a person who possesses t he
following under st anding: The ear t h r emains st able and t r embles; t he
st ar s r emain st eady in t he sky; t he r ains fall; t he sun r ises and set s;
t he moon appears and disappears, waxes and wanes; t he vast oceans
remain const rained wit hin t heir boundaries; a drop of liquid develops
int o a human possessing hands, feet , a nose, ear s and t he r est of t he
t en indriyas ; t he clouds, t hr ough which light ning st r ikes, float
unsuppor t ed in t he sky t hese and a count less var iet y of ot her
The Vachanmr ut 44
wonders are due only t o t he form of God t hat I have at t ained. Wit h
t his under st anding, he has t he convict ion t hat no one except t he
incar nat e for m of God is t he cause of t hese wonder s. He r ealises,
The count less wonder s which have occur r ed in t he past , t hose which
ar e cur r ent ly t aking place, and t hose which will occur in t he fut ur e
are all only due t o t he manifest form of God t hat I have at t ained.
3 Mor eover , he also has t he following under st anding: Even if
someone were t o t hrow dust on me, or wer e t o humiliat e me in any
way, or wer e t o seat me on a donkey aft er cut t ing off my nose and
ear s; or even if someone wer e t o honour me by seat ing me on an
elephant all t hese sit uat ions would be equal for me. Such a devot ee
views a beaut iful young woman, an unat t r act ive woman and an old
woman wit h equalit y; he t reat s a heap of gold and a pile of st ones
wit h equalit y; he also possesses count less noble vir t ues such as gnn,
bhakti, vairgya, et c. God et er nally r esides in t he hear t of such a
devotee.
4 Consequent ly, by t he grace of God, t hat devot ee at t ains
count less t ypes of powers and liberat es count less beings. Despit e
t hese power s, t hough, he t oler at es t he pr aises and insult s of ot her
people. This it self is also a great feat , because t o t olerat e despit e
being so powerful is not easy for ot hers t o achieve. Therefore, one
who t olerat es in t his manner should be considered t o be ext remely
gr eat .
5 The power s of such a per son ar e such t hat since it is God who
sees t hrough his eyes, he empowers t he eyes of all of t he beings in t he
brahmnd; and since it is God who walks t hr ough his legs, he is also
capable of endowing t he st rengt h t o walk t o t he legs of all of t he
beings in t he brahmnd. Thus, since it is God who r esides in all of
t he indriyas of such a S ant, t hat S ant is able t o empower t he
indriyas of all beings in t he brahmnd. Ther efor e, such a S ant is
t he sust ainer of t he wor ld. His gr eat ness lies in t he fact t hat he
t olerat es t he insult s delivered even by insignificant people. Only
t hose who are forgiving in t his manner should be considered t o be
ext r emely gr eat .
6 On t he ot her hand, t hose who t hr eat en and fr ight en t hose
meeker t han t hemselves and believe, I have become gr eat , ar e not
t r uly gr eat . In fact , t hose people in t his wor ld who fr ight en ot her s by
showing yogic powers should not be considered t o be devot ees of God;
r at her , t hey ar e beings lost in m y and suit able only for Yampur i.
The Vachanmr ut 45
Their gr eat ness is limit ed t o t he wor ldly r ealm. For example, in
societ y, a per son wit h one horse is considered t o be great er t han
someone wit h no hor ses at all; wher eas a per son wit h five hor ses is
considered t o be great er t han someone wit h only one horse. In t his
way, t he wealt hier a person is, t he great er he is considered t o be in
societ y. However , such a per son is not gr eat in t he spir it ual r ealm.
7 Cont inuing, Shr iji Mahr j said, Householder s and r enunciant s
who believe, This woman is ver y beaut iful; t hese clot hes ar e
ext r emely fashionable; t his house is ver y nice; t his gour d is ver y nice
and t his ut ensil is ver y nice ar e all pet t y-minded. Then you may ask
whet her such people will at t ain liber at ion or not . Well, in t his
Sat sang fellowship, even t he wr et ched at t ain liber at ion. However ,
t he former persons never develop t he virt ues of a sdhu, or t he noble
vir t ues of t he S ant pr eviously descr ibed. Why? Because t hey have
not become suit able for such nobilit y.
8 Aft er deliver ing t his discour se, Shr iji Mahr j bid J ai
Sachchidnand t o all and r et ur ned t o His r esidence in Dd
Khchar s darbr.
Ga d h a d I -28
A Smou ld er i n g Log; P r ogr essi n g a n d Regr essi n g
t he room in line wit h t he r oom of Shr i Vsudevnr ya n i n Dd
Khchar s darbr in Gadhad. He was dr essed ent ir ely in whit e
clot hes. At t hat t ime, t he sdhus had sat down t o eat in His
presence.
2 Thereupon Shr iji Mahr j said, When a satsangi is likely t o
r egr ess in t he Sat sang fellowship, vicious desir es st eadily flour ish
wit hin him. At fir st , he begins t o per ceive flaws in all of t he
satsangis day by day. In his hear t , he feels, All of t hese satsangis
lack under st anding; only I have t r ue under st anding. In t his way, he
consider s himself t o be super ior t o all. Such a per son r emains
const ant ly uneasy, day and night . He cannot sit peacefully anywher e
dur ing t he day; nor can he sleep at night . Mor eover , his anger never
subsides. In fact , he const ant ly smoulder s like a half-bur nt log. A
The Vachanmr ut 46
person who behaves in t his manner should be known t o be on t he
ver ge of falling out of Sat sang. No mat t er how many days he spends
in Sat sang, he will never exper ience peace in his hear t ; ult imat ely,
he will fall fr om Sat sang.
3 Conver sely, when a per son is likely t o pr ogr ess in Sat sang, pur e
desir es st eadily flour ish wit hin him. Day by day, he sees only vir t ues
in all of t he satsangis . He views all devot ees as superior t o himself
and consider s himself t o be insignificant . Mor eover , he exper iences
t he bliss of Sat sang in his hear t 24 hour s a day. Such char act er ist ics
indicat e t hat pur e desir es have flour ished. In fact , t he mor e such a
per son pr act ises satsang, t he mor e he benefit s; and event ually, he
at t ains profound gr eat ness.
Sachchidnand t o all and r et ur ned t o His seat .
Ga d h a d I -29
I n t en si fyi n g t h e For ce of Dh a r ma , Gn n ,
Va ir gya a n d Bh a k t i;
Pr r a bd h a , Gr a ce a n d P er son a l En d ea vou r
1 On t he evening of Posh sudi Punam, Samvat 1876 [31 December
veranda out side t he west -facing r ooms of Dd Khchar s darbr in
Gadhad. He was wear ing a whit e khes and had covered Himself
wit h a t hick, whit e cot t on clot h. He had also t ied a whit e pgh
ar ound His head. He was wear ing gar lands of whit e flower s, and
t assels of whit e flower s wer e dangling fr om His pgh. At t hat t ime,
an assembly of sdhus as well as devot ees from various places had
2 Shr iji Mahr j t hen said, Please ask a quest ion.
3 Thereupon Goplnand Swmi asked, How can t he for ce of
bhakti coupled wit h dharma, gnn and vairgya be int ensified?
4 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, Ther e ar e four means t o accomplish
t his: One is a pur e place, t he second is an auspicious t ime, t he t hir d
is pious act ions, and t he fourt h is t he company of a holy person
1
. Of
t hese, t he influence of act ions is slight , wher eas t he influences of
The Vachanmr ut 47
place, t ime and company ar e mor e power ful. Why? Because, if a
place is pure, and t he t ime is pure and one also keeps t he company of
a sdhu like your self, t hen act ions will nat ur ally be pur e as well.
Conver sely, if a place is impur e like t he region of Sindh, if t he t ime
is impure, and if one also keeps t he company of prost it ut es and
pervert ed people, or of t hose who consume alcohol and meat , t hen
act ions will cer t ainly be impur e as well. Ther efor e, one should st ay
where t here is a pure place and should abandon by what ever means
necessar y a place wher e t he t ime has become unfavour able. One
should keep t he company of devot ees of God as well as t he company of
t he S ant who is a knower of Brahma and who observes t he five
r eligious vows
4
. As a result , a devot ees bhakti for God gains
t r emendous vigour . This is t he answer t o your quest ion.
5 Ther eaft er Mukt nand Swmi asked, Mahr j, init ially a
devot ee may be ver y impur e at hear t , but he lat er becomes ext r emely
pur e. Is t his due t o his pr evious sanskrs, t he grace of God or t he
devot ees personal endeavours?
6 Shr iji Mahr j explained, The good or bad t hat occurs due t o
ones previous sanskrs is apparent t o everyone in t he world. For
inst ance, t he case of Bhar at ji becoming at t ached t o a deer can be
underst ood t o be due t o prrabdha. Or if a poor person were t o
r eceive a lar ge kingdom, t hen ever yone would come t o know of it .
That should be known as prrabdha.
7 Then, nar r at ing His own st or y, Shr iji Mahr j cont inued, Now,
consider ing t he spir it ual endeavour s I had per for med, it is
inconceivable t hat My body should sur vive such aust er it ies, yet even
in t hose cir cumst ances it did sur vive. That can be consider ed t o be
due t o prrabdha. What wer e t hose cir cumst ances? Well, while
st aying in Pur ushot t ampur i, I spent many mont hs sur viving mer ely
on air. On one occasion, I allowed My body t o be carried away by a
r iver t hat was t hr ee t o four gus wide. Dur ing t he wint er , summer
and monsoon, I st ayed wit hout any shelt er what soever , wear ing only
a loinclot h. I also used t o wander in t he jungle amongst wild animals
such as t iger s, elephant s and wild buffaloes. I t r avelled in count less
such ar duous condit ions, yet My body did not per ish. In t hese
sit uat ions, one should consider prrabdha t o be responsible.
8 Now consider t he son of t he Brhmin na med Sndipani who
was saved fr om narak and also five-year -old Dhr uvji, t o whom t he
meanings of t he Vedas and ot her script ures were spont aneously
The Vachanmr ut 48
revealed when he began t o ut t er t he pr aises of God. In t hese
sit uat ions, as well as when ones mind is pur ified by t he wish of God,
or by His gr ace, or by t he gr ace of His Ekntik S ant who has been
pleased by ones ext remely pure sent iment s t he influence of Gods
gr ace should be consider ed t o be responsible.
9 If one keeps t he company of a pious sdhu and becomes
vir t uous t hr ough ones own t hought s, t hen t hat is known as per sonal
endeavour .
10 Having said t his, Shr iji Mahr j bid J ai Sachchidnand t o t he
assembly and r et ur ned t o His seat laughing.
Ga d h a d I -30
Th ou gh t s t h a t Lea ve a La st i n g I mp r essi on
1 On Posh vadi 1, Samvat 1876 [1 J anuar y 1820], Shr iji Mahr j
was sit t ing on a large, decorat ed cot on t he veranda out side t he room
facing nor t h, in line wit h t he mandir of Shr i Vsudevnr yan in
and had cover ed Himself wit h a whit e cot t on clot h. He had also t ied
a whit e fet o ar ound His head. Ar ound His neck wer e gar lands of
whit e flowers, and t assels of whit e flowers were dangling from bot h of
His ear s. He was also wear ing a st r ing of whit e flower s ar ound His
wr ist s. At t hat t ime, while some munis were singing devot ional
songs, ot her munis as well as devot ees from various places had
gat her ed befor e Him in an assembly.
2 Shr iji Mahr j t hen request ed, Please begin a quest ion -answer
dialogue.
3 Ther eupon Dinnt h Bhat t asked, Mahr j, at t imes,
t housands of t hought s
i
arise, yet t hey do not leave a last ing
impr ession in t he mind. At ot her t imes, however , only an
insignificant t hought ar ises, yet it leaves a st r ong impr ession on t he
mind. What is t he r eason for t his? Also, by what means can a
devot ee er adicat e such dist ur bing t hought s?

i
Her e t hought s should be int er pr et ed as wor ldly t hought s and desir es, such as
t hought s of indulging in sense pleasur es.
The Vachanmr ut 49
4 Shr iji Mahr j answer ed, The reason is t he influence of t he
gunas. Thought s occur r ing when t amogun is pr edominant induce a
st at e similar t o t hat of deep sleep. Therefore t hose t hought s do not
leave a last ing impr ession in t he mind. When sattvagun pr evails,
one exper iences a st at e of awar eness; so, any dist ur bing t hought s
t hat occur at t hat t ime ar e dispelled by cont emplat ion. Ther efor e,
t hose t hought s do not leave a last ing impr ession eit her . However ,
t hought s t hat ar ise when rajogun is prevalent do leave a last ing
impr ession in the mind. Ther efor e, t he r eason some t hought s do
leave a last ing impression in t he mind and ot hers do not is due t o t he
prevalence of t he various gunas.
5 If an int elligent per son r eflect s on t his mat t er and examines his
t hought s whenever t hey ar ise, he will be able t o recognise which
guna is pr edominant in him at t hat par t icular t ime. However , subt le
t hought s t hat ar ise r epeat edly fr om moment t o moment cannot be
gr asped by anyone. At t he most , someone int elligent like your self
may be able t o discer n t wo, t hr ee, or four of t he mor e super ficial
t hought s t hat ar ise dur ing t he cour se of a day.
6 So, if a per son examines t he pr edominant guna under whose
influence his t hought s ar ise and cont emplat es on and imbibes t he
spir it ual discour ses which t ake place in Sat sang, t hen t he power of
pr act ising satsang is such t hat any dist ur bing t hought s ar ising
under t he influence of t he gunas ar e dispelled. Ther eaft er , becoming
fr ee fr om all doubt s, he is able t o cont inuously concent r at e on t he
for m of God. Wit hout satsang, however, even if he endeavours in a
million ot her ways, dist ur bing t hought s and t he influence of rajogun
and t he ot her gunas will not be eradicat ed. Therefore, if someone
sincer ely pr act ises satsang and reflect s upon and t ries t o imbibe t he
discour ses r elat ing t o God, t hen his vile t hought s ar e er adicat ed. In
t his manner , t he influence of satsang is ext r emely power ful. In fact ,
no ot her spir it ual endeavour can compar e wit h satsang. Why?
Because t hought s which cannot be er adicat ed by any ot her spir it ual
endeavour can be r emoved by engaging in satsang. Ther efor e, one
who wishes t o rid t he mind of base t hought s relat ed t o rajogun
should sincer ely pr act ise satsang by t hought , word and deed. As a
result , t hose t hought s will be eradicat ed due t o t he power of satsang.
The Vachanmr ut 50
Ga d h a d I -31
Gr e a t n e s s I s Du e To F a i t h
1 On t he evening of Posh vadi 2, Samvat 1876 [2 J anuar y 1820],
Shr iji Mahr j was sit t ing on a cushion wit h a cylindr ical pillow t hat
had been placed on t he east -facing ver anda out side His r esidence in
Dd Khchar s darbr in Gadhad. He was dr essed ent ir ely in
whit e clot hes.
2 At t hat t ime, Yognand Muni asked, Mahr j, suppose t here
are t wo devot ees of God. One observes nivrut t i and does not hurt
anyone ver bally. The ot her , however , is const ant ly ser ving God and
His Bhakta by offer ing food, clot hes, flower s, et c. In doing so,
however , he may occasionally hur t someone ver bally. Of t hese t wo
devot ees, who is bet t er ?
3 Shr iji Mahr j did not answer t he quest ion immediat ely;
inst ead, He called for Mukt nand Swmi and Br ahmnand Swmi.
He had t hem list en t o t he quest ion, and t hen r equest ed, Please
answer t his quest ion.
4 Bot h Mukt nand Swmi and Br ahmnand Swmi t hen
answer ed, The devot ee who may ver bally hur t someone, but ser ves
God and t he S ant is bet t er . On t he ot her hand, t he one who obser ves
nivrut t i wit hout hur t ing anyone and is t her eby unable t o ser ve God
and t he S ant, should be known t o be feeble. The devot ee who serves
ot her s can be descr ibed as having bhakti; t hus, t he devot ee wit h
bhakti is t he bet t er of t he t wo.
5 Shr iji Mahr j confir med, The answer you have given is
cor r ect . He t hen added, It is a major dr awback if one not ices some
negligible flaw and subsequent ly bears an aversion t owards a person
who possesses such bhakti and implicit ly abides by t he injunct ions of
God. A person who perceives flaws in t his way may also perceive
flaws in God, who has assumed a human for m for t he pur pose of
gr ant ing liber at ion t o t he jivas; he may also perceive flaws in t he
profoundly great devot ees of God.
6 Mor eover , just because such a per son alleges such fault s in God
or His S ant, does t hat render t he avat rs of God or t he S ant
incapable of grant ing liberat ion? They are indeed capable of gr ant ing
liberat ion. However, one whose int ellect is dist ort ed always
negat ively misint er pr et s t hings. For example, Shishupl always
maint ained, The Pndavs are bast ards; and because all five of t hem
The Vachanmr ut 51
have t he same wife, t hey ar e also immor al. Kr ishna is also a
scoundr el, because fr om t he moment he was bor n, fir st he killed a
woman, t hen he killed a cr ane, and t hen he killed a calf. He is
known as Madhusudan not because he killed a demon named Madhu,
but because he dest r oyed honeycombs. J ust because t hose bast ard
Pndavs wor ship him, does t hat make him God? In t his manner ,
Shishupl, wit h his demonic int ellect , perceived flaws in God and His
devot ees. However, t hose who were devot ees of God did not do so in
any way. Ther efor e, one who perceives flaws should be known t o
have a demonic int ellect .
7 Hear ing t his, Yognand Muni r emar ked, But Mahr j, we do
not perceive flaws in t he great devot ees of God; we merely perceive
flaws in ordinary devot ees.
8 Shr iji Mahr j said in r et ur n, A devot ees gr eat ness or
smallness is not measur ed t he way you seem t o under st and it .
Great ness is due t o ones fait h in t he manifest form of God and t he
obser vance of His commands. However gr eat a per son may be in
wor ldly mat t er s, if he lacks t hese t wo at t r ibut es t hen he is st ill
or dinar y.
9 Besides, t he gr eat ness which I have just descr ibed is pr esent
t oday in all of t he devot ees in our Sat sang fellowship. Why? Because
all of t he devot ees here realise, We have at t ained
Pur ushot t am Bhagwn who t r anscends even Akshar in a
manifest for m; and t hus we have become fulfilled. Realising t his,
t hey offer bhakti t o t he manifest form of God while following His
commands. Ther efor e, on seeing some insignificant per sonal
peculiar it y in such a devot ee, one should not per ceive flaws in him.
Moreover, if a person does have a habit of doing so, his int ellect
becomes demonic.
Ga d h a d I -32
A Nest a n d a St a k e
1 On t he mor ning of Posh vadi 3, Samvat 1876 [3 J anuar y 1820],
Shr iji Mahr j was sit t ing on a lar ge, decor at ed cot on t he ver anda
out side t he west -facing r ooms of Dd Khchar s darbr in Gadhad.
He was wear ing a whit e khes and had t ied a whit e pgh ar ound His
The Vachanmr ut 52
head. He had also cover ed Himself wit h a whit e cot t on clot h.
Sandalwood past e had been applied t o His forehead. He was wearing
a garland of whit e flowers, and t assels of whit e flowers were dangling
fr om His pgh. At t hat t ime, while some munis wer e singing
devot ional songs, ot her munis as well as devot ees from various places
had gat her ed befor e Him in an assembly.
2 Shr iji Mahr j t hen said, Please list en, I have a quest ion t o
ask.
3 Thereupon t he munis and devot ees said, Mahr j, please ask.
4 Aft er t hinking for quit e some t ime, Shr iji Mahr j said, In t his
world, a mat er ialist ic individual who is at t ached t o t he vishays
cannot sur vive wit hout indulging in t hem. Mor eover , just as t hat
non -believer indulges in vishays, similarly, a devot ee of God also
indulges in vishays. However , t he t wo ar e differ ent . In what way?
Well, t he mat er ialist ic per son, who is at t ached t o t he vishays, enjoys
only wor ldly vishays, whereas for a devot ee of God, list ening t o
discourses of God is t he only vishay for his ear s; t ouching t he holy
feet of God or t ouching t he holy dust from t he feet of t he S ant is t he
only vishay for his skin; doing darshan of God or t he S ant is t he only
vishay for his eyes; t aking t he prasd of God and singing His praises
are t he only vishays for his t ongue; and smelling t he flower s and
ot her object s which have been offered t o God is t he only vishay for his
nose. In t his manner , t her e is a differ ence bet ween t he vishays t hat
a non -believer indulges in and t hose t hat a devot ee indulges in.
5 Fur t her mor e, just as a devot ee cannot st ay wit hout indulging
in t he vishays, even et ernally liberat ed muktas such as Nrad and
t he Sanak dik cannot st ay wit hout indulging in t hem. Alt hough
t hey r emain in sam dhi for long per iods of t ime, aft er emer ging fr om
sam dhi, t hey also indulge in vishays in t he for m of discour ses,
t alks, devot ional songs, et c., relat ed t o God.
6 For example, bir ds leave t heir nest s t o gat her food, but aft er
gat her ing t heir food, t hey always r et ur n t o t heir r espect ive nest s at
night t o r est . Never do t hey for get t heir own nest s and r et ur n t o
anot her bir ds nest . Similar ly, aft er feeding on discour ses, t alks,
devot ional songs, et c., relat ed t o God, devot ees of God also ret urn t o
t heir own nest in t he for m of God t o r est . Again, animals, bir ds and,
in fact , all cr eat ur es, r et ur n t o t heir r espect ive homes t o r est aft er
feeding. People also t ravel far and wide for t heir work, but only when
t hey r et ur n t o t heir own home do t hey r est peacefully.
The Vachanmr ut 53
7 Now based on t he analogies t hat I have just nar r at ed, I ask all
t he devot ees: J ust as a non -believer is at t ached t o worldly vishays
and is unable t o live wit hout t hem for even a single moment ,
similar ly, aft er becoming fir mly at t ached t o t he vishays in t he for m
of t he shravan , manan , et c., of t he t alks and discour ses r elat ed t o
God, have you also become at t ached t o and engr ossed in t hem, or not ?
Also, just as a bird ret urns t o it s nest aft er feeding, do all of you also
ret urn t o rest in your nest , t he form of God, aft er feeding on feed in
t he for m of discour ses, devot ional songs, et c., r elat ed t o God? Or, do
you rest elsewhere?
8 Fur t her mor e, cat t le t hat ar e domest icat ed r et ur n t o t heir st ake
in t he evening aft er gr azing in t he out skir t s of t he village, wher eas
st r ay cat t le do not r et ur n t o t heir st ake. A st r ay cow, aft er gr azing
in someones field, sit s wher ever it wishes. Ther e, someone may beat
it , or if a t iger comes, it may even at t ack t he cow. Now, do you
r et ur n t o your st ake like t he domest icat ed cat t le, or like t he st r ay
cat t le, do you sit down t o rest anywhere aft er gr azing in someone
elses field? Let t he senior s amongst you answer t hese quest ions
aft er due deliberat ion.
9 Ther eupon, all of t he munis and devot ees replied individually,
Mahr j, we have indeed become at t ached t o discourses, devot ional
songs, et c., relat ed t o God. Moreover, except for t he nest and st ake in
t he for m of Gods for m, we do not st ay anywher e else. Hear ing t heir
r eply, Shr iji Mahr j became ext remely pleased.
10 Towar ds t he end of t he aft er noon on t hat same day, Shr iji
Mahr j was seat ed facing t he mandir of Shr i Vsudevnr yan on a
large, decorat ed cot under t he neem t ree in t he cent re of Dd
Khchar s darbr. At t hat t ime, while some munis wer e singing
devot ional songs, ot her munis as well as devot ees from various places
11 Shr iji Mahr j t hen request ed, Now please begin a quest ion -
answer dialogue.
12 Ther eupon Dinnt h Bhat t and Br ahmnand Swmi asked, At
t imes, a devot ee of God is able t o blissfully engage in t he worship and
remembr ance of God, and is able t o concent r at e on His for m. At
ot her t imes, however , he is dist ur bed wit hin and is unable t o
exper ience t he bliss of wor ship and r emembr ance. What is t he
r eason for t his?
The Vachanmr ut 54
13 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, He has not mast er ed t he t echnique of
beholding t he form of God.
14 Hear ing t his, Mukt nand Swmi asked, What is t hat
t echnique?
15 Shr iji Mahr j explained, The t echnique is as follows: Differ ent
gunas ent er t he antahkaran at different t imes. When sattvagun
pr evails, t he antahkaran is pur e, and one can pleasant ly engage in
wor ship and r emembr ance of Gods for m. When rajogun pr evails,
t he antahkaran becomes pollut ed and many dist ur bing t hought s
ar ise, making it difficult t o engage in wor ship and r emembr ance.
When t amogun pr evails, no t hought s ar ise in t he antahkaran at all.
Therefore, a person engaged in worship should learn t o recognise t he
pr evailing guna and should medit at e on t he form of God whenever
sattvagun pr evails. When t amogun pr evails, no t hought s ar ise at
all, and on e experiences a feeling of empt iness. One should not
at t empt t o medit at e on God in such condit ions. When rajogun
pr evails, many dist ur bing t hought s ar ise. Ther efor e, one should not
at t empt t o medit at e on God at t hat t ime eit her . On such occasions,
one should t hink, I am dist inct fr om t hese t hought s. In fact , I am
t he knower of t hese t hought s. Fur t her mor e, Pur ushot t am Bhagwn
is for ever pr esent wit hin me as antarym i. Only when t he for ce of
rajogun subsides should one medit at e on t he form of God.
16 However , one should not become deject ed on not icing t he many
t hought s which ar ise when rajogun pr evails. Aft er all, t he
antahkaran is like a small child, or a monkey, or a dog, or like a
per son who plays wit h a child. The nat ur e of t he antahkaran is such
t hat it r emains fidget y for no r eason what soever . Ther efor e, one who
wishes t o medit at e on God should not become disheart ened on seeing
t he dist ur bing t hought s t hat ar ise in t he antahkaran . Mor eover , t he
t hought s ar ising in t he antahkaran should not be accept ed as being a
part of oneself; inst ead, t he antahkaran should be regarded as being
dist inct fr om oneself. Thus, one should believe ones t m t o be
dist inct and engage in t he worship of God.
The Vachanmr ut 55
Ga d h a d I -33
Bli n d Fa i t h , Love a n d Un d er st a n d i n g
1 On t he evening of Posh vadi 5, Samvat 1876 [5 J anuar y 1820],
Shr iji Mahr j was sit t ing facing east on a lar ge, decor at ed cot on t he
veranda out side t he room next t o t he mandir of Shr i Vsudevnr yan
i n Dd Khchar s darbr in Gadhad. He was wear ing a whit e
khes and had cover ed Himself wit h a whit e cot t on clot h. He had also
t ied a deep orange ret o ar ound His head. At t hat t ime, an assembly
of munis as well as devot ees from various places had gat hered befor e
Him.
2 Ther eupon Mukt nand Swmi asked, The scr ipt ur es have
described innumerable spirit ual endeavours t o please God; but
amongst t hem all, which one is so power ful t hat it alone ear ns as
much pleasur e of God as is ear ned by per for ming all spir it ual
endeavour s combined? Please r eveal it t o us.
3 Shr iji Mahr j began by saying, Please list en as I t ell you t he
one spirit ual endeavour by which God can be pleased. He t hen
cont inued, Accept ing t he fir m r efuge of God is t he single, gr eat est
endeavour amongst all spir it ual endeavour s for pleasing God. That
r efuge, t hough, must be ext r emely fir m and wit hout any flaws.
4 This r efuge can be of t hr ee t ypes. One way of having t he r efuge
of God is wit h blind fait h. If a person has int ense blind fait h, t hen
even if someone such as Br ahm were t o at t empt t o deflect him from
his refuge, he would not be deflect ed.
5 The second t ype is firm refuge of God t hat is cult ivat ed out of
love. Even if a person possessing profound love for God forces
himself, he does not become at t r act ed t o any object ot her t han God.
This is known as firm refuge produced out of profound love.
6 The t hir d t ype is wit h under st anding. A per son who has
profound int elligence underst ands t he sagun-nirgun and anvay-
vyatirek aspect s of God. He underst ands t he ent it ies t hat have been
creat ed by Gods m y, as well as t he ways of Gods avat rs on ear t h.
He also underst ands how, at t he t ime of t he creat ion of t he cosmos,
God behaves as Akshar , how God behaves as Pr akr ut i-Pur ush, how
God behaves as Vir t -Pur ush, and how God behaves as Br ahm and
ot her prajpatis. He also compr ehends how God wor ks t hr ough
Nrad, t he Sanak dik and ot hers for t he purpose of grant ing
liberat ion t o t he jivas. He under st ands all t hese met hods. Mor eover ,
The Vachanmr ut 56
he realises t hat Pur ushot t am Bhagwn t r anscends ever yt hing and is
absolut ely unaffect ed. He who has such an insight is said t o have a
firm refuge of God using his int elligence. If someone t ries t o dissuade
him, or even if he t r ies t o dissuade himself, such a refuge never
diminishes. Also, r egar dless of whet her God aft er assuming a
human for m exhibit s His divine power s or act s power less, such a
per sons int ellect would not har bour any doubt s.
7 Ther eaft er , Shr iji Mahr j said, If you allow Me, I wish t o ask a
quest ion.
8 Mukt nand Swmi said, Mahr j, please do ask.
9 Ther eupon, Shr iji Mahr j asked, Of t he t hr ee inclinat ions I
have just descr ibed t o you, which is your inclinat ion? Aft er all,
alt hough a combinat ion of all t hr ee inclinat ions is gener ally pr esent
in all devot ees of God, t he inclinat ion t hat is predominant is said t o
be t he inclinat ion t hey possess. So, of t he t hree blind fait h, love
and under st anding which is your inclinat ion?
10 Mukt nand Swmi and Br ahmnand Swmi bot h r eplied, Our
inclinat ion is of under st anding.
11 Ther eaft er , t he ot her sdhus also st at ed t heir own inclinat ions.
| | Vachanmr ut Gadhad I-33 | |
Ga d h a d I -34
Set t in g t h e Wor ld in Mot ion
1 On t he mor ning of Posh vadi 11, Samvat 1876 [11 J anuar y
1820], Shr iji Mahr j was sit t ing facing sout h on a lar ge, decor at ed
cot on t he veranda out side t he west -facing r ooms of Dd Khchar s
darbr in Gadhad. He was wear ing a whit e khes and had covered
Himself wit h a t hick, whit e cot t on clot h. He had also t ied a whit e
pgh ar ound His head and was wear ing gar lands of flower s as well.
Tassels of flower s and silken t hr eads wer e dangling fr om His pgh,
and bunches of flowers had also been placed upon bot h of His ears.
At t hat t ime, some munis were singing devot ional songs t o t he
accompaniment of musical inst r ument s, while ot her munis as well as
satsangis fr om var ious places had gat her ed befor e Him in an
assembly.
The Vachanmr ut 57
2 Then Shr iji Mahr j said, Please st op t he devot ional songs and
begin a question -answer dialogue.
3 Ther eupon Br ahmnand Swmi asked, God is t he haven of all
bliss, and He t r anscends ever yt hing, yet t he jivas vrut t i does not
become at t ached t o Him. Inst ead, it s vrut t i becomes at t ached t o
wor ldly object s t hat ar e wor t hless and per ishable. What is t he
r eason for t his?
4 Mukt nand Swmi at t empt ed t o give an answer , but was unable
t o do so sat isfact or ily.
5 So Shr iji Mahr j said, Please list en as I answer t hat quest ion.
Since t he day God cr eat ed t his wor ld, He has set it in mot ion in such
a manner t hat He will not have t o t oil again. In fact , He has devised
it in such a way t hat pr ocr eat ion occur s aut omat ically. Men
nat urally develop affect ion for women, women nat urally develop
affect ion for men, and bot h nat urally develop affect ion for t heir
offspr ing. That is Gods m y in t he for m of affect ion. The vrut t i of
one who is not swept away by t he flow of t hat m y r emains focused
on t he form of God. So, a devot ee of God develops vairgya by
maint aining an aver sion for wor ldly object s. Fur t her mor e, knowing
God t o be absolut ely blissful, he keeps his vrut t i focused on God. If,
however, one does not cult ivat e vairgya t owards worldly object s and
becomes dist anced from t he form of God, t hen even great muktas
such as Shiv, Br ahm, Nr ad, et c., would be swept away by t hose
wor ldly object s. For t his r eason, if one for sakes God and keeps t he
company of wor ldly object s, t hen ones vrut t i will most cer t ainly
become at t ached t o t hose worldly object s. Therefore, devot ees of God
should not keep affect ion for anyt hing ot her t han God.
6 Ther eaft er Shr iji Mahr j said, Now it is Mukt nand Swmis
t ur n t o ask a quest ion, so please ask.
7 Mukt nand Swmi t hen asked, It is ext r emely difficult for a
person t o at t ain God. Moreover , t her e is no gr eat er benefit and no
gr eat er bliss t han at t aining God. Why, t hen, do people for sake such
immense bliss and st r ive agonisingly for wor t hless object s? That is
t he quest ion.
8 Shr iji Mahr j said, Her e, I shall answer t hat . When one
ignor es t he injunct ions of God and begins t o st r ay away fr om t hem,
one suffer s. On t he ot her hand, if one act s accor ding t o t hose
injunct ions, one will exper ience t he t r ue bliss of God. So, in fact , one
The Vachanmr ut 58
suffer s only t o t he ext ent t hat one t r ansgr esses t he injunct ions of
God. Ther efor e, r enunciant s should live accor ding t o t he injunct ions
t hat have been pr escr ibed for r enunciant s, and householders should
live accor ding t o t he injunct ions t hat have been pr escr ibed for
householder s. One suffer s t o t he ext ent that one lapses in observing
t hese injunct ions. Only when a r enunciant obser ves eight -fold
r enunciat ion of women is his vow of brahmacharya considered
complet e. He suffer s t o t he ext ent t hat he deviat es fr om t his.
Brahmacharya has also been pr escr ibed for householder s. For t hem,
brahmacharya const it ut es shunning all women except t heir wives,
abst inence fr om sexual r elat ions wit h ones wife on days of
obser vance, and engaging in sexual r elat ions only dur ing appr opr iat e
t imes. Whosoever deviat es fr om t hese and t he ot her niyams t hat
have been pr escr ibed for r enunciant s and householder s, suffer s
accor dingly.
9 Therefore, t he happiness and misery experienced by a non -
believer is det ermined by his own karmas. As for a devot ee of God,
what ever miser y he suffer s is due t o negligence in obser ving Gods
injunct ions for t he sake of wor t hless object s; and what ever happiness
he does experience is a result of following t he injunct ions of God.
Ga d h a d I -35
Sa fegu a r d i n g On es Li ber a t i on
1 On Posh vadi 12, Samvat 1876 [12 J anuar y 1820], Swmi Shr i
Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing facing east on a lar ge, decor at ed
cot under t he neem t ree in front of t he mandir of Shr i
2 Addressing t he munis , Shr iji Mahr j said, Eit her you ask Me
a quest ion, or I shall ask you a quest ion.
3 Thereupon t he munis said, Mahr j, please ask.
4 Shr iji Mahr j t hen said, Suppose t here is a person who,
despit e having lit t le int elligence, does not falt er when it comes t o
safeguar ding his own liber at ion. On t he ot her hand, t her e is anot her
per son who is ver y int elligent ; so much so t hat he can point out
The Vachanmr ut 59
mist akes even in gr eat men. But he does not walk on t he pat h of
liber at ion. What is t he r eason for t his?
5 The munis at t empt ed t o answer , but as Shr iji Mahr j r aised
doubt s, t hey wer e unable t o do so sat isfact orily.
6 Shr iji Mahr j t hen said, Her e, allow Me t o answer . Such a
per son may be highly int elligent , but his int ellect is pollut ed. As a
r esult , he is unable t o walk on t he pat h of liber at ion. For example,
suppose t here is some t ast y buffalo-milk in which skar has been
dissolved. Now if a snakes venom wer e t o fall in it , t hen t hat same
milk and skar would become poisonous. Ther eaft er , whoever dr inks
it would die. Similar ly, such a per son may be highly int elligent , but
he has perceived a flaw in t he great S ant or God. This dr awback, in
t he for m of per ceiving a flaw, has ent er ed his mind and is compar able
t o t he snakes venom. So how can he possibly walk on t he pat h of
liber at ion? In fact , even if someone wer e t o list en t o his t alks, t he
list ener s mind would also fall back fr om Sat sang. Mor eover ,
wher ever a per son possessing such a pollut ed int ellect t akes bir t h, he
always maligns God or His devot ees. Conversely, a person whose
int ellect is not pollut ed in t his manner , even if he has lit t le
int elligence, does not falt er in safeguar ding his own liber at ion.
7 Ther eupon Mukt nand Swmi asked, Mahr j, can one wit h
such a pollut ed int ellect ever t ur n t owar ds God?
8 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, No, he never t ur ns t owar ds God.
9 Mukt nand Swmi asked fur t her , Mahr j, please t ell us how
we can avoid developing such a demonic int ellect .
10 Shr iji Mahr j explained, If a person does not keep t he following
four swabhvs wit h God or His S ant, t hen his int ellect will never
become demonic: fir st , anger ; second, ar r ogance; t hir d, jealousy; and
four t h, deceit . If, however, he keeps even one of t hese four, t hen his
int ellect will become demonic just like J ay and Vijay. Despit e
being wise, t heir int ellect became demonic because t hey were
arrogant t owards t he Sanak dik. Consequent ly, bot h fell fr om
Vaikunt h.
11 Fur t her mor e, when a per sons int ellect becomes demonic, even
t he virt ues of God and His devot ees appear as fault s t o him.
Wher ever such a per son t akes bir t h, he eit her becomes an at t endant
of Shiv or t he king of some demons and wor ships God t hr ough
animosit y.
The Vachanmr ut 60
Ga d h a d I -36
A Tr u e Ren u n ci a n t , Ba sed on
t h e Exa mp le of a P a u p er
1 On Posh vadi 13, Samvat 1876 [13 J anuar y 1820], Shr iji
Mahr j was sit t ing on a lar ge, decor at ed cot on t he plat for m under
t he neem t ree in front of t he mandir of Shr i Vsudevnr yan in Dd
clot hes, wit h garlands of whit e and yellow flowers ador ning His neck.
Bunches of whit e flowers were placed on bot h of His ears, and a t assel
of yellow flower s was dangling fr om His pgh. A chhoglu made fr om
red karnikr flowers had also been placed in His pgh. Also, He was
playing wit h a ball of whit e flower s wit h His r ight hand. To t he joy
of t he devot ees He sat ador ned in such a char ming fashion. At t hat
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, How should one view a person
who has renounced worldly life and accept ed t he garb of a
r enunciant , yet st ill har bour s affect ion for asat object s, i.e., object s
ot her t han t he form of God? He should be viewed t o be like a pauper
before a great t ycoon . Suppose t here is a pauper who has no clot hes
t o wear and feeds himself by scavenging for scraps of food from piles
of gar bage. Not only does he consider himself t o be a sinner , but
ot her wealt hy people also consider him t o be a sinner . They pr esume,
He must have commit t ed many sins; t hat is why he has no food or
clot hes. Similar ly, aft er becoming a r enunciant , a person who
collect s nice clot hes and ot her pleasant object s wit h a st r ong cr aving
for t hem, but does not have affect ion for dharma, gnn, vairgya and
bhakti is considered by t he gr eat Ekntik S ant t o be a sinner just like
t he pauper . Why? Since he is a sinner , he does not have love for
dharma, gnn, vairgya and bhakti; inst ead, he has affect ion for
object s ot her t han God.
3 However , for a t r ue r enunciant bot h dirt and gold are equal.
Mor eover , a r enunciant never makes dist inct ions by t hinking, This
object is pleasant , and t his object is unpleasant . He never has such
an under st anding; inst ead, he has affect ion only t owar ds God. Only
such a per son is a t r ue r enunciant .
The Vachanmr ut 61
Ga d h a d I -37
At t a ch men t t o On es Na t i ve P la ce; Eleven Hon ou r s
1 On Posh vadi 14, Samvat 1876 [14 J anuar y 1820], Shr iji
Mahr j was sit t ing facing west on a lar ge, decor at ed cot under t he
neem t ree in front of t he mandir of Shr i Vsudevnr ya n in Dd
Khchar s darbr in Gadhad. He was wear ing a whit e pgh, fr om
which hung a t assel of yellow flowers. Bunches of whit e flowers had
also been placed upon bot h of His ears, and a garland of yellow and
whit e flower s ador ned His neck. He was wear ing a whit e khes and
had cover ed Himself wit h a whit e cot t on clot h. At t hat t ime, an
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, One who lacks pr oper
underst anding cannot abandon his feelings of affect ion for his
bir t hplace even t hough he has r enounced t he wor ld. So saying, He
showed ever yone t he scar on His t high wher e He had been hur t by
t he st ump of a t r ee dur ing His childhood. Shr iji Mahr j t hen
cont inued, Whenever I see t his scar , t hat t r ee and t hat lake
immediat ely spr ing t o mind. So you see, it is ext r emely difficult t o
for get ones bir t hplace and r elat ives fr om wit hin. Now I would like
t hose amongst you who do not r emember t heir bir t hplace and bodily
relat ions t o confess. For t hose who do not speak up out of shame,
confess in t he holy name of Shr i Nar nr yan.
3 All t he munis subsequent ly r evealed t heir own sit uat ion.
4 Aft er list ening t o t hem, Shr iji Mahr j said, If one believes
oneself t o be t he t m , wher e is t he bir t hplace of t hat t m ? Who
are t he relat ives of t hat t m ? Of what gender is t hat t m ?
Mor eover , if you wish t o maint ain r elat ionships wit h your r elat ives,
t hen you should also maint ain r elat ionships wit h all of t he r elat ives
t hat you have had t hr oughout your pr evious lives in t he cycle of 8.4
million life for ms
3
. Fur t her mor e, if one wishes for t he liberat ion of
ones r elat ives, t hen one should wish t he same for all. However , just
as upon beginning t his human life t he par ent s of t he pr evious 8.4
million life for ms have all been for got t en due t o ignor ance, similar ly
t he parent s of t his human body should be for got t en t hr ough
knowledge.
The Vachanmr ut 62
5 As for Me, I have no affect ion t owards any of My relat ives.
Mor eover , a per son may be ser ving Me, but if t her e is no bhakti for
God in his hear t , I cannot develop a liking for him even if I t r y.
Even if he is as vir t uous as Nr adji, if he lacks bhakti for God, I do
not like him.
6 On t he ot her hand, t her e is a per son who has bhakti for God in
his hear t . He under st ands t hat t he manner in which t he incar nat e
for m of God r esides on t his ear t h, and t he manner in which t he
devot ees of God remain in t he vicinit y of God is exact ly how t hey
r emain when tyantik-pralay occur s. He also under st ands t hat God
and His devot ees et ernally possess a form; but never does he
under st and t hem t o be for mless, r egardless of any Vednt a scr ipt ur e
he may hear . Fur t her mor e, he r ealises t hat t her e is no ot her all-doer
in t his world besides t hat God, and he also realises t hat wit hout God,
even a dry leaf cannot be st irred.
7 A per son wit h such fir m convict ion t hat God has a for m, even if
he is an or dinar y per son, is st ill dear t o Me [1]
i
. Kl [2], karma [3]
and m y [4] ar e unable t o administ er t heir power over him. In fact ,
God Himself impar t s any punishment t hat he is t o r eceive, but no
one else has any aut hor it y over him. On t he ot her hand, I have no
r espect for a per son wit hout such a convict ion, even if he happens t o
have t he vir t ues of r enunciat ion and vairgya. However, a person
wit h fir m fait h in God in his hear t never loses his convict ion t hat
God has a form; nor does he ever underst and God t o be formless like
a mass of light , r egar dless of how many scr ipt ur es he may hear or
t he company he may keep. A S ant wit h such a convict ion is so
highly respect ed by Me t hat even I place t he dust of his feet on My
head [5]. In My mind, I am afr aid of har ming him [6], and I also
long t o have his darshan [7].
8 A per son wit hout such a convict ion at t empt s t o at t ain liber at ion
using t he st r engt h of his own spir it ual endeavour s, but he does not
st rive for it by relying on t he grace of God. Such a senseless person
is as foolish as someone wishing t o cross t he ocean wit hout t he aid of
a ship, by his own effor t s. Conver sely, one who wishes for liber at ion

i
These number s indicat e t he 11 honour s best owed upon t he S at purush, as
indicat ed in t he t it le.
The Vachanmr ut 63
t hr ough t he gr ace of God is wise [8], like one who wishes t o cr oss t he
ocean wit h t he help of a ship.
9 Aft er leaving t heir body, all t hose wit h such knowledge of Gods
for m at t ain a for m of chaitanya in t he abode of God and forever
r emain in His ser vice in His pr esence [9]. But if a per son has
endeavour ed wit hout having such a convict ion , t hen he will go t o
dwell in t he realms of ot her deit ies.
10 In fact , t he darshan of such a t r ue Bhakta of God is equivalent
t o t he darshan of God Himself [10]. He is so gr eat t hat his darshan
alone can r edeem count less wr et ched jivas [11].
11 Having deliver ed t his discour se, Shr iji Mahr j t hen r equest ed,
Now please sing a devot ional song.
Ga d h a d I -38
A Mer ch a n t s Ba la n ce Sh eet
1 On t he evening of Mah sudi 1, Samvat 1876 [16 J anuar y 1820],
Shr iji Mahr j was sit t ing on a small mat t r ess which had been
placed on t he ver anda out side t he st ables in Dd Khchar s darbr
in Gadhad. He was wear ing a whit e khes and had t ied a whit e, red-
bordered fet o ar ound His head. He was also wear ing a r ichly
embroidered angarkhu and had cover ed Himself wit h a t hick, whit e
cot t on clot h. At t hat t ime, an assembly of sdhus as well as devot ees
2 Aft er glancing at all of t he devot ees, Shr iji Mahr j t hought for
a consider able lengt h of t ime and said, Please list en, I have
somet hing t o say. He t hen cont inued, Fr om t he t ime a satsangi
ent er s t he Sat sang fellowship, he should examine his mind by
t hinking, In t he fir st year , my mind was like t his; t hen it was like
t his. Pr eviously, I had t his much desir e for God and t his much
desir e for t he wor ld. In t his manner , he should r epeat edly r eflect on
t his year ly t ot al of desir es and always st r ive t o gr adually, yet
const ant ly er adicat e all wor ldly desir es t hat r emain in his mind. If,
however , he does not int r ospect in t his manner and allows t hose
desir es t o accumulat e, t hen t hey will never be over come. Consider ,
for example, t he analogy of opening an account wit h a mer chant . If
one set t les ones debt s t o him r egular ly on a mont hly basis, t hen it
The Vachanmr ut 64
would not be difficult t o repay t he debt . But if one wait s t o pay unt il
t he end of t he year, it would be ext remely difficult t o set t le t he
account . Likewise, one should int r ospect const ant ly.
3 In r ealit y, t he mind is sat urat ed wit h desires for t he world.
But , in t he manner in which sesame seeds ar e imbued wit h scent by
padding t hem bet ween alt er nat ing layer s of flower s, t he mind should
be similar ly sat ur at ed wit h flower s in t he for m of t he const ant
r emembr ance of Gods divine act ions and incident s coupled wit h an
under st anding of His gr eat ness. The mind should const ant ly be
ent angled in a web in t he form of t hese divine act ions and incident s of
God, and t hought s of God should be const ant ly conceived in t he mind.
As one t hought subsides, anot her t hought should be conceived. As
t he second subsides, a t hir d should be conceived. In t his manner , t he
mind should not be left idle. Saying t his, Shr iji Mahr j nar r at ed
t he example of t he ghost in det ail.
4 Ther eaft er, He cont inued, Even if one begins t o recall t he divine
incident s, discour ses and darshan of God of just one day in t his
manner , t her e would be no end t o t hem. If t hat is so, t hen t her e
would cer t ainly be no end t o t hem for one who has passed t en to
fift een year s in Sat sang.
5 These divine act ions and incident s should be recalled in t he
following manner : Mahr j and t he paramhansas held an assembly
in t his village, in t his manner ; puja was offer ed t o Mahr j in t his
manner ; and discour ses t ook place in t his manner , et c. Those divine
incident s of God should be recalled over and over again. Moreover,
for one who does not under st and much, t his is cer t ainly t he best
met hod. In fact , t her e is no ot her met hod like it .
6 Then you may say, We wish t o t ake very lit t le food and wish t o
obser ve many fast s. But I do not st r ess t hose met hods. One should
abide by t hose met hods as best as one can according t o ones given
niyams. But what is t r uly t o be done is what I have just descr ibed t o
you.
7 Ther eaft er , Shr iji Mahr j said, I believe t hat t he mind should
be fr ee of wor ldly desir es. No mat t er how much pravrut t i a person
may do physically, if his mind is pur e, t hen he cannot be
ser iously har med even t hough out war dly, in societ y, a per son
engaged in pravrut t i appears t o be discredit able. On t he ot her hand,
if a per sons mind is full of wor ldly desir es and he super ficially
behaves as if he is pr act ising nivrut t i, t hen he may appear
The Vachanmr ut 65
r espect able in societ y, but his jiva will suffer sever ely. Why?
Because at t he t ime of deat h, it is t hose t hought s t hat ar e in ones
mind t hat spr ing for t h, just like t he fawn spr ang for t h in Bhar at jis
mind dur ing his last moment s. As a r esult , he became a deer in his
next life, even t hough he had originally renou nced a kingdom and
Rushabhdev Bhagwn was his fat her . Ther efor e, t o r emain fr ee of
wor ldly desir es ment ally is My pr inciple. By obser ving fast s, t he
mind does become weak along wit h t he body, but when t he body
becomes r obust again, t he mind becomes r obust as well. Ther efor e,
ment al r enunciat ion is r equir ed along wit h physical r enunciat ion. In
fact , one whose mind ent er t ains t hought s of God but not t hought s
r elat ing t o t he wor ld should be consider ed eminent in our Sat sang
fellowship. Conversely, t hose who do not do t his, ar e infer ior .
8 Fur t her mor e, a householder should engage in wor ldly act ivit ies
physically, but ment ally just like t he r enunciant he should also
remain free of worldly desires and should cont emplat e on God. Also,
he should engage in social act ivit ies accor ding t o t he command of
God. Mor eover , if ment al r enunciat ion is not genuine r enunciat ion,
t hen what about King J anak, whose mind was like t hat of a gr eat
yogi mast er despit e r uling a kingdom? Ther efor e, only r enunciat ion
which is cult ivat ed ment ally is appr opr iat e.
9 Shr iji Mahr j t hen explained, If impur e t hought s ar ise in ones
mind, one should r eveal t hem. But , as t he saying goes,
Only a dog would lick a dogs face; or C H ,

i
; or when a mar r ied woman goes t o a widow, t he widow
says, Come, lady. May you also become like me similar ly, t o
reveal ones t hought s t o a person who also experiences impure
t hought s like oneself is like t he afor esaid examples. To whom, t hen,
should one r eveal ones impur e t hought s? Well, one should r eveal
t hem t o a per son who is so st r ong-willed t hat no impur e t hought s
r elat ing t o t he wor ld ar ise in his mind. However , t her e may be many
who do not exper ience such t hought s. So, out of t hose, one should
reveal ones impure t hought s t o a person who denounces t hose

i
S arpne gher parono sp, mukh cht ine valiyo p.
When a snake becomes a guest t o anot her snake, as t he host is also a snake and
will have not hing t o offer , t he guest -snakes r ewar d will be not hing mor e t han
an oppor t unit y t o lick t he host s face.
The Vachanmr ut 66
t hought s aft er list ening t o t hem and who cont inues t o denounce t hem
in all of ones act ivit ies, i.e., while eat ing, dr inking, sit t ing, st anding,
et c. unt il t hey ar e er adicat ed fr om ones mind. Mor eover , t hat
person should have t he same det erminat ion t o eradicat e ot hers
impur e t hought s as he has t o r emove his own. One should r eveal
ones impur e t hought s t o such a per son. But if t he per son t o whom
one r eveals ones impur e t hought s does not counsel in t his manner
and is himself car eless, t hen what can one gain fr om him?
Ther efor e, aft er r evealing ones impur e t hought s in t his way and
er adicat ing t hem, one should cont inuously har bour t hought s only of
God and become free from all desires for t he pleasures of t he world.
10 Ther eaft er , Shr iji Mahr j said, What ar e t he char act er ist ics of
observing a fast on t he day of Ek dashi? Well, t he t en indriyas and
t he mind, t he elevent h, should be wit hdr awn fr om t heir r espect ive
vishays and at t ached t o God. That is considered as having observed
Ekdashi. In fact , devot ees of God should engage in t his observance
cont inuously. In compar ison, if a per son whose mind is not fr ee fr om
wor ldly desir es in t his way engages in obser vances and aust er it ies
physically, he does not benefit ver y much. Ther efor e, obser ving his
own dharma and under st anding Gods gr eat ness, a devot ee of God
should maint ain a const ant effor t t o fr ee his mind of wor ldly desir es.
11 Shr iji Mahr j t hen explained, A t r ue r enunciant is one whose
mind never ent er t ains a desir e for object s t hat he has alr eady
renounced. J ust as one harbours no desire for faeces once t hey have
been excr et ed, similar ly, no desir e ar ises for r enounced object s; t hus
t he r elat ed ver se which Nr adji nar r at ed t o Shukji: =
...+
i
. The essence of t hat ver se is: Renouncing all object s except
t he t m , one should behave only as t he t m and wor ship God.
Such a per son can be called a per fect r enunciant . Fur t her mor e,
householder devot ees shou ld behave in t he manner of King J anak,
who said, Alt hough my cit y of Mit hil is bur ning, not hing of mine is
bur ning. Thus t he ver se: ||u|=| + |+|=| = |- | +
i i
. A
householder devot ee wit h t his t ype of underst anding, even t hough he

i
Tyaja dharmam-adharmam cha| |
Mahbhr at : Shnt i-par va, Moksh-dh ar ma 33.40
i i
Mithilym pradeeptym na me dahyati kinchana| |
Mahbhr at : Shnt i-par va, Moksh-dhar ma 18.40
The Vachanmr ut 67
may possess a house, is a t rue devot ee. One who is not such a
r enunciant or such a householder is called a pseudo-devot ee, whereas
one who does behave as described above should be known as an
ekntik bhakta.
12 Ther eaft er , Mot t mnand Swmi asked Shr iji Mahr j,
What ar e t he char act er ist ics of t he jivt m , which is dist inct fr om
t he body, t he indriyas , t he antahkaran and t heir pr esiding deit ies?
13 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, I shall answer t hat quest ion in br ief.
The jiva is t he speaker t hat elaborat es on t he nat ure of t he body, t he
indriyas , et c., and explains t heir nat ur es separ at ely t o t he list ener .
That speaker also endorses t he body, indriyas , et c.; it is t he knower
and is dist inct fr om all of t he above t hat is called t he jiva. Also, t he
list ener , which under st ands t he for ms of t he body, indriyas , et c., as
being dist inct , which endor ses t hem, which knows t hem and which is
dist inct fr om t hem all is also known as t he jiva it self. This is t he
met hod of underst anding t he nat ure of t he jiva. Shr iji Mahr j
spoke in t his manner .
Ga d h a d I -39
Th ose P ossessi n g t h e Ni r vi k a lp or Sa vi k a lp St a t e
1 On Mah sudi 3, Samvat 1876 [18 J anuar y 1820], Shr iji
Mahr j was sit t ing on a lar ge, decor at ed cot on t he plat for m under
t he neem t ree in front of t he mandir of Shr i Vsudevnr yan in Dd
Khchar s darbr in Gadhad. He was wear ing a whit e khes and
had cover ed Himself wit h a whit e cot t on clot h. He had also t ied a
whit e pgh ar ound His head, fr om which t assels of yellow flowers
were dangling. Bunches of whit e and yellow flowers had been placed
upon His ears, and He was also wearing garlands of yellow flowers
ar ound His neck. At t hat t ime, an assembly of munis as well as
devot ees fr om var ious places had gat her ed befor e Him.
2 Shr iji Mahr j t hen asked a quest ion t o a Vednt i Brhmin who
was sit t ing in t he assembly, You claim t hat in r ealit y only Br ahma
exist s. Fur t her mor e, you say t hat wit h t he except ion of t hat
Br ahma, jivas, ishwars, m y, the world, t he Vedas, t he Shst r as
and t he Pur ns ar e all illusor y. I can neit her under st and t his
concept of your s, nor can I accept it . Ther efor e, please answer what I
The Vachanmr ut 68
ask you, and do so by cit ing only t he Vedas, t he Shst r as, t he
Pur ns, t he Smr ut is or t he It ihs scr ipt ur es. If, however , you r eply
quot ing t he wor ds of some inaut hent ic scr ipt ur e, t hen I will not
accept your answer . But , since I have absolut e fait h in t he wor ds of
Vysji, I will be able t o accept your r eply if you r eply quot ing his
wor ds.
3 The Vednt i t hen at t empt ed t o r eply using var ious ar gument s,
but because Shr iji Mahr j r aised doubt s, t he quest ion r emained
unanswered.
4 Ther eupon, Shr iji Mahr j said, Please list en as I answer t hat
quest ion Myself. There are t wo differen t st at es of t hose who have
become muktas by wor shipping God. For example, a per son st anding
at op Mount Mer u sees ever yt hing in t he vicinit y of Mer u dist inct ly
t he ot her mount ains, t r ees, as well as t he gr ound t hat suppor t s t he
mount ains and t he t r ees. Similar ly, t hose enlight ened muktas who
have at t ained savikalp sam dhi see jivas, ishwars, m y, and t heir
suppor t er , Br ahma, as being dist inct fr om each ot her . A per son
st anding at op Mount Lok lok, however , sees ever yt hing in t he
vicinit y of Mount Loklok t he ot her mount ains and t r ees, et c. as
being one wit h t he ground, but he does not see t hem as being
dist inct . Similar ly, t hose gr eat muktas who have at t ained nirvikalp
sam dhi see jivas, ishwars and m y as being one wit h Br ahma
but t hey do not see t hem as dist inct ent it ies.
5 In t his way, t her e ar e t wo differing st at es of muktas , and it is
due t o t heir differing st at es t hat everyt hing is viewed as being eit her
satya or asat ya. The words of t hose who have at t ained t he savikalp
st at e ar e not ed in t he Vedas, t he Shst r as, t he Pur ns, et c., and t hey
describe all of t hose ent it ies as being sat ya. However , t he wor ds of
t hose who have at t ained t he nirvikalp st at e describe all of t hose
ent it ies as being asat ya. In r ealit y, however , t hey ar e not asat ya.
They are only described as being asat ya because t hey cannot be seen
due t o t he influence of t he nirvikalp st at e.
6 For example, t her e is no night for a per son sit t ing in t he char iot
of Sur ya; but for t hose on ear t h, t her e is bot h day and night .
Similar ly, fr om t he viewpoint of a per son who has at t ained t he
nirvikalp st at e, all of t hose t hings do not exist , wher eas accor ding t o
ot her s, t hey do exist . So, if one int er pr et s Br ahma in t his manner ,
t hen t her e will never be any cont ext ual inconsist encies in t he
st at ement s of t he scr ipt ur es; but if one does not , t hen inconsist encies
The Vachanmr ut 69
will ar ise. Fur t her mor e, if a per son, wit hout having under st ood
t hese inconsist encies and wit hout having at t ained t hat nirvikalp
st at e, r elying solely on wor ds lear ned fr om t he scr ipt ur es, pr opound
t he exist ence of Br ahma alone, claiming t hat t he gur u, t he disciple,
jivas, ishwars, m y, t he wor ld, t he Vedas, t he Pur ns, t he Shst r as
ar e all imaginar y, t hen he is ext r emely foolish. Ult imat ely, such a
person will be consigned t o narak.
7 Having answer ed t he quest ion, Shr iji Mahr j ended by asking
t he Brhmin, Now, if you have any doubt s in what I have just said,
please say so.
8 Thereupon t he Vednt i Brhmin replied, O Mahr j, O Lor d, O
Swmi! You are God, and You have manifest ed for t he liberat ion of
t he ent ir e wor ld. The explanat ion You have given is of cour se
pr ecise. Ther e is no r oom for any doubt what soever . So saying, he
became ext r emely pleased, and for saking his misconcept ions, he
became a disciple of Shr iji Mahr j.
Ga d h a d I -40
Sa vik a lp a n d Nir vik a lp Sa m dh i
1 In t he ear ly hour s of Mah sudi 4, Samvat 1876 [19 J anuar y
1820], Shr iji Mahr j was sit t ing on a lar ge, decor at ed cot on the
plat form under t he neem t ree in front of t he mandir of Shr i
wear ing a whit e khes and had cover ed Himself wit h a whit e cot t on
clot h. He had t ied a whit e pgh ar ound His head, fr om which hung a
t assel of yellow flowers. Also, He was wearing a garland of yellow
flower s ar ound His neck. At t hat t ime, an assembly of munis as well
as devot ees from various places had gat hered before Him.
2 Ther eupon Mukt nand Swmi asked Shr iji Mahr j, Mahr j,
what is savikalp sam dhi, and what is nirvikalp sam dhi?
3 Shr iji Mahr j answered, If a person who has become engrossed
in t he form of God does not have any impure desires, but does have
some pure desires for example, I wish t o become like Nr ad, t he
Sanakdik and Shukji, or I wish t o go t o t he her mit age of
Nar nr yan and st ay wit h t he munis t her e t o per for m aust er it ies, or
I wish t o go t o Shwet dwip and become like a mukt a of Shwet dwip by
The Vachanmr ut 70
per for ming aust er it ies t hen such a per son is said t o be in savikalp
sam dhi. On t he ot her hand, one who does not ent er t ain such
t hought s and having at t ained t he at t r ibut es of Akshar br ahma,
r emains engr ossed only in t he for m of God, is said t o be in nirvikalp
sam dhi.
4 Ther eaft er , Mukt nand Swmi asked again, Mahr j, what is
t he difference bet ween bhakti and upsan ?
5 Shr iji Mahr j replied,
|-| |- |-|| --| +|
- |-= =||+
i

To wor ship God in t hese nine ways is known as bhakti.
6 Upsan can be defined as having a fir m convict ion t hat God
et ernally possesses a form. Even if a person becomes brahmarup,
t hat convict ion would never disappear. Moreover, even if he happens
t o list en t o scr ipt ur es pr opounding t he view t hat God is for mless, he
would st ill underst and God t o always have a form. Regardless of
what is ment ioned in t he scr ipt ur es, he would only pr opound t hat
God has a for m, never allowing his own upsan t o be refut ed. One
who has such a fir m under st anding is consider ed t o possess
upsan .

i
S hravanam keertanam vishnoho smaranam pda-sevanam|
Archanam vandanam dsyam sakhyam-tmanivedanam| |
This ver se list s t he nine ways of offer ing bhakt i t o God: (1) shr avan list ening t o
spir it ual discour ses or devot ional songs r elat ed t o God; (2) keer t an singing or
t alking about God; (3) smar an r emember ing God; (4) pda-sevan ser ving
Gods holy feet ; (5) ar chan anoint ing God wit h sandalwood past e, et c.;
(6) vandan bowing befor e God; (7) dsya behaving as a ser vant of God;
(8) sakhya behaving as a fr iend of God; (9) t manivedan uncondit ionally
offer ing oneself and all of ones belongings t o God wit h absolut e submission.
Shr imad Bhgwat : 7.5.23
The Vachanmr ut 71
Ga d h a d I -41
Ek oh a m Ba h u Sy m
Shr iji Mahr j was sit t ing on a lar ge, decor at ed cot on t he plat for m
under t he neem t r ee near t he mandir of Shr i Vsudevnr yan in
whit e clot hes. He was also adorned wit h garlands of yellow flowers.
Bunches of yellow flowers had been placed upon His ears, and t assels
of yellow flower s wer e dangling fr om His pgh. At t hat t ime, an
2 Then Shr iji Mahr j said, Please engage in a quest ion -answer
dialogue.
3 Ther eupon Nr usinhnand Swmi asked, Mahr j, many
pundit s and Vednt is in t he wor ld int er pr et t he Vedic ver se |
-=| +|==
i
t o mean: The one God present at t he t ime of
dissolut ion Himself t akes t he for m of all jivas and ishwars by His
own will. But t his belief can only be accept ed by someone who is a
fool. We have accept ed Your refuge, so t his belief does not make
sense in our minds. Our under st anding is t hat God is indivisible,
and t hat He does not divide and assume t he forms of various jivas
and ishwars. Ther efor e, we can only fully under st and t he meaning of
t his ver se if You explain it t o us.
4 Shr iji Mahr j t hen explained, The meaning of t hat Vedic ver se
is not as t hey int er pr et it t o be. In fact , it has a differ ent meaning
alt oget her. In t he prose port ion of t he Vedst ut i, it is st at ed:
- -|||=|| |||:| - -=|
---|--=- - -| |-
i i

i
Ekoham bahu sym prajyeya
Chhndogya Upanishad: 6.2.3
i i
S vakruta-vichit ra-yonishu vishanniva het ut ay
Taratamatash-chakssyanalavat svakrutnukrutihi|
Shr imad-Bhgwat : 10.87.19
The Vachanmr ut 72
This means: Pur ushot t am Bhagwn cr eat es and ent er s t he var ious
t ypes of life for ms as t heir cause and as t heir antarym i, and He
inspir es t hem t o a gr eat er or lesser degr ee.
5 Mor e specifically, at t he t ime of cr eat ion, Pur ushot t am
Bhagwn who t r anscends even Akshar inspir es Akshar . As a
r esult , Pur ush manifest s fr om Akshar . Aft er ent er ing Akshar ,
Pur ushot t am ent er s Pur ush, and in t he for m of Pur ush, inspir es
Pr akr ut i. In t his way, as Pur ushot t am successively ent er ed t he
var ious ent it ies, t he act ivit ies of cr eat ion t ook place. Ther eaft er ,
Pradh n-Pur ushes wer e pr oduced fr om Pr akr ut i-Pur ush. Fr om
Pradh n-Pur ush, mahat t at t va was pr oduced. Fr om mahat t at t va,
t he t hree t ypes of ahamkr wer e pr oduced. Fr om ahamkr, t he
bhuts, t he vishays, t he indriyas , t he antahkarans and t heir pr esiding
deit ies wer e pr oduced. Fr om t hose, Vir t -Pur ush was pr oduced.
Fr om t he lot us ext ending fr om his naval, Br ahm was produced.
Fr om t hat Br ahm, Mar ichi and ot her prajpatis were produced.
Fr om t hem, Kashyap and ot her prajpatis wer e pr oduced. Fr om
t hem, Indr a and ot her deit ies, t he demons, and all of t he mobile and
immobile cr eat ion wer e produced.
6 Pur ushot t am Bhagwn ent ers and dwells in all of t he above as
t heir cause and antarym i. However , He does not manifest in
Pr akr ut i-Pur ush t o t he ext ent He manifest s in Akshar ; and He does
not manifest in Pr adh n-Pur ush t o t he ext ent t hat He manifest s in
Pr akr ut i-Pur ush; and He does not manifest in mahat t at t va and t he
rest of t he 24 element s
2
t o t he ext ent t hat He manifest s in Pr adh n-
Pur ush; and He does not manifest in Vir t -Pur ush t o t he ext ent t hat
He manifest s in t he 24 element s; and He does not manifest in
Br ahm t o t he ext ent t hat He manifest s in Vir t -Pur ush; and He
does not manifest in Mar ichi and ot her s t o t he ext ent t hat He
manifest s in Br ahm; and He does not manifest in Kashyap t o t he
ext ent t hat He manifest s in Mar ichi and ot her s; and He does not
manifest in Indr a and t he ot her deit ies t o t he ext ent t hat He
manifest s in Kashyap; and He does not manifest in human beings t o
t he ext ent t hat He manifest s in Indr a and t he ot her deit ies; and He
does not manifest in animals t o t he ext ent t hat He manifest s in
human beings. In t his manner , Pur ushot t am Bhagwn r esides in
all t o a great er or lesser degree as t heir cause and antarym i.
7 For example, fir e is lat ent wit hin wood. Lar ge fir e r esides in
lar ge pieces of wood, long fire resides in a long piece of wood, and
The Vachanmr ut 73
warped fire resides in a warped piece of wood. In a similar way,
Pur ushot t am Bhagwn manifest s in var ious ent it ies wit h var ious
degrees of power according t o t he t ask t o be accomplished t hrou gh
t hat ent it y.
8 Pur ushot t am Bhagwn also r esides in Akshar , Pr akr ut i-
Pur ush and ot her s as t heir antarym i. However , because of t he
difference in t he capacit ies of t hose ent it ies, t here is a difference in
t heir power . So, in fact , t her e is only one Pur ushot t am Bhagwn,
and it is He who ent er s all and r esides in t hem as antarym i. But ,
He does not Himself become t he jivas and ishwars by assuming
many for ms. This is how t hat Vedic ver se should be int er pr et ed.
Ga d h a d I -42
Th e Ob ser va n ce of t h e Mor a l Dos a n d Don t s
1 On Mah sudi 6, Samvat 1876 [21 J anuar y 1820], Shr iji
Mahr j was sit t ing facing west on a lar ge, decor at ed cot on t he
plat form under t he neem t ree in front of t he mandir of Shr i
Vsudevnr yan in Dd Khchar s darbr in Gadhad. He had t ied
a whit e pgh ar ound His head. He had also cover ed Himself wit h a
whit e cot t on clot h and was wear ing a whit e khes. Bunches of yellow
flowers had been placed upon bot h of His ears. At t hat t ime, an
2 Also seat ed in t he assembly were some Vednt i Brhmins.
Seeing t hem, Shr iji Mahr j said, Those who st udy or list en t o t he
Vednt a scr ipt ur es claim, The mor al dos and dont s ar e false; swarg
and narak, which ar e at t ained by obser ving t hem ar e also false; t he
disciples who at t ain t hem ar e false; and t he gur u is false as well.
Br ahma per vades ever yt hing and it alone is sat ya. But wit h what
underst anding do t hose who speak in t his manner pr opound t his?
3 In act ual fact , t he chrya of all Vednt is, Shankar chr ya,
had his own disciples keep a st aff and a gourd. He also enforced,
One should r ecit e t he Bhagwad Git and t he Vishnu-sahasr anm;
one should perfor m puja of Vishnu; t hose who ar e young should bow
down t o t hose who are senior in age; and one should beg for alms only
from t he house of a pious and pure Brhmin. So, because
The Vachanmr ut 74
Shankar chrya propounded t he observance of various moral dos
and dont s in t his way, can you claim t hat he did not have complet e
gnn? Have t hose who claim t o have r ecent ly at t ained gnn and
have falsified t he observance of t hese dos and dont s become great er
t han Shankar chr ya? Act ually, it seems as if t hey ar e speaking out
of absolut e foolishness.
4 In r ealit y, t hose mor al dos and dont s t hat have been falsified in
t he scr ipt ur es can be under st ood t hr ough t he following example: If a
large ship set s out t o sea for a year, t hen neit her t he shoreline ahead
nor t he shor eline behind can be seen. In fact , even huge mount ains
on eit her shoreline cannot be seen, so how can t rees or people possibly
be seen? Wherever one looks, only wat er can be seen; but besides
wat er , not hing else is visible. If one looks up, t he enor mous waves of
t he ocean r ising up will be seen; so even above, only wat er is visible.
In t his sit uat ion, people sit t ing in t he ship would claim, Ther e is
only wat er ; not hing else exist s. The pr inciple behind t his example is
t hat one who has at t ained a nirvikalp st at e in t he for m of Br ahma
claims, Ther e is only Br ahma; besides t hat , ever yt hing else, such as
jivas, ishwars, m y, et c., is false. Hear ing wor ds wr it t en in t he
scr ipt ur es suppor t ing t his view, a per son who has not even at t ained
t hat st at e claims all mor al dos and dont s t o be false. On t he one
hand, he car es for his wife, at t ends t o his childr en, and met iculously
per for ms all wor ldly act ivit ies, believing t hem t o be r eal; yet , on t he
ot her hand, he falsifies t hese dos and dont s which have been
pr escr ibed by t he scr ipt ur es. Those who pr each such gnn in t his
world should be known as ext remely wret ched and nstiks.
5 Aft er all, it was because of t he appr ehension t hat such a nstik
nat ur e may cr eep int o peoples hear t s t hat Shankar chr ya composed
~ ||- ~ ||- ||- ~ -
i
and many ot her ver ses in
pr aise of Vishnu. He also composed sever al ver ses ext olling Shivji,
Ganapat i, Sur ya and many ot her deit ies. Aft er hear ing t hese ver ses,
all of t he deit ies appear t o be sat ya. It was wit h t his int ent ion in
mind t hat Shankar chrya composed verses in praise of all t hese
deit ies. Despit e t his, however , unor t hodox scholar s of t oday falsify

i
Bhaja govindam bhaja govindam govindam bhaja moodha-mate|
O Fool! Wor ship God; wor ship God; wor ship God.
Char pat -panjar i
The Vachanmr ut 75
t hem. In addit ion, t hey claim, Regar dless of how sever e a sin a
per son wit h gnn may commit , it would not affect him. But t hey
say t his out of foolishness.
6 Besides, consider t his: Of all t hose who have renounced and
become paramhansas , J adbhar at is t he best . In fact , t he st or y of
J adbharat has been not ed in each of t he Pur ns and all t he Vednt a
scr ipt ur es. That gr eat J adbhar at was also t he son of Rushabhdev
Bhagwn in his pr evious life. Renouncing his kingdom, he went t o
live in t he forest . There, he developed affect ion for a deer; alt hough
t hat was mer ely out of compassion, t his mist ake caused him t o be
r ebor n as a deer . Like t he deer , t hen, he at t ained a for m wit h four
legs, a shor t t ail and small hor ns on his head.
7 In compar ison, t he gopis of Vraj were at t ached t o Paramt m
Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn out of lust . Despit e t his, t hey wer e st ill able
t o overcome Gods m y and at t ain t he nirgun Akshardh m of God
aft er becoming gunt it . The r eason for t his was t hat Shr i Kr ishna
Bhagwn himself was Pur ushot t am; he was guntit and his for m
was divine. So, because t he gopis developed affect ion for him, eit her
knowingly or unknowingly, t hey became gunt it as well; whereas
Bharat ji became a deer, even t hough he had developed affect ion for
t he deer out of compassion. Ther efor e, no mat t er how gr eat one may
be, wor ldly influence only leads t o har m. Conver sely, r egar dless of
how gr ave a sinner a per son may be, if he maint ains pr ofound
associat ion wit h God who is sat ya t hen t hat person also becomes
absolut ely pur e and at t ains liber at ion. Of cour se, if Shr i Kr ishna
Bhagwn was not guntit himself, t hen his devot ees, t he gopis,
would not have at t ained t he guntit st at e. But because t hey did
at t ain t he gunt it st at e, Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn was most cer t ainly
flawless, gunt it and divine.
8 Vednt is also claim, Ever yt hing is per vaded by Br ahma. But
just as t he gopis developed affect ion for Shr i Kr ishna, similar ly, all
women develop affect ion for t heir husbands, and all men develop
affect ion for t heir wives. But t hey do not at t ain what t he gopis
at t ained; inst ead, t hey at t ain dismal narak. Ther efor e, t he
pr escr ibed mor al dos and dont s ar e indeed t r ue, not false.
Whosoever falsifies t hem will be consigned t o narak.
9 Having said t his, Shr iji Mahr j bid J ai Sachchidnand t o t he
assembly and r et ur ned t o His residence.
The Vachanmr ut 76
Ga d h a d I -43
Th e Fou r Typ es of Li ber a t i on
out side t he east -facing r ooms of Dd Khchar s darbr in Gadhad.
He had t ied a whit e pgh ar ound His head. He had cover ed Himself
wit h a whit e cot t on clot h and was wear ing a whit e khes as well.
Tassels of yellow flower s wer e dangling fr om His pgh, and gar lands
of yellow flowers adorned His neck. Also, bunches of yellow flowers
had been placed upon bot h of His ears. At t hat t ime, an assembly of
Him.
2 Looking at all of t he devot ees wit h a compassionat e gaze, Shr iji
Mahr j said, I wish t o ask a quest ion, so please list en. He t hen
began, The Shr imad Bhgwat Pur n st at es: Those who ar e devot ees
of God do not desire any of t he four t ypes of liberat ion. Ot her great
devot ees of God also say, Devot ees of God do not wish for t he four
t ypes of liberat ion . What ar e t he four t ypes of liber at ion? Well, t he
first is t o reside in t he realm of God; t he second is t o st ay near God;
t he t hir d is t o assume a for m similar t o t hat of God; and t he fourt h is
t o at t ain divine powers similar t o Gods powers. These are t he four
t ypes of liberat ion. A devot ee of God does not wish for any of t hese; he
wishes only t o ser ve God. Now, My quest ion is, Why does t hat
devot ee not wish for t he four t ypes of liberat ion? Please answer
accor ding t o your abilit y.
3 All of t he paramhansas at t empt ed t o answer t he quest ion but
were unable t o do so sat isfact orily.
4 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, Her e, I shall answer t he
quest ion. One who maint ains a desire for t hose fou r t ypes of
liber at ion aft er becoming a devot ee of God is known as a sak m
devot ee. In cont r ast , one who has no desir es r egar ding t he four t ypes
of liberat ion and who only desires t o serve God is known as a
nishkm devot ee. In fact , t he Shr imad Bhgwat st at es:
The Vachanmr ut 77
=| +-|- ||+=||- =
|-- =| + -|| -|-=- ||- - +
i

||+=|| ||-=|--= -= -
|=| |-- || |+
i i

This means t hat a nishkm devot ee of God does not wish for t he four
t ypes of liber at ion if ser vice, i.e., at t ending t o God, is not included
t her ein; he wishes only t o serve God. In t ur n, God keeps him in His
own ser vice. God also insist ingly gr ant s such a devot ee His divine
powers and bliss, even t hough t he devot ee does not wish for t hem.
Kapildev Bhagwn has also said:

i
Mat-sevay prateetam cha slokydi-chatushtayam|
Nechchhant i sevay poornh kut onyat -klaviplutam| |
If t hose who ar e [only] fulfilled by ser ving me do not desir e t he four [t ypes of
liber at ion], such as a place in my abode, et c. which ar e at t ained by ser ving me
t hen why would t hey desir e anyt hing t hat is ult imat ely per ishable?

i i
S lokya-srsht i-smeepya-srupyaikatvam-apyuta|
Deeyamnam na gruhnanti vin mat-sevanam jan h| |
Even if gr ant ed a place in my abode, power s similar t o mine, my vicinit y, a for m
similar t o mine or oneness wit h me [i.e. qualit ies similar t o me], [nishkm]
devot ees would not accept t hem wit hout my ser vice.
Alt h ou gh t h e second ver se ment ions five t ypes of liber at ion, t his does not
cont r adict t he ear lier ver se which does not ment ion oneness wit h me since
t her e ar e consider ed t o be t wo set s of liber at ion; oneness wit h God, and a
fur t her four t ypes of liber at ion. A per son who at t ains oneness wit h God, i.e.
qualit ies similar t o t hose of God, will nat ur ally at t ain t he ot her four t ypes of
liber at ion. On t he ot her hand, t he ot her four t ypes of liber at ion alone ar e for
t hose who have not at t ained such oneness wit h God.
The Vachanmr ut 78
u| |~|- |=||--|=|+|
||= ~|-| |-+ =|-- ~| +-= -~- - |+
i

5 It is only such a nishkm devot ee who has been referred t o as
a devot ee wit h gnn by Kr ishna Bhagwn in t he Git . A sak m
devot ee, on t he ot her hand, has been r efer r ed t o as mat er ialist ic.
Ther efor e, a devot ee should not wish for anyt hing except t he ser vice
of God. Aft er all, wishing for anyt hing ot her t han t he ser vice of God
is considered t o be a deficiency in t hat devot ee. If one does have such
a deficiency, it should be overcome by profound associat ion wit h t he
desireless Ekntik Bhakta of God.
Ga d h a d I -44
A Red -h ot Br a n d i n g I r on ; A Da gli
1 On t he mor ning of Mah sudi 8, Samvat 1876 [23 J anuar y
1820], Shr iji Mahr j was sit t ing facing west on a lar ge, decor at ed
cot on t he plat form under t he neem t ree in front of t he mandir of
Sh r i Vsudevnr ya n i n Dd Khchar s darbr in Gadhad. He
was wear ing a whit e khes and had cover ed Himself wit h a whit e
cot t on clot h. Also, He had t ied a whit e pgh around His head and
had t ied a bokni wit h one end of t he pgh. A garland of whit e
flowers decorat ed t he pgh as well. At t hat t ime, an assembly of
Him.
2 Addr essing t he assembly, Shr iji Mahr j asked, What is t he
char act er ist ic of having affect ion t owar ds God?

i
Atho vibhootim mama my-vinas-tm-aishvaryam-ashtngam-
anupravruttam| S hriyam bhgavateem vspruhayanti bhadrm parasya me
t eshnuvat e t u loke| |
Even t hough my [nishkm devot ees] have no wish for t he mat er ial opulence of
t he r ealms up t o and including t he r ealm of Br ahm, for t he eight yogic
power s
15
, or for t he auspicious wealt h of God, t hey st ill enjoy [i.e. at t ain] all
t hese in my t he supr eme beings abode.
The Vachanmr ut 79
3 Ther eupon Br ahmnand Swmi at t empt ed t o describe t he
char act er ist ic of affect ion but was unable t o do so sat isfact or ily.
4 Hear ing his r eply, Shr iji Mahr j comment ed, You have not
even come close t o descr ibing affect ion. You say it is r emaining
det ached from t he body and t he brahmnd, but t hat is not t he
char act er ist ic of affect ion; r at her , it is t he char act er ist ic of vairgya.
In act ual fact , affect ion is const ant ly r emember ing Gods for m. That
is called affect ion.
5 A devot ee wit h such t ot al affect ion for God never has any
t hought s ot her t han t hose of God. The ext ent t o which he har bour s
desir es ot her t han t hose of God is t he ext ent t o which he lacks in his
affect ion. If, whet her knowingly or unknowingly, some t hought ot her
t han r emember ing Gods for m wer e t o ar ise in a per son who has t r ue
affect ion for God, it would be as dist ressful for him as someone
t hrowing a handful of pebbles and sand int o a sumpt uous meal he is
eat ing; or as painful as being branded on his forehead by a red-hot
br anding ir on. One who feels t his way should be known t o have love
for God. So now, if all of you examine your hear t s, you will r ealise
how much love you have for God.
6 Br ahmnand Swmi t hen asked, By what means can one
develop such int ense love for God?
7 Shr iji Mahr j replied, Only by keeping profound associat ion
wit h t he S atpurush can one develop int ense love for God.
8 At t his point , Soml Khchar quest ioned, But we ar e int ensely
engaged in such profound associat ion, yet why does such int ense love
not develop?
9 Shr iji Mahr j explained, It is t r ue t hat you engage your selves
in such pr ofound associat ion, but as well as associat ing wit h Me, you
also associat e wit h t he world. As a result , int ense love for God does
not develop.
10 Ther eaft er , Vlo Dhr uv, a Brhmin fr om Vaso, asked a quest ion:
Mahr j, how can t he feelings of I-ness and my-ness t owar ds ones
body and it s relat ions be eradicat ed?
11 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, The jiva has a misconcept ion in t hat it
does not believe it self t o be t he jivt m , i.e., dist inct fr om t he body;
inst ead, it believes it self t o be t he body. To illust rat e how t he body
clings t o t he jivt m , consider a per son who wear s a dagli aft er
having it sewn by a t ailor . That per son t hen begins t o believe, The
The Vachanmr ut 80
t ailor is my fat her and t he t ailor s wife is my mot her . Such a person
would be considered a fool. In t he same manner, t he jivt m is given
a dagli in t he for m of t his body, which is bor n somet imes t o a
Brhmin couple; somet imes t o a low-cast e couple; or in any of t he 8.4
million life for ms
3
. Ther efor e, a per son who believes t he body t o be
his t rue self and believes t he parent s of t hat body t o be his own
parent s is called a fool, and should be considered t o be like an animal.
12 Mor eover , out of t hose 8.4 million life for ms pr eviously
under t aken, t her e is not a single mot her , sist er , daught er or wife
who observes t he vow of fidelit y any longer . So how can one who
believes such relat ions t o be ones t rue relat ions ever overcome t he
feelings of I-ness and my-ness? Thus, wit hout such under st anding,
t o eradicat e at t achment for ones bir t hplace and nat ive land is ver y
difficult indeed.
13 Therefore, as long as a person believes t he body t o be his t rue
self, his ent ir e under st anding is t ot ally useless; and as long as he
cont inues t o har bour vanit y of his cast e or shram , he will never
imbibe t he vir t ues of a sdhu. Thus, aft er discar ding t he feelings of
I-ness and my-ness for t he body and it s relat ions, believing ones
t m t o be brahmarup, and aft er for saking all wor ldly desir es, if a
person worships God while obser ving swadharma, he should be
known as a sdhu. No dist ance r emains bet ween Pur ushot t am
Bhagwn and a per son who has cult ivat ed such qualit ies of a sdhu.
Ever yt hing else may be possible, but t o cult ivat e such qualit ies of a
sdhu is ext r emely difficult . In fact , I am such a sdhu, because I do
not have even t he slight est vanit y of My cast e or shram .
14 Shr iji Mahr j spoke in t his manner for t he pur pose of
enlight ening His devot ees, but in r ealit y, He Himself is t he manifest
for m of Pur ushot t am Nr yan.
Ga d h a d I -45
Doe s God P os s e s s a F or m or I s He F or ml e s s ?
1 On t he evening of Mah sudi 10, Samvat 1876 [24 J anuar y
1820], Shr iji Mahr j was sit t ing facing sout h on t he plat for m in
front of t he mandir of Shr i Vsudevnr yan in Dd Khchar s
The Vachanmr ut 81
Himself wit h a whit e cot t on clot h. He had also t ied a whit e pgh
ar ound His head. At t hat t ime, an assembly of munis as well as
devot ees from var ious places had gat her ed befor e Him.
2 Thereupon Goplnand Swmi asked, Mahr j, many Vednt is
claim t hat God does not possess a form. Moreover, t hey cit e Vedic
verses t hat support only t hat belief. On t he ot her hand, devot ees of
God such a s Nr ad, Shukji and t he Sanak dik claim t hat God does
possess a for m. Of t he t wo, who is cor r ect ?
3 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, Pur ushot t am Bhagwn et er nally
possesses a for m, and t hat for m is ext r emely luminous. His per fect ,
all-pervasive antarym i for m Br ahma
i
, char act er ised by et er nal
exist ence, consciousness and bliss is act ually t he divine light of
Pur ushot t am Bhagwn, but He Himself possesses a definit e for m.
The Shr ut is also ment ion: That God looked t owar ds m y. Now if
God sees, does t hat mean t hat He has only a pair of eyes and not hing
else? In r ealit y, He does have hands and feet . This pr oves t hat He
possesses a for m.
4 Take t he example of wat er . It s cor r esponding deit y, Var un,
possesses a for m in his own r ealm, while wat er it self is described as
for mless. Also, t he flames of a fire are described as formless, while
t heir cor r esponding deit y, Agni, possesses a for m in his r ealm.
Sunlight is also descr ibed as being for mless, while Sur yadev, who
r esides in his r ealm, possesses a for m. Similar ly, Br ahma
char act er ised by et er nal exist ence, consciousness and bliss is
for mless, while Pur ushot t am Bhagwn possesses a for m.
Fur t her mor e, t hat all-per vasive, per fect Br ahma, wit h t he at t r ibut es
of et er nal exist ence, consciousness and bliss, is t he divine light of
Pur ushot t am Bhagwn.
5 Someone may claim t hat t he Shr ut is pr opound: God is all-
per vasive and per fect , wit hout hands, feet , et c. But t hose Vedic
ver ses t hat r efut e t he hands, feet , et c., of God ar e act ually r efut ing
m yik hands, feet , et c. In r ealit y, Gods for m is divine, not m yik.
Mor eover , despit e t he fact t hat Pur ushot t am Bhagwns brahmarup
light , which per vades all jivas and ishwars as t heir antarym i, is
formless, it should be considered t o possess a form. This is because it

i
Br ahma in t his cont ext r efer s t o t he divine light of Pur ushot t am Bhagwn, and
should not be under st ood t o mean Akshar br ahma.
The Vachanmr ut 82
governs t he grant ing of t he deserved fruit s of karmas t o all jivas and
ishwars accor ding t o t heir r espect ive karmas. This power of
gover ning makes it funct ion as if it possesses a for m. Thus, t hat
divine light should be considered t o possess a for m as well. In t he
same manner , Pur ushot t am Bhagwn always possesses a for m; He is
not formless. Those who do believe Him t o be formless just do not
under st and.
Ga d h a d I -46
Th e Cr ea t i on a n d Dest r u ct ion of k s h
1820], Shr iji Mahr j was sit t ing facing sout h on t he plat for m near
t he mandir of Shr i Vsudevnr ya n in Dd Khchar s darbr in
head. At t hat t ime, an assembly of munis as well as devot ees from
var ious places had gat her ed befor e Him.
2 Thereupon, a Vednt i Brhmin by t he name of Mheshwar
Bhat t asked Shr iji Mahr j a quest ion: Ever yt hing is assimilat ed
during t he st at e of sam dhi; but how does ksh become
assimilat ed?
3 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, Please list en car efully as I explain t he
char act er ist ics of ksh in det ail. ksh is t he name given t o vacant
space. All object s t hat exist r eside only wit hin such space. Mor eover ,
ksh pervades and resides wit hin all of t hose object s as well. In
fact , t her e is not a single object in which t her e is no ksh; even t he
smallest par t icle of prut hvi has ksh wit hin it . In fact , if t hat
minut e par t icle is split int o millions and millions of pieces, ksh will
exist wit hin t hose pieces as well.
4 So, when one looks from t he perspect ive of ksh, t he four
bhuts, i.e., prut hvi, jal, et c., cannot be per ceived; only ksh can be
perceived. Everyt hing is dependent on t hat ksh. The t hr ee t ypes
of bodies, sthul, sukshma and kran , st ay wit hin ksh. This
brahmnd, as well as t he causes of t he brahmnd, Pr akr ut i and
Pur ush, also reside wit hin ksh. But t hat ksh also resides wit hin
Pr akr ut i-Pur ush and t heir cr eat ion, t he body and t he brahmnd. It
The Vachanmr ut 83
r esides ext er nally as t heir suppor t er . Ther efor e, t his ksh is never
assimilat ed, neit her dur ing t he st at e of unconsciousness nor dur ing
sam dhi.
5 Now, someone may ar gue, The five bhuts, i.e., ksh, prut hvi,
et c., have evolved from t amogun; so how can t hat ksh be called t he
suppor t er of Pr akr ut i and Pur ush? Also, how can it be said t o
per vade t hem all? Well, t he answer is t hat if Pr akr ut i did not
cont ain ksh in t he for m of vacant space, how could mahat t at t va
which emer ges fr om Pr akr ut i in t he way fr uit s, flower s, et c., emer ge
fr om a t r ee, and a calf emer ges fr om a cows womb emer ge at all?
Ther efor e, ksh does r eside wit hin Pr akr ut i. Fur t her mor e,
ahamkr also emer ges fr om mahat t at t va; so ksh r esides wit hin
mahat t at t va as well. The t hr ee gunas emer ge fr om ahamkr, and
t hus ksh is also wit hin ahamkr. The five bhuts, i.e., ksh,
prut hvi, et c., emer ge fr om t amogun; t hus, ksh is wit hin t amogun
as well. However , t he ksh t hat has evolved from t amogun is
subject t o change, wher eas t he ksh t hat is t he support of
ever yt hing is not subject t o change; it is et er nal. It is t his ksh
t he support of all t hat is known as Br ahma, as Chidksh.
Mor eover , it is wit hin t his ksh t hat Pur ush and Pr akr ut i under go
t he st at es of expansion and cont r act ion.
6 How is t his so? When Pur ush inspir es Pr akr ut i, t hen, just as
childr en ar e bor n t o a man and woman, similar ly, wit h Pur ush as
t he husband and Pr akr ut i as t he wife, childr en in t he for m of
mahat t at t va, et c., ar e pr oduced. In t his manner , Pr akr ut i t akes t he
form of t he 24 element s
2
as well as t he form of t he body and t he
brahmnd. This is her st at e of expansion. Pur ush per vades all
ent it ies t hat evolve fr om t hat Pr akr ut i wit h his power s. This is his
st at e of expansion.
7 In t ime, when all of t he ent it ies t hat have evolved fr om
Pr akr ut i ar e dest r oyed, and even Pr akr ut i appear s t o r emain
absor bed in Pur ushs body, t hat is Pr akr ut is st at e of cont r act ion.
When Pur ush r ever t s wit hin his own self at t he t ime when all of t he
ent it ies t hat have evolved fr om Pr akr ut i ar e dest r oyed, t hat is known
as Pur ushs st at e of cont r act ion. For example, when a t or t oise
expands, all of it s limbs emer ge fr om it s shell; and when it cont r act s,
it wit hdr aws all of it s limbs back int o it s shell and r emains t ot ally
mot ionless. The st at es of expansion and cont r act ion of Pr akr ut i and
Pur ush ar e similar .
The Vachanmr ut 84
8 Also, it is only Pur ush, and not t he all-support ing Chidksh,
which has an anvay-vyatirek r elat ionship wit h Pr akr ut i and t he
ent it ies evolved from her . Aft er all, how can somet hing t hat is all-
support ing ever be vyatirek fr om anyt hing? On t he cont r ar y, it
always r esides in ever yt hing.
9 Now, t his brahmnd is surrounded on all four sides by t he
Loklok mount ains, just like a for t . Beyond t he Lok lok mount ains
is Alok; beyond t hat ar e t he seven bar r ier s
5
; beyond t hat is not hing
but dar kness; and beyond t he dar kness t her e is divine light ,
ot her wise known as Chidksh. Above also, t he brahmnd ext ends
up t o Br ahmalok, above which ar e t he seven bar r ier s, above which
t her e is dar kness, and above which t her e is again divine light ,
ot her wise known as Chidksh. Below, t oo, it ext ends down t o t he
sevent h pt l, below which ar e t he seven bar r ier s, below which t her e
is dar kness, and below which t her e is again divine light , i.e.,
Chidksh. In t his way, Chidksh is present on all four sides of t he
brahmnd as well as wit hin t he brahmnd. When ones vision
reaches t he perspect ive of t hat all-support ing Chidksh, it is known
as daharvidy. J ust as akshividy and many ot her t ypes of
brahmavidy have been described, t his is also one t ype of
brahmavidy.
10 That Chidksh is ext r emely luminous and et er nal. It is
neit her cr eat ed nor dest r oyed. Whenever t her e is any ment ion of t he
cr eat ion and dest r uct ion of ksh, it is wit h r efer ence t o t he ksh
t hat has evolved from t amogun, and which is full of dar kness. This
ksh can be assimilat ed, but t he all-support ing Chidksh is never
assimilat ed. This is t he answer t o your quest ion. If anyone st ill has
any doubt s, please do ask.
11 Thereupon, t he Vednt i Brhmin and all of t he devot ees replied,
None of us have any doubt s at all now.
Ga d h a d I -47
Th e Ch a r a ct er i st i cs of Th ose Wh o Ha ve
t h e F ou r Typ e s of F i r mn e ss
1 On t he mor ning of Mah sudi 12, Samvat 1876 [26 J anuar y
1820], Swmi Shr i Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing on a lar ge,
The Vachanmr ut 85
decorat ed cot on t he plat form under t he neem t ree in front of t he
mandir of Shr i Vsudevnr yan in Dd Khchar s darbr in
2 Then, snapping t he finger s of His r ight hand, Shr iji Mahr j
said, Everyone please list en wit h at t ent ion as I have somet hing t o
t ell you. What I have t o say is simple, but only if you list en car efully
will you be able t o gr asp it s meaning; ot her wise, you will not .
3 All of t he devot ees t hen request ed, Please do t ell us, Mahr j.
4 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, Of t he many devot ees of God,
some have fir mness in t he obser vance of dharma, some have
fir mness in r ealising oneself as t m , some have fir mness in
vairgya, and some have fir mness in bhakti. Alt hough one
par t icular t ype of fir mness is pr edominant in all devot ees, t hey also
possess all of t he ot her t ypes, but t o a lesser ext ent .
5 A devot ee in whom fir mness in obser ving bhgwat dharma is
pr edominant loving engages himself in sincer ely per for ming t he
menial service of God and His devot ees while abiding by t he
disciplines relat ed t o t he dharma of his cast e and shram , i.e. non -
violence, brahmacharya, et c. Such a devot ee also enjoys building
mandirs and cult ivat ing gar dens for God. He enjoys offer ing
different variet ies of delicacies t o God and also enjoys hand-plast er ing
and sweeping t he man dirs of God and t he resident ial halls of sdhus.
In addit ion, he offers bhakti t o God by list ening t o discour ses, singing
devot ional songs, et c., wit hout any for m of pr et ence. Mor eover , such
a devot ee who is firm in observing dharma int ensely enjoys list ening
t o and r eading scr ipt ur es expounding bhgwat dharma.
6 A devot ee in whom t m -r ealisat ion is pr edominant always
behaves as t he t m , which t r anscends t he t hr ee bodies
6
and t he
t hree st at es
7
, and is char act er ised by et er nal exist ence. He
under st ands his Ishtadev t he manifest for m of Shr i Kr ishna
Par amt m as all-t r anscending, ext r emely pur e, and for ever
possessing a divine for m. In addit ion, he t alks about and list ens t o
t alks expounding t he pur e nat ur e of his own t m , as well as t alks of
Par amt m. He also enjoys scr ipt ur es t hat cont ain such t alks. His
nat ur e is such t hat he is unable t o t oler at e anyt hing t hat obst r uct s
him in behaving as t he t m .
The Vachanmr ut 86
7 A devot ee in whom fir mness in vairgya is pr edominant has a
per sist ent dislike for all wor ldly object s, but not t owar ds Gods for m.
Realising t hose object s t o be asat ya, he never r emember s his home,
his family or ot her object s t hat he has r enounced in t he same way
t hat he never r emember s faeces once t hey have been excr et ed. Such
a devot ee only keeps t he company of devot ees who are renunciant s.
In addit ion, he offers bhakti t o God in a manner t hat does not conflict
wit h his r enunciat ion. His t alks ar e always pr edominant ly about
r enunciat ion, and he has a liking for scr ipt ur es pr opounding
r enunciat ion. Mor eover , he har bour s an int ense aver sion for t ast y
food, nice clot hes and, in fact , for all wor ldly object s r elat ed t o t he
panchvishays t hat may int er fer e wit h his r enunciat ion.
8 A devot ee in whom fir mness in bhakti is pr edominant has
int ense love only for Gods for m. Apar t fr om t hat for m of God, he is
unable t o focus his minds vrut t i t owar ds wor ldly object s. Yet , he
lovingly offers rich clot hes and jewellery t o God. Such a devot ee also
ver y much enjoys list ening t o t he human-like act ions and incident s of
God, and also gr eat ly enjoys list ening t o any scr ipt ur es descr ibing
Gods form. In addit ion, he only develops affect ion t owards t hose
devot ees who have love for God. Besides t hem, t hough, he never
develops affect ion t owards even his own son or ot her r elat ives. Such
a devot ee is always engaged in some act ivit y t hat is relat ed t o God.
9 Now, aft er r eflect ing upon t his discour se descr ibing t he
charact erist ics of devot ees possessing t hese four t ypes of firmness, all
of you please reveal which of t hese is your inclinat ion. In act ual fact ,
t his t alk is r at her like a mir r or in t hat it r eveals ones own
inclinat ion as it is. Fur t her mor e, t hose who ar e devot ees of God ar e
never wit hout an inclinat ion, but because t hey have not r ecognised
t heir own inclinat ion, t hey find t hat t hey cannot st r engt hen it ; and
as long as ones inclinat ion is not st r engt hened, it will cont inue t o
fluct uat e accor ding t o t he t alks one hear s. So, aft er t hinking over
t his discour se, please r eveal your inclinat ions as t hey ar e.
10 All of t he devot ees t hen revealed t heir respect ive inclinat ions.
11 Ther eaft er , Shr iji Mahr j r equest ed, Those who have similar
inclinat ions, please st and up t oget her . Then, t hose devot ees wit h
similar inclinat ions st ood up in t ur n, aft er which Shr iji Mahr j
asked all of t hem t o sit down again.
The Vachanmr ut 87
12 Nit ynand Swmi t hen asked, Do t hose four t ypes of devot ees,
wit h t heir r espect ive inclinat ions, have any vir t ues or dr awbacks in
t heir inclinat ions?
13 Shr iji Mahr j replied, Yes, t hey do have virt ues and
dr awbacks. Please list en as I descr ibe t hem. The ext ent t o which
devot ees wit h t hose four inclinat ions behave according t o t he
char act er ist ics I have descr ibed ear lier is t heir vir t ue; and t he ext ent
t o which t hey cannot behave accor ding t o t hose char act er ist ics is
t heir dr awback.
14 Finally, Mukt nand Swmi asked, Is any one of t he four who
have such fir mness super ior or infer ior t o t he ot her s, or ar e all four
equal?
15 Shr iji Mahr j replied, As long as each one adheres t o his
fir mness, t hen all four ar e equal. However , if a per son adher es t o all
four , t hen he is super ior t o all. When one per son is fir m in all four ,
he is known as Param -Bhgwat ; and only he can be called an
Ekntik Bhakta.
Ga d h a d I -48
Th e Fou r Typ es of Ku sa n gi s
1820], Swmi Shr i Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing facing west on
a large, decorat ed cot on t he plat form under t he neem t ree in front of
t he mandir of Sh r i Vsudevnr ya n in Dd Khchar s darbr in
gat her ed befor e Him. Two t or ches wer e lit in fr ont of Him aft er t he
evening rt i of Shr i Vsudevnr yan and t he Nr yan dhunya had
finished.
2 Then Shr iji Mahr j said, I wish t o speak t o you, so please
list en wit h at t ent ion.
3 All of t he munis and devot ees said, Please do, Mahr j.
4 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, Aft er per for ming t he puja and
prayers of God, a devot ee should daily pray, O Mahr j! O Swmi!
You are an ocean of grace! You are a guardian t o t hose who have
The Vachanmr ut 88
surrendered t o You! Please prot ect me from t he influence of
kusangis .
5 Shr iji Mahr j t hen elaborat ed, There are four t ypes of
kusangis : t he fir st ar e Kud-pant his, t he second ar e Shakt i-pant his,
t he t hir d ar e shushka-Vednt is and t he four t h ar e nstiks. Of t hese
four t ypes of kusangis , if a per son associat es wit h Kud-pant his, t hey
will cause him t o falt er in his r eligious vows and make him impur e.
If a per son associat es wit h Shakt i-pant his, he will be forced t o
consume meat and alcohol, t hus deflect ing him fr om his obser vance
of swadharma. By associat ing wit h a shushka-Vednt i, a per son
falls fr om bhakti and upsan because such people claim t hat t he
abode of God, His et ernally divine form, and t he forms of Gods
avat rs ar e all false. Finally, if a per son associat es wit h nstiks,
t hey propound t hat only karmas ar e r eal and deny t he exist ence of
God, i.e., Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn, t her eby leading one ast r ay fr om
t he pat h pr escr ibed by t he et er nal, sacr ed scr ipt ur es.
6 Ther efor e, one should r equest fr om God: May I never encount er
t he company of t hese four t ypes of people. One should also pr ay: O
Mahr j! Please pr ot ect me fr om t he inner enemies of lust , anger ,
avar ice, infat uat ion , egot ism, jealousy, t he belief t hat I am t he body,
et c. For ever best ow upon me t he company of your devot ees. One
should daily pr ay t o God in t his manner and always be war y of such
kusangis and ones inner enemies.
Ga d h a d I -49
An t a r d r a sh t i
Gadhad. Two small oil lamps wer e lit in fr ont of Him. He was
wearing a garland of yellow flowers around His neck, and st r ings of
yellow flowers decorat ed bot h wrist s. He was dressed ent irely in
whit e clot hes. At t hat t ime, an assembly of munis as well as
The Vachanmr ut 89
2 Then Shr iji Mahr j said, Please begin a quest ion -answer
dialogue.
3 Ther eupon Br ahmnand Swmi asked, Why is it t hat our
vrut t i r emains on God only as long as we for cibly keep it t her e,
wher eas it r emains on wor ldly object s wit hout t he slight est effor t ?
4 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, The vrut t i of a devot ee of God never
r emains on anyt hing except God. In fact , his only concer n is: It will
be very difficult for me t o keep my vrut t i on wor ldly object s. Thus, a
devot ee of God finds it difficult t o keep his vrut t i on any wor ldly
object s, while a worldly person finds it difficult t o keep his vrut t i on
God. Therefore, a person whose vrut t i does not remain fixed on God
is not a devot ee of God. Nevert heless, if he at t ends Sat sang, he will
gradually become a devot ee by list ening t o t he t alks of t he sdhus.
5 Br ahmnand Swmi t hen asked fur t her , By what means can
one keep ones vrut t i on God?
6 Shr iji Mahr j explained, The means t o achieve t hat is
ant ar dr asht i. Ant ar dr asht i
i
is t o const ant ly look t owar ds t he for m
of t he manifest God t hat one has at t ained. Besides t hat form, even if
one sees t he six chakras
i i
, or Golok, Vaikunt h or ot her abodes of God,
it should not be consider ed t o be ant ar dr asht i. Ther efor e, t o look at
Gods for m t hat one has beheld wit hin ones hear t , or t o look at t he
for m of God visible ext er nally, is known as ant ar dr asht i. However ,
wher ever ones vrut t i st r ays apar t fr om Gods for m is all
bhyadr asht i
i i i
.
7 Shr iji Mahr j t hen t old t he paramhansas , Please ar r ange
your selves int o pair s and begin a question -answer dialogue.
8 Ther eaft er , t he paramhansas conduct ed a quest ion -answer
session amongst t hemselves for quit e some t ime, t hr ough which
Shr iji Mahr j examined t heir int elligence.

i
Lit er ally, ant ar dr asht i means t o look wit hin or t o int r ospect . But her e, Shr iji
Mahr j gives His own, unique definit ion.
i i
The six chakras ar e six cent r es of spir it ual power and consciousness locat ed
wit hin t he inner body. They ar e: gn, vishuddha, anhat , manipur ,
swdhisht hn, dhr . Each has it s cor r esponding locat ion and deit y.
i i i
The t er m bhyadr asht i means t o look out war ds and is t he ant onym of
ant ar dr asht i.
The Vachanmr ut 90
Ga d h a d I -50
On e P ossessi n g a Sh a r p I n t ellect
1 In t he ear ly hour s of Mah vadi 1, Samvat 1876 [31 J anuar y
1820], Shr iji Mahr j was sit t ing in fr ont of t he ver anda out side
Dd Khchar s medi in Gadhad. He was dr essed ent ir ely in whit e
clot hes. At t hat t ime, an assembly of munis as well as devot ees from
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j asked t he munis , One who possesses
a shar p int ellect at t ains Br ahma
i
. Can t he int ellect of one who is
pr oficient in managing wor ldly affair s be called shar p, or not ? Also,
can t he int ellect of one who is ver y pr oficient in int er pr et ing t he
Shst r as and t he Pur ns be called shar p, or not ?
3 The munis at t empt ed t o answer t he quest ion but were unable t o
do so sat isfact or ily.
4 Then Shr iji Mahr j explained, Some people may be ext remely
adept in worldly affairs, yet t hey do not hing at all t o safeguard t heir
own liber at ion. Ot her s may know t he pr ecise meanings of t he
var ious Shst r as, Pur ns and It ihs scr ipt ur es, yet t hey t oo do
not hing t o safeguar d t heir liber at ion. Ther efor e, t hey cannot be said
t o possess a shar p int ellect ; r at her , t hey possess a blunt int ellect .
Conver sely, a per son who safeguar ds his liber at ion, even t hough he
may possess only a limit ed int ellect , should be considered t o have a
shar p int ellect . On t he ot her hand, a per son who, even t hough
possessing a shar p int ellect , pays more at t ent ion t o worldly affairs
should be considered t o possess a blunt int ellect . A verse in t he
Bhagwad Git r efer s t o t his fact :
=| ||| ~ -|| --=| ||- =|
=-=| | |- ~ -|| | ||| +=-| +
i i

i
Her e Br ahma should be under st ood as Par abr ahma.
i i
Y nish sarva-bhootnm tasym jgarti sayyamee|
Yasym jgrati bhootni s nish pashyato munehe| |
Bhagwad Git : 2.69
The Vachanmr ut 91
This ver se explains t hat in t he cont ext of wor shipping God, all
worldly people behave as if t heir mind is shr ouded in dar kness, like
t he night ; i.e., t hey do not wor ship God. The devot ees of God,
however , ar e awake in wor shipping God; i.e., t hey ar e const ant ly
engaged in wor shipping God. Fur t her mor e, ever yones mind is
awake wit h respect t o t he panchvishays sight s, sounds, smells,
t ast es and t ouch; i.e., t hey cont inuously indulge in t he vishays. The
minds of t he devot ees of God, in cont rast , are shrouded in darkness
wit h r egar ds t o indulging in t he vishays; i.e., t hey do not indulge in
t hem.
5 Ther efor e, only one who r emains aler t r egar ding his own
liberat ion can be said t o possess a sharp int ellect . As for ot her s, t hey
ar e all mer e fools.
Ga d h a d I -51
On ly a Di a mon d Ca n Cu t a Di a mon d
1 On t he night of Mah vadi 2, Samvat 1876 [1 Febr uar y 1820],
Swmi Shr i Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing on a large, decorat ed
cot on t he veranda out side t he west -facing r ooms in fr ont of t he
Gadhad. He was wear ing a whit e survl and a whit e angarkhu. He
had also t ied a whit e pgh around His head. At t hat t ime, an
2 Then Shr iji Mahr j said, Please ask a quest ion.
3 Ther eupon Pur nnand Swmi asked, The t en indriyas are
produced from rajogun, and t he four antahkarans are produced from
sattvagun; t hus, all of t he indriyas and antahkarans are m yik.
God, however , t r anscends m y. How, t hen, can one cult ivat e t he
convict ion of God t hr ough t he m yik antahkarans? Also, how can
one perceive God wit h ones m yik eyes and ot her indriyas ?
4 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, Myik object s can be realised by m yik
means, and if one has r ealised God t hr ough t he same m yik
antahkarans and indriyas , t hen it implies t hat God must also be
m yik. That is your quest ion, is it not ?
The Vachanmr ut 92
5 Pur nnand Swmi and all t he munis confir med, Yes Mahr j,
t hat is pr ecisely our quest ion. You have clar ified it for us.
6 Shr iji Mahr j t hen explained, The answer t o t hat is as follows.
The sur face ar ea of t he prut hvi is 500,000,000 yojan s. On it , ar e
var ious object s such as t r ees, mount ains, pot s, clot hes, et c. That
prut hvi exist s wit hin all of t hose object s, and it also exist s dist inct ly
by it s own self. So, if one looks from t he perspect ive of prut hvi, t hen
it appears t hat prut hvi has t aken t he form of all of t hose object s, and
t hat no object s exist apar t fr om prut hvi. However , prut hvi it self has
been produced from a small port ion of jal. This jal is below t he
prut hvi, ar ound it , as well as above it . In fact , jal t ot ally pervades
t he prut hvi. Therefore, if one looks from t he perspect ive of jal, only
jal exist s t here is no prut hvi at all. Fur t her mor e, t hat jal has been
produced from a small port ion of t ej. If one looks from t he perspect ive
of t ej, only t ej exist s t here is no jal. Tej, in t ur n, has been pr oduced
fr om a small por t ion of vyu. If one looks from t he perspect ive of
vyu, only vyu exist s t here is no t ej at all. Again, t hat vyu has
been produced from a small port ion of ksh. If one looks from t he
perspect ive of ksh, t he ot her four bhuts of vyu, jal, et c., and t he
ent it ies evolved t hereof t he body and t he brahmnd are not
apparent at all; it appears as if only ksh exist s ever ywher e. That
ksh, in t ur n, has been pr oduced fr om a small por t ion of t mas-
ahamkr. That t mas-ahamkr along wit h rjas-ahamkr, sttvik-
ahamkr, t he bhuts, t he indriyas , t he antahkarans and t heir
presiding deit ies have been produced from a small port ion of
mahat t at t va. So, if one looks from t he perspect ive of mahat t at t va,
t he t hree t ypes of ahamkrs, t he bhuts, t he indriyas , t he
antahkarans and t heir pr esiding deit ies do not exist only
mahattattva exist s. That mahat t at t va, in t ur n, has been pr oduced
from a small port ion of Pradh n-Pr ak r ut i. Thus, if one looks fr om
t he per spect ive of Pr akr ut i, mahattattva does not exist only
Pr akr ut i exist s. However , dur ing t he per iod of dissolut ion , Pr akr ut i
is absor bed int o a small por t ion of Pur ush; and at t he t ime of
cr eat ion, she is pr oduced again fr om a small por t ion of Pur ush.
Thus, if one looks fr om t he per spect ive of Pur ush, only Pur ush
exist s t her e is no Pr akr ut i. Count less millions of such Pur ushes
are produced from a port ion of mah m y. So if one looks from t he
perspect ive of mah m y, only mah m y exist s t here is no
Pur ush. Mahm y it self is produced from a small port ion of Mah-
Pur ush. So if one looks fr om t he per spect ive of Mah-Pur ush, only
The Vachanmr ut 93
Mah-Pur ush exist s t here is no mah m y. That Mah-Pur ush,
in t ur n, r ose fr om a small r egion of Akshar t he abode of
Pur ushot t am Bhagwn. Thus, if one looks fr om t he per spect ive of
Akshar , neit her Mah-Pur ush nor anyt hing else exist s t her e is
only Akshar . But above t hat Akshar is Pur ushot t am Bhagwn, who
t r anscends even Akshar . That Pur ushot t am Bhagwn is t he all-
doer responsible for t he creat ion, sust enance and dissolut ion of
ever yt hing and is also t he cause of all. Now, a cause always
pervades it s effect , and simult aneously, also r emains dist inct fr om it .
Thus, if one looks fr om t he per spect ive of Pur ushot t am Bhagwn
t he cause of all t hen not hing else appears t o exist except
Pur ushot t am Bhagwn.
7 It is t his very God who, out of compassion for t he liberat ion of
t he jivas, gives darshan in a manifest ed form t o all of t he people on
t his ear t h. At t hat t ime, if a per son r ealises t his gr eat ness of
Pur ushot t am Bhagwn by profound associat ion wit h t he S ant, t hen
all of his indriyas and antahkarans become divine like Pur ushot t am
Bhagwns indriyas and antahkaran. Then, t hr ough t hose indriyas
and antahkarans, he can develop t he convict ion of t hat God. For
example, a diamond can be cut only by a diamond; it can never be cut
by anyt hing else. Similar ly, t he convict ion of God can only be
cult ivat ed t hr ough God. In t he same way, t he darshan of God is also
possible only t hr ough God, but it is not possible t hr ough t he m yik
indriyas and antahkarans.
Sachchidnand t o all and r et ur ned t o His r esidence.
Ga d h a d I -52
Rea li si n g God t h r ou gh t h e Fou r Scr i p t u r es
1 On Mah vadi 3, Samvat 1876 [2 Febr uar y 1820], Shr iji
Mahr j was having a scr ipt ur e
i
r ead on t he ver anda out side Dd
Khchar s medi in Gadhad. He was dr essed ent ir ely in whit e

i
The scr ipt ur e was t he Moksh-dhar ma, a chapt er fr om t he Mahbhr at .
The Vachanmr ut 94
2 Dur ing t he r eading, a reference was made t o t he fact t hat one
who under st ands Gods for m t hr ough t he four set s of scr ipt ur es
Snkhya, Yoga, Vednt a and Panchr t r a should be known t o be
complet ely enlight ened.
3 Hear ing t his, Mukt nand Swmi asked, Mahr j, please
explain how one can r ealise God t hr ough t hose four set s of scr ipt ur es?
Also, what deficiency remains in one who does not realise God in t hat
way?
4 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, The Snkhya scr ipt ur es pr opound God
as being t he 25
t h
element . Mor eover , just as t he 24 element s
2
are
incapable of doing anyt hing wit hout God, jiva and ishwar are also
incapable of doing anyt hing wit hout God. Thus, jiva and ishwar are
also included in t he 24 element s. These 24 element s which include
jiva and ishwar are called kshet ra; and God, t he 25
t h
element , is
called kshetragna.
5 The Yoga script ures propound God as being t he 26
t h
element
and as possessing a definit e for m. They descr ibe jiva and ishwar as
t he 25
t h
element and descr ibe t he 24 element s as being dist inct fr om
t hem. They pr escr ibe t hat one should medit at e on God, r ealising
ones t m t o be dist inct fr om t hose element s.
6 The Vednt a scr ipt ur es descr ibe God as per vading all, being t he
cause of all, t he suppor t er of all, nirgun, unt aint ed by m y, non -
dual, as well as being a non -doer despit e being t he all-doer . They also
descr ibe Him as possessing only divine at t r ibut es and not any
wor ldly at t r ibut es.
7 The Panchr t r a scr ipt ur es descr ipt ion of God is t hat t her e is
one Shr i Kr ishna Pur ushot t am Nr yan, and it is he who emanat es
int o t he four forms of Vsudev, Sankar shan, Anir uddha and
Pr adyumna. It is also he who assumes an avat r on t his ear t h. One
who offers t he nine t ypes of bhakti t o him at t ains liber at ion.
8 These are t he various descript ions of God as given in t hose four
scr ipt ur es. One who t hor oughly under st ands t hem should be known
t o be complet ely enlight ened.
9 Leaving t he ot her t hr ee scr ipt ur es aside, if one wer e t o t r y t o
under st and Gods for m using t he Snkhya scr ipt ur es alone, t hen a
discr epancy would ar ise. Specifically, t he Snkhya scr ipt ur es do not
The Vachanmr ut 95
describe jiva and ishwar as being dist inct fr om t he 24 element s
2
.
Thus, when t he follower s of Snkhya r eject t he 24 element s and
believe t heir jivt m t o be dist inct fr om t hem, t hey would under st and
t heir jivt m , but not God, t o be t he 25
t h
element .
10 The dr awback in t r ying to under st and Gods for m fr om t he
Yoga script ures alone is t hat by believing God t o possess a definit e
for m, t he follower s of Yoga consider Him t o have limit at ions; t hey do
not under st and Him t o be t he antarym i of all and absolut ely perfect .
11 The dr awback in t r ying t o under st and Gods for m fr om t he
Vednt a scr ipt ur es alone is t hat God who is described as t he cause
of all, pervading all and nirgun is believed t o be formless. The
et ernal form of God would not be realised as being devoid of m yik
ar ms, legs, et c., and as possessing divine limbs.
12 The dr awback in t r ying t o under st and Gods for m fr om t he
Panchr t r a scr ipt ur es alone is t hat human t r ait s ar e per ceived in t he
avat rs of God, who are wort hy of being offered bhakti. Also, God is
underst ood as being present in only one place at any one t ime, but
not as being t he antarym i of all and absolut ely perfect .
13 These are t he t ypes of discrepancies t hat arise when a person
does not r ealise God using a combinat ion of all four set s of scr ipt ur es.
However, if one at t empt s t o realise God using all four set s of
scr ipt ur es t oget her , t hen t he flaw r aised by ones under st anding of
one set of scr ipt ur es is cor r ect ed by ones under st anding of anot her .
Ther efor e, he who under st ands God using all four set s of scr ipt ur es
t oget her is known as being complet ely enlight ened. If he ignores one
set of scr ipt ur es, he is known as being t hr ee-quar t er s enlight ened. If
he ignor es t wo set s of scr ipt ur es, he is known as being half-
enlight ened. If he ignor es t hr ee set s of scr ipt ur es, he is known as
being a quar t er enlight ened. If, ignor ing all four set s of scr ipt ur es,
he act s accor ding t o his own ment ally concoct ed int er pr et at ions of t he
scr ipt ur es, t hen, even if he is a Vednt i or one wit h upsan , he is
lost ; i.e., he cannot be said t o have found t he pat h of liberat ion.
Thus, such a Vednt is gnn is hypocr it ical, and a per son wit h such
upsan is a hypocr it ical devot ee.
The Vachanmr ut 96
Ga d h a d I -53
P r ogr e s s a n d Re gr e s s
veranda out side t he west -facing r ooms in fr ont of t he mandir of Shr i
wear ing a whit e survl and a whit e angarkhu. He had also t ied a
r ich, or ange shelu wit h a br ocaded bor der ar ound His waist . He had
also t ied a r ich, or ange ret o wit h a brocaded border around His head.
Tassels of flower s wer e dangling fr om t hat pgh, and He was also
wear ing gar lands of flower s ar ound His neck. At t hat t ime, an
assembly of all of t he munis as well as devot ees from various places
2 Shr iji Mahr j t hen request ed, Someone please ask a quest ion.
3 Ther eupon Mukt nand Swmi asked, Ther e ar e t hose in t he
Sat sang fellowship who progress day by day. There are also t hose
who, despit e being in Sat sang, seem t o r egr ess day by day. What is
t he r eason for t his?
4 Shr iji Mahr j explained, A person who perceives flaws in a
gr eat sdhu gr adually r egr esses in Sat sang. Conver sely, a per son
who per ceives vir t ues in t hat sdhu pr ogr esses, and his bhakti
t owards God also flourishes. Therefore, one should not perceive flaws
in a sdhu; inst ead, one should only per ceive his vir t ues.
5 One should find a flaw in t hat sdhu only if he infr inges t he
disciplines of any of t he five religious vows
4
prescribed by God.
However , if t he sdhu has no flaws in his observance of t hose
disciplines, yet on seeing some peculiar it y in t he sdhus nat ur e, if
one feels t hat it is improper and t hereby focuses only on his flaws,
ignor ing his many vir t ues, t hen ones own noble virt ues of gnn,
vairgya, et c., diminish.
6 Ther efor e, only if t her e is a discr epancy in t he obser vance of
r eligious vows should one find flaws; one should not find flaws in a
devot ee of God for any ot her t rivial reason.

Moreover, if one does not find flaws, ones noble virt ues will begin t o
flour ish day by day.
The Vachanmr ut 97
Ga d h a d I -54
Up h old in g Bh gwa t Dh a r ma ;
Th e Ga t ewa y t o Li ber a t i on
1 On Mah vadi 11, Samvat 1876 [9 Febr uar y 1820], Swmi Shr i
Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing on a cushion wit h a cylindr ical
pillow which had been placed on a large, decorat ed cot on t he veranda
out side t he west -facing r ooms in fr ont of t he mandir of Shr i
wear ing a whit e khes and had cover ed Himself wit h an or ange ret o
t hat had a border of int erlaced golden and silver t hreads. He had
also t ied a fet o ar ound His head using a sky-blue, silk clot h t hat was
similar ly r ich. At t hat t ime, an assembly of munis as well as
2 Ther eupon Mukt nand Swmi asked, Mahr j, t hr ough t he
dialogue bet ween King J anak and t he nine Yogeshwar s, t he 11
t h

cant o of t he Shr imad Bhgwat describes t he nat ure of bhgwat
dharma. How is t hat bhgwat dharma upheld? Also, how can t he
gat eway t o liberat ion be opened?
3 Shr iji Mahr j replied, Bhgwat dharma is upheld by
maint aining profound love t owards t he Ekntik S ant of God, who
possesses t he at t ribut es of swadharma, gnn, vairgya, and bhakti
coupled wit h knowledge of Gods great ness. Maint aining profound
love t owar ds such a S ant also opens t he gat eway t o liber at ion. Thus,
Kapildev Bhagwn has said t o Devhut i:
+ +||| =| |
| -| ||;|+| - +
i

If a person maint ains profound love t owards t he Ekntik S ant of God
just as r esolut ely as he maint ains pr ofound love t owar ds his own
r elat ives, t hen t he gat eway t o liber at ion opens for him.

i
Prasangam-ajaram psham-tmanaha kavayo viduhu|
S a eva sdhushu kruto moksha-dvram-apvrutam| |
The Vachanmr ut 98
4 Ther eaft er Shuk Muni asked, By what char act er ist ic can one
recognise a person who would never lapse in his observance of
dharma, even under t he most difficult cir cumst ances?
5 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, A per son whose nat ur e is such t hat he
is diligent in obeying t he injunct ions of God, and who would never
disobey any injunct ion, however minor or major , will never r egr ess
fr om obser ving dharma, ir r espect ive of t he cir cumst ances.
Ther efor e, only his dharma r emains fir m who is r esolut e in obeying
Gods injunct ions, and only his satsang r emains fir m.
Ga d h a d I -55
Resolu t en ess i n Wor sh i p , Remembr a n ce a n d
Obser va n ce of Reli gi ou s Vows
Mahr j was sit t ing on t he east -facing veranda of His own residence
i n Dd Khchar s darbr in Gadhad. He was dr essed ent ir ely in
devot ees from var ious places had gat her ed befor e Him.
session.
3 Ther eupon Mukt nand Swmi asked, Why is a per son unable
t o maint ain a st eady r esolve in wor ship, r emembr ance, and r eligious
vows?
4 Shr iji Mahr j explained, A persons resolve does not remain
st eady due t o t he influence of adverse places, t imes, act ions and
company. Ther e ar e, in fact , t hr ee levels of t his r esolve: t he highest ,
t he int er mediat e and t he lowest . If places, t imes, act ions and
company ar e ext r emely adver se, t hen even t he highest r esolve is
dissolved. What , t hen, can be said of t he int er mediat e and lowest
levels of resolve?
5 If, however , ones r esolve r emains exact ly t he same despit e t he
influence of ext r emely adver se places, t imes, act ions and company,
t hen t he force of good deeds and merit s previously performed by one
must be ext r emely power ful. If, on t he ot her hand, ones int ellect
becomes pollut ed despit e ext remely favourable places, t imes, act ions
The Vachanmr ut 99
and company, t hen it is because one must have commit t ed a gr ave
sin or spit ed a great devot ee of God, eit her in a past life or in t his life.
This is because despit e associat ion wit h favour able places, t imes,
act ions and company, ones mind has st ill become pollut ed. Even so,
if a person serves t he great Purush diligent ly, his sins will be bur nt
and r educed t o ashes. On t he ot her hand, if a per son associat es wit h
a gr ave sinner , t hen his own sins incr ease, and any pious deeds t hat
he may have per for med will also be dest r oyed. Fur t her mor e, a
per son who put s his ar ms ar ound t he necks of pr ost it ut es dr inking
alcohol, and t hen blames God by t hinking, Why did God not keep my
mind st able? should be known as an ut t er fool.

Ga d h a d I -56
Hollow St on es
1 On t he evening of Mah vadi 12, Samvat 1876 [11 Febr uar y
Vsudevnr yan i n Dd Khchar s darbr in Gadhad. He was
wear ing a whit e khes and had cover ed Himself wit h an or ange ret o
int erlaced wit h golden and silver t hreads. He had also t ied a ret o
wit h a deep or ange bor der ar ound His head. At t hat t ime, an
gat her ed befor e Him. Aft er singing t he Nr yan dhunya, some
munis wer e singing devot ional songs t o t he accompaniment of a
jhnjh and mrudang.
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j r equest ed, Please conclude singing
devot ional songs, and let us conduct a quest ion -answer session for a
while. Having said t his, Shr iji Mahr j said, Her e, let Me ask a
quest ion. He t hen began by saying, Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn
ment ions four t ypes of devot ees
i
in t he Git . Of t hese, t he devot ee

i
The four t ypes of devot ees descr ibed in t he Git (7.16 & 7.17) ar e: (1) r t a one
who is dist r essed fr om having fallen fr om t he pat h of at t aining yogic power s, and
t hus st ill wishes t o at t ain t hem; (2) jignsu one who seeks knowledge of t he

The Vachanmr ut 100
possessing gnn is descr ibed as being t he best . However , supposing
t hat all four have an equal level of fait h in Gods form, how is t he one
wit h gnn super ior ?
3 The munis at t empt ed t o answer t he quest ion but were unable t o
4 Shr iji Mahr j t hen explained, The devot ee possessing gnn
behaves as brahmaswarup and t hor oughly r ealises t he gr eat ness of
God. As a r esult , no desir es r emain in his mind except for t hose of
Gods for m. The ot her t hr ee t ypes of devot ees, however, do not fully
r ealise t he gr eat ness of God, despit e having fait h in God. Thus,
desir es ot her t han t hose for God st ill per sist . That is why t hey do not
come t o par wit h t he devot ee possessing gnn. Ther efor e, if any
desires ot her t han t hose relat ed t o God remain in a devot ee, it is a
serious flaw.
5 Anot her major flaw is when a per son who has no wor ldly
desires at all and has int ense vairgya behaves ar r ogant ly on account
of t hat vairgya. He may have t he int ense force of knowledge of t he
t m or have t he force of resolut e bhakti t owards God, but if, out of
arrogance, he is unable t o bow before meek devot ees or is unable t o
addr ess t hem humbly, t hen t hat is also a ser ious flaw in him. As a
r esult of t hat flaw, his inclinat ion does not flour ish.
6 Consider t he analogy of a st one-cut t er digging a well. If t he
st one under neat h sounds hollow when he st r ikes it , he pr edict s,
Ther e will be plent y of wat er in t his well. But , if t he st one sounds
solid on t he sur face, and spar ks fly when he st r ikes it , t hen t he
st one-cut t er infer s, If t her e is going t o be any wat er in t his well at
all, t her e will be ver y lit t le. In t he same way, a per son who r emains
ar r ogant due t o t he vanit y of his gnn, vairgya and bhakti may be
called gr eat , but his gr eat ness will be ver y limit ed; he does not
imbibe t he gr eat vir t ues imbibed by a humble devot ee. Ther efor e,
whosoever wishes t o please God should not become arrogant due t o
t he vanit y of his gnn, vairgya and bhakti, or in fact , due t o any
ot her noble vir t ues he may have. As a r esult , t he incar nat e for m of
Shr i Kr ishnanr yan will become pleased and will reside in t he heart
of t hat per son.

tm, i.e. tm-r ealisat ion; (3) ar t hr t hi one who desir es mat er ial object s, i.e.
mat er ial pleasur es and power s; and (4) gnni one who ha s gnn.
The Vachanmr ut 101
7 Mukt nand Swmi t hen asked, Mahr j, by what met hod can a
per son over come t he vanit y which ar ises due t o gnn, vairgya,
bhakti, and ot her noble vir t ues?
8 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, If, while r ealising t he gr eat ness of Gods
devot ees, he physically bows down t o t hem, ser ves t hem menially,
r ecognises t hought s of vanit y when t hey ar ise in his hear t and
maint ains t he for ce of t hought , t hen vanit y is er adicat ed.
9 Shr iji Mahr j t hen cont inued, A devot ees pr ofound, loving
bhakti may be so int ense t hat due t o t hat bhakti, God does as t hat
devot ee wishes. However, if t hat devot ee develops vanit y in his heart
due t o t hat bhakti, it const it ut es a ser iou s flaw on his par t . Also, a
devot ee may be vain due t o his knowledge of t he t m or due t o his
vairgya, but t hat vanit y only ser ves t o st r engt hen his belief of being
t he body. Therefore, devot ees of God should not harbour any form of
vanit y what soever. That is t he only means t o please God.
10 Furt hermore, if int rospect ive devot ees of God examine
t hemselves and look inwar ds t owar ds t heir own hear t s, when even a
lit t le vanit y ar ises, t hey would not ice an expr ession of disgust on t he
form of God residing wit hin t heir hear t s. Conver sely, when t hey
behave humbly, Gods for m r esiding wit hin t heir hear t s would appear
t o have an ext remely pleased expression. Therefore, using t he force
of t hought , a devot ee of God should not allow any sort of vanit y t o
ar ise.
11 If, however , vanit y does co-exist wit h gnn, vairgya and
bhakti, it is r at her like impur it ies added t o gold. If impur it ies ar e
added t o 24-car at gold, it becomes 22-car at . Adding mor e impur it ies
r ender s it 18-car at . Adding even mor e impur it ies r ender s it 12-car at
gold. In t he same way, as impur it ies in t he for m of vanit y mix wit h
t hat devot ees gnn, vairgya and bhakti, t he pur it y of all t hr ee
gr adually decr eases. Thus, gnn, vairgya and bhakti devoid of
vanit y ar e like 24-car at gold.
12 Fur t her mor e, if a per son is vain, t hose virt ues of gnn,
vairgya and bhakti may make him appear vir t uous super ficially,
but he does not have any inner -st r engt h. Consider anot her analogy:
This prut hvi, wit h a sur face ar ea of 500,000,000 yojans, suppor t s t he
oceans, t he mount ains and all for ms of life, and so appear s ver y
st r ong. However , because t he prut hvi float s on jal like a dung cake,
jal appear s t o be much st r onger t han prut hvi. Likewise, t ej appears
t o be much st r onger t han jal, and vyu appears t o be even st ronger
The Vachanmr ut 102
t han t ej. Finally, alt hough it appear s t o have no st r engt h at all,
ksh, in fact , is t he st r ongest of t hem all since it suppor t s all of t he
ot her four . Similar ly, t he vir t ues of gnn, vairgya and bhakti of a
devot ee who has no vanit y are as powerful as ksh. Alt hough he
may not out wardly appear t o be so, such a humble devot ee is superior
t o all.
13 Mor eover , just as an infant never has any feelings of vanit y, in
t he same manner , no mat t er how much pr aise or est eem he
encount er s, a sdhu should always behave wit hout vanit y just like
an infant .
14 Ther eaft er Mukt nand Swmi asked anot her quest ion: The jiva
is dist inct fr om t he indriyas , antahkaran and prns; it is also
dist inct fr om t he t hr ee st at es waking, dream and deep sleep and
t he t hree bodies sthul, sukshma and kran . Aft er hear ing t his in
Sat sang, a fir m convict ion r egar ding t his fact has been cult ivat ed.
Why, t hen, does t he blissful jivt m st ill associat e wit h t he indriyas ,
antahkaran , et c., while engaged in t he wor ship and r emembr ance of
Par amt m and t hereby become miserable due t o t he influence of
dist ur bing t hought s?
15 Shr iji Mahr j replied, Many people become realised yogis,
many become omniscient , many become deit ies, and t hus at t ain
count less t ypes of gr eat ness, including t he highest st at e of
enlight enment . All t his is achieved t hr ough t he for ce of t he upsan
of God. Wit hout upsan , t hough, not hing can be accomplished.
Therefore, t he dist inct ion bet ween t m and non -t m cannot be
r ealised by mer ely under st anding t he dist inct ion as given in t he
scr ipt ur es; nor can it be r ealised by list ening t o discour ses fr om a
senior sdhu and deciding in ones mind, I shall now dist inguish
bet ween t m and non -t m . Rat her , it is t he ext ent of a persons
fait h in his Ishtadev God t hat det er mines how much dist inct ion
bet ween t m and non -t m he cult ivat es. In fact , wit hout using t he
st r engt h of his Ishtadev, no spirit ual endeavours can be fulfilled.
16 On t he ot her hand, a person who has pr ofound, loving bhakti for
God, like t he gopis, has complet ed all spir it ual endeavour s. If,
however, a person does not have such love, t hen he should
underst and t he great ness of God in t he following way: God is t he
mast er of Golok, Vaikunt h, Shwet dwip and Br ahmamahol. Alt hough
He appears t o be like a human for t he purpose of grant ing happiness
t o His devot ees, His for m in His abodes of Golok, Vaikunt h, et c.,
The Vachanmr ut 103
r adiat es wit h t he br illiance of millions and millions of suns fr om each
pore of His body. Yet in Mr ut yulok, humans ser ve Him, and He
becomes visible only when a small oil lamp is lit in fr ont of Him.
Nonet heless, it is He who pr ovides light t o all t he sun, t he moon,
et c. That God is such t hat Rdhik, Lakshmi, and His ot her
devot ees const ant ly ser ve Him in His abodes of Golok, Vaikunt h, et c.
Following t he dissolut ion of t he brahmnds, it is only t his incar nat e
God who r emains. Also, it is t his same God who, at t he t ime of
cr eat ion, cr eat es count less millions of brahmnds t hr ough Pr akr ut i
and Pur ush.
17 Cont emplat ing on Gods gr eat ness in t his manner is t he only
met hod for underst anding t he dist inct ion bet ween t m and non -
t m . In addit ion, t he ext ent of t hat devot ees fait h in God, coupled
wit h t he knowledge of Gods gr eat ness, also det ermines t he amount of
vairgya t hat develops in t hat devot ees hear t . Ther efor e, for saking
ones dependence on t he st rengt h of ot her spirit ual endeavours, one
should r ely exclusively on t he st r engt h of Gods upsan .
18 Such a devot ee believes, However gr ave a sinner a per son may
be, if at t he end of his life, he ut t er s, Swminr yan, he will be
r edeemed of all sins and will r eside in Br ahmamahol. How, t hen,
can t here be any doubt about a devot ee who has t aken r efuge in t hat
God at t aining the abode of God? That is how he underst ands t he
great ness of God. Therefore, a devot ee of God should increase t he
st r engt h of t heir upsan of God day by day by pract ising satsang.
Ga d h a d I -57
Th e Most Ext r a or d i n a r y Mea n s t o At t a i n Li ber a t i on
1 On Fgun sudi 2, Samvat 1876 [15 Febr uar y 1820], Shr iji
Mahr j was sit t ing in t he r esident ial hall of t he sdhus i n Dd
clot hes. At t hat t ime, an assembly of sdhus as well as devot ees
2 Then Shr iji Mahr j said, Those of you who know how t o
engage in a quest ions-answer dialogue may ask one quest ion each.
3 Ther eupon Mukt nand Swmi asked, Mahr j, what is t he
most ext r aor dinar y means of at t aining liber at ion?
The Vachanmr ut 104
4 Shr iji Mahr j replied, The knowledge of Gods form and t he
knowledge of Gods great ness are t he t wo ext raordinary means t o
at t ain liber at ion.
5 Mukt nand Swmi t hen asked anot her quest ion , What is t he
nat ure of love t owards God?
6 Shr iji Mahr j answer ed, The nat ur e of t r ue love is t hat it
should not ent er t ain any t ype of logical condit ions. If, however , one
develops love by logically t hinking of Gods vir t ues, t hen when one
perceives flaws in God, ones love t owar ds Him will be br oken. So, it
is best t o leave such affect ion as it was or iginally, r at her t han
r epeat edly est ablish it and t hen r aise doubt s about it . Inst ead, one
should develop affect ion t owards God wit h blind fait h; aft er all,
affect ion developed by logically t hinking of Gods virt ues cannot be
t rust ed. Therefore, one should develop t he same t ype of affect ion
t owards God as one has for ones bodily relat ions. This affect ion is
known as affect ion due t o blind fait h. Having said t his, t hough, love
developed by realising Gods gr eat ness is of a t ot ally different nat ure
alt oget her .
7 Ther eaft er Shivnand Swmi asked, Alt hough one has an
int ense year ning t o st ay in t he Sat sang fellowship, why is it t hat
some inappropriat e swabhvs ar e st ill not er adicat ed?
8 Shr iji Mahr j explained, If a person has not developed an
aversion for t he t ype of swabhv t hat hinder s him in Sat sang, how
can he be said t o have an int ense yearning for Sat sang? And how
can he be said t o have realised t hat swabhv t o be his ar chenemy?
For example, if a fr iend of your s wer e t o kill your br ot her , your
fr iendship wit h him would no longer r emain; inst ead, you would be
pr epar ed t o cut off his head. Why? Because t he r elat ionship wit h
ones br ot her is closer t han t hat wit h ones fr iend. Likewise, a per son
may have a swabhv t hat causes him t o br eak his r eligious vows and
fall fr om Sat sang. If, despit e t his, he st ill does not har bour any
feelings of enmit y t owards it and does not develop bit t erness t owards
it , t hen he does not have t ot al affect ion for Sat sang. On t he ot her
hand, if his affect ion for Sat sang is like t he affect ion one has for ones
br ot her , t hen he would shun t hat det r iment al swabhv immediat ely.
Aft er all, t he jiva is ext r emely power ful. The mind and indriyas are
all mer ely t he kshet ra, wher eas t he jiva is t heir kshetragna; it can
achieve what ever it at t empt s.
The Vachanmr ut 105
Ga d h a d I -58
Th e Bod y, Ba d Comp a n y a n d P a st Sa n sk r s ;
On e Be come s li k e On e P e r ce i ve s t h e Gr e a t
1 At t he t ime of t he evening rt i on Fgun sudi 5, Samvat 1876
[18 Febr uar y 1820], Shr iji Mahr j was sit t ing in t he r esident ial hall
of t he paramhansas i n Dd Khchar s darbr in Gadhad. He was
dressed ent ir ely in whit e clot hes. At t hat t ime, an assembly of munis
2 Shr iji Mahr j t hen said, Please ask a quest ion.
3 Ther eupon Mukt nand Swmi asked, Mahr j, when a devot ee
of God engages in wor ship and r emembr ance of God, he is dist ur bed
by t he forces of rajogun and t amogun in his hear t ; as a r esult , he is
unable t o exper ience t he bliss of wor ship and r emembr ance. So, how
can t he force of t hose gunas be over come?
4 Shr iji Mahr j explained, The influence of t he gunas is due t o
t hr ee fact or s t he body, bad company, and past sanskrs. Of t hese,
t he gunas t hat arise due t o t he body are overcome by reflect ing upon
t he t m and t he non -t m . Gunas t hat have arisen due t o bad
company ar e eradicat ed by keeping t he company of a sdhu. Should
t hese t wo met hods fail t o eradicat e t he force of rajogun and t amogun,
t hen t he problem lies in t he influence of some unfavourable sanskrs
of t he past . These ar e ver y difficult t o er adicat e.
5 nandnand Swmi t hen asked, How can such unfavour able
sanskrs of t he past be eradicat ed?
6 Shr iji Mahr j answer ed, If t he ext r emely gr eat Purush
becomes pleased upon a person, t hen regardless of how unfavourable
t he per sons sanskrs may be, t hey ar e all dest royed. Moreover, if
t he gr eat Purush is pleased, a beggar can become a king; r egar dless
of how unfavourable a persons prrabdha may be, it becomes
favour able; and r egar dless of how disast r ous a misfor t une he is t o
face, it is avoided.
7 nandnand Swmi asked fur t her , How can a per son please
such a gr eat Purush?
8 Shr iji Mahr j explained, Fir st of all, he must be honest wit h
t hat gr eat S ant. He must also for sake lust , anger , avar ice,
infat uat ion , matsar , egot ism, jealousy, ar r ogance, and all desires and
cr avings. Mor eover , he should behave as a ser vant of t he S ant and
The Vachanmr ut 106
maint ain a const ant effor t t o er adicat e egot ism fr om his hear t . While
doing so int er nally, he should physically cont inue t o bow t o ever yone
as well. As a r esult , t he gr eat S ant will become pleased wit h him.
9 Ther eaft er Mahnubhvnand Swmi asked, Mahr j, while
st aying in t he Sat sang fellowship, how can one er adicat e all of ones
fault s? Also, how can ones bhakti t owards God cont inue t o flourish
day by day?
10 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, The mor e one cont inues t o imbibe t he
vir t ues of t he gr eat Purush, t he mor e ones bhakti begins t o flour ish.
In fact , if one r ealises t he t r uly gr eat Purush t o be absolut ely lust -
fr ee, t hen, even if one is as lust ful as a dog, one will also become lust -
free. Conversely, if one perceives t he fault of lust in t he great
Purush, t hen no mat t er how lust -free one may be, one becomes full of
int ense lust . In t he same manner , if one views t he gr eat Purush t o
be full of anger or avarice, t hen one becomes full of anger and
avar ice. Ther efor e, if one under st ands t he gr eat Purush t o be
absolut ely fr ee of lust , avar ice, t ast e, egot ism and at t achment , one
will also become free of all of t hose evil nat ures and become a st aunch
devotee.
11 What ar e t he char act er ist ics of such a st aunch devot ee? Well,
just as he has an inst inct ive dislike for object s t hat cause miser y,
similar ly he has an inst inct ive dislike for t he allur ing vishays, i.e.,
sight s, sounds, smells, t ast es and t ouch. Mor eover , he has fir m fait h
in God alone. Such a person should be known as a st aunch devot ee.
12 The only means of becoming such a st aunch devot ee is by
behaving as a ser vant of t he ser vant s of God, and by r ealising, All of
t hese devot ees are great ; I am inferior compared t o t hem all.
Realising t his, he behaves as a servant of a servant of t he devot ees of
God. All of t he evil nat ures of a person who behaves in t his manner
ar e dest r oyed, and day by day, noble vir t ues such as gnn, vairgya,
bhakti, et c., cont inue t o flour ish wit hin him.
Ga d h a d I -59
Un p a r a lleled Love
1 On Fgun sudi 14, Samvat 1876 [27 Febr uar y 1820], Shr iji
The Vachanmr ut 107
veranda out side t he west -facing r ooms in front of t he mandir of Shr i
clot h. He had also t ied a whit e clot h wit h a border of silken t hread
ar ound His head. His for ehead had been anoint ed wit h sandalwood
past e. At t hat t ime, an assembly of munis as well as devot ees from
2 Shr iji Mahr j t hen said, Please begin a quest ion -answer
session.
3 Ther eupon Mukt nand Swmi asked, Mahr j, how can
unparalleled love t owards God be developed?
4 Shr iji Mahr j replied, A person should have t he following
under st anding: Fir st ly, convict ion of God; i.e., He who I have
at t ained is undoubt edly God Himself. He should also have t he
at t r ibut es of an stik. Fur t her mor e, he should r ealise t he divine
power s of God; i.e., This God is t he mast er of Br ahmamahol, Golok,
Shwet dwip and all of t he ot her abodes. He is t he mast er of count less
millions of brahmnds and is t he all-doer . He should never believe
Pur ush, kl, karma, m y, t he t hr ee gunas, t he 24 element s
2
, or
Br ahm and t he ot her deit ies t o be t he creat ors of t his brahmnd;
inst ead, he should r ealise only Pur ushot t am Bhagwn t o be t he
cr eat or and t he antarym i of all. Such an under st anding, along wit h
fait h in t he manifest form of God, is t he only way t o develop
unparalleled love for God.
5 Mukt nand Swmi asked fur t her , Despit e having r ealised such
great ness of God, why does a person st ill not develop unparalleled love
for God?
6 Shr iji Mahr j explained, If he has realised t he great ness of
God in t his way, t hen he indeed does have unparalleled love for God,
but he does not r ealise it . For example, Hanumnji possessed
immense st r engt h, but he did not r ealise it unt il someone else
r evealed it t o him. Also, when Pr alambsur abduct ed Baldevji,
Baldevji possessed t r emendous st r engt h, but he himself was unawar e
of t his fact . Only when a divine voice fr om t he sky infor med him did
he become awar e of his st r engt h. In t he same way, t hat devot ee does
indeed have unparalleled love for God; he is simply not aware of it .
7 Mukt nand Swmi asked fur t her , How, t hen, can t he st r engt h
of t hat love be realised?
The Vachanmr ut 108
8 Shr iji Mahr j answer ed, By pr act ising satsang and by
list ening t o t he sacr ed scr ipt ur es one r ealises t hat one has
unparalleled love for God.
9 Ther eaft er Mukt nand Swmi asked anot her quest ion: Places,
t imes and act ions become eit her favour able or unfavour able. Is t his
due t o t he company one keeps, or t o some ot her fact or ?
10 Shr iji Mahr j explained, All places are a part of t he eart h, and
so t hey ar e t he same ever ywher e. Time is also t he same ever ywher e.
However , wher ever an ext r emely power ful spir it ual per son pr esides,
adverse places, adverse t imes and adver se act ions all become
favour able by his influence. Conver sely, by associat ing wit h an
ext remely vile sinner , even favourable places, favourable t imes and
favourable act ions become adver se. Ther efor e, t he per son is t he
gover ning fact or in det er mining whet her places, t imes and act ions
are favourable or unfavourable.
11 If t hat per son is ext r emely power ful, he will influence places,
t imes and act ions accor ding t o his nat ur e t hr oughout t he whole
world. A person of slight ly less power will be able t o influence only
one region. One who is even less powerful will be able t o influence
only one village. A person of even less power t han t hat will be able t o
influence only a neighbour hood or his own household. In t his way,
t he favourable or unfavourable influences of places, t imes and act ions
are dependent upon t he purit y and impurit y of t hese t wo t ypes of
people.
Ga d h a d I -60
Ob ser vi n g Ek n t ik Dh a r ma ;
Er a d i ca t i n g Wor ld ly Desi r es
1 On Fgun vadi 1, Samvat 1876 [29 Febr uar y 1820], Shr iji
Mahr j was sit t ing in t he r esident ial hall of t he paramhansas in
and had covered Himself wit h a whit e cot t on clot h. He had also t ied
a whit e pgh, which was decorat ed wit h t assels of whit e flower s,
ar ound His head. Gar lands of whit e flower s also ador ned His neck.
At t hat t ime, an assembly of munis as well as devot ees from various
places had gat hered before Him.
The Vachanmr ut 109
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, Of all spir it ual endeavour s, t o
eradicat e worldly desires is t he great est endeavour. The means of
doing t his is as follows: Bear ing in mind ones cr aving for t he
vishays, i.e., sight s, sounds, smells, t ast es and t ouch, one should
int r ospect , Is my desir e for God equal t o my desir es for t he wor ld? Is
it gr eat er ? Or is it less? One should examine oneself in t his
manner . For example, if ones ear s ar e dr awn t o wor ldly t alks just
as much as t hey ar e dr awn t o t alks r elat ed t o God, t hen one should
r ealise, My desir e for God is equal t o my desir e for t he wor ld. One
should similar ly examine all of t he ot her vishays, i.e., sight s, smells,
t ast es and t ouch.
3 While examining himself in t his manner , if a per son gr adually
decreases his worldly desires and increases his desire for God, he
begins t o develop an underst anding whereby he views all vishays as
equal. Aft er such equanimit y has developed, honour s and insult s will
appear t o be t he same t o him. Moreover, pleasant and unpleasant
t ypes of t ouch will appear t o be t he same; at t ract ive sight s and
unat t r act ive sight s will appear t o be t he same; a gir l, a young lady
and an old woman will appear t o be t he same; gold and refuse will
appear t o be t he same as well. Similar ly, pleasant and unpleasant
t ast es and smells will also appear t o be t he same. When a per son can
inst inct ively behave in t his way, it should be known t hat his wor ldly
desires have been overcome.
4 In fact , t o behave above t he influence of worldly desires is t he
dharma of one who is ekntik. But , if some desir es do r emain, t hen
even if a person is able t o at t ain sam dhi and cont r ol his ndi and
prns, t hose desir es will dr aw him back out of sam dhi. Ther efor e,
only a person who overcomes worldly desires is an ekntik bhakta.
5 Ther eupon Mukt nand Swmi asked, What ar e t he means t o
eradicat e worldly desires?
6 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, Fir st ly, one r equir es fir m t m -
r ealisat ion; secondly, one should r ealise t he insignificance of t he
panchvishays; and t hir dly, one should r ealise t he pr ofound gr eat ness
of God; i.e., God is t he mast er of all abodes Vaikunt h, Golok,
Br ahmamahol, et c. So, having at t ained t hat God, why should I have
affect ion for t he pleasures of t he vishays, which ar e fut ile? One
should t hink of Gods gr eat ness in t his manner .
7 Moreover, he t hinks, If, due t o some deficiency r emaining while
worshipping God, I become unwort hy of going t o t he abode of God,
The Vachanmr ut 110
and He wer e t o place me in Indr alok or Br ahmalok, t her e is st ill a
million -fold mor e bliss t her e t han t her e is in t his wor ld. Even wit h
such a t hought one should become free of all desires for t he
insignificant pleasur es of t he wor ld. So, by r ealising Gods gr eat ness
in t his way, one becomes free of worldly desires. Ther eaft er , one
feels, I never did have any desires; it was all like some kind of
illusion. In r ealit y, I have always been fr ee of desir es. This is what
one experiences.
8 Such ekntik dharma can only be at t ained by following t he
commands of a Purush who is free of worldly desires and who has
at t ained t he st at e of God-r ealisat ion; it cannot be at t ained mer ely by
reading books. Even if a person were t o at t empt t o rest at e t hose
t alks exact ly, having mer ely hear d t hem, he would not be able t o do
so pr oper ly. Ther efor e, one can at t ain ekntik dharma only fr om
someone who has already at t ained t he st at e of ekntik dharma.
Ga d h a d I -61
Kin g Ba li
1 On Fgun vadi 3, Samvat 1876 [3 Mar ch 1820], Shr iji Mahr j
was sit t ing on a lar ge, decor at ed cot on t he plat for m under t he neem
t r ee in fr ont of t he mandir of Shr i Vsudevnr yan in Dd
Khchar s darbr in Gadhad. He had t ied a whit e clot h wit h a
bor der of silken t hr ead ar ound His head. He was wear ing a whit e
khes and had also cover ed Himself wit h a whit e blanket . He was
wear ing gar lands of whit e flower s ar ound His neck, and t assels of
whit e flowers were dangling from t he left side of His pgh. At t hat
2 Ther eupon Mukt nand Swmi a sked, How can one r emain
composed even under t he influence of lust , anger , avar ice and fear ?
3 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, I am not t he body; I am t he t m ,
which is dist inct fr om t he body and is t he knower of all. When such
t m -r ealisat ion becomes ext r emely fir m, one never loses ones
composur e. On t he ot her hand, a per son wit hout t m -r ealisat ion
may t r y many ot her means, but he cannot r emain composed.
The Vachanmr ut 111
4 Ther eaft er Br ahmnand Swmi asked, To what ext ent does
t m -r ealisat ion act ually help at t he t ime of deat h?
5 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, When faced wit h t he t ask of cr ossing a
r iver , one who knows how t o swim can cr oss it , wher eas one who is
unable t o swim will be left st anding. However , when faced wit h t he
t ask of cr ossing an ocean, bot h r equir e t he aid of a ship. Similar ly, a
river in t he form of t he dualit ies of cold and heat , hunger and
t hir st , honour and insult , happiness and miser y may be cr ossed by
a person wit h t m -r ealisat ion; deat h, however , is like an ocean. In
t hat case, bot h a per son wit h t m -realisat ion and a person wit hout
it require t he help of a ship in t he form of fait h in God. Therefore,
only t he firm refuge of God is helpful at t he t ime of deat h, whereas
t m -r ealisat ion alone is of no use what soever at t he t ime of deat h.
For t his r eason, one should fir mly cult ivat e fait h in God.
6 Mukt nand Swmi t hen asked anot her quest ion: It is said t hat
yogic powers ent ice a devot ee of God. Does t his fact apply only t o
t hose whose fait h in God wavers or also t o t hose who have fir m
fait h?
7 Shr iji Mahr j explained, Yogic powers only appear before t hose
whose fait h in God is st eadfast ; for ot her s, t hey ar e ver y difficult t o
at t ain. In fact , t hose power s ar e inspir ed by God Himself t o t est His
devot ee; t hat is, Does he have more love for Me or for t he powers?
God t est s His devot ees in t his manner .
8 If t he devot ee happens t o be st aunch and desires not hing except
God, is free of worldly desires and is an ekntik bhakta, t hen God
Himself becomes bound by t hat devot ee. Vmanji, for example,
seized King Balis kingdom, which compr ised of t he r ealms of swarg,
Mr ut yulok and pt l, and cover ed all 14 r ealms wit h his fir st t wo
st eps. Ther eaft er , King Bali offer ed his own body for Vmanji t o
place t he t hir d st ep. In t his way, King Bali devout ly offered his all t o
God. Moreover, despit e t he fact t hat God deceived him wit hout any
fault of his own, Bali st ill did not falt er fr om His bhakti. On seeing
such unpar alleled bhakti for him, God ult imat ely became bound by
Bali. Alt hough God bound King Bali only moment ar ily, in t he
process, God himself became bound by t he ropes in t he form of Balis
mat chless bhakti. In fact , t o t his ver y day, God is for ever st anding at
Balis gat e, never out of King Balis sight even for a fr act ion of a
second.
The Vachanmr ut 112
9 In t he same way, for saking all ot her wor ldly desir es and
offering our all t o God, we should also remain as servant s of God. If,
in t he pr ocess, God happens t o inflict mor e miser y upon us, t hen God
Himself will become bound by us. This is because He loves His
devot ees and is an ocean of compassion; He becomes bound by anyone
who offers profound bhakti t o Him. As a r esult , t he mind of a devot ee
who has such loving bhakti becomes so bound t o God t hat God is
unable t o fr ee Himself fr om him.
10 Therefore, we should become more pleased as God put s us
t hr ough mor e sever e har dships, bear ing in mind, The mor e miser y
God inflict s upon me, t he mor e bound He will become t o me; t her eby,
He will not be away fr om me for even a moment . Wit h such
underst anding, one should become increasingly pleased as God
imposes mor e and mor e har dships; but one should never become
disheart ened in t he face of misery or for t he sake of bodily comfort s.
Ga d h a d I -62
Acqu ir in g t h e Vir t u es of Sa t ya , Sh a u ch , Et c.
was sit t ing on a large, decorat ed cot in t he middle of t he court yard of
and had cover ed Himself wit h a whit e cot t on clot h. On His head He
was wear ing a whit e pgh t hat was decor at ed wit h gar lands and
t assels of whit e flower s. At t hat t ime, an assembly of munis as well
2 Ther eupon Swayamprak shnand Swmi asked, The Shr imad
Bhgwat st at es t he 39 r edempt ive vir t ues
8
t hat forever dwell in t he
form of God. They are:
= | =| |||---=| -| |
|| --+ |-= |-|-||+|- | - +
-|| ||- = |= - | - |-
-|--= | ||-- = | +
+|--= +|= || || ~
|-~|= -u = ||--+= ||- | ||-+
The Vachanmr ut 113
But how can t hese vir t ues be acquir ed by a sdhu?
3 Shr iji Mahr j replied, If a sdhu develops t he perfect
convict ion of God, t hen he will acquir e t hose r edempt ive vir t ues of
God. What is t hat convict ion? Well, he r ealises t hat God is not like
kl, not like karma, not like swabhv, not like m y, and not like
Pur ush. He r ealises God t o be dist inct fr om ever yt hing, t heir
cont r oller and cause; yet , despit e being t heir cause, He is beyond
t heir influence. A per son who has cult ivat ed a convict ion of t he
manifest for m of God in t his manner will never be deflect ed in any
way. Even if he hear s misleading scr ipt ur es, or if he hear s t he t alks
of misleading philosophers, or even if his own antahkaran r aises
doubt s wit hin himself, his convict ion of God never waver s in any way
what soever .
4 A person wit h such a convict ion of God is said t o have a rapport
wit h God. Mor eover , one nat ur ally acquir es t he vir t ues of whomever
one has a r appor t wit h. For example, when our eyes meet wit h an oil
lamp, t he light of t hat oil lamp ent er s our eyes, t hus expelling t he
dar kness pr esent befor e t hem. In t he same manner , one who has
developed a rapport wit h God by having a firm convict ion of Him
acquir es t he r edempt ive vir t ues of God. As a r esult , just as God is
unat t ached in all r espect s and is capable of doing as He chooses, such
a devot ee also becomes ext r emely capable and unat t ached.
5 Ther eaft er Nir vikr nand Swmi asked, Despit e having t he
convict ion of God, noble vir t ues ar e st ill not acquir ed; on t he
cont r ar y, egot ism and jealousy ar e incr easing day by day. What can
be t he r eason for t his?
6 Shr iji Mahr j explained, Even if one offers amrut , or
shingadiyo vachhng, or dudhpk and skar, or opium in Gods t hl,
t he qualit ies inher ent in each will st ill r emain t he same; t hey will
not change in any way. Similar ly, a per son who is demonic and
ext r emely undeser ving will st ill not for sake his own swabhvs even if
he comes int o cont act wit h God. Fur t her mor e, if he happens t o spit e
some meek devot ee of God, t hen t he former person will suffer as a
r esult . Why? Because God is pr esent in ever yon e as antarym i, and
He displays His divine powers whenever and however He wishes.
Ther efor e, insult ing such a devot ee amount s t o insult ing God.
Consequent ly, t he offender suffer s sever ely. For example,
Hir anyakashipu was so power ful t hat he had conquer ed swarg,
Mr ut yulok and pt l; but because he har assed Pr ahldji, God
The Vachanmr ut 114
manifest ed fr om a pillar in t he for m of Nr usinh and killed
Hir anyakashipu.
7 Bearing t his in mind, a devot ee of God should st rive t o cult ivat e
humilit y and should never insult anyone. Why? Because God also
dwells in t he hear t s of t he meek. Thus, He will make anyone who
insult s t he meek suffer . Realising t his, one should not pain even t he
smallest of beings. If, however , a per son indiscr iminat ely mist r eat s
ot her s out of ar r ogance, then God, who is t he dest royer of arrogance
and who pervades all as antarym i, is unable t o t oler at e t his. He
will appear in one form or anot her t o t horoughly dest roy t he
ar r ogance of t hat ar r ogant per son. Ther efor e, r emaining fear ful of
God, a sdhu should not r et ain even t he slight est ar r ogance, nor
should he pain even t he smallest of beings. This is t he dharma of a
non -egot ist ic sdhu.
Ga d h a d I -63
Fa i t h ; Rea li si n g God P er fect ly
1 On Fgun vadi 7, Samvat 1876 [7 Mar ch 1820], Swmi Shr i
Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing on a lar ge, decor at ed cot on t he
plat form out side t he west -facing r ooms in fr ont of t he mandir of Shr i
clot h. He had also t ied a whit e clot h wit h a border of silken t hread
ar ound His head. Gar lands of whit e flower s ador ned His neck, and
t assels of roses had been insert ed in His pgh. At t hat t ime, an
2 Nr usinhnand Swmi t hen asked, What kind of t hought s ar ise
in a per son who has a deficiency in his fait h in God?
3 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j replied, A person wit h a deficiency in
fait h would become ext remely elat ed on seeing God displaying some of
His power s. However , when he sees no such display of divine power s,
he would become disheart ened. If, despit e t rying, he is unable t o
er adicat e impur e t hought s fr om his hear t , he t hen bear s an aver sion
t owar ds God. That is, he would feel, I have bent over backwar ds
pr act ising satsang for so long, yet God st ill has not er adicat ed my
The Vachanmr ut 115
impur e t hought s. In t his manner , he per ceives a flaw in God. If,
despit e much effor t , he is unable t o disengage his mind fr om t he
object s he cher ishes, he t hen per ceives t he ver y same fault in God.
Specifically, he believes, J ust as I have vicious nat ur es such as lust ,
anger , et c., God also has t he same nat ur es; t he only differ ence is t hat
God is regar ded as being gr eat . A per son who har bour s such
doubt ing t hought s wit hin should be known t o have a deficiency in
fait h. His fait h cannot be called per fect .
4 Par amchait anynand Swmi t hen asked, Mahr j, what t ype
of t hought s does a person wit h per fect fait h in God have?
5 Shr iji Mahr j replied, A person wit h perfect fait h feels wit hin,
I have at t ained all t her e is t o at t ain; and wher ever t he manifest for m
of God resides, t hat it self is t he highest abode. All t hese sdhus are
like Nr ad and the Sanak dik; all satsangis ar e like Uddhav, Akr ur ,
Vidur , Sudm, and t he gopas of Vr undvan; and all female devot ees
ar e like t he gopis, Dr aupadi, Kunt ji, Sit , Rukmini, Lakshmi and
Pr vat i. Now I have not hing mor e t o achieve I have at t ained
Golok, Vaikunt h and Br ahmapur . A per son wit h per fect fait h has
such t hought s and exper iences ext r eme elat ion in his hear t . One
who experiences such feelings wit hin should be known t o have perfect
fait h.
6 So saying, Shr iji Mahr j cont inued, A per son who has realised
t he form of God perfect ly has not hing left t o realise. Please list en as I
now explain t he met hod of r ealising t his; hear ing t his, one develops
fir m fait h in God.
7 Fir st ly, he should r ealise t he gr eat ness of God. To illust r at e
t his, consider t he analogy of a gr eat king. If even his ser vant s and
maids st ay in seven -st or ey havelis , and t heir gar dens, hor ses,
car r iages, or nament s, and ot her such luxur ies make t heir houses
appear as majest ic as Devlok, t hen imagine how majest ic t he darbr
and it s luxur ies of t hat king must be. Similar ly, consider t he r ealms
of t he lords of t his brahmnd Br ahm and t he ot her deit ies who
follow t he commands of Shr i Pur ushot t am Bhagwn. If t her e is no
limit t o t hose r ealms and t heir opulence, t hen how can one possibly
comprehend t he ext ent of t he opulence of Virt -Pur ush fr om whose
navel Br ahm was pr oduced? Fur t her mor e, t he mast er of count less
millions of such Vir t -Pur ushes is Pur ushot t am Bhagwn whose
abode is Akshar. Wit hin t hat abode, count less millions of such
brahmnds float like mer e at oms in each and ever y hair of Akshar .
The Vachanmr ut 116
Such is t he abode of God. In t hat abode, Pur ushot t am Bhagwn
Himself r esides et er nally wit h a divine for m. Mor eover , count less
divine object s exist in t hat abode. So, if t his is t he great ness of
Akshar , t hen how can one possibly compr ehend t he ext ent of Gods
gr eat ness? One wit h fait h under st ands Gods gr eat ness in t his
manner .
8 Besides, t hat which is gr eat er t han anot her is subt ler t han t he
ot her and is also it s cause. For example, jal is gr eat er t han prut hvi,
is t he cause of t hat prut hvi and is subt ler t han it as well. In t ur n,
t ej is gr eat er t han jal, vyu is gr eat er t han t ej, and ksh is gr eat er
t han vyu. In t he same way, Akshar , Pr akr ut i-Pur ush, Pradh n-
Pur ush, mahat t at t va and ahamkr ar e all pr ogr essively gr eat er t han
each ot her , t he cause of each ot her and subt ler t han each ot her .
They also possess a for m.
9 In compar ison, however , Gods Akshar dh m is ext r emely lar ge.
Count less millions of brahmnds float like mer e at oms in each of it s
hair s. J ust as an ant moving on t he body of a huge elephant appear s
insignificant , likewise, befor e t he gr eat ness of t hat Akshar ,
ever yt hing else pales int o insignificance. Consider t he following: An
ant appear s lar ge amidst small mosquit oes; a scor pion appear s lar ge
amidst ant s; a snake appear s lar ge amidst scor pions; a kit e appear s
lar ge amidst snakes; a bull appear s lar ge amidst kit es; an elephant
appear s lar ge amidst bulls; a mount ain such as Gir nr appear s lar ge
amidst elephant s; and Mount Mer u appear s lar ge amidst Gir nr . In
t ur n, Mount Lok lok appear s ext r emely lar ge amidst a mount ain
such as Mer u. The prut hvi appear s ver y lar ge in compar ison t o
Mount Lok lok. In t ur n, jal, t he cause of prut hvi, is lar ger t han it
and is subt ler t han it . In t he same way, t ej is t he cause of jal, vyu
is t he cause of t ej, ksh is t he cause of vyu, ahamkr is t he cause
of ksh, mahat t at t va is t he cause of ahamkr, Pr adh n and Pur ush
are t he cause of mah at t at t va, and Mul-Pr akr ut i and Br ahma
i
are t he
causes of Pradh n and Pur ush. The cause of all of t hese is
Akshar br ahma, which is t he abode of Pur ushot t am Bhagwn.
10 That Akshar does not have any st at es of cont r act ion or
expansion; it for ever r emains in t he same st at e. That Akshar also
possesses a for m, but because it is so vast , it s for m cannot be

i
Her e Br ahma r efer s t o Mul-Pur ush.
The Vachanmr ut 117
visualised. For example, t he brahmnd, which has evolved fr om t he
24 element s
2
, is known as Pur ushvat r . That Vir t -Pur ush
possesses hands, feet , et c., but because his for m is ext r emely vast , he
is beyond visualisat ion. Br ahm walked for a hundred year s on t he
st alk of t he lot us t hat emer ged fr om Vir t -Pur ushs navel, but was
st ill unable t o reach it s end. So if t he end of t he lot us could not be
r eached, how can Vir t -Pur ush possibly be gauged? Ther efor e, t he
for m of Vir t -Pur ush cannot be visualised. In t he same manner ,
despit e having a definit e form, Akshardh m cannot be visualised.
This is because it is so vast t hat count less brah m nds float wit hin it s
each and ever y hair .
11 It is wit hin t hat Akshar dh m t hat Pur ushot t am Bhagwn
Himself et er nally r esides. By His antarym i powers, He resides in
His anvay for m in Akshar dh m, in t he count less millions of
brahmnds, and also in t he ishwars of t hose brahmnds. Also in
t hat Akshardh m, count less millions of muktas , who have acquir ed
qualit ies similar t o t hose of God, r emain in Gods ser vice. Divine
light equivalent t o t hat of millions and millions of suns radiat es fr om
each and every hair of t hose at t endant s of God. Therefore, if t hose
at t endant s ar e so gr eat , how can t he gr eat ness of t heir mast er ,
Pur ushot t am Bhagwn, possibly be described?
12 That ext r emely power ful God Himself ent er s Akshar and
assumes t he for m of Akshar . Ther eaft er , He assumes t he for m of
Mul-Pr akr ut i-Pur ush, and t hen t he for m of Pr adh n-Pur ush. Then
He ent er s t he 24 element s
2
produced from Pradh n and assumes
t hat for m. He t hen ent er s Vir t -Pur ush pr oduced fr om t hose
element s and assumes t hat for m. Then He ent er s Br ahm, Vishnu
and Shiv and assumes t heir for ms.
13 In t his way, t hat God, who is ext r emely power ful, ext r emely
luminous, and ext r emely gr eat , cont ains His own spir it ual power s
and divine light wit hin Himself and becomes like a human being for
t he liberat ion of jivas. He assumes a form t hat allows people t o do
His darshan , ser ve Him, offer wor ship t o Him, et c. For example, a
minut e t hor n t hat has pr icked an ant s leg cannot be r emoved wit h a
spear or a pin; it can only be r emoved using an ext r emely fine needle.
In t he same manner , God confines His own gr eat ness wit hin Himself
The Vachanmr ut 118
and assumes an ext r emely modest for m. J ust as Agni const r ains his
own light and flames t o assume a human for m, similar ly, God also
suppr esses His own power s and act s as a human for t he liber at ion of
jivas. However , a foolish per son t hinks, Why does God not manifest
any powers? But he does not realise t hat God deliberat ely conceals
His powers for t he sake of t he liberat ion of jivas. Aft er all, if He were
t o manifest His own gr eat ness, t hen even t he brahmnd would pale
int o insignificance. What , t hen, can be said of jivas?
14 Kl, karma and m y are incapable of binding a person who
has developed such firm fait h coupled wit h an underst anding of Gods
gr eat ness in his hear t . Ther efor e, he who r ealises God per fect ly in
t his way has not hing left t o achieve.
15 Ther eaft er Nit ynand Swmi asked, When God assumes a
human for m, does He always do so sequent ially in t he or der
descr ibed, or can He also assume a human for m dir ect ly?
16 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, For God, sequent ial or der is not
necessar y. For example, a per son who t akes a plunge int o a pond can
emer ge fr om wher ever he wishes eit her at t he same ent ry point of
t he dive, or at t he banks, or anywher e near by. Similar ly, if He so
wishes, Pur ushot t am Bhagwn can t ake a plunge in His abode in
t he for m of Akshar and dir ect ly assume a human for m; or , if He so
wishes, He can assume a human for m following t he sequent ial
or der .
17 Following t his explanat ion, Shr iji Mahr j cont inued, I shall
now br iefly explain t he char act er ist ics of a per son wit h pr ofoundly
fir m fait h, so please list en at t ent ively. Fir st ly, even if he has int ense
r enunciat ion, a per son wit h per fect fait h will do any t ask on t he pat h
of pravrut t i asked of him, wit hout ever backing away. Mor eover , he
does not do it r eluct ant ly; he does it willingly. The second
char act er ist ic is t hat r egar dless of any swabhv he may possess
even if it cannot be er adicat ed by a million means if he senses Gods
insist ence in for saking t hat swabhv, he for sakes it immediat ely.
The t hir d char act er ist ic is t hat despit e his own dr awbacks, he is
unable t o live wit hout t he discourses and devot ional songs relat ed t o
God, and wit hout t he S ant of God even for a moment . He finds fault s
only wit hin himself and t hor oughly imbibes t he vir t ues of t he S ant.
He also underst ands t he great glory of t he discourses and devot ional
songs of God, as well as of t he S ant of God. A per son wit h such
under st anding should be known t o have per fect fait h. Fur t her mor e,
The Vachanmr ut 119
if a per son wit h such fait h wer e t o t r ansgr ess t he r eligious vows on
account of his prrabdha, he would st ill not fall from t he pat h of
liber at ion. Conver sely, r egar dless of how gr eat a r enunciant he may
be, t he liber at ion of a per son wit hout such fait h is not guar ant eed.
Ga d h a d I -64
Th e Rela t i on sh i p bet ween Sh a r i r a n d Sh a r i r i ;
A Ma st e r -Ser va n t Rela t ion sh ip
plat form out side t he east -facing r ooms of Dd Khchar s darbr in
wit h anot her black-bordered khes. He had also t ied a whit e clot h
wit h a bor der of silken t hr ead ar ound His head. Ar ound His neck,
He was wear ing a new kanthi made from tulsi beads. At t hat t ime,
an assembly of munis as well as devot ees from various places had
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j asked t he munis , The Shr ut is
ment ion t hat t he t m and Akshar ar e t he sharir of Pur ushot t am,
who is God. That t m and Akshar ar e not subject t o change and
are devoid of any discardable influences of m y. Mor eover , just as
God t r anscends m y, so do t he t m and Akshar . How, t hen, can
t hat t m and Akshar be described as t he sharir of God? Because
t he sharir of a jiva is t ot ally different from t he jiva it self and is
subject t o change, wher eas t he jiva, t he indweller of t he body, is not
subject t o change. Ther efor e, just as t he body of t he jiva and t he
indweller , t he jiva it self, ar e t ot ally differ ent , similar ly, t her e should
be t he same degree of difference bet ween Purushot t am, and t he t m
and Akshar which ar e t he sharir of Pur ushot t am. Please explain in
which way t hey ar e differ ent .
3 All of t he munis answered according t o t heir under st anding, but
no one was able t o offer a precise answer.
4 Shr iji Mahr j t hen said, Allow Me t o answer . The t m and
Akshar const it ut e t he sharir of Pur ushot t am Bhagwn in t hat t hey
are pervaded, dependent and powerless. In what way? Well, by
means of His antarym i powers, God pervades t he t m and Akshar ,
The Vachanmr ut 120
whereas t he t m and Akshar are t he pervaded. God is independent ,
whereas t he t m and Akshar are dependent upon God.
Fur t her mor e, God is all-powerful, whereas t he t m and Akshar ar e
t ot ally power less befor e Him. In t his way, God is t he shariri of bot h
t he t m and Akshar , and t hese t wo ar e t he sharir of God.
5 That shariri, Pur ushot t am Bhagwn, possesses an et er nally
divine for m. Wit h His antarym i powers, God resides as t he t m of
all t he t m s, which pervade t heir respect ive physical bodies and are
also t hose bodies drasht. He also r esides in all of t he physical
bodies, which, in r elat ion t o t he t m s, are pervaded and are also
t heir drashya. In t his way, Pur ushot t am Bhagwn is t he t m of
all. When r efer r ed t o in t he scr ipt ur es as t he t m of drashya
which has a for m t hat Pur ushot t am Bhagwn is described t o have
a for m, like t he drashya. When r efer r ed t o in t he scr ipt ur es as t he
t m of drasht, He is descr ibed as for mless. In r ealit y, however ,
Pur ushot t am Bhagwn is different from bot h t he drashya, which has
a for m, and t he for mless t m . He et er nally possesses a definit e
for m, which is not an or dinar y, wor ldly for m. Mor eover , despit e
possessing a definit e form, He is t he drasht of bot h t he drasht and
t he drashya.
6 Fur t her mor e, He is t he inspir er of bot h t he t m and Akshar ,
is independent fr om t hem and is t heir cont r oller . He also possesses
all spir it ual power s. He is gr eat er t han even Akshar , which is
gr eat er t han ever yt hing. Out of compassion, t hat Pur ushot t am
Bhagwn appear s as a human being on t his ear t h for t he liber at ion of
jivas. Under st anding Him t o et er nally possess a divine for m, a
person who offers bhakti and upsan t o Him acquir es qualit ies
similar t o t hose of God as well as count less ot her spir it ual power s.
Aft er such a per sons t m has at t ained Br ahma-r ealisat ion, he
const ant ly r emains in t he ser vice of Pur ushot t am Bhagwn wit h love
and gr eat r ever ence. On t he ot her hand, a per son who medit at es on
God and does his upsan believing Him t o be for mless is consigned
t o brahma-sushupt i, fr om which he never r et ur ns. Nor does such a
per son ever acquir e any spir it ual power s fr om God.
7 Finally, Shr iji Mahr j added, I have delivered t his discourse
having exper ienced it dir ect ly Myself. Ther efor e, t her e is not a t r ace
of doubt about it . Moreover, t hese fact s can be underst ood only from
a person who firmly believes t hat God is forever divine and possesses
The Vachanmr ut 121
a for m; t hey can never be under st ood fr om ot her s. Ther efor e, t hese
fact s should be t hor oughly imbibed by all.
Ga d h a d I -65
Gn n -sh a k t i , Kr i y -sh a k t i a n d I ch ch h -sh a k t i
1 On Fgun vadi 14, Samvat 1876 [13 Mar ch 1820], Shr iji
Mahr j was sit t ing on a cushion wit h a cylindr ical pillow placed on
t he veranda out side His bedroom in Dd Khchar s darbr in
2 While scr ipt ur al r eading was under way, Shr iji Mahr j called
t he senior paramhansas near Him. Then when t he reading of t he
scr ipt ur al passage was complet ed, Shr iji Mahr j said, Now all of
t he senior sdhus seat ed her e will answer each ot her s quest ions,
since doing so reveals ones level of int elligence.
3 Ther eupon Swayampr ak shnand Swmi asked Par amnand
Swmi, How is ksh creat ed and dest royed?
4 Par amnand Swmi at t empt ed t o answer t he quest ion but was
unable t o do so sat isfact or ily.
5 Shr iji Mahr j t hen said, When a child is init ially in it s
mot her s womb and at t he t ime of it s bir t h, the cavit ies of it s hear t
and ot her indriyas ar e small. But as t he child gr ows, t hose cavit ies
also develop, and t he ksh wit hin seems t o incr ease as well. When
it becomes old, however , t he cavit ies of it s indriyas decrease in size,
and t he ksh wit hin also appear s t o cont r act . Similar ly, when
Vir t s body is pr oduced, ksh appears t o be creat ed in t he cavit y of
his hear t and ot her int er nal or gans. Mor eover , when Vir t s body is
dest royed, t he ksh wit hin appear s t o be dest r oyed as well. This is
how ksh is cr eat ed and dest r oyed. However , just as Pr akr ut i-
Pur ush ar e et er nal, t he ksh t hat is t he support er of all is also
et er nal and is not subject t o cr eat ion or dest r uct ion. Fur t her mor e,
ksh is also creat ed and dest royed t hrough sam dhi; one who
experiences sam dhi knows it s met hod.
The Vachanmr ut 122
6 Ther eaft er Par amnand Swmi asked Swayamprakshnand
Swmi, How does t he sushumn ndi reside wit hin t he body and
out side of t he body?
7 Swayamprak shnand Swmi at t empt ed t o answer t he quest ion
but could not do so sat isfact or ily.
8 So Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, What ever is pr esent in t his
brahmnd is also pr esent wit hin t his body; t he only differ ence is t hat
in t he body t he scale is small, wher eas in t he brahmnd it is lar ge.
In fact , t he ar r angement of t he brahmnd is t he same as t hat of t he
body. For example, just as t her e ar e r iver s in t he brahmnd,
similar ly t her e ar e blood vessels in t he body; just as t her e ar e oceans
in t he brahmnd, similar ly wat er is pr esent in t he abdomen of t he
body; and just as t he sun and t he moon ar e pr esent in t he brahmnd,
similar ly t he id ndi and pingal ndi house t he sun and moon in
t he body. In t he same way, just as ot her object s ar e pr esent in t he
brahmnd, t hey are also present in t he body.
9 Also, t he ndis of t he indriyas in t his body are one wit h t hose of
t he brahmnd. When one acquir es cont r ol over t he t ongue, one
at t ains Var undev; when one acquir es cont r ol over speech, one at t ains
Agnidev; when one acquir es cont r ol over t he skin, on e at t ains
Vyudev; when one acquir es cont r ol over t he genit als, one at t ains
Pr ajpat i; and when one acquir es cont r ol over t he hands, one at t ains
Indr a. In t he same way, when one cont r ols t he brahmarandhra
t he end port ion of t he sushumn ndi locat ed in t he hear t one
r eaches t he fier y deit y by t he name of Vaishwnar , which r esides in
t he shishumr chakra. It is t hen t hat one sees t he unint er r upt ed
pat h of light fr om t he brahmarandhra t o Pr akr ut i-Pur ush. That
pat h of light is known as sushumn. This is how t he sushumn
ndi resides in t he body and in t he brahmnd.
10 Par amnand Swmi t hen asked Swayampr ak shnand Swmi
anot her quest ion: Which st at e dissolves fir st t he waking st at e, t he
dream st at e, or t he deep sleep st at e?
11 As Swayamprak shnand Swmi was unable t o answer t hat
quest ion, Shr iji Mahr j replied, When one focuses on t he form of
God wit h love in t he waking st at e, t he waking st at e dissolves fir st ,
t hen t he dr eam st at e, and finally t he deep sleep st at e. When t he
mind t hinks of and focuses on t he for m of God in t he dr eam st at e, t he
dr eam st at e dissolves fir st , t hen t he waking st at e, and finally t he
deep sleep st at e. Furt hermore, when one at t ains t he st at e of upsham
The Vachanmr ut 123
while cont emplat ing on t he form of God, t he deep sleep st at e dissolves
fir st , t hen t he waking st at e, and finally t he dr eam st at e. Shr iji
Mahr j answer ed t he quest ion in t his manner .
12 Ther eaft er , Swayampr ak shnand Swmi asked Par amnand
Swmi anot her quest ion: How should one under st and t he ichchh-
shakt i, gnn-shakt i and kr iy-shakt i t he facult ies of volit ion,
cognit ion and conat ion of God?
13 Laughing, Shr iji Mahr j comment ed, Even you pr obably do
not know t he answer t o t hat quest ion. So saying, He began t o give
t he answer Himself: When sattvagun is pr edominant , t he fr uit s of
any karmas performed by a jiva ar e exper ienced in t he waking st at e.
When rajogun is pr edominant , t he fr uit s of any karmas performed
ar e exper ienced in t he dr eam st at e. When t amogun is pr edominant ,
t he fr uit s of any karmas performed are experienced in t he deep sleep
st at e.
14 Moreover, when a jiva ent ers t he st at e of deep sleep, it becomes
iner t like a slab of st one and r et ains no t ype of consciousness; such
as, I am a pundit , or I am a fool; I have done t his t ask, or I want t o
do t his t ask; t his is my gender , or t his is my cast e, or t his is my
shram ; t his is my name, or my appear ance is like t his. Am I a
deit y, or am I a human? Am I a child, or am I old? Am I r ight eous,
or am I a sinner ? and so on. No such consciousness is r et ained.
When a jiva ent er s such a st at e, God awakens it fr om
unconsciousness t hr ough His gnn-shakt i and makes it awar e of it s
act ions. This is known as gnn-shakt i, t he facult y of cognit ion.
Fur t her mor e, what ever act ion a jiva engages in, it does so wit h t he
suppor t of what is known as Gods kr iy-shakt i, t he facult y of
conat ion. Finally, what ever object a jiva desir es, it acquir es wit h t he
help of what is known as Gods ichchh-shakt i, t he facult y of
volit ion.
15 Moreover, t he t hree st at es of waking, dream and deep sleep
experienced by a jiva are not due t o t he consequences of it s own
karmas alone. They ar e exper ienced only when t he giver of t he fr uit s
of karmas, God, allows t he jiva t o do so. When a jiva, indulging in
t he fr uit s of t he waking st at e, wishes t o ent er t he dr eam st at e, it
cannot do so independent ly. This is because God, t he giver of t he
fr uit s of karmas, r est r ains it s vrut t i. Similar ly, if it wishes t o ent er
t he waking st at e fr om t he dr eam st at e, it is unable t o do so. Nor can
it ent er t he deep sleep st at e or emerge from it t o ent er t he dream or
The Vachanmr ut 124
waking st at es. It is only when God, who gr ant s t he fr uit s of karmas,
allows it t o indulge in t he fruit s of t he karmas of t hat par t icular st at e
t hat it is able t o indulge in t hem. However , a jiva cannot indulge in
t he fr uit s of it s karmas accor ding t o it s own will or as a dir ect
consequence of it s karmas. This is how one should under st and t he
gnn-shakt i, kr iy-shakt i and ichchh-shakt i of God.
16 Shr iji Mahr j answer ed t he quest ion in t his manner out of
compassion.
Ga d h a d I -66
Mi si n t er p r et i n g t h e Wor d s of t h e Scr i p t u r es;
Th e Fou r Ema n a t i on s of God
1 On Fgun vadi Ams, Samvat 1876 [14 Mar ch 1820], Swmi
Shr i Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing on a lar ge, decor at ed cot on
t he plat form out side t he east -facing r ooms of Dd Khchar s darbr
in Gadhad. He was wear ing a khes wit h a black bor der and had
cover ed Himself wit h a whit e blanket . He had also t ied a whit e fet o
ar ound His head. At t hat t ime, an assembly of munis as well as
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, The Shr imad Bhgwat
describes Vsudev, Sankar shan, Pr adyumna and Anir uddh a t he
four emanat ions of God
9
. In some places t hey are described as sagun,
whereas in ot her places t hey are described as nirgun. The t er m
nirgun is used in r efer ence t o Vsudev Bhagwn, and t he t er m sagun
is used in r efer ence t o Sankar shan, Anir uddha and Pr adyumna.
However, when described as nirgun, t he minds of t he list ener and t he
reader are baffled, and t hey draw t he conclusion t hat God does not
possess a for m. This, however , is t heir misunder st anding.
3 Besides, t he wor ds of t he scr ipt ur es cannot be underst ood in
t heir t r ue cont ext by anyone except an ekntik bhakta. Which
wor ds? Wor ds such as: God is for mless, univer sally per vasive,
luminous and nirgun. On hear ing such descr ipt ions, a fool
concludes t hat t he scr ipt ur es descr ibe God as being for mless. On t he
ot her hand, an ekntik bhakta r ealises, When t he scr ipt ur es descr ibe
God as being formless and nirgun, t hey ar e r efer r ing t o t he fact t hat
He does not possess a m yik for m or m yik at t r ibut es. In r ealit y,
The Vachanmr ut 125
His form is forever divine, and He possesses count less redempt ive
vir t ues.
4 Ther e is also a r efer ence t o God being an immense mass of
divine light . However , if t her e is no for m, t hen t her e can be no light
eit her ; t her efor e, t hat light must definit ely be fr om t hat for m. Take,
for example, t he for m of Agni. When flames emanat e fr om his for m,
only t he flames not t he form of Agni ar e seen. A wise man,
however , r ealises t hat t he flames ar e definit ely emanat ing fr om
Agnis for m. Similar ly, wat er emanat es fr om t he for m of Var un.
Alt hough only t he wat er not t he for m of Var un is visible, a wise
man r ealises t hat t he wat er emanat es fr om Var uns for m. In t he
same way, having t he int ensit y of a million suns, t he divine light ,
which is like brahmasatt, is t he light of t he for m of Pur ushot t am
Bhagwn.
5 The scr ipt ur es also st at e, A t hor n is used t o r emove a t hor n.
Ther eaft er , bot h ar e discar ded. Similar ly, God assumes a physical
body t o r elieve t he ear t h of it s bur dens. Then, having r elieved t he
ear t h of it s bur den, He discar ds t hat physical body.
i
Hear ing such
wor ds, t he foolish ar e misled int o t he under st anding t hat God is
formless; t hey fail t o realise t he form of God as being divine.
6 An ekntik bhakta, however , has t he following under st anding:
To fulfill Ar juns pledge, Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn, wit h Ar jun, left
Dwr ik on his char iot t o fet ch t he Brhmins son. Cr ossing Mount
Loklok, t hey cut t hr ough m ys veil of dar kness wit h t he
Sudar shan Chakr a. Dr iving t he char iot t hr ough t hat dar kness, t hey
ent ered a mass of light . Ther e, t hey collect ed t he Brhmins son
fr om Bhum-Pur ush befor e r et ur ning. But it was only because Shr i
Kr ishna Bhagwns for m was divine t hat , due t o t he power of t hat
divinit y, t he wooden char iot and t he hor ses despit e being composed
of t he five bhuts all became divine and like chaitanya; i.e., t hey
t ranscended m y. Had t heir for ms not become divine, t hey would

i
This is in r efer ence t o t he ver se:
==|;| ~| -| - ||
- - ;= |+|||- +
Yayharad -bhuvo bhram tm tanum vijahvajaha|
Kantakam kantakeneva dvayam chpeeshituhu samam| |
The Vachanmr ut 126
never have been able t o t ranscend m y; aft er all, ever yt hing t hat
has evolved from m y ult imat ely mer ges int o m y, and can never
r each Br ahma
i
, which t r anscends m y. Thus, it was due t o t he
power s of Gods for m t hat such m yik object s became non -m yik. A
fool, however , r ealises Gods for m as m yik, wher eas an ekntik
sdhu r ealises Gods for m t o t r anscend Akshar and also r ealises
Pur ushot t am Bhagwn who possesses a definit e form as t he t m
of count less millions of brahmarup muktas , as well as of
Akshardh m.
7 Ther efor e, r egar dless of which scr ipt ur es ar e being r ead, if t hey
describe God as being nirgun, one should r ealise t hat t hey ar e
mer ely ext olling t he glor y of Gods for m; but , in fact , God always
possesses a definit e for m. One who r ealises t his is known as an
ekntik bhakta.
Ga d h a d I -67
Acqu i r i n g t h e Vi r t u es of t h e Sa t p u r u sh
1 On Chait r a sudi 7, Samvat 1876 [21 Mar ch 1820], Swmi Shr i
Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing in t he r esident ial hall of t he munis
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j asked t he munis , Ther e is a
S atpurush who has no affect ion at all for t he pleasures of t his world;
he har bour s desir es only for t he higher r ealms, i.e., t he abode of God
and for t he form of God. He also wishes t he same for whoever
associat es wit h him. He feels, As t his individual has associat ed wit h
me, it would be of great benefit t o t he individual if his desires for t his
world are eradicat ed and his affect ion for God is developed.
Fur t her mor e, all of t he effor t s t he S atpurush makes ar e only for
acquiring bliss aft er at t aining t he abode of God aft er deat h, but he
never does anyt hing for t he sake of bodily comfor t s. So, wit h what

i
Her e Br ahma should be under st ood as Akshar br ahma-dhm or
Akshar dhm.
The Vachanmr ut 127
under st anding can a spir it ual aspir ant acquir e t he vir t ues of such a
S atpurush, and what under st anding causes such vir t ues not t o be
acquir ed? That is t he quest ion.
3 Mukt nand Swmi r eplied, If one views such a S atpurush who
has no desire for t he pleasur es of t his wor ld as being divine
i
, and if
one accept s what ever wor ds he ut t er s as t he t r ut h and act s
accor dingly, t hen t hat aspir ant will acquir e t he vir t ues of t hat
S atpurush. One who does not do so will not acquire t hose virt ues.
4 Shr iji Mahr j t hen said, That answer is cor r ect , but please
list en as I explain t he met hod of under st anding by which an aspir ant
can acquir e t he vir t ues of t he gr eat S atpurush. A per son imbibes t he
vir t ues of such a Purush, who has no affect ion for anyt hing except
God, by believing, This Purush is ext r emely gr eat . Despit e
t housands of people st anding before him wit h folded hands, he does
not have t he slight est desire for t he pleasures of t he world. As for
me, I am ext r emely insignificant , and I am solely at t ached t o worldly
pleasur es. I do not under st and anyt hing at all about God. Shame on
me. In t his way, he feels r emor se and imbibes t he vir t ues of t he
gr eat Purush. He also feels r emor se aft er r ealising his own flaws.
While r epent ing in t his way, vairgya ar ises in his hear t , and
t her eaft er , he acquir es vir t ues similar t o t hose of t hat S atpurush.
5 Now, please list en as I descr ibe t he char act er ist ics of a per son
in whose hear t t he vir t ues of t he S atpurush ar e never acquir ed.
Such a per son believes, The S at purush is said t o be great , yet he has
no kind of common sense what soever. He does not even know how t o
eat or drink properly, nor does he know how t o dress properly. God
has given him abundant pleasur es, yet he does not know how t o enjoy
t hem. Mor eover , when he gives anyt hing t o anyone, he does so

i
This is in r efer ence t o t he ver se:
=-= +| ~|- =u| -u|
--= - |u-| =u| +||-- |+
Yasya deve par bhaktir-yath deve tath gurau|
Tasyaite kathit hyarthh prakshante mahtmanaha| |
All t hose at t ainment s not ed [in t he scr ipt ur es] shine for t h [i.e. ar e at t ained] for
t he gr eat per son who has t he same pr ofound bhakti t owar ds t he gur u as he has
t owar ds God.
Shvet shvat ar a Upanishad: 6.23
The Vachanmr ut 128
indiscr iminat ely. In t his way, he per ceives count less t ypes of flaws
in t he S atpurush. Such a malicious per son never acquir es t he
vir t ues of t he S atpurush.
Ga d h a d I -68
God For ever Resi d es i n t h e Ei gh t Typ es of Mu r t i s a n d
in t h e Sa n t
Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing on a lar ge, decor at ed cot under t he
had cover ed Himself wit h a whit e cot t on clot h. Ar ound His head, He
had t ied a whit e clot h t hat had a border of silken t hread. At t hat
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, Allow Me t o ask a quest ion.
3 The munis r esponded by saying, Please do ask. Shr iji Mahr j
t hus began, For one mont h dur ing t he famine of 69
i
, whenever I
ent ered sam dhi, I felt I had gone t o Pur ushot t ampur i, wher e I
ent ered and resided in t he murt i of Shr i J agannt hji. That murt i
may appear t o be wooden, but t hrough it s eyes I observed everyt hing.
I observed bot h t he bhakti and t he deceit ful ways of t he mandir
priest . In t he same way, t hose people in our Sat sang fellowship who
have mast ered sam dhi can also ent er ot her s bodies t hr ough
sam dhi, and see and hear ever yt hing. The scr ipt ur es also ment ion
t hat Shukji spoke t hr ough t he medium of a t r ee. Ther efor e, a gr eat
holy per son or God can ent er wher ever t hey wish.
4 The murtis which God has given for wor ship by His command
are of eight t ypes
i i
. God Himself per sonally ent er s t hose murtis and
resides wit hin t hem. A devot ee of God who worships t hose murtis

i
The year r efer s t o Samvat 1869.
i i
The eight t ypes of murtis ar e shaili (of st one), dr umayi (of wood), lauhi (of
met al), lepy (of ear t h or sandalwood past e), lekhy (engr aved or dr awn), saikat i
(of sand), manimayi (of gems) and manomayi (ment al).
The Vachanmr ut 129
shou ld maint ain t he same respect for t hem as he does for t he
manifest for m of God. In t he same way, God also r esides in t he hear t
of t he S ant. Ther efor e, t he S ant should also be respect ed. Yet , a
devot ee t ot ally fails t o respect him. He considers a murt i t o be
mer ely a paint ing or t o be made of st one or ot her mat er ials.
Fur t her mor e, he looks upon t hat S ant as an or dinar y human being.
But God himself has said, I forever reside in t he eight t ypes of
murtis and in t he S ant. St ill, t hat devot ee behaves disr espect fully
before t he murtis of God and before t he S ant, not fear ing God in t he
least . Does such a per son have fait h in God, or not ? That is t he
quest ion.
5 The paramhansas replied, Because he does not realise God t o be
antarym i and so fails t o respect Him, such a devot ee does not have
fait h in God at all.
6 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j added, Not only does he not have
fait h, but his bhakti is like t hat of a hypocr it e. Shr iji Mahr j t hen
asked fur t her , Will such a devot ee at t ain liber at ion, or not ?
7 The sdhus r eplied, No, he will not at t ain liber at ion.
8 Shr iji Mahr j t hen cont inued, A person who develops such a
nstik at t it ude t owards t he murtis of God and t he S ant will not
merely st op t here; he will also develop nstik feelings t owar ds the
manifest for m of God whom he wor ships. He will also develop such
nstik feelings t owar ds t he abodes of God such as Golok, Br ahmapur ,
et c. Fur t her mor e, he will come t o believe t hat t he cr eat ion,
sust enance and dissolut ion of t his cosmos is due t o kl, m y and
karma, but not due t o t he will of God. In t his way, he will become a
st aunch nstik.
9 Ther eaft er Mukt nand Swmi asked, Is t he cause of such a
nstik at t it ude ones past karmas or t he influence of evil company?
10 Shr iji Mahr j explained, The sole cause of t he development of
such a nstik at t it ude is list ening t o t he scr ipt ur es of nstiks and
keeping t he company of one who has fait h in t hose scr ipt ur es.
Fur t her mor e, lust , anger , avar ice, ar r ogance, egot ism and jealousy
also cause such a nstik at t it ude t o develop. Why? Because if a
person possesses any one of t hose swabhvs, t hen he will not be able
t o believe t he t alks of even sdhus such as Nrad and t he Sanak dik.
11 When is such a nstik at t it ude over come? Well, when one
list ens t o t alks of t he divine act ions and incident s of God, such as t he
The Vachanmr ut 130
cr eat ion, sust enance and dissolut ion of t he cosmos as descr ibed in
stik scr ipt ur es like t he Shr imad Bhgwat , and also under st ands t he
great ness of God and t he S ant, such a nstik at t it ude is over come
and an stik at t it ude develops.
Ga d h a d I -69
Th e Dh a r ma of a Wi ck ed P er son a n d a S d h u
Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing on a lar ge, decorat ed cot on t he
as well as devot ees from var ious places had gat her ed befor e Him.
2 Following t he evening rt i of Shr i Vsudevnr yan and t he
chant ing of t he Nr yan dhunya, Shr iji Mahr j asked t he munis ,
What exact ly is dharma? Please base your r eply on t he scr ipt ur es.
The quest ion arises because even t he kings of t he past who indulged
in violence did not har m t hose who t ook t heir r efuge, nor did t hey
allow ot her s t o har m t hem. So, is t he sin commit t ed by killing
ot her s consider ed t he same as t he sin of killing a per son who has
sought ones r efuge?
3 The munis at t empt ed t o reply according t o t heir own
under st anding, but due t o quer ies r aised by Shr iji Mahr j, no one
was able t o offer a sat isfact ory answer. All of t he munis t hen said,
Mahr j, we would like t o put t he same quest ion t o You. Because,
violence per for med on animals as par t of a sacr ifice or some ot her
rit ual is considered t o be dharma; but non -violence is also considered
t o be dharma. Please clar ify t his.
4 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j explained, Dharma involving
violence is for t he at t ainment of dharma, arth and km. Mor eover ,
t hat dharma which per mit s violence is, in fact , for t he pur pose of
limit ing violence. Non -violence, on t he ot her hand, is for t he
at t ainment of liberat ion which is t he dharma of a sdhu. Dharma
involving violence is for fulfilling wor ldly desir es, but it is not for t he
at t ainment of liber at ion. Non -violence, however , is solely for t he
purpose of at t aining liberat ion.
The Vachanmr ut 131
5 Ther efor e, for bot h householder s and r enunciant s, only non -
violence has been cit ed for t he at t ainment of liber at ion. For example,
King Upar ichar vasu r uled over a kingdom and st ill followed a non -
violent lifest yle. Ther efor e, a sdhu should not bear malice t o anyone
by t hought , wor d or deed. Neit her should he har bour any form of
ar r ogance, but inst ead, he should behave as a ser vant of ser vant s
wit h all.
6 In compar ison, having a host ile per sonalit y is t he dharma of a
wicked per son, and behaving in a calm manner is t he dharma of a
sdhu. Someone may t hen ask, How is it possible t o maint ain t he
vir t ues of a sdhu while t rying t o make t housands of people conform
t o t heir niyams? Well, t he r eply t o t hat quest ion is t hat King
Yudhisht hir r eigned over a kingdom st r et ching for t housands of
miles, yet he managed t o maint ain t he vir t ues of a sdhu.
Conver sely, t her e may be t housands like Bhimsen who int imidat e
ot her s and ar e unable t o change t heir ways despit e being
r epr imanded. In fact , t her e is no shor t age of people wit h such an
ar r ogant nat ur e; t her e ar e count less such people. To be a sdhu,
t hough, is indeed ver y difficult .
Ga d h a d I -70
K k b h i s Qu est i on ; A Th i ef I n ju r ed by a Th or n
1 On Chait r a sudi Punam, Samvat 1876 [29 Mar ch 1820], Shr iji
t he east -facing r ooms of Dd Khchar s darbr in Gadhad. He had
t ied a whit e clot h wit h a border of silken t hread around His head. He
was wear ing a whit e khes and had also covered Himself wit h a whit e
cot t on clot h. Wit h His hand, He was t ur ning a r osar y of t ulsi beads.
At t hat t ime, an assembly of paramhansas as well as devot ees from
2 Then Shr iji Mahr j said, The senior paramhansas , please ask
each ot her quest ions; or if a householder has a quest ion, he may ask
t he paramhansas .
3 Ther eupon Kkbhi, a devot ee from t he village of Rojk, asked
Nit ynand Swmi, Deep wit hin ones hear t , somet hing beckons one
t o indulge in t he vishays, while somet hing else dissuades one from
The Vachanmr ut 132
indulging in t hem, saying no. What is it t hat says no, and what is it
t hat says yes?
4 Nit ynand Swmi r eplied, It is t he jiva t hat says no, and t he
mind t hat says yes.
5 Shr iji Mahr j t hen said, Allow Me t o answer t hat quest ion.
Fr om t he very day we began t o underst and and realised who our
par ent s wer e, t hey have indoct r inat ed int o us t he following: This is
your mot her and t his is your fat her ; t his is your pat er nal uncle and
t his is your br ot her ; t his is your mat er nal uncle and t his is your
sist er ; t his is your mat er nal aunt and t his is your pat er nal aunt ; t his
is your mot her s sist er and t his is your buffalo; t his is your cow and
t his is your hor se; t hese ar e your clot hes and t his is your house; t his
is your mansion and t his is your far m; t hese ar e your or nament s,
and so on. These words of kusangis have been imprint ed in t he
mind. How ar e t hey impr int ed? Well, it is r at her like t he small
piece of glass t hat women at t ach int o wor ks of embr oider y t he mind
represent s t he embroider y, and t he jiva represent s t he piece of glass.
In t his manner , t he wor ds and t he sight s of t hose kusangis , along
wit h t he ot her t ypes of vishays, have become impr int ed in t he mind.
6 Then, aft er t hat per son ent er s t he Sat sang fellowship, t he S ant
t alks about t he glory of God, denounces t he vishays, and also explains
t hat t he wor ld is per ishable. Ther eby, t he wor ds and t he sight of t he
S ant dwell in t he per sons mind.
7 Analogously, t hen, t her e ar e t wo ar mies facing each ot her . In
t he bat t lefield of Kur ukshet r a, for example, t he ar mies of t he
Kaur avs and t he Pndavs st ood facing each ot her and fought wit h
ar r ows, spear s, pr oject iles, ar t iller y and chains. Some fought wit h
swor ds, some wit h maces, ot her s wit h t heir bar e hands. In t he
pr ocess, some lost t heir heads, ot her s injur ed t heir t highs and many
wer e slaught er ed. In t he same way, in t he per sons antahkaran are
t he forms of t he kusangis st anding ar med wit h t heir weapons, i.e.,
t he panchvishays; as well as t he for m of t he S ant st anding ar med
wit h weapons in t he for m of wor ds such as, God is sat ya; t he wor ld is
perishable; and t he vishays ar e false. A mut ual conflict t hus exist s
bet ween t hese t wo set s of words. When t he force of t he kusangis
pr evails, a desir e t o indulge in t he vishays ar ises; when t he force of
t he S ant prevails, t he desire t o indulge in t he vishays disappears. In
t his way, t her e is a conflict wit hin t he antahkaran . Hence t he ver se:
The Vachanmr ut 133
=| =| -|| =| +|u|
-| ||| =| ~ |- | ||- |- +
i

This ver se explains: Wher e t her e is Yogeshwar Shr i Kr ishna
Bhagwn and wher e t her e is t he gr eat ar cher Ar jun, only t her e do
Lakshmi, vict or y, divine power s and r esolut e mor alit y exist .
Ther efor e, one should have a fir m convict ion t hat vict or y belongs t o
t he one on whose side t hese sdhus happen t o be.
8 Kkbhi t hen asked fur t her , Mahr j, by what means can t he
force of t he S ant increase and t he force of t he kusangis decrease?
9 To t his Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, The kusangis r esiding wit hin
and t hose r esiding ext er nally ar e bot h one. Also, t he S ant r esiding
wit hin and t he one r esiding ext er nally ar e bot h one. Now, t he for ce
of t he int ernal kusangis incr eases wit h t he nur t ur ing of t he ext er nal
kusangis . In t he same way, t he for ce of t he S ant wit hin increases
wit h t he nur t ur ing of t he S ant r esiding ext er nally. Ther efor e, by
avoiding t he company of ext ernal kusangis and by keeping t he
company of only t he S ant r esiding ext er nally, t he for ce of t he
kusangis decreases and t he force of t he S ant incr eases. That is how
Shr iji Mahr j answer ed t hat quest ion.
10 Aga in, Kkbhi asked, Mahr j, on t he one hand, t her e is a
per son who has over come t he fight against kusangis , and for whom
only t he force of t he S ant is pr edominant . On t he ot her hand, t her e
is anot her person whose conflict is st ill on -going. Of t he t wo, when
t he former dies, t here is no doubt t hat he will at t ain t he abode of God.
But please t ell us what will be t he fat e of t he lat t er whose conflict is
st ill ongoing when he dies?
11 Shr iji Mahr j explained, On waging war , one per son may face
Vniys or someone fr om a weak cast e. Consequent ly, he may win
easily. Anot her person, however, is confront ed by a bat t alion of
Ar abs, Rajputs, Kthis and Kolis who ar e ver y difficult t o conquer ,
cert ainly not as easy t o defeat as t he Vniys. Ther efor e, his fight
cont inues. If, in t he pr ocess of such fight ing, he wins, t hen all is well
and good. But if while fight ing he does not give in t o his opponent s

i
Yat ra yogeshvaraha krushno yat ra prt ho dhanur-dharaha|
Tatra shreer-vijayo bhoot ir-dhruv neet ir-matir-mama| |
Bhagwad Git : 18.78
The Vachanmr ut 134
despit e t heir at t empt s and if he were t o die at t hat t ime, would his
mast er not be aware of his valiant effort s? Would He not appreciat e
t hat , compared t o t he one who faced t he easy opposit ion of t he
Vniys, t his person faced formidable opposit ion t hat was difficult t o
over come? The mast er would indeed be well aware of bot h sit uat ions.
In t he same way, God is sur e t o help such a per son as you have
descr ibed. He would believe, This per son is faced wit h t he
over whelming for ce of fluct uat ing t hought s, yet he is st ill put t ing up
a gallant fight . Ther efor e, he deser ves t o be congr at ulat ed.
Realising t his, God does help him. For t his r eason, t hen, one should
r emain car efr ee and not wor r y in t he least . One should cont inue t o
worship God in t he same fashion, keep t he S ant pr edominant , and
st ay away fr om kusangis . Shr iji Mahr j t hus r eplied in a joyful
manner .
12 Ther eaft er , J ivbhi of t he village J ask asked Nit ynand
Swmi, How does unfalt ering fait h in God develop?
13 Nit ynand Swmi replied, If one avoids t he company of
kusangis and const ant ly keeps t he company of sdhus, t hen by
list ening t o t he t alks of t hose sdhus, unfalt er ing fait h in God will
develop. However, if one keeps t he company of kusangis , such
unfalt er ing fait h will not develop.
14 Again Shr iji Mahr j said, Allow Me t o answer t hat quest ion.
Cont inuing, He said, One should cult ivat e fait h in God for t he sole
purpose of t he liberat ion of ones jiva, but not out of a desire for some
mat er ial object . For example, If I pr act ise satsang, my ill body will
r ecover , or As I am childless, may I get a son, or As my sons ar e
dying, may t hey st ay alive, or Since I am poor , may I become r ich,
or If I do satsang, I will r egain my lost asset s. One should not
pr act ise satsang har bour ing desir es for such mat er ial gains. If one
does pract ise satsang while nour ishing such desir es, t hen one may
become a ver y st aunch satsangi if t hose desires are fulfilled; but if
ones desir es ar e not fulfilled, ones fait h will diminish. Ther efor e,
one should pract ise satsang solely for t he liberat ion of ones jiva; one
should not har bour any desir e what soever for any mat er ial object s.
15 Besides, if t here are t en members in a household and all t en are
faced wit h deat h, t hen is it a small feat if even one is saved? Or if
one was dest ined t o have t o beg for food but received a rotlo t o eat
inst ead, is t hat a small feat ? In t hese cases, one should believe t hat
alt hough ever yt hing was going t o be lost , at least t his much has been
The Vachanmr ut 135
saved! In t he same way, even if ext r eme miser y is due t o befall one,
t hat miser y would cer t ainly decr ease slight ly if one wer e t o keep t he
refuge of God. The jiva, however , fails t o under st and t his. It is as if
one who is t o be execut ed on a shuli get s away wit h t he suffer ing of a
mer e pinpr ick. Such is t he difference.
16 Ther e is a st or y illust r at ing t his: Many t hieves lived in a
part icular village. One of t hese t hieves oft en kept t he company of a
sdhu. Once, while t he t hief was on his way t o visit t he sdhu, a
t horn pierced his foot , penet rat ing it complet ely. As a r esult , his foot
became swollen and he was unable t o accompany t he ot her t hieves t o
st eal. The ot her t hieves, who went t o st eal, br oke int o a kings
t r easur y and escaped wit h a gr eat deal of money, which t hey duly
shar ed among t hemselves. Nat ur ally, a lot of money came t heir way.
On hear ing t his news, t he par ent s, wife and r elat ives of t he t hief who
used t o sit wit h t he sdhu and who was injur ed scolded him:
Because you went t o t he sdhu inst ead of going t o st eal, we lost out .
The t hieves who did go t o st eal ret urned wit h a lot of money.
Meanwhile, t he kings ar my ar r ived, ar r est ed all of t he t hieves and
t ook t hem away t o be execut ed on a shuli. The injur ed t hief was also
caught and consigned t o execut ion. However , all of t he villagers and
t he sdhu bor e wit ness, This par t icular man was not involved in t he
t heft as he had been hur t by a t hor n. The t hief was t hus r eleased.
17 In t he same way, if a per son who pr act ises satsang were t o face
t he suffer ing of being execut ed on a shuli, it would be reduced t o t he
pain of a mere t horn-pr ick. Aft er all, I have asked of Rmnand
Swmi, If your satsangi is dest ined t o suffer t he dist ress inflict ed by
t he st ing of one scor pion, may t he dist r ess of t he st ings of millions
and millions of scorpions befall each and every pore of my body; but
no pain should afflict your satsangi. Mor eover , if t he begging bowl is
wr it t en in t he prrabdha of your satsangi, may t hat begging bowl
come t o Me; but on no account should your satsangi suffer fr om t he
lack of food or clot hing. Please gr ant Me t hese t wo boons. I asked
t his of Rmnand Swmi, and he happily gr ant ed it t o Me.
Therefore, even if worldly miseries are dest ined t o befall anyone
pr act ising satsang, t hey do not .
18 Anyhow, mat er ial object s ar e all t empor ar y. So if a per son
pr act ises satsang ent er t aining desir es for such object s, t hen doubt s
will cer t ainly cloud his fait h. Ther efor e, ot her t han t he desir e for t he
The Vachanmr ut 136
liberat ion of ones own jiva, one should pr act ise satsang having no
desir es what soever . Only t hen will unfalt er ing fait h develop.
19 This is only a port ion of t he det ailed discourse delivered by Shriji
Mahr j.
Ga d h a d I -71
God Ma n i fest s wi t h Hi s Ak sh a r d h m
1 On t he evening of Chait r a vadi 4, Samvat 1876 [2 Apr il 1820],
Shr iji Mahr j was sit t ing on a lar ge, decor at ed cot which had been
placed on t he plat form in front of t he west -facing medi i n Dd
had covered Himself wit h a whit e cot t on clot h. He had also t ied a
whit e fet o ar ound His head. At t hat t ime, Mukt nand Swmi and
some sdhus were singing devot ional songs t o t he accompaniment of
musical inst r ument s, while ot her sdhus as well as devot ees fr om
variou s places had gat her ed befor e Him in an assembly.
2 Then Shr iji Mahr j said, Please conclude t he devot ional songs
for now and begin a quest ion -answer session amongst your selves.
3 Ther eupon Soml Khchar asked, God for gives all of t he
mist akes of His devot ees, but which one mist ake does God not
for give?
4 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, God for gives all ot her mist akes, but He
does not forgive t he mist ake of spit ing a devot ee of God. Therefore,
one should never harm a devot ee of God in any way what soever.
Fur t her mor e, of all mist akes made against God, t o denounce t he
for m of God is a ver y gr ave mist ake. One should never make t his
mist ake. One who does do so commit s a sin mor e ser ious t han t he
five gr ave sins
10
.
5 Refut ing t he for m of God is not hing mor e t han under st anding
God, who et er nally has a for m, t o be for mless. In fact , God, who is
Pur ushot t am, for ever r esides wit h a divine for m in His Akshar dh m,
whose divine light is compar able t o t hat of millions of suns and
moons. Count less millions of brahmarup muktas serve t he holy feet
of t hat God. That God, also known as Par abr ahma Pur ushot t am,
Himself manifest s on ear t h out of compassion, for t he liber at ion of
t he jivas. When He manifest s, all ent it ies t hat He accept s become
The Vachanmr ut 137
brahmarup
i
. The t hr ee bodies, i.e., sthul, sukshma and kran ; t he
t hr ee st at es, i.e., waking, dr eam and deep sleep; t he t en indriyas ; t he
five prns; et c., wer e all appar ent in avat rs such as Rm, Kr ishna,
et c. Alt hough all of t hem appear t o be like t hose of or dinar y humans,
i n realit y, t hey ar e all brahma
i i
, not m yik. Ther efor e, one should
never refut e t he form of God.
6 Mt r Dhdhal t hen asked, What is t he char act er ist ic of
jealousy?
7 Shr iji Mahr j replied, One who is jealous of someone cannot
t olerat e t hat person benefit ing in any way; in fact , he would be
pleased if miser y befalls t hat per son. That is t he char act er ist ic of
jealousy.
8 Ther eaft er , Shr iji Mahr j asked t he munis , One who has fait h
in t he manifest for m of God, wor ships God, and behaves in
accor dance wit h t he niyams of Sat sang will at t ain liber at ion; t hat is
t he way of Sat sang. What , however , ar e t he met hods of liber at ion
accor ding t o t he scr ipt ur es? The meanings of t he Vedas ar e indeed
ver y difficult t o under st and; t hus t hey ar e not nar r at ed in spir it ual
discour ses. However , t he Shr imad Bhgwat Pur n and t he
Mahbhrat cont ain t he message of t he Vedas and are simpler t o
under st and; and so, t hey ar e widely nar r at ed in public spir it ual
discour ses. Please explain, t hen, how one can at t ain liber at ion as
explained in t he scr ipt ur es. Also, bear in mind t hat Shankar chr ya
has pr opounded t hat God is for mless, wher eas Rmnujchr ya and
ot her chryas have propounded t hat God has a form. Therefore,
please base your answer on t he principles of t he scr ipt ur es.
9 Using scr ipt ur al r efer ences, t he munis t hen denounced t he view
t hat God is formless, and propounded t he view t hat liberat ion is
possible only by worship of a God wit h a form.
10 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j comment ed, I Myself also accept t hat
view, but I would like t o ask you a quest ion r egar ding t his.
Pur ushot t am Bhagwn t r anscends t he for mless Akshar br ahma and
et er nally has a for m. Now, if a per son who has at t ained t hat God on
t his ear t h st ill cher ishes a desir e t o see Br ahmapur , Golok,

i
brahmarup should be under st ood as divine in t his cont ext .
i i
brahma should be under st ood as divine in t his cont ext .
The Vachanmr ut 138
Vaikunt h, Shwet dwip and t he ot her abodes of God, can he be said t o
have fait h in God, or not ?
11 The munis replied, Despit e having at t ained God, he who
const ant ly feels in his mind, Only when I see Akshar dh m and t he
ot her abodes, or see t he light of millions and millions of suns is my
liberat ion at t ained, does not have absolut e fait h.
12 Shr iji Mahr j count er ed by asking, What sin has he
commit t ed in ent er t aining a desir e t o see Br ahmapur , t he ot her
abodes and t he form of Brahma t hat you disqualify his fait h?
13 The munis replied, Why should a person who believes t hat
liberat ion is at t ained by t he mere darshan of t he manifest form of
God harbour a dislike for Brahmapur, Golok and ot her abodes? Aft er
all, t hey do belong t o God. However , wit hout God, he would have no
desir e for t hem.
14 Shr iji Mahr j furt her quest ioned, Those abodes and t he
at t endant s r esiding in t hem ar e for med of chaitanya and t r anscend
m y; so what flaw is t here in t hem t hat one should not desire t o see
t hem? Also, what about God who is manifest on t his ear t h? How do
you view His at t endant s, who ar e in fact mor t al, and t he houses He
lives in, which ar e per ishable?
15 The munis replied, We underst and t hose houses t o be like
Brahmapur and t he ot her abodes; and we underst and t hose
at t endant s t o be brahmarup.
16 Shr iji Mahr j t hen said, Br ahmapur and t he at t endant s of
God r esiding in Br ahmapur ar e immor t al and imper ishable, wher eas
t he houses and at t endant s of t his Mr ut yulok ar e per ishable. How
can you possibly equat e t he t wo?
17 Finally, Nit ynand Swmi r equest ed, Mahr j, You will have
t o answer t hat quest ion.
18 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j explained, When God incar nat es for
t he purpose of grant ing liberat ion t o t he jivas, He is always
accompanied by His Akshar dh m, His at t endant s who are formed
of chaitanya and all of His divine powers; but t hey are not perceived
by ot her s. Never t heless, when some devot ee acquir es a divine vision
dur ing sam dhi, he does see divine light equivalent t o count less
millions of suns in t he for m of God. Toget her wit h t hat for m, he also
sees count less millions of muktas and also Akshardh m it self.
Ther efor e, all of t hese do accompany God. Despit e all of t his, t hough,
The Vachanmr ut 139
God only accept s t he ser vice of His own, ear t hly devot ees. He st ays
in His devot ees houses made of mud, clay and st one. He lovingly
accept s what ever t hose devot ees offer Him, be it incense, an oil lamp,
food, clot hes, or anyt hing else. He does so for t he purpose of elevat ing
t hose eart hly at t endant s t o t he ranks of divine at t endant s. All of
t hose object s t hat a devot ee offers t o God assume a divine form in t he
abode of God. Moreover, t hat devot ee also at t ains a divine form and
at t ains t hose divine object s t her e. In t his way, God accept s all of t he
offerings offered by His eart hly devot ees in order t o allow t hem t o
experience everlast ing bliss. Therefore, a devot ee of God should
realise t hat t he form of God along wit h His Akshardh m is pr esent
on t his ear t h, and he should also explain t his fact t o ot her s.
Ga d h a d I -72
Fa i t h Cou p led wi t h t h e Kn owled ge of God s
Gr e a t n e s s
1 On Chait r a vadi 11, Samvat 1876 [9 Apr il 1820], Swmi Shr i
Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing facing east on a lar ge, decor at ed
cot on t he veranda out side t he nort h-facing r ooms near t he mandir of
was dr essed ent ir ely in whit e clot hes. At t hat t ime, an assembly of
Him.
2 Then Mukt nand Swmi said, Mahr j, yest er day you had a
ver y nice t alk wit h Dd Khchar . All of us ver y much wish t o hear
t hat t alk.
3 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, If a devot ee of God has fait h in
God coupled wit h t he knowledge of His great ness and also t horoughly
realises t he great ness of t he sdhus and satsangis , t hen even if t hat
devot ees karmas as well as kl happen t o be unfavourable, bot h kl
and karma combined ar e incapable of har ming him due t o t he
ext reme force of his bhakti. On t he ot her hand, a per son lacking
fait h in God and His S ant does not benefit in any way, even if God
wishes t o do good for t hat person.
4 One who oppresses t he meek does not benefit in any way eit her.
In fact , Bhishmapit has said t o King Yudhisht hir in t he
The Vachanmr ut 140
Mahbhr at , If you oppress t he meek, you and your descendant s will
be burnt t o ashes. Therefore, whet her he be a devot ee of God or not ,
no meek person should even slight ly be pained. Moreover, if one does
hur t t he meek, not only does one not benefit in any way, but one also
incur s a sin equivalent t o t he sin of killing a Brhmin.
5 In t he same way, t he sin incur r ed by making false allegat ions
against someone is also equivalent t o killing a Brhmin. Even if t he
allegat ions happen t o be t r ue, one should const r uct ively advise t he
per son in pr ivat e, but in no way should he be publicly humiliat ed.
6 Similarly, one who forces five cat egories of women t o lapse in
t heir dharma also incur s t he sin of killing a Brhmin. What ar e
t hese five cat egor ies of women? Fir st , a woman who has sought ones
refuge; second, ones own wife who does not desire int imacy on days of
obser vance or on days of fast ing; t hir d, a woman who obser ves t he
vow of fidelit y; four t h, a widow; and fift h, a woman who has placed
her t r ust in one. If a per son commit s adult er y wit h t hese five
cat egor ies of women, he incur s t he sin of killing a Brhmin. Of t hese
five cat egor ies, if a widows mind waver s t owar ds immor alit y, she
should be inspired t o observe dharma.
i

7 Ther eaft er , t he munis began t o sing amor ous devot ional songs of
God. Hear ing t hem, Shr iji Mahr j said, When God assumes a body
for t he sake of t he liberat ion of t he jivas, all of His act ions ar e like
t hose of humans. On seeing t hose act ions, a devot ee of God
under st ands t hem t o be divine act ions, whereas a non -believer or a
weak-minded devot ee per ceives fault s in t hem. For example, when
Shukji nar r at ed t he Rs-panchdhyyi, King Par ikshit har bour ed a
doubt , and so asked, God had manifest ed t o est ablish t he order of
dharma. Why, t hen, did he commit a br each of dharma by
associat ing wit h ot her s wives? In t his manner , Par ikshit per ceived
a fault in God. Shukji, on t he ot her hand, t hought fully began
singing pr aises of God, explaining t hat Kmdev had conquered
Br ahm and ot her deit ies and br ought t hem under his cont r ol. This
had gr eat ly inflat ed Kmdevs conceit . To vanquish t hat conceit , God
challenged Kmdev. J ust as a power ful king gives his own weapons
t o his enemy pr ior t o fight ing him, similar ly, God also gave his
enemy, Kmdev, t he necessar y ammunit ion for fight ing befor ehand.

i
This was t he t alk given t he day befor e t o Dd Khchar .
The Vachanmr ut 141
What was t hat ammunit ion? Well, t he for ce of Kmdev manifest s
in t he company of women, and t hat for ce is also gr eat er dur ing t he
night s of t he pr e-wint er season. In addit ion, amor ous gest ur es of
women, list ening t o seduct ive wor ds, seeing t he beaut y of women,
and t ouching women gr eat ly incr ease t he for ce of Kmdev. Aft er
giving all of t his as ammunit ion t o Kmdev, Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn
conquer ed Kmdev and cont inuously r emained an urdhvaret like a
brahmachri. In t his way, he vanquished Kmdevs conceit . No one
except God possesses such t ranscendent al powers. It was aft er
r ealising t his immense power of God t hat Shukji ext olled t he divine
act ions and incident s of God. However , as King Par ikshit failed t o
underst and t his, he perceived a fault in God.
8 However , someone may ask you, Being paramhansas , why do
you sing such amor ous devot ional songs? In t hat case, you should
t ell t hat per son, If we do not sing amor ous devot ional songs, and
inst ead perceive fault s in t he amorous act ions of God, t hen we would
also join t he r anks of King Par ikshit and ot her nstik non -believers.
But we do not wish t o join t he likes of t hose who are non -believer s.
Aft er all, Shukji, considered t o be t he guru of all paramhansas ,
himself ext olled t he amor ous spor t s of God. Ther efor e, we must also
cer t ainly do likewise.
9 Never t heless, when Pur ushot t am Bhagwn, who t r anscends
bot h t he per ishable and t he imper ishable, assumes a human for m
and t r avels in t he brahmnd for t he liberat ion of t he jivas, His
act ions ar e just like t hose of all humans. J ust as humans possess
m yik swabhvs such as lust , anger , avar ice, infat uat ion, matsar ,
jealousy, defeat , vict or y, fear , gr ief, ar r ogance, desir es, cr avings, et c.,
God also exhibit s t he same swabhvs Himself, but t hey ar e all for t he
liberat ion of t he jivas. So, a t rue devot ee ext ols t he divine act ions of
God and at t ains t he highest st at e of enlight enment , whereas a non -
believer perceives fault s in t hem.
10 In fact , just as God is t he t m of t he perishable, He is also t he
t m of Akshar br ahma, who t r anscends Pr akr ut i-Pur ush. Wit h His
own powers, God support s bot h t he perishable and t he imperishable,
yet He Himself is dist inct fr om t hem bot h. Fur t her mor e, t he
gr eat ness of God is such t hat wit hin t he por e of His each and ever y
hair , count less millions of brahmnds appear as mere sub-at omic
par t icles. Only when t hat vast God becomes like a human for t he
sake of t he liberat ion of t he jivas do t hey have an opport unit y t o serve
The Vachanmr ut 142
Him. If He wer e t o r emain exact ly t he same size as He is, t hen even
t he r uling deit ies of t his brahmnd, i.e., Br ahm and ot her s, would
be incapable of doing His darshan or ser ving Him. What , t hen, can
be said of mer e humans? Consider , for example, t he vadvnal fire
t hat dwells in t he ocean. Despit e consuming t he wat er s of t he ocean,
it is so vast t hat even t he wat er of t he ocean it self cannot ext inguish
it . If we wished t o light an oil lamp in our homes and t hat vadvnal
fire were t o ent er our homes, inst ead of enjoying t he light of t he oil
lamp, we would all be bur nt and r educed t o ashes. However , if t hat
same fir e wer e t o assume t he for m of an oil lamp, it s light would
provide joy even t hough t he oil lamp is t hat ver y same fir e. The oil
lamp is so weak t hat it could be easily ext inguished by blowing on it
or smot her ing it by hand. Never t heless, only it can pr ovide comfor t
t o us, wher eas t he vadvnal fir e cannot .
11 In t he same way, God may appear t o be as powerless as a
human, but only t hr ough t hat for m can count less jivas at t ain
liber at ion. The jivas are incapable of even doing darshan of His
for m, wit hin whose each and ever y hair r eside count less millions of
brahmnds. So, liberat ion is not possible t hr ough t hat for m. Thus,
all act ions God per for ms aft er assuming a human for m ar e wor t hy of
being ext olled. One should not doubt , Despit e being God, why does
He do t his? In fact , t o r ealise all of Gods act ions and incident s as
r edempt ive is t he ver y dharma of a devot ee, and only one who
underst ands t his can be called a perfect devot ee of God.
12 Ther eaft er , Kkbhi of t he village Rojk, asked, What ar e t he
char act er ist ics of a per son who mer ely has fait h in God, wit hout
r ealising His gr eat ness? Also, what ar e t he char act er ist ics of a
person who has fait h in God coupled wit h t he knowledge of His
gr eat ness?
13 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, A per son wit h only fait h st ill har bour s
doubt s: Alt hough I have at t ained God, will I at t ain liber at ion or not ?
On t he ot her hand, a person wit h fait h coupled wit h t he knowledge of
Gods gr eat ness believes, Fr om t he ver y day I had t he darshan of
God, my liber at ion has been guar ant eed. In fact , liber at ion is also
assured t o anyone who devout ly does my darshan or accept s my
advice. How, t hen, can t her e be any doubt r egar ding my own
liber at ion? I am indeed absolut ely fulfilled. Fur t her mor e, whichever
spirit ual endeavours I do perform, I perform solely t o please God.
The Vachanmr ut 143
One wit h such under st anding should be known t o have fait h in God
coupled wit h t he knowledge of His great ness.
14 Again, Kkbhi asked, What ar e t he char act er ist ics of t he
t hree t ypes of devot ees of God t he best , t he int ermediat e and t he
lowest ?
15 Shr iji Mahr j replied, The best devot ee believes himself t o be
t he t m , dist inct fr om his body. He does not associat e t he qualit ies
of t he body being jad, full of miser y, per ishable, impur e, et c. wit h
t he t m ; nor does he associat e t he qualit ies of t he t m being
uncut t able, unpier ceable, imper ishable, et c. wit h t he body. He sees
t he jivt m r esiding in his body, as well as t he Par amt m dwelling
wit hin his t m . Not only t hat , he sees t he t m s r esiding in t he
bodies of ot hers as well. Yet , despit e having become so capable, he
realises God and t he S ant of God t o be superior t o t m -r ealisat ion
and har bour s not even t he slight est conceit of t he r ealisat ion he has
at t ained. A per son wit h such char act er ist ics is said t o be t he best
devotee.
16 In compar ison, a per son who, despit e having knowledge of t he
t m and fait h in God, becomes jealous of devot ees of God; and if God
were t o insult him, develops jealousy t owards God as well, feeling,
Even t hough God is so gr eat , why is He t r eat ing me so, despit e no
fault of my own? should be considered t o be an average devot ee.
17 Finally, a per son who has fait h in God but no t m -r ealisat ion;
has affect ion for God as well as for t he affairs of t his world; and
experiences joy and grief in t he affairs of t his world should be
considered t o be t he lowest of t he t hree t ypes of devot ees.
Ga d h a d I -73
Con qu er i n g Lu st ; Becomi n g F r ee of Wor ld ly Desi r es
1 On t he night of Chait r a vadi Ams, Samvat 1876 [12 Apr il
1820], Swmi Shr i Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing on t he ver anda
out side t he nort h-facing r oom of His r esidence in Dd Khchar s
Himself wit h a whit e cot t on clot h. He had also t ied a whit e fet o
ar ound His head. At t hat t ime, four senior sdhus, including
The Vachanmr ut 144
Mukt nand Swmi, along wit h some fift y ot her devot ees had
2 Then Goplnand Swmi asked, What is t he nat ur e of lust ?
3 Shr iji Mahr j answer ed, Semen alone is t he nat ur e of lust .
4 Thereupon Goplnand Swmi raised a doubt , Semen is one of
t he seven basic const it uent s of t he body
i
. How, t hen, can it alone be
called t he nat ur e of lust ? Also, how exact ly is t hat semen pr oduced?
5 Shr iji Mahr j explained, The mind r esides in t he manovah
ndi. Whenever a t hought r elat ed t o women ar ises in t he mind,
semen is chur ned fr om t he body, and aft er collect ing in t he
manovah ndi, it is dischar ged t hr ough t he genit als just as ghee
sur faces fr om yoghur t when it is chur ned by a chur ning r od. One
whose semen is not dischar ged t hr ough t he genit als is known as an
urdhvaret and a perfect brahmachri. When Shr i Kr ishna
Bhagwn associat ed wit h t he gopis dur ing t he rs episode, he did not
allow t he dischar ge of semen. For t his r eason, he was known as an
urdhvaret brahmachri and had t hus conquer ed lust . Ther efor e,
semen alone is t he nat ur e of lust ; one who has conquer ed semen has
conquer ed lust .
6 Goplnand Swmi asked again, When t he body is bur nt aft er
deat h, it s seven const it uent s ar e bur nt along wit h it . Ther efor e, if
semen alone is t he nat ur e of lust , sur ely t hen, by t he bur ning of
semen along wit h t he body, lust should also be bur nt . Why, t hen,
does lust arise when t he jiva ent er s anot her body?
7 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, Semen is ret ained in t he sukshma body.
Moreover, it is because of t he sukshma body t hat t he sthul body is
pr oduced. When a ghost which is mainly composed of a sukshma
body fr om it s own sukshma body, ent ers int o t he sthul body of
anot her man and associat es wit h a woman, t hat woman conceives a
child by t hat ghost . Thus, semen is definit ely r et ained in t he
sukshma body.
8 Goplnand Swmi quest ioned fur t her , Shivji was an
urdhvaret, yet on seeing Mohini, semen was dischar ged. This

i
The seven basic const it uent s of t he body ar e: (1) r as bodily fluids; (2) r akt a
blood; (3) mns muscle, (4) med fat ; (5) ast hi bones, (6) majj mar r ow;
(7) shukr a semen.
The Vachanmr ut 145
implies t hat as long as ther e is semen in t he body, it is sur e t o be
dischar ged whenever one associat es wit h a woman in t he waking or
dr eam st at e. So t hen, as long as t her e is semen in t he body, how can
one be called a perfect celibat e?
9 Shr iji Mahr j explained, That can be said t o be a fault in
Shivjis yogic power s. A per son whose semen is dischar ged in t he
waking or dr eam st at e by t he t hought of a woman cannot be called a
st aunch brahmachri. That is why in t his whole wor ld Nar nr yan
Rishi is t he only one who has fir m brahmacharya. Since we have
accept ed t he refuge of t hat Narnr yan Rishi, by his gr ace, we shall
also gradually become perfect celibat es like him by wor shipping
him.
10 Yogis endeavour in many ways t o bur n t he semen which
r emains in t he body. Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn, however , maint ained
perfect brahmacharya even amidst t he company of women. Such
powers are only present in God; no one else is capable of remaining
uninfluenced like t hat . Ther efor e, ot her yogis should endeavour t o
avoid t hinking of women in bot h t he waking st at e and t he dr eam
st at e.
11 Shuk Muni t hen asked, In Dwr ik, Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn
had 16,108 wives. It is said t hat he had t en sons and one daught er
by each wife. How should one under st and t his?
12 Shr iji Mahr j clar ified, The incident s of Dwr ik are one
t hing, and t he incident s of Vr aj ar e anot her . In Dwr ik, Shr i
Kr ishna Bhagwn had adopt ed t he principle of Snkhya. A follower
of t he Snkhya pr inciple believes his own self t o be dist inct fr om t he
mind, body and indriyas. While per for ming all act ions, he does not
regard himself as being t he doer of t hose act ions, nor does he
exper ience eit her joy or gr ief fr om t hose act ions. That was t he
pr inciple adopt ed by Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn t her e; t her efor e he was
said t o be uninfluenced. The Snkhya pr inciple adopt ed by Shr i
Kr ishna Bhagwn in Dwr ik is t he ver y same Snkhya pr inciple
obser ved by kings such as J anak, who wor shipped God as
householder s. In t he same way, Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn was also a
householder and was known as t he king of Dwr ik. Ther efor e,
because he followed t he Snkhya pr inciple, he r emained uninfluenced
as well.
13 In Vr undvan, however , Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn had adopt ed
t he pr inciple of Yoga, by which he maint ained his vow of per fect
The Vachanmr ut 146
brahmacharya despit e associat ing wit h women. At t hat t ime, he
displayed t he powers of Narnr yan Rishi wit hin himself. In t he
Shr imad Bhgwat , Kapildev explains t o Devhut i, No one except
Nar nr yan Rishi is capable of over coming my m y in t he for m of
women. But , Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn conquer ed lust while
associat ing wit h women.
14 Now consider t he following incident : When Dur vs Rishi came
and Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn began sending all of t he gopis wit h
dishes filled wit h food for him, t he gopis asked, How shall we cr oss
t he Yamunji r iver ?
15 At t hat t ime, Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn said, Tell Yamunji t hat
if Shr i Kr ishna is for ever a brahmachri, t hen make way for us.
When t he gopis t old t his t o Yamunji, it made way for t hem.
16 Aft er feeding t he r ishi, all of t he gopis asked him, The
Yamunji is in our way. How shall we r et ur n home?
17 The r ishi t hen asked, How did you come?
18 The gopis explained, We t old Yamunji t hat if Shr i Kr ishna is
forever a brahmachri, t hen make way for us. So it made way for
us. But how shall we r et ur n home now?
19 Dur vs Rishi t hen said, Tell Yamunji t hat if Dur vs Rishi
is for ever fast ing, t hen make way for us. Ther eaft er , when t he gopis
said t his t o Yamunji, it made way for t hem. Seeing t his, t he gopis
wer e ext r emely sur pr ised. However , t hey wer e unable t o r ealise t he
gr eat ness of Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn or t he r ishi.
20 Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn played wit h t he gopis while
maint aining his vow of per fect brahmacharya and was t herefore st ill
a brahmachri. Dur vs Rishi also unit ed his t m wit h Shr i
Kr ishna Bhagwn t he t m of all and alt hough he at e all of t he
food offered by t he gopis, he was st ill for ever fast ing, because in
realit y, he had fed all of t he food t o God. Thus, t he act ions of t he
ext remely great cannot be comprehended.
21 If one looks for followers of t he Snkhya pr inciple, one could find
t housands. However , t o be an urdhvaret by way of yogic powers is
only possible for Nar nr yan. In addit ion, a t rue devot ee of
Nar nr yan can also gr adually develop fir m brahmacharya by t he
power of his wor ship, but ot her s cannot .
The Vachanmr ut 147
22 Fur t her mor e, if semen is dischar ged t hr ough t he genit als in t he
waking or dr eam st at e, one cannot be called a brahmachri.
Nevert heless, a person who obser ves eight -fold renunciat ion of women
is walking on t he pat h of brahmacharya; so wit h t ime, by t he gr ace
of Nar nr yan, he will gr adually become a fir m brahmachri.
23 When I was young, I had hear d t hat semen is also r eleased
t hr ough ones sweat . So in or der t o r et ain My semen, I lear nt t wo
t ypes of jal-bast i, and also kunjar-kriy. In or der t o conquer lust , I
lear nt many yogic sanas as well. When I slept at night , I slept in
t he post ure of gorakh-san t o prevent t he discharge of semen even in
t h e dr eam st at e. To conquer lust , I endeavour ed so vigor ously t hat
My body st opped sweat ing, and I no longer felt eit her t he cold or t he
heat . Then, when I came t o Rmnand Swmi, he t r ied t o make Me
sweat by past ing val leaves all over My body. Even t hen, My body
would not sweat . So, conquer ing lust is t he most difficult of all
spir it ual endeavour s. Never t heless, a per son who has t he fir m
st r engt h of t he upsan of God, has become absolut ely free from
desires for vishays, and is fir mly r esolut e in r emaining free of worldly
desires becomes free of lust by t he grace of God.
24 Ther eaft er Nit ynand Swmi asked, What is t he met hod of
becoming fr ee of wor ldly desir es? Is it list ening t o such t alks, or is it
vairgya?
25 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, Vairgya alone cannot last ; ult imat ely,
it is dest royed. Therefore, aft er developing knowledge of t he t m
and t hor ough gnn of Gods for m, one should t hink, I am t he t m ,
char act er ised by et er nal exist ence, consciousness and bliss, wher eas
t he body and t he brahmnd are m yik and per ishable. How can t hey
compar e t o me? Mor eover , my Ishtadev is Pur ushot t am Bhagwn,
who t r anscends even Akshar t he support er of count less millions of
brahmnds. I have t he fir m r efuge of t hat God. Vairgya cult ivat ed
fr om such t hought s is said t o be compounded wit h gnn. It is t his
vairgya t hat is never dest r oyed. For example, a bur ning flame is
ext inguished when wat er is pour ed over it . However , t he vadvnal
fir e t hat r est s in t he ocean cannot be ext inguished even by t he wat ers
of t he ocean it self. Similar ly, vairgya compounded wit h gnn is like
t he vadvnal fir e and t he fir e of light ning it is inext inguishable.
Wit hout t hat gnn t hough, ot her for ms of vairgya cannot be
t rust ed.
The Vachanmr ut 148
26 My vairgya is like t hat of t he fir e of light ning and t he
vadvnal fir e. This nat ur e of Mine is known by t hose who have
st ayed ext r emely close t o Me. However , t hose who r emain far fr om
Me ar e unable t o r ealise My nat ur e. Fur t her mor e, t his Mulji
Br ahmachr i may appear t o be nave, yet he t hor oughly knows My
nat ur e, r ealising, Mahr j is as aloof as ksh. He has no pr ejudices
against or in favour of anyone. Because he knows My nat ur e as
being so, he possesses virt ues like t hose of God. Moreover, t he
antarym i God r esiding wit hin all explains t o t he minds of all men
and women, Ther e is no fault what soever in t his Br ahmachr i.
27 The means of acquir ing such vir t uous qualit ies is as follows:
Whoever believes t he great Purush t o be absolut ely free of flaws
becomes t ot ally flawless himself. If, however , a per son per ceives
flaws in t he gr eat Purush, t hat per sons int ellect becomes pollut ed,
and enemies i.e., lust , anger , et c. all come t o dwell wit hin his
hear t . As a r esult , t he hear t of t hat per son who per ceives fault s in
t he S atpurush is gr avely t r oubled by dist ur bing t hought s. Alt hough
he may pr act ise satsang, he never ceases t o be unhappy.
28 Those who ar e wise r ealise all My char act er ist ics by st aying
close t o Me. They r ealise, Mahr j has no affect ion for any object in
t his wor ld t hat can ar ouse infat uat ion wealt h, women, or nament s,
food and dr ink, et c. In fact , Mahr j r emains deject ed fr om all t hese
t hings. When, out of compassion, He allows some per son t o sit near
Him or t alks t o him of gnn, it is purely out of compassion for t he
liberat ion of t he jiva. On t he ot her hand, t hose who ar e fools
whet her t hey st ay near or far cannot under st and My nat ur e as
such.
29 These discourses can only be underst ood by a person who has
t m -r ealisat ion, who beholding t he form of God wit hin his t m
offers bhakti t o Him and who does not forsake t he worship of God
even aft er becoming brahmarup. Therefore, aft er developing t m -
r ealisat ion and under st anding t he gr eat ness of Gods for m, no desir e
for any object r emains. Once wor ldly desir es ar e er adicat ed, a per son
may experience pain and pleasure according t o t he prrabdha of his
body, but t he indriyas no longer r emain shar p.
30 The indriyas are t he spokes of t he manomay chakra. They
become blunt on ly by t he complet e r ealisat ion of Br ahma and
Par abr ahma who t r anscends Br ahma. For example, if a per son
whose t eet h have become ver y sensit ive as a r esult of sucking lemons
The Vachanmr ut 149
has t o chew some chan , he could never chew t hem. If he wer e
ext r emely hungr y, he would at most swallow t hem, but he would be
unable t o chew t hem. Similar ly, a per son who has t hor oughly
realised t he great ness of God and t he t m feels no joy what soever in
any of t he pleasures of t he vishays of any r ealm. While t he
prrabdha of t he body per sist s, he may indulge in food, dr ink and
ot her object s, but he would do so in t he manner of a person wit h
sensit ised t eet h swallowing whole chan .
31 To eradicat e worldly desires, however, is indeed an ext remely
difficult t ask. In fact , t hey remain even aft er mast er ing sam dhi.
Aft er at t aining sam dhi, t her e is no way a per son can r et ur n fr om
t he for m of Br ahma back int o his body. Yet , if he does r et ur n, it is
because of one of t hr ee r easons: Fir st ly, he r et ur ns t o his body fr om
sam dhi if he har bour s desir es for wor ldly pleasur es. Or , if someone
is ext r emely power ful, he can ent er int o sam dhi and r et ur n t o t he
body accor ding t o his own will. Last ly, if t her e is anot her per son who
is much mor e power ful t han oneself, t hen t hat per son can br ing one
back int o t he body fr om sam dhi. These ar e t he t hr ee ways of
r et ur ning t o t he body fr om sam dhi.
32 When sam dhi occur s, a per son has t he darshan of Br ahma
and sees t he divine light of Brahma t o be like t hat of count less
millions of suns. If, at t hat t ime, t hat per son does not have much
under st anding, he r egar ds t he for m of t he manifest Pur ushot t am
Bhagwn t o be inferior and believes Brahma t o be superior, t hereby
commit t ing a br each of upsan . That is why fir m fait h should be
developed in t he manifest for m, because only t hen can all t hings be
accomplished. I have also fir mly r esolved t hat I shall not allow any
flaw what soever t o r emain in anyone who sincer ely sur r ender s his
mind unt o Me, t hereby not allowing even a lit t le dist ance t o remain
bet ween us.
33 Ther eupon Mukt nand Swmi asked, What ar e t he
char act er ist ics of a per son who has sur r ender ed his mind, and what
ar e t he char act er ist ics of a per son who has not sur r ender ed his
mind?
34 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, If a per son who has sur r endered his
mind t o God is unable t o be present while t he t alks of God are on -
going, or for t he darshan of God, he experiences int ense remorse in
his heart . Whenever he list ens t o t he t alks of God and does t he
darshan of God, his love for God cont inually incr eases, but never does
The Vachanmr ut 150
his mind r ecede fr om t hose t alks and darshan . Moreover, when God
gives a command t o someone t o st ay far away, a per son who has
sur r ender ed his mind would t hink t o himself, If t hat command wer e
given t o me, I would gladly go t o Bur npur or Kshi, or anywher e
else for t hat mat t er . A per son who r emains happy living accor ding
t o t he wishes of God in t his way is near t o Me, even if he is a
t housand miles away.
35 On t he ot her hand, a per son who has not sur r ender ed his mind
in t his way is as good as being hundreds of t housands of miles away,
even t hough he may be st aying ver y close t o Me. In fact , I am afr aid
of even giving advice t o a person who has not surrendered his mind t o
Me, as I fear , Will he accept it posit ively or adver sely? These ar e
t he char act er ist ics of a per son who has sur r ender ed his mind and of a
per son who has not .
Ga d h a d I -74
Un d er st a n d i n g I s Mea su r ed i n Ti mes of Ha r d sh i p
1 On t he mor ning of Vaishkh sudi 11, Samvat 1876 [24 April
2 Shr iji Mahr j t hen began, The ext ent of ones vairgya and
ones under st anding can be measur ed only when one encount er s
vishays, or in t imes of some har dship, but not ot her wise. That being
so, what can be said about sit uat ions of ext r eme pr osper it y or
har dship? For example, ever yone must have r ealised t he st at e of
t heir own antahkarans dur ing t he minor difficult y t hat r ecent ly
befell Dd Khchar .
3 Ther eupon Mukt nand Swmi comment ed, It is but nat ur al
t hat in ones hear t , one sides wit h Gods devot ees. That t oo, wit h t he
under st anding t hat if t he Sat sang fellowship flourishes, many people
will benefit ; but if t he Sat sang fellowship suffer s a set back in any
way, no one will benefit . That is why joy and gr ief ar e exper ienced.
The Vachanmr ut 151
4 Shr iji Mahr j t hen explained, We ar e t he ser vant s of Shr i
Kr ishnanr yan; so we should be pleased wit h what ever pleases
Him. If it is His wish, t hen Sat sang will flour ish; and if He wishes
for it t o decrease, t hen it will decrease. Moreover, if God seat s us on
an elephant , we should r emain happy by sit t ing on an elephant ; and
if He seat s us on a donkey, t hen we should r emain happy by sit t ing
on a donkey; but we should not harbour t he slight est affect ion for
anyt hing except t he holy feet of God. Thus, in what ever way Sat sang
develops accor ding t o His wish, we should r emain cont ent . If He so
wishes, let everyone in t he world become satsangis ; or if He so
wishes, let all satsangis cease t o r emain satsangis . But in no way
should we har bour any joy or gr ief in our minds, because ever yt hing
happens by t he will of God. So, just as a dry leaf is blown in t he air
accor ding t o t he dir ect ion of t he wind, we should also r emain
dependent on Him and joyfully worship God, not allowing any
fr ust r at ion t o ent er our minds.
Ga d h a d I -75
Red eemi n g Seven t y-On e Gen er a t i on s
1 On Vaishkh vadi 11, Samvat 1876 [8 May 1820], Swmi Shr i
Khchar s darbr in Gadhad. He was wear ing a gar land of yellow
flower s ar ound His neck and was dr essed ent ir ely in whit e clot hes.
2 Ther eupon Sur Khchar asked, It is said t hat 71 gener at ions
i

of a family t hat cont ains a devot ee of God are redeemed. But many in
t hat lineage may even be enemies of t he S ant and of God. So in what
way are t hey redeemed?

i
Ot her int er pr et at ions of t he or iginal t ext , which ar e also in accor dance wit h t he
Hindu scr ipt ur es, include 21 and 101 gener at ions. The 21 gener at ions include
t he cur r ent gener at ion, t he 10 pr evious gener at ions and t he 10 following
gener at ions.
The Vachanmr ut 152
3 Shr iji Mahr j answered, Devhut i harboured profound love
t owar ds Kar dam Rishi as her husband, yet she was r edeemed
because of her affect ion for him. The 50 daught er s of King Mndh t
who mar r ied Saubhar i Rishi wer e at t r act ed t o him by his handsome
appear ance. Alt hough t heir affect ion for Saubhar i was bor n of lust ,
st ill t hey all at t ained liber at ion like Saubhar i Rishi himself.
Ther efor e, if all t he member s of a family in which t her e is a devot ee
believe, We are indeed very fort unat e t o have a devot ee of God in our
family, and keep affect ion for t he devot ee wit h such an
under st anding of his gr eat ness, t hen all of t he member s of t hat
family will at t ain liber at ion. Even if t he devot ees forefat hers who
have died and have gone t o swarg r ealise, We ar e indeed ver y
fort unat e t o have a devot ee of God in our family, and t hey also keep
affect ion for t he devot ee, t hen t hose forefat hers will at t ain liberat ion
as well.
4 However, a person who keeps animosit y t owards a devot ee of
God does not at t ain liberat ion. As his hat red t owards t he devot ee
incr eases, his mind becomes mor e and mor e pollut ed. In fact , when
he dies, he falls int o t he same pit of narak as t hat ent er ed by a person
who has commit t ed t he five gr ave sins
10
. Thus, all t hose who have
affect ion for a devot ee of God, regardless of whet her t hey are family
member s or not , at t ain liber at ion.
5 Ther eaft er Nj J ogiy asked, Suppose t here is one devot ee of
God wit h r esolut e fait h and anot her wit h only a lit t le fait h. Alt hough
out wardly t hey bot h appear t o be good, how can t he t wo be
r ecognised?
6 Shr iji Mahr j explained, One who has precise gnn of t he
nat ure of t he t m , fir m vairgya, as well as per fect bhakti and
swadharma should be known t o have perfect fait h. Even if one of
t hese four fact or s is lacking, t hen despit e having fait h, it is st ill
wit hout t he knowledge of Gods great ness. If all four fact ors are
t ot ally pr esent , t hen t hat should be known as fait h in God coupled
wit h t he knowledge of His gr eat ness.
The Vachanmr ut 153
Ga d h a d I -76
An An gr y P er son , a J ea lou s P er son ,
a Decei t fu l P er son a n d a n Egot i st i ca l P er son
1 On t he sudi Ekdashi of t he fir st J yesht ha, Samvat 1876 [23
May 1820], Swmi Shr i Sahajnandji Mahr j was seat ed in His
residence in Dd Khchar s darbr in Gadhad. He was dressed
ent ir ely in whit e clot hes. At t hat t ime, some senior sdhus were
seat ed before Him.
2 Addr essing t hem, Shr iji Mahr j said, There are four t ypes of
people I do not get along wit h, even if t hey happen t o be devot ees of
God: an angr y per son, a jealous per son, a deceit ful per son, and an
egot ist ical person. Of t hese, bot h anger and jealousy are dependent
on egot ism. Fur t hermore, I can never believe a lust ful person t o be a
satsangi. In fact , even if such a per son happens t o be in t he Sat sang
fellowship, he is as good as a non -believer .
3 Cont inuing, Shr iji Mahr j said, A t r ue satsangi is a person
who has absolut ely no flaws in t he observance of t he five religious
vows
4
and who r emains t ot ally undist ur bed unt il t he end of his life
r egar dless of what ever st er n commands I may impose even if I
compel him t o for sake his pr efer ences and enfor ce My own. In fact , I
effort lessly and nat urally develop affect ion for such a devot ee. On t he
ot her hand, I cannot develop affect ion for a devot ee wit hout such
qualit ies, even if I t r y. This is because My nat ur e is such t hat I can
only develop affect ion for a person who possesses in his hear t such
perfect bhakti for God.
Ga d h a d I -77
Not I n va li d a t i n g Dh a r ma u n d er t h e P r et ext of Gn n
1 On t he Ams of t he second J yesht ha, Samvat 1876 [10 J uly
decorat ed cot on t he veranda out side t he west -facing r ooms in fr ont of
t he mandir of Shr i Vsudevnr ya n in Dd Khchar s darbr in
assembly of munis as well as devot ees fr om var ious places had
The Vachanmr ut 154
2 In t he assembly, t he munis were engaged in a quest ion -answer
dialogue amongst t hemselves. Dur ing t he dialogue, a muni, out of
misunder st anding, began t o invalidat e dharma on t he basis of his
fait h in God.
3 Hear ing t his, Shr iji Mahr j comment ed, A per son who
for sakes dharma under t he pret ext of t he gnn of God should be
considered t o be demonic. The for m of God possesses count less
redempt ive qualit ies
8
, which Pr ut hvi has descr ibed t o Dhar ma in t he
fir st cant o of t he Shr imad Bhgwat . Ther efor e, a per son who has
accept ed t he r efuge of God acquires t hese redempt ive virt ues.
Moreover, a person who has fait h in God also acquires t he 30
at t ribut es of a sdhu
11
described in t he 11
t h
cant o of t he Shr imad
Bhgwat . Therefore, one who does not possess t he 30 at t ribut es of a
sdhu should not be considered t o be a t rue sdhu. Conver sely, a
person who does have fait h in God definit ely does acquire t he
r edempt ive vir t ues of God wit hin his hear t . When t hese vir t ues of
God are acquired by a sdhu, he also acquir es t he 30 at t r ibut es of a
sdhu. Fr om t oday onwar ds, t hen, whosoever for sakes dharma in
t he form of t he five religious vows
4
solely advocat ing t he st r engt h of
bhakti or gnn, is a blasphemer of t he gur u and gur us wor d.
Anyone who even t alks of such a lapse in dharma should be called a
non -believer and t old, You have sided wit h demons, and we shall not
accept it . Wit h such wor ds, t he t alks of t hat unr ight eous per son
should be dismissed.
4 Ther eaft er , a sdhu asked, Mahr j, t her e may be an
ext r emely st aunch devot ee of God who suffers great pain and who
babbles meaninglessly at t he t ime of deat h, whereas a person who
does not seem t o be a t rue devot ee appears ext remely composed at t he
t ime of his deat h. In fact , he dies in comfor t , r ealising t he immense
glory of God and even expr essing His gr eat ness. What is t he
reason behind t his? Please explain why a pious persons deat h
appear s t o be unpleasant in compar ison t o an or dinar y per sons
deat h, which appears t o be pleasant ?
5 Shr iji Mahr j explained, A per sons mind is influenced by t he
eight fact ors of place, t ime, act ion, company, medit at ion , mant r a,
init iat ion and scr ipt ur es. If t hese eight fact or s ar e pur e, t he mind
becomes pur e; if t hey ar e impur e, t he mind becomes impur e.
6 Also, Gods m y inspir es t he dharmas of t he four yugs t o
pr evail in t ur n wit hin a per sons hear t . If, at t he t ime of deat h, t he
The Vachanmr ut 155
dharma of Sat ya-yug is prevalent , t hen deat h appears very pleasant .
If t he dharma of eit her Tr et -yug or Dwpar-yug pr evails, t hen deat h
appears less pleasant . But when t he dharma of Kali-yug pr evails at
t he t ime of deat h, t hen deat h appear s ext r emely unpleasant . In t his
way, t he pleasant ness and unpleasant ness of deat h is det er mined by
kl as well.
7 The t hr ee st at es waking, dr eam and deep sleep are also
fact or s. If, at t he t ime of deat h, t he waking st at e is pr evalent , t hen
even a sinner would die while st ill being act ive. If t he dr eam st at e
prevails at t he t ime of deat h, t hen a per son dies mumbling somewhat
incoherent ly, even if he happens t o be a devot ee of God.
Fur t her mor e, if at t he t ime of deat h, t he deep sleep st at e is
pr edominant , t hen r egar dless of whet her one is a devot ee of God or a
non -believer, one passes away unconsciously, unable t o say
anyt hing eit her good or bad. However, if one dies while t horoughly
r ealising ones jivt m as t r anscending t hese t hr ee st at es and as
being brahmarup, one passes away displaying all t he powers of God.
Passing away in such a way t hat is, aft er becoming brahmarup
and displaying such power s is possible only for devot ees of God; it is
not possible for any non -believer . In t his way, kl as well as t he
t hree st at es det ermine t he pleasant ness and unpleasant ness apparent
at t he t ime of deat h.
8 Nevert heless, even if a non -believer dies speaking nor mally
wit h t he waking st at e being pr edominant t hat does not imply in
any way t hat he will at t ain liberat ion . In fact , r egar dless of whet her
he dies pleasant ly or unpleasant ly, he goes only t o narak.
Conversely, regardless of whet her a devot ee of God speaks nor mally,
incoher ent ly or maybe even r emains silent at t he t ime of deat h, he
definit ely at t ains liber at ion. There is no doubt what soever in t his
fact . All devot ees of God should r ealise t his. Alt hough a devot ee of
God appears t o be suffering pain when passing away due t o fact ors
such as t he dr eam st at e, et c., in fact , due t o t he grace of God, he
exper iences gr eat bliss wit hin. So t hen, even if at t he t ime of his
deat h a devot ee passes away babbling incoher ent ly, no doubt s at all
should ever be ent ert ained regarding his liberat ion .
The Vachanmr ut 156
Ga d h a d I -78
Th e P r ed omin a n ce of P la ce, Time, Et c.
1 On shdh sudi 3, Samvat 1877 [13 J uly 1820], Swmi Shr i
Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing on t he ver anda out side t he west -
facing r ooms in fr ont of t he mandir of Shr i Vsudevnr yan in Dd
had cover ed Himself wit h a whit e cot t on clot h. He was also wear ing
a whit e pgh on His head and a garland of whit e flowers around His
neck. At t hat t ime, an assembly of munis as well as devot ees from
2 Shr iji Mahr j t hen said, All sdhus, please list en. I wish t o
ask a quest ion.
3 The sdhus responded, Please do ask, Mahr j.
4 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j asked, If t he eight influences of
place, t ime, act ion, company, mant r a, medit at ion of t he deit ies,
init iat ion and scr ipt ur es ar e favour able, t hey pur ify ones mind;
however , if t hese eight influences ar e unfavour able, t hey pollut e ones
mind. But do t he sanskrs of t he karmas performed in past lives
have any influence on t hese eight fact or s?
5 The munis answer ed, It seems t hat t he karmas of past lives do
play a role. If ones past karmas ar e favour able, one is bor n in a
favour able place; if t hey ar e unfavour able, one is bor n in an
unfavour able place. In t he same manner , t he ot her seven fact or s of
t ime, act ions, et c., ar e also det er mined by past karmas. So yes, past
karmas appear t o play t he predominant role in all of t hem. The eight
influences of place, t ime, et c., may be pr edominant in cer t ain
cir cumst ances, but past karmas ar e pr edominant in all
cir cumst ances.
6 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j quest ioned, Fr om what pr inciple in
t he scr ipt ur es do you claim t hat past karmas play t he predominant
role among all of t he influences fr om place and t ime, up t o t he
deit ies one wor ships? Please quot e any r efer ence fr om t he scr ipt ur es.
Aft er all, only in t he J ain scr ipt ur es and not in any ot her does one
find t he predominance of only karmas. Ot her scr ipt ur es pr omot e
only t he predominance of t he company of God and His Bhakta.
Moreover, because you advocat e t he predominance of only past
karmas, ar e you t r uly nstiks super ficially disguised as satsangis , or
what ? This is because no one except t he nstiks promot e t he
The Vachanmr ut 157
predominance of karmas. They believe t he Vedas, t he Shst r as, t he
Pur ns, and t he Mahbhr at and ot her It ihs scr ipt ur es t o be false;
t hey only accept t heir own scr ipt ur es wr it t en in t he Mgdhi dialect
as aut hent ic. Thus, it is out of foolishness t hat t hey pr omot e karmas
only.
7 If t he eight fact or s of place, t ime, et c., var y accor ding t o past
karmas, t hen why has t he hundr ed-feet -deep underground wat er not
r isen t o t he sur face for t he many pious kings who have been bor n in
t he r egion of Mr vd? If t he influence of place was cont rolled by past
karmas, t hen t he wat er -t able should rise for people who have
performed good deeds and fall for sinner s. This is not t he case,
however , because in t he r egion of Mr vd, bot h sinner s and pious
people suffer from t he problem of wat er being found deep
under gr ound. In r ealit y, each place does not lose it s inher ent
char act er ist ics. Thus, place, t ime, et c., do not var y accor ding t o past
karmas.
8 Therefore, a person who desires his own liberat ion should not
uphold t he predominance of karmas in t he way t hat nstiks do. If
t he eight influences of place, t ime, et c., ar e unfavour able, he should
for sake t hem and seek only favour able influences.
9 Mor eover , just as favour able and unfavour able places exist
out side t he body, ones body can also be a favourable or unfavourable
place. If t he place in t he form of t he body is favour able when
t he jiva r esides wit hin it , t hen r edempt ive vir t ues such as nobilit y,
cont ent ment , compassion, dharma, et c., develop. However , if t he
place in t he form of t he body is unfavour able when t he jiva
r esides wit hin it , t hen vices such as lust , anger , avar ice, infat uat ion ,
matsar , ar r ogance, et c., develop inst ead.
10 Also, favourable and unfavourable company should be
dist inguished as follows: When no dist ance r emains at all bet ween
one and t he per son whose company is kept , t hat is known as t r ue
associat ion . Out war dly, even enemies embr ace each ot her , yet t heir
hear t s ar e hundr eds of t housands of miles apar t . Such out war d
associat ion cannot be called associat ion; only associat ion t hat is kept
by t hought , word and deed can be called associat ion. One should
keep such associat ion by t hought , word and deed only wit h God or
His Bhakta, as it leads t o t he liberat ion of ones jiva. But one should
never associat e wit h a sinner .
The Vachanmr ut 158
11 Then, at midday, Shr iji Mahr j called all of t he young, st udent
sdhus nea r and request ed, All of you st udent sdhus, please ask
Me quest ions.
12 Thereupon Mot Shivnand Swmi asked, How can a per son
who has unwaver ing fait h in God be r ecognised?
13 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, A per son wit h unwaver ing fait h in God
r egar ds all act ions performed by God as redempt ive whet her t hey
be good or bad. Whet her God wins or loses, or at t imes even r uns
away; whet her He shows pleasur e or gr ief; in fact , however many
count less kinds of act ions a fait hful devot ee wit nesses, he says, All
act ions of God are for t he sake of liberat ion. If, whenever t he devot ee
speaks, he speaks in t his manner only, t hen he should be known t o
have absolut e fait h in God.
14 Ther eaft er Nir mnnand Swmi asked, How can a per son
prevent t he development of a fault -finding at t it ude t owards God and
His sdhus?
15 Shr iji Mahr j answered, If a person possesses t he aforesaid
unwavering fait h in God, t hen he never develops a fault -finding
at t it ude t owar ds God. Fur t her mor e, when he t hinks upon t he
great ness of t he ser vant s of such a gr eat God, he never per ceives
fault s in t he devot ees of God eit her.
16 Then Nir mnnand Swmi and Nn Pr agnnand Swmi bot h
asked, How can one realise t he form of God in all t he t hree st at es of
waking, dream and deep sleep?
17 Shr iji Mahr j replied, If t he pure sanskrs fr om ones pr evious
lives are powerful, t hen one can const ant ly see t he form of God in all
t hree st at es. If one who const ant ly experiences fear, lust or love for
somet hing can see object s besides God const ant ly in all t hr ee st at es,
t hen what is sur pr ising about being able t o see God const ant ly as
well? He can definit ely be seen.
18 Nn Shivnand Swmi t hen asked, How can someone wit h an
unfalt er ing foundat ion in t he Sat sang fellowship be r ecognised? That
is the fir st quest ion. The second quest ion is: How can t he enemies
i.e., egot ism, lust , anger , avar ice, matsar , jealousy, ar r ogance, et c.
be dest royed?
19 Shr iji Mahr j explained, A person who is absolut ely loyal t o
Sat sang cannot t oler at e in t he least someone speaking ill of Sat sang.
For example, even t hough one may have had a disagr eement wit h a
The Vachanmr ut 159
member of ones family, one would be unable t o t olerat e anyone
speaking ill of t hem. Ther efor e, just as one is loyal t o ones r elat ives,
if a per son is similar ly loyal t o Sat sang, t hen his foundat ion in
Sat sang is unfalt er ing.
20 The answer t o t he second quest ion is: If one has such loyalt y for
Sat sang, how can one possibly har bour ar r ogance, matsar or jealousy
t owards t he S ant or satsangis ? Therefore, all of t he inner enemies
egot ism, ar r ogance, matsar , jealousy, et c. of a person who is loyal
t o Sat sang are dest royed. However, if a person does not have such
loyalt y for satsangis , and r egar ds satsangis and kusangis as equal,
t hen however highly he may be r egar ded in Sat sang, he is sur e t o
ult imat ely fall fr om Sat sang.
21 Th en Nn t mnand Swmi asked, God and His S ant may
boldly t ell someone what ever needs t o be said, wit h t he fait h,
Whet her he is pr aised or r ebuked, he will not fall fr om Sat sang in
any way. How can one ear n such t r ust of God and His S ant? That
is one quest ion. The second quest ion is: How can a per son win t he
affect ion of all of t he sdhus, just as he has won t he affect ion of t he
sdhu he is pr esent ly st aying wit h?
22 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, As in t he answer t o Shivnand Swmis
quest ion, if a per son is ext r emely loyal t o Sat sang, God and His S ant
do not hesit at e in r epr imanding him. They never lack fait h in him;
t hat is, t hey never feel, If he is r epr imanded, he will leave t he
Sat sang fellowship. Rat her , t hey have fir m fait h and believe, His
satsang is fir m, so t her e is no danger in r epr imanding him.
23 The answer t o t he second quest ion is: He may leave t he per son
he was pr eviously st aying wit h because he was unable t o get along
wit h him, and subsequent ly go and st ay wit h anot her per son.
Despit e t his, t hough, he is unable t o t oler at e ot her s speaking ill of t he
per son he or iginally st ayed wit h. Thus, all of t he sdhus feel, This
per son is not ungr at eful. He is a ver y good sdhu because he has not
forgot t en t hat he is indebt ed t o t he person from whom he has learnt
even a lit t le. Realising t his, all of t he sdhus like him. On t he ot her
hand, if he leaves t he per son he was pr eviously st aying wit h t o st ay
wit h anot her per son, and subsequent ly speaks ill of t he person he
or iginally st ayed wit h, all of t he sdhus feel, This per son is
ungr at eful. In t he fut ur e, if he does not get along wit h any of us, he
will sur ely speak ill of us t oo. As a r esult , no one likes him.
The Vachanmr ut 160
24 Thereaft er Daharnand Swmi asked, God t r anscends Akshar ;
He is beyond mind and speech; and He is imper cept ible t o all. Why,
t hen, can ever yone see Him as manifest ?
25 Shr iji Mahr j replied, God who t r anscends Akshar , who is
beyond mind and speech, and who is impercept ible Himself, out of
compassion, r esolves, May all t he enlight ened and unenlight ened
people on Mr ut yulok behold Me. Having r esolved in t his manner ,
God whose will always pr evails becomes perceivable t o all people
on Mrut yulok ou t of compassion.
26 Tygnand Swmi t hen asked, How is God pleased?
27 Shr iji Mahr j answered, A person who want s t o please God
should not wish for bodily comfor t s. He should not even cr ave for t he
darshan of God. In fact , t o do exact ly as God commands is t he only
means t o please God.
28 Then Lakshmannand Swmi asked, Wit h what under st anding
is one able t o feel t he wonder of having at t ained t he profound
associat ion of God and His sdhus? Also, how can one feel elat ed all
day and night ?
29 Shr iji Mahr j replied, A devot ee realises, This God and t hese
sdhus all r eside in Vaikunt h, Golok and Br ahmapur . In fact , all of
t hose abodes are present wherever God and t hese sdhus r eside.
Ther efor e, I am ext r emely for t unat e in t hat I am able t o st ay in t he
presence of t hese sdhus. If he under st ands t his, t hen he will
experience awe all day and night and will sway in an ocean of bliss
t hr oughout t he day.
30 Par amt mnand Swmi t hen asked, How can one acquir e t he
30 at t ribut es of a sdhu
11
descr ibed in t he 11
t h
Bhgwat ?
31 Shr iji Mahr j replied, A person who regards t he S ant who
possesses t he 30 at t r ibut es as a gur u and as a deit y, and associat es
wit h him by t hought , wor d and deed acquir es t hose 30 at t r ibut es. In
fact , all of t he scr ipt ur es st at e, When one ser ves t he S ant, one
becomes like t he S ant.
32 Ther eaft er Shnt nand Swmi asked, There is one devot ee who
const ant ly maint ains his vrut t i on t he for m of God. Ther e is anot her
devot ee who engages in worship and r emembr ance, and also list ens t o
and engages in discourses and devot ional songs relat ed t o God.
Which devot ee of God is t he bet t er of t he t wo?
The Vachanmr ut 161
33 Shr iji Mahr j explained, He who experiences nirvikalp
sam dhi and is not conscious of his body is t he bet t er of t he t wo, even
if he does not engage in discourses and devot ional songs relat ed t o
God. However, t here may be someone who is conscious of his body
and get s up fr om wor ship of his own accor d t o eat , dr ink and per for m
all bodily act ivit ies, yet does not list en t o or engage in t he discour ses
and devot ional songs relat ed t o God. In comparison t o him, a person
who list ens t o or engages in discourses and devot ional songs is
bet t er .
34 dhr nand Swmi t hen asked, How should we behave so t hat
God and His S ant become pleased?
35 Shr iji Mahr j replied, If we st rict ly adhere t o t he five religious
vows
4
and do not allow any sort of lapse in t heir observance, God and
His S ant will be pleased. There is not even t he slight est doubt about
t his.
36 Then Vednt nand Swmi asked, What can a per son who has
previously behaved improperly do t o please God and His S ant?
37 Shr iji Mahr j answer ed, God and His S ant become displeased
upon seeing impur e swabhvs wit hin a person. When we develop
enmit y t owar ds t hose swabhvs, t he S ant also r ealises t his, because
whenever one bears animosit y t owards someone, t he whole world
knows. Consequent ly, t he S ant, who himself is also an enemy of
t hose swabhvs, sides wit h us and best ows compassion upon us,
showing us t he way t o conquer t hose swabhvs by whichever means
possible. Therefore, developing bit t er hat red t owards t he part icular
base swabhv t hat has led t o ones disgrace, one should adopt means
t hat would t ot ally upr oot it . When we behave in t his way, God and
His S ant shower t ot al compassion upon us. Whenever God and His
disciples shower t heir compassion, one cont inues t o exper ience
ext r eme bliss wit hin ones hear t . Also, ones capacit y t o walk on t he
pat h of liberat ion increases, and t he st rengt h of ones enemies lust ,
anger , avar ice, et c. decreases. Thus, God does help one who keeps
int ense enmit y t owar ds t hat bit t er enemy which causes dist r ess
wit hin ones hear t . That is why it is necessar y t o bear animosit y for
ones enemies of lust , anger , et c. It is t hus very beneficial t o develop
enmit y t owar ds ones inner enemies.
38 Thereaft er Bhagwadnand Swmi asked, Mahr j, just as one
fear s God when one is near Him, what under st anding should one
have so t hat one fear s God just as much when one is far fr om Him?
The Vachanmr ut 162
39 Shr iji Mahr j explained, J ust as one maint ains t he r espect of
God when He is near , t he same r espect r emains when He is far if one
t hor oughly under st ands t he gr eat ness of God. That gr eat ness should
be under st ood as follows: Pur ushot t am Bhagwn who t r anscends
Akshar ; by whose wish count less millions of brahmnds ar e cr eat ed;
who, by His power s, suppor t s t hese brahmnds; who is vyatirek, yet
is pr esent wit hin ever yt hing as anvay, and while being anvay, is also
vyatirek fr om ever yt hing; who dwells wit hin each and ever y at om in
His antarym i for m just as He is in His manifest for m; wit hout
whose wish not even a blade of grass is able t o flut t er; who is
r esponsible for cr eat ing, sust aining and dest r oying count less millions
of brahmnds; who administ ers pain and pleasure t o t he beings
residing t herein; and who is t he sole doer of all t hat happens
manifest s on t his ear t h for t he liber at ion of t he jivas. Yet , when t hat
ver y God mount s a hor se, it appear s t hat t he hor se is car r ying Him;
t hough, in r ealit y, it is God who is t he upholder of t he hor se.
Fur t her mor e, when God sit s on t he ear t h, it seems t hat t he ear t h is
suppor t ing God; yet , in r ealit y, it is God who suppor t s t he ent ir e
eart h along wit h it s mobile and immobile forms of life. Moreover , at
night , t he light of t he moon, an oil lamp or a t or ch allow one t o have
t he darshan of God; or during t he day, t he light of t he sun allows one
t o have t he darshan of God. In r ealit y, however , it is t hat God who
pr ovides light t o t he sun, t he moon, and t he flames of fir e. Such ar e
t he magnificent power s of God. Despit e t his, t hough, God has become
like a human for t he sake of t he liberat ion of t he jivas, and He is
giving darshan t o me. If one underst ands t he great ness of God in
t his manner , t hen one can keep t he same respect for God when one is
far fr om Him as when one is near Him.
40 Bhagwadnand Swmi t hen asked anot her quest ion, Not hing
happens wit hout Gods will; t hat is, ever yt hing t hat happens is all
t he wor k of God alone. So when God or His devot ees encount er
har dships, why t hen, does He not alleviat e t heir dist r ess? Why does
He mer ely wish t o alleviat e t heir dist r ess?
41 Shr iji Mahr j explained, When God assumes a human for m, it
is cust omar y for Him t o behave in absolut ely t he same manner as
humans do and not t o r eveal His t r anscendent al power s. This is how
all of t he act ions and incident s of God ar e descr ibed in t he scr ipt ur es.
Therefore, one may ent ert ain doubt s only when God exhibit s new
act ions. But as long as t he act ions of God are like t hose performed by
t he previous avat rs, no doubt s should be ent ert ained.
The Vachanmr ut 163
42 Then Nir malnand Swmi asked, What under st anding is
required t o t horoughly realise t he great ness of t he S ant of God?
43 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, When one cont emplat es upon t he
gr eat ness of Mat sya, Kachchha, Var h , Vman, Par shur m, Rm,
Kr ishna and t he count less avat rs of God by t hinking, God has
liberat ed count less jivas t hr ough Rm, Kr ishna, and ot her avat rs. I
am ext r emely for t unat e t hat I have at t ained t he profound associat ion
of t he S ant of t hat very God t hen one begins t o t horoughly realise
t he great ness of t he S ant day by day.
44 Ther eaft er Nr yannand Swmi asked, How is t he jiva anvay
wit h t he t hree bodies of sthul, sukshma and kran ; and how is it
vyatirek fr om t hem?
45 Shr iji Mahr j answer ed, When t he body encount er s pleasur e
and pain and t he jiva assumes t hat pleasur e and pain upon it self, t he
jiva is anvay wit h t he t hree bodies. When it believes it self t o be
dist inct fr om t he pleasur e and pain of t he t hree bodies, t hen t he jiva
is vyatirek fr om t hem.
46 Shunyt it nand Swmi t hen asked, When a per son pr act ises
satsang init ially, he has deep affect ion for t he S ant and t he
satsangis . But why does t his affect ion lat er decline?
47 Shr iji Mahr j explained, Init ially, he holds t he S ant in ver y
high r espect . Lat er , however , when he per ceives a minor flaw in t he
S ant, he r egar ds it as a major flaw because of his own malicious
mind. As a r esult , his vicious nat ur e flour ishes, and his r espect for
t he S ant declines. Then, if he t hought fully er adicat es t his vicious
nat ur e, he becomes as pure as he was before. However , if he does not
do so, he ult imat ely falls fr om t he Sat sang fellowship.
48 Ther eaft er Pr asdnand Swmi asked, What is t he cause of t he
jivas liber at ion?
49 Shr iji Mahr j answer ed, To do exact ly as t he S ant says
wit hout har bour ing any doubt s is t he only cause of t he jivas
liber at ion.
50 Then Tr igunt it nand Swmi asked, What means should one
adopt when faced wit h adver se places, t imes, act ions and company?
51 Shr iji Mahr j explained, The only way t o overcome adverse
places, t imes, et c., is t o escape fr om t hem by any means possible.
The Vachanmr ut 164
52 Nn Nir vikr nand Swmi t hen asked, Despit e having fait h
in God, why ar e not ones vicious desir es er adicat ed?
53 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, Ones vicious desir es ar e not er adicat ed
because one has not fully realised t he great ness of God.
54 Then Mot Yognand Swmi asked, Despit e having per fect
fait h in God, why does a person st ill not develop affect ion for God and
discourses relat ed t o God?
55 Shr iji Mahr j explained, It is because he has not yet realised
t he great ness of God as it is. If a person does t horoughly realise t he
great ness of God, t hen he does not develop affect ion for anyt hing
besides God, even if he t ries. In addit ion, he develops unflinching
affect ion only for God, His S ant, and t he discourses and devot ional
songs relat ed t o God.
56 Then Pr at oshnand Swmi asked, How can ones bhakti
t owar ds God r emain unflinching?
57 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, If a per son t hor oughly under st ands t he
gr eat ness of t he manifest for m of Shr i Kr ishna Pur ushot t am who is
t he cause of t he four emanat ions
9
, i.e., Anir uddha, Pr adyumna,
Sankar shan and Vsudev; t he cause of t he 24 for ms
12
, i.e., Keshav,
et c.; and t he cause of Var h and t he ot her avat rs t hen he r emains
unflinching in t he nine t ypes of bhakti t owar ds God, i.e., list ening t o
t alks of God, singing devot ional songs, et c.
58 Aft er answering t he quest ions of all of t he munis in t his way,
Shr iji Mahr j asked t hem all, Lust , anger and avar ice t hese
t hree are gat eways t o narak. All of you please reveal if you have
t hor oughly conquer ed any of t hese.
59 The munis t hen spoke regarding what ever each one had
r esolved. Hear ing t his fr om t he munis , Shr iji Mahr j became
ext r emely pleased. Aft er gladly impr int ing His holy feet on t he
chest s of t mnand Swmi, Yognand Swmi, Bhagwadnand
Swmi and Shivnand Swmi, He added, J ust as
Mahnubhvnand Swmi and t he ot her s ar e senior munis , t hese
four should also be considered senior along wit h t hem. Therefore, do
not allow anyone t o insult t hem.
60 aving appealed t o Mukt nand Swmi and ot her senior sdhus in
t his way, Shr iji Mahr j bid J ai Sachchidnand t o ever yone and
r et ur ned t o His r esidence for His meals.
The Vachanmr ut 165

| | En d of Ga d h a d I Sect i on | |

The Vachanmr ut 166
SRANGP UR SECTI ON
S r a n gp u r -1
Con qu er i n g t h e Mi n d
1 On Shr van vadi 5, Samvat 1877 [28 August 1820], Swmi Shr i
Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing on t he ver anda out side t he nor t h-
facing r ooms of J iv Khchar s darbr in Sr angpur . He was
2 Thereupon Mukt nand Swmi asked a quest ion: The ver se |-
- | | =+
i
explains t hat a person who has conquered his
mind can be said t o have conquered t he whole world. But how can
one know whet her t he mind has been conquer ed?
3 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, When t he indriyas wit hdr aw fr om t he
panchvishays, i.e., sight s, sounds, smells, t ast es and t ouch, and no
desire t o indulge in t hose vishays r emains, t hen all of t he indriyas
are said t o be conquered. Moreover, when t he indriyas do not come
int o cont act wit h t he vishays, t he mind also does not come int o
cont act wit h t he indriyas , and it s vrut t i r emains wit hin t he hear t .
In t his way, one who has shunned t he panchvishays wit h absolut e
r esolut ion should be known as having conquer ed ones mind. But if
one does have some affect ion for t he vishays, t hen even if one has
conquer ed ones mind, it should not be known as having been
conquer ed.
4 Again Mukt nand Swmi asked, Is t he means t o defeat t he
vishays vair gya, or is it affect ion for God?
5 Then Shr iji Mahr j explained, One way t o defeat t he vishays
is t m -realisat ion, and t he ot her is t he realisat ion of God coupled
wit h t he knowledge of His gr eat ness. Specifically, t m -r ealisat ion
should be of t he following t ype: I am chaitanya, while t he body is jad;

i
J itam jagat kena mano hi yena| |
Manir at naml
The Vachanmr ut 167
I am pure, whereas t he body is t he embodiment of narak; I am
imper ishable, while t he body is per ishable; I am t he embodiment of
bliss, wher eas t he body is t he embodiment of miser y. In t his
manner , when one r ealises t he t m t o be t ot ally dist inct fr om t he
body in every way, one will never consider oneself t o be t he body nor
will one harbour affect ion for vishays. This is how t he vishays are
subdued t hrough knowledge of t he t m .
6 Also, one should t hink of t he great ness of God in t he following
way: I am t he t m , while t he manifest form of God whom I have
at t ained is Par amt m. I have at t ained Shr i Pur ushot t am Bhagwn
in per son, t he ver y Pur ushot t am Bhagwn who is t he lord of Golok,
Vaikunt h, Shwet dwip and Br ahmapur , as well as mast er of Br ahm
and t he ot her deit ies, who t hemselves ar e t he lor ds of count less
millions of brahmnds. That Par amt m for ever r esides in my
t m . I would discard all of t he pleasures of t he vishays of count less
millions of brahmnds just for one seconds darshan of t hat God.
Moreover, if one were t o gat her t oget her all of t he pleasures of t he
vishays of count less millions of brahmnds, even t hen it would not
equal even one milliont h of a fr act ion of t he bliss which is pr esent in
just one por e of God. In fact , in t he Moksh-dhar ma, it is said t hat
t he realms of t he ot her deit ies ar e like narak compared t o t he
Akshardh m of God. It is t hat ver y God whom I have at t ained in His
incar nat ed for m. So how can I possibly discar d Him and wish for t he
pleasures of t he vishays, which ar e like t he pit s of narak? In fact ,
t he pleasures of t he vishays ar e not hing but t he embodiment of
miser y. So, t he vishays can be subdued by r ealising Gods gr eat ness
in t his manner .
7 The vairgya generat ed by such knowledge of t m and
Par amt m is such t hat it eradicat es desires of t he pleasures of all
vishays. A person who has shunned t he pleasures of t he vishays by
cult ivat ing an under st anding in t his way never again develops
affect ion for t he vishays. Only such a per sons mind can be said t o be
conquer ed.
8 Wit hout such under st anding, it may appear t hat a per son has
much affect ion, but when he encount er s an allur ing vishay, he
abandons God and develops affect ion for t hat object . Or , if he
develops affect ion for his son, wife, et c., or he suffer s on account of
some illness or t he pleasures of t he vishays disappear , t hen his
affect ion for God subsides, and he becomes disorient ed. J ust as a
The Vachanmr ut 168
dogs puppy appear s cut e when it is young, t he bhak t i of such a
person init ially appears t o be good, but ult imat ely it does not remain
appealing.
| | Vachanmr ut Sr angpur -1 | | 79 | |
S r a n gp u r -2
Develop i n g Affect i on for t h e For m of God
1 On Shr van vadi 6, Samvat 1877 [29 August 1820], Shr iji
Mahr j was sit t ing facing nor t h on a lar ge, decor at ed cot which had
been placed on t he veranda out side t he nort h-facing r ooms of J iv
Khchar s darbr in Sr angpur . He was wear ing a whit e khes and
had t ied a whit e pgh around His head. He had also cover ed Himself
wit h a whit e blanket . At t hat t ime, an assembly of munis as well as
2 Then, addr essing t he munis , Shr iji Mahr j said, Please begin
a quest ion and answer session amongst your selves.
3 Ther eupon Swayamprak shnand Swmi asked, By what
means can a devot ee of God develop int ense affect ion for t he form of
God?
4 The munis t hen at t empt ed t o answer t hat quest ion amongst
t hemselves but wer e unable t o do so sat isfact or ily.
5 So Shr iji Mahr j began t o reply, Affect ion can develop due t o
beaut y, due t o lust , due t o avar ice, due t o some selfish mot ives or due
t o t he ot her per sons vir t ues. Of t hese, affect ion which st ems fr om
beaut y last s only unt il one sees t he disfigur ement caused by lepr osy
in t he ot her persons body, or unt il t he person develops leukoderma;
t hereaft er, t he affect ion which once exist ed would dissolve. In t he
same way, affect ion st emming fr om avar ice, lust and selfishness also
ult imat ely dissolves. Affect ion developed due t o t he ot her per sons
vir t ues, however , ult imat ely sur vives.
6 Then Soml Khchar asked Shr iji Mahr j, Which vir t ues ar e
t hese? Ext er nal ones or int er nal ones?
7 To t his Shr iji Mahr j replied, How is it possible t o develop
affect ion due t o ext er nal vir t ues? Rat her , it is affect ion st emming
from t he virt ues of t he persons speech, t hought s and deeds t hat does
not dissolve. Now, are you asking only about a devot ee developing
The Vachanmr ut 169
affect ion for God? Or are you also asking about God developing
affect ion for t he devot ee?"
8 Swayamprak shnand Swmi clar ified, We ar e asking about
bot h.
9 Shr iji Mahr j t hen began t o elabor at e by saying, One should
not hur t any living being wit h ones speech. Mor eover , dur ing a
quest ion -answer session wher e pr inciples ar e being debat ed wit h God
and a senior sdhu, even t hen, t hose who ar e junior should yield t o
t hose who ar e senior . Also, in an assembly, one should not ask
quest ions t hat may embar r ass a sdhu who is senior t o one. Rat her ,
one should purposely accept defeat before God and a senior sdhu.
Also, one should lovingly and immediat ely accept t he command of
God and a senior sdhu, regardless of whet her it seems appropriat e
or inappropriat e. Of t hese, one would not doubt an appropriat e
command. But even if it seems inappropriat e and leads t o doubt s,
one should not refuse t o abide by it , at least at t hat t ime. One should
cer t ainly agr ee and say, Mahr j! I will do just as You say. If t hat
command is such t hat one cannot accept it , and if it is t he wish of
God and a senior sdhu t o hear ones plea, t hen one should fold ones
hands befor e t hem and say wit h bhakti, Mahr j! The command
which You gave me is fine, but I have cer t ain doubt s about it . In
t his manner , one should speak modest ly. However , if it is not r eally
t he wish of God t o hear ones plea, t hen one should t ell a senior sdhu
or devot ee who is close t o Him, Alt hough God has given such a
command, I simply cannot accept it . Ther eaft er , t he senior sdhu
would find a compromise and would also speak t o God t o help make a
compr omise r egar ding t hat command. But r egar dless of whet her t he
command seems appropriat e or inappropriat e, one should not
immediat ely r efuse t o abide by it . Rat her , one should use such
court esy t o delay t he following of t he command given by t hose who
ar e senior s; but when init ially t old, one should not immediat ely
r efuse. This is how one should behave r egar ding t he vir t ue of speech.
As a result , God and t he senior sdhu develop affect ion for t hat
devot ee, and t hat devot ee also develops st rong affect ion t owards God.
10 Now, how should one behave physically? Well, if ones body
seems t o be hyper act ive, one should weaken it by engaging in
wor ship or by obser ving t he chndryan vow. Then, on not icing t his,
if God or a senior sdhu t akes care of ones body, it is well and good,
but one should not knowingly t ake care of ones own body. Also, one
The Vachanmr ut 170
should physically serve God and His devot ees. When God or t hat
gr eat sdhu not ice a per son behaving in t his manner physically, t hey
develop affect ion for him, and t hat devot ee also develops affect ion for
God.
11 Now I shall descr ibe t he manner in which a per son should
behave regarding t he virt ues of t he mind. When a devot ee does
darshan of God, he should do so wit h an at t ent ive mind and
concent r at ed vision. Inst ead, when a per son dist r ubs, or a dog
dist ur bs, or some ot her animal or bir d dist ur bs while he is doing
darshan of God, he breaks his vrut t i fr om Gods darshan and begins
t o glance t o and fro, up and down, and also sees t hem
simult aneously. God and t he senior sdhu are not at all pleased
upon seeing a per son wit h such wander ing vision.
12 So, when such a devot ee does do darshan , how does he do it ?
Well, he does it just as any or dinar y per son does. One who has such
a mundane vision should be known t o be like a squir r el t hat squeaks
and r aises it s t ail simult aneously he does darshan of God and
not ices ot her object s at t he same t ime. When he begins t o do
darshan in such a mundane manner , he does not r emain as pious as
he pr eviously was; in fact , he declines day by day. Ther efor e, while
doing darshan of God one should not look from side t o side. The
novelt y and divinit y exper ienced in ones hear t at t he t ime of t he fir st
darshan of God should remain exact ly t he same. Mor eover , one
should look at t he for m wit h a fixed gaze and t hen closing ones eyes,
one should int er nalise t hat for m exact ly as it is in ones hear t . For
example, in Dhar mapur , Kushalkuvar bi did My darshan , and at
t he same t ime, closed her eyes and int er nalised t he for m in her
hear t . Similar ly, one should do darshan while keeping an at t ent ive
mind and a fixed gaze, but one should not do darshan as ot her
ordinary people do. If, along wit h t he darshan of God, one also looks
at ot her people, cat s, or dogs, t hen when one has a dr eam, one sees
not only God, but also t hose ot her object s. That is why one should do
darshan of God wit h a fixed gaze, not wit h a wandering gaze. One
who does darshan of God while keeping ones sight under cont r ol will
feel t hat darshan t o be cont inually novel. In addit ion, one would also
feel any commands t hat God may have given t o be novel. On t he
ot her hand, a person who does darshan super ficially, wit h a
mundane vision, would feel Gods darshan and commands t o be
commonplace. Alt hough he may do darshan ever y day, for such a
person it is as if he has not done darshan at all. When such a per son
The Vachanmr ut 171
engages in wor ship, his mind would not r emain st able. Specifically,
when he at t empt s t o concent rat e on God while his t hinking is
diffused, ot her object s he may have seen would spont aneously sprout
in his mind along wit h God. Ther efor e, one should do darshan only
of God. The mind of one who does darshan in such a manner
r emains only on God dur ing wor ship. His t hinking does not become
diffused; inst ead, it becomes concent r at ed.
13 Fur t her mor e, I am able t o discer n when one is doing darshan
wit h wander ing eyes. A gr eat sdhu whose own sight and mind ar e
kept under cont r ol also r ealises, This per son is doing darshan in a
super ficial manner . One who does darshan in such a mundane
manner t hen begins t o decline fr om t his fellowship day by day.
14 For example, a man who is over come by lust , fir mly and wit h a
focused mind, fixes his gaze on a beaut iful woman. If at t hat t ime,
some animal or bir d wer e t o pass by or make a noise, he would not
not ice it . In t he same way, one should at t ach oneself t o God wit h a
similarly focused gaze, but one should not do darshan in a mundane
manner .
15 Then Nir vikr nand Swmi raised a doubt , Mahr j, we have
t o t r avel and speak t o people all over t he count r y. As a r esult , our
mind does not r emain concent r at ed.
16 In r eply, Shr iji Mahr j quest ioned, I have given a command
for you t o speak t o people, but when have I ever given a command for
you t o disregard t he darshan of t his form and do darshan of ot her
t hings?
17 Having said t his, Mahr j cont inued, The same divinit y t hat
one feels when one has darshan of t he form of God for t he first t ime
can be ret ained if one keeps ones mind and gaze fixed on God. So,
when one behaves in t his manner , in accor dance wit h t he vir t ues of
t he mind ment ioned pr eviously, t hen t he affect ion t hat God has for
t hat devot ee remains ever -fr esh. Mor eover , t he affect ion which t hat
devot ee has t owards God also const ant ly r emains ever -fr esh.
18 Moreover, bot h t he eyes and ears should especially be kept
under cont r ol. This is because when wor ldly t alks ar e pr evalent
ever ywher e, and if one is at t r act ed t owar ds t hem t hr ough t he vrut t i
of t he ears, and one list ens t o t hem, t hen all of t hose wor ldly wor ds
would be recalled when one at t empt s t o engage oneself in worship.
Fur t her mor e, anyt hing seen by one who has a wander ing gaze is also
The Vachanmr ut 172
r ecalled dur ing wor ship. That is why bot h of t hese indriyas should
be kept st r ict ly under cont r ol. However , if, while doing darshan of
Gods for m, t he vrut t i of ones eyes and ears leaves t he form aside and
is at t r act ed t owar ds ot her t hings, one should r epr imand t hem,
saying, O fools! What ar e you going t o achieve by looking at for ms
ot her t han God and by list ening t o words ot her t han t he t alks of God?
As of yet , you have not at t ained any yogic powers whereby you can
inst ant ly r eceive what ever you wish. This is because you ar e st ill in
t he pr ocess of enlight enment . So, you ar e not going t o be able t o
obt ain t hose vishays t hat you desir e; so why ar e you fut ilely gr asping
for t hem and leaving God aside? Moreover, even if you were t o at t ain
some insignificant vishay, t hen due t o t he sin incur r ed as a r esult ,
t here will be no end t o t he beat ings you will r eceive in Yampur i. In
t his manner , one should r epr imand ones eyes and ear s.
19 Fur t her mor e, one should also t ell t hem, When you become
st abilised in t he for m of God, you will be enlight ened in t his ver y life.
As a r esult , you will be able t o nat ur ally hear any t alk occur r ing in
any brahmnd. If you desir e t o have a char ming for m like t hat of
Br ahm, Vishnu or Shiv, t hen you will be able t o at t ain such a for m.
Or , if you wish t o become a devot ee like Lakshmi or Rdhik, t hen
you will become so. Moreover, if, while worshipping God, you do not
at t ain enlight enment in t his ver y life, you will at t ain enlight enment
aft er deat h, when you become a mukt a. But wit hout becoming
enlight ened, even if you const ant ly look at some char ming object
unt il you die, you will st ill not be able t o at t ain t hat char m.
Fur t her mor e, even if you list en t o wor ldly t alks unt il you die, you
will st ill not at t ain anyt hing; r at her , your mind will become
ext remely pollut ed by it . One should advise ones eyes and ear s in
t his manner and keep t hem fixed only on t he form of God. A person
who behaves in such a manner incr easingly develops affect ion for t he
for m of God day by day. As a r esult , Gods and t he gr eat sdhus
affect ion for t hat devot ee also increases day by day.
S r a n gp u r -3
Sh r a va n , Ma n a n , Ni d i d h y s a n d S k s h t k r
1 In t he evening of Shr van vadi 7, Samvat 1877 [30 August
The Vachanmr ut 173
ver anda out side t he rooms of J iv Khchar s darbr i n Sr angpur .
head. He had also cover ed Himself wit h a black-bordered khes. At
t hat t ime, an assembly of munis as well as devot ees from various
2 Ther eupon Swayampr ak shnand Swmi asked Shr iji Mahr j
a quest ion: Mahr j, suppose t here is a devot ee who physically
performs puja of t he manifest form of God wit h various t ypes of puja
implement s. Also suppose t here is anot her devot ee who performs
m nsi puj of God using var ious imaginar y implement s. Who is t he
bet t er of t he t wo devot ees?
3 Shr iji Mahr j replied, If a person lovingly performs puja of
God, wit h hair -r aising sent iment s and an emot ion -filled voice, t hen
r egar dless of whet her he per for ms puja physically or per for ms m nsi
puj, bot h ar e super ior . Conver sely, if he per for ms puja
mechanically wit hout feeling love or excit ement , and wit hout
showing emot ion in his voice t hen regardless of whet her he
per for ms puja of God physically or per for ms m nsi puj of God, bot h
ar e infer ior .
4 Then Soml Khchar asked, By what char act er ist ics can one
recognise a devot ee who, in t he above manner, becomes overwhelmed
wit h love while per for ming physical puja or m nsi puj of God?
5 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, Such a per son has int ense shraddh in
per for ming t he puja of God and ser ving Him, in list ening t o
discour ses and t alks r elat ed t o God, and in singing devot ional songs.
He also under st ands t he pr ofound gr eat ness of God. Wit h each
passing day, bot h of t hese t wo aspect s r emain ever fr esh, but never
diminish. For example, Mukt nand Swmis shraddh and
under st anding of Gods gr eat ness ar e exact ly t he same t oday and just
as fr esh as t hey wer e when I fir st saw him in Lojpur ; t hey have not
diminished in any way what soever . In t he same manner , such a
devot ee should be r ecognised by t hese t wo char act er ist ics.
6 All of t he Ydavs who st ayed wit h Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn did
not have such shraddh or under st anding of Gods gr eat ness; t hey
ser ved him just like t hey would ser ve ot her kings. Ther efor e, t hey
did not achieve fame and are not even regarded as devot ees. On t he
ot her hand, Uddhavji ser ved Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn wit h shraddh
and an underst anding of his great ness, and t herefore he has been
The Vachanmr ut 174
described as an eminent devot ee of God and has been ext remely
r enowned in t he scr ipt ur es and in t he wor ld.
7 Ther eaft er Nir vikr nand Swmi asked, Mahr j, what is
shr avan, manan, nididhys and sksht kr ?
8 Shr iji Mahr j explained, To list en t o a t alk t hr ough ones ear s
is known as shr avan. Then, having hear d t he t alk, t o ment ally
ponder over t he t alk, and t o discar d t hat par t of t he t alk which is fit
t o be discarded and t o r et ain t hat par t of t he t alk which is fit t o be
r et ained is known as manan. Then, having ment ally r et ained t he
t alk wit h convict ion, t he pr act ice of cont inuously r ecalling t he t alk
day and night is known as nididhys. Finally, when one can r ecall
t hat t alk exact ly as it was as if it were manifest before one wit h
absolut e clar it y and spont aneit y, t hat is known as sksht kr .
9 If one engages in shr avan, manan and nididhys of t he
nat ure of t he t m in t his manner , t hen one will at t ain sksht kr
of t he t m . Fur t her mor e, if one engages in shr avan, manan and
nididhys of God in t his manner , t hen one will at t ain sksht kr of
God. Sksht kr cannot be at t ained by doing shr avan alone,
wit hout pr act ising bot h manan and nididhys.
10 If a per son does not pr act ise manan and nididhys following
t he darshan of Gods form, t hen even if he does darshan for
t housands of year s, he will not at t ain sksht kr of t hat for m.
Why? Because such darshan is like having done only shr avan. On
t he ot her hand, if one had done darshan of Gods ent ire body, and had
subsequent ly done manan and nididhys of all of t he part s of His
body, t hen one would be able t o easily recall t hose part s even t oday.
Conversely, one who had done only darshan of Gods body would be
unable t o recall it , even if one at t empt ed t o recall it .
11 Also, t her e ar e some devot ees who say, We sit in medit at ion
and t r y ver y har d t o r ecall Mahr js for m, yet we cannot visualise
even a single par t . How, t hen, can we possibly envision t he whole
for m? The r eason for t his is t he same as above t hey merely do
darshan of t he for m, wit hout doing manan and nididhys. How
t hen can it be visualised? Aft er all, if one has mer ely seen even a
wor ldly object wit h ones eyes, or mer ely list ened t o it wit h ones ear s,
and it is not subsequent ly ment ally r ecalled, it will be for got t en.
How t hen can one expect t o remember t he form of God which is
divine and not worldly wit hout doing manan and nididhys?
The Vachanmr ut 175
12 Ther efor e, if one cont inuously engages in manan and
nididhys aft er doing darshan of God and list ening t o His t alks,
t hen one will at t ain sksht kr of t hem. Ot her wise, even if one
does darshan and shr avan for t he r est of ones life, one will st ill not
at t ain sksht kr .
S r a n gp u r -4
Wi sd om i n Di scer n i n g bet ween t m a n d Non -t m
Mahr j was sit t ing facing nor t h on a large, decorat ed cot on t he
veranda out side t he rooms of J iv Khchar s darbr i n Sr angpur .
head. Also, He had cover ed Himself wit h a whit e blanket . At t hat
2 Ther eupon Swayampr ak shnand Swmi asked a quest ion:
Mahr j, how should one clear ly under st and t he dist inct ion bet ween
t he t m and non -t m , which, once under st ood, will never cause one
t o mist ake t m and non -t m t o be one?
3 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, That which is under st ood clear ly is
beneficial whet her it is underst ood by one verse, or by t wo verses,
or by five ver ses, or by a hundr ed ver ses, or even by a t housand
verses. So, once one has cult ivat ed such an under st anding clear ly,
no misconcept ion r emains about t he t m and non -t m being one.
Fur t her mor e, only such clear under st anding leads t o happiness,
whereas a foolish underst anding does not lead t o happiness.
Ther efor e, one should clear ly under st and, I am t he t m , and not a
single one of my char act er ist ics can be found in t he body. Mor eover ,
not one of t he charact erist ics of t he body which is jad, full of miser y
and perishable can be found in me since I am chaitanya. Aft er
making such a dist inct ion and becoming t ot ally fr ee of wor ldly
desires, one should believe oneself t o be chaitanya and cont emplat e
upon Pur ushot t am Bhagwn. Discer ning bet ween t hat which is jad
and t hat which is chaitanya in t his manner should be known as t r ue
wisdom.
The Vachanmr ut 176
4 However, a person who believes himself t o be t he t m for a
while but t hen, believing himself t o be t he body for a while, fant asises
about women, should be known as a fool. He will not experience
happiness in his hear t . For example, t her e may be some delicious
food which is comparable t o amrut , but if just a small amount of
poison were t o be mixed wit h it , t hen t hat food would never give one
pleasur e; on t he cont r ar y, it would lead t o miser y. In t he same way,
a per son may t hink of t he t m all day, but if he believes himself t o
be t he body and fant asises about women, even for just a moment ,
t hen all of his t hought s ar e fut ile. Ther efor e, one should engage in
cont emplat ion purely of t he t m so as t o become t ot ally free of
wor ldly desir es.
5 Now, someone may doubt : What will become of me if I do not
become t ot ally free of worldly desires and happen t o die in t hat
imper fect st at e? Well, a devot ee of God should never t hink like t hat .
Inst ead, he should realise, If anyt hing dies, it is t his body. But as I
am t he t m , which does not age and is immor t al; I will never die.
Having cult ivat ed such an under st anding, he should maint ain
cour age, keep a r esolut e mind, and discar d all desir es ot her t han
t hose for God.
6 Then, in t he pr ocess of er adicat ing wor ldly desir es in t his
manner , if a few desir es do linger , he will at t ain t he naraks described
in t he Moksh-dharma. Specifically, if a devot ee of God ret ains any
desir es for t he wor ld, t hen he at t ains t he r ealms of Indra and ot her
deit ies. Aft er t r ansmigr at ing t o t hose r ealms, he exper iences t he
pleasur es of celest ial maidens, celest ial vehicles, palaces decorat ed
wit h jewels, and ot her luxur ies which ar e nonet heless compar able
t o narak before t he abode of God. However, a devot ee of God does not
go t o Yampuri in t he manner of a non -believer , nor does he r e-ent er
t he cycle of bir t hs and deat hs.
7 Thus, even if a devot ee of God harbours worldly desires, if
not hing else, he will become a deit y. Then, having become a deit y, he
will become a human again. As a human, aft er offer ing bhakti t o
God and becoming free of worldly desires, he will ult imat ely at t ain
t he abode of God. But he will not have t o suffer from t he miseries of
narak or t he cycle of bir t hs and deat hs in t he manner of non -
believers. Bearing t his in mind, a devot ee of God should not become
discouraged on seeing t he force of worldly desires. Rat her, he should
joyfully cont inue t o wor ship God, per sever e in his at t empt s t o
The Vachanmr ut 177
er adicat e his desires, and maint ain absolut e fait h in t he words of God
and t he S ant of God.
S r a n gp u r -5
An va y-Vya t ir ek
1 On Shr van vadi 9, Samvat 1877 [1 Sept ember 1820], Swmi
Shr i Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing on a large, decorat ed cot on
t he veranda out side t he nort h-facing r ooms of J iv Khchar s darbr
i n Sr angpur . He was dr essed ent ir ely in whit e clot hes. At t hat
had gat hered before Him.
2 Ther eupon Mukt nand Swmi asked a quest ion: Which met hod
of eradicat ing worldly desires is so powerful t hat t hat met hod alone
incor por at es all ot her means?
3 Shr iji Mahr j replied, The worldly desires of a person who has
t he following four at t r ibut es in his hear t will be er adicat ed:
S hraddh, fait h in t he words of God and His devot ees, affect ion for
God and t he knowledge of Gods great ness. Of t hese, if only t he
knowledge of Gods great ness is ext remely powerful and t he ot her
t hree shraddh, fait h and affect ion ar e weak, t hen t hey will also
become ext r emely power ful. On t he ot her hand, alt hough one may
appear t o have int ense bhakti, if it is not coupled wit h t he knowledge
of Gods gr eat ness, it will ult imat ely be dest r oyed. For example, a
t en- or t welve-year -old gir l who has cont r act ed t uber culosis will
cer t ainly die befor e she mat ur es int o a young woman. Similar ly, one
whose bhakti lacks t he knowledge of Gods gr eat ness will find t hat
his bhakti will be dest royed before it mat ures.
4 Fur t her mor e, if a per son has bhakti for God in his hear t
coupled wit h t he knowledge of Gods great ness, t hen even t hough he
does not possess any ot her redempt ive virt ues, t hey will st ill develop
in his hear t . Conver sely, if a per son does not have bhakti in his
heart coupled wit h t he knowledge of Gods great ness, t hen even
t hough he possesses r edempt ive vir t ues such as t r anquillit y, self-
r est r aint , et c., t hey ar e as good as being absent because t hey will
ult imat ely be dest royed.
The Vachanmr ut 178
5 Therefore, even if one possesses only bhakti coupled wit h t he
knowledge of Gods gr eat ness, t he wor ldly desir es which one har bour s
will st ill be eradicat ed, and all of t he redempt ive virt ues will develop
and r eside wit hin ones hear t . Ther efor e, bhakti of God coupled wit h
t he knowledge of His gr eat ness is t he gr eat est and most st eadfast
means t o er adicat e ones wor ldly desir es.
6 Then Swayampr ak shnand Swmi asked, What is t he anvay
nat ure of t he jiva, and what is it s vyatirek nat ur e? What is t he
anvay nat ure of ishwar, and what is it s vyatirek nat ur e? What is
t he anvay nat ur e of Akshar , and what is it s vyatirek nat ur e? How
should Pur ushot t am Bhagwn be known in His anvay for m, and how
should He be known in His vyatirek for m?
7 Shr iji Mahr j explained, When t he jiva is said t o be t he
experiencer of bir t hs and deat hs, t hat should be known as t he jivas
anvay for m. When t he jiva is said t o be uncut t able, unpierceable and
et er nal, t hat should be known as t he jivas vyatirek for m.
8 When ishwar behaves as one wit h it s t hree bodies of virt ,
sut rt m and avykrut, t hat should be known as t he anvay form of
ishwar. When ishwar is descr ibed as being char act er ised by et er nal
exist ence, consciousness and bliss, and as t r anscending it s body in
t he form of t he brahmnd, t hat should be known as t he vyatirek
form of ishwar.
9 That which is t he inspir er of Pr akr ut i-Pur ush and all of t he
deit ies such as Sur ya, Chandr a, et c., should be known as t he anvay
for m of Akshar . The for m in which t her e is not even a t r ace of t he
influence of Pr akr ut i-Pur ush, et c., and in which only Pur ushot t am
Bhagwn resides t hat should be known as t he vyatirek form of
Akshar .
10 The anvay for m of Pur ushot t am is t hat which r esides in t he
heart s of bot h bound jivas and released jivas as t heir wit ness; yet , He
r emains unt ouched by such st at es of bondage and r elease. In t he
same way, He also r esides in t he hear t s of ishwars and Akshar as
t heir wit ness; yet , He r emains devoid of t heir influence. The for m
t hat t r anscends jiva, ishwar and Akshar should be known as t he
vyatirek for m of Pur ushot t am. These ar e t he anvay-vyatirek nat ur es
of t he var ious ent it ies.
11 Again, Mukt nand Swmi asked, Does t he impor t ance of Gods
darshan , t he impor t ance of chant ing His holy name, and t he
The Vachanmr ut 179
import ance of t he t ouch of God apply only t o t he devot ees of God, or
does it also apply t o all beings?
12 Shr iji Mahr j answered, The modes of darshan , chant ing, et c.,
ar e cer t ainly differ ent , so please list en as I explain t hem t o you.
When a person does darshan of God wit h his eyes coupled wit h his
mind, t hen t hat darshan would be such t hat it could not be for got t en,
even if he t r ied t o for get it . In t he same manner , if t he skin is
coupled wit h ones mind when one t ouches God, t hen t hat t ouch will
also not be forgot t en. For example, t he Shr imad Bhgwat nar r at es
t he words spoken by t he gopis t o God: O God! Since t he day we
t ouched your feet , all of t he pleasures of t he world, besides you, have
seemed like poison t o us. Likewise, when all of t he r espect ive gnn-
indriyas ar e coupled wit h t he mind and ar e t hen engaged in darshan ,
list ening, t ouching, et c., t he exper iences ar e never for got t en.
13 To give anot her example, an ignor ant per son who indulges in
t he vishays when t he five gnn-indriyas ar e coupled wit h his mind
can never for get t hem, even if he want s t o for get t hem. Similar ly,
only t hat darshan of God, list ening t o t he t alks of God, et c., which
have been done wit h t he mind engaged should be known as darshan ,
list ening, et c. On t he ot her hand, a per son may do darshan , but it is
as good as not having done darshan at all. Why? Because at t he
t ime he was doing darshan , his mind was wander ing elsewher e.
Consequent ly, he will cer t ainly for get t hat darshan wit hin a day, or
maybe wit hin five days, or maybe wit hin 50 days, or maybe wit hin
six mont hs, or maybe aft er one year , or aft er five year s. Ult imat ely,
it will not r emain.
14 Therefore, only one who engages t he five gnn-indriyas t he
eyes, ear s, et c. coupled wit h t he mind, in t he darshan , t ouch, et c.,
of God wit h int ense love and t he under st anding of His gr eat ness
at t ains t he fr uit s of t hat darshan , t ouch, et c. Ot her s who have t he
darshan , t ouch, et c., of God at t ain only t he seeds. But t he r eal
import ance applies only t o t hose who engage in t he darshan , t ouch,
et c., t oget her wit h t he mind.
The Vachanmr ut 180
S r a n gp u r -6
Two St a t es wit h in Ea ch St a t e;
Th e F ou r Typ e s of Sp e e ch
1 On Shr van vadi 10, Samvat 1877 [2 Sept ember 1820], Shr iji
Mahr j was sit t ing on a lar ge, decor at ed cot on t he veranda out side
t he nor t h-facing r ooms of J iv Khchar s darbr in Sr angpur . He
Him.
2 Ther eupon Nit ynand Swmi asked a quest ion: How do t he t wo
ot her st at es st ay wit hin each of t he t hr ee st at es
7
?
3 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, That in which t he jivt m dwells when
it indulges in t he vishays is known as a st at e. There are t hree t ypes
of st at es: waking, dr eam and deep sleep.
4 Of t hese, t he waking st at e is t he r esult of t he sust enance st at e
of Virt -Pur ush. It is full of sattvagun and is locat ed in t he region of
t he eyes. In t hat waking st at e, t he jivt m is known as
vishwbhimni. Mor eover , wit h t he consciousness of it s sthul body,
via t he t en indriyas and t he four antahkarans, t he jivt m
appropriat ely and wit h discret ion indulges in t he pleasures of t he
ext er nal vishays accor ding t o it s past karmas. This is known as t he
waking st at e, wher ein sattvagun is pr edominant .
5 Now, if wit hin t hat waking st at e t he jivt m indulges in t he
pleasures of t he ext ernal vishays inappropriat ely due t o some
misconcept ion, t hen t hat is known as t he dr eam st at e wit hin t he
waking st at e. If in t hat waking st at e, t he jivt m indulges in t he
pleasures of t he ext ernal vishays wit hout discr et ion due t o sor r ow,
fat igue, et c., t hen t hat is known as deep sleep wit hin t he waking
st at e.
6 The dream st at e is t he result of t he creat ion st at e of
Hir anyagar bh. It is full of rajogun and is locat ed in t he region of t he
t hr oat . In t hat dr eam st at e, t he jivt m is known as
t aijasbhimni. Wit h t he consciousness of it s sukshma body, via
t he indriyas and antahkaran , t he jivt m indulges in pleasurable
and miser able vishays which ar e t r ansient accor ding t o it s past
karmas. This is known as t he dr eam st at e, wher ein rajogun is
pr edominant .
The Vachanmr ut 181
7 If wit hin t hat dr eam st at e t he jivt m knowingly indulges in
t he pleasures of t he t ransient vishays wit h discr et ion and awar eness,
exa ct ly as it does dur ing wakefulness, t hen t hat is known as t he
waking st at e wit hin t he dr eam st at e. However , if in t hat dr eam
st at e t he jivt m , due t o sluggishness, does not r ecognise t hose
t r ansient vishays which it exper iences, t hen t hat is known as t he
st at e of deep sleep wit hin t he dream st at e.
8 The st at e of deep sleep is t he result of t he dissolut ion st at e of
ishwar. It is full of t amogun and is locat ed in t he region of t he heart .
When t he jiva is in t hat st at e of deep sleep, t he vruttis of t he indriyas
and t he antahkaran , t he desires for t he pleasures of t he vishays, as
well as it s sense of knowership and doership all become merged in t he
kran body. When t he jivt m , which has t he consciousness of it s
kran body known as pr gna r emains fully absorbed in t he bliss
of sagun Br ahma in t he for m of Pr adh n-Pur ush, t hen t hat is known
as t he deep sleep st at e wher ein t amogun is pr edominant .
9 If wit hin t hat deep sleep st at e a sense of doership develops due
t o t he impressions of ones karmas, t hen t hat is known as t he dr eam
st at e wit hin t he st at e of deep sleep. The opposing realisat ion of t hat
sense of doership which disrupt s t he bliss of deep sleep on account
of t he agony of t he pain experienced during wakefulness and
dr eams is known as t he waking st at e wit hin t he st at e of deep sleep.
10 In t his manner , t he ot her t wo st at es r eside wit hin each
individual st at e. Mor eover , t hat fr om whom t he jivt m obt ains
knowledge of t hese dist inct ions bet ween t he st at es, and who gives t he
jiva t he fr uit s of it s karmas accor dingly wit hin t hose st at es, is known
as turyapad , as t he antarym i, as t he drasht, as Br ahma
i
, and also
as Par abr ahma.
11 Again, Nit ynand Swmi asked, How should one under st and
t he four t ypes of speech par , pashyant i, madhyam and
vaikhar i?
12 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, That is a vast , as well as an ext r emely
subt le subject , but in t he 11
t h
cant o of t he Shr imad Bhgwat , Shr i
Kr ishna Bhagwn explains it t o Uddhavji. Please list en as I explain
it in br ief.

i
The t er m Br ahma is also used in scr ipt ur es t o mean God.
The Vachanmr ut 182
13 At t he t ime of t he fir st cr eat ion, aft er ent er ing t he t housand-
pet alled lot us which lies on t he head of Virt -Pur ush, Pur ushot t am
Bhagwn pr oduced t he pr imor dial divine sound which r esembled
t he for m of Akshar br ahma. Then, via t he sushumn pat h, t hat
divine sound pervaded t he navel of Virt -Pur ush. Then, along wit h
mah prn, it r ose upwar ds, and t hus caused Vir t -Pur ushs lot us-
navel which was pr eviously facing downwar ds t o face upwar ds.
In t his way, t he divine sound produced in t he navel of Virt -Pur ush
is known as t he par speech. For t he pur pose of cr eat ing t he Vedas,
God Himself has inspir ed t hat par speech t hus it is like a seed.
That par speech is like a st r eam of light , and is t he cause of t he
ar dhamt r .
i

14 Fr om t her e, t hat speech known as par r eached t he
hrudayksh of Virt , wher e it was known by t he name of
pashyant i. Fr om t her e, it r eached t he r egion of t he t hr oat and
became known by t he name of madhyam. Fr om t her e, it r eached
t he mout h of Vir t and received t he name of vaikhar i. It t hen
became t he form of pranav by becoming t he t hr ee sounds of A, U
and M. It t hen became t he 52 syllables and t ook t he for m of t he four
Vedas. In t his way, one should underst and t he four t ypes of speech
par , pashyant i, madhyam and vaikhar i in Vir t -Pur ush.
15 Now I shall describe t hese four t ypes of speech which also dwell
wit hin t he body of t he jiva, so please list en. That same Pur ushot t am
Bhagwn r esides in t he jiva as antarym i. He is independent , yet
int erwoven wit h t he t hree st at es of t he jiva. That same God assumes
an avat r on t his eart h t o liberat e t he jivas. At t hat t ime, t hose jivas
describe t he form of t hat God as well as His abodes, virt ues and
divine power s. They descr ibe His divine act ions and incident s, make
a dist inct ion bet ween t m and non -t m , and also individually
explain t he differences bet ween jiva, ishwar, m y, Br ahma and
Par abr ahma. Such speech is known as par . Speech t hat gives a
complet e explanat ion of worldly en t it ies and vishays wit h discret ion
is known as vaikhar i. Speech t hat gives an incomplet e explanat ion,
t hus cr eat ing confusion, of ent it ies and vishays is known as
madhyam. Finally, speech which blindly descr ibes t hose ent it ies

i
One of t he six syllables in t he r oot sound AUM.
The Vachanmr ut 183
and vishays as being t he same, and which cannot be under st ood, is
known as pashyant i.
16 In t his manner, t he det ails of t hose four t ypes of speech can be
known in t he waking st at e of t he jiva. The det ails of
t hose four t ypes of speech in t he dream and deep sleep st at es can only
be known by one who has mast ered sam dhi; it cannot be known by
ot her s.
S r a n gp u r -7
Na i mi sh r a n ya Ksh et r a
1 On t he night of Shr van vadi 11, Samvat 1877 [3 Sept ember
1820], Shr iji Mahr j was sit t ing on a large, decorat ed cot on t he
veranda out side t he nort h-facing r ooms of J iv Khchar s darbr in
Sr angpur . He was dr essed ent ir ely in whit e clot hes. At t hat t ime,
2 In t he assembly, Shr iji Mahr j had request ed t he first cant o of
t he Shr imad Bhgwat Pur n t o be r ead. Dur ing t he r eading, t he
following st at ement was encount ered: Wherever t he jagged edges of
t he manomay chakra ar e wor n away, t hat place should be known as
Naimishr anya Kshet r a. Hear ing t his, Mukt nand Swmi
inquir ed, Mahr j, what exact ly is t he manomay chakra, and what
should one underst and it s jagged edges t o be?
3 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j explained, One should underst and
t he mind t o be t he manomay chakra, and t he t en indriyas t o be it s
jagged edges. Wherever t hose jagged edges of t he mind, in t he form
of t he indriyas , wear away and become blunt , t hat place should be
known as Naimishr anya Kshet r a. Pious deeds such as chant ing
t he name of God, aust er it ies, obser vances, medit at ion, puja, et c.,
commenced t her e flour ish r apidly, day by day. Fur t her mor e, t hat
Naimishr anya Kshet r a should be known t o be wher ever Gods
Ekntik S ant r esides.
4 When t he jagged edges of t he manomay chakra ar e wor n away,
no affect ion remains t owards any of t he panchvishays, i.e., sight s,
sounds, smells, t ast es and t ouch. Then, even if one sees a beaut iful
woman or ext r emely ent icing clot hes, or nament s and ot her object s, a
The Vachanmr ut 184
st rong aversion develops t owards t hem deep wit hin ones mind. But
never would t he indriyas vruttis cling t o t hem.
5 For example, an ext r emely shar p ar r ow pier ces and lodges int o
it s t ar get ; t hen it cannot be r emoved. However , if t hat same ar r ow,
wit h it s t ip r emoved so t hat only it s shaft r emains, were t o be shot at
a mud wall, it would r ebound and fall t o t he gr ound; it would not
penet r at e t he wall like t he shar p-t ipped ar r ow. Similar ly, when t he
jagged edges of t he manomay chakra; i.e., t he indriyas , ar e wor n
away, t hen no mat t er how allur ing t he vishays may be, t he indriyas
vruttis would not be drawn t owards t hem. Inst ead, t hey would
r ebound like t he blunt ar r ow-shaft . When one is able t o behave in
t his manner , t he jagged edges of t he manomay chakra can be said t o
have been wor n away.
6 So, one should seek liberat ion wherever one sees such a
Naimishr anya Kshet r a in t he for m of t he associat ion of t he S ant,
and one should remain t here wit h an absolut ely r esolut e mind.
S r a n gp u r -8
Th e Ch a r a ct er i st i cs of J e a lou s y
2 Ther eupon Chait anynand Swmi asked, Mahr j, what ar e
t he char act er ist ics of jealousy?
3 Shr iji Mahr j replied, J ealousy develops fr om t he egot ism t hat
a per son har bour s wit hin his hear t . In fact , anger , matsar and
asuy also ar ise out of egot ism. But t he char act er ist ic of jealousy is
t hat one cannot bear t o see even someone great er t han oneself being
honoured. A person who has such a nat ur e should be known t o have
jealousy wit hin his hear t . Mor eover , one who has ext r eme jealousy
cannot bear anyones gr eat ness.
The Vachanmr ut 185
S r a n gp u r -9
Th e P r eva len ce of t h e Dh a r ma of t h e Yu gs; St h n
Shr i Sahajnandji Mahr j walked fr om Sr angpur and ar r ived at
Kundal t o please His devot ees. Ther e, He was sit t ing facing nor t h on
a large, decorat ed cot on t he veranda out side t he west -facing r ooms of
Amr Pat gar s home. He had t ied a whit e pgh ar ound His head.
Also, He had cover ed Himself wit h a whit e blanket and was wear ing
a whit e survl and a whit e angarkhu. At t hat t ime, an assembly of
munis as well as devot ees fr om var ious places had gat her ed before
Him.
2 Ther eupon Mukt nand Swmi asked, Mahr j, why do t he
dharma of t he yugs pr evail in a per sons hear t ?
3 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, The dharma of t he yugs prevail because
of t he t hree gunas. When pur e sattvagun is pr evalent , Sat ya-yug
prevails in t he hear t . When sattvagun and rajogun are prevalent
t oget her , Tr et -yug pr evails in t he hear t . When rajogun and
t amogun ar e pr evalent t oget her , Dwpar-yug pr evails in t he hear t .
Finally, when t amogun alone is prevalent , Kali-yug pr evails in t he
hear t . In t his way, t he pr evalence of t he yugs is due t o t he gunas.
4 Mukt nand Swmi asked fur t her , What causes t he act ivit ies of
t he gunas?
5 Shr iji Mahr j replied, The cause of t he act ivit ies of t he gunas
are karmas. Specifically, t he t ype of karmas one has performed
pr eviously det er mines t he guna t hat will pr evail. Hence, if a per son
in whom rajogun and t amogun ar e pr evalent at t empt s t o concent r at e
and medit at e on God, he will not be able t o do so. In such sit uat ions,
he should ut ilise t he st r engt h of t m -realisat ion and Gods
gr eat ness. He should r ealise, I am t he t m . Since I am guntit ,
t here can be no m yik influence wit hin me. Fur t her mor e, he should
r ealise Gods gr eat ness in t he following way: Aj mel was a t er r ible
sinner and yet , because of his son, he ut t er ed t he name of Nr yan.
As a r esult , he was fr eed fr om all his sins and at t ained t he highest
st at e of enlight enment . I have at t ained t hat God in His manifest
for m, and I chant His holy name day and night . Ther efor e, I am
fulfilled. Thinking in such a manner , one should always r emain
joyful.
The Vachanmr ut 186
6 However , a per son in whom rajogun and t amogun are
pr evalent should not insist on medit at ing or concent r at ing; inst ead,
he should engage in physical wor ship as much as possible. Mor eover ,
he should physically serve God and t he S ant wit h shraddh. At t he
same t ime, he should abide by his dharma and believe himself t o be
fulfilled.
7 Again Mukt nand Swmi asked, Kali-yug pr evails in t he hear t
of a per son who has accumulat ed many t masik karmas. Is t here
any met hod t o eradicat e t hose karmas, or not ?
8 Shr iji Mahr j answer ed, If he has int ense shraddh and
ext remely firm fait h in t he words of God and t he S ant, t hen what ever
t ype of t masik karmas he may have performed, t hey will be
dest royed; t he dharma of Kali-yug will also vanish, and t he dharma
of Sat ya-yug will prevail. Ther efor e, if one pr act ises satsang wit h
absolut e sincer it y, t hen no fault will r emain in ones hear t , and one
will become brahmarup in t his ver y lifet ime.
9 Ther eaft er Swayampr ak shnand Swmi asked, What can be
called st hn?
10 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, An individuals dharma accor ding t o t he
four cast es and t he four shrams should be known as st hn. You
are all renunciant s; but if you were t o leave t his fold and t read t he
pat h of householders, t hen you would be known t o have divert ed from
your st hn. So, even in t he most difficult cir cumst ances, or even if I
wer e t o issue a command, you should not deviat e fr om your dharma.
Moreover, while householders wish t o perform My puja by offering
clot hes and or nament s, you should not wish t o do so. Rat her , you
should offer puja by using leaves, flower s, fr uit s and wat er , and you
should exper ience joy by per for ming such puja. It would not be
appropriat e for you t o deviat e from your dharma t o perform puja of
God. Thus, all of you should r emain wit hin your own dharma and
offer puja wit hin your capacit y. This is My command, so r esolve t o
abide by it fir mly.
The Vachanmr ut 187
S r a n gp u r -10
A P h ysi ca l P er sp ect i ve ver su s t h e t m s
P er sp ect i ve; Bei n g Bea t en by Sh oes
1 On Shr van vadi 14, Samvat 1877 [6 Sept ember 1820], Shr iji
Mahr j walked wit h all of t he sdhus fr om Kundal and, along t he
way, ar r ived at Khmbhd. Ther e, t hey set t led t hemselves under a
pipal t ree. The people of t he village t hen brought a decorat ed cot and
had Shr iji Mahr j sit upon it . He was dr essed ent ir ely in whit e
clot hes. At t hat t ime, sdhus as well as devot ees fr om var ious places
gat her ed ar ound Him in an assembly while ot her sdhus were
singing devot ional songs.
2 Shr iji Mahr j t hen asked t he sdhus t o st op singing and
addressed t he village folk, In t his world t here are t wo t ypes of people:
t hose who follow t he pat h of right eousness and t hose who follow t he
pat h of unright eousness. Of t hese, one who follows t he pat h of
r ight eousness for sakes st ealing, adult er y, slander and all ot her for ms
of sin. Fear ing God, such a per son r emains wit hin t he disciplines of
dharma. As a r esult , ever yone in t he wor ld t r ust s him, be it a
member of his family or anyone else, and what ever he says is
accept ed by all as t he t r ut h. Only such a per son who obser ves
dharma likes t he company of a t r ue sdhu.
3 On t he ot her hand, a per son who follows t he pat h of
unr ight eousness is engr ossed in evil deeds such as st ealing, adult er y,
eat ing meat , dr inking alcohol, changing someones cast e by for ce and
having ones own cast e changed by for ce. As a r esult , no one in t he
wor ld ever t r ust s him. In fact , even his own r elat ives do not t r ust
him. Such an unr ight eous per son never likes t he company of a t r ue
sdhu. In fact , if someone else were t o keep t he company of such a
sdhu, t he unr ight eous per son would spit e him t oo.
4 Ther efor e, one who aspires t o at t ain liberat ion should not follow
t he pat h of unright eousness; inst ead, one should follow t he pat h of
right eousness and keep t he company of a t rue sdhu. As a r esult ,
one would cer t ainly, wit hout a doubt , at t ain liber at ion.
5 Hear ing t his discourse, many people of t he village accept ed t he
r efuge of Shr iji Mahr j.
6 Ther eaft er , Shr iji Mahr j r et ur ned t o Sr angpur and sat on a
decorat ed cot on t he veranda out side t he nort h-facing r ooms of J iv
The Vachanmr ut 188
Khchar s darbr. He was dr essed ent ir ely in whit e clot hes. At t hat
t ime, munis as well as devot ees from various places had gat hered
befor e Him.
7 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, If one looks at t he abodes of
God Golok, Vaikunt h, Shwet dwip, Br ahmapur fr om a physical
per spect ive, t hey appear t o be ver y far away. However , if one looks at
t hem fr om t he t m s per spect ive, t hey ar e not even an at oms
dist ance away. Ther efor e, t he under st anding of one who views fr om
a physical perspect ive is false, and t he underst anding of one who
views from t he perspect ive of t he t m is t rue. Indeed, God and t he
abode of God are not even an at oms dist ance away fr om a sdhu who
believes, God is for ever pr esent in my chaitanya, and J ust like t he
jiva r esides in t he body, God r esides wit hin my jiva. My jiva is t he
sharir , and God is t he shariri of my jiva. Such a sdhu also believes
t hat his jivt m is dist inct fr om t he t hr ee bodies sthul, sukshma
and kran and t hat t hat God for ever r esides wit hin his t m . Such
a S ant is like a mukt a of Shwet dwip. When one has t he darshan of
such a S ant, one should realise, I have had t he darshan of God
Himself. A S ant who has such an under st anding has not hing mor e
t o at t ain.
8 If a per son is unable t o at t ain such an under st anding, t hen he
should maint ain pr ofound associat ion wit h such a S ant. If t hat S ant
wer e t o daily beat him five t imes wit h a pair of shoes, he should st ill
t oler at e such insult s, but just as an opium addict cannot abandon his
addict ion, in no way should he abandon his associat ion wit h t he
S ant. Such a person should be known t o be equal t o t he S ant
ment ioned ear lier . Mor eover , what ever t hat S ant at t ains, one who
cont inues t o pr ofoundly associat e wit h such a S ant also at t ains.
S r a n gp u r -11
P e r son a l En d ea vou r
1 On Shr van vadi Ams, Samvat 1877 [7 Sept ember 1820],
Swmi Shr i Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing on a lar ge, decor at ed
cot on t he veranda out side t he nort h-facing r ooms of J iv Khchar s
darbr in Sr angpur . He was dr essed ent ir ely in whit e clot hes. At
The Vachanmr ut 189
2 Ther eupon Mukt nand Swmi asked a quest ion: Per sonal
endeavour is ment ioned in t he scr ipt ur es, but how much is act ually
achieved by per sonal endeavour , and how much is achieved by Gods
gr ace?
3 Shr iji Mahr j explained, One who, by t he words of t he
S adguru and t he scr ipt ur es, has at t ained fir m vairgya, has fir m
shraddh, st r ict ly obser ves t he eight aspect s of brahmacharya, has
affinit y t owards non -violence and absolut ely firmly realises oneself t o
be t he t m is relieved of t he burden of birt hs and deat hs which
hangs over ones head. Then, just like a gr ain of r ice t hat has had it s
out er chaff removed does not grow, a mukt a who has t he vir t ues just
ment ioned is fr eed fr om et er nal ignor ance in t he for m of m y. He is
t hereby freed from t he cycle of birt hs and deat hs and at t ains t he
st at e of t m -r ealisat ion. This much can be achieved by per sonal
endeavour .
4 In fact , Gods grace is only best owed upon one who has such
char act er ist ics. When one at t ains t he gr ace of God, one becomes an
ekntik bhakta. Even t he Shr ut is pr oclaim: |~ + |-=+|-
+
i
. The meaning of t his Vedic verse is t hat a person who is free from
t he blemishes of m y at t ains qualit ies similar t o t hose of God. That
is, just as God is never bound by any pur e or impur e karmas t hat He
may per for m, t he mukta is also never bound by pur e or impur e
karmas.
5 Because of her affect ion, Lakshmiji somet imes becomes
absor bed in Gods for m, wher eas on ot her occasions, while r emaining
separ at e fr om God, she r emains in Gods ser vice. In t he same
manner, out of int ense love, t he devot ee also somet imes becomes
absorbed in God, and at ot her t imes he remains separat e and serves
God. Moreover, just as God is independent , t hat devot ee also becomes
independent . Such powers can be at t ained only by t he grace of God.
6 Ther eaft er Nit ynand Swmi asked, Gods gr ace is best owed
upon one who has imbibed all of t hese char act er ist ics per fect ly. But
what becomes of one who has some deficiency in cult ivat ing t hese
char act er ist ics?

i
Niranjanaha paramam smyam-upait i|
Mundaka Upanishad: III-3.1
The Vachanmr ut 190
7 Shr iji Mahr j replied, If a person has a deficiency in any of t he
vir t ues of vairgya, brahmacharya, shraddh, non -violence and
t m -r ealisat ion, t hen he does not at t ain ult imat e liber at ion, i.e.,
Gods Akshardh m; inst ead, he at t ains some ot her abode of God. If
he has even mor e wor ldly desir es r emaining, he at t ains t he r ealms of
t he deit ies, which, in t he Moksh-dhar ma, ar e descr ibed as being like
narak compared t o t he abode of God. Then, aft er being a deit y, he
r et ur ns t o being a human, and fr om being a human he again
becomes a deit y. The ver se - |---| =||- +| |- +
i

explains t hat a devot ee of God who has worldly desires does not go t o
narak, nor does he have t o undergo birt hs and deat hs in t he cycle of
8.4 million life for ms
3
; inst ead, he t akes innumer able bir t hs as a
deit y and a human being. Then, only when he develops t he
previously descr ibed vir t ues of vairgya, brahmacharya, et c., does he
become wor t hy of at t aining t he gr ace of God. He t hen becomes an
ekntik bhakta of God and at t ains His gunt it abode, Akshardh m.
8 Hence, whet her it t akes one life or innumer able lives, only
when one develops t he previously described charact erist ics and
becomes ext remely free of worldly desires, does one become wort hy of
at t aining t he gr ace of God, and only t hen will one at t ain ult imat e
liber at ion. Wit hout it , one will definit ely not at t ain it .
9 Then Nr usinhnand Swmi asked, Is t her e a met hod by which
one can er adicat e all of ones deficiencies wit hin t his ver y lifet ime?
10 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, If a per son becomes ext r emely vigilant
and det ermined, t hen all of his deficiencies can be eradicat ed wit hin
t his very lifet ime. If his deficiencies have not been eradicat ed while
alive, and if he were t o become free of worldly desires and develop
int ense love for God dur ing his last moment s, t hen even in t hose last
moment s God would shower His gr ace upon him, and he would at t ain
t he abode of God.
11 Thus, whet her aft er one life, or aft er count less lives, or even in
t he last moment s before one dies, should a devot ees vruttis become

i
Aneka-janma-sansiddhas-tatoh yti parm gatim| |
[A yogi who] has become r ealised aft er many lives at t ains t he highest st at e of
enlight enment .
Bhagwad Git : 6.45
The Vachanmr ut 191
int ensely focused on God, no deficiency would r emain in t hat
devot ee.
S r a n gp u r -12
Th in k in g a bou t t h e t m
1 On Bhdar v sudi 1, Samvat 1877 [8 Sept ember 1820], Swmi
2 Ther eupon Nir vikr nand Swmi asked a quest ion: Which
vir t ues const ant ly r emain in a sdhu, and which vir t ues come and
go?
3 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, Fir st , t her e is t m -r ealisat ion; second,
swadharma; and t hir d, fait h in God. These t hr ee vir t ues const ant ly
r emain in a sdhu, wher eas ot her vir t ues may come and may go.
Thus, while ot her vir t ues come and go, t hese t hr ee vir t ues always
r emain.
4 Ther eaft er Mukt nand Swmi asked, Why is it t hat even aft er
underst anding t he dist inct ion bet ween t he body and t he t m , one
for get s t hat dist inct ion and cont inues t o ident ify oneself wit h t he
body?
5 Shr iji Mahr j explained, Once a person has clearly underst ood
t he dist inct ion bet ween t he body and t he t m , it cannot be for got t en.
Even if he believes, I am t he body, he can no longer accept himself
as t he body. Also, once he has fir mly est ablished t he convict ion of
God, even if he t r ies t o discar d it , it cannot be discar ded.
Fur t her mor e, t he not ion t hat his r ealisat ion of himself as t m has
been lost and t he belief t hat he is t he body has begun t o prevail is
simply a misconcept ion of his mind; t he belief never act ually r et ur ns.
Such a devot ee wit h perfect gnn is conscious only of his t m . Also,
he believes his t m t o be brahmarup and t hat Pur ushot t am
Bhagwn also known as Par abr ahma forever resides in t hat
brahmarup t m . Also, his convict ion of God r emains for ever
st eady.
The Vachanmr ut 192
6 Then Swayampr ak shnand Swmi asked, How should one
t hink of ones t m ?
7 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, When t he drasht, i.e., t he jivt m ,
focuses on t he antahkaran , it becomes oblivious t o t he out er , physical
body and all of t he vishays r elat ed t o it . Then, wit h t he t hought t hat
rest s bet ween t he antahkaran and t he drasht, one should realise t he
nat ure of t he man , t he buddhi, t he chit t and t he ahamkr. Then,
obser ving t he var ious t hought s wit hin t he antahkaran t hr ough such
a t hought pr ocess, only when t hose t hought s cease should one
medit at e on Gods for m. However , as long as t hose t hought s and
desires persist , one should keep observing t hem, but one should not
engage in medit at ion at t hat t ime.
8 In addit ion, when t he five gnn-indriyas of t he out er , physical
body are drawn t owards t heir respect ive vishays, one should t hink in
t wo ways: Fir st ly, one should t hink about t he vishay t owar ds which
t he indriyas have been dr awn; secondly, one should t hink about t he
drasht who wat ches fr om t he indriyas or gans. Then, when t he
for mer t hought of t he vishay and t he lat t er t hought of t he drasht
mer ge int o one, ones vrut t i becomes complet ely det ached from t he
vishays. However, if one does not t hink in t his way and at t empt s t o
br eak ones vrut t i fr om t he vishays for cefully, t hen t he vrut t is
at t r act ion t owar ds t he vishays will not be eradicat ed. On t he ot her
hand, if one wit hdr aws ones vrut t i by applying t his t hought pr ocess,
ones vrut t i will never again become at t ached t o t he vishays.
Ther efor e, as long as ones indriyas vruttis have affect ion for t he
vishays, one should avoid medit at ing on God. Only when t he
indriyas vruttis become st able should one engage in t he medit at ion
of God.
9 Also, when t he drasht is act ive in t he out er sthul body, one
should be absolut ely clear in making t he dist inct ion t hat when one is
act ive in t he sthul body one should never look t owards t he desires
ar ising in t he sukshma body, and when one is act ive in t he
antahkaran , one should become oblivious of ones sthul body.
Mor eover , using t he t hought which r est s bet ween t he drasht and
drashya, one should r ealise, The drasht and drashya are absolut ely
dist inct . Wit h t his under st anding, one should ascr ibe t he at t r ibut es
of t he body unt o t he body and t he at t ribut es of t he drasht which is
chaitanya unt o chaitanya. Also, childhood, yout h, old age,
st out ness, t hinness, bir t h and deat h ar e all aspect s of t he body; so
The Vachanmr ut 193
t hey should never be t hought of as belonging t o t he t m . On t he
ot her hand, being uncut t able, being unpier ceable, not aging, being
immor t al, being t he embodiment of gnn, being t he embodiment of
bliss, and being char act er ised by et er nal exist ence ar e all aspect s of
t he t m ; t hey should in no way be considered t o belong t o t he body.
Inst ead, t hose at t ribut es should be underst ood t o belong t o t he t m .
10 Such t hought s should not be abandoned as long as desires and
t hought s per sist in t he antahkaran . Take t he example of a king: As
long as he is confr ont ed by an enemy, he cannot pr eside on his t hr one
in peace, nor does he indulge in any pleasur es. Only when all of his
enemies ar e conquer ed does he enjoy t he luxur ies of his kingdom.
Similarly, a devot ee of God should firmly keep t he aforement ioned
t hought as long as t he enemies in t he for m of his mind and indriyas
cont inue t o t r ouble him. Only when all desir es of his mind and
indriyas have subsided should he medit at e on God.
S r a n gp u r -13
Losin g Fa it h a n d Not Losin g Fa it h
2 Ther eupon Mukt nand Swmi asked, Can a per son who
pr eviously had fait h in God, but lat er lost it , r eally be said t o have
had fait h in t he fir st place?
3 Swayamprak shnand Swmi replied, If a person has developed
fait h wit hin his jivt m , he would not lose it by any means.
However , if his fait h is based on t he wr it ings in t he scr ipt ur es, t hen
when God per for ms some act ion t hat is not ment ioned in t he
scr ipt ur es, he would lose his fait h in God.
4 Hear ing t his, Shr iji Mahr j count er -quest ioned: In t he
scr ipt ur es, t her e ar e an endless var iet y of t alks descr ibing God as
being powerful as well as weak , as being t he all-doer as well as a non -
doer , et c. So t hen, which act ion not ment ioned in t he scr ipt ur es
The Vachanmr ut 194
could God possibly have performed t hat one loses ones fait h? Please
answer t his quest ion.
5 The munis replied, No act ion of God is out side t he script ur es.
So, Mahr j, what is t he reason behind a person developing fait h and
t hen losing it ?
6 Shr iji Mahr j explained, Whosoever develops fait h in God does
so only t hr ough t he scr ipt ur es. Why? Because t he scr ipt ur es
descr ibe t he char act er ist ics of God as well as t he char act er ist ics of
t he S ant. So, only fait h developed t hr ough t he scr ipt ur es r emains
st aunch. On t he ot her hand, fait h developed by ones own mind,
wit hout t he help of t he scr ipt ur es, event ually dissolves.
7 In fact , t he scr ipt ur es ar e also t he inspirat ion behind t he
act ivit ies of dharma. Even t he fact t hat an ignor ant per son who has
never heard t he script ures has been able t o observe t o t his day t he
disciplines of dharma in t he for m of making dist inct ions bet ween his
mot her , sist er , daught er and ot her women is due t o t he scr ipt ur es.
How is t hat ? Well, it has been passed down t hr ough t he gener at ions
aft er someone init ially hear d such a t alk fr om t he scr ipt ur es. Fr om
t hat it has spr ead t hr oughout societ y t hr ough successive gener at ion s.
Therefore, one who develops fait h in God and loses it aft erwards has
no fait h in t he wor ds of t he scr ipt ur es. Such a per son is obst inat e
and a nstik.
8 On t he ot her hand, if one does have fait h in t he scr ipt ur es, one
would never t ur n away fr om God. Why? Because t he scr ipt ur es
describe an endless variet y of divine act ions and incident s of God; so,
regardless of which act ion God performs, it will never be out side of
t he scr ipt ur es. Ther efor e, only one who has fait h in t he scr ipt ur es is
able t o develop unshakeable fait h in God, and only such a per son
at t ains liberat ion . In addit ion, such a person would never deviat e
fr om dharma.
S r a n gp u r -14
La zi n ess a n d I n fa t u a t i on
Shr i Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing facing west on a lar ge,
decorat ed cot on t he veranda out side t he rooms of J iv Khchar s
The Vachanmr ut 195
darbr in Sr angpur . He was wear ing a black-bordered, whit e khes
a whit e pgh around His head. Bunches of yellow flowers adorned
His ears, and t assels of yellow flowers had been placed upon His
pgh. In addit ion t o t his, a gar land of yellow flower s was swinging
fr om His neck down t o His navel. At t hat t ime, an assembly of
Him.
2 Ther eupon Swayampr ak shnand Swmi asked a quest ion: It
is said in t he Git t hat once a devot ee at t ains t he abode of God, i.e.,
Vaikunt h, et c., he never falls back fr om it . But which flaw causes
some t o fall back?
3 Shr iji Mahr j asked in r et ur n, Who has at t ained t he abode of
God and t hen fallen back? Give Me even one example!
4 Swayamprak shnand Swmi r eplied, Fir st of all, t her e ar e
J ay and Vijay, t he at t endant s of God who fell fr om Vaikunt h; and
t hen t her e ar e Rdhikji and Shr idm, who fell fr om Golok.
5 Shr iji Mahr j t hen clar ified, J ay and Vijay did fall, but it was
only because God want ed t o illust rat e t he glory of a sdhu; t hat is, if
one maligns a sdhu like t he Sanak dik, t hen even if one has
at t ained an abode such as Vaikunt h, one can st ill fall fr om it . That
is why t hey fell. Besides, J ay and Vijay did ret urn t o Gods abode,
Vaikunt h, in t heir t hir d life. Ther efore, t hey cannot be said t o have
fallen. Rat her , it happened because it was Gods wish. In any case,
one can only be said t o have fallen when one never again ret ains any
cont act wit h God.
6 Also, when Rdhikji fell fr om Golok, t hat t oo was by Gods
wish, as he himself wished t o manifest in a human body t o uplift
count less jivas and per for m r edempt ive act ions. Thus, if someone
claims t hat Rdhikji fell, t hen God could be said t o have fallen along
wit h her . That is why she cannot be said t o have fallen, because it
was Gods wish t hat t hey bot h came t o ear t h fr om Golok. So, in t hat
inst ance, it should be r ecognised as being t he wish of God only.
7 Of cour se, if it is His wish, a mukt a may manifest in a body
even from Akshardh m. Mor eover , by His will, t hat which is jad can
become chaitanya, and t hat which is chaitanya can become jad. God
is, aft er all, ext r emely power ful, and what ever He wishes, occur s.
Therefore, no one who has at t ained t he abode of God falls back from it
The Vachanmr ut 196
wit hout it being Gods wish. However , he who does fall is a wor ldly,
incomplet e devot ee who falls during t he course of his spirit ual
endeavour s. Such a per son is called yoga-bhr asht . In cont r ast ,
t hose who have become enlight ened t hrough vairgya, t m -
r ealisat ion, bhakti t owards God, brahmacharya, et c., ar e equal t o t he
muktas of Shwet dwip. They never fall.
8 Having explained t his, Shr iji Mahr j said, Her e, now I shall
ask a quest ion.
9 The munis responded, Please do ask.
10 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, In t he Udyog-parva of t he
Mahbhr at , Sanat sujt Rishi says t o Dhr ut r sht r a, He who
abandons bot h laziness and infat uat ion has complet ely t r ansgr essed
Gods m y. In fact , laziness and infat uat ion ar e m y it self. Now,
we are known t o be renunciant devot ees of God. If someone amongst
us has laziness and infat uat ion , and if t hat per son is not par t icular ly
vigilant in er adicat ing t hem by using t he st r engt h of Gods glor y,
t hen what t ype of bliss does such a devot ee experience in t his body?
Also, what t ype of bliss does he at t ain aft er he dies? That is My
quest ion.
11 Swayamprak shnand Swmi replied, A person who is a
devot ee of God need not worry t oo much if his laziness and
infat uat ion are not eradicat ed by t he deep t hought of Gods glory.
12 At t hat point Shr iji Mahr j quest ioned, What is wr ong wit h a
devot ee of God who has laziness and infat uat ion and is vigilant in his
effor t s t o er adicat e t hem? What makes one who is not so vigilant
bet t er t han t he one who is?
13 Swayamprak shnand Swmi explained, That devot ee of God
r elies on t he st r engt h of God, not on t he st r engt h of his spir it ual
endeavour s; t hat is why he is bet t er .
14 Shr iji Mahr j quest ioned fur t her , You ar e claiming t hat one
who is careless, despit e t he enemies of laziness and infat uat ion being
pr evalent in him, is super ior . Well, consider t he example of a fait hful
wife. Due t o t he fear of her husband and t he fear of preserving her
fidelit y, she r emains ver y conscious in her mind, lest she smiles at or
t ouches anot her man. Mor eover , in her mind lies t he following fear :
If I behave per missively, my husband will t hink of me as an
adult er ess and will no longer accept my ser vice. This would be a
br each of my fidelit y. Bear ing t his in mind, she r emains ever
The Vachanmr ut 197
vigilant . Now you are claiming t hat a devot ee who keeps bhakti just
like t he fait hful wife and who is conscious in his effort s t o eradicat e
laziness and infat uat ion is at fault . Fur t her mor e, you ar e suggest ing
t hat a devot ee who is not concer ned about er adicat ing laziness and
infat uat ion, like a woman who flir t s wit h any man she fancies and is
not concer ned about pr eser ving her fidelit y, is act ually super ior ! Is
t his because of a misunder st anding on your behalf, or what ?
15 Remember , if a per son r emains car eless, t hen even if he is a
devot ee of God, t he t wo enemies of laziness and infat uat ion would not
fail t o hinder him. For example, when one dr inks alcohol or bhang,
t hen just as a non -believer becomes int oxicat ed, a devot ee of God
would also become int oxicat ed and deliriou s. In t he same manner ,
just as alcohol and bhang in t he for m of laziness and infat uat ion
hinder a non -believer, t hey hinder a devot ee of God as well. The only
difference, however, bet ween a non -believer and a devot ee of God is
t hat a non -believer cannot eradicat e t hese t wo enemies, whereas a
devot ee can over come t hem if he r emains vigilant in his effor t s. That
is t he advant age a devot ee of God has. Nevert heless, he is not bet t er
if he remains careless, even if he is a devot ee of God.
16 Ther eaft er , Shr iji Mahr j asked anot her quest ion: How many
element s is t he sthul body composed of, and how many element s is
t he sukshma body composed of? Are t here equal element s in bot h, or
does one have more or less t han t he ot her? Please describe t he
nat ure of t hese t wo bodies.
17 Swayamprak shnand Swmi at t empt ed t o answer t he
quest ion, but was unable t o do so sat isfact or ily. Ther eupon, all of t he
munis said, Mahr j, please be kind enough t o answer t his quest ion
Your self.
18 Shr iji Mahr j t hen explained, The sthul body is composed of
t he five element s known as t he five mah bhuts
i
: prut hvi, jal, et c.
The sukshma body is composed of 19 element s: t he five gnn-
indriyas , t he five karma-indriyas , t he five prns and t he four
antahkarans. Yet , only when t he sukshma body is int erwoven wit h
t he sthul body can all act ivit ies be car r ied out pr oper ly, but not
ot her wise. This is because only when t he sukshma body, t oget her
wit h t he indriyas , joins t he sthul body which includes t he indriyas

i
Refer s t o panchbhut s.
The Vachanmr ut 198
or gans, i.e., t he eyes, ear s, et c. can t he r espect ive vishays of t hose
indriyas be indulged in. This is not possible by t he indriyas or gans
of t he sthul body alone. Thus, t he sukshma body composed of t he 19
element s is int er woven wit h t he sthul body composed of t he five
element s. That is why t he sthul body is also said t o be composed of
24 element s
2
.
19 In t he same manner , t he pleasur es of t he sukshma body can
only be indulged in when t he sukshma body behaves as one wit h t he
sthul body, which is composed of t he five elemen t s. That is why t he
sukshma body, which is composed of 19 element s, is also said t o be
composed of 24 element s. Moreover, because t he sthul body is
inher ent wit hin t he sukshma body, when a person associat es wit h a
woman t hr ough his sukshma body, he ejaculat es semen fr om his
sthul body. Thus, t her e is oneness bet ween t he sthul body and t he
sukshma body dur ing t he waking st at e and t he dr eam st at e.
20 Thereupon t he munis r emar ked, Mahr j, t his suggest s t hat
t he sukshma body is t he same as t he sthul body. So, just as t her e is
an effect of karmas on t he sthul body, is t her e a similar effect on t he
sukshma body as well? Or is t here a difference?
21 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, If one has just as st r ong a belief t hat t he
sukshma body is mine, as one has t hat t his sthul body is mine, t hen
t he law of karmas would apply t o t he sukshma body just as it does t o
t he sthul body. Indeed, it is only t o encourage t he individual t hat t he
karmas of t he sukshma body have been said t o be insignificant .
22 In compar ison, neit her t he sthul body nor t he sukshma body of
one who has no consciousness of his sthul and sukshma bodies is
affect ed by karmas. This is because such a per son behaves only as
t he t m . Thus, one who has such r ealisat ion of ones t m r emains
unaffect ed by karmas r elat ed t o t he sthul and sukshma bodies.
Nonet heless, such a per son would never physically per for m any
impur e karmas. Fur t her mor e, he endur es any joy or pain r esult ing
fr om his prrabdha. Even while exper iencing t hem, he believes, I
am not t he one who experiences; I am t he t m .
23 Conversely, a person who is ignorant and who ident ifies his self
wit h t he body is affect ed by all karmas r elat ed t o t he sthul and
sukshma bodies, and t herefore he experiences joy and pain according
t o his karmas. This is because an ignor ant per son, while
exper iencing whichever vishays he indulges in, believes t he body t o
The Vachanmr ut 199
be his t r ue for m, and feels, I am t he one who exper iences t hese
vishays.
24 Then, in his final moment s, such an ignor ant per son sees t he
ser vant s of Yam. He t hen becomes unawar e of his body and ent er s a
st at e of unconsciousness. Ther eaft er , t he ser vant s of Yam for ce him
t o leave his body and t hus separat e his jiva. The jiva t hen r eceives
t he body of an evil spir it , in which it suffer s t he t or ment s of
Yampuri. A devot ee of God possessing gnn, on t he ot her hand, sees
God or His S ant in his last moment s. He also becomes unawar e of
his body and ent er s a st at e of unconsciousness. However , when t hat
devot ee discards his body and becomes separat e from it , God gr ant s
him a divine body like t hat of God, wit h which he resides in t he abode
of God.
S r a n gp u r -15
Obst i n a t e, Med i ocr e a n d Ma t u r e Gop i s
1 On Bhdar v sudi 4, Samvat 1877 [11 Sept ember 1820], Shr iji
t he rooms of J iv Khchar s darbr in Sr angpur . He was dr essed
ent ir ely in whit e clot hes. At t hat t ime, an assembly of munis as well
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, Her e, I shall ask a quest ion.
There are t wo t ypes of devot ees of God: One has such deep love for
God t hat he cannot bear even a second wit hout His darshan . His
love is very obviously not iceable. Anot her devot ee of God possesses
knowledge of t he t m as well as t ot al vairgya. He also has love for
God, but his love does not appear t o be like t he love of t he previously
ment ioned devot ee. Fur t her mor e, alt hough t he for mer devot ees
bhakti is ext r emely appealing, he possesses neit her knowledge of t he
t m nor vairgya. The lat t er may have knowledge of t he t m and
vairgya, but his bhakti is not as appealing as t he former devot ees.
Of t hese t wo devot ees, whose bhakti is super ior , and whose bhakti is
inferior ? That is t he quest ion.
3 To t his, Swayampr ak shnand Swmi r eplied, He who has
int ense love for God is bet t er, even if he does not have knowledge of
t he t m and vairgya.
The Vachanmr ut 200
4 Shr iji Mahr j t hen count er ed, Wit h what under st anding do
you say t hat he who does not have knowledge of t he t m and
vairgya is bet t er? Such a person believes his self t o be t he body, and
so whenever he comes upon any of t he panchvishays t hat comfor t his
body, he will develop affect ion for t hem. Consequent ly, his love for
God will diminish. So why do you consider him t o be super ior ?
5 Swayamprak shnand Swmi clarified, I do not consider one
who develops affect ion for t he vishays t o be a devot ee who loves God;
r at her , I consider one who is like t he gopis t o be such a devot ee.
6 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j explained, The gopis were not so
nave. They wer e so wise t hat t heir wisdom could t r anscend t he
underst anding of t hose who do possess knowledge of t he t m and
vairgya. They also spoke as eloquent ly as t hose who are well-versed
in diplomacy. In addit ion, t hey knew God pr ecisely as he should be
known. Even Uddhav, t he wisest of t he Ydavs and Gods agent ,
became overwhelmed when he realised t he gopis under st anding.
That same Uddhavji lat er said, God has shown gr eat mer cy t o me by
sending me t o impar t gnn t o t he gopis. He had act ually gone t o
preach t o t he gopis, but upon hear ing t heir wor ds, he himself
imbibed t he gopis pr eaching.
7 Though you may say t hat t he gopis wer e not ver y int elligent ,
t her e wer e, in fact , t hr ee dist inct ions amongst t hem: obst inat e,
mediocr e, and mat ur e.
8 Of t hese, t he char act er ist ics of t he obst inat e gopis are as
follows: They would oft en rebuke God and say, We have gone out of
our way doing t hings for you, yet you do not t ake even t he slight est
not ice of us. Fur t her mor e, if t hey wer e t eased fur t her , t hey would be
upset wit h God and speak such harsh words t hat one would feel t hey
will soon fall from t he pat h of God. Those gopis who are described as
such in t he scr ipt ur es should be known as obst inat e gopis.
9 Those who are mediocre gopis, however , would never become
angr y wit h God and would never speak such har sh wor ds. But by
using t heir shr ewdness, t hey would employ cunning ploys t o conceal
t heir selfishness from ot hers and do what ever t hey please while also
doing what ever pleases God; i.e., t hey would not do only t hat which
pleases God. Fur t her mor e, even if t hey have t o do somet hing t hat
pleases only God, t hey would definit ely use a cunning met hod t o do
what ever pleases t hemselves as well. Those gopis who are described
as such in t he scr ipt ur es should be known as mediocr e gopis.
The Vachanmr ut 201
10 In compar ison, mat ur e gopis would do only t hat which pleases
God. In no way, t hough, would t hey use any cunning met hods t o
sat isfy t heir selfishness. Their only wish would be t o please God.
Ther efor e, t hey r emain happy wit h what ever pleases God.
Fur t her mor e, t hey would never become angr y at or jealous of t he
gopis who ar e t heir equals. They would also r enounce vicious
nat ur es such as egot ism, matsar , et c., and r emain aler t in t he
ser vice of God. They would never do anyt hing by t hought , wor d or
deed t hat would displease God. Those gopis who are described as
such in t he scr ipt ur es should be known as mat ur e gopis. In t his
manner , t her e ar e t hr ee dist inct ions amongst t he gopis.
11 Over all, t he gopis had ext r eme wisdom in t heir under st anding,
and t hus t heir love cannot be said t o be wit hout under st anding. Also,
t hey had t horoughly realised t he great ness of God. Due t o t he power
of t hat r ealisat ion of Gods gr eat ness, t he vir t ues of t m -r ealisat ion
and vairgya nat ur ally flour ished in t heir hear t s. Ther efor e, it was
due t o t he power of realising Gods great ness t hat count less
r edempt ive vir t ues such as t m -r ealisat ion, vairgya, et c., wer e
fully developed in t he gopis.
12 Now t he char act er ist ics of such a devot ee ar e as follows: He
wishes for only t hose panchvishays, i.e., sight s, sounds, smells,
t ast es and t ouch, which ar e r elat ed t o God, but not for t hose which
are relat ed t o anyt hing else. Then t hr ough t hose vishays, he
develops int ense affect ion for God. So much so, t hat even t hough he
does not possess t he virt ues of t m -realisat ion and vairgya, he st ill
does not harbour any desire in his heart except for t hat of God.
13 Consider t he following example: When it has not r ained, t he
seeds of different t ypes of grass cannot be seen anywhere on t he
ear t h. But when it does r ain, so much gr ass gr ows t hat even t he
eart h cannot be seen. Similarly, when one who does not possess t he
vir t ues of t m -realisat ion and vairgya meet s wit h bad company,
t hough he may seem t o have no desire for vishays ot her t han God, he
will begin t o har bour desir es for t hose object s. Fur t her mor e, his
mind will become cor r upt ed, and he will not r emember God in his
hear t . Inst ead, he will const ant ly cr ave for t he vishays. As a r esult ,
t hat devot ee who loves God but does not possess t he virt ues of t m -
realisat ion and vairgya will feel, I do not have even t he slight est
love for God. Thus, a devot ee who has love for God but does not
The Vachanmr ut 202
possess t he virt ues of t m -realisat ion and vairgya is ext r emely
infer ior .
14 In compar ison, one who has t he vir t ues of t m -realisat ion and
vairgya, even t hough his love for God seems or dinar y, feels, The
for m of God is for ever pr esent wit hin my jivt m . Because of t his
r ealisat ion, he may not seem out war dly ent husiast ic for t he darshan ,
t ouch, et c., of Gods for m; in fact , he may appear t o be ver y quiet .
However, t he root s of his love are very deep. Moreover, his love is not
of t he t ype t hat would diminish due t o t he influence of bad company.
Therefore, t his devot ee is superior and is ekntik.
S r a n gp u r -16
Na r n r ya n s Au st er i t i es
J iv Khchar s r oom in Sr angpur . He was dr essed ent ir ely in whit e
2 Ther eupon Par amnand Swmi asked a quest ion: It is said in
t he Shr imad Bhgwat , While r esiding in Badr ikshr am, Shr i
Nar nr yan is per for ming aust er it ies for t he sake of t he liber at ion
and happiness of all of t he people in Bharat -khand. Why is it , t hen,
t hat everyone does not t read t he pat h of liberat ion?
3 Shr iji Mahr j explained, The answer lies in t he fift h cant o of
t he Shr imad Bhgwat . It is said t her ein, God is per for ming
aust erit ies, but he does so on ly for t he sake of his devot ees, not for
t hose who are not devot ees of God.
4 Shr i Nar nr yan Bhagwn, who is clad in t he at t ir e of an
ascet ic, per for ms har sh aust er it ies out of ext r eme compassion for and
for t he benefit of t hose people who realise t he r ar it y of at t aining a
human body in t his Bhar at -khand and t hus at t ain t he refuge of God
and offer bhakti t o him. While per for ming such aust er it ies, and
endowed wit h t he virt ues of dharma, gnn, vairgya, upsham , divine
power s, et c. t hat ar e const ant ly inher ent in him t o a gr eat ext ent , he
dwells in Badr ikshr am unt il t he dissolut ion of t he cosmos. Thus,
even if his devot ees who live in Bharat -khand may possess t he
The Vachanmr ut 203
vir t ues of dharma, gnn, et c. t o a lesser degr ee, t hey flour ish gr eat ly
in just a short span of t ime due t o t he power of Gods virt uous
aust er it ies. Ther eaft er , by t he will of God, such devot ees have t he
darshan of t he manifest for m of Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn amidst t he
divine light of Akshar br ahma t hat is in t heir hear t s. In t his way,
due t o Gods aust erit ies, devot ees at t ain liberat ion wit hout any
hindrances. However, t hose who are not devot ees of God do not
at t ain liber at ion. This is t he answer t o your quest ion.
S r a n gp u r -17
Di ffe r e n ce s a mon g Mu k t a s;
Th e Br a n ch of a Ta ma r i n d Tr ee
1 On t he evening of Bhdar v sudi 6, Samvat 1877 [13 Sept ember
1820], Shr iji Mahr j was sit t ing facing nor t h on a lar ge, decor at ed
cot on t he veranda out side t he rooms of J iv Khchar s darbr in
Sr angpur . He was dr essed ent ir ely in whit e clot hes. At t hat t ime,
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, As t he vision of a person who
wor ships God becomes incr easingly subt le, he r ealises t he unlimit ed
nat ur e of God, and he incr easingly r ealises t he gr eat ness of God.
When t hat devot ee ident ifies himself wit h t he body, he sees God as
t he wit ness of his waking, dr eam and deep sleep st at es. Lat er , when
he r ealises himself as t r anscending t he waking, dream and deep sleep
st at es, he r ealises God as t r anscending t hem t oo. Then, as his vision
becomes incr easingly subt le, he r ealises God as being far beyond
himself and under st ands t he gr eat ness of God even mor e. Then, as
his vrut t i at t aches it self mor e and mor e t o God wit h love, his
upsan of God becomes even more firmly est ablished.
3 For example, ant s, bir ds, men, cat t le, hor ses, elephant s, lar ge
cr ocodiles and fish all dr ink wat er fr om t he ocean and become
healt hy; yet t he oceans level is not even slight ly r educed. Thus, t he
gr eat er t he capacit y of t he being, t he mor e it r ealises t he vast ness of
t he ocean.
4 Her e is anot her example: a mosquit o, a spar r ow, a kit e, a
hawk, an analpakshi and Gar ud all fly in t he sky, yet t o all of t hem
The Vachanmr ut 204
t he sky is limit less. However , t he gr eat er t he st r engt h of t heir
wings, t he mor e t hey r ealise t he vast ness of t he sky and t heir own
infer ior it y.
5 Similarly, a devot ee whose upsan is like t hat of Mar ichi and
t he ot her prajpatis can be compared t o t he mosquit o. A devot ee
whose upsan is higher , like t hat of deit ies such as Br ahm, can be
compared t o t he sparrow. A devot ee whose upsan is higher st ill,
like t hat of deit ies such as Vir t -Pur ush, can be compar ed t o a kit e.
A devot ee whose upsan is higher st ill, like t hat of Pr adh n-Pur ush,
can be compared t o a hawk. A devot ee whose upsan is st ill higher ,
like t hat of pur e Pr akr ut i-Pur ush, can be compar ed t o an analpakshi.
A devot ee whose upsan is even higher , like t hat of an akshar-
mukt a in Akshardh m, is like Gar ud. As t he power s of t hese
devot ees increase, t hey realise t he great ness of God more and more.
Mor eover , as t heir own power s incr ease, t heir mast er -ser vant
relat ionship wit h God is also consolidat ed.
6 Also, when t he person engaged in worship ident ified himself
wit h t he jiva, t he jiva possessed t he luminosit y of a firefly. As he
cont inued wor shipping God, bar r ier s wer e gr adually over come, and
he became incr easingly luminous; fir st like an oil lamp, t hen like a
t or ch, t hen like t he flames of a fir e, t hen like t he flames of a for est
fir e, t hen like light ning, t hen like t he moon, t hen like t he sun, t hen
like t he fir e of dissolut ion, and finally, he became as r adiant as t he
t r anscendent al light
i
.
7 In t his manner , t he luminosit y, power s and bliss of such a
devot ee const ant ly incr ease. In t he example, t he succession fr om
firefly t o t ranscendent al light refers t o t he differences among t he level
of t he muktas . As one r eaches a higher spir it ual st at e, Gods
gr eat ness is realised t o a great er ext ent and one at t ains a higher
mukt a-level.
8 So saying, Shr iji Mahr j bid J ai Sachchidnand t o everyone
and st ood up. Then, holding a br anch of t he t amar ind t r ee, He st ood
facing east and said, Fr om her e, t he full moon appear s like a small
plat e. But as one appr oaches it , it appear s t o get incr easingly lar ger .
Then, when one comes ext r emely close t o it , it becomes so vast t hat
one is unable t o see it s limit s. Similar ly, as obst acles in t he for m of

i
Her e, t r anscendent al light r efer s t o t he light of an akshar-mukta.
The Vachanmr ut 205
m y are overcome, and one incr easingly at t ains t he pr oximit y of
God, one realises t he unlimit ed great ness of God, and ones sense of
ser vit ude t owar ds Him is incr easingly st r engt hened.
S r a n gp u r -18
Sa li n e La n d
Shr i Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing facing nor t h on t he ver anda
out side t he nort h-facing r ooms of J iv Khchar s darbr in
Sr angpur . He was wear ing a whit e khes and had covered Himself
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, If a person wit h shraddh
encount er s t he company of a t rue S ant and develops shraddh in t he
words of t hat S ant, t hen all of t he redempt ive virt ues of swadharma,
vairgya, gnn, bhakti, wisdom, et c., would develop in his hear t , and
t he vicious nat ur es of lust , anger , et c., would be bur nt away.
Conver sely, if he encount er s evil company, and if he develops
shraddh in t heir wor ds, t hen all of t he vir t ues of vairgya, wisdom,
et c., would be dest r oyed. It is r at her like t he analogy of saline land.
No mat t er how much r ain falls upon it , no gr ass, or anyt hing else,
can gr ow upon it . However, if a flood were t o sweep across t hat same
land, t hen all of t he salt would be washed away. As a r esult , wher e
t here was once salt , t here would now be silt . Then, if t he seeds of
banyan, pipal, or ot her t r ees wer e t o fall int o t hat silt , t hey would
gr ow int o lar ge t r ees. Likewise, if a per son who has t he pr eviously
ment ioned virt ues of swadharma, vairgya, et c., fir mly r oot ed in his
heart and who has not even t he slight est desire for t he pleasures of
t his wor ld wer e t o meet wit h evil company, t hen wat er s in t he for m
of evil company would sweep across his heart and leave behind silt in
t he for m of wor ldly t alks, et c. Subsequent ly, t he seeds of lust , anger ,
avar ice, infat uat ion, ar r ogance, matsar , et c., which ar e dor mant in
t he silt , would grow int o large t rees. Therefore, a devot ee of God
should never keep bad company.
3 Then Shr iji Mahr j cont inued, If a per son has some swabhvs,
and he t hought fully at t empt s t o er adicat e t hem by associat ing wit h
The Vachanmr ut 206
t he S ant, t hen t hey can be dest r oyed. However , a per sons vicious
swabhvs will not be eradicat ed if he foolishly applies any ot her
met hods. When such a fool becomes depressed, he eit her sleeps,
cr ies, t akes out his fr ust r at ions on someone else, or he may even fast .
He will use any of t hese four met hods t o t r y t o over come his
depression. If he becomes severely depressed, he may even resort t o
commit t ing suicide. These ar e t he ways in which a fool at t empt s t o
overcome depression. However , such met hods neit her r educe t he
pain, nor do t hey eradicat e ones swabhvs. On t he ot her hand, if one
wer e t o at t empt t o er adicat e t hem wit h under st anding, t hen bot h t he
dist ress and t he swabhv would be er adicat ed. Thus, only t hose who
have under st anding become happy.
4 Ther eaft er , Shr iji Mahr j cont inued wit h anot her example and
said, Lar ge flames of a fir e ar e ext inguished when wat er is pour ed
over it , wher eas even a slight flash of light ning can never be
ext inguished, even t hough it is in t he midst of dense r ain clouds.
Similar ly, r egar dless of how much vairgya one may have, or how
much love for God one may have, if one does not have under st anding,
t hen like t he flames of t he fire, all of ones virt ues will be lost due t o
wat er in t he for m of bad company. In compar ison, one who has
vairgya and love compounded wit h underst anding is like t he fire of
light ning. It may be slight , but it is never dest r oyed.
5 Ther eaft er Nir vikr nand Swmi asked, Mahr j, if a per son
has t he vicious swabhvs of lust , anger , et c., can t hey be er adicat ed,
or not ?
6 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, J ust as a mer chant keeps an account of
all his t r ansact ions, if one keeps an account of ones swabhvs fr om
t he very day one ent ered t he Sat sang fellowship, t hen t hey can be
er adicat ed. That is, one should t hink, When I was not in Sat sang, I
had t hese vicious swabhvs. But ever since I have ent er ed Sat sang,
t hey have diminished. Ther eaft er , ever y year one should check t o
see if one has progressed or if t here is st ill some deficiency r emaining.
However, a fool does not keep an account like t he merchant does.
Thus, any swabhv which one may have can be eradicat ed if one
cont inuously examines oneself while doing satsang.
7 Ther eupon Mukt nand Swmi asked, If on e keeps bad company
t hen it is obvious t hat one will develop vicious swabhvs. But why is
it t hat such vicious swabhvs arise even aft er one associat es wit h t he
S ant?
The Vachanmr ut 207
8 Shr iji Mahr j explained, During ones childhood, one does not
face t he inner enemies of lust , anger , avar ice, et c. Mor eover , at t hat
age, one also t ends t o have more love for God. However, when one
ent er s yout h, t he inner enemies of lust , anger , et c., incr ease along
wit h t he belief t hat one is t he body. If during t hat period one keeps
t he company of a sdhu who does not have vicious nat ur es such as
lust , t he belief t hat one is t he body, et c., t hen one will cr oss t he ocean
of yout h. However, if t he yout h does not do t his, t he inner enemies of
lust , anger , et c., will defeat him, and he will consequent ly t ur n vile.
9 However, if an older person is spoilt while doing satsang, it is
because whichever fault s he per ceives in t he gr eat Purush all r et ur n
t o dwell in his own hear t . Conver sely, if one imbibes t he vir t ues of
t he gr eat Purush and t hinks: Any swabhv t he gr eat Purush
exhibit s is only for t he sake of t he jivas liber at ion. He is, in fact ,
flawless; but my per ceiving flaws in him is, in fact , due t o my own
personal foolishness and t hinking t hus, if he imbibes t he vir t ues of
t he S atpurush and asks for for giveness for his mist akes, t hen t he
deficiencies of t hat per son will diminish.
10 Ther eaft er Mahnubhvnand Swmi asked, Can rjasik,
t masik and sttvik swabhvs be eradicat ed by doing satsang?
11 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, All swabhvs can be eradicat ed if one
t r ies t o er adicat e t hem.
12 Mukt nand Swmi asked fur t her , If t hat is t he case, t hen
despit e t he fact t hat Dur vs and ot hers have become muktas , why
do t hey st ill r emain t masik?
13 Shr iji Mahr j explained, The gunas of t amogun, et c., which
ar e seen in Dur vs and ot hers are only present because t hey choose
t o keep t hem. They feel, If someone is misbehaving, t amogun is
act ually ver y necessar y in or der t o r epr imand him. That is why we
keep it . Thus, they pur posefully r et ain such gunas. Never t heless,
when a swabhv is prevalent in oneself, one should bear an aversion
t owar ds it . One should t hink, I am a devot ee of God and such a
vicious swabhv does not befit me. In t his way, by t he gr ace of God,
ones swabhvs can be eradicat ed if one regards t hem as flaws and
st r ives t o discar d t hem.
The Vachanmr ut 208

| | En d of S r a n gp u r Sect i on | |
The Vachanmr ut 209

The Vachanmr ut 210
KRIYNI SECTI ON
K r iy n i-1
A Wor m a n d a Bee
1 On Bhdar v sudi 12, Samvat 1877 [19 Sept ember 1820], a
decor at ed, canopied cot t hat had been br ought by Jdavji, a devot ee
from Surat , had been placed on t he veranda out side t he nort h-facing
rooms of Vast Khchar s darbr i n Kr iyni. A mat t r ess wit h a
whit e, silken cover had been placed upon t hat cot . A whit e,
cylindr ical cushion and r ed, silken knee-cushions had been placed on
t op of t he cushion. Also, frills of golden fabric were dangling on all
four sides of t he cot . Shr iji Mahr j was sit t ing facing nor t h on t his
beaut ifully decor at ed cot . He was wear ing a black-bordered, whit e
khes and had t ied a golden -bordered, whit e fet o ar ound His head. He
had also covered Himself wit h a golden -bordered shelu. At t hat t ime,
gat her ed befor e Him. They wer e all enjoying t he darshan of Shr iji
Mahr j and wer e capt ivat ed by His char ming appear ance.
2 Then Shr iji Mahr j said t o t he paramhansas , Please ask and
answer quest ions amongst your selves.
3 Ther eupon Bhudhar nand Swmi asked, Does t he convict ion of
God arise in t he antahkaran or in t he jiva?
4 Shivnand Swmi at t empt ed t o answer t he quest ion, but was
5 So Shr iji Mahr j said, The jiva knows t hr ough t he buddhi,
which is t he cause of all
i
and is gr eat er t han all. That buddhi
resides in t he man , in t he chit t , in t he ahamkr, in t he ear s, in t he
eyes, in t he nose, in t he t ongue, in t he mout h, in t he skin, in t he
ar ms, in t he legs, in t he genit als and in t he anus. It resides in t he
body in t his manner , per vading it fr om head t o t oe. The jiva resides
wit hin t his buddhi, but t he jiva is not felt ; only t he buddhi is felt .

i
All knowledge
The Vachanmr ut 211
6 The following example will illust r at e t his: When t he flames of a
fire rise and fall, t hey do so because of t he wind. The rise and fall of
t he flames ar e appar ent , but t he wind is not appar ent . Also, when
dung is placed in fir e, t he dung begins t o bur n. Then, when it is
placed wher e t her e is no wind, smoke begins t o r ise. At t hat t ime,
t he r ising smok e is appar ent , but t he wind wit hin is not appar ent .
Also, t he clouds t hat move in t he sky are seen t o do so because of t he
wind. But t he wind t hat r esides wit hin t hem is not appar ent . In
t his way, flames, smoke and t he clouds r epr esent t he buddhi, and
t he wind represent s t he jiva.
7 What is t hat jiva like? Well, it is t he knower of t he convict ions
formed by t he buddhi; it also knows Br ahm, t he cause of t he
convict ions in t he buddhi. It per ceives t he t hought s of t he man , and
also per ceives Chandr a, t he cause of t hose t hought s in t he man . It
perceives t he cont emplat ion of t he chit t , and also per ceives Vsudev,
t he cause of t he cont emplat ion in t he chit t . It per ceives t he I-ness of
t he ahamkr, and also per ceives Rudr a, t he cause of t hat I-ness. In
t his manner , t he jiva perceives t he four antahkarans, t he t en
indriyas , t heir vishays and t he presiding deit ies, who allow one t o
discr iminat e among t hose vishays. Moreover, it does all of t his
simult aneously.
8 That jiva appears t o be in one place; it appears t o be as fine as
t he t ip of a spear; and it appears t o be ext remely subt le. It appears so
because it is associat ed wit h t he buddhi. But when t hat jiva is
known as t he illuminat or of t he body, indriyas , antahkaran , t heir
presiding deit ies and t he vishays, it appear s t o be ext r emely vast , and
it appear s t o be per vasive. That is when it is not associat ed wit h t he
buddhi.
9 That jiva is known not by t he indriyas , but by infer ence. For
example, on seeing a swor d weighing 200 kg, a per son can infer , The
wielder of t his swor d must be ext r emely st r ong. Similar ly, t he jiva
inspir es t he body, indriyas , et c., simult aneously; t her efor e it must be
ver y power ful. This is how t he jiva can be known by infer ence.
Shr iji Mahr j answer ed t he quest ion in t his manner .
10 Nit ynand Swmi t hen asked, Mahr j, what is t he answer t o
t he or iginal quest ion in what You have just said?
11 Shr iji Mahr j clar ified, Well, t he answer is t hat when t he
convict ion of God has developed in t he buddhi, one should realise t hat
t hat convict ion has also developed wit hin t he jiva. How does t hat
The Vachanmr ut 212
happen? Well, t he convict ion init ially develops in t he indriyas , t hen
in t he ahamkr, t hen in t he chit t , t hen in t he man , t hen in t he
buddhi, and t hen finally, it develops in t he jiva. Shr iji Mahr j
r eplied in t his manner .
12 Again Nit ynand Swmi asked, Mahr j, how can one know
when t here is convict ion of God in t he indriyas ? How can one know
when t here is convict ion of God in t he antahkaran ? How can one
know when t her e is convict ion of God wit hin t he jiva?
13 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, The convict ion of God which is in t he
indriyas should be known as follows: Of all of t he object s in t his
wor ld which ar e seen, hear d, smelt or t ouched, some ar e pleasant and
some ar e unpleasant ; some give pleasur e and some give miser y; some
are liked and some are disliked; some are appropriat e and some are
inappropriat e. If no doubt s arise even when all of t hese aspect s are
appar ent in God, t hat should be known t o be t he convict ion of God in
t he indriyas .
14 Fur t her , of t he var ious effect s of t he t hr ee gunas of sattvagun,
rajogun and t amogun, t he effect of t amogun is laziness, sleep, et c.;
t he effect of rajogun is lust , anger , et c.; and t he effect of sattvagun is
t r anquillit y, self-r est r aint , et c. If no doubt s ar ise even when all of
t hese ar e not iced in God, t hen t hat should be known as t he convict ion
of God in t he antahkaran .
15 Due t o nirvikalp sam dhi, Rushabhdev Bhagwn wandered
eccent r ically, keeping a st one in his mout h. Alt hough his body
bur ned in a for est fir e, he r emained t ot ally unawar e of it . So, if no
doubt s ar ise even when such a guntit st at e is apparent in God, t hen
t hat should be known as convict ion of God in t he jiva.
16 For example, ships which t r avel in t he sea car r y an ir on anchor
wit h t hem. When t hr own int o t he sea, if t hat anchor is immediat ely
r et r act ed befor e it r eaches t he seabed, t hen not much effor t is
r equir ed; it comes out immediat ely. However , if it is allowed t o r each
t he seabed before it is r et r act ed, t hen it comes out only aft er much
effort . But if it is allowed t o descend gradually, and it set t les and
lodges it self int o t he seabed, t hen it cannot be pulled up by any
means; it cannot be r et r act ed. Similar ly, when a per son develops t he
convict ion of God in his jiva, t hat convict ion cannot be dislodged in
any way what soever . In t his way, Shr iji Mahr j spoke at lengt h,
but only a small port ion has been ment ioned here.
The Vachanmr ut 213
17 Then Chait anynand Swmi asked, Mahr j, God is beyon d t he
mind and speech; He is guntit . How, t hen, can t he m yik indriyas
and antahkaran per ceive Him?
18 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, When t he jiva t he knower of t he body,
indriyas and antahkaran becomes eclipsed during t he st at e of deep
sleep, it s indriyas and antahkaran also become eclipsed in t hat deep
sleep. At t hat t ime, God inspir es t hat jiva. When t he jiva ent er s t he
dream st at e from t he st at e of deep sleep, t he dream-r elat ed locat ions,
pleasur es, vishays and t he jiva ar e all inspir ed by God. He inspir es
t hem dur ing t he waking st at e as well. In t his way, God inspir es t he
jiva bot h when it is conscious of t he body, and when it is not .
Fur t her mor e, fr om Pr adh n, mahat t at t va was for med; fr om
mahat t at t va, t he t hree t ypes of ahamkr wer e for med; fr om t hat
ahamkr, t he indriyas , deit ies, five bhuts and five tanmt rs were
formed; all of t hese are also inspired by God. Virt , who is composed
of all t hese element s combined, is also inspired by God. When all of
t hese mer ge int o m y, t hen God inspires t hat m y as well.
19 That God inspir es bot h jiva and ishwar when t hey ident ify
t hemselves wit h t heir bodies. He inspir es bot h jiva and ishwar even
when t hey reside in t he st at e of deep sleep and are eclipsed by
Pradh n and ar e wit hout any ident it y or for m. He inspir es kl,
which causes m y and ot her ent it ies t o assume an ident it y and
for m, and also causes t hem t o for sake ident it y and for m. So, how can
t hat God be known by t he indriyas and antahkaran ? Is t hat your
quest ion?
20 Everyon e confir med, Yes, Mahr j, t hat is t he quest ion.
21 So Shr iji Mahr j cont inued, The answer t o t hat is as follows:
God does not cr eat e and sust ain t he wor ld for His own sake. In fact ,
it is said in t he Shr imad Bhgwat :
||- =+ |-|| || + ~
|||u ~|u = | -+|= +
i

This ver se means: God cr eat ed t he buddhi, indriyas , man and prns
of all people t o enable t he jivas t o indulge in t he vishays, t o t ake

i
Buddheendriya-manah -prnn jannm-asrujat-prabhuhu|
Mtrrtham cha bhavrtham cha hytmanekalpanya cha| |
The Vachanmr ut 214
bir t h, t o t r ansmigr at e t o ot her r ealms, and t o at t ain liber at ion.
Therefore, God creat ed t his cosmos for t he sake of t he jivas
liber at ion; God sust ains it for t he sake of t he jivas liber at ion; in fact ,
God also causes it s dissolut ion for t he sake of t he jivas liber at ion.
How is t hat ? Well, He dest r oys it t o allow t he jivas t ired as a
r esult of under going many bir t hs and deat hs t o r est . That God,
who act s in all ways for t he benefit of t he jivas, becomes like a
human out of compassion. Then, when t he jivas maint ain pr ofound
associat ion wit h t he S ant of t hat God, why should t hey not be able t o
know Him? They cer t ainly can know Him.
22 Ther eupon Bhajannand Swmi asked, Why t hen, Mahr j,
does t he Vedic ver se claim: =-| || |- -- + |-= |
i
?
23 Shr iji Mahr j replied in a pleased t one Well, in t hat case, t he
fact s ar e as follows: prut hvi resides in ksh, but does not become
like ksh; jal also resides in ksh, but does not become like ksh;
t ej also resides in ksh, but does not become like ksh; and vyu
also resides in ksh, but does not become like ksh. In t he same
way, t he mind and speech do not at t ain God.
24 Then Nit ynand Swmi r aised a doubt : Mahr j, t he Shr ut is
and Smr ut is claim: |~ + |-=+|-+
i i
and | -||-+| + -|
;||-|+
i i i
.
25 Shr iji Mahr j then said, What I just ment ioned is r egar ding
t he mind and t he indriyas of non -devot ees. The mind and indriyas of
devot ees of God, however, do at t ain God-r ealisat ion. For example, at

i
Yato vcho nivartante aprpya manas saha
Fr om wher e speech r et ur ns along wit h t he mind wit hout having at t ained
[Br ahma, i.e. God].
Tait t iriya Upanishad: 2.4.1
i i
Niranjanaha paramam smyam-upait i| |
He who is fr ee fr om [t he] blemishes [of my] at t ains qualit ies similar t o t hose of
t he Supr eme Being, [i.e. God].
Mundaka Upanishad: 3.3.1
i i i
Bahavo gnna-tapas poot mad -bhvam-gath| |
Many who have been pur ified by aust er it ies in t he for m of gnn have at t ained
my qualit ies.
Bhagwad Git : 4.10
The Vachanmr ut 215
t he t ime of dissolut ion , prut hvi, which r esides in ksh, becomes one
wit h ksh; jal also becomes one wit h ksh; t ej also becomes one
wit h ksh; and vyu also becomes one wit h ksh. Similar ly, t he
bodies, indriyas , antahkarans and prns of t hose who are devot ees of
God, due t o t heir gnn of God, become like God. This is because
Gods for m is it self divine. So, t he bodies, indriyas and antahkarans
of t hose devot ees become like Gods indriyas , antahkaran and body.
That is why t hose devot ees bodies, indriyas , antahkarans and prns
become divine.
26 The following example will clar ify: A bee capt ur es a wor m,
st ings it and t hen buzzes over it . As a r esult , t hat wor m in t he
ver y same body is t r ansfor med int o a bee. Ther eaft er , none of it s
bodily par t s r emain like t hat of a wor m; it becomes exact ly like a bee.
Similar ly, a devot ee of God, in t hat ver y same body, becomes divine
like God.
27 Shr iji Mahr j t hen concluded by saying, The essence of t his
t alk t hat I have given is t hat for bot h a per son wit h fir mness in
bhakti coupled wit h t m -r ealisat ion, and for a per son wit h fir mness
in bhakti alone, pr ogr ess is as descr ibed. However , t he indriyas and
antahkaran of a person wit h t m -realisat ion only, i.e., one who
aspires for keval-gnn, do not become divine like Gods for m; he
at t ains only brahmasatt.
28 Having spoken in t his way, Shr iji Mahr j said, Now let us
st op t his discour se, and as t he assembly has become iner t , someone
please sing some pleasing devot ional songs. Saying t his, He Himself
sat in medit at ion , while t he sdhus began singing devot ional songs.
| | Vachanmr ut Kr iyni-1 | | 97 | |
K r iy n i-2
A Cu r sed I n t ellect
1 On so sudi 2, Samvat 1877 [9 Oct ober 1820], Swmi Shr i
Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing on t he ver anda out side t he nor t h-
facing r ooms of Vast Khchar s darbr in Kr iyni. He was dr essed
ent ir ely in whit e clot hes. At t hat t ime, an assembly of paramhansas
The Vachanmr ut 216
2 By Shr iji Mahr js command, t he junior paramhansas had
come t o t he front of t he assembly and wer e asking and answer ing
quest ions amongst t hemselves.
3 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, Her e, allow Me t o ask one
quest ion.
4 The junior paramhansas responded by saying, Mahr j, please
do ask.
5 Shr iji Mahr j t hen said, One individuals int ellect is such t hat
since t he day he joined t he Sat sang fellowship he may occasionally
perceive a flaw in God and t he S ant, but it does not per sist ; it passes
away. Day by day, he may cont inue per ceiving vir t ues and flaws,
but he never abandons Sat sang. Why? Because he is wise and
r ealises, Ther e is no S ant like t his in t he ent ir e brahmnd, and
t here is no ot her God besides t his Mahr j. Because he has r ealised
t his, he r emains fir m in Sat sang. On t he ot her hand, anot her
individuals int ellect is such t hat he never perceives a flaw in God or
t he S ant. But even t hough bot h individuals int ellect s ar e similar
out war dly and t heir fait h in God is also similar , one individual
cont inues per ceiving flaws, while t he ot her does not . What , t hen, is
t he fault in t he int ellect of t he individual who keeps perceiving flaws?
I put t his quest ion t o Nn Shivnand Swmi.
6 Nn Shivnand Swmi t hen at t empt ed t o answer t he quest ion
but was unable t o do so sat isfact or ily.
7 Then Bhagwadnand Swmi said, That individuals int ellect is
cur sed.
8 At t hat point , Shr iji Mahr j said, He is cor r ect ; t hat is t he
cor r ect answer t o t he quest ion. In t his wor ld, do not people say, He
has been cur sed by someone? In t he same way, t hat individual has
been cur sed because he may have pained a great S ant, or he may
have hur t a meek per son, or he may not have ser ved his par ent s.
That is why his int ellect is t he way it is.
9 Then Bhagwadnand Swmi asked, Mahr j, how can his
cursed int ellect be remedied?
10 Shr iji Mahr j explained, This piece of clot h which I wear on
My head and a t hick clot h like a car pet cannot be washed wit h t he
same amount of effor t . Why? Because t his t hin clot h is cleaned
immediat ely by washing it wit h only a small amount of soap. On t he
ot her hand, t o wash a t hick clot h, it must be soaked in wat er for t wo
The Vachanmr ut 217
t o four days, t hen boiled over a fir e; only t hen, aft er it is washed wit h
soap, does it become clean. Similar ly, if a per son whose int ellect is
cur sed obser ves niyams only t o t he ext ent t hat everyone else does,
t hen t hat flaw will not be er adicat ed. He should not r emain only as
fr ee of lust , t ast e, avar ice, at t achment , and egot ism as ot her s.
Rat her , he should become mor e fr ee of lust t han ot her s; he should
become mor e fr ee of avar ice than ot her s; he should become mor e fr ee
of t ast e t han ot her s; he should become mor e fr ee of at t achment t han
ot her s; and he should become mor e fr ee of egot ism t han ot her s. Also,
he should go t o sleep lat er t han ot hers; he should chant t he name of
God wit h a r osar y mor e oft en t han ot her s; and he should wake up a
lit t le ear lier t han ot her s. In t his manner , if he obser ves niyams
mor e int ensely t han ot her s, his cur sed int ellect will be r emedied;
ot herwise it will not be remedied.
11 Then Mot Shivnand Swmi asked Mot Yognand Swmi a
quest ion: Do karmas have a for m or ar e t hey for mless?
12 Mot Yognand Swmi r eplied, I do not t hink I can answer t hat
quest ion.
13 Shr iji Mahr j t hen r eplied, In r ealit y, karmas ar e wit hout a
form, but t he good or bad fr uit s which r esult fr om t hose karmas do
have a for m. Those who claim t hat karmas have a for m ar e nstiks.
Aft er all, a karma is an act ion, and so, it cannot have a for m.
14 Shr iji Mahr j t alked a gr eat deal in t his manner , but only a
small por t ion has been ment ioned here.
K r iy n i-3
Sh u k Mu n i I s a Gr ea t S d h u ;
A P er son Ca n n ot Be Kn own by Hi s Su p er fi ci a l Na t u r e
1 On t he evening of so vadi 7, Samvat 1877 [14 Oct ober 1820],
Shr iji Mahr j was sit t ing facing nor t h on a lar ge, decor at ed cot on
t he veranda out side t he nort h-facing r ooms of Vast Khchar s
darbr i n Kr iyni. He was wear ing a whit e khes and had t ied a
whit e fet o ar ound His head. He had also cover ed Himself wit h a
whit e cot t on clot h. At t hat t ime, an assembly of paramhansas as
well as devot ees from various places had gat hered before Him.
The Vachanmr ut 218
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, This Shuk Muni is a ver y gr eat
sdhu. Fr om t he day he began st aying wit h Me, his ent husiasm has
been ever incr easing; in fact , it has never diminished. Thus, he is
like Mukt nand Swmi.
3 Shr iji Mahr j t hen cont inued, The affect ion t hat people develop
for each ot her is due t o virt ues, and t he repulsion t hey experience for
each ot her is due t o fault s. But t hose vir t ues and fault s cannot be
discer ned fr om an individuals super ficial behaviour . Because,
out war dly, a per son may walk like a cat , fixing his eyes on t he floor
as he walks, but inside, he may have int ense lust . On seeing him
behave in t his manner , a per son who is not wise would t hink, He is
a ver y gr eat sdhu. On t he ot her hand, someone else may walk wit h
wander ing eyes. On seeing him, a per son who is not wise would
t hink, He is a fake sdhu. Inwar dly, however , he may be ext r emely
free of lust . Thus, a per son cannot be judged by his super ficial,
physical behaviour ; only aft er st aying wit h him can he be judged.
Because by st aying wit h him, his act ivit ies can be obser ved t he way
he t alks, t he way he walks, t he way he eat s, t he way he dr inks, t he
way he sleeps, t he way he wakes, t he way he sit s, et c.
4 Also, vir t ues and vices ar e mor e discer nible dur ing t he per iod of
yout h, but t hey ar e not so obvious dur ing childhood or dur ing old age.
Someone may be spoiled as a child, but as a yout h he becomes
vir t uous. Conver sely, someone may be good in his childhood, but
becomes spoiled dur ing his yout h. A per son who is det er mined in
t hat he feels, It is not good t hat I am having t hese base t hought s,
and who makes an effort t o eradicat e t hose t hought s, and who
r emains det er mined unt il t hey have been er adicat ed, pr ogr esses in
his yout h. On t he ot her hand, one who is complacent inst ead of being
aler t , will not pr ogr ess. So, a vir t uous per son like t he for mer can be
r ecognised fr om his childhood.
5 Having said t his, Shr iji Mahr j t alked at lengt h about His own
inclinat ion for r enunciat ion in His childhood. He t hen cont inued,
One who is vir t uous does not like t he company of immat ur e childr en
from his childhood; he does not have an appet it e for t ast y food; and he
cont inuously r est r ains his body. J ust look, when I was a child, I had
t he same t hought s as Kr t ik Swmi; i.e., I felt , I want t o eliminat e
all of t he remnant s of My mot her her flesh and blood fr om My
body. So, aft er many spir it ual endeavours, I emaciat ed My body so
much t hat if somet hing pier ced My body, wat er would come out , but
The Vachanmr ut 219
never blood. In t his manner , one who is vir t uous can be known fr om
his childhood.
6 Then Bhajannand Swmi asked, Mahr j, is it bet t er t o
maint ain such a t hought in ones mind, or is it bet t er t o expose t he
body t o aust erit ies?
7 To t hat Shr iji Mahr j said, Some fault s are due t o t he body
t hese should be known; and some fault s ar e due t o t he mind t hese
should also be known. Of t hese, which are t he fault s of t he body?
Well, r epeat ed er ect ions and it ching of t he genit als, excessive
movement , r apid movement of t he eyes, smelling many t ypes of
fr agr ances quickly, walking 20 or 25 miles quickly, embr acing
someone wit h such for ce t hat his bones br eak, ejaculat ing semen
during dreams, and so on all t hese are fault s of t he body, not t he
mind. Even if t hese fault s of t he body ar e gr eat ly r educed, lust ful
desir es, as well as desir es for eat ing, dr inking, walking, t ouching,
smelling, hear ing and t ast ing may r emain. These should be known
as t he fault s of t he mind. So, t he fault s of t he body and mind should
be dist inguished as just ment ioned.
8 Then, t he fault s of t he body should be removed by imposing
bodily r est r aint s. Ther eaft er , once t he body is weakened, t he
r emaining fault s of t he mind should be er adicat ed by cont emplat ing,
I am t he t m , separ at e fr om desir es. In fact , I am complet ely
blissful. One who pr act ises t hese t wo met hods bodily r est r aint and
cont emplat ion of t he t m is a gr eat sdhu. If one has only bodily
r est r aint , but does not cont emplat e, t hen it is not appr opr iat e.
Conver sely, if one only cont emplat es, but does not r est r ain ones body,
t hen t hat is also not appropriat e. Therefore, one who has bot h is t he
best . Moreover, if t hese t wo met hods bodily r est r aint and
cont emplat ion are necessary for even householder satsangis t o
pr act ise, t hen a r enunciant should definit ely pr act ise t hem.
9 Then Nishkulnand Swmi asked, Mahr j, can one r emain
like t hat t hr ough cont emplat ion or t hr ough vairgya?
10 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, One r emains like t hat due t o t he
company of a gr eat sdhu. Fur t her mor e, one who is unable t o do so
even wit h t he company of a gr eat sdhu is a gr ave sinner .
11 Saying t hat , Shr iji Mahr j cont inued, If a r enunciant desir es
t o indulge in t he worldly pleasures which are appropriat e only for a
householder, t hen he is as good as an animal eat ing dr y gr ass. Why
The Vachanmr ut 220
is t hat ? Because even t hough he is never going t o acquir e t hose
object s, he st ill har bour s a desir e for t hem. It seems, t hen, t hat he
has not under st ood t hat fact pr oper ly, because, as t he saying goes,
what is t he point in asking t he name of a village which one is not
going t o visit ? If he does har bour a cr aving for t hose object s t hat he
has r enounced, will it be possible for him t o obt ain t hem dur ing t his
lifet ime? He can at t ain t hem only if he falls fr om Sat sang, but not
while r emaining in Sat sang. So, one who maint ains a desir e for
t hose pleasures while remaining in Sat sang is a fool. Why? Because,
whoever r emains in Sat sang is r equir ed t o comply by it s injunct ions.
For example, if a woman set s out t o become a sat i but t ur ns back
upon seeing t he fire, would her r elat ives allow her t o t ur n back?
They would for ce her t o bur n on her husbands funer al pyr e. Also, if
a Brhmin lady becomes a widow but cont inues t o dress like a
mar r ied woman, will her r elat ions allow it ? Cer t ainly t hey would
not . Thus, one who maint ains indecent swabhvs while r emaining
in Sat sang has not under st ood t his t alk. Because, if he had
under st ood it , such indecent swabhvs would not r emain.
12 Saying t his, Shr iji Mahr j bid J ai Swminr yan t o everyone
and depart ed t o go t o sleep.
K r iy n i-4
Awa r en ess of t h e J i va a n d t h e Wi t n ess
1 Four -and-a-half hour s aft er sunr ise on so vadi 8, Samvat 1877
[15 Oct ober 1820], Shr iji Mahr j was sit t ing on t he ver anda out side
t he nor t h-facing r ooms of Vast Khchar s darbr i n Kr iyni. He
befor e Him.
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, Please ask and answer
quest ions amongst your selves.
The Vachanmr ut 221
3 So Goplnand Swmi asked Bhajannand Swmi, In t his
body, how much awar eness is of t he jiva, and how much awar eness is
of t he wit ness
i
?
4 Bhajannand Swmi at t empt ed t o answer t he quest ion but was
unable t o do so.
5 Shr iji Mahr j t hen r eplied, The buddhi pervades t his body
fr om head t o t oe. As a r esult , it is simult aneously awar e of t he
act ivit ies of all of t he indriyas . The jiva r esides wit hin t hat buddhi
by per vading it . So, t he awar eness of t he buddhi is due t o t he
awareness of t he jiva. Similar ly, since t he wit ness r esides wit hin
t hat jiva, t he jivas awar eness is due t o t he wit nesss awar eness.
6 Ther eaft er Nit ynand Swmi asked Shr iji Mahr j, Mahr j,
t he wit ness does reside wit hin t he jiva. But r ealising t hat t hat which
is a wit ness must possess a for m, t he quest ion is how can t hat which
possesses a form also be pervasive?
7 Hear ing t his, Shr iji Mahr j explained, That which possesses a
for m can also be per vasive. For example, Agnidev possesses a
definit e for m when r esiding in his r ealm, but t hr ough his power s, he
is lat ent wit hin wood. Similar ly, God possesses a definit e for m in His
Akshardh m, but t hr ough His antarym i powers, He pervades t he
jivas and funct ions as if He possesses a for m. Ther efor e, even t hat
antarym i for m should be considered t o possess a form.
K r iy n i-5
God s P u r p ose for Assu mi n g a n Ava t r
1 On so vadi 14, Samvat 1877 [4 November 1820], Swmi Shr i
Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing on a canopied cot on t he veranda
out side t he nor t h-facing r ooms of Vast Khchar s darbr in
Kr iyni. He was dr essed ent ir ely in whit e clot hes. At t hat t ime, an
2 Then Shr iji Mahr j said, I wish t o ask a quest ion.

i
Thr oughout t his par t icular Vachanmr ut , wit ness r efer s t o God.
The Vachanmr ut 222
3 The munis responded by saying, Mahr j, please do ask.
4 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j asked, God assumes an avat r on
ear t h t o gr ant liber at ion t o t he jivas. But is He not capable of
gr ant ing liber at ion while r emaining in His abode, wit hout assuming
an avat r? Aft er all, God can gr ant liber at ion in any manner He
wishes. What , t hen, is t he pur pose of Him assuming an avat r on
ear t h? Fur t her mor e, if God can only gr ant liber at ion when He
assumes an avat r, and He is incapable of gr ant ing liber at ion
ot her wise, it would suggest t hat much of a weakness in God. But in
r ealit y, God is capable of gr ant ing liber at ion t o t he jivas by assuming
an avat r, and He is also capable of grant ing liberat ion t o t he jivas
wit hout assuming an avat r. So, t hen, what is t he purpose of God
assuming an avat r on ear t h? That is t he quest ion.
5 The senior sdhus answer ed accor ding t o t heir own
under st anding but wer e unable t o answer Shr iji Mahr js quest ion
sat isfact or ily. As Shr iji Mahr j r a ised doubt s t o t heir answer s,
t heir answer s wer e all r efut ed. The munis t hen folded t heir hands
and request ed, Mahr j, only You ar e capable of answer ing t his
quest ion.
6 So Shr iji Mahr j explained, God assumes an avat r for only
one r eason: Having sur r endered Himself t o t he bhakti of t hose
devot ees who have int ense love for Him, God assumes whichever
for m t he devot ees wish for in or der t o gr ant t hem bliss. He t hen
fulfills all of t he desires of His devot ees. Since t he devot ees are
corporeal and have ph ysical bodies, God also becomes corporeal,
assumes a physical body and showers affect ion upon t hose devot ees.
In addit ion t o t his, He suppresses His powers and behaves wit h t he
devot ees as a son, or as an int imat e companion, or as a fr iend, or as a
r elat ive. Because of t his, t he devot ee may not maint ain much
prot ocol wit h God. Nonet heless, God showers His affect ion upon t he
devot ee in whichever manner he desir es.
7 Thus, t he only r eason God assumes an avat r is t o fulfill t he
desires of His beloved devot ees. Along wit h t his, He gr ant s liber at ion
t o innumer able ot her jivas and also est ablishes dharma. Now if
t her e is any doubt in what I have just said, please speak.
8 The munis replied, Mahr j, Your r eply is most appr opr iat e.
The Vachanmr ut 223
K r iy n i-6
On e Wh o P os s e s s e s Ma t s a r
1 On so vadi Ams, t he day of Diwli, Samvat 1877 [5 November
1820], a row of oil lamps had been arranged around a dais which had
been erect ed in front of t he nort h-facing r ooms of Vast Khchar s
darbr i n Kr iyni. Ther e, Swmi Shr i Sahajnandji Mahr j was
sit t ing on a decorat ed, canopied cot t hat had been placed on t hat dais.
He was wear ing a r ed survl made of kinkhb wit h golden
embr oider y. He was also wear ing a black, kinkhb dagli wit h t he
wor ds Nar nr yan-Swminr yan impr int ed upon it . Ar ound His
head He had t ied an orange pgh wit h a border of golden t hreads. He
had also t ied a sky-blue coloured fet o t ight ly ar ound His waist .
Moreover, garlands of yellow flowers ador ned His neck. At t hat t ime,
2 A devot ee from t he island of Deev had come on t hat occasion.
She r equest ed Shr iji Mahr j t o allow her t o per for m His puja.
Accept ing her r equest , Shr iji Mahr j came down fr om His or nat e
seat , approached t he devot ee and accept ed her puja. Then, aft er
accept ing t he clot hes, a yellow umbrella and a pair of wooden
chkhdis offer ed by her , He r et ur ned t o His seat .
3 Then Shr iji Mahr j said, For so many year s devot ees have
been offering clot hes and t housands of rupees wort h of jewellery t o
Me, but never have I gone of My own accor d t o r eceive t hem as I just
did. Moreover, never have I become as pleased by wearing t he clot hes
and jeweller y offered by ot hers as I have just now. I have become
ext remely pleased upon t hat devot ee t oday.
4 The munis comment ed, That devot ee t r uly does have such
love. In t he meant ime, Dinnt h Bhat t arrived, bowed at t he feet of
Shr iji Mahr j and sat down. Subsequent ly, Shr iji Mahr j gave all
of t he r ichly embr oider ed clot hes t o him.
5 Mukt nand Swmi t hen asked, Mahr j, by which vir t ue is
God pleased upon a devot ee?
6 Shr iji Mahr j replied, God is pleased wit h a devot ee who
becomes free of lust , anger , avar ice, deceit , egot ism, jealousy and
matsar , and t hen offers bhakti t o God. But amongst all of t hose,
matsar is t he r oot of all vices. That is why in t he Shr imad Bhgwat ,
Shr i Vysji has not ed t hat only t he sdhu who is wit hout matsar is
The Vachanmr ut 224
wort hy t o possess bhgwat dharma. Consequent ly, matsar is subt ler
t han all of t he ot her vices. Also, it is ext r emely difficult t o er adicat e
matsar .
7 Ther eupon Br ahmnand Swmi asked, What is t he met hod for
er adicat ing matsar ?
8 Shr iji Mahr j replied, One who is a sdhu, and t reads t he
pat h of a sdhu, will be able t o eradicat e matsar . However , if a
person does not desire t o t read t he pat h of a sdhu, t he matsar
wit hin him will never be eradicat ed.
9 Again Mukt nand Swmi asked, What causes mat sar?
10 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, Ther e ar e t hr ee causes of matsar :
women, wealt h and sumpt uous food. But for one who does not have
any of t hese t hr ee, egot ism is t he cause of matsar . Moreover, for one
who possesses matsar , t he fact t hat I have given t hese clot hes t o
Dinnt h Bhat t must have led t o matsar . Such a per son would
never t hink, The per son who br ought such r ichly embr oider ed
clot hes and offered t hem t o Mahr j should be commended. Mahr j
should also be commended since He immediat ely gave t hem away t o
a Brhmin. Such a t hought would never ar ise in t he hear t of one
who possesses matsar . Even if someone else gives somet hing and
someone else receives it , a person who possesses matsar bur ns wit h
envy unnecessar ily.
11 As for Me, not even t he slight est bit of lust , anger , avar ice,
egot ism, matsar or jealousy ent er s My hear t . Also, in My hear t , I
experience a st rong aversion for t he panchvishays, namely sight s,
sounds, smells, t ast es and t ouch. In fact , I do not have even t he
slight est int er est in any one of t he panchvishays. Whenever I accept
food or clot hes, I do so on seeing t he bhakti of t he devot ees; never do I
accept t hem for My own physical pleasur e. In fact , all of My act ions
of eat ing, dr inking, wear ing, et c., ar e for t he sake of all t he sdhus
and satsangis . If I feel t hat it is for My own sake and not for t heir
sake, t hen I would immediat ely discar d it . Act ually, t he only r eason
I keep t his physical body is for t he sake of t he satsangis ; besides t hat ,
t her e is no ot her r eason. Devot ees such as Mulji Br ahmachr i,
Soml Khchar and ot hers who have been st aying close t o Me for so
many year s, know My nat ur e and r ealise, Besides t he devot ees of
God, Mahr j does not have affect ion for anyone else. In fact ,
Mahr j is unaffect ed by anyt hing, just like ksh. In t his manner ,
t hose who const ant ly st ay near Me know My nat ur e. In fact , I have
The Vachanmr ut 225
sacrificed My body for t he sake of t hose who are devot ees of God by
word, t hought and deed. Ther efor e, in all ways, I am at t ached t o
whosoever is a devot ee of God. To Me t he wealt h of t he 14 realms,
wit hout t he devot ees of God, seems as wort hless as a blade of grass.
12 In addit ion, even t hose who are devot ees of God and have
resolut e love only for God, will not find pleasure in ent icing vishays.
Alt hough t hey may sust ain t he body wit h or dinar y vishays, t hey
immediat ely become deject ed by ent icing vishays. So, only such a
person can be considered a complet ely perfect devot ee of God.
K r iy n i-7
Va ir gya Du e t o Obsessi on ; Ult i ma t e Li ber a t i on
1 On t he night of Kr t ik sudi 1, Samvat 1877 [6 November 1820],
a row of oil lamps had been arranged around a dais in front of t he
nor t h-facing r ooms of Vast Khchar s darbr i n Kr iyni. Ther e,
Shr iji Mahr j was sit t ing on a cot t hat had been placed on t hat dais.
of paramhansas as well as devot ees from various places had gat hered
befor e Him.
2 Ther eupon Kshids of t he village of Bochsan asked Shr iji
Mahr j a quest ion: Mahr j, r enunciant s follow t he pat h of
nivrut t i; t hus, t hey ar e able t o keep t heir vrut t i const ant ly on God.
But householders follow t he pat h of pravrut t i; hence, t hey ar e
plagued wit h count less worldly pr oblems. What under st anding,
t hen, must a householder maint ain in or der t o fix his vrut t i
const ant ly on God?
3 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, The householder should believe, J ust as
I had par ent s, wives and childr en dur ing my past lives in t he cycle of
8.4 million life for ms
3
, I have t he same in t his life as well. In fact ,
t her e must be many mot her s, sist er s and daught er s fr om many past
lives wander ing ar ound, and yet , just as I do not have any sense of
my-ness for t hem, similar ly, I should not keep any sense of my-ness
for t he r elat ions of t his body eit her . Thinking in t his manner , if he
diver t s his affect ion fr om ever yt hing else, and maint ains fir m
affect ion only t owards God, and keeps t he company of a sdhu, t hen
The Vachanmr ut 226
even a householders vrut t i can r emain con st ant ly fixed on God, just
like t he vrut t i of a r enunciant .
4 Hear ing t hese wor ds of Shr iji Mahr j, all of t he householders
present in t he assembly folded t heir hands and asked, Mahr j,
what will become of t he householder who is unable t o behave in t hat
manner ?
5 Shr iji Mahr j answered, I spoke in reference t o a person who,
having eradicat ed all desires for all object s except God, keeps his
vrut t i const ant ly on God. But someone who is not so st r ong should
abide by t he codes of dharma of Sat sang. He should also rely on t he
st rengt h of God and t he S ant, whose r efuge he has t aken, by
believing, God is t he saviour of t he sinners and t he uplift er of t he
fallen, and I have at t ained Him in per son. Hear ing such wor ds
fr om Shr iji Mahr j, t he devot ees became ext remely pleased.
6 Shr iji Mahr j t hen asked t he sdhus, What causes vairgya t o
ar ise?
7 The sdhus r eplied accor ding t o t heir under st anding, but Shr iji
Mahr js quest ion could not be answer ed sat isfact or ily. So t he
munis said, Mahr j, You will have t o answer t hat quest ion.
8 Shr iji Mahr j explained, Upon hearing t he words of t he
scr ipt ur es and t he satpurush, developing an obsession t hat does not
diminish once developed is t he only cause for vairgya; t her e is no
ot her cause. Whoever is obsessed in such a manner will develop
vairgya, r egar dless of whet her he is t masik, rjasik or sttvik. On
t he ot her hand, if a person does not have such an obsession, he will
not develop vairgya. Also, if someones obsession diminishes aft er a
few days, t hen t he vairgya t hat develops can cause t remendous
har m. How? Well, when he does have t he obsession, he r enounces
and leaves his home. Then, aft er he accept s t he saffr on r obes, t he
obsession t hat he had previously developed subsides; but t he house he
left behind would be in r uins. Then, like t he dog of a washer man
who is fed neit her at home nor at t he r iver , he falls fr om bot h pat hs.
On t he ot her hand, t hose who have fir m vairgya at t ain t he highest
st at e of enlight enment .
9 Then Shr iji Mahr j, in an ext r emely pleased mood, asked
anot her quest ion t o t he paramhansas : What is ult imat e liber at ion?
Also, how does one who has at t ained God-r ealisat ion and ult imat e
liber at ion feel in all of his act ivit ies?
The Vachanmr ut 227
10 The munis answered accor ding t o t heir under st anding, but
Shr iji Mahr js quest ion was not answer ed sat isfact or ily. So, all of
t he munis folded t heir hands and said t o Shriji Mahr j, Mahr j,
You will have t o answer t hat quest ion.
11 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, Dur ing t he dissolut ion of t he
brahmnd, t he 24 element s
2
, which have evolved fr om Pr akr ut i, ar e
assimilat ed int o Pr akr ut i. Then Pr akr ut i-Pur ush also disappear in
t he divine light of Akshar br ahma, aft er which only t he concent r at ed
light char act er ised by et er nal exist ence, consciousness and bliss
r emains. The divine for m of Pur ushot t am Bhagwn Vsudev is
const ant ly pr esent in t hat divine light . Thr ough t hat divine for m,
He Himself becomes visible t o ever yone and manifest s on ear t h in
human for m for t he pur pose of grant ing liberat ion t o t he jivas. But
t he jivas on ear t h who ar e ignor ant fools claim t hat God has m yik
gunas wit hin Him. In r ealit y, t hough, He does not have any m yik
gunas wit hin Him. He is for ever guntit and has a divine for m.
Moreover, it is t hat ver y same God, who has a for m and is divine,
t hat t he Vednt a scr ipt ur es pr opound as being uncut t able,
unpier ceable, nirgun, and per vading ever ywher e. It is t o dispel t he
m yik view fr om t he mind of t he jiva t hat He has been propounded as
being nirgun. That God r emains as He is dur ing t he t ime of
cr eat ion, sust enance and dissolut ion of t he cosmos; i.e., He does not
under go any changes like wor ldly object s do. He always maint ains a
divine for m. Having such a fir m convict ion of t he manifest for m of
Pur ushot t am is called ult imat e liber at ion.
12 One who has at t ained God-r ealisat ion t hr ough such a convict ion
exper iences t he following: Wher ever he cast s his eyes among all t he
mobile and immobile for ms he sees t he form of God as if it is before
his eyes, t he same for m t hat const ant ly r emains in Akshar dh m
even aft er t he dissolut ion of t he body, t he brahmnd and Pr akr ut i-
Pur ush. Ot her t han t hat
form, he does not perceive even an at om. These are t he
char act er ist ics of one who has at t ained God-r ealisat ion.
The Vachanmr ut 228
K r iy n i-8
Th e Sa gu n a n d Ni r gu n For ms of God
1 On Kr t ik sudi 4, Samvat 1877 [9 November 1820], Shr iji
t he nor t h-facing r ooms of Vast Khchar s darbr i n Kr iyni. He
Him.
2 Ther eupon Mukt nand Swmi asked a quest ion: Mahr j, t he
Vedas, t he Shst r as, t he Pur ns and t he It ihs scr ipt ur es have
described t he sagun form of God and have also described His nirgun
form. So how should one underst and t he nirgun for m, and how
should one underst and t he sagun for m of Shr i Pur ushot t am? Also,
how much does a devot ee of God benefit by underst anding t he nirgun
for m of t hat God, and how much does he benefit by under st anding
t he sagun form of t hat God?
3 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, The nirgun for m of God is much subt ler
t han t hat which is subt le. It is t he t m of all of t he element s such
as prut hvi, jal, et c.; it is t he t m of Pradh n-Pur ush, which ar e
higher t han t hose element s; and it is t he t m of pur e Pur ush and
Pr akr ut i which ar e t hemselves higher t han Pr adh n-Pur ush; it is
t he t m of even Akshar who is higher t han t hem. All of t hese
const it ut e t he sharir of God. J ust as t he jiva is subt ler , pur er and of
gr eat er luminosit y t han t he body, in t he same manner , compar ed t o
all of t he ot her ent it ies, God is much mor e subt le, pur e, unaffect ed
and luminous. For example, ksh pervades t he four bhuts
prut hvi, jal, et c. Mor eover , it r emains unaffect ed by t hose four
bhuts, and t he influences of t hose four bhuts do not affect ksh. In
fact , despit e dwelling in t hose four bhuts, ksh r emains absolut ely
unaffect ed. In t he same way, Pur ushot t am Bhagwn dwells in all as
t heir t m . Despit e t his, He is absolut ely unchanged and unt aint ed,
and He maint ains His own unique char act er ist ics; no one is capable
of becoming like Him. For example, ksh dwells in t he four bhuts,
yet t he four bhuts are incapable of becoming unaffect ed and
unt aint ed like ksh. Similar ly, Pur ushot t am Bhagwn is t he t m
of all, yet no one up t o and including Akshar is capable of becoming
as power ful as Pur ushot t am Bhagwn. In t his manner , being
ext r emely subt le, ext r emely unaffect ed, ext r emely pur e, ext r emely
unt aint ed, ext r emely luminous, and possessing t r emendous, divine
The Vachanmr ut 229
powers is t he nirgun aspect of t he form of t hat God. For example, if
Mount Gir nr were t o be placed next t o Mount Lok lok it would
appear ext r emely small. Mount Gir nr does not become smaller in
any way, but before t he ext reme vast ness of Lok lok, it appear s
small. In t he same manner , befor e t he vast ness of Pur ushot t am
Bhagwn, count less millions of brahmnds, each encir cled by t he
eight bar r ier s
5
, appear ext r emely minut e, like mer e at oms. Those
brahmnds do not become smaller, but before t he vast ness of God
t hey appear small. In t his way, t he ext r eme vast ness of the form of
God is t he sagun aspect of God.
4 Then someone may doubt , In His nirgun for m, God is subt ler
t han t he ext r emely subt le, and in His sagun for m, He is mor e vast
t han t he ext r emely vast . What , t hen, is t he nat ur e of t he or iginal
for m of God, who assumes bot h of t hese for ms?
5 The answer t o t hat is t hat t he manifest for m of God visible in a
human for m is t he et er nal and or iginal for m of God. His nirgun and
sagun aspect s ar e t he special, divine power s of t hat for m. For
example, Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn and Ar jun sat in a char iot and went
t o ret rieve t he son of t he Brhmin. Aft er cr ossing Mount Lok lok,
t hey reached t he darkness of m y. Shr i Kr ishna pierced t hat m y
using his Sudar shan Chakr a. Then, r eaching t he light of Br ahma,
which t r anscends t hat m y, he ret rieved t he son of t he Brhmin
fr om Bhum-Pur ush who r esides t her e. In t hat sit uat ion, t he
char iot and hor ses wer e m yik and physical, but t hr ough cont act
wit h Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn, t hey became ext r emely subt le and like
chaitanya; t her eby, t hey r eached t he nirgun Brahmadh m of God.
In t his way, t o impar t subt let y t o physical object s is t he nirgun
aspect of Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwns for m.
6 Fur t her mor e, t hat same Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn showed t he
whole brahmnd, including t he eight bar r ier s
5
which encir cle it , in
his own mout h t o his mot her , Yashodji. To Ar jun, he also r evealed
t he Vishwar up for m in his own for m. At t hat t ime, wit h t he
except ion of Arjun, ot hers saw t he form of God as being t hree-and-a-
half ar ms in height . Mor eover , when God assumed t he avat r of
Vman, he init ially gave darshan in t he form of a dwarf. Aft er he
made Bali r elinquish as much land as could be cover ed in t hr ee
foot st eps, he increased t he size of his own form t o such an ext ent t hat
one foot st ep alone covered t he seven pt ls, wit h his own body
cover ing t he ent ir e sky. Wit h his second foot st ep, he cover ed t he
The Vachanmr ut 230
seven swargs and pierced t he out er shell of t he brahmnd. King Bali
saw t his vast for m of God, but ot her s only saw t he dwar f for m
assumed by God exact ly as it was visible. In t his way, Gods
vast ness, which is even mor e vast t han t he ext r emely vast , is t he
sagun aspect of Gods for m. For example, t he sky is cloudless dur ing
wint er and summer , but when monsoon ar r ives, it becomes over cast
wit h innumer able clust er s of clouds. Wit h t ime, t hese clouds for m in
t he sky and lat er disper se again. In t he same way, by His own will,
God r eveals His divine power s fr om Himself in t heir nirgun and
sagun aspect s and also wit hdr aws t hem back wit hin Himself. That
God appears t o be like a human, but no one is able t o fat hom t he
limit s of His great ness. If a devot ee realises t he nirgun and sagun
aspect s in Gods for m in t his manner , t hen kl, karma and m y
would be incapable of binding him, and t hroughout t he day he would
cont inuously exper ience wonder in his hear t .
K r iy n i-9
Obst i n a cy li k e a Bu ffa lo
1 On Kr t ik sudi 5, Samvat 1877 [10 November 1820], Swmi
Shr i Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing on a large, decorat ed cot on
t he veranda out side t he nort h-facing r ooms of Vast Khchar s
darbr i n Kr iyni. He was dr essed ent ir ely in whit e clot hes. At
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j asked a quest ion t o Nit ynand Swmi
and Br ahmnand Swmi: Suppose t her e is someone who has such a
spit eful obst inacy t hat once he develops a grudge for someone, he
never for sakes t hat gr udge; inst ead, he cont inues t o be obst inat e like
a buffalo. Can such a person be called a sdhu or not ?
3 Bot h replied, One who is like t hat cannot be called a sdhu.
4 Then Mukt nand Swmi asked a quest ion: Mahr j, it may be
t he case t hat a devot ee of God finds a fault in some ot her devot ee, and
due t o t hat , he develops spit e for t hat devot ee. How can one eradicat e
t he percept ion of t hat flaw?
5 Shr iji Mahr j replied, A person who possesses t he bhakti of
God in his heart and realises t he great ness of God would never find a
The Vachanmr ut 231
fault in a devot ee of God, and he would never develop a spit eful
obst inacy t owards a devot ee of God. For example, Uddhavji had
underst ood t he great ness of God, and t herefore asked for a boon: May
I be r ebor n as any of t he vines, blades of gr ass or shr ubs in
Vr undvan in order t o have t he privilege of being t ouched by t he dust
of t he feet of t hese gopis. Also, Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn t old Baldevji
t hat t he t r ees, bir ds and deer in Vr undvan ar e ext r emely for t unat e.
Even Br ahm asked for a boon from Shri Kr ishna Bhagwn: O God!
May I be so highly blessed t o be able t o serve your holy feet in t he
midst of your ser vant s, eit her in t his life, or in t he life of an animal
or bir d.
6 Therefore, one who underst ands t he great ness of a devot ee of
God in t his way will never develop a grudge due t o a persons flaws.
Mor eover , one who under st ands such gr eat ness never t akes int o
account even minor dr awbacks t hat ar e pr esent in a devot ee of t he
manifest for m of ones own Ishtadev. In fact , one who r ealises t he
gr eat ness of God looks upon even animals, t r ees, shr ubs, et c., which
have come int o cont act wit h God as equivalent t o deit ies. If t hat is
so, what can be said of t hose people who are engaged in t he bhakti of
God, abiding by r eligious vows, and chant ing t he name of God? He
would cer t ainly look upon t hem as equivalent t o deit ies and would not
t hink ill of t hem.
7 Therefore, one who underst ands t he great ness of God does not
develop animosit y t owards devot ees of God. On t he ot her hand, one
who does not underst and such great ness does develop animosit y
t owards t hem. Therefore, one who does not realise t he great ness of
God and Gods devot ees should be known as being half-fallen , even if
he is a satsangi. Mor eover , only one who under st ands t he gr eat ness
of God and t he devot ees of God should be known t o be a perfect
satsangi.
K r iy n i-10
Ch eck i n g t h e P u lse; Au st er i t i es
1 On t he night of Kr t ik sudi 10, Samvat 1877 [15 November
1820], Swmi Shr i Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing in one of t he
east -facing r ooms of Vast Khchar s darbr i n Kr iyni. At t hat
t ime, t en or t welve senior sdhus and five or six devot ees were sit t ing
The Vachanmr ut 232
befor e Him. Shr iji Mahr j seemed t o have a fever, and so He was
war ming Himself in front of a char coal st ove t hat had been placed
befor e Him.
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j t old Mukt nand Swmi, Please
check My pulse. It seems as if t her e is a slight illness in My body.
3 Then, aft er checking His pulse, Mukt nand Swmi said,
Mahr j! It seems t o be a ser ious illness. Saying t his, he
cont inued, Mahr j, it seems t hat t he t imes ar e t ough for t he
satsangis r ight now; aft er all, Mahr j! You ar e as vit al t o t he
satsangis as t heir lives, and any illness in Your body is t he ver y
definit ion of a difficult period for all satsangis .
4 Hear ing t his, Shr iji Mahr j said, In order t o please God,
Nr adji per for med st r ingent aust er it ies by endur ing cold and heat ,
hunger and t hir st for many yugs; and due t o t his, he was able t o
please God. In t he same way, a person who is wise deliberat ely
per for ms aust er it ies by r est r aining his body and indriyas . Thus, a
sdhu who is wise should also behave so as t o deliberat ely induce
suffering t o his body and indriyas . If t hat is so, why should he wish
t o r elieve what ever suffer ing comes his way due t o Gods wish?
5 Mor eover , a r enunciant sdhu should fir mly maint ain t he
following wish in his mind: I do not desire t he pleasures of t he
panchvishays found in Devlok, Br ahmalok, Vaikunt h and ot her
r ealms. In t his ver y body, or by going t o Badr ikshr am and
Shwet dwip aft er I die, I wish t o please God by performing aust erit ies.
Fur t her mor e, even if it t akes one life or t wo lives or a t housand lives,
I wish t o please God only by per for ming aust er it ies.
6 Fur t her mor e, t he jivas liberat ion is at t ained only by t he
following under st anding: Ever yt hing happens by t he will of t he
incar nat e for m of Shr i Kr ishna Nr yan, not by kl, karma, m y,
et c. In t his manner , under st anding only God t o be t he all-doer is t he
supr eme cause of liber at ion. Per for ming aust er it ies, however , ear ns
Gods pleasur e. Yet even while per for ming aust er it ies, one should
keep such feelings as Rdhikji and Lakshmiji keep for God when
offering profound, loving bhakti. St ill, if a per son under st ands only
God t o be t he all-doer , t hen even if he does not perform aust erit ies,
his jiva over comes t he miser y of bir t hs and deat hs. But wit hout
performing aust erit ies, Gods pleasure is not best owed upon t hat jiva.
The Vachanmr ut 233
7 There is no sinner worse t han t he person who does not realise
God t o be t he all-doer . In fact , he should be known t o be a sinner
wor se t han one who has killed a cow, killed a Brhmin, associat ed
wit h t he wife of ones own gur u or maligned a t r ue gur u who is a
knower of Br ahma. Why? Because he believes kl, karma, et c., t o be
t he cause of ever yt hing, not God. In fact , one should not even st and
in t he shadow of such persons who are nstik out cast s, nor should
one list en t o t heir t alks, even unknowingly.
8 Furt hermore, by t he grace of God, t hose who are devot ees of
God may become like Br ahm, Shiv, Shukji or Nr ad; t hey may even
become like Pr akr ut i-Pur ush; or t hey may become like Br ahma or
Akshar . However , no one is capable of becoming like Shr i
Pur ushot t am Nr yan. Ther efor e, just as one shuns a vile per son,
one should immediat ely shun t he company of t hose persons and t hose
scr ipt ur es t hat r efut e t he upsan of God and break ones mast er -
ser vant r elat ionship wit h God.
9 Then Mukt nand Swmi asked, Mahr j, a devot ee who serves
God by offer ing beaut iful clot hes, jeweller y, var ious t ypes of food, et c.,
also desires t o please God. Yet , you are saying t hat one can only
please God t hr ough aust er it ies. What , t hen, is inappr opr iat e about
pleasing God t hr ough such offer ings, wit hout r esor t ing t o
aust er it ies?
10 Shr iji Mahr j replied, If t he person who is offering bhakti t o
God wit h such lavish object s does so wit hout any desir es, solely for
t he pur pose of ear ning Gods pleasur e, t hen it is all r ight . If, on t he
ot her hand, he is t empt ed by t hose object s, viewing t hem t o be Gods
prasd, and, leaving God aside, if he develops affect ion for t hose
object s, t hen by indulging in t he vishays, he will become engr ossed in
t hem and cor r upt ed by t hem t hat is what is inappr opr iat e.
Therefore, a renunciant should realise God t o be t he all-doer and
st rive t o please God only by performing aust erit ies. He should also
worship God by offering profound, loving bhakti in t he manner of
Rdhikji and Lakshmiji. That is My pr inciple.
11 Ther eaft er , Br ahmnand Swmi asked, Mahr j, please t ell us
how we can benefit in t his r ealm and in t he r ealm we at t ain aft er
deat h?
12 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, The pr inciple t hat I have just explained
is it self t he only means t o at t ain supr eme bliss, in t his r ealm and in
ot her r ealms.
The Vachanmr ut 234
13 Then Goplnand Swmi asked, Mahr j, in ones mind one
may have gr eat zeal t o cult ivat e t he vir t ue of r enunciat ion and
per for m aust er it ies. But if some obst acle is encount er ed in t he
process, what should one do?
14 Shr iji Mahr j replied, A person who has great zeal in any
endeavour would never be hindered, even if he were t o face t housands
of obst acles. That should be known t o be t r ue zeal. J ust see, it has
been 21 years since I fir st met Rmnand Swmi. Dur ing t his
period, I have come across count less devot ees who have been offering
a count less var iet y of clot hes, jeweller y, food and dr ink, et c. Despit e
t his, My mind has never been t empt ed by any of t hose object s. Why?
Because I have zeal only for r enunciat ion.
15 Fur t her mor e, in t his wor ld t her e ar e so many widows who,
following t he deat h of t heir husbands, cont inue t o lament bit t er ly; on
t he ot her hand, t her e ar e also many women who r enounce t heir
wedded husbands and engage t hemselves in wor shipping God.
Similar ly, t her e ar e so many foolish men who mour n t he loss of t heir
own wives and cont inue hanker ing aft er ot her women; on t he ot her
hand, t her e ar e so many men wit h vairgya, who r enounce t heir own
wedded wives and engage t hemselves in wor shipping God. In t his
manner, each and every person has a different t ype of zeal.
16 But My zeal and pr inciple is just t his: One should st r ive t o
please God by performing aust erit ies. And r ealising God t o be t he all-
doer , one should offer bhakti t o Him while maint aining a mast er -
ser vant r elat ionship. Also, one should not allow t he upsan of t hat
God t o be violat ed in any way. All of you should accept t hese words of
Mine as t he most supr eme pr inciple.
K r iy n i-11
Th e Ch a r a ct er i st i c of Affect i on
1 On t he night of Kr t ik sudi 11, Samvat 1877 [16 November
1820], Shr iji Mahr j was sit t ing on t he veranda out side t he east -
facing r ooms of Vast Khchar s darbr in Kr iyni. He was
wear ing a whit e khes and a whit e dagli made of chhint. He had also
t ied a whit e pgh ar ound His head and was wear ing gar lands of
yellow and red guldvadi flowers. Tassels of yellow flowers were also
The Vachanmr ut 235
dangling fr om His pgh. In addit ion to t his, t wo bar ber s holding
t or ches wer e st anding befor e Him, one on eit her side. At t hat t ime,
2 Ther eupon Sachchidnand Swmi asked Shr iji Mahr j, What
ar e t he charact erist ics of a person who has affect ion for God?
3 Shr iji Mahr j replied, He who has affect ion for his beloved,
God, will never disobey t he wishes of his beloved. That is t he
char act er ist ic of affect ion. To t ake an example, t he gopis had
affect ion for Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn. So, when Shr i Kr ishna
Bhagwn prepared t o leave for Mat hur, all of t hem t oget her decided,
We will infr inge t he nor ms of family t r adit ions and societ y, and we
will keep God her e by for ce. However , at t he t ime of Shr i Kr ishna
Bhagwns depart ure, t hey looked int o his eyes and realised t hat it
was not his wish t o st ay. As a r esult , all of t hem r emained far away,
because in t heir hear t s, t hey fear ed, If we do not act accor ding t o
Gods liking, Gods affect ion for us will subside. Thinking in t his
way, none of t hem were able t o ut t er a word.
4 Then, aft er God went t o Mat hur , even t hough Shr i Kr ishna
was only t hr ee gus away, t he gopis never disobeyed his wishes by
going for his darshan . They realised, If we do go t o Mat hur
cont r ar y t o Gods wish, t hen t he affect ion t hat God has for us will
diminish.
5 Ther efor e, t he char act er ist ic of affect ion is exact ly t his: One
who has t r ue affect ion for a per son act s accor ding t o t he per sons
wishes. If he realises his beloved t o be pleased by his st aying near by,
t hen he st ays near by. On t he ot her hand, if he r ealises his beloved t o
be pleased by his st aying away, t hen he st ays away; but in no way
does he behave cont r ar y t o his beloveds wish. That is t he
charact erist ic of affect ion. So, since t he gopis had t rue affect ion for
God, t hey did not go for Gods darshan wit hout his command. Only
when God sent for t hem in Kur ukshet r a did t hey have t he darshan of
God, but in no way did t hey disobey Gods command. Ther efor e, a
person who has affect ion for God would never disobey Gods
command. He would only act accor ding t o Gods wishes. That is t he
char act er ist ic of affect ion.
6 Then Shr iji Mahr j said, Now let Me ask a quest ion.
7 The munis responded, Mahr j, please do ask.
The Vachanmr ut 236
8 Shr iji Mahr j t hen said, Except for t hose vishays which ar e
relat ed t o God, a devot ee of God t reat s all ot her vishays as vain.
Thus, he associat es in t he five ways
i
only wit h God. Now, suppose
God were t o issue t he following command t o such a devot ee: Live
away fr om Me. In t hat sit uat ion, if he keeps a selfish desir e for
Gods darshan , it would amount t o disobeying t he command; and if
he does not follow t he command, t hen t he love t hat God harbours
t owards t hat devot ee would not remain. Ther efor e, just as t hat
devot ee has forsaken t he worldly vishays, i.e., sight s, sounds, smells,
t ast es and t ouch, does he also forsake t he vishays relat ed t o God, or
does he not ? That is t he quest ion.
9 Each of t he munis gave an answer accor ding t o his level of
int elligence, but t he quest ion was not answer ed sat isfact or ily. They
t hen said t o Shr iji Mahr j, Mahr j, You will have t o provide t he
answer .
10 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j replied, If a devot ee has deep
affect ion for God and t reat s t he worldly panchvishays t hat ar e not
relat ed t o God as vain, and if he is firmly at t ached t o God via t he
panchvishays, t hen wher ever such a devot ee goes by Gods command,
t he form of God also goes wit h him. Moreover, just as t hat devot ee
cannot r emain wit hout God, in exact ly t he same way, God also
cannot remain wit hout t hat devot ee. In fact , He does not leave t he
heart of t hat devot ee even for a fract ion of a second. Therefore, such
a devot ee does, in fact , const ant ly maint ain cont act wit h God in t he
five ways. How? Because t he same panchvishays t hat no being can
st ay wit hout , t hat devot ee has consider ed t o be vain; inst ead, he has
at t ached himself t o God in t he five ways. Therefore, t hat devot ee
maint ains a const ant r elat ionship wit h God.

i
Her e, t he five ways of associat ing wit h God r efer s t o associat ing wit h God
t hr ough t he five vishays, i.e. sight s, sounds, smells, t ast es and t ouch of God.
The Vachanmr ut 237
K r iy n i-12
Dest r oyi n g t h e K r a n Bod y; A Ta ma r i n d Seed
1 On Kr t ik sudi Punam, Samvat 1877 [20 November 1820],
cot on t he veranda out side t he east -facing r ooms of Vast Khchar s
darbr i n Kr iyni. He was wear ing a whit e khes and a whit e dagli
made of chhint. He had also t ied a whit e fet o wit h a bokni ar ound
His head. At t hat t ime, an assembly of paramhansas as well as
devot ees from various places had gat her ed befor e Him.
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, Please init iat e a quest ion -
answer session.
3 Ther eaft er , t he munis asked quest ions amongst t hemselves for
quit e some t ime, wherein t he t opic of t he t hree bodies of t he jiva
sthul, sukshma and kran ; and t he t hree bodies of ishwar virt ,
sut rt m and avykrut, arose.
4 Shr iji Mahr j t hen comment ed, The kran body is t he m y of
t he jiva. That same kran body evolves int o t he sthul and sukshma
bodies. Thus, all t hr ee t he sthul, sukshma and kran bodies can
be said t o be t he m y of t he jiva. In t he same manner , virt ,
sut rt m and avykrut can be said t o be t he m y of ishwar.
5 This m y of t he jiva, i.e., t he kran body, is at t ached so
st r ongly t o t he jiva t hat t hey cannot be separat ed by any means
what soever . However , if a per son at t ains t he company of t he S ant,
realises t he form of God t hrough t he words of t hat S ant, medit at es on
t hat for m of God and imbibes t he words of God in his heart , t hen t he
kran body at t ached t o his jiva is bur nt complet ely.
6 For example, t he skin of a t amar ind seed is ext r emely fir mly
at t ached t o t he seed. But when t he seed is roast ed over a fire, t he
skin is burnt and becomes det ached. It can t hen be peeled off easily
by r ubbing t he seed in ones hands. Similar ly, when t he kran body
is roast ed by t he medit at ion and words of God, it becomes separat ed
fr om t he jiva just as easily as one rubs off t he skin of a roast ed
t amar ind seed. However , even if one wer e t o t r y a million ot her
met hods, one could not dest roy t he jivas ignor ance in t he for m of t he
kran body.
7 Ther eaft er , Shr iji Mahr j asked a quest ion t o t he munis :
Dur ing t he waking st at e, sattvagun prevails and one has knowledge
The Vachanmr ut 238
of all object s. However, despit e having heard somet hing in t he st at e
of wakefulness, only when one cont emplat es on it in t he sukshma
body does what ever one has heard become consolidat ed. But rajogun
pr evails in t he sukshma body, and during t he st at e of rajogun,
complet e knowledge is not possible. Yet , in t he sukshma body, when
one cont emplat es on what one has hear d dur ing t he waking st at e, it
becomes complet e knowledge. How can t his appar ent cont r adict ion
be resolved?
8 The munis collect ively at t empt ed t o explain t o t he best of t heir
under st anding, but none could pr ovide a sat isfact or y answer t o Shr iji
Mahr js quest ion. Thus, t hey folded t heir hands and said,
Mahr j, t his quest ion can only be answer ed by You.
9 Shr iji Mahr j t her eupon explained, The answer is t hat t he
jiva, which is t he kshet ragna, dwells wit hin t he hear t . The
kshetragna enlight ens t he 14 indriyas ; of t hese, t he antahkaran
dwells ext remely close t o t he kshetragna. As a r esult , what ever one
hears is consolidat ed when one cont emplat es on it in t he antahkaran .
Aft er all, t he kshet ragna is more powerful t han all of t he indriyas
and t he antahkaran , and so what ever it endor ses becomes t hor oughly
consolidat ed.
10 Having hear d t his answer , t he munis r emar ked, Mahr j, You
have given a precise answer. No one besides You could have
answer ed t hat quest ion.
11 Ther eaft er , Shr iji Mahr j said, Regar dless of how lust ful,
angry, greedy or lewd a person may be, if he list ens t o t hese t ypes of
discourses wit h fait h and love, all of his flaws would be eradicat ed.
For example, if a man wit h t eet h st r ong enough t o chew r aw chan
were t o eat a great many sour mangoes, t hen he would not be able t o
chew even boiled r ice. In t he same way, if a per son who is st r ongly
over power ed by lust , anger , et c., wer e t o list en t o t hese discour ses
wit h fait h and persist ence, t hen t hat person would no longer be
capable of indulging in t he panchvishays. Moreover, t he mind does
not become as free of desires for vishays by subject ing t he body t o
aust er e obser vances such as tapta-kruchchhra, chndryan or ot her
vows as it does by list ening t o t hese discourses of God. In addit ion,
your minds must not be becoming as st able while medit at ing or by
t ur ning t he r osar y as per fect ly as t hey do while you ar e list ening t o
t hese discour ses. Thus, one should list en t o t he discourses of
The Vachanmr ut 239
Pur ushot t am Nr yan wit h fait h and love. Ther e is no bet t er
met hod t o st abilise t he mind and t o free it of t he desires for vishays.
| | En d of K r iy n i Sect ion | |
LOY SECTI ON
Loy -1
An ger ; Develop i n g Comp let e Sa t sa n g
1 On Kr t ik vadi 10, Samvat 1877 [30 November 1820], Swmi
Shr i Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing on a lar ge, decor at ed cot in
t he resident ial hall of t he paramhansas in Sur Khchar s darbr in
Loy. He was wear ing a whit e, cot t on -padded survl and a whit e
dagli made of chhint. He had also t ied a whit e fet o ar ound His head.
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j asked t he munis , What does t he
wor d Shankar mean?
3 The munis r eplied, That which gives bliss is called Shankar .
4 Hear ing t his answer , Shr iji Mahr j said, Last night , an hour
or t wo befor e sunr ise, Shivji gr ant ed Me his darshan in a dr eam. He
was seat ed on t he big, power ful Nandishwar . His body was ver y
r obust , and he had t hickly mat t ed hair ; he appear ed t o be
appr oximat ely 40 year s of age. Along wit h Shivji was Pr vat i, who
was wear ing whit e clot hes. Shivji, like a gr eat sdhu, appeared
t r anquil. Even t hou gh he showed great affect ion t owards Me, I did
not feel affect ion for him. Why? Because I believe, Shiv is a deit y
full of t amogun, wher eas I wor ship Shr i Kr ishna Nr yan, who is
t r anquillit y per sonified. Ther efor e, I do not have much affect ion for
deit ies like Br ahm, Shiv, Indr a, et c., who have rajogun and
t amogun. Mor eover , I have much animosit y t owar ds anger ; I do not
like angr y men or angr y deit ies. Nonet heless, why do I r espect
Shivji? I do so because he is a r enunciant , a yogi and a great devot ee
of God.
The Vachanmr ut 240
5 What is anger like? Well, it is like a r abid dog. If t he saliva of
a r abid dog t ouches a man or a cow, t hen t hey, like t he incessant ly
bar king r abid dog, suffer and die. Similar ly, one infect ed by saliva
in t he for m of anger , like t he r abid dog, suffer s and falls fr om t he
pat h of a sdhu.
6 Fur t her mor e, just like a but cher , an Ar ab, a cruel soldier , a
t iger , a leopar d and a black snake fr ight en ever yone and kill some,
similar ly, anger fr ight ens all and t akes t he life of some ot hers. If
such anger ar ises in a sdhu, it appear s ver y unsuit able; aft er all, a
sdhu should be calm. But if anger wer e t o ar ise, t hat sdhu would
appear cr uel t o ot her s. At t hat t ime, t hat sdhus appearance would
change since anger it self is ugly. Hence, anger makes t he per son in
whom it ar ises appear ugly.
7 Then Shuk Muni asked, Mahr j, if a slight t r ace of anger
ar ises but is t hen suppr essed, is such anger obst r uct ive, or not ?
8 Shr iji Mahr j replied, If a snake were t o appear in t his
assembly at t his moment , t hen even if it does not bit e anyone,
everyone would st ill have t o rise and scat t er; t here would be panic in
ever yones hear t . Fur t her mor e, if a t iger wer e t o come and r oar at
t he out skir t s of a village, t hen even if it does not har m anyone, all
would feel t error wit hin, and no one would come out of t heir homes.
Similar ly, even if a t r ace of anger wer e t o ar ise, it would st ill be a
sour ce of ext r eme miser y.
9 Th en Nn Nir mnnand Swmi asked, By what means can
lust be t ot ally uproot ed?
10 To t his, Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, If one has ext r emely fir mly
realised oneself t o be t he t m ; and one fir mly obser ves t he five
r eligious vows
4
, including t he observance of t he vow of eight -fold
brahmacharya; and one t hor oughly under st ands t he gr eat ness of
God, t hen lust is upr oot ed by t hese means. However , even aft er t he
root s of lust have been eradicat ed, one should not deviat e from
brahmacharya and ot her niyams in any way. However , t he met hod
for t ot ally upr oot ing even t he most vicious for m of lust is t o fully
underst and t he great ness of God.
11 Ther eaft er , Bhajannand Swmi asked, Mahr j, what ar e t he
char act er ist ics of t he t hr ee levels of vairgya t he lowest , t he
int er mediat e and t he highest ?
The Vachanmr ut 241
12 Shr iji Mahr j replied, A person wit h t he lowest level of
vairgya r emains pur e while st r ict ly obser ving t he niyams relat ed t o
t he r enunciat ion of women as descr ibed in t he Dhar ma-shst r as.
But if he were t o see a womans body, t hen his mind would get
at t ached t o t hat body, and he would not r emain st able. Such a
person can be considered t o be one wit h t he lowest level of vairgya.
13 If a person wit h an int ermediat e level of vairgya were t o see a
naked woman, t hen just as he would not be dist ur bed by seeing
naked animals, similar ly, no dist ur bance would ar ise in his mind.
Mor eover , his mind would not become at t ached t o t hat woman. Such
a person can be considered t o be one wit h an int ermediat e level of
vairgya.
14 Now, if a per son wit h t he highest level of vairgya were t o come
across women and ot her worldly object s even in solit ude, he would
not be ent iced. Such a person can be considered t o be one wit h t he
highest level of vairgya.
15 Then Bhajannand Swmi asked again, What ar e t he
char act er ist ics of t he t hree levels of Gods gnn t he lowest , t he
int er mediat e and t he highest ?
16 Shr iji Mahr j replied, A person wit h t he lowest level of gnn
init ially develops t he convict ion of God upon seeing His powers. But
when such power s ar e not seen in Him, or when not hing unt owar d
happens t o an evil per son who maligns God, t hen his convict ion
would not r emain. Such a per son can be descr ibed as one wit h t he
lowest level of gnn.
17 If a person wit h an int ermediat e level of gnn were t o see pure
and impur e seemingly human act ions of God, he would be deluded
by t hem, and his convict ion of God would not r emain. Such a per son
can be described as one wit h an int ermediat e level of gnn.
18 A person wit h t he highest level of gnn, however, would not be
deluded even aft er seeing any t ype of pure or impure act ions
per for med by God, and his convict ion would not diminish. Mor eover ,
even if t he per son who init ially convinced him of God wer e t o say, He
is not God, he would feel, This per son must be mad. Such a per son
can be described as one wit h t he highest level of gnn.
19 Of t hese, t he one wit h t he lowest level of gnn at t ains God-
realisat ion aft er count less lives; t he one wit h a moderat e level of gnn
at t ains God-realisat ion aft er t wo or t hree lives; and t he one wit h t he
The Vachanmr ut 242
highest level of gnn at t ains God-r ealisat ion in t hat same life. Shr iji
Mahr j r eplied in t his manner .
20 Ther eaft er , Mot Shivnand Swmi asked, Despit e having
complet e fait h in God, why does one not feel fulfilled wit hin?
21 Shr iji Mahr j replied, A person whose antahkaran bur ns due
t o t he enemies of lust , anger , avar ice, affect ion, egot ism, cr avings for
t ast e, et c., would not believe himself t o be fulfilled even if he does
have fait h in God.
22 Then Nit ynand Swmi asked, What is t he met hod for
over coming t he enemies of lust , anger , et c.?
23 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, Lust and t hose ot her enemies ar e
over come only if one r emains aler t t o mer cilessly punish t hem. J ust
as Dhar mar j r emains r eady, day and night , t o beat sinner s wit h a
st ick, similar ly, if t he indriyas behave immor ally, t hen t he indriyas
should be punished; and if t he antahkaran behaves immor ally, t hen
t he antahkaran should be punished. The indriyas should be
punished by imposing upon t hem t he kruchchhra chndryan and
ot her obser vances, and t he antahkaran should be punished t hr ough a
t hought pr ocess. As a r esult , t hose enemies of lust , anger , et c.,
would be defeat ed. Then, by having fait h in God, one would feel
oneself t o be complet ely fulfilled.
24 Ther eaft er , Mukt nand Swmi asked, Who can be said t o have
developed complet e satsang?
25 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, Fir st of all, such a per son has ext r emely
firmly realised his self t o be t he t m . Also, he believes his t m t o
be absolut ely det ached from t he body, t he indriyas and t he
antahkaran ; he does not believe t he act ions of t he body, indriyas , et c.,
t o be his own. Despit e t his, he does not permit even a slight lapse in
t he observance of t he five religious vows
4
. Mor eover , even t hough he
himself behaves as brahmarup, he does not abandon his feeling of
ser vit ude t owar ds Pur ushot t am Bhagwn; he st aunchly wor ships
God while maint aining a mast er -ser vant r elat ionship wit h Him.
Fur t her mor e, he r ealises t he manifest for m of God t o be absolut ely
unaffect ed, like ksh. That ksh is int erwoven wit h and pervades
t he ot her four bhuts, t he act ions of which occur wit hin ksh.
However, t he act ions of t hose four bhuts do not affect ksh.
Similar ly, despit e per for ming pur e and impur e act ions, t he manifest
for m of Shr i Kr ishna Nr yan r emains unaffect ed, just like ksh.
The Vachanmr ut 243
Also, such a person realises t he count less powers of t his God as
follows: This God appears t o be human for t he liberat ion of t he jivas.
But , in fact , He is t he cr eat or , sust ainer and dest royer of count less
brahmnds. He is t he lor d of Golok, Vaikunt h, Shwet dwip,
Brahmapur and ot her abodes. He is also t he lord of all of t he
count less aksharrup muktas . Wit h such r ealisat ion of Gods
gr eat ness, he devout ly engages in list ening t o t he t alks of God and in
t he ot her forms of bhakti. He also serves Gods devot ees menially.
When a per son behaves in t his manner , his satsang can be said t o be
complet e.
26 Nn Shivnand Swmi t hen asked, At t imes, one under st ands
t he great ness of a devot ee of God ext remely well, but at ot her t imes,
one does not under st and it so well. What is t he r eason for t his?
27 Then Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, The S ant follows t he pat h of
dharma. When he sees a person t reading t he pat h of adharma, he
rebukes t hat per son. As a r esult , a per son who ident ifies his self
wit h t he body will not know how t o accept t he advice posit ively and,
in r et ur n, will har bour an aver sion t owar ds t he S ant. Ther efor e, a
person underst ands t he great ness of t he S ant as long as he is not
r ebuked by him. Even when t hat per son is given beneficial advice
t hat may pain him, he har bour s an aver sion and does not r et ain t hat
underst anding of t he S ant s gr eat ness.
28 One who har bour s an aver sion t owar ds t he S ant is unable t o
become pure by any for m of at onement . In fact , r elease fr om t he sins
of lust and ot her vices is possible, but release from t he sin of
maligning t he S ant is not possible. For example, if a per son
cont r act s t uber culosis, no medicine would be able t o cur e t he disease;
he would definit ely die. Similar ly, one who har bour s an aver sion
t owards t he S ant should be known as having t uber culosis; he will
cer t ainly fall fr om Sat sang somet ime in t he fut ur e. Fur t her mor e,
even if a persons hands, feet , nose, eyes, fingers and ot her body par t s
are severed, he st ill cannot be described as dead. However, when t he
head is severed from t he body, he is described as dead. Similarly, he
who perceives flaws in a devot ee of God has had his head severed. If
he lapses in following ot her r eligious vows, t hen his limbs can be said
t o be severed he will st ill live. That is, he will sur vive in Sat sang.
But a person who has perceived flaws in t he S ant will cer t ainly, at
some t ime, fall fr om Sat sang. He should be known t o have his head
severed.
The Vachanmr ut 244
29 Then Bhagwadnand Swmi asked, If one has perceived flaws
in a devot ee, is t here any met hod t o at one for it , or not ?
30 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, Ther e is a r emedy, but it is ext r emely
difficult ; one who has int ense shraddh can do it . When flaws ar e
per ceived in t he S ant, one should t hink, I have commit t ed a gr ave
sin by per ceiving flaws in a brahmaswarup Bhakta of God. Fr om
such t hought s, he would feel int ense r egr et in his hear t . As a r esult
of such r egr et , while eat ing, he would be unable t o dist inguish
bet ween t ast y and t ast eless foods, and at night he would be unable t o
sleep. As long as t he aversion t owards t he S ant is not r emoved fr om
t he per sons hear t , he would exper ience ext r eme r emor se, just like a
fish would suffer wit hout wat er .
31 On t he ot her hand, when he int ensely per ceives vir t ues in t hat
S ant, t hen if t hat S ant has been hur t in any way, he would please
him wit h absolut e humilit y. If t his t ype of t hought r emains in a
per sons hear t , t hen even if he has per ceived flaws in t he S ant, t hey
would st ill be over come, and he would not fall fr om Sat sang. Apar t
fr om t hat , t her e is no ot her r emedy; t hat is t he only r emedy.
| | Vachanmr ut Loy-1 | | 109 | |
Loy -2
On e wi t h Fa i t h , Gn n , Cou r a ge or Affect i on
1 On Kr t ik vadi 11, Samvat 1877 [1 December 1820], Swmi
Shr i Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing facing sout h on a lar ge,
decorat ed cot in Sur Khchar s darbr in Loy. He was wear ing a
r ed, kinkhb survl and a black, kinkhb dagli wit h t he wor d
Nar nr yan impr int ed upon it . Around His head, He had t ied a
Bur npur i, sky-blue coloured fet o wit h golden t hreads along t he
edges. He had also t ied an orange-coloured fet o ar ound His waist . At
t hat t ime, Mukt nand Swmi and ot her paramhansas wer e singing
devot ional songs t o t he accompaniment of a dukad , sarod, sat r and
manjir s, while munis as well as devot ees from various places had
2 Aft er t he singing had concluded, Shr iji Mahr j said, O
paramhansas , please list en. I wish t o ask you a quest ion.
3 The munis said, Mahr j, please ask.
The Vachanmr ut 245
4 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j asked, In t his Sat sang, when does a
devot ee become free from t he fear of deat h and become convinced of
his own liber at ion in t his ver y life?
5 Mukt nand Swmi replied as well as he could, but Shr iji
Mahr js quest ion was not answer ed sat isfact or ily. So t he ot her
paramhansas request ed, Mahr j, You will have t o answer t hat
quest ion.
6 Shr iji Mahr j t hen began, While you wer e singing devot ional
songs, I t hought about t his. In My mind, I feel t hat t her e ar e four
t ypes of devot ees of God who no longer fear deat h and who feel
complet ely fulfilled. These four t ypes ar e: fir st , one who has fait h;
second, one wit h gnn; t hir d, one wit h cour age; and four t h, one wit h
affect ion. These four t ypes of devot ees do not fear deat h, and t hey feel
fulfilled while st ill alive.
7 Now, I shall descr ibe t he char act er ist ics of t hese four t ypes of
devot ees. One who has fait h has est ablished absolut e fait h in t he
words of God and His S ant . Ther efor e, by t he st r engt h of his fait h in
God, he does not harbour any fear of deat h. Also, he believes, I have
at t ained t he manifest for m of Pur ushot t am Bhagwn, and t hus I am
fulfilled.
8 A devot ee wit h gnn has t he st r engt h of t m -r ealisat ion and
believes, I am brahmaswarup and a devot ee of God. Therefore, he
t oo does not fear deat h.
9 All of t he indriyas and antahkaran t remble wit h fear before a
devot ee who has courage. Also, he is not afraid of anyone. So, he
does not t ransgress any of Gods injunct ions in any way. As a r esult ,
he believes himself t o be fulfilled and does not have even t he slight est
fear of deat h.
10 The four t h, who has affect ion, has t he inclinat ion of a fait hful
wife. The vrut t i of a fait hful wife is not dr awn t o anyone except her
own husband, and she has affect ion only for her husband. Similar ly,
t his devot ee of God, like t he fait hful wife, has affect ion only for his
mast er, God. As a result , he believes himself t o be fulfilled and does
not have even t he slight est fear of deat h.
11 Out of t hese four t ypes of inclinat ions, if only one is
pr edominant and t he ot her t hr ee ar e subor dinat e, one st ill over comes
t he fear of birt hs and deat hs. But if a person does not have any one
of t he four, t hen his fear of deat h is not over come.
The Vachanmr ut 246
12 Having said t his, Shr iji Mahr j asked all of t he paramhansas
and ot her devot ees, Of t hese four, please declare which inclinat ion is
pr edominant wit hin you. So, all of t he paramhansas described
whichever inclinat ion was pr edominant wit hin t hem, and t he ot her
devot ees did likewise. Hear ing t his, Shr iji Mahr j was very pleased.
13 Then Shr iji Mahr j cont inued, Of t hese four t ypes, all t hose
who have t he inclinat ion of cour age may come near and bow down at
My feet . So, t hose who had t he inclinat ion of cour age placed Shr iji
Mahr js holy feet on t heir chest s and bowed down before Him.
14 Ther eaft er , Shr iji Mahr j said, Those who wish t o ask a
quest ion, please ask.
15 Ther eupon Br ahmnand Swmi asked, That which is t he cause
should be gr eat er t han it s effect . Why, t hen, does a lar ge t r ee ar ise
fr om t he seed of a banyan t r ee, which is small?
16 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, A cause may be small and subt le, yet it
is st ill capable of producing a vast effect t hat is t he ver y gr eat ness
of t he cause. For example, t he ent it ies evolved fr om Mul-Pr akr ut i,
t he count less Pr adh ns, occupy a gr eat expanse, wher eas t he cause,
Mul-Pr akr ut i, has t he for m of a female. Also, smell, which is t he
cause of prut hvi, is subt le, wher eas t he ent it y evolved fr om it ,
prut hvi, is lar ge. Similar ly, ksh and t he ot her four bhuts occupy a
vast ar ea, but t heir causes, sound, t ouch, et c., ar e subt le. Hence, t he
cause may be small, but it st ill has t he abilit y t o pr oduce a vast
effect such is it s capabilit y.
17 Agnidev, for example, possesses a for m like t hat of a man; and
his size is like t hat of a man; but his effect in t he form of flames of
fir e is lar ge. Similar ly, t he for m of Var un is t he size of a man, but
his effect in t he for m of wat er is ver y abundant . Fur t her , t he
for m of Sur ya is seat ed in a char iot like a man, but his effect in t he
for m of light pervades t he ent ire brahmnd. In t he same manner ,
t he cause of all, Shr i Pur ushot t am Nr yan Shr i Kr ishna is t he
size of a man, yet He is t he cause of count less millions of brahmnds.
But one who is a fool t hinks, If t he effect is t his big, t hen t he cause
must be so much bigger ! Act ually, t his is t he under st anding of a
fool. God, who is t he cause of all, appear s like a human being; yet by
His yogic power s, He is able t o cr eat e count less millions of
brahmnds fr om His body and is able t o absor b t hem back int o
Himself. For example, Agni, Var un and Sur ya appear vast in t he
for m of t heir effect s, but t hey wit hdr aw t heir effect back wit hin
The Vachanmr ut 247
t hemselves, and only t hey r emain. In t he same way, wit hin each
and ever y hair of God, count less brahmnds, each composed of t he
eight bar r ier s
5
and 14 r ealms, appear as mer e at oms. In t his way,
t he cause is t r anscendent al and full of gr eat ness. So, one who is wise
r ealises, God appear s like a human, but , in fact , He is t he cause of
all and t he cr eat or of all; He is all-power ful.
18 Having said t his, Shr iji Mahr j ret urned t o go t o sleep.
| | Vachanmr ut Loy-2 | | 110 | |
Loy -3
On e wit h Fa it h in God Cou p led wit h
t h e Kn owled ge of Hi s Gr ea t n ess
1 On t he night of Kr t ik vadi 13, Samvat 1877 [3 December 1820],
Shr iji Mahr j was sit t ing on a lar ge, decor at ed cot in Sur
Khchar s darbr in Loy. He was wear ing a whit e dagli made of
chhint and a whit e, cot t on -padded survl. He had also t ied a whit e
fet o ar ound His head and had cover ed Himself wit h a whit e blanket .
At t hat t ime, an assembly of munis as well as satsangis fr om var ious
2 Ther eupon Bhagwadnand Swmi and Shivnand Swmi asked
Shr iji Mahr j, What ar e t he char act er ist ics of a per son who has
fait h in God and His S ant coupled wit h t he knowledge of t heir
gr eat ness?
3 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, What would a per son who has fait h in
God and His S ant coupled wit h t he knowledge of t heir great ness not
do for t he sake of God and His S ant? For t hem, he would r enounce
his family, r enounce any fear of public r idicule, r enounce a kingdom,
r enounce pleasur es, r enounce wealt h, r enounce his wife, and in t he
case of a woman, she would r enounce her husband.
4 Then Shr iji Mahr j narrat ed t he st ories of t he following
devot ees: Rajput Galuji of t he village Dadusar ; Kushalkuvar bi of
Dhar mapur ; Par vat bhi; Rjbi; J ivubi; Ldubi; Mot Rmbi;
Dd Khch a r ; Mnch Bhakt a; Mulji Br ahmachr i ; Ldhibi and
Mt ji of Bhuj; Mukt nand Swmi ; Smat Pat el, an hir fr om t he
Vlk r egion; Mulji and Kr ishnaji of t he village Mnkuv; t he t wo
Kthi devot ees of t he village Gundli in the Vlk r egion; and ot her
The Vachanmr ut 248
satsangis . Mahr j described in det ail what ever t hey had done for
t he sake of God and His S ant.
5 Then He added, One who has fait h in God coupled wit h
knowledge of His great ness never disobeys t he words of God; he does
as God says. Having said t his, He r evealed, What was My nat ur e
like? Well, I was such a r enunciant t hat I could st ay in one place
only as long as t he t ime int er val bet ween t he mor ning and evening
milking of cows, not any longer . I had int ense vairgya. Mor eover , I
had deep affect ion for Rmnand Swmi. Thus, when Swmi sent a
message fr om t he cit y of Bhuj via Mayr m Bhat t , saying, If You
desire t o st ay in t he Sat sang fellowship, You will have t o st ay by
embr acing it s pillar , I lit er ally embr aced a pillar . Seeing t his,
Mayr m Bhat t said, You should live accor ding t o Mukt nand
Swmis commands. Thus, befor e I had t he darshan of Rmnand
Swmi, I st ayed under Mukt nand Swmi for nine mont hs. So, one
who has t he previously ment ioned fait h in God and His S ant can also
be known by t his char act er ist ic. Shr iji Mahr j t hen nar r at ed t he
st or ies of Sundar ji Sut hr and Dos Vniy.
6 Aft er ment ioning t hat one who has such fait h in God and His
S ant has const ant ent husiasm, Shr iji Mahr j nar r at ed t he st or y of
Rn Rjgar .
7 Next , Shr iji Mahr j nar r at ed t he st or y of Pr ahld: Pr ahld
said t o Nr usinhji, Mahr j, I am not afr aid of t his t er r ifying for m of
your s. Mor eover , I do not consider your pr ot ect ion of me as t r ue
prot ect ion . Rat her , when you save me fr om my enemys t r oops in t he
form of t he of t he indriyas , I shall consider t hat t o be t r ue pr ot ect ion.
Therefore, a devot ee of God would not be elat ed if God were t o prot ect
him physically; and he would not be disappoint ed if he were not
prot ect ed. Inst ead, he would remain carefree and cont inue t o worship
God.
8 Moreover, he would int ensely realise t he great ness of God and
His S ant. Then Shr iji Mahr j narrat ed t he st ory of t he old lady
fr om t he village Kat hll.
9 Cont inuing, He said, Even if such a devot ee were t o die
painfully, or if a t iger wer e t o devour him, or if a snake wer e t o bit e
him, or if a weapon wer e t o st r ike him, or if he wer e t o dr own in
wat er , or if he wer e t o die in any ot her hor r ific way, st ill, a per son
having fait h in God and His S ant coupled wit h t he knowledge of t heir
great ness would believe, A devot ee of God never suffers from an
The Vachanmr ut 249
adverse out come; he will cert ainly at t ain t he abode of God. On t he
ot her hand, even if a non -believer were t o die nat ur ally and wer e t o
be cremat ed in a funeral pyre wit h sandalwood and full obit uary
r it es, he will cer t ainly go t o Yampur i. He would under st and t he
difference bet ween t he t wo ext remely clearly.
10 So, a per son who develops such fir m convict ions in his hear t
should be known as having fait h in God and His S ant coupled wit h
t he knowledge of t heir gr eat ness. A per son wit h such fait h will
definit ely r each Br ahmamahol; he would not r eside in any ot her
lower abode.
| | Vachanmr ut Loy-3 | | 111 | |
Loy -4
I f On e Dou bt s God , On e Ca n n ot Be Sa i d t o Ha ve
Over come M y
Shr i Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing in Sur Khchar s darbr in
Loy. He was wear ing a whit e survl and a whit e dagli made of
chhint. He had also t ied a whit e pgh ar ound His head. At t hat
t ime, an assembly of paramhansas as well as devot ees from various
2 Ther eupon Akhandnand Swmi asked Shr iji Mahr j, Ther e
ar e count less millions of brah m nds. In t hose brahmnds, does t he
form of God appear t he same as t he form in t his brahmnd at t his
pr esent t ime, or not ?
3 Shr iji Mahr j replied, God always resides in His Akshardh m.
Fr om t he count less Pr adh n-Pur ush pair s t hat evolve fr om
mah m y, count less millions of brahmnds evolve. Then, for t he
sake of His devot ees, while st ill r esiding at one locat ion in His
Akshardh m, and by His own wish, t hat God appear s in count less
for ms in t he count less millions of brahmnds.
4 Again Akhandnand Swmi asked, Shr i Kr ishna Nr yan
always has a human for m, and t hat for m of God is for ever sat ya.
However , t hat same God appear s somet imes as Mat sya, Kachchha,
Var h, Nr usinh and ot her count less for ms. How should t his be
under st ood? Fur t her more, is t he met hod of liberat ion and t he form of
God in each brahmnd t he same, or differ ent ?
The Vachanmr ut 250
5 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, The for m of God is always t he same.
Even t hen, by His own wish, God shows His for m wher ever and in
what ever for m is r equir ed. He also manifest s His power s t o
what ever ext ent is appr opr iat e in var ious places. He always has t wo
ar ms, but by His wish, at t imes He shows four ar ms, or eight ar ms
or even count less ar ms. He also appear s in t he for m of Mat sya,
Kachchha, et c. In t his way, He manifest s whichever for m is
appr opr iat e for t he place; but , in fact , He always r esides in His abode
in one for m.
6 Fur t her mor e, while r emaining in one locat ion, He per vades t he
count less millions of brahmnds t hr ough His antarym i for m. For
example, Vysji was one, but when he called out t o Shukji, he did so
by r esiding in all of t he mobile and immobile beings. When Shukji
r eplied, he did so in t he same manner . In t his way, even gr eat ,
realised yogis like Shukji are capable of pervading t he ent ire wor ld.
Such people have at t ained such yogic powers as fruit s of worshipping
God. But , Pur ushot t am Bhagwn, who is called Yogeshwar , is t he
mast er of all yogic power s. So, while st ill r emaining in one locat ion,
what is sur pr ising about Him manifest ing, by His own wish,
wher ever and however is appr opr iat e? What is so sur pr ising about
God possessing such abilit ies? People become ast onished even when a
magician displays simple illusions, and t hey cannot fully compr ehend
t he magic. But God possesses all yogic powers and is t he great est
sour ce of wonder . So, how can t he jiva know Him?
7 Now, t he Shr imad Bhgwat ment ions, This many have
over come Gods m y. However , it also ment ions, No one has
overcome t he force of Gods m y. Her e, one should r ealise t hat if
even Br ahm and ot hers doubt Gods yogic power s, t hen t hey cannot
be said t o have overcome t he power of Gods m y. What is t his
doubt ? It is t he t hought , Why does God behave like t hat ? On t he
ot her hand, one who underst ands God as flawless by believing, God
is capable; so what ever He does is appropriat e, is said t o have
over come m y.
8 In r ealit y, t he met hod for liberat ion is t he same. But because
t here are t hree levels in t he people who worship t he highest , t he
int ermediat e and t he lowest and because t here are count less levels
in t heir shraddh, t her e ar e many differ ences in t he pat h of
liberat ion t aken by people. But in r ealit y, t he pat h of liberat ion is
one. Aft er all, t here is only one for m of God. This God is ext r emely
The Vachanmr ut 251
power ful and no one, including Akshar , is capable of becoming like
Him. This is an est ablished pr inciple.
9 Then Mukt nand Swmi said t o Shr iji Mahr j, Today,
J hinbhi has become ver y upset , and he said t hat since Mahr j did
not come t o my house, what is t he point of me st aying in t hat house?
10 Hear ing t his, Shr iji Mahr j said, When a per son loves
st ubbor nly and wit h displeasur e, t hat love does not sur vive in t he
long r un. Also, t he bhakti and love of one who is st ubborn ult imat ely
become nullified. Ther efor e, it is a gr eat mist ake t o wear a sad face
due t o displeasure.
11 J hinbhi t hen said, When God and His sdhus come t o ones
house, ones face should glow wit h delight ; but when t hey do not
come, ones face should definit ely reflect disappoint ment and one
should feel sor r ow in ones hear t .
12 Hear ing t his r emar k, Shr iji Mahr j said, One should be
pleased when God and His sdhus come, but one should never gr ieve.
If ones nat ur e is t o gr ieve, t hen ult imat ely, somet hing misfor t unat e
is bound t o occur . Ther efor e, while obser ving ones own dharma, one
should happily follow Gods commands, but one should never become
upset in order t o get ones own way. If God issues a command t o go
somewhere and t he person becomes dist urbed out of grief, t hen t he
darshan and prasd previously given by God, t he count less t ypes of
t alks r elat ing t o gnn, and all ot her act ions by which one had felt
happiness ar e all lost . Fur t her mor e, due t o t he dist ur bance, only
t amogun spr eads t hr oughout t he mind; so, he goes where he is asked
t o go in a st at e of pur e miser y. Then, as a r esult of t he agit at ion, he
cannot car r y out t he command complet ely. Ther efor e, a devot ee of
God should remain ever joyful and should worship God wit h a
cheer ful mind. Mor eover , however adverse his cir cumst ances may
be, he should not allow even t he slight est t race of depression t o ent er
his hear t .
| | Vachanmr ut Loy-4 | | 112 | |
Loy -5
Con t r ollin g t h e I n d r iya s a n d t h e An t a h k a r a n
1 On t he night of Kr t ik vadi Ams, Samvat 1877 [5 December
1820], Swmi Shr i Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing in Sur
The Vachanmr ut 252
Khchar s darbr in Loy. He was wear ing a whit e survl and a
whit e dagli made of chhint. He had also t ied a whit e pgh ar ound
His head. At t hat t ime, an assembly of paramhansas as well as
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j asked all of t he paramhansas , By
revealing which t hought s can one be considered t o be honest , and by
not revealing which t hought s can one be considered t o be deceit ful?
3 Since t he paramhansas wer e unable t o answer , Shr iji Mahr j
r eplied, Any weakness in obser ving t he five r eligious vows
4
which
cannot be overcome by ones own t hought process should be disclosed
before t he S ant, who has no such weaknesses. If one has perceived
fault s in t he S ant, t hat should also be disclosed. Fur t her mor e, any
doubt s in ones convict ion of God should also be disclosed. Then one
can be considered t o be honest . If any of t hese int ernal t hought s have
ar isen, and t hey ar e not disclosed before t he S ant, t hen such a per son
should be known t o be deceit ful.
4 Ther eaft er Shr iji Mahr j asked anot her quest ion: If a per son is
deceit ful, and also cunning, how can he be r ecognised?
5 Again, t he paramhansas wer e unable t o answer .
6 So Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, His deceit fulness can be r ecognised
by keeping his company, and, while st aying wit h him, by obser ving
him while he eat s, dr inks, sit s, st ands, walks and t alks. Also, when
he is separat ed from oneself, if anot her person is asked t o secr et ly
obser ve him, t hen his deceit fulness would be r ecognised.
7 Shr iji Mahr j t hen posed anot her quest ion: Suppose t here is a
person who observes religious vows and keeps fait h in God out of
pr et ence. He is int elligent and egot ist ical, and he shows his fait h and
his observance of religious vows t o be superior t o t he genuine vows
and fait h of ot her s. How, t hen, can one r ecognise t hat such a
per sons fait h and obser vance of r eligious vows ar e a mer e pr et ence?
8 Once again, t he paramhansas were unable t o answer t he
quest ion.
9 So again, Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, His pr et ence can be r ecognised
when his pr est ige is offended. Ot her wise, it cannot be r ecognised.
10 Again, Shr iji Mahr j asked, Which t hought causes one t o
deflect from ones fait h in God and observance of religious vows?
Which t ype of t hought would not cause one t o deflect fr om t hem?
The Vachanmr ut 253
Also, if t her e is a t ime span, for what dur at ion must t hese t hought s
remain in order t o deflect one from ones dharma and ones fait h in
God?
12 So Shr iji Mahr j said, If a person at t empt s t o eradicat e an
improper t hought relat ed t o dharma, but t he t hought st ill r emains;
or , if such a t hought does not ar ise for fift een days or for a mont h,
but ar ises some day suddenly t hen such a t hought would cause him
t o fall from dharma. The same applies t o ones fait h in God.
However , any t hought which is er adicat ed by applying a t hought
pr ocess once it ar ises, and which does not ar ise again, would not
cause a person t o fall fr om ones dharma or ones fait h.
13 Then Shr iji Mahr j asked, Whose foundat ion in Sat sang
becomes solid and whose does not ?
14 Again, t he paramhansas could not answer .
15 So Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, J ust as Dat t t reya imbibed t he
vir t ues of t he five bhuts, t he moon, var ious animals, a pr ost it ut e, a
vir gin, his own body and ot her s, similar ly, only if a per son has t he
disposit ion of imbibing t he virt ues of a sdhu does his foundat ion in
Sat sang become solid. If a person does not have such a disposit ion,
t hen even t hough he r emains in Sat sang, his foundat ion is not fir m.
16 Again, Shr iji Mahr j asked, Can t he indriyas and t he
antahkaran be complet ely cont rolled by t he company of t he S ant, by
r eading t he scr ipt ur es and by applying ones own t hought pr ocess?
Or can t hey be cont rolled if only one of t hese t hree is present ? If you
say t hat all t hr ee must be pr esent , t hen what t echniques should be
lear nt fr om t he S ant, what t echniques should be lear nt fr om t he
script ures, and how should one apply on es own t hought pr ocess?
Please explain t his.
18 Then Shr iji Mahr j explained, Fr om t he scr ipt ur es, one should
realise t he great ness of God and His S ant. Fr om t he S ant, one
should lear n t echniques for cont r olling t he indriyas , such as: Ones
vision should be kept fixed on t he nose in t his manner, and one
should not list en t o wor ldly t alks. These and ot her t echniques should
be lear nt fr om t he S ant. By ones own t hought pr ocess, one should
look upon t he t echniques t aught by t he S ant posit ively, as being for
ones own liber at ion. Then, one should behave accor dingly. In t his
The Vachanmr ut 254
way, t he indriyas and antahkaran can be overcome by t hese t hree
means.
19 Then Shr iji Mahr j posed anot her quest ion, Is t he antahkaran
cont r olled by cont r olling t he indriyas , or are t he indriyas cont rolled
by cont r olling t he antahkaran ?
20 Since t he paramhansas could not answer t he quest ion, Shr iji
Mahr j r eplied, If a per son cont r ols t he physical indriyas by
physical aust er it ies, and t hen even aft er t he physical indriyas have
been cont r olled, if he st ill fir mly obser ves t he niyams of t he five
r eligious vows
4
, t hen t he antahkaran can be cont r olled by cont r olling
t he physical indriyas . So, t he physical indriyas cannot be cont rolled
by cont r olling t he antahkaran alone. However , t he antahkaran can
be cont r olled by cont r olling t he physical indriyas . How is t hat ?
Well, if one cont r ols t he physical indriyas and does not let t hem
indulge in t he vishays, t hen t he antahkaran wit hin would become
fr ust r at ed and would t hink, This t ype of enjoyment is not going t o be
possible in t his life.
21 Aft er t his, Shr iji Mahr j asked, By what means ar e t he
physical indriyas cont r olled and by what means is t he antahkaran
cont r olled?
22 Again, since t he paramhansas could not answer , Shr iji Mahr j
r eplied, The physical indriyas can be cont r olled by obser ving t he
niyams specified for a r enunciant in t he Dhar ma-shst r as; by
cont r olling ones diet ; by obser ving vows like tapta-kruchchhra,
chndryan , et c.; by deliber at ely t oler at ing cold, heat , hunger and
t hir st ; by engaging in t he discour ses, t alks, and devot ional songs
r elat ed t o God; by engaging in wor ship and r emembr ance; by
cont r olling ones post ur e and by ot her spir it ual endeavour s. The
antahkaran can be cont r olled by cont emplat ing upon Gods gr eat ness,
by medit at ing on God and by realising oneself t o be t he t m .
| | Vachanmr ut Loy-5 | | 113 | |
Loy -6
P u r i fyi n g t h e Comp a n y On e Keep s
1 On t he night of Mgshar sudi 1, Samvat 1877 [6 December
1820], Shr iji Mahr j was sit t ing in Sur Khchar s darbr in Loy.
He was wear ing a whit e khes and a whit e dagli made of chhint. He
The Vachanmr ut 255
had also t ied a whit e fet o around His head and had t ied a bokni wit h
anot her fet o, t he chhoglu of which was hanging fr om His head. In
addit ion t o t his, He had cover ed Himself wit h a t hick, cot t on clot h.
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j asked t he paramhansas , Aft er
joining t he Sat sang fellowship, what do you consider t o be t he most
difficult achievement ?
3 The paramhansas could not answer t he quest ion, so Shr iji
Mahr j replied, For a person t o become ekntik is ext r emely
difficult . What is t his st at e of being ekntik? Well, it is t o do t he
bhakti of God along wit h dharma, gnn and vairgya. That is t he
st at e of being ekntik.
4 Again Shr iji Mahr j asked, Which one dharma-relat ed
endeavour is such t hat if pr act ised, all aspect s of dharma r emain?
Moreover , out of wor ship, r emembr ance, singing or list ening t o
devot ional songs, list ening t o spir it ual discour ses, and ot her God-
relat ed endeavours, which one endeavour, if it is kept even when all
ot her s ar e abandoned in difficult t imes, helps maint ain all of t he
ot her s?
5 Shr iji Mahr j answer ed His own quest ion: Of t he dharma-
relat ed endeavours, if one maint ains t he vow of non -lust , all ot her
endeavours will develop. Of t he God-relat ed endeavours, if one keeps
t he convict ion of God, t hen all of t he ot hers will develop.
6 Again Shr iji Mahr j asked, Which t ype of t hinking, if
maint ained const ant ly, is beneficial, and if alt er ed, is det r iment al?
Also, which t ype of t hinking is beneficial if repeat edly alt ered, and
det riment al if not alt ered?
7 Again Shr iji Mahr j answer ed His own quest ion: Thought s
r egar ding ones convict ion of God should never be alt er ed. In fact , it
would be beneficial if t hey are repeat edly reinforced by list ening t o
t he gr eat ness of God. Repeat edly alt ering t hem, however, would be
det r iment al. But , if one has fir mly decided in ones own mind, I
want t o do t his, t hen t hat t ype of t hinking should be repeat edly
alt ered on t he advice of a sdhu. If he suggest s, You should not sit
here and should not do t his, t hen one should not sit t here and should
not do t hat . If, in t his case, ones own decision is alt er ed, it would be
The Vachanmr ut 256
beneficial; if it is not alt ered and one does as one pleases, t hen t hat
would be det r iment al.
8 Again Shr iji Mahr j asked, Despit e t he fact t hat he observes
dharma, sit t ing wit h and list ening t o which t ype of satsangi or
paramhansa would make one subject t o developing fault s?
9 Shr iji Mahr j replied, If a person has fait h in God and
observes dharma, but also believes his self t o be t he body and has
egot ism as well as desires for worldly act ivit ies, t hen if God and His
S ant denounce t hese, he will definit ely perceive flaws in God and His
S ant. Then, he will t alk about t he per ceived flaws of God and His
S ant t o ot hers and cause t hem t o become like non -believer s. One
should not associat e wit h such a per son in any way; doing so is
har mful.
10 Then Shr iji Mahr j asked, Which t ype of sdhu, even t hough
he observes dharma and has fait h in God, should one not accompany
t o bat he, sleep near or hear t alks fr om?
11 Shr iji Mahr j answer ed His own quest ion: A sdhu who
discour agingly says, Can t he vow of non -lust and ot her vir t ues r eally
be realised in one life? They ar e realised only by t he grace of God;
ot herwise liberat ion is at t ained aft er count less lives. So can
liberat ion t r uly be at t ained in t his ver y life? By all means, one
should shun t he company of anyone who speaks such discour aging
wor ds. Conver sely, someone else claims, We ar e fulfilled in t his ver y
life. The force of lust , anger , ar r ogance, mat sar, egot ism, and ot her
vicious nat ur es is t r ivial. By t he gr ace of God and His S ant, we will
dest r oy t hem all. One should, by all means, seek t he company of a
sdhu who speaks in t his manner and is eager ly engaged in met hods
t o dest roy lust and t he ot her vices.
12 Again Shr iji Mahr j asked, Which t ype of sdhu, even if he
speaks encour agingly, should be shunned?
13 Shr iji Mahr j answer ed His own quest ion: If a sdhu
emphasises his own effort s only and believes himself t o be fulfilled by
his own effort s, but does not acknowledge t he st rengt h of God and
does not feel, By endeavouring in t his way, I want t o please God
t hen such a sdhu should be shunned.
14 Again Shr iji Mahr j asked, Which t ype of sdhu should one
keep t he company of, and which t ype should one not keep t he
company of?
The Vachanmr ut 257
15 Shr iji Mahr j t hen r eplied, If we ar e st aying wit h a sdhu who
obser ves t he r eligious vows st r ict ly and has fir m fait h in God, but
who inst ead of r epr imanding us, pamper s us and let s us have our
way, t hen even if he, like Mukt nand Swmi, is consider ed gr eat in
public opinion, his company should not be kept . On t he ot her hand,
if a sdhu r epeat edly r epr imands one, and maint ains const ant
vigilance on any swabhv he sees wit hin one; and if he does not cease
t o denounce t hat swabhv unt il it is over come, and does not mer ely
flat t er , t hen even if he is not consider ed gr eat in public view, one
should st ill keep his company.
16 Then Shr iji Mahr j asked anot her quest ion: Suppose a sdhu
possesses all of t he glor ious vir t ues of bhakti, gnn, et c. However , on
account of which one vicious flaw should one avoid his company?
17 Again Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, If he is ver y lazy, sleeps t oo much
and when t old by ot hers t o bat he, medit at e or observe ot her niyams,
says, Ill do it lat er ; what s t he hur r y? Ill do t hem slowly t hen
even t hough he may appear t o be good, one should avoid his
company.
18 Again Shr iji Mahr j asked a quest ion: A sdhu may speak
well; but , due t o which fault in his speech should his t alks not be
hear d?
19 Shr iji Mahr j t hen replied, If, out of vanit y, he t alks about t he
bhakti, gnn, vairgya and dharma wit hin himself t o be super ior ;
and shows t he vir t ues of gnn, bhakti, et c., in ot her sdhus t o be
infer ior , t hen one should not list en t o his t alks.
20 Once again Shr iji Mahr j asked, Which t ype of speech should
be viewed as amrut even t hough it is har sh?
21 Shr iji Mahr j replied, The words of a sdhu who in his speech
denounces his own par ent s, sist er , br ot her and cast e wit h har sh
words, should be known t o be good. Why? Because one who hears
t hose words realises t he vir t ues of t hat sdhu; i.e., In no way does
t his sdhu have at t achment t o his bodily r elat ions or ot her s.
Therefore, t hose words should be enjoyed like amrut .
22 Again Shr iji Mahr j posed a quest ion, When should one
maint ain conceit , and when should one not maint ain conceit ?
23 Once again Shr iji Mahr j supplied t he answer: One should not
maint ain conceit before a st aunch follower of God, even t hough he
may be a simple and meek devot ee. On t he ot her hand, one should
The Vachanmr ut 258
cer t ainly maint ain conceit befor e a per son who has fallen back fr om
Sat sang. In fact , one should not become suppr essed by him, and in
any quest ion -answer exchange, his wor ds should be answer ed wit h
st er n wor ds of ones own.
24 Then Shr iji Mahr j asked, When should one not have a desire
for t he darshan , et c., of God and His S ant? When should one have
such a desir e?
25 Shr iji Mahr j replied, Suppose I were t o ask all of t he sdhus,
Who will go t o Bur npur a n d Kshi? Then, when no one speaks,
one should r ise in t he assembly and say t o Me, Mahr j, if you say
so, I shall go. So saying, one should follow My command and go
t her e. In t hose sit uat ions, t o gain My pleasur e, one should not keep
any desire for keeping t he company of t he S ant or My darshan , et c.
26 Moreover, when one, who a sdhu or I have gr ieved, r ebuked,
insult ed or expelled, and who is cr ying out of t hat shock, is
approached by a non -believer , such as an ekadmal, who st ar t s t o t alk
about t he flaws of t he sdhu or Me, t hen befor e him, one should
exhibit t remendous affect ion t owards t he sdhu and God. One should
say, I am His ser vant , and even if He wer e t o cut me t o pieces, I
would st ill never perceive flaws in Him. He will gr ant Me liberat ion .
In t hat sit uat ion, one should exhibit such gr eat affect ion.
27 Again Shr iji Mahr j asked, What should not be done, even if
God is pleased by it ? What should be done, even if God is displeased
by it ?
28 Shr iji Mahr j answered His own quest ion: If I were t o give an
order which seems t o be full of adharma, t hen one should be hesit ant
in following it ; t hat is, one should t ake some t ime and not accept it
immediat ely. For example, Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn ordered Ar jun,
Cut off Ashwat t hms head. But Ar jun did not follow t hat
command. Likewise, even if I am pleased by it , t hat t ype of
inst r uct ion should not be followed. Also, an inst r uct ion by which t he
prescribed niyams of t he five religious vows
4
ar e t r ansgr essed should
not be followed. If by not obeying t hese t wo t ypes of commands, God
is displeased, t hen one should definit ely let Him be displeased; in
t hose cases, one should not at t empt t o please Him.
29 Once again Shr iji Mahr j asked, While medit at ing on God,
count less differ ent waves of vicious t hought s ar ise in t he mind, just
The Vachanmr ut 259
as lar ge waves ar ise in t he ocean. When such t hought s do ar ise, how
can t hey be suppressed?
30 Shr iji Mahr j answer ed His own quest ion: When such vicious
t hought s ar ise, one should st op t he medit at ion, and should clap and
chant Swminr yan, Swminr yan aloud, wit hout shame. One
should pray t o God, O Lor d! You ar e a fr iend of t he meek! You ar e
an ocean of mer cy! Also, one should r emember a gr eat sdhu of God,
like Mukt nand Swmi, and pr ay t o him t oo. As a r esult of t his, all
dist ur bing t hought s will be er adicat ed and peace will pr evail. Apar t
fr om t his, t her e is no ot her met hod t o er adicat e such t hought s.
31 Then Shr iji Mahr j posed anot her quest ion: Which vir t ue
should be renounced, even if it is believed t o be a great virt ue in t his
Sat sang and is being pr aised by all? Which fault , even t hough it is a
fault , is suit able t o be imbibed?
32 Once again Shr iji Mahr j supplied t he answer Himself: One
may be like Mukt nand Swmi and may be obser ving r eligious vows
mor e r esolut ely t han all; however , if as a r esult of t his, anot her
sdhu feels inferior because he cannot behave on t he same level wit h
t he for mer , t hen t hat vir t ue, even t hough it may be gr eat , should be
renounced. Inst ead, one should behave on t he same level as all of t he
ot her sdhus. Even t hough behaving on t he same level as ot her s is a
dr awback, it should be imbibed.
33 Again Shr iji Mahr j asked, In t hese sdhus, which is t he one
flaw which, when abandoned, would cause all flaws t o be abandoned?
Which is t he one vir t ue which, if cult ivat ed, would cause all vir t ues
t o be cult ivat ed?
34 Shr iji Mahr j answered, All flaws reside in t he flaw of
ident ifying ones self wit h t he body. If t hat is abandoned, all flaws
ar e abandoned. Fur t her mor e, if t he sole vir t ue of t m -r ealisat ion,
i.e., r ealising oneself as t he t m , dist inct fr om t he body, is
developed, t hen all virt ues will develop.
35 Shr iji Mahr j again asked, Which t ypes of vishays, when
indulged in, enlight en t he mind, and which t ypes of vishays, when
indulged in, cause ignor ance t o pr evail in t he mind?
36 Again Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, By indulging in God-relat ed
vishays, t he mind is enlight ened; and by indulging in wor ldly
vishays, ignor ance pr evails in t he mind.
The Vachanmr ut 260
37 Next , Shr iji Mahr j asked, Which places, which t imes, which
company and which act ions should one not associat e wit h, even if it
is Gods command?
38 Shr iji Mahr j again supplied t he answer Himself: Even if it is
Gods command, a sdhu should not st ay in a place where he has
fr equent cont act wit h his bodily r elat ions. Also, if I seat one wher e
women can also be seen while having My darshan , and if I were t o
say, Do My darshan , t hen one should not sit in such a place.
Rat her , one should make an excuse and leave. Fur t her , if adverse
t imes ar e pr evailing and r iot s ar e t aking place, t hen even if it is
Gods command t o st ay, one should leave t hat place; but one should
not st ay t her e and suffer beat ings.
39 Then Shr iji Mahr j asked anot her quest ion: Which scr ipt ur es
should be hear d and st udied, and which scr ipt ur es should not be
heard or st udied?
40 Once again Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, Scr ipt ur es which do not
promot e God possessing a form and do not describe Gods avat rs, but
inst ead discuss pure Vednt a and pr opound a single, for mless ent it y,
should never be st udied or heard, even if t hey have been writ t en by
someone ver y int elligent . Also, even t hough t hey may be mer ely
devot ional songs like t hose composed by Ranchhod Bhakt a, if t hey
describe Gods for m, t hey should be sung and hear d. Such scr ipt ur es
should also be st udied and heard.
| | Vachanmr ut Loy-6 | | 114 | |
Loy -7
Rea li si n g God t h r ou gh t h e I n d r i ya s,
t h e An t a h k a r a n a n d Exp er ien ce
1 On Mgshar sudi 3, Samvat 1877 [7 December 1820], Shr iji
Mahr j was sit t ing on a lar ge, decor at ed cot in Sur Khchar s
darbr in Loy. His head was adorned wit h a whit e pgh, fr om
which a chhoglu emer ged fr om one side. He was wear ing a whit e
dagli made of chhint a nd a whit e, cot t on -padded survl. He had also
cover ed Himself wit h a whit e blanket . At t hat t ime, an assembly of
Him.
The Vachanmr ut 261
2 In t he assembly, Nit ynand Swmi br ought t he Vachanmr ut
manuscr ipt and present ed it t o Shriji Mahr j. Shr iji Mahr j
examined t he manuscr ipt and was ext r emely pleased. He t hen said
t o t he paramhansas , Today, please ask complex quest ions so t hat we
may t alk.
3 Ther eupon Mukt nand Swmi asked, The Shr ut is st at e: +-
-|||:| |-
i
and - ||||-=|- |-= +-u| |n-=|=
i i
.
These Vedic ver ses pr oclaim t hat t he jiva at t ains liber at ion only
when it r ealises t he t r ue gnn of God. If liberat ion can only be
at t ained by gnn, why do t he scr ipt ur es also pr escr ibe ot her spir it ual
endeavour s for at t aining liber at ion?
4 Hear ing t his quest ion, Shr iji Mahr j sa id, Gnn means t o
know.
5 At t his point , Nit ynand Swmi r aised a doubt . He said, If
gnn means mer ely t o know, t hen t he whole wor ld knows God
t hr ough t he scr ipt ur es, yet ever yone does not at t ain liber at ion.
6 Hear ing t his, Shr iji Mahr j raised a quest ion: J ust as one does
not at t ain liber at ion by knowing t he pr eviously incar nat ed for ms of
God t hr ough t he scr ipt ur es, do you t hink all t hose who act ually had
t he darshan of Rm, Kr ishna and t he ot her avat rs of God wit h t heir
own eyes at t ained liberat ion?
7 Mukt nand Swmi r eplied, Those who mer ely see t he manifest
form of God at t ain liberat ion only aft er several lives.
8 Shr iji Mahr j added, Those who know God t hrough t he
scr ipt ur es also r eceive liber at ion aft er sever al lives. Why? Because
whom t hese people know t hr ough t he scr ipt ur es is whom t he ot her
people see wit h t heir eyes; and whom t he ot her people see wit h t heir
eyes is whom t hese people know t hr ough t he scr ipt ur es. Thus, t he

i
Rute gnnn -na muktihi
Ther e is no liber at ion wit hout gnn .
Hir anyakeshiyashk Shr ut i
i i
Tam-eva vidit vt imrut yum-et i nnyaha pant h vidyat eyanya| |
Only by knowing Him does one t r ansgr ess deat h; t her e is no ot her pat h for
at t aining [liber at ion].
Shvet shvat ar a Upanishad: 3.8
The Vachanmr ut 262
r esult ing fr uit s of bot h ar e equal, and bot h at t ain liber at ion aft er
sever al lives.
9 Aft er all, is not hear ing God wit h ones ear s gnn? It is, but
t hat can be said t o be mer ely hear ing God. Is not t ouching God wit h
ones skin also gnn? It is, but t hat can be said t o be mer ely
t ouching God. Is not seeing God wit h ones eyes gnn? It is, but t hat
is mer ely seeing God. Is not smelling God wit h ones nose gnn as
well? It is, but t hat is mer ely smelling God. Does not descr ibing God
wit h ones t ongue also const it ut e gnn? It does, but t hat is mer ely
having descr ibed God. In t his way, gnn can be at t ained t hr ough t he
physical indriyas . It can also be at t ained t hr ough t he antahkaran as
well as dir ect ly fr om exper ient ial gnn of t he jiva, which t r anscends
bot h t he indriyas and t he antahkaran . Of t hese, which gnn are you
speaking of?
10 In fact , in or der t o cr eat e t he cosmos, God assumed t he for m of
Anir uddha, wit hin which dwells t he mobile and immobile wor ld along
wit h space. In t he for m of Sankar shan, God dest r oys t he cosmos. In
t he for m of Pr adyumna, He sust ains t he cosmos. He also assumes
var ious avat rs such as Mat sya, Kachchha, et c. He assumes t hese
for ms accor ding t o whichever t ask needs t o be accomplished in
whichever place. Some of t hese t asks ar e such t hat t hey are
impercept ible t o t he indriyas and antahkaran , and can only be
known by exper ience
i
. For t he successful complet ion of t hese t asks,
God assumes a for m accor dingly. On the ot her hand, some of t hese
t asks are percept ible t o t he indriyas and antahkaran . For t he
successful complet ion of t hese t asks, again God assumes an
appr opr iat e for m. Thus, t he gnn of which of Gods for ms is
inst r ument al in at t aining liber at ion? Is t hat your quest ion?
11 Nit ynand Swmi confir med, We ar e saying t hat liber at ion is
at t ained by t he gnn of God whose form can be realised by t he
indriyas , t he antahkaran , and exper ience.
12 Shr iji Mahr j t hen explained, That God is Shr i Kr ishna. He
has said of himself:

i
Thr oughout t his Vachanmr ut , exper ience should be under st ood t o mean
exper ient ial gnn t hr ough t he jiva because it r efer s t o t he gnn of t he divine
for m of God, not just t he for m of God t hat is per ceivable t hr ough t he senses or
mind.
The Vachanmr ut 263
=-||-|-||||+ ||
-||- | +|u- +||+
i

| -=|| | | |-u-| - +
i i

| +- |-=||u|-- =
|= | + |- | |-|-|| ;+
i i i

+= +|u -+||-| |-||u |
||||| |=|| ||-|| -|| +
i v

In t hese and many ot her ver ses, he descr ibes himself as
impercept ible t o t he indriyas and t he antahkaran . Thus, knowing
God per fect ly means knowing t he manifest for m of God t hr ough t he
indriyas , t he antahkaran , and experience. Only t hen can one be said
t o possess perfect gnn. However, if any one of t hese t hree t ypes of
gnn is lacking, one cannot be said t o have r ealised ult imat e gnn,
nor can one over come t he cycle of bir t hs and deat hs. In fact , even
t hough someone may have at t ained t he brahmaswarup st at e t hr ough

i
Yasmt-ksharam-ateetoham-akshard -api chottamaha|
At osmi loke vede cha prat hit aha purushot t amha| |
I t ranscend all t hat is per ishable and am gr eat er t han even t he imper ishable;
t her efor e I am known in t he Smr ut is and Vedas as Pur ushot t am.
Bhagwad Git : 15.18
i i
Vishtabhyham-idam krutsnam-eknshena sthito jagat| |
I sust ain t he ent ir e univer se wit h a single fr agment [of myself].
Bhagwad Git : 10.42
i i i
Mattaha parataram nnyat-kinchid-asti dhananjaya|
Mayi sarvam-idam protam sootre manigan iva| |
O Conquer or of Wealt h [Ar jun]! Ther e is not hing at all t hat is gr eat er t han me.
All t his [cr eat ion] is st r ung upon me like a ser ies of gems on a t hr ead.
Bhagwad Git : 7.7
i v
Pashya me prth roopni shatashotha sahasrashaha|
Nn-vidhni divyni nn-varnkrut eeni cha| |
O Son of Pr ut h [Ar jun]! Behold my hundr eds and t housands of divine for ms
t hat ar e of var ious t ypes and of assor t ed colour s and shapes.
Bhagwad Git : 11.5
The Vachanmr ut 264
his personal endeavours, if he does not realise t he manifest form of
God in t his manner, he cannot be said t o possess perfect gnn. That
is why it is said in t he Shr imad Bhgwat :
-=-==-~|| - ||~- -|| |
i

The Git also st at es:
-|| = |+ |= |= |-|
-| |= | -|| |-+
i i

Even in t he st at e of non -karma, i.e., gnn, t her e is st ill somet hing
left t o be realised. That is t o say, even aft er one has become
brahmarup, one st ill has t o r ealise Par abr ahma Pur ushot t am. Only
one who is brahmarup has t he r ight t o offer bhakti t o Pur ushot t am.
13 Now, what const it ut es bhakti? It is when one becomes
brahmarup and performs t he bhakti of t he manifest form of God wit h
sandalwood past e, flowers, shravan , manan , et c. just as t he
niranna-muktas of Shwet dwip, having become brahmarup, per for m
puja of Par abr ahma Nr yan by offering various t ypes of offerings
such as sandalwood past e, flower s, et c. Thus, God has ment ioned in
t he Git :
-| ~ - + :||| |||- |- ||-
~- ;|- ~- +|+
i i i

i
Naishkarmyam-apyachut a-bhva-varjitam na shobhate gnnam-alam
niranjanam|
Indeed, even pur e gnn wher ein all karmas ha ve been r enounced is not
elegant if it is devoid of bhakti t owar ds God.
Shrimad Bhgwat : 1.5.12
i i
Karmano hyapi boddhavyam boddhavyam cha vikarmanaha|
Akarmanash-cha boddhavyam gahan karmano gatihi| |
[The nat ur e of] karma should be under st ood, [t he nat ur e of] pr ohibit ed karmas
should be under st ood, and [t he nat ur e of] non-karma should also be under st ood.
Indeed, t he way of karma is ver y complex.
Bhagwad Git : 4.17
i i i
Brahma-bhootaha prasanntm na shochati na knkshati|
S amaha sarveshu bhooteshu mad -bhaktim labhate parm| |
One who ha s become brahmarup r emains joyful, gr ieves not hin g, desir es
not hing, behaves equally wit h all beings, and at t ains my supr eme bhakti.
Bhagwad Git : 18.54
The Vachanmr ut 265
Thus, one who does not offer bhakti t o Par abr ahma aft er becoming
brahmarup cannot be said t o have at t ained ult imat e liber at ion.
14 Fur t her more,
~ ||+|| |= | |
- | ;-|= |~:|| + |- |+
i

This descr ibes t he all-pervaded jad prakruti. Also,
+=|---=| +|- || +|
|~ -| ||| == |=- -+
i i

Such is t he all-pervasive chaitanya prakruti. That manifest for m of
God is such t hat He is t he suppor t er of bot h t he eight for ms of
pervaded jad prakruti and also of t he chaitanya prakruti t hat
per vades t her ein. For example, ksh is t he support er of t he ot her
four element s prut hvi, jal, et c. Whenever prut hvi cont r act s, ksh
cont r act s along wit h it . When t he prut hvi expands, ksh also
expands along wit h it . Similar ly, ksh also cont r act s and expands
along wit h t he cont r act ion and expansion of jal, t ej and vyu.
However , prut hvi and t he ot her element s all cont ract and expand
wit hin ksh. In t he same way, God expands and cont r act s along
wit h t he expansion and cont ract ion of t he t wo prakrutis , while t hey
t hemselves cont r act and expand wit hin God Himself. That God is
t he t m of all. This fact is st at ed in t he Shr ut is: --+ | ||--|
|| | |
i i i
; =-=|| || ... ~ -|--||+-+|-| |=|

i
Bhoomir-ponalo vyuhu kham mano buddhir-eva cha|
Ahamkra iteeyam me bhinn prakrutir-ashtadh| |
Prut hvi, jal , t ej, vyu, ksh, man, buddhi and ahamkr t hese ar e my eight
for ms of prakrut i,
Bhagwad Git : 7.4
i i
Apareyam-itas-tvanym prakrutim viddhi me parm|
J eeva-bhootm mahbho yayedam dhryate jagat| |
t he lower prakrut i. But O Might y-ar med (Ar jun)! Also know my ot her
prakrut i t he t r anscende nt al prakrut i t he ver y element of life [i.e. chait anya],
by which t his wor ld is upheld.
Bhagwad Git : 7.5
i i i
Antah -pravishtaha shst jannm sarvtm|
God, who ent er s wit hin all, is t he cont r oller and tm of all beings.

The Vachanmr ut 266
| ||=-|
i
; =-=|| || = ||--| ==|- -
||--=|-=-
i i
; and =-= + |u| || = + |u|--| ==|- -
||--=|-=-
i i i
.
15 Fur t her mor e, even food, t he mind, knowledge and bliss have
been descr ibed as Br ahma; t hat is, var ious such t ypes of
brahmavidy have been ment ioned. What is t he significance of t his?
Well, even t hose t hings have been called Brahma because God is t he
cause of all and t he support er of all. However, t hey are all t he
sharir , and t heir shariri is t he manifest for m of Shr i Kr ishna
Pur ushot t am. Bot h t he jad and chaitanya prakrutis , along wit h
ent it ies evolved t hereof in t heir expanded and cont ract ed st at es, dwell
easily wit hin God. Mor eover , God dwells wit hin t hem all as t heir
antarym i and as t heir cause. It is t hat ver y God who is t his
manifest for m. To know and see God wit h such an under st anding of
great ness is called perfect gnn.
16 Ther eupon Mukt nand Swmi asked, If a per son cannot
exper ience t he gr eat ness of God in t his manner , but does have a fir m
convict ion of it in his antahkaran , t hen can t hat be said t o be perfect
gnn, or not ?
17 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, In a dar k house, one can faint ly see t he
gr ain-st or e, t he pillar s, et c.; but due t o t he dar kness, t hey cannot be

Yajur Veda: r anyak -3.11
i
Yasyksharam shareeram esha sarva-bhootntartmpahata-ppm divyo
deva eko nryanaha|
He, whose sharir is t he imper ishable, is t he indwelling tm of all beings, is
devoid of all evil, and is t he one divine God, Nr yan.
Subla Upanishad: 7.1
i i
Yasytm shareeram ya tmnam-antaro yamayati sa ta
tmntarymyamrutaha|
He, whose sharir ar e t he tms and who gover ns all tms fr om wit hin, is your
tm, t he antarymi , and immor t al.
Br uhadr anyaka Upanishad: 5.7.26
i i i
Yasya prut hivee shareeram yaha prut hiveem-antaro yamayati sa ta
tmntarymyamrutaha|
He, whose sharir is prut hvi and who gover ns it fr om wit hin, is your tm, t he
antarymi , and is immor t al.
The Vachanmr ut 267
said t o have been seen t ot ally. In t he same way, bot h t he jad and
chaitanya prakrutis r eside wit hin Pur ushot t am Bhagwn, and He
dwells wit hin t hem as well. But if one exper iences t his only by
inference and does not act ually see it , t hen he cannot be said t o
possess perfect gnn. Never t heless, because he has such a fir m
convict ion, he sur ely must have exper ienced some sort of
t ranscendent al powers of God in t he past ; if not , he will experience
t hem in t he fut ur e.
18 Despit e having such a doubt less convict ion, if one does not
exper ience t hat t r anscendence, one should t hink, God possesses all
t hose powers, but He does not r eveal t hem t o me because t hat is His
wish. If a per son offer s bhakti t o God wit h such under st anding and
remains fulfilled, t hen he can also be said t o possess perfect gnn.
19 Thus, a devot ee wit h gnn is one who t hor oughly knows God
t hr ough t he indriyas, t he antahkaran , and exper ience. Such a
devot ee has been praised in t he Git as t he best of all devot ees:
|-| |-|| u|u| -||| ~ - ~+...
- | -||| |== - ~|- | ||=-
i

Such a devot ee wit h gnn fait hfully serves t he manifest for m of God
who et er nally has a for m r ealising Him as t r anscending Pr akr ut i-
Pur ush and Akshar , and as being t he cause and suppor t er of all.
Such under st anding const it ut es gnn, and such gnn leads t o
ult imat e liber at ion. Some who do not under st and t his mer ely claim
-| ||-
i i
fr om t he scr ipt ur es. They pr oclaim, I am t he for m of

i
rt o jignsur-arthrthee gnnee cha bharatarshabha| |
Teshm gnnee nit ya-yukta eka-bhaktir-vishishyat e|
O Supr eme among t he Descendant s of Bhar at [Ar jun]! [Four t ypes of vir t uous
per sons wor ship me:] one who is dist r essed [fr om having fallen fr om t he pat h of
at t aining yogic power s, and t hus st ill wishes t o at t ain t hem]; one who seeks
knowledge [of t he tm, i.e. tm-r ealisat ion]; one who desir es mat er ial object s
[i.e. mat er ial pleasur es and power s]; and one who has gnn . Of t hese, t he one
wit h gnn is t he best because he is always engaged in me and is devot ed t o me
a lone.
Bha gwad Git : 7.16 & 17
i i
Aham brahmsmi
I am Br ahma.
The Vachanmr ut 268
Br ahma, and Rm, Kr ishna, et c., ar e mer ely manifest at ions
emanat ing fr om me. Such sacr ilegious, unor t hodox Vednt is of
t oday ar e ext r emely evil and gr ave sinner s. At deat h, t hey are
consigned t o narak, and t hey will never be released from t here.
| | Vachanmr ut Loy-7 | | 115 | |
Loy -8
Er a d i ca t i n g t h e Over -Excit a bilit y of t h e I n d r iya s;
Accep t i n g On ly Wor d s Rela t ed t o On es I n cli n a t i on
1 On t he night of Mgshar sudi 5, Samvat 1877 [10 December
He was wear ing a whit e khes and had t ied a whit e fet o ar ound His
head. He was also wear ing a whit e dagli made of chhint. At t hat
t ime, an assembly of paramhansas as well as devot ees from various
2 Ther eupon Mukt nand Swmi asked Shr iji Mahr j, On seeing
some inappropriat e swabhv of a sdhu, one who is t hought less may
perceive flaws in t he sdhu. But why does one who is wise perceive
flaws in t he sdhu?
3 Shr iji Mahr j replied, If a person is wise and has not iced an
inappropriat e swabhv wit hin himself, and while har bour ing an
int ense aver sion t owar ds it , is cont inually endeavour ing t o over come
t hat swabhv, t hen when he sees t hat ver y same swabhv in anot her
sdhu, he develops an aversion t owards t hat sdhu. On t he ot her
hand, a fool not only does not overcome his own swabhvs, but when
he sees t hat same swabhv in anot her sdhu, he perceives flaws in
t hat sdhu. Such a person should be considered a fool.
4 Then Shr iji Mahr j gat her ed t he junior paramhansas , and He
Himself asked and answer ed quest ions.
5 Fir st , He asked, The int ensit y and mildness of t he for ce of lust ,
anger , avar ice, and ot her inner enemies is due t o t he phases of
childhood, yout h and old age. In what way? Well, in childhood, t he
for ce is weak; in yout h, t he for ce is int ense; t hen in old age, t he for ce
becomes weak again. Thus, t he int ensit y and mildness of lust ,
anger , et c., can be not iced; but can t hey be weakened by any t hought
pr ocess?
The Vachanmr ut 269
6 Shr iji Mahr j Himself r eplied, The for ce of lust , anger , et c.,
can be weakened by a t hought pr ocess, which is as follows: The
mildness of t hose swabhvs in childhood, t heir gr eat er int ensit y in
yout h, and mildness once again in old age is due t o food. Specifically,
in childhood, since t he diet ar y int ake is small, t he for ce of lust is
mild. Similar ly, in old age, ones diet ar y int ake is small, so again t he
for ce of lust is mild. But in yout h, as t he diet ar y int ake incr eases,
lust also incr eases. Ther efor e, in yout h, if ones food int ake is
decreased, and if one deliberat ely t olerat es cold, heat , rain and
hunger , t hen by maint aining such a t hought pr ocess, and by
maint aining pr ofound associat ion wit h t he gr eat S ant, t he force of
lust is weakened even in t he period of yout h.
7 Again Shr iji Mahr j asked, People become addict ed t o many
differ ent t ypes of t hings, for example, bhang, mar ijuana, opium,
alcohol, et c. Are t hese addict ion s due t o ones kriyam n or prrabdha
karmas?
8 Replying, Shr iji Mahr j said, These addict ions are developed
not by prrabdha, but by habit . Ther efor e, if one maint ains cour age,
keeps shraddh, and becomes adamant on over coming t he addict ion,
t hen it can be over come. But if one has no shraddh and is
cowar dly, t hen t hat vice cannot be over come.
9 Then Shr iji Mahr j asked, Some childr en have a mat ur e
nat ure like elder people, whereas some have an ext remely fidget y
nat ur e. Is t hat nat ur e due t o company, or is it inher ent wit hin t heir
jiva?
10 Shr iji Mahr j answer ed, For t he most par t , a good or bad
nat ur e is due t o t he company one keeps, but in some cases, it is due
t o past karmas.
11 Then Kapileshwar nand Swmi asked, Mahr j, how can one
r ecognise a swabhv which has for med pr eviously, and how can one
r ecognise a swabhv which has for med r ecent ly?
12 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, A r ecent ly for med swabhv is over come
by st aying in t he company of a pious sdhu and by making a lit t le
effort t o er adicat e it . J ust as gr ass gr owing on a wall dr ies up when
t her e is no r ain for five days, similar ly, a r ecent ly for med swabhv
can be over come in a few days. However , an est ablished swabhv
can barely be overcome, even aft er one makes a great effort t o
er adicat e it . For example, if t her e ar e st r ong weeds or a bordi t ree in
The Vachanmr ut 270
t he soil, t hen even if t hey ar e set on fir e and bur nt by a far mer , t hey
will st ill r e-spr out . But if one uses a hoe t o upr oot t hem fr om t heir
r oot s, t hey can be r emoved. Similar ly, if one r emains in t he company
of a pious sdhu and perseveres wit h great effort , even an est ablished
swabhv can be over come, but only wit h gr eat effor t .
13 Then Shr iji Mahr j asked, For one whose indriyas are overly
excit able, what are t he individu al met hods by which t hat excit abilit y
can be over come?
14 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, To over come t he excit abilit y of t he eyes,
a person should fix his gaze on t he t ip of his nose and not look
elsewher e. He should cont inue t o st udy while st udying, and he
should also engage in wor ship. While doing t his, if he cont inues t o
keep his eyes open wit hout blinking for half an hour or so unt il his
eyes begin t o burn int ensely and t ears flow and he does not harbour
a debased t hought even if he happens t o not ice a woman or ot her
object s, t hen even if his eyes ar e excit able, t hey will become
cont rolled.
15 The nose does not like t he odour s coming fr om someones body,
mout h or clot hes. At t hat t ime, a per son should t hink, My own body
appear s at t r act ive super ficially, but it is filled wit h blood, flesh and
bones; and in t he abdomen t her e is faeces, ur ine and t he int est ines.
If he t hinks in t his way t he over -excit abilit y of t he nose is eradicat ed.
16 The over -excit abilit y of t he ears can be eradicat ed as follows:
Wh en some humor ous t alks ar e on -going or a folk-dr ama is being
performed, one develops a keen int erest t o list en t o t hem; whereas,
while list ening t o t he discourses and devot ional songs relat ed t o God,
one falls asleep. In t hat sit uat ion, one should rise and subdue sleep
and let har gy. One should also keep fait h in and maint ain a keen
int er est in list ening t o t he discour ses of God; t her eby, t he ear s can be
cont rolled.
17 The sense of t ouch can be cont rolled by deliberat ely t olerat ing
t he cold, heat and r ain; by lying down anywher e; by keeping a
blanket as a pillow and using it for covering t he body only when one
feels ver y cold. Ther eby, t he skin becomes numbed, and t he over -
excit abilit y of t he sense of t ouch is eradicat ed.
18 To overcome t he over -excit abilit y of the hands, whenever t he
hands ar e idle, one should keep a r osar y in ones hand and t ur n it
while chant ing t he name of God in r hyt hm wit h t he inhaling and
The Vachanmr ut 271
exhaling of ones br eat h. One should not , however , t ur n t he r osar y
hur r iedly. Some say, One can chant t he name of God mor e quickly
ment ally. But t hat pr inciple is wr ong because, in act ualit y, t he
mind can chant t he name of God only as many t imes as t he t ongue
can chant t he name of God. So, by applying t his met hod, t he over -
excit abilit y of t he hands is eradicat ed.
19 If t he legs ar e over ly act ive, t hey can be cont r olled by
cont r olling ones sit t ing post ur e.
20 Over ly excit able genit als can be cont r olled as follows: When one
get s scabies or r ingwor m, and one scr at ches oneself, t he it ching is
not r elieved unt il bleeding occur s. However , if one does not scr at ch
t he affect ed ar ea, t hen t he it ching subsides by it self. Thus, even if an
it ching sensat ion ar ises on t he genit als, it should not be scr at ched.
Mor eover , in t he case of it becoming fr equent ly excit ed, if one
decreases ones diet , observes fast s and physically weakens t he body,
t hen t he genit als can be cont rolled.
21 To conquer t he t ongue, it should not be given it ems t hat it
likes, and ones diet should be r est r ict ed. Ther eby, t he over -
excit abilit y of t he t ongue is eradicat ed.
22 Finally, t he over -act ivit y of ones speech can be eradicat ed by
not int er r upt ing wit h wise r emar ks when people like Mukt nand
Swmi ar e speaking or nar r at ing fr om a scr ipt ur e. Mor eover , if one
does happen t o int errupt , one should t ur n a r osar y 25 t imes.
Thereby, t he over -act ivit y of speech can be er adicat ed.
23 Then Shr iji Mahr j asked, Of all t hese indriyas , which one, if
fully cont rolled, leads t o cont rol over all of t he ot her indriyas ?
24 Shr iji Mahr j answer ed His own quest ion, If t he t ongue is
fully subdued, t hen all of t he ot her indriyas can be subdued.
25 Again Shr iji Mahr j asked, If lust per vades a per sons hear t ,
and even t hough his genit als ar e cover ed by his clot hes, how can one
realise t hat he has been pervaded by lust ?
26 Shr iji Mahr j Himself r eplied, When lust per vades a per son,
his eyes and all of his ot her indriyas become over ly excit ed. Ther eby,
one can r ealise t hat he has become over whelmed by lust .
27 Once again, Shr iji Mahr j asked, One who has an over act ive
nat ur e should become calm, and one who has a calm nat ur e should
become act ive. By which t hought pr ocess can t his be achieved?
The Vachanmr ut 272
28 Shr iji Mahr j Himself replied, If a person who is overact ive
t hinks, I am t he t m , Br ahma
i
, gender less, and st able like ksh,
and he at t ains t he upsham st at e t hr ough such t hought s, t hen he
becomes calm. If a per son who is calm wishes t o become mor e act ive,
t hen he should realise t he great ness of God and His devot ees. When
he realises t he great ness of God, he engages in t he nine t ypes of
bhakti and performs t he menial service of t he devot ees of God.
Consequent ly, his nat ur e becomes mor e act ive.
29 Then Shr iji Mahr j asked, Is t her e anyt hing in t he eight
scr ipt ur es
13
such as t he Shr imad Bhgwat , et c., which should be
disr egar ded, or should ever yt hing be imbibed?
30 Replying t o His own quest ion, Shr iji Mahr j said, In all of
t hose scr ipt ur es t her e ar e count less incident s, and t hr ough all of
t hose incident s, t he inclinat ions of t he devot ees who have at t ained
God are described. Therefore, t hey are all suit able t o be imbibed.
However , among all of t hese incident s, only t hose incident s t hat
mat ch ones own inclinat ion should be imbibed. The ot her s, however ,
may be disr egar ded wit h t he under st anding, These t alks ar e t r ue,
but t hey are for t he benefit of ot her devot ees; t hey are not for me.
31 Once mor e, Shr iji Mahr j asked, All of you youngst er s ar e
seat ed her e; and fr om amongst you, all of t he sdhus cer t ify some
and do not cer t ify ot her s. Now, all of you ar e of a similar age and all
have t he same company. In fact , all have t he same food, clot hing,
mode of wor ship, scr ipt ur es, and mant r a; and all list en t o t he same
spir it ual discour ses. What , t hen, is t he r eason for t he differ ence in
levels amongst you? Moreover, he who is a sdhu observes dharma
complet ely, is unbiased and views all equally; hence, he would
descr ibe ever yone as t hey t r uly ar e. So, please answer t he quest ion.
32 Again, Shr iji Mahr j supplied t he r eply, Only he who has
shraddh is praised by a sdhu, and t hat is also why he obser ves
dharma mor e st aunchly. Also, he has shraddh in ser ving t he S ant
and in list ening t o t he t alks of God. He also has fait h in t he S ant.
Ther efor e, he has pr ogr essed. On t he ot her hand, one who has not
pr ogr essed despit e st aying in such associat ion, should be known t o
lack shraddh.

i
Her e Br ahma should be under st ood as brahmarup.
The Vachanmr ut 273
| | Vachanmr ut Loy-8 | | 116 | |
Loy -9
Fa ct or s wh i ch Lea d t o t h e Develop men t of
Dh a r ma , Gn n , Va ir gya a n d Bh a k t i
1 On Mgshar sudi 6, Samvat 1877 [11 December 1820], Shr iji
Mahr j was sit t ing in Sur Khchar s darbr in Loy. He was
wear ing a whit e dagli made of chhint as well as a whit e survl. He
had also t ied a whit e fet o ar ound His head. At t hat t ime, an
assembly of paramhansas as well as devot ees fr om var ious places had
2 Then Shr iji Mahr j request ed, May all of t he paramhansas
please engage in a quest ion -answer session amongst t hemselves.
3 Ther eupon t mnand Swmi asked Akhandnand Swmi,
What ar e t he fact or s t hat lead t o t he development of t he four virt ues
of vairgya, gnn, bhakti and dharma?
4 Shr iji Mahr j answered t he quest ion, Vairgya is cult ivat ed
when one comes t o realise t he nat ure of kl. What is t his nat ur e of
kl? Well, it is t o know t he pr ocess of nit ya-pralay, nimit t a-pralay,
prkrut-pralay and tyantik-pralay, as well as t he lifespan of all
beings fr om Br ahm t o t he smallest blade of grass. Aft er knowing
t his, if one realises t he body, t he brahmnd and all ot her object s t o be
subject t o t he force of kl, t hen vairgya would ar ise.
5 Gnn ar ises if one list ens t o t he Upanishads such as t he
Br uhadr anya Upanishad, Chhndogya Upanishad, Kat havalli
Upanishad, et c.; t he Bhagwad Git ; t h e Vsudev Mht mya; t he
Vys Sut r as and ot her scr ipt ur es fr om a S atpurush.
6 Dharma arises if one list ens t o t he Ygnavalkya Smr ut i, Manu
Smr ut i, Par shar Smr ut i, Shankh-likhit Smr ut i and ot her Smr ut is.
By doing so, dharma would arise, and one would develop fait h in
t hose scr ipt ur es.
7 Bhakti ar ises if one realises t he divine manifest at ions of God.
How should one r ealise t hem? Well, when one hear s about t he for ms
of God t hat are in each khand; and when one hears about t he abodes
of God Golok, Vaikunt h, Br ahmapur , Shwet dwip, et c.; and when
one list ens wit h a sense of awe t o t alks of t he divine act ions of God
The Vachanmr ut 274
descr ibing t he cr eat ion, sust enance and dissolut ion of t he cosmos;
and when one list ens wit h keen int er est t o t he nar r at ion of t he divine
act ions and incident s of Rm, Kr ishna and t he ot her avat rs of God,
t hen bhakti t owards God would develop.
8 Now, even t hough a per son in his init ial st ages has an
immat ur e mind, if he list ens t o t he r it ualist ic Smr ut is, dharma
would develop. Lat er , aft er becoming fir m in his obser vance of
dharma, if he list ens t o scr ipt ur es t hat explain upsan , t hen all
t hree gnn, bhakti and vairgya would develop. So, t hese are t he
fact ors which lead t o t he development of t he four virt ues.
| | Vachanmr ut Loy-9 | | 117 | |
Loy -10
Rema in in g Un in fa t u a t ed
1 On t he mor ning of Mgshar sudi 8, Samvat 1877 [13 December
1820], Shr iji Mahr j was sit t ing on a lar ge, decor at ed cot in Sur
Khchar s darbr in Loy. He was wear ing a whit e dagli made of
chhint and a whit e survl. He had also t ied a whit e fet o ar ound His
2 Ther eupon Nit ynand Swmi said, In t his wor ld, t her e ar e
some men who have such affect ion for women and ot her object s t hat
if t hey wer e t o be separat ed, t hey would not be able t o live. There are
ot hers who also have affect ion for women and ot her object s, but it is
not as int ense. Hence, if t hey were t o be separat ed, t hey would
sur vive. Thus, t her e ar e t wo t ypes of people. Now, if t he for mer
affect ionat e person who involves himself in worldly life wit h affect ion
were t o meet God, he would become at t ached t o God in t he same way;
i.e., if he were t o be separat ed from God, he would not be able t o
sur vive. Mor eover , if t he lat t er per son wit h less int ense affect ion for
worldly life were t o meet God, he would have less int ense affect ion for
God as well. Grant ed t his, is t he difference bet ween t hese t wo t ypes
of people due to karmas, or is it et er nal?
3 Hear ing t his, Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, Those differences are not
inher ent ly pr esent in t he jiva; inst ead, t hey ar ise as a r esult of
karmas. How does t his happen? Well, when a jiva per for ms a
karma, t he for ce of it s vruttis can be of t hr ee levels: mild,
The Vachanmr ut 275
int er mediat e and int ense. The for ce wit h which t he vruttis at t ach
t hemselves t o t he object det ermines t he effect of t he karma upon t he
jiva. As a result , t hree levels of affect ion arise due t o t hese karmas.
4 Again, Nit ynand Swmi asked, Gr ant ed t hat fact , do t he t hr ee
levels in t he force of t he vruttis occur as a r esult of t he gunas, or is
t her e some ot her r eason?
5 Shr iji Mahr j replied, The t hree t ypes of differences are not
due t o t he gunas; r at her , when only t he indriyas indulge in an object ,
t hen a mild for ce r esult s. When t he indriyas indulge in an object
along wit h t he mind, an int ermediat e level of force develops. When
all t hree t he indriyas , t he mind and t he jiva combine and indulge
in an object , t hen t he vruttis develop an int ense force. Even if t hat
int ense force affect s only t he eyes, t he ot her indriyas would follow,
and t he for ce would affect t hem as well. In t his way, whichever
indriya is pr imar ily affect ed by t he int ense for ce, t he ot her indriyas
follow. Moreover, t hat int ense force affect s all t hree t ypes of people,
rjasik, sttvik and t masik. In fact , such int ense for ce is pr esent in
each of t he indriyas ; t hus, affect ion for object s ar ises
cor r espondingly.
6 Then Nit ynand Swmi asked, Why does he not develop
affect ion for God wit h such an int ense for ce?
7 Shr iji Mahr j said, Good and bad behaviour is det ermined by
t he fact or s of place, t ime, act ion, medit at ion, scr ipt ur es, init iat ion,
mant r a and company. So, if one at t ains favour able places, t imes,
company, et c., t hen one develops affect ion for God quickly. But if one
encount er s unfavour able places, t imes, et c., t hen one would develop
affect ion for object s ot her t han God.
8 Ther eaft er , Chait anynand Swmi asked, What should one do
in adver se t imes?
9 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, Whenever and wher ever t imes are
adver se, one should abandon t hat place for anot her locat ion; t hat is,
one should not st ay wher e t he fact or of t ime is adver se. In fact , t ime,
in t he for m of Sat ya-yug, Tr et -yug, Dwpar-yug and Kali-yug, exist s
bot h ext er nally and int er nally. So, when Kali-yug is pr evalent
wit hin ones hear t , one should not visualise t he for m of God wit hin
ones hear t ; inst ead, it should be seen ext er nally, befor e ones eyes.
The Vachanmr ut 276
10 Then Mukt nand Swmi asked, How can one dist inguish
whet her a mild, an int er mediat e or an int ense for ce pr evails wit hin
someones hear t ?
11 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, When t he for ce is mild, one would
har bour t he same feelings on seeing a young gir l, a young woman or
an old woman. Why? Because only t he vrut t is of t he indriyas have
become involved. Consequent ly, a mild force has developed. When
t he mind unit es wit h t he indriyas and t hey see t he t hree t ypes of
women, t hen no base t hought s ar ise t owar ds t he young gir l or t he old
woman; but base t hought s cer t ainly do ar ise t owar ds t he young
woman, and dist ur bance is exper ienced. This should be known t o be
an int er mediat e-level for ce. But , when bot h t he mind and t he jiva
combine wit h t he indriyas and look at t he t hree t ypes of women, t hen
base t hought s ar ise t owar ds all t hr ee t ypes of women, and
dist ur bance is exper ienced. In fact , one would exper ience such base
t hought s even on seeing ones own mot her or sist er . This should be
known as an int ense for ce.
12 Then Br ahmnand Swmi asked, Suppose a person not ices t he
dist inct ion bet ween t he t hr ee t ypes of women, and not ices t heir
beaut y and ugliness, yet he does not experience any base t hought s
which t ype of for ce is t hat ?
13 Shr iji Mahr j said, Having r ealised an object t o be t he cause of
int ense miser y and having cont emplat ed upon t hat fact , one
at t r ibut es gr ave dr awbacks t o t hat object . The cont emplat ion of
t hose dr awbacks in t he mind t hen leads t o t hose drawbacks being
acknowledged by t he jiva. The wit ness
i
, who t r anscends t he jiva,
also affir ms t hose dr awbacks, and so an ext r emely fir m convict ion in
t hose dr awbacks is developed. Thus, when t he vruttis of t he indriyas
ent er t he object , t he mind and jiva also go along wit h t he vruttis ; but
since t he jivas deep convict ion of t he drawbacks in t he object pierces
t he mind and indriyas , even t hough t he object is seen and fully
r ecognised, st ill an int ense aver sion ar ises for it . For example, if a
snakes venom is dropped in a bowl of sweet milk, and one sees t he
venom being added, t hen even t hough t he milk appear s exact ly as
before, an int ense aver sion for it pr evails in ones hear t . Why is
t hat ? Because one has r ealised, If I dr ink t he milk, I will die.

i
Her e wit ness r efer s t o God.
The Vachanmr ut 277
Similar ly, such a per son has r ealised, This beaut iful woman is an
obst acle on t he pat h of liberat ion ; and she is t he cause of ext r eme
miser y in t his r ealm and in t he higher r ealms. In fact , I have
at t ained t he company of women count less t imes in past lives in
var ious life for ms, and if I do not wor ship God, I will at t ain t he
company of count less mor e females. Thus, t his at t ainment is not
r ar e. However , t he company of God and His S ant is ext r emely r ar e,
and t his woman is a major obst acle in t he at t ainment of t hat . A
person who has realised t his and has int ensely realised t he flaws in
t he object will never be infat uat ed on seeing a woman, r egar dless of
how beaut iful she may be.
14 Fur t her mor e, t her e is anot her way t o r emain uninfat uat ed:
J anak t he Videhi, who was a great king and a devot ee of God, st ayed
in his kingdom and, due t o his fir mness in gnn, r emained
uninfat uat ed even while indulging in ent icing vishays. Similar ly, a
devot ee wit h gnn like J anak, har bour s t he t hought , I am t he
t m pur e, chetan , unchanging, t he embodiment of bliss, and
imper ishable. Vishays like women and ot her t hings, however , ar e
full of miser y; t hey ar e vain, per ishable, and jad. Wit h t his t hought ,
he believes only his own self, t he t m , as being t he embodiment of
bliss. Also, he believes, The pleasur e and pleasant ness which ar e
apparent in t he vishays i.e., sounds, t ouch, et c. are only
experienced due t o t he t m . But , when t he t m leaves t he body,
t hat which was once pleasur able becomes miser able. He
cont emplat es upon his t m in t his manner .
15 Also, he cont emplat es upon Par amt m, who t r anscends t he
t m , as follows: I have at t ained t his gnn of t he pure t m , which
t r anscends m y, by t he gr ace of t he S ant. That S ant is a devot ee of
God. Moreover, t hat God is t he t m of even Br ahma, who is t he
t m of all. He is t he t m of Akshar and is also t he t m of the
count less millions of muktas . I am t he brahmarup ser vant of t hat
Par abr ahma Pur ushot t am Nr yan.
16 Fur t her , he under st ands t he gr eat ness of God by r ealising
n+-= - ==-----=| |+...+
i
. Such ver ses have gr eat ly

i
Dyupat aya eva t e na yayur-antam-anantatay tvamapi| |
Even t he mast er s of t he higher r ealms [i.e. deit ies such as Br ahm] cannot
fat hom your gr eat ness because it is endless. [In fact ,] neit her can you your self

The Vachanmr ut 278
expounded t he great ness of God. When a per son who has such gnn
of his own self and of God at t ains a vishay, regardless of how
appealing it may be, his mind would not be even slight ly affect ed by
it . He does indulge in t he essent ial vishays, i.e., sounds, t ouch, et c.,
but he does not become dependent upon t hem; rat her, he indulges in
t hem independent ly, of his own accor d. J ust as a spider spr eads it s
own web and t hen, when necessar y, it independent ly r et r act s it , in
t he same way, such a devot ee possessing gnn engages t he vruttis of
his indriyas in t he vishays and r et r act s t hem of his own accor d.
Such a person, even if he is amongst people, feels as if he is in t he
for est ; and t hough he may be in t he for est , he exper iences mor e
happiness t her e t han one does fr om r uling a kingdom.
17 Such a devot ee may reside in a kingdom, t housands of people
may be under his command and he may be wealt hy. But he himself
does not feel, I have become ver y gr eat . Fur t her mor e, if t he
kingdom is dest royed and he begs for food from house t o house wit h
an ear t hen begging-bowl, he does not feel, Now I have become poor.
This is because he r emains absolut ely car efr ee in his own bliss, and
he knows t he gr eat ness of his own self and t hat of God. Thus, he
views gold, dir t , ir on and st ones as equal; he also feels equanimit y in
honour and insult . Since his vision has become br oad, and he knows
all wor ldly object s t o be vain, no object s ar e capable of binding such a
per son wit h gnn. For example, when a man who was init ially poor
r eceives a kingdom, his vision becomes br oad. At fir st he may have
been selling bundles of wood or doing various ot her insignificant jobs,
but he forget s t hem all and he begins t o do import ant t asks relat ed t o
his kingdom. Similar ly, t o such a per son wit h gnn, all object s
become vain, and due t o t hat gnn, his vision becomes br oad. A
per son wit h such an under st anding becomes happy.
18 Also, if a per son has fait h, i.e., he believes, What ever such a
gr eat S ant and God say is t he t r ut h; t her e is no doubt in it , and wit h
such a belief, he does as God and His S ant inst r uct him t o do, t hen

[fat hom your own gr eat ness]. Indeed, in your each and ever y hair count less
brahmnds accompanied wit h t heir bar r ier s fly simult aneously at immense
speed like mer e specks of dust flying in t he air . Even t he Shr ut is descr ibing
you a s net i net i [i.e. indescr ibable and unfat homable] ult imat ely per ish in you
[i.e. fail t o ext ol your complet e glor y].
The Vachanmr ut 279
such a person remains happy. So, t hese t wo t ypes of people are
happy, and apar t fr om t hem, ot her s ar e not happy. Thus t he ver se:
= -| | = + -
-|~ - |+==--|-| +
i

Also, in t he Bhagwad Git , it is said:

|=| ||- -- |||-= |
|-=-= + | |--+
i i

So, all object s, except God, become vain t o a person whose vision
becomes divine in t his way. Mor eover , t he meaning of t hese t wo
ver ses is t he same.
19 Then Mukt nand Swmi r equest ed Shr iji Mahr j, Mahr j,
now please ask t he quest ion You were going t o ask.
20 So Shr iji Mahr j asked, Is t her e only miser y in m y, or is
t her e also some happiness in it ? That is t he quest ion.
21 Mukt nand Swmi r eplied, My causes only miser y.
22 Ther eupon, Shr iji Mahr j said, Of t he t hr ee gunas
sattvagun, rajogun and t amogun which ar ise fr om m y,

i
Yash-cha moodhatamo loke yash-cha buddhehe param gataha|
Tvubhau sukham-edhet e klishyat yant arit o janaha| |
In t his wor ld, t her e ar e t wo t ypes of people who exper ience [t he] bliss [of God]
t hose who ar e ut t er ly ignor ant [and have blind fait h in God] and t hose who a r e
per fect ly enlight ened [and have r ealised God]. Those who ar e in bet ween,
t hough, ar e t r oubled.
i i
Vishay vinivartante nirhrasya dehinaha|
Rasa-varjam rasopyasya param drushtv nivartate| |
The sense object s r ecede for a per son who abst ains fr om indulging in t hem.
However , t he longing for t hem does not subside. The longing subsides [only]
when his vision r eaches [i.e. he r ealises] t he t r anscendent al [i.e. God].
Bhagwad Git : 2.59
The Vachanmr ut 280
sattvagun is said t o give happiness. Fur t her mor e, in t he Shr imad
Bhgwat it is said, =-| |
i
and t hat t he product s of
sattvagun are gnn, vairgya, wisdom, t r anquillit y, self-r est r aint ,
et c. How is m y in t his for m a cause of miser y? Fur t her mor e, it is
st at ed in t he 11
t h
cant o:
|n||n - | |||-||
||-| |n |==| ||| - +
i i

So, how is m y in t he form of knowledge which leads t o liberat ion a
cause of miser y?
23 Hear ing t his quest ion, Mukt nand Swmi and all of t he ot her
paramhansas said, Mahr j, we ar e unable t o answer, so please
have mer cy and give t he answer Your self.
24 Hear ing t his, Shr iji Mahr j said, To a sinful per son, t he for m
of Yamar j appear s fr ight ful and t er r ible, wit h lar ge t eet h and a
lar ge, fr ight ening mout h; he appear s black like soot , huge like a
mount ain and hor r ific like deat h. In t his way, his for m appear s
dr eadful. But t o a vir t uous per son, t he for m of Yamar j appears
ver y pleasant , like Vishnu. Similar ly, t o t hose who ar e non -believer s,
m y causes at t achment and int ense miser y, while t o a devot ee of
God, t hat same m y is t he cause of int ense happiness. Also, t he
ent it ies t hat have evolved out of m y t he indriyas and t he
antahkaran , and t heir pr esiding deit ies all support t he bhakti of
God. Therefore, for a devot ee of God, m y is not a cause of miser y;
it is a sour ce of gr eat happiness.
25 Then Mukt nand Swmi asked, If m y is a cause of
happiness, why is it t hat when a devot ee of God visualises t he form of

i
S attvam yad -brahma-darshanam
S attvagun leads t o t he vision [i.e. r ealisat ion] of Br ahma [i.e. God].
i i
Vidyvidye mama tanoo viddhyuddhava shareerinm|
Bandha-mokshakari dye myay me vinirmite| |
O Uddhava! Realise my t wo for ms bot h of which have been cr eat ed fr om my
my: t he pr imor dial [brahma]vi dy and avidy, which liber at e and bind people
[r espect ively].
The Vachanmr ut 281
God and engages in worship, m y, in t he for m of t he antahkaran ,
causes miser y by gener at ing many dist ur bing t hought s?
26 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, My, in t he form of t he antahkaran ,
does not cause miser y t o a per son who t hor oughly under st ands t he
great ness of God and has an absolut ely firm refuge of God; but it does
cause miser y t o a per son who does not have such a r efuge. For
example, a kusangi would at t empt t o dislodge only an irresolut e
satsangi, but no one would dare t o dislodge a st aunch satsangi. In
fact , no one would be able t o speak ill of Sat sang in his pr esence.
Similar ly, m y, in t he form of t he antahkaran , would never
ent ert ain a desire t o daunt a person who has a firm refuge in God.
Rat her , it would help his bhakti t o flour ish. However , m y does
deflect a person who has a slight deficiency in his refuge in God and
does cause him miser y. Then, when t hat per son develops a complet e
refuge in God, m y is not able t o dist ur b him or cause him pain.
Ther efor e, t he answer is t hat if a per son has such complet e fait h in
God, m y is not capable of causing him miser y.
| | Vachanmr ut Loy-10 | | 118 | |
Loy -11
Beli efs of a Holy a n d Un h oly P er son
1 On t he mor ning of Mgshar vadi 8, Samvat 1877 [27 December
Khchar s darbr in Loy. He was dr essed ent ir ely in whit e clot hes.
At t hat t ime, an assembly of sdhus as well as devot ees from various
2 Ther eupon Shuk Muni asked Shr iji Mahr j, What
underst anding does an unholy person adopt fr om t he Shr imad
Bhgwat , t he Bhagwad Git , and ot her sacr ed scr ipt ur es?
3 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, The answer is as follows: An unholy
person believes t hat all of t he mobile and immobile male and female
for ms in t his wor ld have been cr eat ed t hr ough m y and t he
pr imor dial Pur ush, Vir t , t he for m of God. This implies t hat all of
t hese for ms ar e, in fact , manifest at ions of God Himself. For t his
r eason, a per son aspir ing for liber at ion should init ially conquer his
mind, and t her eaft er , if his mind is at t r act ed t owar ds a higher or
lower form of eit her a male or a female, he should medit at e on t hat
The Vachanmr ut 282
ver y for m in or der t o at t ain inst ant aneous sam dhi. If t he mind
per ceives any flaws in t hat for m, t hen he should believe t hat for m t o
be Br ahma by t hinking, The whole wor ld is Br ahma. Thinking in
t his manner , he should r efut e t he per cept ion of t hose flaws. In t his
way, t o accept only t he t r anscendent al wor ds r egar ding exper iences
fr om t he scr ipt ur es is t he under st anding of an unholy per son. Such
a misunder st anding r eflect s t he wicked nat ur e of his mind, and, at
t he end of ones life, it s r esult is consignment t o t he deep, dismal
regions of narak and t he cycle of bir t hs and deat hs.
4 Ther eaft er , Shuk Muni r equest ed, Now please explain what
under st anding a holy per son adopt s fr om t he sacr ed scr ipt ur es.
5 Shr iji Mahr j answer ed, The answer t o t his quest ion is given
in t he sacr ed scr ipt ur es t hemselves. Specifically, t hose desir ing
liberat ion should not medit at e on wit h t he except ion of
Pur ushot t am Nr yan any deit ies such as Shiv, Br ahm, et c.
Inst ead, among all humans and deit ies, t hey should medit at e only on
t he forms of Rm, Kr ishna, et c. t hat ar e for ms of Pur ushot t am
Nr yan. Fur t her mor e, t he wise among t hem consider all of t he
places where Gods forms of Rm, Kr ishna, et c., r eside t o be
Vaikunt h, Golok, Shwet dwip and Br ahmapur . They consider t he
at t endant s t hat dwell in t hose r ealms t o be t he at t endant s of Rm,
Kr ishna, et c., i.e., Hanumn, Uddhav, et c. They also regard t he
divine for ms of Pur ushot t am Nr yan in t hose r ealms, which ar e
r adiant wit h t he light of count less millions of suns, moons and flames
of fir e, t o be t he forms of Rm, Kr ishna, et c. So, one who adopt s such
an under st anding fr om t he sacr ed scr ipt ures and wit h a sense of
divinit y medit at es on t he for ms of God t hat ar e in human for m, never
equat es t he forms of Gods avat rs and ot her for ms. In r ealit y, all
forms of Gods avat rs have only t wo ar ms. However , for t he sole
r eason of dismissing any similar it y t hat a per son lacking wisdom
may per ceive bet ween Gods for m and ot her for ms, t hey ar e oft en
descr ibed as having four ar ms or eight ar ms.
6 Moreover, one should only medit at e on t he form of God t hat one
has at t ained, not on t he for ms of t he pr evious avat rs. Thus, like a
woman who observes t he vow of fidelit y, one should remain t ot ally
fait hful t o t he for m of God t hat one has at t ained. Pr vat i has also
said:
The Vachanmr ut 283
|| - | |
|~ ||+
i

Such a vow of fidelit y has also been ment ioned in order t o dismiss t he
similar it y t hat a per son lacking wisdom per ceives bet ween t he for m
of God and ot her beings. This is because if someone st r ays fr om t he
for m of God which one has at t ained, and inst ead, medit at es on t he
pr evious avat rs of t hat ver y God, t hen lat er he may even for sake
God and medit at e on ot her deit ies or ot her human for ms. That is
why t he vow of fidelit y has been ment ioned, not because t her e is any
difference bet ween t he for ms of God t hemselves. This is t he
underst anding of a holy person . Ther efor e, one should only hear t he
sacr ed scr ipt ur es fr om a holy person , but never fr om an unholy
person .
| | Vachanmr ut Loy-11 | | 119 | |
Loya -12
Th e Si x Levels of Fa i t h ; Sa vi k a lp a n d Ni r vi k a lp Fa i t h
1 On t he night of Mgshar vadi 9, Samvat 1877 [28 December
Khchar 's darbr in Loy. He was dr essed ent ir ely in whit e clot hes
and was also wearing a red, woollen dagli. At t hat t ime, an assembly
of paramhansas as well as devot ees from various places had gat hered
befor e Him.
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j r aised a quest ion: Fait h in God is of
t wo t ypes: one is savikalp fait h, and t he ot her is nir vikalp fait h. In
each t ype of fait h t here are t hr ee sub-cat egor ies: t he highest level, t he
int er mediat e level, and t he lowest level. Please descr ibe, in t ur n, t he
dist inguishing char act er ist ics of each of t hese six cat egor ies.
3 The paramhansas wer e unable t o answer , so Shr iji Mahr j
said, The char act erist ics of a person wit h t he lowest level of
savikalp fait h ar e as follows: As long as God exhibit s lust , anger ,

i
Koti janma-laga ragad hamri|
Varu S hambhu, ke rahu kumri| |
For a million lives I have far ed;
Ill mar r y Shambhu, or r emain unwed.
The Vachanmr ut 284
avar ice, egot ism, cr avings for t ast e, et c., t o t he same ext ent as ot her
humans, t he per sons fait h in God r emains. But if God wer e t o
display t hese swabhvs mor e so t han ot her s, his fait h would be
shat t ered.
4 The fait h of someone wit h an int ermediat e level of savikalp
fait h r emains fir m even if God exhibit s lust , anger , et c., t o a double
degr ee t han t hat of humans.
5 Finally, one wit h t he highest level of savikalp fait h would
never doubt any act ion of God, even if God were t o behave coarsely
like a per son of a low cast e; or exhibit anger , violence, et c.; or indulge
in dr inking alcohol, meat -eat ing or adult er y. Why? Because he
under st ands God t o be t he all-doer , t he supr eme lor d, and t he
exper iencer of ever yt hing. Such a per son r ealises t hat what ever
act ions t ake place in t he world are t he result of God, who is anvay
wit hin all beings as t heir cont r oller . If, t hen, He wer e t o indulge in
some degr ading deed, it would not affect Him at all since He Himself
is t he all-doer . In t his manner , one who has r ealised God as t he lor d
of all is known as a devot ee of God wit h t he highest level of savikalp
fait h.
6 As for a devot ee wit h t he lowest level of nir vikalp fait h, no
mat t er what pious or impious deeds he wit nesses being performed by
God, he under st ands t hat in all act ions God per for ms, He is st ill a
non -doer , since He is Br ahma. That Br ahma is like ksh in t hat
ever yt hing r esides in ksh and all act ions t ake place wit hin it . The
devot ee r ealises such qualit ies of Br ahma in God. For example,
dur ing t he nar r at ion of t he Rs-panchdhyyi, King Par ikshit asked
Shukji, God assumes an avat r t o uphold dharma. Why, t hen, did
he associat e wit h t he gopis? Shukji r eplied, Shr i Kr ishna is r adiant
like fire; what ever act ions he per for ms, pious or impious, ar e bur nt t o
ashes. In t his manner , one who under st ands God as Br ahma,
unaffect ed by t he act ions He per for ms, is said t o have t he lowest level
of nir vikalp fait h.
7 One who becomes like t he niranna-muktas of Shwet dwip who
ar e fr ee fr om t he six physical and emot ional sensat ions
14
and
wor ships Vsudev is said t o possess an int ermediat e level of
nir vikalp fait h.
8 Finally, one possessing t he highest level of nir vikalp fait h
r ealises t hat count less millions of brahmnds, each encir cled by t he
eight bar r ier s
5
, appear like mer e at oms befor e Akshar . Such is t he
The Vachanmr ut 285
gr eat ness of Akshar , t he abode of Pur ushot t am Nr yan. One who
wor ships Pur ushot t am realising oneself t o be aksharrup can be said
t o possess t he highest level of nir vikalp fait h.
9 Ther eaft er Chait anynand Swmi asked, Mahr j, how have
such dist inct ions in fait h ar isen?
10 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, When an aspir ant init ially appr oaches a
gur u, sever al fact or s cause dist inct ions in his fait h: t he
auspiciousness and inauspiciousness of place, t ime, company,
init iat ion , act ion , mant r a, scr ipt ur es, et c.
1
, wit h r egar ds t o t he gur u;
as well as t he int ensit y of ones own shraddh. Ther efor e, one should
always associat e wit h favour able places, t imes, et c. Mor eover , one
should acquir e wisdom fr om a speaker who is ser ene and fault less.
11 Chait anynand Swmi asked fur t her , If under such
cir cumst ances one develops t he lowest level of fait h, can it lat er
develop int o t he highest level of fait h?
12 Shr iji Mahr j replied, If t he list ener possesses ext reme
shraddh; and if he encount er s favour able places, t imes, et c.; and if
he encount er s a gur u wit h t he highest level of gnn, t hen t he highest
level of fait h will develop. Ot herwise, such fait h would develop aft er
many lives.
| | Vachanmr ut Loy-12 | | 120 | |
Loy -13
Not Bei n g Over come by Ad ver se Ci r cu mst a n ces
1 In t he ear ly mor ning of Mgshar vadi 10, Samvat 1877 [30
December 1820], Swmi Shr i Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing on a
lar ge, decor at ed cot in Sur Khchar s darbr in Loy. He had wor n
a red, woollen dagli and a whit e khes. He had t ied a whit e fet o
around His head and had t ied a bokni wit h anot her whit e fet o. In
addit ion t o t his, He had cover ed Himself wit h a t hick, whit e cot t on
clot h. At t hat t ime, an assembly of paramhansas as well as devot ees
2 Shr iji Mahr j t hen t old t he senior param hansas t o ask
quest ions amongst t hemselves. Ther eupon Goplnand Swmi asked
Br ahmnand Swmi, What t ype of per son is not over come by
adver se places, t imes, act ions, company, et c.; and what t ype of per son
is over come? Aft er all, it is said t hat even Br ahm was infat uat ed
The Vachanmr ut 286
upon seeing Sar aswat i, as was Shiv when he saw Mohini. So please
answer car efully, because even such gr eat s have been over come by
adver se cir cumst ances.
3 Br ahmnand Swmi at t empt ed t o answer but could not give a
sat isfact or y r eply.
4 So Shr iji Mahr j explained, A per son who has wit hdr awn his
ndis and prns, and by way of his nirvikalp st at e r emains at t he
holy feet of God, would not be overcome by adverse places, t imes,
company, et c., even if he was an insignificant being. In fact , if
Br ahm and t he ot her deit ies behave in t his manner , t hey would also
not be overcome. However, if he has not developed such a st at e, and
inst ead, behaves as if he is t he body, t hen average beings as well as
gr eat s such as Br ahm and t he ot her deit ies would be overcome. If
t his wer e not so, t hen t he meaning of t he ver se:
- | -|--| +|
+| ||=-| - =||-= |==|+
i

would not hold t rue. Therefore, God alone is not overcome by t hose
influences. While all ot her s, however gr eat t hey may be, if t hey ar e
not engrossed in t he holy feet of God, would be overcome; t hose who
do r emain engr ossed ar e not over come. This is a univer sal pr inciple
t hat I have fir mly est ablished wit hin Myself.
5 Moreover , it is ment ioned in t he Shr imad Bhgwat :
-||||-= + |--u||+ -, -|
= =- |-u = u| |--||=|+
i i

i
Tat-shrusht a-shrusht a-shrusht eshu ko nvakhandit a-dheehee pumn|
Rushim nryanam-rut e yoshin-mayyeha myay| |
Of t he pr ogeny of Br ahm [i.e. Mar ichi, et c.], and t heir pr ogeny [i.e. Kashyap,
et c.], and t heir pr ogeny [i.e. humans and deit ies] whose mind in t his wor ld,
besides t hat of Nr yan Rishi, can be dist inguished as being unaffect ed by t he
my [i.e. allur ing char m] of women?
i i
Etad -eeshanam-eeshasya prakrut ist hopi t ad -gunaihee|
Na yujyate sadtmasthair-yat h buddhis-tad -shray| |
J ust as a per sons buddhi [i.e. knowledge of God] is not affect ed by t he t r ait s of
t he body [such as bir t h, deat h, age, illness, ignor ance, et c.], similar ly, God, who

The Vachanmr ut 287
6 Kr ishna Bhagwn has also said:
| = | -|=| |=| ==|
| = ++n-- |=|-| -|-- -+
i

7 Thus, only God r emains unaffect ed by m y; and one who has
realised God t hrough a nirvikalp st at e is also not overcome by m y.
On t he ot her hand, someone who has realised God t hrough a savikalp
st at e, however gr eat he may be, would st ill be over come.
8 Ther eaft er , Nit ynand Swmi asked, Mahr j, as long as a
mukt a is associat ed wit h t he gunas, he is affect ed by places, t imes,
et c. It is accept ed, however , t hat God is not influenced by places,
t imes, et c. even while He r emains wit hin t he gunas. But when all
of t he muktas are free from t he associat ion of t he gunas, and having
become nirgun, dwell in Akshardh m along wit h God who dwells
t her e in t he same manner t hen all of t he muktas are nirgun and
composed of chaitanya. Also, as explained by ||-= |-|
i i
, t hey
have at t ained qualit ies similar t o t hose of God. How, t hen, should we
underst and t he dist inct ion bet ween t he muktas and God?
9 Shr iji Mahr j answer ed, Look at t he moon and t he st ar s. Isnt
t here a difference bet ween t he t wo? They are not similar in t er ms of
bright ness, and t here is a vast difference bet ween t he int ensit y of
t heir r ays as well. All of t he her bs ar e nour ished by t he moon, but
not by t he st ar s. Also, it is t he moon t hat dispels t he dar kness of t he
night , not t he st ar s. God and t he muktas differ in t he same way.
10 Also, a king and his ser vant ar e bot h t he same in t hat bot h ar e
humans; yet t he aut hor it y, power , beaut y and char m of t he king ar e

per vades Pr akr ut i [and it s cr eat ion], is for ever unaffect ed by t heir in fluences
and t he influences of t he tms. This is t he pr owess of God.
i
Daivee hyesh guna-mayee mama my duratyay|
Mm-eva ye prapadyante mym-etm taranti te| |
My my, which I have cr eat ed and is composed of t he [t hr ee] gunas, is indeed
difficult t o t r anscend. [But ] t hose who t ake r efuge in me alone can t r anscend
t hat my.
Bhagwad Git : 7.14
i i
mama sdharmyam-gath
Bhagwad Git : 14.2
The Vachanmr ut 288
by far super ior . His ser vant , r egar dless of how gr eat he may be,
cannot achieve what t he king can achieve. In t he same way,
Pur ushot t am Nr yan is t he all-doer , t he cause of all, t he cont r oller
of all; He is ext r emely at t r act ive, ext r emely r adiant , and ext r emely
powerful; also, He possesses t he kartum, akartum and anyath-
kartum powers. If He wishes, He can eclipse all of t he muktas of
Akshardh m by His own divine light and pr evail alone. Also, if He
wishes, He can accept t he bhakti of t he muktas and reside wit h
t hem. He can eclipse even Akshar , in t he for m of t he Akshar dh m
in which He dwells, and preside alone independent ly. If He so
chooses, He is capable of support ing t he count less muktas by His own
power, wit hout even needing Akshardh m. For example, King
Pr ut hu had t old Pr ut hvi, I can kill you wit h t he ar r ow fr om my bow
and st ill be able t o suppor t t he whole wor ld by my power s. Likewise,
t hr ough His power s, God r eigns as supr eme. He who equat es God
wit h Akshar and t he ot her muktas should be regarded as evil-minded
and as a gr ave sinner . One should avoid even looking at him. In
fact , mer ely looking at such a per son is as sinful as commit t ing t he
five gr ave sins
10
.
11 Of cour se, by consider ing t heir associat ion wit h God, it is
accept able t o endow great ness upon anyone. Brahm, Shiv, Nr ad,
t he Sanak dik and Uddhav can all be called God because of t heir
associat ion wit h God. At pr esent , even a sdhu like Mukt nand
Swmi can be considered t o be like God because of his associat ion
wit h God. Wit hout God, however , even Akshar cannot be called
God let alone anyone else. In fact , t he Vedst ut i pr ose +||-|
|-- ~ -| =| -|--| ||-=- |- |=| -u|
i
r eflect s t he
same t r ut h. If t his wer e not so, t hen why would we, despit e
regarding ourselves t o be brahmarup, and dist inct fr om t he body, and
possessing gnn, vairgya, et c., t r y t o please God by st aying up day
and night , clapping, singing devot ional songs and chant ing His holy

i
Aparimit dhruvs-tanubhruto yadi sarvagats-tarhi na shsyateti niyamo
dhruva net arath|
O St eadfast [God]! If t he embodied jivas, which ar e innumer able and et er nal, ar e
believed t o be all-per vasive, t hen t hey would not be gover nable. [But ] not
believing t hem as such [i.e. all-per vasive] would not cause any discr epancies.
The Vachanmr ut 289
name t ir elessly? Why would we engage in spir it ual discour ses day
and night and encour age ot her s t o do so as well? Why would we
make so much effor t if we could become like God? Hence, only God is
like God; no one can become like Him. The Vedic ver se ||;-|=
-|
i
also explains t hat God alone is like God. This is t he principle of
all of t he scr ipt ur es.
12 In t his manner , Shr iji Mahr j addressed t he devot ees for t heir
benefit , when in r ealit y He Himself is Pur ushot t am Nr yan.
| | Vachanmr ut Loy-13 | | 121 | |
Loy -14
P e r son a l P r e fe r e n ce s
Mahr j was sit t ing on a lar ge, decor at ed cot in Sur Khchar s
darbr in Loy. He was wear ing a whit e khes and had t ied a whit e
fet o ar ound His head. He had cover ed Himself wit h a whit e cot t on
clot h. At t hat t ime, an assembly of paramhansas as well as devot ees
2 Then Shr iji Mahr j said t o t he paramhansas , All of t he
chryas of t he past have had differ ing beliefs. Of t hem, Shankar
Swmi seems t o have leaned predominant ly t owards t he Advait
doct r ine. Rmnujs pr inciple is t hat jivas, m y and Pur ushot t am
ar e et er nal; Pur ushot t am is t he cont r oller of t he jivas and m y; He
is t he ult imat e cause of all; He for ever dwells in His Akshar dh m in
a divine for m; all avat rs emanat e fr om Him; and it is t his
Pur ushot t am Nr yan t hat individuals should wor ship. This seems
t o be t he under st anding of Rmnuj. Vallabhchr ya seems t o have
int ense fait h only in bhakti. All of t hese chryas have occasionally
r efer r ed t o ot her pr inciples in t heir own scr ipt ur es, but ult imat ely, in
one way or anot her, t hey have leaned t owards t heir own personal
pr efer ence. Their views can be accur at ely infer r ed fr om t he
st at ement s in t heir scr ipt ur es.

i
Ekam-evdviteeyam brahma
The Vachanmr ut 290
3 In t he same way, having list ened t o My discour ses, what have
all of you r ealised My personal preference t o be? J ust as a t hread
passes t hr ough t he eye of a needle, or a t hr ead r uns t hr ough each
and ever y bead of a r osar y, which pr inciple is consist ent ly int er woven
in all of My t alks? Please st at e your beliefs.
4 Ther eupon all of t he senior paramhansas spoke accor ding t o
t heir under st anding.
5 Then, Shr iji Mahr j said, Here, allow Me t o reveal My own
pr inciples and pr efer ences.
6 Fir st of all, I like t he fact t hat alt hough Rushabhdev Bhagwn
had at t ained oneness wit h Vsudev, and despit e being God himself,
when yogic powers manifest ed before him, he did not accept t hem
because he wished t o set an example for all r enunciant s. Also, t he
Shr imad Bhgwat st at es: Even an accomplished yogi should never
t r ust his mind even t hough he may appear t o have conquer ed it .
Ther e ar e ver ses t o t hat effect as well:
=|| |= | =|-u-
=|;|-~|||r||-| -- -+ +
i

|= ||- |-=| - ==
=|| -|-= +=|= +|+
i i

In t his manner , I like a r enunciant who does not t r ust his mind.

i
Na kuryt-karhichit -sakhyam manasi hyanavasthite|
Yad -vishrambhch-chirch-cheernam chaskanda tapa aishvaram| |
Never befr iend t he mind [because] it is ver y unst able; it has even dest r oyed t he
aust er it ies of t he deit ies t hat wer e accumulat ed aft er ext ensive endeavour s over
a gr eat per iod of t ime.
i i
Nityam dadti kmasyach-chhidram tam-anu yerayaha|
Yoginihi krut a-maitrasya patyur-jyeva punshchalee| |
The minds of t hose yogis who have befr iended t heir minds cont inuously allow
lust t o ent er . [Ot her ] enemies [such as anger , avar ice, infat uat ion, et c.] follow
t hat lust [int o t he mind. In t his way, t he mind br ings about t he downfall] of t he
yogis just as an unfait hful wife [br ings about t he downfall] of her t r ust ing
husband.
The Vachanmr ut 291
7 Also, in My mind I do not like ot her r ealms as much as I like
Shwet dwip and Badrikshr am. In fact , I feel t hat it would be ver y
good t o go t here t o perform aust erit ies wit hout any food. I would
pr efer not t o indulge in t he various t ypes of pleasures of t he ot her
r ealms.
8 Fur t her mor e, I r ealise t hat t he many avat rs ar e all ult imat ely
of God; yet , among t hese avat rs, I like Rushabhdevji gr eat ly. I also
like Kapilji and Dat t t r eya equally, but t o a lesser ext ent t han
Rushabhdevji. But mor e t han t hese t hr ee, I have a million -fold more
affect ion for t he avat r of Shr i Kr ishna. I feel, This avat r is gr eat er
and mor e power ful t han all of t he ot her s. Also, in him, one cannot
make t he dist inct ion of the avat r and t he source of t he avat r. On
t he ot her hand, I do not have a gr eat liking for t he ot her avat rs of
God such as Mat sya, Kachchha, et c.
9 In addit ion t o t his, My under st anding is as follows: Ther e is an
all-t r anscending mass of divine light which cannot be measur ed fr om
above, below, or in any of t he four dir ect ions; t hat is t o say, it is
endless. Amidst t his mass of light lies a lar ge, or nat e t hr one upon
which pr esides t he divine for m of Shr i Nr yan Pur ushot t am
Bhagwn. Count less millions of muktas are seat ed around t hat
t hrone and enjoy t he darshan of God. I const ant ly see Him
accompanied by t he muktas . Mor eover , t hat God is ext r emely
luminous. At t imes when, due t o t his luminosit y, I cannot see God
wit h t he assembly of muktas , I feel deeply hurt . Despit e being able t o
const ant ly see t his mass of divine light , I am not at t r act ed by it ; I
experience profound bliss only from t he darshan of Gods for m. This
is My met hod of worship.
10 Moreover, I like t he bhakti t hat t he gopis had t owar ds God. For
t his r eason, I cont inuously obser ve people, and having seen t he
affect ion a lust ful woman has for a man, or a lust ful man has for a
woman, I feel, It would be good t o have such affect ion for God. Also,
whenever I see someone having gr eat affect ion for t heir son, or t heir
money, I again feel, It would be good t o have such affect ion t owards
God. That is why whenever I hear someone singing, I would eit her
send someone t o t hat person, or I would personally go t here, and I
would feel, What he is doing is ver y good.
11 Also, I only get along wit h one who has no swabhvs, i.e., lust ,
anger , avar ice, affect ion, egot ism, jealousy, hypocr isy, deceit ,
cr avings for t ast e, et c.; one who obser ves dharma as pr escr ibed in t he
The Vachanmr ut 292
Dhar ma-shst r as; and one who has bhakti t owards God. I enjoy t he
company of only such a per son. If a per son is not like t hat , t hen I do
not get along wit h him, even if he is st aying close t o Me. In fact , I
feel an aver sion t owar ds him.
12 Init ially I had a st rong dislike for anyon e wit h lust . However ,
now I have a st r ong dislike for t hose who have anger , egot ism or
jealousy. The r eason is t hat a lust ful per son passes his days in t he
Sat sang fellowship by being meek like a householder devot ee; but as
for t hose who have anger, egot ism or jealousy, t hey can be seen t o
definit ely r egr ess in Sat sang. For t his r eason, I am deeply saddened
by t hese t ypes of people.
13 What is egot ism like? Well, a per son wit h egot ism r emains
ar r ogant even befor e t hose who ar e super ior t o him, but he cannot
become humble and ser ve t hem.
14 Now allow Me t o summar ise My pr efer ences in br ief. I do not
agr ee wit h Shankar Swmis propagat ion of t he non -dual Br ahma.
Rmnuj Swmi descr ibes Pur ushot t am Bhagwn as t r anscending
t he perishable and t he imperishable, and I wor ship t hat
Pur ushot t am Bhagwn. My bhakti t owar ds t hat Pur ushot t am
Bhagwn is like t hat of t he gopis, and t he vir t ues of vairgya and
t m -r ealisat ion wit hin Me ar e like Shukjis and J adbhar at s. These
are My principles and preferences. The int elligent can r ealise t his if
t hey analyse My t alks as well as t he scr ipt ur es of our samprad y
which have been accept ed by Me as aut hor it at ive.
15 Thus, Shr iji Mahr j spoke for t he sake of His devot ees, while
He Himself is Pur ushot t am Nr yan.
| | Vachanmr ut Loy-14 | | 122 | |
Loy -15
Expla in in g t ma d a r sh a n Usi n g
t h e An a logi es of a Doll a n d a Cow
1 On t he night of Mgshar vadi 13, Samvat 1877 [2 J anuar y
He was wear ing a war m, r ed dagli and a whit e khes. He had t ied a
whit e fet o around His head and had t ied a bokni wit h anot her whit e
fet o. In addit ion t o t his, He had cover ed Himself wit h a t hick, cot t on
clot h t hat had been placed t oget her wit h a whit e blanket . At t hat
The Vachanmr ut 293
t ime, an assembly of devot ees fr om var ious places as well as
paramhansas had gat her ed befor e Him.
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said out of compassion, The jiva
pervades t he ent ire body from head t o t oe t hrough it s t hree powers of
adhyt m a, adhibhut and adhidev. Thr ough t he indriyas and t heir
presiding deit ies, it exper iences t he vishays, but it cannot exper ience
anyt hing by being dist inct fr om t he pr esiding deit ies and t he
indriyas .
3 Ther eupon Nit ynand Swmi r aised a doubt : Mahr j, it is said
t hat t he jiva pervades t he whole body in general, but resides
specifically wit hin t he hear t . How, t hen, should one under st and t he
fact t hat awar eness is not pr esent ever ywher e equally?
4 Shr iji Mahr j answer ed, The sun per vades each and every
object equally by it s r ays, but it s light is seen accor ding t o t he object
befor e it . For example, pur e sunlight is not exper ienced as int ensely
on st one or sand or in dirt y wat er as it is on a floor made of glass or
in clean wat er . Thus, just as one experiences a great er and lesser
int ensit y in t he suns light , in t he same way, even t hough t he jiva
resides equally in t he indriyas , t he antahkaran and t he indriyas
or gans, one exper iences it s power mor e int ensely in t he indriyas
because of t heir pur it y. J ust see, does one exper ience as much
sensat ion in ones nose and ears as one does in ones eyes? Cert ainly
not . Fur t her mor e, t he four antahkarans ar e even pur er t han t he
indriyas , and so t he jivas power can be experienced t here even more
int ensely. In comparison, it is experienced t o a lesser degree in t he
indriyas . Never t heless, t he jiva does pervade t he ent ire body
equally.
5 Ther eaft er Br ahmnand Swmi asked, Many see t he jiva t o be
like a st ar , or like t he flame of an oil lamp, or like t he flash fr om a
fir ecr acker . How should one under st and t hese differ ences in
exper iences?
6 Shr iji Mahr j explained, J ust as a person who has mast ered
akshividy can see t he jiva and t he for m of God t herein wit h his eyes,
one who has at t ained r ealisat ion t hr ough t he indriyas sees t he t m
in a similar manner . For example, if t her e wer e a glass doll shaped
in t he for m of a human wit h all of it s limbs, hair and vessels made
of glass and if it were filled wit h light , t hen t he light would be seen
only according t o t he size and shape of t he t ubes wit hin; it would not
be seen everywhere. In t he very same way, people describe t he
The Vachanmr ut 294
nat ur e of t he jiva accor ding t o however t hey have seen it . But ,
because t hey have not at t ained t r anscendent vision, t hey do not see
t he t m as it is. However , when a per sons vision does become
t r anscendent and one wit h his t m , he no longer perceives t he
divisions of t he different organs of t he indriyas ; inst ead, he realises
t he t m as it t r uly is. J ust as one who has at t ained t he viewpoint of
ksh does not perceive t he ot her four bhuts, similar ly, one wit h
t r anscendent al vision does not perceive differences in t he jivas light
ar ising fr om it s indriyas , t heir or gans and presiding deit ies, and t he
antahkaran ; inst ead, he realises t he jiva pr ecisely as it is.
Conversely, one who perceives dist inct ions does not realise t he jiva as
it is. For example, from a group of people, someone saw t he t ail of a
cow, someone else saw it s mout h, someone saw it s hoof, anot her saw
it s st omach, and yet anot her saw it s udder . Whichever par t of t he
cow was seen did, in fact , belong t o t he cow, yet no one saw t he cow
complet ely. But , because at least one par t was seen, it can be said
t hat t he cow was act ually seen. In t he same manner , a per son can
be said t o have seen t he t m t o t he ext ent t o which he has seen t he
light of t he t m t hr ough his indriyas or antahkaran . This,
however, cannot be said t o be perfect t m -realisat ion . Thus, I
explain t he general and t he specific experiences of t he jiva in t his
manner .
7 At t hat point , Nit ynand Swmi quest ioned, Mahr j, you have
described t he jiva as being for mless. Ther efor e, when God dwells
wit hin t he jiva, does He reside wit hout a form, or does He possess a
for m?
8 Shr iji Mahr j clarified, God dwells as t he refuge of t he
indriyas , t heir pr esiding deit ies, t he antahkaran and t he jiva. Shr i
Kr ishna Bhagwn, for example, made Uddhavji explain t o t he gopis,
I am near t o you by being t he r efuge of your indriyas, antahkaran ,
t heir pr esiding deit ies and jiva. J ust as t he ver y same five
mah bhuts which r eside in t he brahmnds ar e also wit hin
ever yones body, similar ly, I r eside in Mat hur like t he mah bhuts
reside predominant ly in t he brahmnds; but just like t hose
mah bhuts reside subt ly in t he bodies of t he jivas, I also reside
wit hin all of you. The fact t hat I cannot be seen is t o keep t he vrut t i
of your mind confined wit hin me; t hat is why I cannot be seen.
Nevert heless, I reside wit hin you possessing a definit e for m.
The Vachanmr ut 295
9 Hear ing t his, Nit ynand Swmi quest ioned fur t her , But
Mahr j, does God, who resides as t he refuge of t he indriyas et c.,
r eside in t he for m of Pur ush, Akshar , or as Pur ushot t am Himself?
10 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, The light of t he jiva, Pur ush, Akshar
and Pur ushot t am is ver y similar in t er ms of luminosit y. So much
so, t hat no one is capable of dist inguishing bet ween t heir light .
Act ually, t hough, t hey ar e absolut ely dist inct fr om each ot her , but no
one is capable of seeing t hese dist inct ions. Only one who r eceives a
divine body composed of divine light by t he grace of God realises,
This is myself, t his is Pur ush, t his is Akshar , and t his is
Pur ushot t am who is dist inct fr om all. In t his way, one can see
t hem separ at ely and t heir light dist inct ly. However , no one else is
capable of dist inguishing bet ween t hem. Thus, God may r eside in
whichever for m He chooses, but it is He Himself who r esides wit hin
t he jiva no one else.
11 Then Shr iji Mahr j cont inued, Ther e are t hree set s of
scr ipt ur es which ar e et er nal and which descr ibe only t he for m of Shr i
Kr ishna Par amt m. They ar e Yoga, Snkhya and Vednt a, i.e., t he
Upanishads. I shall now explain t he principles of each, so please
list en.
12 Those belonging t o t he Snkhya philosophy propound t he
exist ence of 24 element s
2
and believe Paramt m t o t r anscend t hem;
t hat is, Par amt m is t he 25
t h
element . However , t hey do not accept
jiva and ishwar as being dist inct fr om t he 24 element s. Their
r easoning is t hat the element s cannot be sust ained wit hout t he jiva,
and so, t he jiva is conceived only as a form of t he element s because of
it s close co-exist ence wit h t hem. As a r esult , t hey do not consider t he
jiva t o be dist inct . Also, just as t hey r egar d t he jiva as a form of t he
element s, t hey r egar d t he ishwars who believe t he brahmnds t o be
t heir t r ue for m as a for m of t he 24 element s. In t his manner , t hey
conceive bot h jiva and ishwar among t he 24 element s, and t hus count
t hem t oget her wit h t he 24 element s; t hey do not consider t hem as
being dist inct fr om t he element s. So, t his, along wit h believing
Par amt m t o be t he 25
t h
element , is t he philosophy of Snkhya.
13 Despit e t his, one should not conclude t hat t her e is no jiva at all,
because t he propounders of Snkhya have pr escr ibed t he six
The Vachanmr ut 296
endeavours
i
as well as shravan , manan , nididhys, et c., for t he jiva.
By endeavour ing in t his way, t he jiva at t ains a t hought t hat
event ually leads t o t he realisat ion of it s dist inct ion from t he
element s. Then, r ealising oneself t o be brahmarup, one engages in
t he wor ship of God. This is t he Snkhya philosophy. It is also
ment ioned in t he Moksh-dhar ma, wher e Nradji explains t o
Shukdevji,
= .~ =|- =
.~ =|- =-| = =| -=+
i i

The meaning of t his ver se is t hat when a spir it ual aspir ant pr epar es
t o cont emplat e upon his t m , he should r enounce all t hought s of
dharma and adharma, t r ut h and falsehood t hat dist ur b him. In fact ,
he should also r enounce t he t hought by which he r enounces t hese
ot her t hought s. In t his way, he should behave as brahmarup.
However , t he ver se does not suggest t hat one should physically
for sake t he niyams in t he for m of dharma. This is t he cor r ect
int erpret at ion of t he verse.
14 Next , propounders of t he Yoga philosophy propagat e t he 24
element s dist inct ly fr om t he jiva and ishwar, whom t hey r egar d as
t he 25
t h
element , and Par amt m, as t he 26
t h
. Wit h t he power of
discer nment t hey dist inguish t he 25
t h
element fr om t he ot her
element s, and fir mly r esolving t hat t o be t heir for m, t hey gat her t he
vruttis of t he 24 element s and forcefully at t ach t hem t o t he 26
t h

element t hey do not allow t hem t o be drawn t owards t he vishays.
They believe, If my vruttis forsake God and wander elsewhere, I will
have t o pass t hrou gh t he cycle of bir t hs and deat hs. Ther efor e, t hey
forcibly keep t he vruttis of t heir indriyas and antahkaran on God.

i
The six endeavour s, shat -sampat t i, pr opounded by t he Snkhya philosophy: (1)
sham t r anquillit y, i.e. r est r aint of mind; (2) dam self-cont r ol, i.e. rest r aint of
out er sense or gans; (3) upar at i abst inence, i.e. r efr aining fr om unnecessar y,
especially mundane, object s and act ivit ies; (4) t it ksh endur ance, i.e.
over coming of comfor t s and har dships; (5) samdhn st abilit y, i.e. balance of
mind and focus on God; and (6) shr addh fait h and per sist ence.
i i
Tyaja dharmam-adharmam cha ubhe satynrute tyaja|
Ubhe satynrute tyaktv yena tyajasi tat-tyaja| |
Mahbhr at : Shnt i-par va, Moksh-dhar ma 33.40
The Vachanmr ut 297
15 In compar ison, t he pr opounder s of Snkhya believe, I have no
indriyas or antahkaran , so wher e shall t hey go? Thus, t hey consider
t hemselves t o be brahmarup and r emain fear less. Those belonging t o
t he Yoga philosophy r emain const ant ly fear ful. For example, if a
per son had t o car r y a vessel filled t o t he br im wit h oil up some st air s
wit hout spilling any oil at all, and if t wo swor dsmen wit h dr awn
swor ds wer e on bot h sides t r ying t o fr ight en him, t hat per son would
be ext r emely fear ful. Follower s of Yoga r emain just as fear ful of t he
vishays and st rive t o keep t heir vrut t i fixed on God. This is t he
philosophy of Yoga.
16 Vednt a, t hat is, t he Upanishads, expound only Pur ushot t am
Nr yan Br ahma, t he ult imat e cause of all, as being sat ya, and
claim all else t o be false. J ust as when one at t ains t he viewpoint of
ksh one does not perceive t he ot her element s, in t he same way, one
who sees only Br ahma, per ceives not hing else. That is t he
philosophy of Vednt a.
| | Vachanmr ut Loy-15 | | 123 | |
Loy -16
Wor ld ly Desi r es Becomi n g Blu n t a n d Up r oot ed
1 Aft er t he evening rt i on Mgshar vadi 14, Samvat 1877 [3
J anuar y 1821], Shr iji Mahr j was sit t ing on a lar ge, decor at ed cot
in Sur Khchar s darbr in Loy. He was wear ing a whit e khes
and a war m, r ed dagli. He had also t ied a whit e fet o ar ound His
head and had t ied a bokni wit h anot her whit e fet o. At t hat t ime, an
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, May t he paramhansas please
engage in a quest ion -answer session.
3 So saying, He Himself asked a quest ion: What ar e t he
char act er ist ics of on e whose worldly desires have not become blunt ,
one whose worldly desires have become blunt , and one whose worldly
desires have been complet ely uproot ed?
4 Mukt nand Swmi began t o answer t he quest ion but could not
r eply sat isfact or ily.
5 So Shr iji Mahr j said, The vrut t is of t he indriyas of one whose
wor ldly desir es have not become blunt cling t o t he vishays. In fact ,
The Vachanmr ut 298
t hey cannot be dislodged even by a t hought pr ocess. In compar ison,
t he vruttis of one whose worldly desires have become blunt do not
ent er t he vishays immediat ely. If t hey wer e t o ent er t he vishays, and
he wer e t o at t empt t o wit hdr aw t hem, t hey would wit hdr aw
inst ant ly t hey would not remain at t ached t o t he vishays. However ,
a person whose worldly desires have become complet ely uproot ed is
oblivious t o t he vishays dur ing t he waking st at e, just as he is dur ing
t he st at e of deep sleep. He would regard all pleasant and unpleasant
vishays as equal and would behave as one who is guntit .
6 Then Goplnand Swmi asked, Ones wor ldly desir es may
have become blunt , but what is t he r eason for t hem not being
r emoved fr om t heir r oot s?
7 Shr iji Mahr j explained, The answer is t hat if a per son has
per fect ly imbibed t he following four qualit ies, t hen his wor ldly desir es
would become uproot ed: gnn in t he form of knowledge of t he t m ,
vairgya in t he for m of det achment fr om all t hings t hat have evolved
out of Pr akr ut i, dharma in t he for m of brahmacharya, et c., and
bhakti coupled wit h t he knowledge of Gods great ness. Any deficiency
in t hese four qualit ies leads t o a proport ional deficiency in uproot ing
ones wor ldly desir es.
8 Having given t he r eply, Shr iji Mahr j said, Now allow Me t o
ask a quest ion. Count less spirit ual endeavours have been prescribed
for a spir it ual aspir ant t o per for m in order t o at t ain God. Out of all
of t hem, by which one, powerful endeavour can all flaws be eradicat ed
and all vir t ues be acquir ed?
9 The paramhansas could not answer t he quest ion.
10 So Shr iji Mahr j revealed, If one has bhakti coupled wit h t he
knowledge of Gods count less powers as described by Kapildev t o
Devhut i in ;=|;||- |-|= = --+|- ;=|- ...+
i
t hen all of ones
flaws would be eradicat ed. Moreover, even if one does not possess
gnn, vairgya and dharma, one st ill at t ains t hem. Thus, t his
spirit ual endeavour is t he best of all.

i
Mad -bhayd -vti vtoyam sooryas-tapati mad -bhayt| |
It is by fear of me t hat t he wind [Vyu] blows, Sur ya [i.e. t he sun] shines, Indr a
[i.e. t he clouds] r ains, Agni [i.e. fir e] bur ns, and deat h [Yam] devour s [t he living].
The Vachanmr ut 299
11 Then Shr iji Mahr j asked anot her quest ion: A deceit ful person
who is also clever , cunningly conceals his deceit fulness. Please
explain how such a per sons deceit fulness can be r ecognised?
12 Br ahmnand Swmi answer ed, Such a per son can be
recognised by t he fact t hat he keeps t he company of someone who is
an ant agonist of Sat sang and who speaks ill of t he S ant and God;
besides t his, such a per son cannot be known by any ot her means.
13 Shr iji Mahr j accept ed t he answer , but quest ioned fur t her ,
Yes, but how can such a person be recognised if he does not keep t he
company of such people?
14 Br ahmnand Swmi t hen added, His deceit fulness would be
exposed in t imes of adver se cir cumst ances.
15 Shr iji Mahr j confir med, That is t he cor r ect answer t o t he
quest ion.
16 Ther eaft er , Shr iji Mahr j asked anot her quest ion: Which
single fault t r ansfor ms all of a per sons vir t ues t o fault s?
17 Shr ipt Devnand Swmi replied, If someone spit es a devot ee of
God, t hen all of his vir t ues become as good as fault s.
18 Shr iji Mahr j clar ified, That is t r ue, but I had anot her answer
in mind. A per son may well be endowed wit h each and ever y vir t ue,
but if he believes God t o be formless not possessing a definit e form
t hen t hat is a gr ave flaw. So much so, t hat because of t his flaw, all
of his vir t ues become flaws.
19 Ther eaft er , Shr iji Mahr j asked, Why does one perceive fault s
in a sdhu?
20 The paramhansas at t empt ed t o answer t he quest ion but were
21 So Shr iji Mahr j answer ed t he quest ion Himself: An egot ist
per ceives fault s in a sdhu. This is because it is t he ver y nat ur e of
someone who is egot ist ical t hat if someone pr aises him, even t hough
t hat per son may have a hundr ed fault s, he would over look t hem and
would inst ead gr eat ly highlight a single vir t ue. Conver sely, if a
per son does not pr aise him, t hen even t hough t hat per son may have a
hundr ed vir t ues, he would over look all of t hem and highlight an
ut t er ly insignificant fault . Consequent ly, he would init ially spit e
t hat per son ment ally, t hen ver bally, and ult imat ely physically as
well. Thus, egot ism is a gr ave vice. However , do not t hink t hat only
The Vachanmr ut 300
t he shr ewd ar e egot ist ical and t he nave ar e not . In act ual fact , t he
nave ar e mor e egot ist ical t han t he shr ewd.
22 Ther eupon, Mukt nand Swmi asked, Mahr j, how can
egot ism be eradicat ed?
23 Shr iji Mahr j explained, He who t hor oughly r ealises t he
gr eat ness of God cannot be egot ist ical. Look at Uddhavji, how wise
he was! He was pr oficient in t he Nit ishat ak and had physical
char act er ist ics like t hat of a king. Yet , because he had under st ood
t he great ness of God, he put aside his self-impor t ance upon seeing t he
gopis love for God, and prayed, May I become a t ree, a vine, a blade
of gr ass or maybe even a shr ub anyt hing t hat has been t ouched by
t he dust from t he feet of t he gopis.
24 Tulsids has also said,
- | =| ~ | |
-| + | + |=| - | |+
i

That is, even if someone ut t er s t he name of God unint ent ionally, a
per son who r ealises Gods gr eat ness would make shoes fr om his own
skin and offer t hem t o t hat per son. If t hat is so, would he har bour
any egot ism before a devot ee of God who const ant ly engages himself
in wor ship and in chant ing t he name of God, who bows down t o God
and who r ealises t he gr eat ness of God? Cer t ainly not . Thus, egot ism
is eradicat ed when one realises t he great ness of God, but wit hout
under st anding t he gr eat ness of God, egot ism simply cannot be
er adicat ed. Ther efore, whosoever wishes t o eradicat e egot ism should
realise t he great ness of God and t he S ant.
| | Vachanmr ut Loy-16 | | 124 | |
Loy -17
Rever en ce a n d Con d emn a t i on
1 On t he night of Mgshar vadi Ams, Samvat 1877 [4 J anuar y
1821], Shr iji Mahr j was sit t ing on a lar ge, decor at ed cot in Sur
Khchar s darbr in Loy. He had t ied a whit e fet o around His head

i
Tulsee jyke mukhanse bhoole nikase rm |
Tke pag kee paheniy mere tan kee chm | |
The Vachanmr ut 301
and had t ied a bokni wit h anot her whit e fet o. He was also wear ing
a war m, r ed dagli wit h a whit e angarkhu inside. He was wear ing a
whit e khes as well. In addit ion t o t his, He had cover ed Himself wit h
a t hick, cot t on clot h, over which He had wr apped a yellow blanket .
At t hat t ime, while Shr iji Mahr j was sit t ing in a pleased mood, an
2 Then, of His own will, Shr iji Mahr j said, See how powerful
t he force of Gods m y is! It can cause gr eat per ver sit y. Someone
who pr eviously seemed ver y vir t uous, for example, can suddenly
become ext r emely vile.
3 So saying, Shr iji Mahr j ur ged t he paramhansas , Ask
quest ions t oday, so t hat we can t alk.
4 Ther eupon, Nit ynand Swmi asked, Mahr j, t he ver y same
person who was previously virt uous and who revered God lat er begins
t o condemn Him. How, t hen, can a vir t uous per son r emain vir t uous
and never let his under st anding become impair ed, amidst even t he
most adver se places, t imes, act ions and company?
5 Shr iji Mahr j answered, If a person is indifferent t o his body,
has fir mly r ealised his self t o be t he t m , maint ains vairgya
t owards t he panchvishays and has absolut e fait h in God coupled wit h
t he knowledge of His gr eat ness, t hen his mind will never become
pervert ed even amidst t he most adver se cir cumst ances imaginable.
On t he ot her hand, one who believes ones self t o be t he body and does
not have an int ense aversion for t he panchvishays would spit e a
sdhu if he were t o denounce t he vishays, even t hough t he sdhu
may be senior . Such a per son would ult imat ely spit e God as well.
Fur t her mor e, if someone has fir m fait h in God but lacks an ext r eme
aversion t owards t he vishays and is st ill at t r act ed t o t hem, t hen even
if a per son like Mukt nand Swmi were t o denounce t hose object s, he
would go as far as t o cut off t he persons head wit h a sword in order
t o har m t hat per son.
6 Nit ynand Swmi t hen asked, Someone may ident ify his self
wit h t he body and may be at t ract ed t o t he panchvishays as well; yet
he seems t o sur vive in t he Sat sang fellowship. How can t his be
explained?
7 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, He sur vives in Sat sang only as long as
he is not confr ont ed by an adver se sit uat ion. If a gr eat sdhu or God
The Vachanmr ut 302
wer e t o denounce his egot ism, cr avings for t ast e, avar ice, lust , anger
or his belief t hat he is t he body, t hen he would surely develop
cont empt for t hat sdhu. Then he would cer t ainly malign him and
t hus fall fr om Sat sang. For example, whoever has dr unk sweet ened
milk t hat has been poisoned by t he venom of a snake, even t hough he
may be living at pr esent , is sur e t o die wit hin half an hour or an
hour , in t he mor ning or in t he evening, t oday or t omor r ow;
event ually, he will die. In t he same manner , he who ident ifies his
self wit h t he body will definit ely bear cont empt for t he sdhu and will
event ually fall fr om Sat sang eit her aft er one mont h or aft er t wo
mont hs; aft er one year or aft er t wo year s or even aft er t en year s; or
maybe at t he t ime of deat h or even aft er deat h he will cer t ainly fall.
8 In comparison, if a person does not ident ify his self wit h t he
body and believes, I am t he t m , due t o which t his body funct ions; I
am char act er ised by et er nal exist ence; I enlight en t he indriyas and
antahkaran . I am not one who becomes happy by possessing wealt h,
women, et c. Nor am I one who is saddened by not possessing t hem
t hen such a per son never bears cont empt for t he sdhu, no mat t er
how st r ongly t he sdhu denounces t he panchvishays or t he belief
t hat one is t he body. Fur t her mor e, he would never quar r el wit h t he
sdhu over insignificant issues, nor would he hold a gr udge against
him.
9 Ther eupon Nit ynand Swmi asked again, How can one
recognise someone who has an aversion for t he panchvishays?
10 Shr iji Mahr j answer ed, A per son wit h an aver sion for t he
panchvishays can be r ecognised by t he following char act er ist ics:
When he r eceives sumpt uous food, he would eat it , but he would not
enjoy it as much as he would enjoy eat ing simple food. In fact , he
would be t roubled by it . Also, he would become upset wearing fine
clot hes; he would not enjoy t hem as much as he would enjoy wear ing
t at t er ed, coar se clot hes. In fact , his mind becomes t r oubled by fine
clot hes. If he were t o receive a luxurious bed, or if someone were t o
honour him, in fact , if he wer e t o r eceive any sor t of pleasant object ,
his mind would become t r oubled by it ; in no way would he be pleased
by it . On seeing such a per son, one should r ealise, He has an
aversion for t he vishays.
11 Then Mukt nand Swmi asked anot her quest ion, Mahr j, how
can such an aver sion for t he panchvishays be developed?
The Vachanmr ut 303
12 Shr iji Mahr j explained, The principal means for developing
such an aver sion for t he panchvishays is t he knowledge of Gods
gr eat ness, and t her eaft er , t m -realisat ion and vairgya.
13 Now, what is t his gr eat ness of God? Well, it is by t he fear of
God t hat Indr a r ains; t hat t he sun, t he moon and flames of fir e emit
light ; t hat t he ear t h suppor t s one and all; t hat t he oceans do not
exceed t heir boundar ies; and t hat t he her bs bear fr uit in t heir
appropriat e seasons. Moreover, it is God who is t he creat or,
sust ainer and dest royer of t he world, and whose powers include kl,
m y, Pur ush and Akshar . What object in t he wor ld, t hen, can
at t ract someone who has underst ood t he great ness of God in t his
manner ? Lust , anger , avar ice, egot ism, jealousy, cr avings for t ast e,
fine clot hes, wealt h, women, in fact , none of t he panchvishays can
bind him. This is because he has assessed ever yt hing. He knows,
God is like t his, and t hese ar e t he r ewar ds of engaging in Gods
wor ship and list ening t o spir it ual discour ses. Akshar is like t his,
and t he bliss associat ed wit h him is like t his. Fur t her mor e, t he bliss
of Golok, Vaikunt h and Shwet dwip is like t his, wher eas t he pleasur es
of swarg ar e like t his, and t he happiness of a kingdom is like t his.
In t his manner , a per son who has inferred t he happiness lat ent
wit hin everyt hing realises t he bliss of God t o be t he highest and t hen
at t aches himself t o Him. Then, is t her e any object in t he wor ld t hat
can dr aw him away fr om t he holy feet of God? Ther e is none. Take,
for example, a piece of ir on. Once t ouched by a prasmani, it is
t r ansfor med int o gold. Ther eaft er , it cannot be t r ansfor med back
int o iron even by t he prasmani it self. Similar ly, one who has
realised t he great ness of God cannot be made t o fall from t he holy feet
of God even by God Himself. Could he, t hen, be made t o fall by any
ot her object ? Of cour se not .
14 In addit ion t o realising t he great ness of God, such a person also
deeply realises t he great ness of t he S ant who worships God. He feels,
This S ant is t r uly gr eat because he is a t rue devot ee of t he manifest
for m of God. Uddhav, for example, was ver y lear ned, but because he
had underst ood t he great ness of God, he did not become conceit ed due
t o his int elligence. On t he cont r ar y, he year ned for t he dust fr om t he
feet of t he gopis and t hus asked t o be r ebor n as a vine. The r eason
for t his was t hat he had wit nessed t he gopis profound love t owards
God, whom even t he ver ses of t he Vedas seek. How, t hen, can a
person who realises t he great ness of t he S ant of God harbour any
conceit before t he S ant? Why could he not bow down t o him? In
The Vachanmr ut 304
act ual fact , he would behave as a servant of a servant before t he
S ant. Even if t he S ant wer e t o r epeat edly physically mist r eat him,
he would t olerat e it and would believe, It is my gr eat for t une t hat I
am bear ing t he cont empt of such a S ant. Besides, due t o my
prrabdha, I would have been forced t o bear t he abuses of my wife
and childr en, my par ent s, and t he king. I may even have had t o eat
t he leaves of dodi and mot hya. At least her e, in t he company of t he
S ant, I am fort unat e enough t o be able t o observe t he vow of non -
t ast e. Due t o my prrabdha, I may have been forced t o wear t at t ered
clot hes or r ags. At least her e wit h t he S ant I am for t unat e enough t o
have a blanket t o cover myself wit h.
15 Conver sely, if a per son ent er s an assembly of sdhus and is not
accor dingly honour ed by t he S ant, and if he t hen bear s an aver sion
t owards t he S ant, it implies t hat t hat per son has not r ealised t he
great ness of t he S ant; ot herwise he wou ld not bear an aversion in
t hat manner . Consider t he following as an example: If t he Br it ish
Gover nor of Mumbai wer e seat ed in an assembly, and if at t hat t ime
a poor man wer e t o ent er t hat assembly but was not given a seat or
welcomed in anyway, would t he poor man become angr y wit h t he
Gover nor ? Would he feel like swear ing at t he Gover nor ? Not at all.
Why? Because t he poor man has r ealised t he eminence of t he Br it ish
official; t hat is, He is t he r uler of t he land, and I am a mer e pauper .
Hence, he does not become upset . In t he same manner , t hen, if a
person has realised t he great ness of t he S ant, t hen r egar dless of how
much t he S ant scor ns him, he would never become upset wit h t he
S ant. In fact , if he does find a fault in anyone, he would find it in
himself, but in no way would he per ceive a flaw in t he S ant. Thus,
he who has realised t he great ness of God and t he S ant has a fir m
foundat ion in Sat sang. Conver sely, one cannot be cer t ain about a
per son who has not r ealised such gr eat ness.
| | Vachanmr ut Loy-17 | | 125 | |
Loy -18
Con vict ion of God
1 On t he night of Posh sudi 1, Samvat 1877 [5 J anuar y 1821],
cot in Sur Khchar s darbr in Loy. He was wear ing a whit e khes
and a war m, r ed dagli. In addit ion t o t his, He had cover ed Himself
The Vachanmr ut 305
wit h a t hick, cot t on clot h and a blanket . He had t ied a whit e fet o
around His head and had t ied a bokni wit h anot her whit e fet o. At
t hat t ime, an assembly of paramhansas and an assembly of devot ees
2 Then, aft er t he paramhansas finished t he evening rt i and
pr ayer s, Shr iji Mahr j said, Please sing a devot ional song.
Ther eupon, Mukt nand Swmi and some ot her paramhansas sang
devot ional songs while playing musical inst r ument s.
3 Shr iji Mahr j t hen said, Now please conclude t he singing as I
wish t o t alk. If any doubt s ar ise in what I say, please ask.
4 So saying, He began, To develop t he convict ion of God is more
difficult t han anyt hing else. Moreover, because t his t opic of
convict ion is ext r emely complex, I am afr aid of discussing it . I feel,
Upon discussing t his t opic, what if someone wer e t o misunder st and
it ? What if, due t o t his discussion, any inclinat ion t hat one may
have fir mly cult ivat ed were t o be dest royed, or even be uproot ed?
Yet , t here is no alt ernat ive but t o reveal t his fact . If one does not
int er pr et it cor r ect ly, many pr oblems can ar ise. Yet , unt il one has
not under st ood t his fact , much deficiency will r emain in ones
under st anding. That is why I wish t o deliver t his discour se.
5 When God assumed t he for m of Var h, his for m as a boar was
ver y ugly. Assuming t he avat r of Mat sya, his for m was exact ly like
t hat of a fish. In t he Kachchha avat r, his for m was exact ly like
t hat of ot her t or t oises. In t he Nr usinh avat r, his for m was as
fr ight ening as a lion. In t he Vman avat r, his for m as a dwar f had
shor t hands and legs, a br oad waist and a plump body. In t he Vys
avat r, he appeared black, wit h lot s of body hair and a foul body
odour .
6 Now, all t hose who at t ained God in whichever for m He assumed
medit at ed on t hat par t icular for m. Then, as a r esult of t hat
medit at ion, t hey at t ained a for m similar t o t hat for m of God. Now,
did t hose who at t ained Varh see God exact ly like a boar in his
abode? Did t hose who at t ained Mat syaji see God exact ly like a fish in
his abode? Did t hose who at t ained Kurma see God exact ly like a
t ort oise in his abode? Did t hose who at t ained Nrusinh see God
exact ly like a lion in his abode? Did t hose who at t ained Hayagriv see
God exact ly as a horse in his abode? Did t hose who worshipped
Var h as if he were t heir husband become a female boar? Did t hose
who worshipped him wit h t he love of a friend become a boar? Did
The Vachanmr ut 306
t hose who worshipped Mat sya as if he were t heir husband become a
female fish? Did t hose who worshipped him wit h t he love of a friend
become a fish? Did t hose who worshipped Kurma as if he were t heir
husband become a female t ort oise? Did t hose who worshipped him
wit h t he love of a friend become a t ort oise? Did t hose who worshipped
Nr usinh as if he wer e t heir husband become a lioness? Did t hose
who worshipped him wit h t he love of a friend become a lion? Did
t hose who worshipped Hayagriv as if he were t heir husband become a
female horse? Did t hose who worshipped him wit h t he love of a
friend become a horse? If t he original form of God was exact ly like
t hat of Varh, Mat sya, et c., t hen by medit at ing on t hem, t he devot ees
of each avat r should at t ain t hat same for m, and all t hat I have just
ment ioned should happen. However , t his is not t he case.
7 Then you may ask, What is t he for m of t hat God like? Well,
t he answer is t hat God is char act er ised by et er nal exist ence,
consciousness and bliss, and possesses a for m full of divine light . In
ever y single por e of His body, t her e is light equivalent t o millions and
millions of suns. Mor eover , t hat God is so handsome t hat He put s
even millions of Kmdevs t o shame. He is t he lor d of count less
millions of brahmnds, t he king of kings, t he cont r oller of all, t he
antarym i of all, and ext r emely blissful. Befor e His bliss, t he
pleasure of seeing count less beaut iful women pales int o
insignificance. In fact , befor e t he bliss of t he for m of t hat God, t he
pleasures of t he vishays of t his r ealm and t he higher r ealms pale int o
insignificance. Such is t he for m of God. That for m always has t wo
ar ms, but by His wish, He may appear t o have four ar ms, or
somet imes t o have eight ar ms, or He may even be seen as having a
t housand ar ms.
8 Fur t her mor e, it is t hat ver y God who assumes t he for ms of
Mat sya, Kachchha, Var h, et c., and t he for ms of Rm, Kr ishna, et c.,
for t he purpose of fulfilling some t ask. He does not , however,
abandon His or iginal for m t o assume t he for m of t hese avat rs. That
God Himself assumes t he for ms of Mat sya, Kachchha, et c.,
possessing count less divine power s and boundless st r engt h. Then,
once t he t ask for which He assumed a body is complet ed, He
abandons t hat body. Hence, it is said in t he Shr imad Bhgwat :
The Vachanmr ut 307
~ ~| ||+-| = ... -| - ||
- - ;= |+|||- +
i

Through whichever physical body God relieved t he burden of t he
ear t h, aft er r emoving t he t hor n in t he form of t he belief t hat one is
t he body which had pierced t he chaitanya of t he beings, God also
abandoned His own physical body, which was t he t hor n used t o
r emove t he ot her t hor n.
9 Also, God assumed t he form of Nrusinh for t he purpose of
killing a demon. Aft er complet ing t hat t ask, He decided t o abandon
t hat par t icular body. But who could kill a lion? So, by Gods own
will, Shiv, in t he for m of kl, came assuming t he for m of a sharabh.
A fight ensued bet ween Nr usinh and t he sharabh. As a r esult , bot h
left t heir physical bodies. That is how Shiv came t o be known as
Shar bheshwar Mahdev, and t he locat ion wher e Nr usinhji left his
body became Nr sinhi Shil.
10 Mor eover , wher ever paint ings of Mat sya, Kur ma and ot her
avat rs of God are port rayed, t he lower port ions of t he paint ings
depict t he for m as a fish, a t or t oise, et c. However , t he upper por t ions
of t he paint ings depict t he murt i of God wit h a conch, a disc, a mace,
a lot us, a vaijayanti gar land, silk gar ment s, a cr own, t he Shr ivat sa
mar k, as well as ot her such symbols. Thus, t he for m of God is
et er nally like t his.
11 Init ially, at t he t ime of his bir t h, Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn gave
darshan in a four -ar med for m t o Vasudev and Devki. He also gave
darshan t o Akr ur in wat er in a four -ar med for m. When Rukmini
faint ed, he again gave darshan in a four-ar med for m. Ar jun has also
sa id: - -+ -| - ~ || ~ |-+
i i
. So Ar jun also saw
him as having a four -ar med for m. When Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn was
seat ed under a pipal t ree aft er t he Ydavs had slaught ered

i
Bhoo-bhraha kshapito yena tm tanum vijahvajaha|
Kantakam kantakeneva dvayam chpeeshituhu samam| |
Shr imad Bhgwat : 1.15.35 & 34
i i
Tenaiva roopena chaturbhujen sahasra-bho bhava vishvamurte| |
O One Whose For m is t he Univer se [Kr ishna]! O Thousand-ar med [Kr ishna]!
Please [r et ur n] t o t hat [i.e. your or iginal] four -ar med for m!
Bhagwad Git : 11.46
The Vachanmr ut 308
t hemselves, Uddhavji and Mait reya Rishi saw t he form of God having
four -ar ms, along wit h a conch, a disc, a mace, a lot us and silk
gar ment s. Mor eover , Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn was dar k in
complexion, yet his beaut y is described as being capable of put t ing
million s of Kmdevs t o shame.
12 Ther efor e, alt hough God appear s t o be like a human, t he
afor ement ioned luminosit y and bliss ar e all inher ent wit hin Him.
One who has t he inclinat ion of dhyn, dhrn and sam dhi sees t hat
ver y for m as having t he light of millions and millions of suns; such a
person does not need t o resort t o using a t orch or an oil lamp.
Mor eover , even t hough God is so luminous, t he fact t hat t his divine
light cannot be seen is due t o Gods wish. If t hat God willed, May
t he devot ees see Me as full of divine light , t hen t hat same for m would
be seen as luminous. So, one who has a convict ion of God r ealises,
The divine powers, opulence and at t endant s of t he abodes of Golok,
Vaikunt h, Shwet dwip and Br ahmapur all accompany God.
Fur t her mor e, t hose who ser ve Him ar e Rdhik, Lakshmi, et c. He
sees God in such a t r anscendent manner . But t hose who ar e fools see
Him as a human. Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn has also ment ioned in t he
Git :
||-- | | | | - |||-
+ ~||--| ~ - +
i

Therefore, t hose who are fools fail t o realise such t ranscendence of
God and inst ead per ceive human t r ait s in God, seeing Him as a
human like t hemselves.
13 What is meant by per ceiving human t r ait s? Well, it is when all
of t he feelings of t he antahkaran i.e., lust , anger , avar ice,
infat uat ion, ar r ogance, matsar , desir es, cr avings, et c.; and all of t he
char act er ist ics of t he physical body i.e., bones, skin, faeces, ur ine,
et c., as well as bir t h, childhood, yout h, old age, deat h, et c.; and all
ot her human char act er ist ics ar e per ceived in God. A per son who
per ceives such char act er ist ics may appear t o have a convict ion of

i
Avajnanti mm moodh mnusheem tanum-shritam|
Param bhvam-ajnanto mama bhoota-maheshvaram| |
Fools der ide me as having a human for m, but t hey do not r ealise my
t r anscendent al for m as t he gr eat lor d of all beings.
Bhagwad Git : 9.11
The Vachanmr ut 309
God, but his convict ion is flawed. As a r esult , he will sur ely fall fr om
t he Sat sang fellowship.
14 That Gods for m is supr emely divine t here is not even t he
slight est t r ace of human t r ait s in God. Ther efor e, one should not
per ceive human t r ait s in God, and one should inst ead init ially view
Him as a deit y; t hen one should view Him as Br ahm, et c.; t hen one
should view Him as Pr adh n-Pur ush; t hen as Pr akr ut i-Pur ush; t hen
as Akshar ; and finally as Pur ushot t am who t r anscends Akshar .
For example, upon seeing t he incr edible, divine act ions of Shr i
Kr ishna Bhagwn, t he gopas of Vr aj init ially viewed him as a deit y.
Then, aft er list ening t o t he wor ds of Gar gchr ya, t hey viewed him
as God. Then t hey said, You ar e God. Ther efor e, show us your
abode. Ther eaft er , t hey wer e shown Akshar dh m. One who believes
God t o be divine in t his way should be known t o have complet e
convict ion.
15 Somet imes people say, Init ially, t his per son did not have t he
convict ion of God, but now he does. Does t hat mean t hat he did not
see God init ially? Well, he cer t ainly did see Him, but he per ceived
human t r ait s in Him. Lat er , aft er he develops convict ion , he does
darshan believing God t o be complet ely divine; t hat is known as
having developed t he convict ion of God. Moreover, if a person does
not believe God t o be complet ely divine, t hen he repeat edly becomes
upset and const ant ly per ceives vir t ues and flaws; i.e., he t hinks, God
is favour ing t hat per son, but not me, or He oft en calls t hat per son,
but not me, or He has mor e affect ion for t hat per son, and less for
me. In t his way, he cont inues per ceiving vir t ues and flaws. As a
r esult , his hear t becomes mor e and mor e despondent day by day, and
ult imat ely he falls fr om Sat sang. Ther efor e, one should cer t ainly not
per ceive human t r ait s in God.
16 Furt her, one should not perceive flaws even in t he devot ees of
God. Why? Because physically a devot ee may be blind, disabled,
deaf, old, unat t r act ive, or he may have leukoder ma; but when he
dies, does he st ill remain blind or disabled in t he abode of God?
Cer t ainly not . Those ar e all feat ur es of humans. Aft er leaving t hese
feat ures behind, he assumes a divine for m and becomes brahmarup.
Therefore, if one should not perceive flaws in t he devot ees of God,
t hen how can one possibly perceive t hem in God?
17 Regardless of whet her you realise t his fact t oday or you realise
it aft er a hundr ed year s, it must be r ealised. In fact , t her e is no
The Vachanmr ut 310
alt er nat ive but t o r ealise it and imbibe it fir mly. Ther efor e, all
devot ees should remember t his principle of Mine and discuss it
amongst each ot her . Fur t her mor e, whenever someone suffer s a
set back du e t o some misunderst anding, he should be alert ed by
ment ioning t his. In fact , one should discuss t his pr inciple of Mine
r out inely, at least once a day t his is My command. So please do not
forget it ; please, please, do not forget it !
18 Saying t his, Shr iji Mahr j bid J ai Swminr yan t o all of t he
devot ees and r et ur ned t o His r esidence smiling. Aft er list ening t o
Shr iji Mahr js discour se, all of t he sdhus and devot ees realised
Shr iji Mahr j as t he cause of all avat rs, t he avat r i, and gr eat ly
consolidat ed t heir belief of Him as being complet ely divine.
| | Vachanmr ut Loy-18 | | 126 | |

| | En d of Loy Sect ion | |

The Vachanmr ut 311
P ANCHL SECTI ON
P a n ch l -1
On e Wh o I s I n t elli gen t ; Ap p lyi n g a Th ou gh t P r ocess
1 On Fgun sudi 4, Samvat 1877 [3 Mar ch 1821], Shr iji Mahr j
was sit t ing on a large, decorat ed cot t hat had been placed on a
plat for m in J hinbhis darbr in Panchl. He was wear ing a
whit e angarkhu and a whit e khes. He had t ied a whit e fet o ar ound
His head, t he end of which was hanging on t he r ight side. He had
also cover ed Himself wit h a whit e blanket . At t hat t ime, an
2 Then, aft er t he evening rt i had been per for med, Shr iji Mahr j
sat on a cylindr ical pillow and said, I wish t o ask a quest ion t o all of
t hese senior paramhansas and senior devot ees: One may have
affect ion for God and also firm resolut ion t o observe dharma;
however, if one has not applied a t hought process t hen t he ext remely
allur ing vishays, i.e., allur ing sight s, sounds, smells, t ast es and
t ouch, will never be consider ed equivalent t o t he ext r emely r epulsive
vishays; nor will t hey be consider ed infer ior t o t hem. So, which
t hought must be applied so t hat t he ext r emely allur ing vishays seem
equivalent t o or inferior t o t he ext remely repulsive vishays? I ask
t his quest ion t o all of t he senior paramhansas and t o all of t he senior
devot ees. Whoever has, t hr ough whichever t hought , r ealised t he
allur ing vishays t o be like the repulsive vishays or has r ealised t hem
t o be far more repulsive t han even t he repulsive ones, please reveal
your t hought s.
3 Ther eaft er , all of t he paramhansas and all of t he devot ees
disclosed t heir t hought s.
4 Shr iji Mahr j t hen said, Having hear d your t hought s, I shall
now t ell you about t he t hought which I have maint ained. Consider
t he following example: If someone sends a let t er from a dist ant land,
t he int elligence of t he writ er of t hat let t er can be inferred by reading
t he let t er. Now, t he appearance and manner of speech of t he five
Pndavs, Dr aupadi, Kunt ji, Rukmini, Sat yabhm, Jmbavat i and
The Vachanmr ut 312
ot her queens of God, of Gods son, Smb, and of ot her devot ees are
wr it t en in t he scr ipt ur es. By hear ing t hose scr ipt ur es, infer ence of
t heir appear ance allows us t o visualise t hem as if having fir st hand
darshan ; also, t heir int elligence can be infer r ed fr om t heir wor ds. In
t he same manner , one hear s fr om t he Pur ns, t he Mahbhr at and
ot her scr ipt ur es t hat God is t he all-doer responsible for t he cr eat ion,
sust enance and dissolut ion of t his cosmos and t hat He et er nally has
a form. If He did not have a form, He could not be called t he all-doer.
Fur t her mor e, Akshar br ahma is t he abode in which God r esides. It is
t hat God who has a divine form; who is luminous and blissful; and
who, at t he t ime of cr eat ion, gives a buddhi, indriyas , a man and
prns t o t he jivas t hat had been merged in m y along wit h t heir
kran bodies at t he t ime of dissolut ion. Why does He give t hese t o
t he jivas? Well, He does so t o enable t hem t o indulge in t he superior,
int ermediat e and inferior t ypes of vishays as well as for t he purpose
of at t aining liber at ion.
5 God has creat ed enjoyment s and places of enjoyment for t he
sake of t hose jivas; but wit hin t hat , t he cr eat ion of t he superior
vishays are for t he purpose of alleviat ing t he miseries of t he inferior
vishays. For example, a wealt hy mer chant may have had t r ees
plant ed on bot h sides of a road t o provide shade; he may have had
wat er fount ains const r uct ed; he may also have had alms-houses and
guest -houses const r uct ed. He does all of t his for t he poor . Similar ly,
before God, Brahm, Shiv, Indr a and ot her deit ies are as poor as
t hose paupers of 47 who boiled t he fruit s of pipal t rees and t hen at e
t hem. It is God who has creat ed t hose superior vishays for t he
happiness of Brahm and t he ot her deit ies, and for humans. Also, in
t he pr evious example, since t he r ich mer chant builds amenit ies in
t he for m of alms-houses, guest -houses, et c., for t he sake of t he poor, it
is obvious t hat compar ed t o t hose, t he luxur ies in t he mer chant s own
home must be far gr eat er . Similar ly, God has cr eat ed happiness for
Br ahm and ot her s; so it is obvious t o an int elligent per son t hat
compared t o t hose, t he bliss of His own abode must be far mor e
super ior . An int elligent per son, t hen, can infer t hat t her e is an
ext reme abundance of bliss in t he abode of God. As a result , t he
allur ing vishays become r epulsive for him.
6 Fur t her mor e, all of t he happiness r elat ed t o vishays which is
appar ent in t his wor ld, be it for animals, humans, deit ies, ghost s,
et c., is only due t o some r elat ion wit h God, and when coupled wit h
dharma. But t he bliss t hat is in God Himself cannot be found
The Vachanmr ut 313
anywhere else. Consider t he following example: The light fr om t his
bur ning t or ch which falls a shor t dist ance away is not as int ense as
t he light in t he vicinit y of t he t or ch. Ver y far away, t her e is no light
at all. In t he same way, elsewher e t her e is only a lit t le bliss, but
absolut e bliss is only available in t he vicinit y of God. The fur t her one
is dist anced from God, t he less bliss one experiences. Therefore, one
who is an aspir ant r ealises, The fur t her away I am fr om God, t he
mor e miser ies I will face, and ult imat ely I will become ext r emely
miser able. On t he ot her hand, even t he slight est associat ion wit h
God will pr ovide much bliss. Ther efor e, I wish t o keep close
associat ion wit h God. By doing so, I shall exper ience t he highest
for m of bliss. One who t hinks in t his manner , keeps a desire for t he
bliss of God and employs any means t o maint ain ver y close
associat ion wit h God can be called int elligent .
7 Moreover, t he happiness of humans exceeds t he happiness of
animals; and t he happiness of a king exceeds t hat ; and t he happiness
of deit ies exceeds t hat ; and t he happiness of Indra exceeds t hat ; t hen
Br uhaspat is happiness, t hen Br ahms, t hen Vaikunt hs. Beyond
t hat , t he happiness of Golok is super ior , and finally, t he bliss of Gods
Akshardh m is far mor e super ior .
8 In t his way, r ealising t he int ensit y of t he bliss of God, one who
is int elligent realises all ot her pleasures relat ed t o vishays t o be
insignificant . Compar ed t o t he bliss of God, t he pleasur es of Br ahm
and ot hers are like t hat of a poor man who begs wit h an ear t hen
vessel at t he door of a rich householder. When I t hink of t he bliss of
t he abode of t hat God, I become indifferent t o all ot her forms of
happiness, and I feel, When will I leave t his body t o experience t hat
bliss? Mor eover , when I nat ur ally indulge in t he panchvishays, I
ent er t ain no par t icular t hought ; but , if I wer e t o sense some pleasur e
in an object , My t hought s would immediat ely be diver t ed t o t he bliss
of God, and My mind would become ext remely indifferent .
9 These t hought s can only be fully realised by one who is
int elligent . In fact , I have affect ion t owar ds one who is int elligent .
Why? Because, I Myself am int elligent and My t hought pr ocess is
such. Mor eover , one who is int elligent will also t hink similar ly. In
t his way, it appears t o Me t hat My t hought is superior t o all of your
t hought s; t her efor e, all of you should fir mly imbibe t his t hought of
Mine in your hear t s. Wit hout applying t his t hought , if ones vrut t i
does become at t ached t o alluring vishays, it will bar ely become
The Vachanmr ut 314
det ached and t hat t oo, aft er much effor t . As for one who has
applied t his t hought , however , ver y lit t le effor t is involved in
wit hdr awing ones vrut t i; one can easily r ealise t he vanit y of t he
vishays.
10 This fact can only be under st ood by one who has a shar p
int elligence and a cr aving for higher happiness. For example, a paisa
is wor t h mor e t han a cowr y, and a r upee mor e t han t hat ; a gold coin
is mor e valuable t han t hat , and a chintmani is mor e valuable t han
t hat . Similar ly, wher ever t her e ar e pleasures of t he panchvishays,
t he bliss of God in His abode is far mor e super ior in compar ison.
Ther efor e, t his t hought only set t les in t he hear t of a per son who is
int elligent and who t hinks in such a manner . When t his t hought
does fir mly set t le in t he heart , even if he happens t o be in a forest , he
would feel, I am surrounded by count less people and t he wealt h of a
kingdom; he would not believe himself t o be miser able. Conver sely,
if he wer e in Indr as r ealms, he would feel, I am sit t ing in a for est ;
he would not be grat ified by t he pleasures in t he realm of Indra; in
fact , he would realise t hose pleasures t o be vain.
11 Ther efor e, keeping t his t hought in mind, all of you should
resolve, Now we want t o reach only t he abode of God; we do not want
t o be t empt ed by t he vain pleasures of t he panchvishays along t he
way. So, please keep such a fir m r esolve. Because what I have t old
all of you is My pr inciple, please imbibe it fir mly in your lives.
| | Vachanmr ut Panchl-1 | | 127 | |
P a n ch l -2
S n k h ya a n d Yoga
whit e khes and had cover ed Himself wit h a whit e blanket . He had
also t ied a whit e fet o ar ound His head. At t hat t ime, an assembly of
paramhansas as well as an assembly of devot ees from various places
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, Please br ing t he Moksh-
dhar ma scr ipt ur e so t hat we can ar r ange for a discour se on t he
chapt er of Snkhya and t he chapt er of Yoga. Ther eupon, t he
The Vachanmr ut 315
scr ipt ur e was br ought , and Nit ynand Swmi commenced t he
r eading.
3 Shr iji Mahr j t hen said, The followers of Yoga consider jiva
and ishwar t o be t he 25
t h
element and Paramt m t o be t he 26
t h

element . On t he ot her hand, follower s of Snkhya include jiva and
ishwar wit h t he 24 element s
2
, and consider Par amt m t o be t he 25
t h

element . Of t he t wo, t he followers of Yoga believe t hat regardless of
however much one cont emplat es upon t he t m and non -t m , or
however much one endeavours, wit hout accept ing t he refuge of t he
manifest for m of God, one cannot at t ain liber at ion. On t he ot her
hand, followers of Snkhya believe t hat if one under st ands t he
ult imat e fat e of all deit ies, humans, et c., and develops vairgya for
t he vishays and realises ones t m as t r anscending t he t hree bodies
6
,
t hen one becomes a mukt a. But since each of t hese t wo t ypes of
beliefs have t heir own deficiencies, one should employ cer t ain
met hods of int erpret at ion for t he purpose of r esolving t hose
deficiencies.
4 The dr awback of t he Yoga doct r ine is t hat bot h t he jiva and
ishwar have been considered as t he 25
t h
element and bot h have been
said t o have bodies comprised of 24 element s. As a result , bot h t he
jiva and ishwar seem equal. This would suggest t hat t he sthul body
is t he same as virt , t he sukshma body is t he same as sut rt m , and
t he kran body is t he same as avykrut. It also suggest s t hat t he
waking st at e is t he same as t hat of sust enance, t he dr eam st at e is
t he same as t hat of creat ion, and t he deep sleep st at e is t he same as
t hat of dissolut ion. Mor eover , vishwa, taijas and prgna would be
consider ed equal t o Vishnu, Br ahm and Shiv r espect ively. Thus,
t hose followers would worship t he 26
t h
element wit h such
under st anding. So, t o r emove t his deficiency of equat ing jiva and
ishwar, one should learn t he following met hod of int erpret at ion fr om
a wise person: The five bhuts residing in t he body of ishwar are
known as mah bhuts, and t hose bhuts sust ain t he bodies of all jivas.
On t he ot her hand, t he five bhuts in t he body of t he jiva ar e minor
and ar e incapable of sust aining ot her s. Also, t he jiva possesses
limit ed knowledge compared t o ishwar, who is all-knowing. One
should lear n such a met hod of int er pr et at ion so t hat t he jiva and
ishwar are not underst ood t o be equal t o each ot her. If one has not
done t hat and some adver sar y wer e t o ask a quest ion in a debat e,
t hen one would find it difficult t o r eply. As a r esult , ones own
under st anding would become confused. But if one has lear nt such a
The Vachanmr ut 316
met hod, t hen even if someone were t o raise a quest ion, one would not
allow t he jiva and ishwar t o be considered as being equal t o each
ot her . Ther efor e, one should lear n such a met hod of int erpret at ion so
t hat t he jiva and ishwar do not seem t o be equal, and one should
list en t o words t o t hat effect .
5 Next , t he dr awback of t he follower s of t he Snkhya doct r ine is
t hat t hey consider Paramt m t o be t he 25
t h
element , t r anscending
t he 24 element s. They consider t he 24 element s as being false and
Par amt m as being sat ya. If t hat wer e so, who would at t ain t hat
Par amt m? Aft er all, t he jiva, who is t he at t ainer , is not considered
dist inct fr om t he element s. Ther efor e, t o r emove t hat deficiency, one
should learn t he following met hod of int erpret at ion fr om a wise
per son: J iva and ishwar have been included wit h t he element s
because t hose 24 element s cannot exist wit hout t he jiva and ishwar.
But in r ealit y jiva and ishwar ar e dist inct fr om t hose element s and
do at t ain Paramt m. One should lear n such a met hod of
int er pr et at ion. If one has not done so, and an opponent in a debat e
were t o ask a quest ion, doubt s would ar ise; i.e., one would t hink, If
t he element s ar e t r uly false, t hen what is t he pur pose of pr escr ibing
t he observance of dharma such as brahmacharya, et c., and spir it ual
endeavour s such as shravan , manan , nididhys, et c., t o at t ain
Par amt m? Ther efor e, jiva and ishwar have been included wit h
t he element s because t hey have at t ained oneness wit h t he element s,
but in r ealit y t hey ar e t ot ally dist inct fr om t hose element s and do
at t ain Par amt m. In t his way, follower s of Snkhya should lear n
such met hods of int erpret at ion fr om a wise sdhu.
6 Moreover, t he followers of Yoga propound met hods such as t he
following: Liber at ion is at t ained by medit at ing on t he manifest for m
of t he avat rs of God such as Mat sya, Kachchha, Var h, Nr usinh,
Vma n , Rm, Kr ishna, et c. But t he follower s of Snkhya accept
met hods which claim t hat liber at ion is at t ained when one fully
realises t he form of God, t hrough experience, as described by t he
var ious Shr ut i scr ipt ur es for example, as st at ed in: =-| ||
|- -- + |-= |
i
. Bot h doct rines are good and have been

i
Yato vcho nivartante aprpya manas saha
Fr om wher e speech r et ur ns along wit h t he mind wit hout having at t ained
[Br ahma, i.e. God].

The Vachanmr ut 317
accept ed by t he great ; one who follows bot h of t hem appropriat ely
does at t ain t he highest st at e. In bot h of t hese doct r ines, t he same
spirit ual endeavours have been prescribed, but t he mode of worship
in each is not t he same; in fact , it is ext r emely differ ent .
7 Having spoken in t his manner , Shr iji Mahr j t hen t old t he
paramhansas , Now please sing devot ional songs.
8 Ther eupon Mukt nand Swmi and some ot her paramhansas
commenced singing devot ional songs t o t he accompaniment of
musical inst r ument s. Following t his, Shr iji Mahr j said, Now
please st op t he devot ional songs. While you wer e singing, I t hought
over t he principles of bot h Snkhya and Yoga; please list en as I
explain.
9 For one who follows Yoga, t he luminous, divine for m of God
which r esides in Akshar dh m at t he t ime of tyantik-pralay is
wort hy of being medit at ed on. Moreover, God in t he form of
Pr akr ut i-Pur ush is also wor t hy of being medit at ing on, albeit t o a
lesser ext ent . To a lesser ext ent t han t hat , God in t he for m of t he 24
element s, which have evolved fr om Pr akr ut i-Pur ush, is also wor t hy
of being medit at ed on. To a lesser ext ent t han t hat , Hir anyagar bh;
and t o a lesser ext ent t han t hat , Vir t who has evolved from t he 24
element s is also wort hy of being medit at ed on. St ill t o a lesser
ext ent t han t hat , Br ahm, Vishnu, Mahesh, as well as t he avat rs of
God on t his ear t h such as Mat sya, Kur ma, Nr usinh, Var h, et c., as
well as shligrm and ot her murtis of God are all wort hy of being
medit at ed on. This, I r ealised while t hinking, is t he essence of t he
doct rine of Yoga.
10 Then, I t hought over t he Snkhya doct r ine. They have done
away wit h all t hose for ms, and it appear s t hat t hey believe, The
cause of all t hought s is t he jiva, and since t her e is not hing as pur e as
t he jiva, it is appropriat e t o medit at e on t he jiva. In or der t o r efut e
t his view of Snkhya, I again t hought of Yoga. Specifically,
Pur ushot t am Bhagwn who t r anscends ever yt hing has an anvay
r elat ionship wit h Pr akr ut i-Pur ush and all ot her ent it ies. Ther efor e,
t hey ar e all God; all possess a divine for m; all ar e sat ya and wort hy of
being medit at ed on. Cer t ain Vedic ver ses also suppor t t his fact :

Tait t iriya Upanishad: 2.4.1
The Vachanmr ut 318
|- -|
i
, |||-- |u
i i
and ; | | ~|| -| =-|
-u||| ~|
i i i
. Thus, an aspir ant who follows t hat pat h of
Yoga encount er s no obst acles. Why? Because t hat pat h is easy and
r elies on t he manifest for m of God. Because of t his, t hr ough t hat
pat h even an ordinar y per son can at t ain liber at ion wit hout any
difficult y.
11 However , t her e is one dr awback on t hat pat h: Pr akr ut i-Pur ush,
et c., ar e t hought of as being t he component s of t he all-t r anscending
Pur ushot t am Bhagwn. That is, t he following belief could develop:
Pr akr ut i-Pur ush ar e component s of God, and t heir component s ar e
Hir anyagar bh, Vir t , et c. If such an under st anding develops, t hen
t hat is a major dr awback since one feels God is divisible and has
component s; however , God is, in fact , indivisible, wit hout
component s, unchanging, imper ishable and whole. Ther efor e, such a
misunderst anding should not be allowed t o arise.
12 Also, one should underst and, God is one and unparalleled,
while ot her s such as Pr akr ut i-Pur ush, et c., ar e His devot ees and
medit at e on Him. That is why t hey ar e r efer r ed t o as for ms of God.
J ust as a gr eat sdhu who medit at es on God is known as a form of
God, in t he same way Pr akr ut i-Pur ush, et c., ar e also for ms of God.
Mor eover , Pur ushot t am Shr i Kr ishna who t r anscends ever yt hing
Himself assumes t he for ms of Vsudev, Sankar shan, Pr adyumna
and Anir uddha, and assumes t he avat rs of Rm, Kr ishna, et c.
Thus, He is wor t hy of being medit at ed on. If one has such an
underst anding, t hen t hat pat h of Yoga is absolut ely free of obst acles
and is t he best pat h.

i
S arvam khalvidam brahma
Indeed, all t his [i.e. t he whole univer se] is Br ahma [i.e. t he for m of God].
i i
Neha nnst i kinchana
Ther e is not hing in t his univer se t hat is not t he for m of Br ahma [i.e. God].
i i i
Idam hi vishvam bhagavn -ivetaro yato jagat-st hna-ni rodha-sambhavh|
Indeed, t his univer se is as if anot her for m of God who is t he cause of t he
cr eat ion, sust enance and dissolut ion of t he wor ld.
The Vachanmr ut 319
13 Now t he dr awback of t he Snkhya doct r ine is t hat it claims,
All t hat is gr asped via t he antahkaran and t he indriyas is false,
while all t hat is gr asped t hr ough exper ience is sat ya. Ther eby, t hey
propound all forms as being false. But along wit h t hat , t hey also
consider t he forms of God t hat have manifest ed t o liberat e t he jivas
as being false. In fact , t hey also view t he for ms of Anir uddha,
Pr adyumna and Sankar shan as being false. They only accept
Vsudev, who is nirgun. That is t heir major dr awback.
14 Ther efor e, it suit s t he follower s of Snkhya t o believe, Aft er
imbibing t he t hought s of snkhya and consider ing what ever has
evolved fr om Pr akr ut i-Pur ush as being per ishable, one should r ealise
ones own t m as being dist inct fr om all, as being pur e and
brahmarup. Then, under st anding t he for m of God t hat has
manifest ed t o liberat e t he jivas as being sat ya, one should medit at e
on Him. In t his manner , t hese t wo t ypes of t hought s can be known
if one lear ns fr om someone who is wise, like Me; ot her wise, even if
one st udies or list ens t o t he scr ipt ur es, one cannot under st and t hem.
15 In r ealit y, t he t eachings of Yoga ar e act ually for one who has
become brahmarup by init ially having pr act ised t hought s of snkhya.
Thus, it is said:
-| ~ - + :||| |||- |- ||-
~- ;|- ~- +|+
i

i
Brahma-bhootaha prasanntm na shochati na knkshati|
One who ha s become brahmarup r emains joyful, gr ieves not hing, desir es
Bhagwad Git : 18.54
The Vachanmr ut 320
|||| =| | -u| -=
-= - | ~|- |u-~ - -|| |+
i

+|||! -||+ -= .|~ ||=|
|- -| | |=| =|-| +
i i

16 In t his way, t he Snkhya doct r ine is dependent on Yoga. Why?
Because t hr ough t hat snkhya t hought , t he follower s of Snkhya
realise all vishays t hat can be indulged in via t he five indriyas and
four antahkarans which ar e dist inct fr om ones own t m t o be
t ot ally vain. Ther efor e, such a per son is not ent iced by any object s,
nor does he become at t ached t o t hem. Moreover, if someone were t o
say t o him, This object is ext r emely pleasur able, he would t hink, It
may be pleasur able, but it is per ceived t hr ough t he indriyas and
antahkaran ; and t hat which t he indriyas and antahkaran perceive is
asat ya and per ishable. Such is t he fir m under st anding of a follower
of Snkhya, who also r ealises his own t m as pur e. Such a per son
should medit at e on, wor ship, and offer bhakti t o God according t o t he
pat h of Yoga. If he does not adopt t his, t hat would be a major flaw in
him.
17 In t his manner , I have descr ibed t he et er nal pr inciples of t he
Snkhya scr ipt ur es and t he Yoga scr ipt ur es having t hor oughly
pondered over t hem. The unort hodox proponent s of Yoga and
Snkhya, however , have cor r upt ed bot h pat hs. Those who ar e
pr oponent s of Yoga t r y t o est ablish t he t r ut h of for ms, and in t he
process t hey realise all people, t he forms of Brahm, Vishnu and

i
tmrmsh-cha munayo nirgranth apyurukrame|
Kurvantyahaitukeem bhaktim-ittham-bhoot a-guno harihi| |
Despit e being engaged [only] in t he tm [i.e. having at t ained tm-r ealisat ion]
and despit e having over come all base nat ur es t he munis [st ill] offer selfless
bhakti t o God [because] God possesses such [divine] qualit ies.
i i
Parinisht hit opi nairgunya ut t ama-shloka-leelay|
Gruheet a-chet rjarshe khynam yad -adheetavn| |
O King [Par ikshit ]! Despit e being per fect ly poised in t he nirgun st at e, I
[Shukdevji] having been at t r act ed by t he divine act ions and incident s of God
st udied t he [Shr imad Bhgwat ] epic.
The Vachanmr ut 321
Shiv, as well as t he for ms of Rm, Kr ishna and ot her avat rs as
equal t o each ot her . Follower s of Snkhya denounce all for ms, and in
t he pr ocess t hey also denounce places of pilgr image; obser vances;
murtis ; yam and niyam ; for ms of dharma such as brahmacharya; as
well as Br ahm, Vishnu, Shiv; and Rm, Kr ishna and ot her avat rs.
Therefore, bot h, t he unort hodox followers of Snkhya and t he
unort hodox followers of Yoga, have deviat ed from t he correct pat h.
As a r esult , t hey will be consigned t o narak.
P a n ch l -3
Mu n i B w ; Th a t Wh i ch I s I n st r u men t a l i n
At t a in in g Liber a t ion I s Kn own a s I n t elligen ce
was sit t ing on a lar ge, decor at ed cot in J hinbhis darbr in
Panchl. He was wear ing a whit e khes and had covered Himself
wit h a whit e blanket . He had also t ied a whit e fet o ar ound His head.
At t hat t ime, an assembly of paramhansas as well as an assembly of
devot ees from various places had gat her ed befor e Him.
2 Then Shr iji Mahr j said t o t he paramhansas , Please begin a
quest ion -answer session.
3 Ther eupon Muni Bw asked Br ahmnand Swmi, We have
at t ained t his Sat sang fellowship as well as t he associat ion of God. All
ot her flaws have all been eradicat ed and we also have zeal t o do
satsang. Despit e t his, why do egot ism and jealousy st ill r emain?
4 Br ahmnand Swmi t hen began t o supply an answer but was
5 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, Such a per son lacks
int elligence. Why? Because one who is int elligent r ealises all of his
flaws and vir t ues, as well as t he vir t ues and flaws of ot her s. On t he
ot her hand, one who is not int elligent only acknowledges his own
vir t ues, but fails t o r ealise his dr awbacks; he feels himself t o be as
eminent as t he Sanak dik, and he views ot her eminent people t o be
infer ior t o himself. One who is int elligent , t hough, r ealises his own
flaws; i.e., he acknowledges t he fact t hat I possess t his many flaws.
Then, maint aining an int ense aver sion t owar ds t hose flaws, he
er adicat es t hem. Also, if a sdhu were t o speak t o him about
The Vachanmr ut 322
er adicat ing t hose flaws, he would accept t hat advice as beneficial. As
a r esult , no flaws of egot ism, jealousy, et c., would r emain in him. On
t he ot her hand, someone may appear t o be ver y int elligent , but if he
does not int rospect over his own flaws, t hen his int elligence should be
known t o be mer ely wor ldly. Out war dly, t hat int elligence appear s t o
be ver y shar p but he cannot be called int elligent ; act ually, he should
be known t o be an ut t er fool, and his int elligence is fut ile for
at t aining his own liber at ion. In compar ison, someone else may
possess only a lit t le int elligence, but if, aft er r ealising his own flaws,
he at t empt s t o er adicat e t hem, t hen even his limit ed int elligence is
useful in at t aining liber at ion. In fact , only he can be called
int elligent . On t he ot her hand, a per son who never sees his own
flaws and per ceives only his own vir t ues should be known as a fool.
However , one who acknowledges his own dr awbacks should be known
t o be int elligent .
6 Ther eaft er , Shr iji Mahr j inst r uct ed, Now please sing
devot ional songs. The paramhansas t hen commenced singing
, ...
i
.
7 Following t his, Shr iji Mahr j spoke again, Now please st op t he
singing. The devot ional songs t hat you have just sung ar e full of
love. While you were singing, I pondered over t he nat ure of love and
realised t hat love is a great asset and t o worship God wit h love is
commendable. Aft er deep t hought , t hough, I r ealised, Love it self is
t he m y of God. Why? Because if t wo women ar e casually t alking
t o each ot her , looking at each ot her or t ouching each ot her , t hen t hat
is a different t ype of love. Or if t wo men are t alking t o each ot her ,
looking at each ot her or casually t ouching each ot her , t hen t hat is
also a different t ype of love. But if a man is looking at a woman,
embr acing her , list ening t o her t alks, enjoying her fr agr ance, t hen
t he love and ment al at t ract ion he develops for her is such t hat t hat
t ype of love does not develop bet ween t wo men. Also, if a woman is
looking at a man, embr acing him, et c., t hen t he love she develops for
him t hr ough his associat ion wit h her mind being t ot ally at t r act ed
t owards him is such t hat t hat t ype of love does not develop bet ween
t wo women. Ther efor e, t hat which is t he cause of t he per pet uat ion of

i
S akhi j mohan deeth re, sheriye vt re
The Vachanmr ut 323
t he world, and t hat which causes bondage and t he cycle of bir t hs and
deat hs, t he m y of God, it self t akes t he form of love.
8 But t hen I thought , Sight s, sounds, smells, t ast es and t ouch
are t he panchvishays. Having r egar ded ever yt hing else as
perishable, if t hose vishays are direct ed only t owards God, realising
Him t o be t he only sour ce of ult imat e bliss, t hen t hat is fine t hat is
not m y. But t hen I t hought t hat even t hat is not appr opr iat e.
Aft er all, if one per ceives sight s, sounds, smells, t ast es and t ouch t o
be bet t er in ot her object s as compared t o t hose t hat t hat are in God,
one will abandon God and will develop love for ot her object s. For
example, Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwns 16,100 wives, who wer e celest ial
maidens in past lives, had asked for t he following boon fr om Br ahm:
O Mahr j! We have experienced t he t ouch of deit ies, demons and
humans, but we have not experienced t he t ouch of God as our
husband. Ther efor e, please gr ace us so t hat he becomes our
husband. Ther eupon, Br ahm said, Per for m aust er it ies, God will
become your husband. Subsequent ly, t hey per for med int ense
aust er it ies, aft er which Asht vakr a Rishi and Nr ad Muni bot h
became pleased and grant ed t he following boon: God will become your
husband. In t his way, by per for ming many aust er it ies in ot her
lives, t hey at t ained Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn. However , on per ceiving
mor e beaut y in Smb t han in God, t hey became infat uat ed by Smb.
Therefore, it is not appropriat e for one whose mind is not st eady t o
develop love for God t hrough t he pleasures of t he vishays of t he five
indriyas . But if ones mind does r emain st eady, wit hout har bour ing
doubt s, t hen it is appropriat e.
9 Moreover, one who is int elligent should develop love for God in
t he following way: One should realise ones jiva as being dist inct fr om
t he 24 element s. Then, aft er upr oot ing t he vruttis of t he five
indriyas t hat ar e fir mly embedded in t he jiva, and while r emaining
as t he jiva alone, devoid of t he vruttis of t he indriyas , one should
develop as much love for God as possible in a nirgun manner .
10 What do I mean by nirgun? Well, t he t en indriyas are t he
product s of rajogun; t he ant ahkaran and t heir pr esiding deit ies are
t he product s of sattvagun, and t he five bhuts and t he panchvishays
are t he product s of t amogun. One who believes himself t o be dist inct
from t he product s of t hose t hree gunas and fr om t he t hr ee gunas
t hemselves, r emaining as t he jiva alone, is known as nirgun. One
The Vachanmr ut 324
should become nirgun in t his manner and develop love for God.
Thus, it is said:
-=-u| -- - -|| u +
i

and
+|||! -||+ -= .|~ ||=|
|- -| | |=| =|-| +
i i

11 Having r ealised t he nat ur e of t he kshet ra and t he kshetragna,
t hose who possess gnn in t his manner at t ain t m -realisat ion and
develop love for God. What is t he kshet ra? Well, t he t hree bodies
sthul, sukshma and kran and t he t hree st at es waking, dr eam
and deep sleep are t he kshet ra. Such a per son r ealises t hat kshet ra
t o be dist inct fr om his own t m ; i.e., he feels, Those can never be
any par t of me; I am t he knower ; I am ext r emely pur e, for mless,
genderless and chetan , while t he kshet ra is ext r emely impur e, jad
and per ishable. Under st anding t his fir mly, he who develops
vairgya t owards everyt hing else and offers bhakti t o God while
obser ving swadharma is known t o possess ekntik bhakti and gnn.
Such a devot ee possessing gnn is super ior t o all. In fact , God has
said:

i
Nairgunyasth ramante sma gunnukathane harehe|
[Alt hough t he munis] had at t ained t he nirgun st at e, t hey [st ill] engaged
t hemselves in ext olling t he glor y of God.
i i
The Vachanmr ut 325
- | -||| |== - ~|- | ||=-
|+ =| | -||||=u |+=+
i

.|| - -||| | -
i i

12 Realising t his, one should upr oot t he indriyas , t he antahkaran
and t he vishays fr om t he jiva and develop love for God only t hat is
appropriat e. As long as one has not uproot ed t hem, one should
ext r act wor k fr om t hem in t he for m of t he darshan , t ouch, et c., of
God. Moreover, t hey should not be regarded as ones benefact or s
inst ead, t hey should be regarded as enemies. In fact , one should
never feel gr at it ude t owar ds t hem by t hinking, They ar e beneficial t o
me in offer ing bhakti to God i.e., one should not feel t hat t he eyes
enable one t o have t he darshan of God; t he ears enable one t o list en t o
t he discourses of God; t he skin enables one t o experience t he t ouch of
God; t he nose enables one t o experience t he fragrance of Gods rosary
and t ulsi; t he mout h enables one t o engage in spir it ual discour ses
and sing devot ional songs in praise of God; and t he t ongue enables
one t o experience t he t ast e of Gods prasd, et c. One should not
under st and t hem t o be inst r ument al in per for ming bhakti of God.
They should not be given gr at it ude, nor should t hey be t r ust ed; on
t he cont r ar y, t hey should be r egar ded only as enemies. Why?
Because, what if in t he pr ocess of exper iencing happiness t hr ough t he
darshan , t ouch, et c., of God, t hey lur e one t o believe t hat t her e is
pleasure in t he darshan , t ouch, et c., of women and ot her object s?
That would be det r iment al. Ther efor e, t hose enemies in t he for m of
t he five indriyas should be confined, and work in t he form of bhakti

i
Teshm gnnee nit ya-yukta eka-bhaktir-vishishyat e|
Priyo hi gnninot yart ham-aham sa cha mama priyaha| |
Of t hese [i.e. one who is dist r essed fr om having fallen fr om t he pat h of at t aining
yogic power s, and t hus st ill wishes t o at t ain t hem; one who seeks knowledge of
t he tm, i.e. tm-r ealisat ion; one who desir es mat er ial object s, i.e. mat er ial
pleasur es and power s; and one who has gnn ], t he one wit h gnn is t he best
because he is always engaged in me and is devot ed t o me alone. I am exceedingly
dear t o a per son wit h gnn , and he is dear t o me.
Bhagwad Git : 7.17
i i
Udrh sarva evaite gnnee tvtmaiva me matam|
They ar e all indeed noble, but I consider t he one wit h gnn t o be my ver y tm.
Bhagwad Git : 7.18
The Vachanmr ut 326
t o God should be ext r act ed fr om t hem. For example, a king who has
capt ur ed his enemy keeps him chained and ext r act s wor k fr om him;
never does t he king fr ee him or t r ust him. If he wer e t o fr ee him or
t r ust him, t hen t he enemy would definit ely kill t he king. In t he
same way, if one t r ust s ones enemies in t he for m of t he indriyas and
fr ees t hem, not keeping t hem confined, t hey will definit ely make one
fall fr om t he pat h of God. Ther efor e, t hey should never be t r ust ed.
13 Mor eover , just as t he Br it ish ar r est a cr iminal and keep him
st anding in a wit ness box t o quest ion him, wit hout fr eeing him or
t r ust ing him, in t he same way, t he indriyas and t he antahkaran
should be kept in a wit ness box and in chains in t he for m of t he
niyams of t he five religious vows
4
, and t hen t hey should be made t o
offer bhakti t o God. They should not , however , be given any
gr at it ude; t hey should be looked upon only as enemies. If t hey are
r egar ded as benefact or s, r ealising t hem t o be useful in bhakti, and if
t hey ar e given gr at it ude, t hen in t he pr ocess of exper iencing t he
happiness of t he darshan , t ouch, et c., of God, t hey will lur e one t o
believe t hat t her e is some pleasur e in women and ot her object s. As a
r esult , all effor t s one has made will become fut ile. For example, if
one spark of fire were t o fall on a large pile of gunpowder, t hen t hat
gunpowder would be complet ely reduced t o ashes. Similar ly, such a
per sons st abilit y is not cer t ain.
14 Therefore, it is only appropriat e t hat one develops love for God
while behaving as t he t m . That is My pr inciple, and one who
develops love for God in t his way is dear t o Me. Moreover, one should
t hink, The beaut y of God cannot be found anywher e else; t he t ouch of
God cannot be found anywhere else; t he fragrance of God cannot be
found anywhere else; t he bliss experienced from hearing God cannot
be found anywhere else; and t he t ast es relat ed t o God cannot be found
anywher e else. In t his way, one should t empt t he indriyas and t he
antahkaran , and diver t t hem away fr om ot her vishays. Such
under st anding is appr opr iat e.
15 Then Swayampr ak shnand Swmi asked, Mahr j, in which
place should one st ay and develop all of t hese t hought s?
16 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, One should t hink: I am not t he sthul
body, t he sukshma body or t he kran body; I do not have t he waking,
dream or deep sleep st at es; I am not t he five gnn-indriyas , t he five
karma-indriyas, t he four antahkarans or t heir pr esiding deit ies; in
fact , I am dist inct fr om all of t hese. I am chaitanya; I am a devot ee
The Vachanmr ut 327
of God. If t he indriyas and antahkaran misbehave in some way,
t hey should be r epr imanded in t he following manner : Do you wish t o
see t he beaut y only of God, or do you also wish t o see t he beaut y of
ot hers? Do you wish t o list en t o sounds relat ed only t o God and
experience smells relat ed t o Him, or do you also wish t o list en t o
ot her sounds and experience ot her smells? If you do hanker aft er t he
vishays leaving God aside, t hen what is t here bet ween you and me?
Who ar e you and who am I? I will have absolut ely not hing t o do wit h
you. What ever you do, you will have t o bear t he consequences.
Repr imanding t he indriyas and antahkaran in t his manner , one
should pr ay t o God: O Mahr j! O Swmi! You int ensely love your
devot ees! You ar e an ocean of mer cy! The fault lies wit h t he
indriyas and antahkaran ; I am dist inct fr om t hem. In fact , t hey ar e
my enemies. So, please pr ot ect me fr om t heir influence. One should
const ant ly offer pr ayer in t his manner , and under st anding ones own
kshetragna t o be chaitanya, one should offer love and bhakti t o God.
P a n ch l -4
P er ceivin g Divin it y i n t h e Hu ma n Tr a i t s of God
whit e khes and had cover ed Himself wit h a t hin, whit e blanket . He
had also t ied a whit e fet o ar ound His head. In addit ion t o t his, He
was t ur ning a r osar y made of t ulsi beads in His hand. At t hat t ime,
an assembly of paramhansas as well as an assembly of devot ees from
var ious places was gat her ed befor e Him.
2 Then Shr iji Mahr j said t o t he paramhansas , Please begin a
quest ion -answer session amongst your selves.
3 Ther eupon Muni Bw asked a quest ion t o Br ahmnand Swmi,
Init ially, one may have t he convict ion of God and may engage in
wor ship and r emembr ance; but lat er , on seeing t he human-like
act ions of God, doubt s ar ise in t hat convict ion. What is t he cause of
t his?
4 Br ahmnand Swmi t hen began t o answer t hat quest ion but
was unable t o do so sat isfact or ily.
The Vachanmr ut 328
5 Then, having t hought for some t ime, Shr iji Mahr j spoke, I
shall answer t hat quest ion. Cont inuing, He said, The Vedas, t he
Pur ns, t he Mahbhr at , t he Smr ut is and t he ot her scr ipt ur es
pr oclaim t hat t he or iginal for m of God, which is et er nal, wit hout a
beginning and divine, r esides in His Akshar dh m. They also
ment ion what t hat God is like. His for m is not like any for m t hat
can be seen by t he eyes. His sound is not like any sound t hat can be
hear d by t he ear s. His t ouch is not like any t ouch t hat can be felt by
t he skin. His smell is not like any smell t hat can be smelt by t he
nose. The t ongue cannot descr ibe t hat God. He cannot be conceived
by t he man ; He cannot be cont emplat ed upon by t he chit t ; He cannot
be comprehended by t he buddhi, nor can t he ahamkr fully claim, I
am Gods, and God is mine. In t his manner , God r emains beyond
t he reach of t he indriyas and t he antahkaran .
6 Mor eover , t he beaut y of t hat God is such t hat it cannot be
compar ed t o any ot her object in t his brahmnd including
ever yt hing fr om Br ahm t o t he smallest blade of gr ass. His sound is
such t hat it cannot be compar ed t o any ot her sounds in t his
brahmnd. The smell of God is such t hat it cannot be compar ed t o
any ot her smell in t his brahmnd. The t ouch of God is such t hat it
cannot be compar ed t o any ot her t ouch in t his brahmnd. The t ast es
relat ed t o God are such t hat t hey cannot be compared t o any ot her
t ast e in t his brahmnd. The abode of God is such t hat it cannot be
compar ed t o any ot her place in t his brahmnd. Specifically, out of all
of t he various places in t he seven dwips and t he nine khands, t he
ext r emely beaut iful places of Br ahm and ot her s on Mer u, t he
various places on Mount Lok lok, t he r ealms of Indr a, Var un, Kuber ,
Shiv and Br ahm, and many ot her places, not one can compar e t o
t he abode of God. The bliss experienced by t he devot ees of God
r esiding in t hat abode is such t hat it cannot be compar ed t o any ot her
t ype of bliss in t his brahmnd.
7 The for m of t hat God is such t hat it cannot be compared t o t he
for m of anyone in t his brahmnd. Why? Because all of t he for ms in
t his brahmnd which evolved fr om Pr akr ut i-Pur ush ar e m yik,
whereas God is divine. So, since t he t wo are t ot ally different , how
can t hey possibly be compar ed? For example, we can compar e a man
t o somet hing by saying, This man is like a buffalo, like a snake, like
a spar r ow, like a donkey, like a dog, like a cr ow or like an elephant .
But in r ealit y, such compar isons ar e not appr opr iat e for humans.
Why? Because all of t hose animals are of a t ot ally different cat egory
The Vachanmr ut 329
t han humans. Even bet ween a human and a human, t her e is no
exact similar it y wher eby one can claim, This per son is exact ly like
t hat per son. If he wer e exact ly like t he ot her per son, t hen how could
t he or iginal person be recognised? Therefore, despit e t he fact t hat all
humans belong t o t he same cat egor y, no t wo ar e exact ly alike. J ust
look at Bhago and Mulo t he t wo are said t o be ident ical, but if one
st ays wit h t hem for a few days, one can dist inguish bet ween t hem
and say, This is Bhago and t his is Mulo. But if t her e wer e no
difference, how could t hey be recognised? So, if t here is no great
similar it y bet ween man and man, how can t her e be similar it y
bet ween t hat which is m yik and t hat which is not m yik? What
can possibly be compared t o God and t he abode of God? Aft er all, all
scr ipt ur es claim, God is beyond t he r each of t he indriyas and t he
antahkaran .
8 When t hat God does not wish t o give His darshan t o beings, He
st ays in t hat manner in His own Akshardh m wit h a divine for m,
t hus r emaining beyond r each. That God is t he Lor d of all lor ds, He
is sur r ounded by count less divine luxur ies and count less divine
at t endant s, and He is t he lor d of count less millions of brahmnds.
For example, suppose t here is a great world-emper or whose kingdom
st r et ches fr om wher e t he sun r ises t o wher e it set s. Also, suppose
t hat t hat emper or , by t he st r engt h of his own aust er it ies, has
at t ained divine powers like t hose of t he deit ies and is r uling over t he
r ealms of swarg, Mr ut yulok and pt l just like Ar jun, who
r emained on t he t hr one of Indr a in Swar glok for many year s wit h his
own body, and King Nahush, who also became Indr a. So power ful is
t his wor ld-emper or t hat it is not possible t o count t he villages in his
kingdom, as t hey ar e innumer able. The chiefs of t hese villages also
cannot be count ed, as t hey t oo ar e innumer able. Fur t her mor e, t he
count less chiefs of t hose villages come t o his darbr t o make
r equest s. The emper or s money, pr oper t y, pleasur es, palaces and
wealt h ar e also count less. Similar ly, God is t he king of t he kings of
count less villages in t he for m of brahmnds. Mor eover , t he chiefs of
t hose villages in t he form of brahmnds ar e Br ahm, Vishnu and
Shiv. J ust as in one village one chief is senior and t he whole
populat ion of t hat village bows before him and follows his command,
and just as t he chief in t ur n bows befor e t he king, similar ly, in each
brahmnd Br ahm, Vishnu and Shiv ar e senior , and t he ot her s in
t hat brahmnd, t hat is t he deit ies, demons, humans, r ishis and
prajpatis of t hat brahmnd, wor ship t hem and follow t heir
The Vachanmr ut 330
command. But Br ahm, Vishnu and Shiv in t ur n wor ship
Pur ushot t am Bhagwn and follow His command. Fur t her mor e, all
of t he Br ahms, Vishnus and Maheshes of all of t he brahmnds pr ay
t o God: Mahr j! Please have compassion on us and visit our
brahmnd just as t he chief of a village r equest s t he wor ld-emper or ,
Mahr j! I am poor . Please visit my house. I shall ser ve You t o t he
best of my abilit y. In t he same way, Br ahm, Vishnu and Shiv pr ay
t o t hat God, Mahr j! Please have mer cy upon us and gr ace us wit h
Your darshan ; do visit our brahmnd. Only t hen does God assume a
body in t hat brahmnd.
9 Mor eover , He assumes a body based on t he t ask t o be performed
t her e, and He also behaves accor dingly. If He assumes t he body of a
deit y, t hen He behaves exact ly like a deit y. If He assumes t he body
of an animal, t hen He behaves exact ly like an animal. For example,
when God assumed t he form of Varh, He found t he ear t h by
smelling it . When He became Hayagr iv, He st ar t ed t o neigh like a
hor se. When He assumed t he bodies of wat er cr eat ur es such as
Mat sya and Kachchha, He moved only in wat er , but not on land.
When He became t he for m of Nr usinh, He behaved exact ly like a
lion, not like a human.
10 When t hat God assumes t he for m of a human being, He
behaves exact ly like a human. Dur ing Sat ya-yug, t he lifespan of
humans is 100,000 year s, and t hus God also lives for 100,000 year s.
Moreover, just as t he people in Sat ya-yug can indulge in any object
t heir mind desir es, God also indulges in object s in t he same manner ,
but He does not behave in any ext r aor dinar y way. Also, as t he
lifespan of humans in Tr et -yug is 10,000 year s, when God is bor n in
Tr et -yug, He also lives for t hat many year s. The lifespan in
Dwpar-yug is 1,000 year s, and humans possess t he st r engt h of
10,000 elephant s; t hus, God also possesses t he same st r engt h and has
t he same lifespan. When God is bor n in Kali-yug, He assumes t he
lifespan and st r engt h of humans accor ding t o t he nor ms of Kali-yug.
Mor eover , just as a child is conceived, t hen develops in t he womb,
t hen is born, t hen undergoes t he phases of childhood, yout h and old
age, and event ually dies, God also undergoes t he same process,
exact ly like a human.
11 Fur t her , just as humans possess swabhvs such as lust , anger ,
avar ice, cr avings for t ast e, egot ism, affect ion, ar r ogance, matsar ,
jealousy, enmit y, at t achment , infat uat ion, happiness, miser y, fear ,
The Vachanmr ut 331
fear lessness, br aver y, cowar dice, hunger , t hir st , desir es, cr avings,
sleep, pr ejudice, a feeling t hat t his belongs t o ot her s, a feeling t hat
t his belongs t o me, r enunciat ion, det achment , et c., in t he same way,
all of t hose swabhvs are apparen t in God as well when He assumes
a human body. All of t he scr ipt ur es have also descr ibed t hat human
for m of God along wit h His or iginal, divine for m. One who has
developed a firm convict ion of bot h of t hose forms t hrough int ense
shravan and manan , never har bour s doubt s in any way; wher eas one
who lacks t his t ype of underst anding does harbour doubt s in God.
12 When t hat God who possesses a divine form assumes a
human body, He behaves wit h swabhvs similar t o humans.
However , one who is int elligent r ealises, He possesses lust , but it is
not like t hat of ot her humans. In fact , anger , avar ice, cr avings for
t ast e, egot ism and ot her human swabhvs are also present in God,
but t hey cer t ainly ar e not like t hose possessed by ot her humans. An
int elligent per son r ealises t hat t her e is somet hing divine about t hat
God, and wit h t his under st anding, he develops t he convict ion of Him
being God. For example, Shankar chrya ent ered t he body of a king
in or der t o gain knowledge of cer t ain amor ous det ails. Thus, at t hat
t ime, his bodily gest ur es and his emot ions wer e all amor ous like
t hose of t he king. The queen, however , was int elligent and r ealised,
My husband did not possess such power s; t her efor e, some ot her jiva
has ent er ed his body. In t he same manner , divinit y is appar ent in
God in human for m. As a r esult , one develops t he convict ion of Him
being God.
13 Then you may say, If someone develops t he convict ion of God on
not icing somet hing divine, t hen if He wer e t o display much divinit y,
many people would develop such convict ion. But t he fact of t he
mat t er is as follows: All of t he scr ipt ur es r efer t o t he sun by saying,
It is God. Moreover, t hat sun is visible t o everyone, and people do it s
darshan daily. Despit e t his, no person has ever been convinced of his
or her own liber at ion as a r esult of it s darshan ; i.e., t hey do not
believe, I have at t ained liber at ion. On t he ot her hand, aft er having
t he darshan of Rm, Kr ishna, and t he ot her avat rs in human for m;
and of Nr ad, Shuk and ot her sdhus, people do at t ain t he convict ion
t hat my liber at ion is cer t ainly guar ant eed, and I am fulfilled. Even
t hough t her e is no divine light in t hat God and t hose sdhus in
fact , only aft er light ing an oil lamp can one have t heir darshan
st ill, one becomes con vinced of ones own liber at ion.
The Vachanmr ut 332
14 Consider anot her example: Fire is also a visible form of God, as
God has said,
|| ~ | +||-|| |||-
+ |-||+||= - +|-=:| - | +
i

The darshan of t hat fire is available t o all, but t hat does not gr ant
people convict ion of t heir own liberat ion, whereas wit h t he darshan of
God and His sdhu, t hey do gain convict ion of t heir own liber at ion.
The r eason for t his is t hat t her e is a dispar it y bet ween humans, and
t he sun and fir e; as a r esult , one is not convinced of ones liberat ion
upon having t he darshan of t he sun or fir e. On t he cont r ar y, if
someone t ouches fir e, he will be bur nt . Fur t her mor e, when Kunt ji
invoked Sur ya using t he mant r a given by Dur vs, Sur ya came t o
Kunt ji in a human for m just like Kunt jis own for m. As a r esult ,
she was able t o enjoy his int imacy and t hus conceived Kar na. In
act ualit y, Sur ya is ext r emely luminous; if he had come wit h all of his
light , Kunt ji would have been burnt t o deat h, and she would not
have been able t o enjoy his int imacy. Also, when Sur ya used t o come
t o Sat r jit Ydav, he came as a human. But when he came t o
Kunt ji and came t o Sat r jit , did he leave his place in t he sky? In
r ealit y, he did r emain in t he sky; but assuming anot her for m, t hat
ver y same Sur ya came t o Kunt ji and Sat r jit . Mor eover , t her e was
just as much luminosit y in t hat for m as t her e is in t he sun, but he
suppr essed t hat luminosit y and came as a human. In t he same way,
if God were t o give darshan t o beings wit h all of His divinit y, t hen
humans would not find it suit able, and t hey would wonder , Is t his a
ghost , or what ? Ther efor e, God suppr esses His own divine power s
and gives darshan exact ly like a human. But at t he same t ime, He
st ill r emains pr esent in His own abode. Only when God comes as a
human are people able t o do His darshan , t ouch Him, and offer t he
nine t ypes of bhakti.

i
Aham vaishvnaro bhootv prninm deham-shritaha|
Prnpna-samyuktaha pachmyannam chaturvidham| |
Abiding in t he bodies of all beings as Vaishvnar [t he fir e of digest ion], I digest
t he four t ypes of food [i.e. chewable, dr inkable, lickable and suckable] wit h t he
help of pr n vyu [i.e. inhaled air ] and apn vyu [i.e. air t hat pushes food
downwar ds].
Bhagwad Git : 15.14
The Vachanmr ut 333
15 If God does not become like a human and inst ead behaves wit h
complet e divinit y, t hen people would not be able t o develop affect ion or
feelings of affinit y for Him. Why? Because a human develops
affect ion and affinit y for anot her human, animals develop mut ual
affect ion and affinit y for ot her animals, but humans and animals do
not develop t he same affect ion and affinit y for each ot her. Why?
Because t hose belonging t o t he same cat egory develop affect ion
t owards each ot her, but not t owards t hose belonging t o different
cat egor ies. Similar ly, God suppr esses His divinit y and becomes
exact ly like a human so t hat His devot ees can develop affect ion for
Him. He does not exhibit His divinit y. His exhibit ing divinit y would
place Him in a different cat egory, and as a result , devot ees would not
be able t o develop affect ion and affinit y t owards Him. It is for t his
reason t hat when God appears in human for m, He r emains
ext r emely war y t o ensur e t he concealment of His own divinit y. If, in
t he pr ocess, He wer e t o become a lit t le impat ient in some t ask, His
divinit y would become appar ent . Occasionally, t hough, by His own
wish, He may r eveal His divinit y t o some devot ee. For example,
when Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn became impat ient t o kill Bhishma, he
for got his human-like nat ure and revert ed t o his divine powers. As a
r esult , t he ear t h was incapable of bear ing t he bur den. When he
revealed his divinit y t o Ar jun, it was r evealed as a r esult of his own
wish. However , Ar jun did not exper ience bliss due t o t hat divinit y; in
fact , he became ver y uneasy. Then, when Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn
gave darshan t o Ar jun in his human for m, Ar jun exper ienced bliss
and said:
| -+ - -= |
;|||- | -| +|- -+
i

16 Therefore, only when God behaves like a human does a person
find it suit able; ot herwise he would not . Yet , when God behaves as a
human, one who does not have such under st anding would find it
difficult t o accept His human-like nat ur e. Mor eover , if He wer e t o

i
Drushtvedam mnusham roopam tava saumyam janrdana|
Idneem-asmi samvruttaha sacheth prakrutim gataha| |
O Vanquisher of t he Evil [Kr ishna]! Having seen your gent le human for m, I am
now composed and have been r est or ed t o my or iginal nat ur e.
Bhagwad Git : 11.51
The Vachanmr ut 334
behave wit h only divinit y, one would be unable t o comprehend t hat
which is beyond t he r each of t he mind and speech. Hence, t he
script ures have described God in bot h ways. One who has fully
r ealised Him in t his manner would not develop any doubt s; but ,
doubt s would cert ainly arise in one who does not underst and in t his
manner .
17 Now someone may claim, I have r ealised God, and I have t he
convict ion of God. But if he has not under st ood t his discour se, t hen
his convict ion is st ill imper fect . For example, a per son may have
learnt a verse or a devot ional song. If he were asked, Have you
lear nt t his ver se or t his devot ional song? he would r eply t hat he has,
and he would also be able t o recit e it . But if he were t o forget t hat
verse or devot ional song aft er a few days, t hen it can be said t hat
when he or iginally lear nt t he ver se, he had not lear nt it pr oper ly.
Why? Because t hat ver se or devot ional song was not fully impr int ed
in his jiva t hr ough int ense pr act ice, and t hr ough shravan and
manan . However , if somet hing is lear nt in childhood t hor oughly,
t hen it can be r ecalled when r equir ed even dur ing yout h or old age.
In t he same way, when t hat per son at t empt ed t o develop t he
convict ion of God, some deficiencies r emained. If no deficiencies had
r emained, and if he had done shravan , manan and int ense reit erat ion
in his jiva, t hen he would never have had any doubt s at all.
P a n ch l -5
Wh er e I s Con cei t Ap p r op r i a t e,
a n d Wh er e I s Hu mi li t y Ap p r op r i a t e?
whit e khes and a war m, r ed dagli. He had also t ied a whit e fet o
ar ound His head. In addit ion t o t his, He had cover ed Himself wit h a
whit e cot t on clot h. At t hat t ime, an assembly of paramhansas as
well as devot ees fr om var ious places had gat her ed befor e Him.
2 Ther eupon Swayampr ak shnand Swmi asked a quest ion:
When is conceit appr opr iat e, and when is it not appr opr iat e? When
is humilit y appr opr iat e, and when is it not appr opr iat e?
The Vachanmr ut 335
3 Shr iji Mahr j replied, It is appropriat e t o be conceit ed before
one who spit es Sat sang, or speaks derogat orily of God or His great
S ant. If a person does speak derogat orily, one should ret aliat e wit h
wor ds as shar p as an ar r ow, but in no way should one become
humble befor e a non -believer . In such sit uat ions, t hat is appr opr iat e.
On t he ot her hand, it is not appropriat e t o be conceit ed before God or
His S ant. Befor e t hem, put t ing conceit aside, behaving as a ser vant
of servant s and becoming humble is t he only appropriat e behaviour .
P a n ch l -6
Th ose wi t h Fi r m Up sa n At t a in Liber a t ion
1 On t he night of Fgun vadi 9, Samvat 1877 [28 Mar ch 1821],
Shr iji Mahr j was sit t ing on a lar ge, decor at ed cot t hat had been
placed on a plat for m in J hinbhis darbr in Panchl. He was
wear ing a war m, r ed dagli along wit h a whit e angarkhu. He had
also t ied a whit e fet o ar ound His head. In addit ion t o t his, He was
wear ing a whit e khes and had cover ed Himself wit h a whit e blanket .
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, I t hought for quit e some t ime
and having ment ally skimmed t hr ough all of t he scr ipt ur es, it
became apparent t hat t here has not been any avat r as powerful as
Shr i Kr ishna. Why? Because Shr i Kr ishna has, wit hin himself,
exhibit ed in var ious ways t he char act er ist ics of all of t he ot her
count less for ms of himself. How? Fir st ly, aft er Devki gave bir t h t o
him, he gave darshan in a four -ar med for m holding a conch, a disc, a
mace and a lot us, t her eby r evealing in himself t he char act er ist ics of
t he husband of Lakshmi, Vaikunt hnt h. To his mot her Yashod, he
showed t he Vishwar up for m in his own mout h, t her eby r evealing t he
char act er ist ics of Anir uddha in himself t hr ough his t housand-headed
for m. He gave darshan t o Akr ur in t he r iver Yamun, t her eby
r evealing t he char act er ist ics of Shesh-shyi. He showed t he
Vishwar up for m t o Ar jun on t he bat t lefield: += +|u -+||-|
The Vachanmr ut 336
|-||u |
i
. Ther e, he showed count less brahmnds and
r evealed t he char act er ist ics of Pur ushot t am. Mor eover , Shr i Kr ishna
himself has said:
=-||-|-||||+ ||
-||- | +|u- +||+
i i

Ther eby, he r evealed himself as Pur ushot t am. Also, he himself was
t he Shr i Kr ishna who r esides in Golok wit h Rdhik. When he went
t o ret rieve t he Brhmins son, he gave darshan t o Ar jun as Bhum-
Pur ush. It was Vsudev who resides in Shwet dwip who himself
assumed t hat avat r. Mor eover , t hr oughout t he Mahbhr at and t he
Shr imad Bhgwat , Nar nr yan has been r efer r ed t o as t hat Shr i
Kr ishna himself. Ther efor e, t he for ms, st r engt h and divine power s of
t hat same God r esiding in t hat avat r of Shr i Kr ishna in var ious
ways ar e complet e. Thus, t hat avat r was ver y gr eat . Aft er all,
ot her forms possessed a few divine powers, whereas he was replet e
wit h all divine power s. Ther efor e, t her e is no avat r like t he avat r
of Kr ishna; t hat avat r r eigns as supr eme. Only some powers have
been revealed t hrough t he ot her avat rs. This Avat r, however , has
r evealed all divine power s and st r engt h. Ther efor e, t his Avat r is t he
gr eat est of all.
3 If one has a fir m convict ion of t he manifest for m of Shr i
Kr ishna in t his manner , and if t hat r ealisat ion never changes in any
way, t hen even if one happens t o commit a slip of conduct due t o t he
influence of bad company, one would not fall from t he pat h of
liberat ion ; one would cer t ainly at t ain liber at ion. Ther efor e, if all of
you paramhansas and devot ees also cult ivat e such firmness of t he
upsan of God in t his way, t hen if you happen t o commit a slight
slip of conduct , you will st ill ult imat ely at t ain liberat ion .

i
Pashya me prth roopni shatashotha sahasrashaha|
O Son of Pr ut h [Ar jun]! Behold my hundr eds and t housands of [divine] for ms.
Bhagwad Git : 11.5
i i
Yasmt-ksharam-ateetoham-akshard -api chottamaha|
At osmi loke vede cha prat hit aha purushot t amha| |
I t r anscend all t hat is per ishable and am gr eat er t han even t he imper ishable;
t her efor e I am known in t he Smr ut is and Vedas as Pur ushot t am.
Bhagwad Git : 15.18
The Vachanmr ut 337
4 Hear ing t his discour se, all of t he sdhus and devot ees realised
Shr iji Mahr j as t he cause of all, t hus st r engt hening t heir upsan .
P a n ch l -7
Th e M y of a Ma gicia n
1 About an hour -and-a-half aft er sunr ise on Fgun vadi 11,
Samvat 1877 [29 Mar ch 1821], Shr iji Mahr j was sit t ing on a lar ge,
decorat ed cot t hat had been placed on a plat form in J hinbhis
darbr in Panchl. He was wear ing a war m, r ed dagli and a whit e
khes. He had also t ied a whit e fet o around His head. In addit ion t o
t his, He had cover ed Himself wit h a t hin, whit e blanket . At t hat
t ime, an assembly of paramhansas as well as an assembly of devot ees
2 In t he assembly, Shr iji Mahr j had Nit ynand Swmi r ead a
passage fr om t he fir st cant o of t he Shrimad Bhgwat . In t he
beginning, Nit ynand Swmi explained t he ver se -|n-= =-|...+
i
.
3 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j Himself began t o explain t he meaning
of one of t he ot her par t s of t hat ver se, =| ||| |: One should
r ealise t hat t he ent it ies evolved out of t he t hree gunas of m y,
namely t he five bhuts, t he indriyas , t he antahkaran and t heir
presiding deit ies ar e never pr esent in God at any t ime past , pr esent
or fut ur e. Also, one should int er pr et t he ot her par t of t hat verse,
|-| - | |-- , as follows: God, via His own for m
dh m
i i
dest royed t he decept ion in t he form of t he product s of
m y; such is t he supr emely satya for m of God. Mor eover , just as
t he form of God in Akshardh m is r esplendent wit h count less divine
powers and divine light at t he end of tyantik-pralay, one should

i
J anmdyasya yatonvayad -itaratash-chrtheshvabhignaha svart
Tene brahma hrud ya dikavaye muhyanti yat-soorayaha|
Tejo-vri-mrudm yath vinimayo yatra trisargo mrush
Dhmn svena sad nirastakuhakam satyam param dheemahi| |
i i
Her e dhm should be int er pr et ed t o mean divine light .
The Vachanmr ut 338
r ealise exact ly t he same r egar ding t he manifest God in human for m.
One who realises t his is said t o have known God perfect ly.
4 However, when a foolish person looks at t hat manifest for m of
God wit h a m yik vision, he per ceives a human like himself. Also,
just as he himself is bor n, becomes a child, becomes a yout h, becomes
old and dies, in t he same way, he believes God t o undergo t he same
pr ocess. But when one wor ships God wit h sincer it y, having fait h in
t he words of t he Ekntik S ant of God, ones m yik vision disappears.
Ther eaft er , one r ealises t hat same for m of God as being t he supr eme
chaitanya, char act er ised by et er nal exist ence, consciousness and
bliss. The Shr imad Bhgwat also ment ions:
|- +| +-= --|=-= u|-+|-|
=||==| --=|=| ~- -+||-+
i

5 The phases of childhood, yout h and old age apparent in God, as
well as His birt h and deat h are all perceived due t o His yogic power s
of cr eat ing an illusion. In r ealit y, God r emains absolut ely
unchanged. For example, an adept magician ar ms himself wit h
weapons and ascends t o t he sky t o fight against t he war r ior s of t he
demons t he enemies of Indr a. Then, having been cut t o pieces, he
falls t o t he gr ound. Ther eaft er , t he magicians wife gat her s t hose
pieces t oget her and bur ns her self on his funer al pyr e. Aft er a shor t
while, t he magician appear s out of t he sky, ar med wit h weapons,
exact ly as he appear ed befor e. He then asks t he king for a r ewar d
and r equest s, Please r et ur n my wife. Having seen such an
ast onishing per for mance, if one is unable t o compr ehend t he m y of
even a magician, how t hen can t he yogic powers of God possibly be
comprehended? One who does comprehend t he m y of t he
magician r ealises: That magician has not died, nor has he been
bur nt ; in r ealit y, he is exact ly t he same as he was befor e. In a
similar manner , one who is said t o have r ealised t he for m of God

i
S a veda dhtuhu padaveem parasya duranta-veeryasya rathnga-pnehe|
Yomyay santataynuvrutty bhajeta tat-pda-saroja-gandham| |
He who, having become fr ee fr om my, ser ves t he holy feet of God while
const ant ly obser ving his wishes, r ealises [i.e. at t ains] t he st at e of God [i.e. t he
highest st at e of liber at ion] who holds a disc in his hand, has infinit e power s,
and is t he t r anscendent al suppor t er of t he univer se.
The Vachanmr ut 339
perfect ly underst ands God t o be et ernal and imperishable absolut ely
unchanging. For example, when Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn left his
body, Rukmini and t he ot her wives of God t ook his body and burnt
t hemselves along wit h him. At t hat t ime, t he ignor ant t hought ,
Now he is dead. On the ot her hand, t hose who possessed gnn
t hought , He has disappear ed fr om her e and has manifest ed
elsewher e. They under st ood God as being et er nal. Thus, Shr i
Kr ishna himself has said:
||-- | | | | - |||-
+ ~||--| ~ -+
i

6 So, if a fool under st ands God as having a for m, t hen he
under st ands Him as being mer ely like a human; or he under st ands
God as being formless so t hat He is not considered m yik like ot her
m yik for ms. In t his manner , a fool misunder st ands on bot h
account s.
7 But if God did not have a form t hen what about t he fact t hat
t he Shr ut is have said t hat dur ing tyantik-pralay, |-,
i i

meaning, That God saw. If God saw, t hen He had t o have a
for m, possessing eyes, ears, and ot her organs. Moreover , it is said:
+-||~- |=|| |=|+
i i i
; i.e., t hat Pur ushot t am became t he
for m of Pur ush and impr egnat ed m y wit h vir ilit y. Therefore, God
has always had a for m.
8 Mor eover , when t hat Pur ushot t am Nr yan t akes t he form of
Pur ush for some t ask, t hat Pur ush is eclipsed by t he divine light of
Pur ushot t am, and only Pur ushot t am r emains. In t he same way,
when Pur ushot t am t akes t he for m of m y, m y is also eclipsed by
t he divine light of Pur ushot t am, and only God r emains in t hat for m.
Then God t akes t he form of mahat t at t va, t hen t he for ms of ot her s

i
Avajnanti mm moodh mnusheem tanum-shritam|
Param bhvam-ajnanto mama bhoota-maheshvaram| |
Fools der ide me as having a human for m, but t hey do not r ealise my
t r anscendent al for m as t he gr eat lor d of all beings.
i i
S a aikshata
Ait ar eya Upanishad: 1.1.1
i i i
Purushentma-bhootena veeryam-dhatta veeryavn| |
The Vachanmr ut 340
evolved from mahat t at t va, t hen t he for m of Vir t t he ent it y evolved
fr om t hose element s t hen t he for m of Br ahm and ot hers creat ed
fr om t hat Vir t -Pur ush, and t hen t he form of Nrad and t he
Sanakdik. In t his manner , in whomever t hat Pur ushot t am
Bhagwn ent er s for t he pur pose of fulfilling many t ypes of t asks, He
eclipses t hat ent it y by His own divine light and He Himself r eigns
supr eme t hr ough t hat ent it y. Mor eover , in whomever He r esides, He
suppr esses t heir own light and manifest s His own divine light just
as when fir e ent er s ir on, it suppr esses t he qualit y of coldness and t he
black colour of t he ir on and exhibit s it s own qualit y. Also, when t he
sun r ises, t he light fr om all of t he st ar s, t he moon, et c., mer ges int o
it s own light , and only t he suns light r emains. In t he same way, in
whomever God ent er s, He over power s t heir light and exhibit s His
own divine light t o a gr eat er degr ee. Then, aft er complet ing t he t ask
for which He had ent er ed t hat ent it y, He separ at es fr om it .
Ther eaft er , t he ot her ent it y r emains as he was befor e. Thus, t he
addit ional powers t hat t hat ent it y appeared t o have should be known
t o act ually be Pur ushot t am Bhagwns power s.
9 In t his way, t he manifest for m of Pur ushot t am Nr yan is t he
cause of all; He is for ever divine and has a for m. One should not
per ceive any t ype of imper fect ions in t hat for m it is like a murt i
made of skar. Fur t her mor e, one should medit at e on, wor ship, and
offer bhakti only t o t he for m t hat one has seen. Fur t her mor e,
whichever human t r ait s seem appar ent in t hat God should be
underst ood t o be like t he m y of a magician. One who has such an
underst anding does not develop any form of delusion for t hat God in
any way.
10 These fact s can be under st ood by one wit h t he following fir m
convict ion: Even at t he t ime of tyantik-pralay, God and His devot ees
r emain in Akshar dh m, wher e t he devot ees enjoy divine bliss, having
at t ained a divine and definit e form. Moreover, t he form of t hat God
and t he forms of t he devot ees of God possess divine light t hat is
equivalent t o t he light of count less suns and moons. Only one wit h
such fir m under st anding is able t o under st and t his fact .
11 Also, it is to liberat e t he jivas and t o allow t hose jivas t o offer
t he nine t ypes of bhakti t o Him t hat t hat God who has a luminous
and divine for m becomes like a human out of compassion, always
doing so wit h all of His st r engt h, divine power s and at t endant s.
Even t hen, t hose who r ealise t his esot er ic t r ut h under st and t he
The Vachanmr ut 341
human for m of God on t his ear t h as being exact ly t he same as t he
form of God residing in Akshardh m t hey do not feel t hat t here is
even a slight differ ence bet ween t hat for m and t his for m. One who
has known God in t his way can be said t o have known God per fect ly.
For him, m y can be said t o have been eradicat ed. One who realises
t his is called a devot ee wit h gnn and an ekntik bhakta. Mor eover ,
if, by chance, a per son possessing such fir m upsan of t he manifest
form of God never har bour ing any doubt s of m y being present in
t he form of God were t o behave unbecomingly due t o t he influence
of bad company or due t o t he influence of his own prrabdha karmas,
even t hen he would at t ain liber at ion. On t he ot her hand, one who
has doubt s in r ealising God in t his way, even if he is a st aunch,
urdhvaret brahmachri and a gr eat r enunciant , at t aining liber at ion
would st ill be ext r emely difficult for him.
12 If a person has, from t he beginning, developed a fir m convict ion
t hat God possesses a form even at t he end of tyantik-pralay, and if
he wer e t o list en t o scr ipt ur es descr ibing God as being mer ely full of
divine light and for mless, or if he wer e t o hear such t alks fr om
someone, even t hen he would not har bour doubt s. Why? Because he
has r ealised, God et er nally possesses a for m and is never for mless.
Fur t her mor e, t hat ver y God assumes t he for ms of Ram, Kr ishna,
et c. One wit h such fir m under st anding should be known t o have
perfect convict ion.
13 In t his manner , for t he pur pose of enlight ening His devot ees,
Shr iji Mahr j t alked about t he unparalleled convict ion of His own
for m. On hear ing t his, all of t he paramhansas and devot ees
st r engt hened t heir fait h in Shr iji Mahr js for m as descr ibed.
| | En d of P a n ch l Sect ion | |
The Vachanmr ut 342
GADHAD I I SECTI ON
Ga d h a d I I -1
Th e Ca u se of I n fa t u a t i on
1 On J yesht ha sudi Punam, Samvat 1877 [15 J une 1821], Swmi
Shr i Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing on t he veranda out side t he
west -facing r ooms in fr ont of t he mandir of Shr i Vsudevnr yan in
and had covered Himself wit h a whit e cot t on clot h. He had also t ied
a whit e pgh around His head and was wearing a garland of whit e
flower s. At t hat t ime, some of t he paramhansas wer e singing
devot ional songs t o t he accompaniment of a jhnjh and mrudang,
while munis as well as devot ees from various places had gat hered
befor e Him in an assembly.
2 Shr iji Mahr j t hen said t o t he paramhansas who wer e singing
devot ional songs, Please st op singing for t he t ime being and conduct
a quest ion -answer session.
3 Ther eupon Mukt nand Swmi bowed t o Shr iji Mahr j wit h
folded hands and asked, Mahr j, what is t he nat ur e of infat uat ion?
Also, by what means can infat uat ion be eliminat ed?
4 Aft er t hinking for a shor t while, Shr iji Mahr j replied, It
seems t hat a feeling of delusion which oft en appears in t he mind is
t he ver y nat ur e of infat uat ion. When infat uat ion int ensifies in a
per sons hear t , t he delusion in his mind also int ensifies. Ther eaft er ,
he loses all sense of discriminat ion of what should be done and what
should not be done.
5 In fact , just t oday, I was t hinking about t he r eason behind such
infat uat ion developing. Last night , I awoke in t he middle of t he
night and slept facing nor t h. Upon seeing t he Dhr uv St ar , t he
following t hought ar ose: This is t he nor t her n Dhr uv, but t he
scr ipt ur es also ment ion a sout her n Dhr uv. Wher e could t hat be?
Ther eaft er , I looked for t he sout her n Dhr uv and I saw it as well.
J ust as t her e is a pulley for dr awing wat er fr om a well, I saw a
similar lar ge pulley bet ween t he t wo Dhr uv st ar s. The t ips of t he
t wo suppor t s of t he wheel wer e t ouching t he Dhr uv st ar s, just as
wooden pillars are held up by iron rods hammered bet ween t hem.
The Vachanmr ut 343
Also, just as a rope is wound around a rope-wheel which is st udded
wit h br ass or nament s, similar ly, I saw t he posit ions of all of t he
st ar s, t he deit ies, t he nine planet s, et c., ar r anged ar ound t hat r ope-
wheel. I also saw t he sun and t he moon r ise and set fr om t he same
dir ect ion. Then looking wit hin, I saw t hat all t hings t hat ar e in t he
brahmnd Dhr uv, et c. are also all in t he body. I saw t he
kshetragna t hat r esides in t he body. I also saw Pur ushot t am
Bhagwn, who r esides wit hin t hat kshetragna. On seeing t hat God,
My vrut t i became deeply engrossed in His form so much so t hat
r et ur ning out of sam dhi seemed impossible. But t hen, a devot ee
came near and prayed t o Me. It was only out of compassion t hat I
was able t o r et ur n int o t his body.
6 Then, t he following t hought ar ose in My mind: I was able t o
r et ur n fr om sam dhi due t o compassion, but what could be t he
r eason for ot her s coming out of sam dhi? It seemed t o Me t hat t hey
come out of sam dhi because at t achment for some vishays st ill
r emains.
7 Ther efor e, t he panchvishays ar e t he cause of infat uat ion.
Moreover, t here are t hree grades of t hose vishays super ior , aver age
and infer ior . Of t hese, if a per son who has obt ained superior vishays
encount er s someone who obst r uct s him fr om t hem, t hen t hat per son
becomes angr y on t he lat t er . Fr om t hat anger , infat uat ion develops.
8 Gener ally, t he ear s have a const ant r elat ionship wit h sounds.
The skin has a const ant relat ionship wit h t ouch. In t his way, t he
five gnn-indriyas are relat ed t o t he vishays. Ther efor e, if a per son
who has casually seen an object wishes t o br eak his vrut t i fr om t hat
object and keep it focused on t he form of God inst ead, t hen no effort is
r equir ed; his vrut t i would become det ached quit e easily from t he
vishays and r emain on t he for m of God. On t he ot her hand, if a
per son has seen an ext r emely char ming object such as a woman
and his vrut t i has become fixed on t hat , t hen even if he at t empt s t o
keep his vrut t i on Gods for m, it will not st ay t her e. Nor will his
chit t r emain st eady. Thus, as long as t he chit t is at t r act ed by
allur ing vishays, infat uat ion cannot be er adicat ed. Mor eover , if t he
S ant or ones gur u or ones Ishtadev God should cr it icise a vishay
t owar ds which ones chit t has been lured, one would become upset
wit h t hem and even malign t hem; one would not be able t o accept
t heir wor ds. Such an exper ience in ones hear t should be known as
infat uat ion. Mor eover , God has said in t he Git :
The Vachanmr ut 344
=|=-| |=|-+ ---+|=-
- ||=- | || |||~|=- +
||;|- | ||-|-|~
- |-~ || |||| ||||+ -|=|-+
i

These wor ds spoken by Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn ar e univer sal
pr inciples. When t he chit t is at t r act ed t o vishays such as sounds,
t ouch, et c., no mat t er how int elligent one may be, ones buddhi
becomes unst able and one becomes like an animal. Thus, infat uat ion
is generat ed due t o at t achment t o t he vishays.
9 Now, a per son who wishes t o det ach his chit t fr om t hose
vishays should first ly consolidat e his knowledge of t he t m ; i.e., I
am t he t m , not t his body. Secondly, he should t hor oughly
under st and t he nat ur e of how t he cosmos is cr eat ed, sust ained and
dest r oyed. Thir dly, he should t hor oughly under st and t he gr eat ness
of God. He should t hink, The panchvishays have been creat ed by
God; t hus, t her e must be much mor e bliss in God t han t her e is in
t hem. How is t hat ? Well, sounds cont ain only pleasur es r elat ed t o
sounds; t he pleasures of t he ot her four t ypes of vishays cannot be
found in sounds. In t he same way, only t he pleasur es of t ouch, and
no ot her vishays can be found in t ouch. Similar ly, only t he pleasur es
of sight exist in sight s. The same applies for t ast es and smells in
t hat only t heir own r espect ive pleasur es exist , but t he pleasur es of all
of t he panchvishays cannot be experienced in just one vishay.
10 On t he ot her hand, in God, all pleasur es exist simult aneously.
Thus, even if a devot ee does only darshan , he st ill feels t ot ally
fulfilled. Similar ly, t ouch and ot her t ypes of cont act wit h God also

i
Dhyyat o vishayn -punsaha sangas-t eshoopajyat e|
S angt-sanjyate kmaha kmt-krodhobhijyat e| |
Krodhd -bhavati sammohaha sammoht-smruti-vibhramaha|
S mruti-bhranshd -buddhi-nsho buddhi-nshat-pranashyat i| |
A per son cont emplat ing on t he sense object s develops at t achment t owar ds t hem.
Fr om t he at t achment develop desir es; fr om desir es develops anger ; fr om anger
develops delusion; fr om delusion develops confusion of t he mind; fr om confusion
of t he mind develops loss of buddhi; and as a r esult of such loss of buddhi, he
per ishes.
Bhagwad Git : 2.62 & 63
The Vachanmr ut 345
make His devot ees feel t ot ally fulfilled. Moreover, whereas t he
worldly pleasures relat ed t o vishays ar e all per ishable, t he bliss
r elat ed t o God is ever last ing. Such thought s of t he great ness of God
should be consolidat ed. So, at t achment t o t he vishays is eradicat ed
t hr ough t hese t hr ee t ypes of t hought s.
11 When at t achment t o t he vishays is eradicat ed, a person no
longer makes dist inct ions bet ween pleasant and unpleasant vishays
an ugly woman appear s t he same as a beaut iful woman. In t he same
manner , he sees ever yt hing animals, wood, dung, st ones and gold
t o be t he same; he is not infat uat ed on seeing a pleasant object . This
is how he views t he panchvishays; no dist inct ions bet ween
pleasant ness and unpleasant ness r emain in his mind. One who
behaves like t his is known t o be fr ee of infat uat ion. Shr i Kr ishna
Bhagwn has also ment ioned t his in t he Git : | ||u...
i
. A
per son wit h such char act er ist ics has realised God perfect ly. Only he
is called a st aunch devot ee. Only he should be known t o have an
inclinat ion like t hat of a woman who observes t he vow of fidelit y, and
only he should be known t o possess gnn. Also, God becomes pleased
only upon him. Such a devot ee is ext remely dear t o God; t hat is why
God has said in t he Git :
|+ =| | -||||=u |+=+
i i

So, only such devot ees of God who have an inclinat ion like t hat of a
woman who observes t he vow of fidelit y are ext remely dear t o God.
Mor eover , it is not as if such an inclinat ion is only acquir ed by one
who is clever ; r at her , it is acquir ed by all t hose who have an int ense
year ning just like in t he wor ld, nave wives may be fait hful, while
shr ewd wives may be unfait hful. Thus, whet her one is shr ewd or
nave is of no significance. Rat her , it is t hose who have an int ense
year ning for liber at ion t hat keep such an inclinat ion and offer bhakti
to God.

i
Sama-loshtshma-knchanaha
He who r egar ds a lump of ear t h, a st one and [a piece of] gold as equal[is said
t o be gunt it ].
Bhagwad Git : 14.22-25
i i
Priyo hi gnninot yart ham-aham sa cha mama priyaha| |
I am exceedingly dear t o a per son wit h gnn , and he is dear t o me.
Bhagwad Git : 7.17
The Vachanmr ut 346
12 However , t he st at e in which one views pleasant and unpleasant
vishays as equal in such a manner and becomes fr ee of infat uat ion
cannot be at t ained in just one day. Such an achievement cannot be
accomplished so hast ily; only one who at t empt s t o do so gr adually
and ear nest ly accomplishes it . Take, for example, a st one placed on
t he edge of a well. Due t o t he const ant drawing of wat er wit h a rope,
aft er a long period of t ime t he rope causes a groove t o form in t he
st one, despit e t he rope being soft . On t he ot her hand, even if an iron
chain were t o be used t o draw t he wat er, such a groove would not
for m immediat ely. Ther efor e, t hose who wish t o st r ive for liber at ion
should er adicat e at t achment t o t he vishays. They should not become
fr ust r at ed or upset . This is also ment ioned in t he Git :
- |---| =||- +| |- +
i

13 Thus, one should t hink, I will er adicat e as much at t achment t o
t he vishays as is possible in t his life, and if in t he pr ocess, some
at t achment st ill r emains, t hen it can be er adicat ed in a fut ur e life.
Moreover, since I am a devot ee of God, I do not desire t o ent er t he
cycle of bir t hs and deat hs. In t his way, a devot ee should keep
courage and persever e t o gr adually upr oot infat uat ion.
14 As long as pleasant and unpleasant vishays do not appear t o be
equal, a devot ee of God is said t o be in t he process of God-r ealisat ion.
When t hey do appear t o be equal, t hat devot ee should be known t o
have at t ained God-r ealisat ion. When one r elinquishes ones
at t achment t o vishays and at t ains God-realisat ion, one should be
known t o have become fulfilled. This is t he very essence of all of t he
scr ipt ur es, i.e., t he Vedas, t he Shst r as, t he Pur ns, t he It ihs , et c.
Fur t her mor e, t his discour se which I have deliver ed befor e you is t he
fundament al pr inciple of all of t he scr ipt ur es. Thus, all devot ees
should fir mly imbibe it in t heir lives.
| | Vachanmr ut Gadhad II-1 | | 134 | |

i
[A yogi who] has become r ealised aft er many lives at t ains t he highest st at e of
enlight enment .
Bhagwad Git : 6.45
The Vachanmr ut 347
Ga d h a d I I -2
A Sma ll St r ea mlet of Wa t er
1 On Shr van sudi 3, Samvat 1878 [1 August 1821], Swmi Shr i
Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing on a small, silken, embr oider ed
clot h in fr ont of t he mandir of Shr i Vsudevnr yan in Dd
Khchar s darbr in Gadhad. He was dressed en t ir ely in whit e
clot hes. At t hat t ime, some munis were singing devot ional songs t o
t he accompaniment of a jhnjh and mrudang, while ot her munis as
assembly.
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, Please st op singing as I wish t o
speak t o you. So saying, Shr iji Mahr j began, One who wishes t o
at t ain ult imat e liberat ion and aspires t o become a sdhu like Nrad
and t he Sanak dik should t hink, In t his body r esides t he jiva, and
t he indriyas and antahkaran have at t ached t hemselves t o t hat jiva.
They have also at t ached t hemselves ext er nally t o t he panchvishays.
However , due t o ignor ance, t he jiva believes t hose indriyas and t he
antahkaran t o be it s own for m, wher eas in act ual fact , it is dist inct
fr om t hem. The vishays ar e also dist inct fr om t he antahkaran , but
because of const ant associat ion wit h t hem, t hey appear t o have
become one wit h t he antahkaran .
3 In fact , t he desir e t o indulge in t he vishays act ually ar ises
because of t he indriyas , not because of t he antahkaran . For example,
ext r eme heat or cold fir st comes int o cont act wit h t he out er indriyas ,
and t hen ent ers t he body via t hose indriyas . In ot her wor ds, it is not
generat ed from wit hin; it is generat ed out side and t hen ent er s
wit hin. In t he same manner , desir es for t he panchvishays are not
init ially gener at ed in t he antahkaran ; r at her , t he indriyas fir st come
int o cont act wit h t he vishays ext er nally, and t hen t hose vishays
ent er t he antahkaran . To give anot her example, when a boil develops
ext er nally on t he skin, it can be soot hed only by applying medicat ion
ext er nally, not by mer ely hear ing t alks. Also, ones hunger and
t hir st can only be r elieved by eat ing and dr inking, but not by mer ely
t alking about food and wat er . Similar ly, t he disease in t he for m of
t he panchvishays can only be cur ed when medicat ion is applied
ext er nally.
4 The met hod of applying t hat medicat ion is as follows: When
ones skin t ouches a vishay like, for example, women and ot her
The Vachanmr ut 348
object s, t hat object ent er s t he antahkaran via t he skin. Then, via
t he antahkaran , it ent er s t he jiva. The vishay was not init ially
gener at ed fr om wit hin t he jiva or fr om t he antahkaran . In fact , all
vishays which cur r ent ly spr ing for t h fr om t he antahkaran have
definit ely ent er ed fr om out side t hr ough t he indriyas , albeit in a
pr evious life. Thus, t he medicine for er adicat ing at t achment t o t he
vishays is as follows: One should abst ain fr om t ouching object s like
women and ot her allur ing object s via t he skin. Also, one should not
look at t heir beaut y via t he eyes, nor t alk about t hem using t he
t ongue. One should not list en t o t hem or about t hem via t he ear s.
Nor should one smell t heir fr agr ance t hr ough t he nose. If, t hr ough
t he five indriyas, one fir mly abst ains fr om t he vishays in t his
manner , t hen t he flow of t he vishays cannot ent er wit hin fr om
out side. For example, a well can be cleaned only when t he small
st r eamlet s of wat er t hat flow int o t he well ar e clogged fr om t heir
ent r ance wit h clot h r ags. In t he same way, by keeping cont r ol over
t he ext er nal indriyas , t he ext er nal vishays cannot ent er t he
antahkaran .
5 Again, a st omach illness can only be cur ed when medicine
ent er s t he st omach. In t he same manner , t he vishays t hat have
alr eady accumulat ed in t he antahkaran by way of t he indriyas
should be eradicat ed by t hinking of oneself as t he t m . One should
t hink, I am t he t m , and t he indriyas and t he antahkaran have
absolut ely no relat ion wit h me. Wit h such r esolut e t hinking, by
beholding Gods for m in t hat chaitanya and t hr ough t he bliss of ones
t m , one should r emain fulfilled. Take, for example, a well t hat is
complet ely full of wat er. The wat er in t he well will prevent t he flow
of new wat er fr om ent er ing t he well. However, if t he well is empt ied
by dr awing wat er fr om it , t hen new wat er fr om out side will ent er it .
Similar ly, t hr ough t he bliss of ones t m , one should remain fulfilled
wit hin. Ext er nally, one should obst r uct t he inflow of t he vishays
t hr ough t he indriyas . This is t he only definit e met hod for
over coming lust , anger , et c. Except for t his, t hough, t hey cannot be
over come by fast ing alone. So please imbibe t his t hought fir mly in
your lives.
The Vachanmr ut 349
Ga d h a d I I -3
Th e P a t h of Amor ou sn ess a n d
t h e Kn owled ge of t h e t m
Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing on a small, silken, embr oider ed
clot h in fr ont of t he mandir of Shr i Vsudevnr yan in Dd
clot hes. At t hat t ime, some paramhansas were singing devot ional
songs t o t he accompaniment of a jhnjh and mrudang, while ot her
paramhansas as well as devot ees fr om var ious places had gat hered
2 Then, wit h a gest ur e of His eyes, Shr iji Mahr j silenced t he
audience and said, Those of you who are senior paramhansas , please
come t o t he fr ont as I wish t o speak t o you.
3 So saying, Shr iji Mahr j cont inued, For t hose who wor ship
God, t here are t wo pat hs t hat lead t o eminence, and t here are also
t wo pat hs t hat lead t o downfall, all of which I shall now explain. One
pat h is t o offer bhakti t o God via t he pat h of amorousness, and t he
ot her pat h is knowledge of t he t m . Bot h can lead t o eminence, but
bot h can also lead t o downfall. Of t hese, t housands have fallen from
t he amor ous pat h, wit h only a few at t aining God. Alt hough even t he
gr eat chryas have encouraged t he offering of bhakti via t he
amor ous pat h, many have been r uined by it , and only a few have
benefit ed.
4 The r eason for t his is t hat when God is descr ibed in an amor ous
manner , Rdhikji and Lakshmiji, along wit h t heir companions, ar e
also described t oget her wit h God. When women are described,
obviously t heir physical feat ur es ar e also descr ibed. How, t hen, can
t he mind of t he per son who is descr ibing t hem possibly r emain
undist ur bed? In fact , t he nat ur e of t he indriyas is such t hat t hey
only develop affect ion for t hose vishays t hat ar e seduct ive. No
woman in all of t he r ealms possesses beaut y t hat can mat ch t he
beaut y of Rdhikji or Lakshmiji, nor is t her e anyone who has such
a sweet voice as t heir s; even t he fr agr ance emanat ing fr om t heir
bodies is unr ivalled. Thus, upon seeing or hear ing about such
beaut y, how can a per son possibly not become infat uat ed? It is
inevit able. Even if a per sons mind is only slight ly dist ur bed, he st ill
The Vachanmr ut 350
falls from t he pat h of liberat ion. Therefore, all of t his proves t o be a
great obst acle for t hose who wor ship God via t he amor ous pat h.
5 Now, br ahma-gnn
i
can also give r ise t o t he following incor r ect
under st anding: Br ahma it self assumes t he for m of Pr akr ut i-Pur ush.
Then t hat Br ahma it self assumes t he for ms of Br ahm, Vishnu and
Shiv. Ther eaft er , Br ahma assumes t he mobile and immobile for ms
of cr eat ion. Subsequent ly, Br ahma also becomes t he jivas r esiding in
t hose mobile and immobile for ms of cr eat ion. By misunder st anding
br ahma-gnn in such a manner , t hat individual t hen believes his
own jiva t o be God, t hus causing a br each in upsan . As a r esult ,
he also falls fr om t he pat h of God. So, in t he pat h of br ahma-gnn,
such a br each in upsan is a major obst acle. Why? Because t he
very God who is t o be underst ood as t he cause and mast er of
ever yt hing has been insult ed. Ther efor e, one wit h such
underst anding should also be known t o have fallen from t he pat h of
liber at ion.
6 Now, while t hese t wo pat hs do lead t o liberat ion, t he obst acles
along t he way ar e also ext r emely gr ave. So, what should one who
desir es liber at ion do? Please answer t his quest ion.
7 All of t he paramhansas t hen began t o t hink, but no one was able
t o supply a suit able answer .
8 Shr iji Mahr j t hen said, The answer t o t he quest ion is as
follows: Ones mind does not become infat uat ed on seeing ones own
mot her , sist er or daught er , even if t hey ar e ver y beaut iful. Mor eover ,
even t hough one may t alk wit h t hem, or even t ouch t hem, t he mind
is not even slight ly infat uat ed. In t he same manner , if one wer e t o
consider all female devot ees of God as ones own mot her, sist er or
daught er , t hen infat uat ion would not ar ise in any way at all. Then,
by worshipping God via t he amorous pat h, one would at t ain
liber at ion.
9 However , when a per son does not have such under st anding, and
har bours lust ful t hought s on seeing some great female devot ee of
God, t he per sons char act er becomes gr avely blemished.
Fur t her mor e, wher eas t he blemish ar ising fr om lust fully looking at
ot her women is er adicat ed by having t he darshan of a devot ee of God,

i
Her e br ahma-gnn should be int er pr et ed t o mean knowledge of t he tm.
The Vachanmr ut 351
no means of er adicat ing t he blemish ar ising fr om lust fully looking at
a devot ee of God is ment ioned anywhere in t he script ures. The same
applies for females who look at a male devot ee of God and harbour
lust ful t hought s; t hey t oo can never be redeemed of t hat sin. Thus
t he ver se:
-=| | - +|+ -|u | | |=|-
-|u | | - +|+ | +| ~|=|-+
i

The ver se means: Sins commit t ed elsewher e can be r emoved by
going t o God or a devot ee of God. If, however , one commit s a sin
before God or His devot ee, t hen it is like commit t ing a sin at a place
of pilgr image; it becomes ir r edeemable, as if et ched in ir on. Thus,
whosoever wishes t o worship God via t he pat h of amorousness should,
as I have explained, keep his mind pur e.
10 Now, on t he pat h of br ahma-gnn, one should under st and in
t he following manner : Br ahma is not subject t o change and is
indivisible. Thus, it does not under go change, nor can it be divided.
When t hat Br ahma is equat ed wit h all for ms, it is because t hat
Br ahma is t he cause of all Pr akr ut i-Pur ush, et c. It is t heir
support er and pervades all t hrough it s antarym i power s.
Fur t her mor e, t hat which is t he cause, t he suppor t er and t he
per vader cannot be dist inct fr om it s effect . It is in r efer ence t o t his
cont ext t hat t he scr ipt ur es equat e t hat Br ahma wit h all for ms.
However, one should not believe t hat t hat Brahma it self undergoes
change and assumes t he for ms of all mobile and immobile beings.
Tr anscending t hat Br ahma is Par abr ahma, Pur ushot t am Nr yan,
who is dist inct fr om Br ahma, and is t he cause, t he suppor t er and t he
inspir er of Br ahma. Wit h such under st anding, one should develop
oneness wit h ones jivt m and wit h t hat Br ahma, and wor ship
Par abr ahma while maint aining a mast er -ser vant r elat ionship wit h
Him. Wit h such under st anding, br ahma-gnn also becomes an
unobst r uct ed pat h t o at t aining t he highest st at e of enlight enment .

i
An ya-kshetre krutam ppam teertha-kshet re vinashyat i|
Teert ha-kshetre krutam ppam vajra-lepo bhavishyat i| |

The Vachanmr ut 352
Ga d h a d I I -4
Con st a n t Con t emp la t i on I s Ach i eved t h r ou gh
Rea li si n g t h e Gr ea t n ess of God a n d Sh r a d d h ;
A Tor n Wa i st clot h a n d a Gou r d
facing medi i n Dd Khchar s darbr in Gadhad. He was dressed
ent ir ely in whit e clot hes. At t hat t ime, some paramhansas were
singing devot ional songs in t he Malr r aga t o t he accompaniment of a
dukad , sarod, and sat r, while ot her paramhansas as well as
assembly.
2 Then Shr iji Mahr j said, Please st op t he singing and let us
now t alk about God.
3 The paramhansas responded, Very well, Mahr j.
4 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j asked, Suppose a person who
observes dharma as pr escr ibed in t he scr ipt ur es and also offer s
bhakti t o God is faced wit h such adver se cir cumst ances t hat if he
t r ies t o maint ain bhakti, he is forced t o lapse in his observance of
dharma, and if he t r ies t o maint ain his obser vance of dharma, t hen
he is forced t o forsake bhakti. In such a case, which should he
maint ain, and which should he for sake?
5 Br ahmnand Swmi replied, If God is pleased by upholding
bhakti, t hen bhakti should be upheld; and if He is pleased by
upholding dharma, t hen dharma should be upheld.
6 Hear ing t his, Shr iji Mahr j count er ed, For t hose who have
found t he incarnat e form of God, it is of course appropriat e for t hem
t o do only t hat which pleases God. But what should one do when God
is not incar nat e?
7 Mukt nand Swmi at t empt ed t o answer , but he was unable t o
8 Shr iji Mahr j t hen said, If one faces adver se cir cumst ances
when God is not incarnat e and t here is no one else left t o t urn t o,
t hen if one const ant ly cont emplat es only upon God, one will not fall
from t he pat h of God.
The Vachanmr ut 353
9 Ther eaft er , Shr iji Mahr j asked anot her quest ion, One who
t hor oughly r ealises t he gr eat ness of God feels, No mat t er how many
sins one may have commit t ed, if one mer ely ut t er s t he name of God
even once, all of ones sins will be bur nt t o ashes. However , what
under st anding should one who r ealises Gods gr eat ness in t his
manner cult ivat e so t hat he never falt er s fr om t he obser vance of
dharma?
10 Again, Mukt nand Swmi at t empt ed t o answer but was unable
t o do so sat isfact or ily.
11 So, r eplying t o His own quest ion, Shr iji Mahr j said, A per son
who t hor oughly r ealises Gods gr eat ness can st ill obser ve dharma if
he cult ivat es t he following under st anding: I want t o const ant ly
cont emplat e upon God and become an ekntik bhakta. But if my
vrut t i is dr awn t owar ds vicious nat ur es such as lust , anger , avar ice,
et c., t hen t hat will be a hindr ance in my cont emplat ion of God.
Realising t his, he r emains ext r emely war y of t r eading t he wr ong
pat h. As a r esult , he would never do anyt hing r elat ed t o adharma.
If a person has such an under st anding, t hen even t hough he
t hor oughly r ealises t he gr eat ness of God, he would never falt er in his
observance of dharma.
12 Indeed, it is not a small feat t o be able t o cont emplat e upon God
const ant ly. Because if one were t o leave t his body while
cont emplat ing upon God, one would at t ain an ext remely elevat ed
st at e.
13 Ther eaft er , Br ahmnand Swmi asked, We do r ealise t his, yet
we st ill cannot const ant ly cont emplat e upon God. What is t he r eason
for t his?
14 Shr iji Mahr j explained, Fir st of all, t o be able t o const ant ly
cont emplat e upon God, one needs such shraddh. If one does not
have such shraddh, it implies t hat t her e is a cor r esponding
deficiency in r ealising Gods gr eat ness. When t her e is a deficiency in
r ealising Gods gr eat ness, it suggest s t hat t her e is also a
cor r esponding deficiency in ones convict ion of God. So, if one r ealises
t he great ness of God and has shraddh as well, t hen one will be able
t o const ant ly cont emplat e upon God.
15 Fur t her mor e, Gods gr eat ness should be r ealised as follows:
God, who t r anscends Pr akr ut i-Pur ush, is t he ver y same when He
ent er s t hem; t hat is t o say, He st ill r et ains His divine power s. Even
The Vachanmr ut 354
aft er He ent er s t he ent it ies evolved fr om Pr akr ut i-Pur ush, i.e., t he
brahmnd, He r et ains t he ver y same power s; but , in no way do
t races of m y affect Gods for m. For example, consider t he
difference bet ween gold and ot her met als. When t hey are buried
t oget her in t he gr ound, aft er a long per iod of t ime, t he met als ot her
t han t he gold will decompose int o t he dir t sur r ounding t hem. In
compar ison, t he longer t he gold st ays in t he gr ound, t he mor e
valuable it becomes; i.e., it does not decompose in any way.
Similar ly, God, deit ies such as Br ahma and ot her s, or ot her munis
ar e not all t he same. This is because when t hey come int o t he
cont act of dir t in t he for m of t he vishays, t hen all except God become
engrossed in t hose vishays, r egar dless of how gr eat t hey may be.
Mor eover , alt hough God seems t o be like a human, t her e is no
worldly object capable of affect ing Him. Regar dless of how allur ing a
vishay may be, He is never ent iced by it . Such is t he t r anscendent al
great ness of God. If one realises such great ness, one would be able t o
const ant ly cont emplat e upon God.
16 However, as long as a devot ee is at t ract ed t o vishays, he has not
r ealised Gods t r anscendent al gr eat ness at all. For example, Shr i
Kr ishna Bhagwn said t o Uddhavji, O Uddhav! You ar e not even
slight ly lesser t han me. Why was t his so? Because Uddhavji had
r ealised Gods t r anscendent al gr eat ness and t hus was not allur ed by
t he panchvishays.
17 For one who r ealises t he gr eat ness of God, t o r ule a kingdom or
t o have t o beg for food are bot h equivalent . He also feels t he same
t owar ds a young gir l, a 16-year -old gir l, and an 80-year -old woman.
In fact , he views all of t he at t r act ive and r epulsive object s in t his
world as being equal; he does not get ent iced by an alluring object as
a mot h does by a lamp. In fact , he is not t empt ed by any object
what soever except for God; he is only at t ract ed t o t he form of God. A
devot ee who behaves in t his manner never becomes bound by
vishays, r egar dless of how ent icing t hey may be.
18 However , if a per son has not under st ood t his key pr inciple, t hen
it would be ver y difficult for him t o det ach his mind fr om even a t or n
waist clot h or a gour d. Thus, wit hout r ealising Gods gr eat ness in
t his way, even if a per son endeavour s in a million ot her ways, he will
st ill not be able t o const ant ly cont emplat e upon t he form of God.
Conversely, only one who realises t he great ness of God is able t o
const ant ly cont emplat e upon Him.
The Vachanmr ut 355
Ga d h a d I I -5
Fid elit y a n d Cou r a ge
Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing on a small, silken, embroidered
clot h which had been placed on t he plat form in front of t he mandir of
was dr essed ent ir ely in whit e clot hes. At t hat t ime, some munis
wer e singing devot ional songs t o t he accompaniment of a t l and
mrudang, while ot her munis as well as devot ees from various places
2 Then wit h a gest ur e of His eyes, Shr iji Mahr j st opped t he
devot ional songs and said, Everyone please list en; I wish t o speak. A
devot ee of God should first ly maint ain fidelit y, and secondly, cour age.
For example, consider a woman who observes t he vow of fidelit y.
Even if her husband is old, sick, poor or ugly, t he mind of t hat
fait hful wife would never sway upon seeing t he vir t ues of anot her
man. Even if a beggar s wife, who obser ves such a vow, wer e t o see a
gr eat king, her mind would not waver . In a similar manner , a
devot ee of God should observe t he vow of fidelit y wit h God.
3 Fur t her mor e, if someone wer e t o speak ill of ones husband,
t hen one should not r emain t imid and become subdued. Rat her , one
should reply very boldly. In t his manner, a devot ee of God should not
become suppressed by evil people; he should be courageous.
4 However , it is gener ally said t hat a sdhu should view everyone
equally. But t his is not t he pr inciple of t he scr ipt ur es. Because
Nrad, t he Sanak dik, Dhr uv, Pr ahld, et c., have t aken t he side of
only God and His devot ees; t hey have never t aken t he side of non -
believers. One who does side wit h a non -believer will himself, eit her
in t his life or in t he next , definit ely become a non -believer as well.
Therefore, a devot ee of God should cert ainly side wit h Gods devot ees
and forsake t he side of non -believer s. Please imbibe t his discour se of
Mine ext r emely fir mly.
The Vachanmr ut 356
Ga d h a d I I -6
A Dr a ft ; Th e Na t u r e of t h e Ch i t t
Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing on a squar e plat for m in fr ont of
t he mandir of Sh r i Vsudevnr ya n in Dd Khchar s darbr in
Gadhad. He was dr essed ent ir ely in whit e clot hes. At t hat t ime,
some of t he paramhansas were singing devot ional songs t o t he
accompaniment of a t l and mrudang, while ot her paramhansas as
assembly.
2 Then Shr iji Mahr j said, Please st op t he singing and let us
now t alk about God.
3 Ther eupon, all of t he munis sat wit h t heir hands folded. Shr iji
Mahr j t hen cont inued, In t his world, t here are many people who
are like infidels. They believe, Wat er fr om t he Gang and ot her
wat er seems t he same; shligrms and ot her st ones seem t he same;
t ulsi and ot her t r ees seem t he same; a Brhmin and a S hudra seem
equal; food which is t he prasd of God and ot her food seems t he same;
t o fast on t he day of Ekdashi and t o go hungr y on any ot her day
seems t he same; and a sdhu and a non -sdhu also seem t he same.
Despit e t his being so, why have t hose so-called gr eat men made
dist inct ion s in t he for m of mor al dos and dont s in t he scr ipt ur es?
This is what people wit h evil minds pr ofess. That is why I put t his
quest ion t o all of you sdhus: Ar e t hose dist inct ions in t he for m of
mor al dos and dont s pr escr ibed in t he scr ipt ur es by gr eat men valid,
or ar e t hey concoct ed? May t he junior paramhansas answer t his
quest ion.
4 The junior paramhansas r eplied, The dist inct ions in t he for m of
moral dos and dont s are indeed valid. If t his were not so, how could
t her e be a dist inct ion as t o who deserves t o at t ain swarg and who
deserves t o at t ain narak?
5 Hear ing t his, Shr iji Mahr j comment ed, They ar e young, but
t hey under st and well. Shr iji Mahr j t hen elaborat ed upon t he
answer Himself. He said, What ever t he gr eat men of t he past have
pr escr ibed in t he scr ipt ur es is valid. Take t he example of a wealt hy
businessman. If he wr it es a dr aft t o pay some ot her mer chant , t hen
alt hough it seems t hat t he piece of paper is not wort h even a single
r upee, it is indeed money. Only when one cashes t he draft t he
The Vachanmr ut 357
businessman had signed does one subsequent ly receive a large sum of
money fr om t hat ver y same dr aft . Similar ly, alt hough at t he t ime
t her e may not seem t o be any benefit in obser ving t he mor al dos and
dont s, one who does observe dharma by t he command of a gr eat
Purush ult imat ely at t ains liber at ion just as one r eceives cash fr om
dr aft s.
6 Moreover, a person who does not t rust a draft signed by a
wealt hy businessman should be known t o be a fool because he does
not realise t he wealt h of t hat businessman. Similar ly, one who does
not t r ust t he wor ds of gr eat s such as Nrad, t he Sanak dik, Vys,
Vlmiki, et c., should be known as a nstik and a gr ave sinner .
7 Fur t her mor e, one who has such a nstik at t it ude believes,
What is t he differ ence bet ween Gods murt i and ot her st ones? All
st ones are one and t he same. What is t he difference bet ween a
mar r ied woman and an unmar r ied woman? All women ar e equal.
What is t he differ ence bet ween ones wife, mot her or sist er ? Aft er all,
t hey all look alike. In fact , even all of t he avat rs of God such as
Rm, Kr ishna, et c., look like humans. Sur ely, t hen, t he concept of
t hem being gr eat er or lesser has been concoct ed by mans
imaginat ion. But what can we do? Because we have t o live wit h
such people, we have t o agr ee wit h what ever t hey say. Never t heless,
t he mor al dos and dont s pr escr ibed by t he scr ipt ur es ar e definit ely
nonsense. This is t he under st anding t hat sinner s such as t he
nstiks have in t heir minds. If one hear s such wor ds fr om someone,
t hen t he list ener should be known as a sinner and a nstik; and
r ealising him t o be an out cast , one should by no means keep his
company.
8 Shr iji Mahr j t hen began anot her t opic. He said, The chit t of
all people is like honey, or like wat er sat ur at ed wit h gor, sugar or
skar. If, for example, a fly or an ant wer e t o fall int o t hat honey or
wat er sat ur at ed wit h gor, sugar or skar, it would become st uck in
it . Even if a per son wer e t o t ouch t he honey or sat ur at ed wat er , it
would st ick t o t he per sons finger as well. The nat ur e of t he chit t is
similar t o t his; it st icks t o what ever object it r ecalls. In fact , t he
chit t even at t aches it self t o t hings t hat ar e ut t er ly insignificant , such
as st ones, or r ubbish, or dog excr ement t hings in which t her e is not
even t he slight est pleasur e. If it r ecalls such useless t hings, it will
t hen also cont emplat e upon t hem. Such is it s st icky nat ur e.
The Vachanmr ut 358
9 Fur t her mor e, just as t he r eflect ion of a gr eat sdhu will be seen
in a lar ge, glass mir r or if he st ands before it , t he reflect ion of a dog, a
donkey or a vile person will also be seen if t hey st and before it .
Similar ly, t he chit t is ext r emely pur e; it can visualise whichever
object it r ecalls, r egar dless of whet her it is appealing or not .
Ther efor e, a spir it ual aspir ant should not t hink, Object s such as
women and ot her allur ing vishays spr out in my chit t because I do not
possess vairgya. In act ual fact , object s spr out nat ur ally even in t he
chit t of one who does possess vairgya. Thus, vairgya or t he lack of
it is not t he r eason behind t his. Inst ead, t he nat ur e of t he chit t is
such t hat what ever it r ecalls, be it good or bad, it cont emplat es upon.
When it cont emplat es upon an object , it appear s just as it would
appear in a mir r or . That is why one should r ealise, I am dist inct
fr om t he chit t . I am t he t m , t he observer of t he chit t . Realising
t his, one should not become fr ust r at ed by t he pur e or impur e
t hought s ar ising in t he chit t . Inst ead, one should realise oneself t o be
dist inct from on es chit t , engage in t he worship of God and always
r emain joyful.
Ga d h a d I I -7
A P oor Ma n
1 On t he night of Shr van sudi 11, Samvat 1878 [9 August 1821],
Swmi Shr i Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing in fr ont of t he mandir
of Shr i Vsudevnr ya n in Dd Khchar s darbr in Gadhad. He
befor e Him.
2 Ther eupon Mukt nand Swmi asked Shr iji Mahr j, A devot ee
of God r esolves in his mind, I do not want t o r et ain a single swabhv
which may hinder me in wor shipping God, and yet , such
inappropriat e swabhvs do r emain. What is t he r eason for t his?
3 Shr iji Mahr j replied, If a person has a deficiency of vairgya,
t hen even if he has t he shraddh t o eradicat e his swabhvs, st ill t hey
will not be er adicat ed. For example, a poor man may wish for lot s of
sumpt ous food and lavish clot hes, but how can he acquir e t hem?
Similar ly, one who lacks vairgya may wish in his hear t t o acquir e
t he virt ues of a sdhu, but it is ver y difficult for him t o do so.
The Vachanmr ut 359
4 Mukt nand Swmi t hen asked, If a person does not possess
vairgya, what means should he adopt t o eradicat e t hose vicious
nat ur es?
5 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, If a per son lacks vairgya, but int ensely
ser ves a gr eat S ant, and obedient ly perseveres in his observance of
t he injunct ions of God, t hen God will look upon him wit h an eye of
compassion, and feel, This poor fellow lacks vairgya, and lust ,
anger , et c., ar e har assing him ver y much. So now, may all t hose
vicious nat ur es be er adicat ed. As a r esult , t hey will be er adicat ed
immediat ely. In compar ison, if he wer e t o endeavour in ot her ways,
t hose swabhvs may be eradicat ed, but aft er a great deal of t ime and
effort eit her in t his life or in lat er lives. If such vicious nat ur es ar e
er adicat ed inst ant ly, t hen it should be known t hat t hey have been
eradicat ed by t he grace of God.
| | Vachanmr ut Gadh ad II-7 | | 140 | |
Ga d h a d I I -8
Ek d a s h i ; Gn n -Ya gn a ; An t a r d r a sh t i
1 In t he ear ly mor ning of Shr van sudi 12, Samvat 1878 [10
August 1821], Swmi Shr i Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing on a
small, silken, embr oider ed clot h in fr ont of t he mandir of Shr i
dr essed ent ir ely in whit e clot hes. At t hat t ime, some paramhansas
wer e singing devot ional songs t o t he accompaniment of a t l and
mrudang, while ot her paramhansas as well as devot ees fr om var ious
places had gat her ed befor e Him in an assembly.
2 Then, addr essing t he sdhus, Shr iji Mahr j said, One should
observe t he Ek dashi fast because of t he following st ory: Once, God
was sleeping wit h his t en indriyas and mind t he elevent h indriya
dr awn inwar ds. At t hat t ime, Mur Dnav, t he son of Ndijangh,
came t o do bat t le wit h God. But t hen, a young woman was cr eat ed
from t he divine light of Gods eleven indriyas . Seeing her , Mur
Dnav pr oposed t o her , Please mar r y me. The young woman
r eplied, I have t aken a vow t hat I will only mar r y t he per son who
defeat s me in a duel. Thus, a duel bet ween Mur Dnav and t he
young woman ensued, in which t he young woman sever ed Mur
Dnavs head wit h a sword. God was pleased wit h her and said, Ask
for a boon. The young woman r equest ed, On my day of obser vance,
The Vachanmr ut 360
no one should eat gr ains. Fur t her mor e, since I was bor n fr om t he
divine light of your eleven indriyas , my name is Ek dashi. Since I
am an ascet ic, on my day of obser vance, no one should indulge in any
of t he vishays relat ed t o t he eleven indriyas , which includes t he
mind. Hear ing Ek dashis wish, God gr ant ed her t hat boon. This is
t he st or y as it is nar r at ed in t he Pur ns.
3 The Dhar ma-shst r as also st at e: The Ek dashi fast should be
obser ved. On t hat day, one should not allow impur e t hought s of lust ,
anger , avar ice, et c., t o ar ise in t he mind. Nor should one physically
engage in any immor al act ivit ies. This is what t he scr ipt ur es
pr escr ibe. In accor dance wit h t hose scr ipt ur es, I also say t hat on t he
day of Ekdashi, one should not mer ely fast , but one should also
forsake t he food of t he eleven indriyas . Only t hen can t he Ek dashi
obser vance be consider ed t r ue; wit hout t hat , it should be known as
mer e fast ing.
4 J ust as t he prns have t heir diet in t he for m of food, similar ly,
t he ears have a diet of sounds, t he eyes have a diet of sight s, t he
t ongue has a diet of t ast es, t he nose has a diet of smells and t he mind
has a diet compr ising of t hought s and desir es. In t his way, t he
eleven indriyas have t heir respect ive diet s. To forego t hese is called
observing t he fast of Ek dashi. However, t o allow t he eleven indriyas
t o r oam fr eely along t he pat h of immor alit y and indulge in t heir
respect ive foods is not t r uly Ek dashi accor ding t o t he scr ipt ur es.
Therefore, when observing t he fast of Ek dashi, t he eleven indriyas
should not be allowed t heir respect ive diet s. Since such an
observance arrives once every fift een days, one should definit ely make
a point of obser ving it . In r et ur n, God will become pleased upon one.
Wit hout t his, however , mer ely fast ing does not please Him.
5 The resident s of Shwet dwip, who are called niranna-muktas ,
ar e cont inuously obser ving t his fast , and never do t hey allow it t o be
br oken. That is pr ecisely why t hey ar e called nir anna food-less
muktas . We t oo should have such aspir at ions as, I want t o become
like t hose niranna-muktas in Shwet dwip; one should not lose heart
in t his r espect . Only if one keeps cour age and obser ves t he fast of
Ekdashi in t he way I ment ioned ear lier , list ens t o and engages in
t he discourses of God and devot ional songs and also st ays awake at
night , is t he fast consider ed t o have been obser ved pr oper ly. This is
t he very definit ion of t he Ek dashi obser vance as ment ioned in t he
scr ipt ur es.
The Vachanmr ut 361
6 Having said t his, Shr iji Mahr j became silent . The sdhus
t hen began t o sing devot ional songs.
7 Ther eaft er , Shr iji Mahr j again said, When Br ahm car r ied
out t he ver y fir st cr eat ion, he t old all of t he people, You should all
per for m sacr ifices. Thr ough t hem you will at t ain all of t he
purushrt hs, and t he pr ocess of cr eat ion will also flour ish.
Therefore, be sure t o perform t hese sacr ifices. Br ahm then
demonst rat ed t he many different t ypes of sacr ifices along wit h t heir
rit uals as described in t he Vedas. To t hose who had adopt ed t he pat h
of pravrut t i, Br ahm demonst rat ed t he rjasik and t masik sacr ifices
of t he pravrut t i pat h. To t hose who had adopt ed t he pat h of nivrut t i,
he demonst rat ed sttvik sacr ifices. These sacr ifices have also been
described by Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn in t he Bhagwad Git . Since we
have adopt ed t he pat h of nivrut t i, we should perform sttvik
sacr ifices, not rjasik or t masik sacr ifices in which animals ar e
slaught ered.
8 One can per for m a sttvik sacr ifice by wit hdr awing t he t en
indriyas and t he mind t he elevent h indriya fr om whichever
vishays t hey have become at t ached t o and t hen offering t hem int o t he
brahma-agni. Such a sacr ifice is called a yoga-yagna. By
cont inuously making such offer ings, Par abr ahma Shr i Pur ushot t am
manifest s Himself wit hin t he brahmaswarup self of t he person who
per for ms such a yoga-yagna, just as God gr ant s darshan t o t he
performer of a t radit ional sacr ifice. In fact , t his is t he fruit of t he
yoga-yagna.
9 Fur t her mor e, when a devot ee of God engages in ant ar dr asht i,
it is called a gnn-yagna. Someone may ask, What is
ant ar dr asht i? The answer is: To dir ect ones vrut t i t owards eit her
t he int er nal or t he ext er nal for m of God is it self ant ar dr asht i
i
.
Wit hout doing t his, even if one is sit t ing and seemingly engaged in
ant ar dr asht i, it is st ill bhyadr asht i
i i
. Ther efor e, physical God-
r elat ed act ivit ies, such as having t he darshan of God, per for ming His
puja or engaging in discour ses, devot ional songs, et c., of God, ar e all,

i
Lit er ally, ant ar dr asht i means t o look wit hin or t o int r ospect . But her e, Shr iji
Mahr j gives His own, unique definit ion.
i i
ant ar dr asht i
The Vachanmr ut 362
in fact , for ms of ant ar dr asht i. All of t hese are aspect s of a gnn-
yagna. In addit ion, t o behold t hat for m of God wit hin ones hear t , t o
per for m it s puja, t o bow befor e it , et c., is also ant ar dr asht i, and t hey
are also aspect s of a gnn-yagna. For t his r eason, t hen, all
satsangis ar e cont inuously per for ming such a gnn-yagna.
However , it is by t he wish of God t hat some at t ain sam dhi and
ot her s do not . Never t heless, somet imes, it could also be t hat t he
devot ee himself has some sor t of deficiency.
10 Then t here are t hose foolish people who say, Do not sing
devot ional songs which descr ibe t he gopis; sing only nirgun
devot ional songs. Those same fools claim t hat one who r oams
ar ound naked is nirgun. But if one could become nirgun by mer ely
walking ar ound naked t hen even dogs, donkeys and ot her animals
would be called nirgun. That is t he under st anding of fools.
11 In compar ison, a devot ee possessing gnn realises, Only God is
nirgun, and all t hose who have some relat ion t o God are followers of
t he nirgun pat h. Fur t her mor e, any spir it ual discour se or devot ional
song associat ed wit h God is also considered nirgun. Ot her s, which
are not associat ed wit h God, possess m yik gunas and shou ld t hus be
considered t o be sagun. So, if a per son has not been gr aced wit h t he
at t ainment of God, t hen even if he walks around naked, he cannot be
called nirgun; whereas even if a householder has been graced wit h
t he at t ainment of God, he can st ill be called nirgun as can a
r enunciant . Ther efor e, t he pat h t o at t aining God is it self t he nirgun
pat h, and all God-r elat ed act ivit ies ar e t hus also nirgun.
12 As for a per son who has come int o cont act wit h God, t her e is no
limit t o his good for t une. But such a relat ionship wit h God is not t he
result of mer it s fr om one life alone. That is why Shr i Kr ishna
Bhagwn has st at ed in t he Bhagwad Git :
- |---| =||- +| |- +
i

The meaning of t his verse is: One becomes r ealised and at t ains t he
highest st at e of enlight enment aft er t he pious deeds of many lives
have accumulat ed. What is t his highest st at e of enlight enment ?
Well, t he at t ainment of t he manifest for m of God is it self t he highest
st at e of enlight enment .

i
Bhagwad Git : 6.45
The Vachanmr ut 363
13 Again, Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn has said:

| || || |~ - |-
! |||- =||-| + |--u|| |-+
i

This ver se means: In t his wor ld, t hose jivas who ar e anshas
i i
of God
wit hdr aw t heir mind and five gnn-indriyas away fr om t he
panchvishays and keep t hem suppr essed. On the ot her hand, t hose
who ar e not anshas of God ar e dr awn by t heir indriyas and are
t aken wher e t he indriyas wish t o go. Because we ar e not led ast r ay
by our indriyas , we should realise ourselves t o be anshas of God.
Realising t his, we should r emain elat ed, should engage in t he
worship of God and should offer all of t he vruttis of our indriyas t o
God. We should cont inuously per for m a gnn-yagna in t his
manner .
14 Wit hout per for ming such sacr ifices, t her e is no way in which
liberat ion can be at t ained. The four Vedas, t he Snkhya scr ipt ur es,
t he Yoga scr ipt ur es, t he Dhar ma-shst r as, t he 18 Pur ns, t he
Mahbhr at , t he Rmyan, t he Nrad Panchr t r a, in fact , all
scr ipt ur es shar e t he pr inciple t hat liberat ion cannot be at t ained
wit hout per for ming sacr ifices.
15 It is also My command t hat all paramhansas and all satsangis
should cont inue per for ming a gnn-yagna. While per for ming a
gnn-yagna in t his manner , one ult imat ely has a divine vision of
Par abr ahma wit hin ones own self, which is Br ahma. This is t he
fruit of t he gnn-yagna. The climax of t he gnn-yagna r it ual is
when one becomes like a niranna-mukt a of Shwet dwip. As long as
one has not at t ained t hat st at e, one should r ealise t hat much is left t o
be accomplished. In fact , one should har bour a st r ong desir e t o
become like a niranna-mukt a. In t he process, one should not lose
fait h, and one should not consider oneself t o be unfulfilled. Since one
has been gr aced wit h t he at t ainment of God, one should consider

i
Mamaivnsho jeevaloke jeeva-bhootaha santanaha|
Manah -shasht hneendriyni prakrut ist hni karshat i| |
Bhagwad Git : 15.7
i i
Ansh lit er ally means par t , component , but in t his cont ext it should be
int er pr et ed as devot ee.
The Vachanmr ut 364
oneself t o be absolut ely fulfilled, and one should diligent ly cont inue
per for ming t he gnn-yagna.
Ga d h a d I I -9
Con vi ct i on of God ; Rea li si n g God t o be li k e
Ot h er Ava t r s I s Bla s p h e my
1 On Shr van sudi 14, Samvat 1878 [12 August 1821], Swmi
Shr i Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing on a small, silken,
embr oider ed clot h in fr ont of t he mandir of Shr i Vsudevnr yan in
Dd Khchar s darbr in Gadhad. nandnand Swmi had just
per for med His puja. Shr iji Mahr j was wear ing a r ed survl and
dagli made fr om kinkhb. He had t ied a golden -bordered, orange ret o
around His head and had also t ied a brocaded shelu ar ound His
waist . On His shoulder was a sky-blue coloured ret o, and t ied
ar ound His wr ist wer e sever al rkhdis. At t hat t ime, an assembly of
Him.
2 Ther eupon Mukt nand Swmi suggest ed, Let us sing
devot ional songs.
3 Shr iji Mahr j said, Let us t alk about God. He t hen
cont inued, The pat h of gnn should be underst ood in such a way
t hat one does not malign t he for m of God in any way. In fact , one
should not wor r y if at somet ime or ot her one has t r ansgr essed Gods
commands; but one should never malign t he for m of God. If one does
disobey Gods commands, t hen one can st ill be fr eed fr om t hat sin by
praying t o God; however, t here are no means of release for one who
has maligned t he form of God. Therefore, one who is wise should
cer t ainly abide by Gods commands t o t he best of ones abilit y.
However , one should also int ensely maint ain t he st r engt h of
convict ion in Gods for m; i.e., I have at t ained t he ver y for m of God
who r eigns supr eme, who for ever possesses a divine for m, and who is
t he avat r i t he cause of all of t he avat rs. If a person realises
t his, t hen even if he may have left t he Sat sang fellowship, his love for
Gods for m will not diminish. In fact , even t hough he is out of
Sat sang at pr esent , ult imat ely, when he leaves his body, he will go t o
Gods Akshardh m and st ay near God.
The Vachanmr ut 365
4 On t he ot her hand, a per son may be in t he Sat sang fellowship
at pr esent , and he may even be abiding by t he commands pr escr ibed
in t he scr ipt ur es, but if his convict ion of God is not fir m, t hen when
he leaves his body, he will eit her go t o t he realm of Br ahm or t o t he
realm of some ot her deit y; but he will not go t o t he abode of
Pur ushot t am Bhagwn. Ther efor e, one should r ealise t he manifest
God t hat one has at t ained t o forever possess a divine form and t o be
t he avat r i, t he cause of all of t he avat rs. If, however, one does not
realise t his, and inst ead realises God t o be formless or like t he ot her
avat rs, t hen t hat is r egar ded as commit t ing blasphemy against God.
5 Now consider t he following: Ar juns spir it ual st r engt h was
based on his convict ion of God, wher eas Yudhisht hir s sour ce of
st r engt h was his fait h in t he wor ds of t he scr ipt ur es. Then, when
t he Mahbhr at war was fought , Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn said t o
Ar jun,
|-+|== | |-|
| +|+-=| |||==|| | | +
i

The meaning of t his ver se is, O Ar jun! Abandon all of t he var ious
t ypes of dharma and sur r ender only unt o me. I shall deliver you
fr om all sins, so do not lament . By keeping fait h in t hese wor ds,
Arjun never became disheart ened, despit e commit t ing count less
misdeeds dur ing t he war . He maint ained fir m fait h in God.
Conver sely, Yudhisht hir had not commit t ed any sins what soever ,
and yet , because he had fait h in t he wor ds of t he scr ipt ur es, he felt , I
shall never at t ain liberat ion . Even when all of t he r ishis, Vysji and
even Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn himself at t empt ed t o explain t o him,
st ill he did not for sake his r emor se. Only when Shr i Kr ishna
Bhagwn t ook him t o Bhishma and had him list en t o Bhishmas
discour se on t he t r ue meaning of t he words of t he script ures did he
develop some fait h. Nevert heless, he did not become t ot ally free of
doubt like Ar jun. Thus, one who is int elligent should int ensely
maint ain spir it ual st r engt h based on t he convict ion of God.
6 Even t he slight est st r engt h based on t his convict ion will pr ot ect
one fr om gr eat danger s. Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn has also said,

i
S arva-dharmn -parityajya mm-ekam sharanam vraja|
Aham tv sarva-ppebhyo mokshayishymi m shuchaha| |
Bhagwad Git : 18.66
The Vachanmr ut 366
--+-=-= -= ||=- -| ~=|- +
i

This ver se means, If one has t he slight est st r engt h based on t he
convict ion of God, it will pr ot ect one fr om gr eat calamit ies. For
example, when Ar jun fought in t he Mahbhr at war , he encount er ed
many, many t ypes of gr ave danger s in t he for m of adharma. Yet , he
was spared from t hose dangers because of his convict ion of God.
Ther efor e, only he can be called an ekntik bhakta whose st r engt h
is based on t he convict ion of God more t han anyt hing else; and only
he can be called a st aunch satsangi. The Shr imad Bhgwat also
ment ions t his pr edominant ly; i.e., If one st r ays fr om t he dharma
pr oclaimed in t he Shr ut is and Smr ut is, one should not wor r y.
However, one should never abandon t he refuge of God.
7 Then some may feel, If we pr opound such t alks, dharma will
become ir r elevant . But t his pr inciple is not int ended t o make
dharma ir r elevant . Rat her it s pur pose is as follows: Places, t imes,
act ions, company, mant r as, scr ipt ur es, pr eachings and deit ies can be
of t wo t ypes pure and impure. Of t hese, if one were t o encount er
t he impur e, and if as a r esult some difficult ies wer e t o ar ise, t hen if
one has t he fir m convict ion of God, one would never fall from t he pat h
of liber at ion. Conver sely, if t her e is a deficiency in ones convict ion of
God, t hen whenever one falt ers from dharma, one would feel, I am
dest ined t o fall int o narak. Ther efor e, only one whose st r engt h is
based on t he convict ion of God is a st aunch satsangi. Wit hout t his,
one is mer ely appr eciat ive of Sat sang. Even t he scr ipt ur es ment ion
t hat only one who fir mly maint ains t he convict ion of God is called an
ekntik bhakta.
8 Then Shr iji Mahr j said, If Nrad, t he Sanak dik, and deit ies
such as Br ahm and ot hers were t o hear t he discourses being
pr esent ly deliver ed in Sat sang, t hey would say, We have never hear d
such t alks befor e, and we shall never hear t hem again. These
discour ses can be descr ibed as ~ -| ~|=|-
i i
. Alt hough t hese
t alks ar e ext r emely subt le, even a per son of aver age int elligence can

i
S valpam-apyasya dharmasya tryate mahato bhayt| |
Bhagwad Git : 2.40
i i
Na bhoot o na bhavishyat i
Never befor e have t her e been [such t alks], and never again will t her e be [such
t alks].
The Vachanmr ut 367
under st and t hem. It is as if t hese t alks ar e per sonified. Ther efor e,
t her e is no limit t o t he mer it s of one who, at t his pr esent t ime, has a
convict ion of Sat sang. Realising t his, t hose who ar e satsangis should
consider t hemselves t o be t ot ally fulfilled. Moreover, a person who
has profound love for God, regardless of whet her he underst ands t his
discour se, has not hing left t o do. If, on t he ot her hand, one does not
have such profound love for God, t hen one should definit ely realise
t he gr eat ness of God. Thus, one who is wise should cont emplat e upon
t his discour se, under st and it , and t hen t ake ext r emely fir m r efuge in
God. This pr inciple alone is t he ver y essence of all essences.
Ga d h a d I I -10
Sa fegu a r d i n g t h e Foet u s i n t h e For m of Fa i t h i n God
Sahajnandji Mahr j ar r ived at Lakshmivdi on hor seback
i
fr om
Dd Khchar s darbr in Gadhad. Ther e, He sat facing nor t h on
t he squar e plat for m under t he mango t r ee. He was dr essed ent ir ely
in whit e clot hes. At t hat t ime, an assembly of paramhansas as well
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, The Shr imad Bhgwat
pr oclaims t hat Br ahma possesses a for m. However , if t hose who r ead
it do not have bhakti for God, t hey will underst and God t o be
for mless, even fr om r eading t he Shr imad Bhgwat . Also, fr om t he
second cant o, which descr ibes t he char act er ist ics of t he r efuge of
God, t hose who ar e lacking in bhakti will again underst and God t o be
for mless. In r ealit y, t hough, God is not for mless. Why? Because it
is t hr ough God t hat ever yt hing mobile and immobile is cr eat ed.
Now, if God wer e for mless, t hen how could He cr eat e somet hing t hat
possesses a for m? For example, ksh is for mless. Ther efor e, pot s
and ot her for ms t hat can be cr eat ed fr om prut hvi cannot be creat ed
fr om t hat ksh. In t he same manner , since Br ahm and t he rest of
cr eat ion possess a for m, God, t heir cr eat or , also definit ely possesses a
for m.

i
On His mar e Mnki.
The Vachanmr ut 368
3 Mor eover , t he Shr imad Bhgwat st at es: The suppor t er of
adhyt m a, adhibhut and adhidev is God. Now I shall explain how,
so please list en car efully. Adhyt m a, t he indriyas of Virt -Pur ush;
adhibhut, his five mah bhuts; and adhidev, t he presiding deit ies of
t he indriyas of Virt -Pur ush, all ent er ed Vir t . Despit e t his, Vir t
was unable t o r ise. Only when Vsudev Bhagwn assumed t he for m
of Pur ush and ent er ed Vir t -Pur ush, did Vir t -Pur ush r ise. That
God t hus act s wit h oneness
i
wit h t he adhyt m a, adhibhut and
adhidev of Virt -Pur ush. In r ealit y, however , He is dist inct fr om
Vir t , and only t his form of God is said t o be wort hy of seeking
r efuge.
4 For example, fir e in t he for m of light is for mless, while Agni
himself possesses a definit e form. Moreover, when Agni suffered from
indigest ion
i i
, he came t o Kr ishna and Ar jun in his per sonified for m.
Then, when he went t o bur n t he Khndav for est of Indr a, t hat same
Agni assumed t he form of flames and spread t hroughout t he whole
for est . In t he same way, Pur ushot t am Bhagwn pervades all
t hr ough His antarym i power s, which ar e brahmarup. Yet ,
possessing a definit e for m, He is also dist inct fr om all. Br ahma
i i i

it self is a r ay of t he light of Pur ushot t am Bhagwn, while God
Himself always possesses a for m. Ther efor e, a per son who aspir es t o
at t ain liber at ion should realise God t o possess a definit e form and
should maint ain His fir m r efuge.
5 Mor eover , he should speak in such a manner so as not t o br eak
someones r efuge of God. For example, just as a woman who car r ies
a foet us in her womb at t ains a child, one who car r ies a foet us in t he
for m of fait h in God, at t ains Gods Akshar dh m. Ther efor e, one
should pr act ise such met hods wher eby t hat foet us is never
endanger ed. One should also t alk t o ot her s in such a way t hat t hat
foet us in t he form of fait h in God does not miscar r y.

i
Unlike t ot al unit y, t his oneness should be under st ood t o be unit y t hr ough t he
antarymi power of God.
i i
Her e indigest ion r efer s t o Agni not being able t o bear his own ext r aor dinar y
heat .
i i i
Br ahma in t his cont ext r efer s t o t he divine light of Pur ushot t am Bhagwn,
and should not be under st ood t o mean Akshar br ahma.
The Vachanmr ut 369
6 Ther eaft er , Shr iji Mahr j r et ur ned t o Dd Khchar s darbr
fr om Lakshmivdi. Ther e, He sat on a lar ge, decor at ed cot on t he
veranda out side t he east -facing r ooms. At t hat t ime, an assembly of
befor e Him.
7 Then Shr iji Mahr j summoned t he junior paramhansas and
init iat ed a discussion amongst t hem. Achint ynand Swmi t hen
asked a quest ion: Of t he t hree gnn, vairgya and bhakti which
one plays a mor e significant role in fost ering affect ion for God?
8 No one was able t o answer t hat quest ion. So Shr iji Mahr j
said, Her e, I shall answer t hat quest ion, and I shall also descr ibe t he
char act er ist ics of gnn, vairgya and bhakti in t ur n.
9 All people have a t en dency such t hat on seeing an ent icing
object , t heir affect ion for any object t hat is not as ent icing will
nat ur ally diminish. Thus, befor e t he bliss of Gods Akshar dh m,
t hese wor ldly pleasur es seem ar t ificial; per manent bliss can only be
found in t he abode of God. Therefore, if while list ening t o t alks about
God, t he bliss r elat ed t o God is r ealised, t hen ever yt hing t hat has
evolved from m y will appear wor t hless. For example, a man wit h
a copper coin in his hand will lose affect ion for it when someone offers
him a gold coin in exchange. In t he same way, when one r ealises t he
bliss relat ed t o God, one develops vairgya t owards all worldly
pleasures, and one develops love only for t he form of God. That is t he
form of vairgya.
10 Now I shall descr ibe t he form of gnn. Ther e ar e t wo set s of
scr ipt ur es t hat explain gnn: One set is t he Snkhya scr ipt ur es, and
t he ot her set is t he Yoga scr ipt ur es.
11 Of t hese, t he doct r ine of t he Snkhya scr ipt ur es is as follows:
ksh pervades prut hvi, jal, t ej and vyu, and t here is not even a
single anu t hat is devoid of ksh; st ill t he shor t comings of prut hvi,
jal, et c., do not affect ksh at all. In t he same manner as ksh, no
m yik flaw can affect Pur ushot t am Bhagwn. This fact is ment ioned
in t he Kr ishnat pni Upanishad as follows: When Dur vs Rishi
came t o Vr undvan, Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn t old t he gopis, Dur vs
Rishi is hungr y; so all of you t ake dishes of food and go t o him.
12 Then t he gopis asked, But t he Yamun flows along t he way.
How shall we be able t o cr oss it ?
The Vachanmr ut 370
13 Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn r eplied, Tell Yamunji t hat if Shr i
Kr ishna is for ever a brahmachri, t hen please make way for us.
14 Laughing, t he gopis went t o t he banks of t he Yamun and said
t his. Immediat ely, Yamunji gave way. The gopis fed t he r ishi, and
he in t urn at e all of t he food. Then t he gopis asked him, How shall
we r et ur n home, as t he Yamun flows along t he way?
15 The r ishi t hen asked t hem, How did you get her e?
16 The gopis t hen explained, Shr i Kr ishna had t old us t hat if he
has been a brahmachri since childhood, t hen ask Yamunji t o give
way. Thus, Yamunji gave way, and we have come t o you.
17 Hear ing t his, t he r ishi said, Now t ell Yamunji t hat if Dur vs
is cont inuously fast ing, t hen please give way t o us.
18 Again, laughing, t he gopis said t his. Immediat ely, Yamunji
gave way. On seeing t hese t wo incident s, t he gopis were t ot ally
dumbfounded.
19 Ther efor e, God is unaffect ed in t he same manner as ksh, and
despit e being t he doer of all act ions, God st ill r emains a non -doer.
Alt hough He is associat ed wit h all, He r emains absolut ely aloof. In
t his way, t he Snkhya scr ipt ur es descr ibe God as being unaffect ed.
To under st and t his is gnn accor ding t o t he Snkhya doct r ine.
20 Now I shall explain t he doct r ine of t he Yoga scr ipt ur es, so
please list en. The doct rine of Yoga is t hat whoever wishes t o
medit at e on God should fir st st abilise his vision. To st abilise t he
vision, it should first be fixed upon t he form of God or some ot her
object . Then , while st ar ing at t he same object , t he vision becomes
st eady, and wit h it , t he antahkaran also becomes st eady. When t he
antahkaran becomes st eady, Gods form should be beheld in t he
hear t . This would not be st r enuous for t he yogi who at t empt s t o
behold t he for m; in fact , he can behold it quit e easily. However , if,
fr om t he beginning, a per son does not st abilise his antahkaran
t hr ough pr act ice, t hen when he does medit at e on God, many ot her
t ypes of dist ur bing t hought s ar ise and obst r uct his pat h.
21 Th u s the pr inciple of t he Yoga scr ipt ur es is as follows: The
vrut t i should fir st be st abilised t hr ough pr act ice befor e it is at t ached
t o God. Realising t his is gnn accor ding t o t he Yoga scr ipt ur es.
Ther efor e, t o consolidat e ones under st anding t hr ough t he doct rines of
t hose t wo scr ipt ur es is known as gnn.
The Vachanmr ut 371
22 Now t he met hod of pr act ising bhakti is as follows: When t he
ocean was chur ned, Lakshmiji emer ged fr om t he ocean. Aft er t aking
a mar r iage gar land in her hand, Lakshmiji t hought , Who is suit able
for mar r iage? I shall mar r y him. Then, wher ever she looked and
examined, whoever was handsome lacked vir t ues, and whoever
possessed vir t ues lacked beaut y. In t his way, she not iced gr eat
shor t comings in many. She t hen saw all of t he deit ies and all of t he
demons as possessing such shor t comings as well. Finally, seeing
t hat it was only God who was complet e wit h all vir t ues, wit hout any
fault s at all and t he source of all bliss, Lakshmiji developed profound
bhakti t owar ds God. Wit h int ense love, she placed t he mar r iage
gar land ar ound Gods neck and mar r ied God. Ther efor e, t o r ealise
such r edempt ive vir t ues in God and t o seek His fir m r efuge is known
as bhakti.
23 Hear ing t his, Mukt nand Swmi asked Shr iji Mahr j,
Mahr j, I have not yet quit e underst ood which of t he t hree of gnn,
vairgya or bhakti has t he great er power in fost ering affect ion for
God.
24 Then Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, Bhakti has a lot of power; and
while gnn and vairgya also have such power , it is not as much as
t hat of bhakti. However , t r ue bhakti is ext r emely r ar e. The
char act er ist ics of t hose who possess bhakti are as follows: When God
assumes a for m like a human for t he sake of t he liber at ion of t he
jivas and t r avels on t his ear t h, many of Gods act ions ar e divine and
many appear t o be m yik. When God assumed t he avat r of
Kr ishna, He gave darshan t o Devki and Vasudev in a four-ar med
for m. He also lift ed Mount Govar dhan. He cleansed t he Yamuns
wat er s of poison by r emoving Kliyng. He subdued t he infat uat ion
of Br ahm and gave darshan t o Akr ur ji in t he wat er s of t he
Yamun. He also dispelled t he st rife of all of t he Ydavs by killing
t he wr est ler s, an elephant , as well as wicked per sons like Kansa.
Similar ly, in t he avat r of Rm, He br oke t he bow and also dispelled
t he st rife of t he deit ies by killing wicked per sons such as Rvan.
These and ot her such exploit s ar e known as t he divine act ions of God.
25 However , when Sit was abduct ed, Raghunt hji appeared t o
have become insane due t o const ant cr ying. In t he avat r of
Kr ishna, he fled fr om Klyavan, was defeat ed by J arsandh, and also
had t o r elinquish his kingdom in Mat hur t o go and set t le on an
island in t he sea. These and ot her such act ions of God appear t o be
The Vachanmr ut 372
human-like. Even a sinner would perceive divinit y in t he divine
act ions of God; a t rue devot ee of God, however, would perceive
divinit y even when God per for ms human-like act ions. In t he Git ,
God has said,
- |= =| || --
=-| + - |- | |- | +
i

This ver se means: O Ar jun! My bir t h and my act ions ar e divine.
He who r ealises t hem as divine will not t ake anot her bir t h when he
leaves his body; r at her , he will at t ain me. So whenever God
per for ms divine act ions, t hey appear divine t o bot h a devot ee and t o
one who is not a devot ee. However, when God performs human-like
act ions, a t r ue devot ee st ill per ceives divinit y in t hem, but by no
means does he per ceive flaws in such act ions of God. Having such
under st anding is known as having bhakt i t owar ds God. In fact , only
such devot ees ear n t he fr uit s ment ioned in t he above verse.
26 The gopis were devot ees of God, and t hey never, in any way,
per ceived flaws in God. On t he ot her hand, mer ely on list ening t o t he
t alks about t he gopis, King Par ikshit perceived a flaw in God.
Shukji t hen explained t hose flaws t o be false by illust r at ing t he
powers of God. Therefore, bhakti in which one perceives all of t he
act ions and incident s of God as being divine, as t he gopis did, and
never perceives a flaw by under st anding t hem t o be human-like, is
very rare. In fact , it is not achieved by merely doing good deeds for
one or t wo lives. Rat her , only when t he pur e sanskrs of many lives
accumulat e, does bhakti like t hat of t he gopis develop. In fact , such
bhakti is it self t he highest st at e of enlight enment . It is t his t ype of
bhakti t hat is gr eat er t han gnn and vairgya. If a per son has such
bhakti in his hear t , what would be lacking in his love for God?
Not hing would be lacking.
| | Vachanmr ut Gadh ad II-10 | | 143 | |

i
J anma karma cha me divyam-evam yo vetti tattvataha|
Tyaktv deham punar-janma naiti mm-et i sorjuna| |
Bhagwad Git : 4.9
The Vachanmr ut 373
Ga d h a d I I -11
All Ka r ma s Becomin g a For m of Bh a k t i
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, Aft er list ening t o all of t he
script ures, some people believe t hat t hey only deal wit h dharma, arth
and km. Thinking t hus, t hey t hemselves also per for m pious
karmas such as sacr ifices, obser vances, et c., only for t he at t ainment
dharma, arth and km. As a r esult , t hey enjoy t he fr uit s of such
karmas in Devlok, Br ahmalok or Mr ut yulok. Then, t hey r et ur n t o
t he cycle of bir t hs and deat hs. Ther efor e, t he pious karmas t hat a
per son per for ms while har bour ing a desir e for dharma, arth and
km, all become sttvik, rjasik and t masik; and t he fr uit s of t hose
karmas ar e enjoyed while st aying in t he r ealms of swarg, Mr ut yulok
and pt l. However , t hey do not at t ain t he guntit abode of God. As
long as one does not at t ain liber at ion, t he miser ies of bir t hs, deat hs
and narak do not subside.
3 So, if one abandons t he desire for t he fruit s relat ed t o dharma,
arth and km, and if one performs pious karmas only t o please God,
t hen t hose pious karmas become a form of bhakti and aid in t he
at t ainment of liber at ion. Thus t he ver ses:
|=| = ~ -|| |=- = -
- = |= = + ||- |||- +
-|| | =|=|| |--
- |||||= -+-- |-+-| ++
i

i
mayo yena bhootnm jyate yash-cha suvrat|
Tad -eva hymayam dravyam na punti chikitsitam| |
Evam nrunm kriy-yogh sarve sansrut i-hetav aha|
Ta evtma-vinshya kalpant e kalpit h pare| |
O Obser ver of Pious Vows [Vys]! Does not t hat same [food, e.g. ghee] which
causes illness in beings if pur ified and pr escr ibed by a qualified doct or cur e

The Vachanmr ut 374
The essence of t his verse is as I have descr ibed ear lier .
4 However , t his fact is act ually ver y int r icat e, and if it is not fully
underst ood, t hen on seeing a devot ee of God behaving in t he same
way as all ignor ant people do, one would perceive flaws in him. As a
result , t he person who perceives t he flaws would be consigned t o
narak.
5 But in fact , t her e is a vast difference bet ween t he act ivit ies of a
devot ee of God and t he act ivit ies of a non -believer . How? Well, all
act ivit ies of a non -believer are for pampering his indriyas , wher eas
all act ivit ies of a devot ee of God are solely for serving God and His
devot ee. As a r esult , t he devot ees act ivit ies ar e a for m of bhakti.
6 Moreover, bhakti is like gnn in t he sense t hat bot h ar e a for m
of non -karma. Hence, all of a devot ees act ivit ies ar e in a for m of
karmas t hat do not cause at t achment . Thus t he verse in t he
Bhagwad Git :
-= = +=|-| =
||-= =- -+
i

The meaning of t his verse is as follows: If a person sees non -karma,
i.e., gnn, in t he karmas performed by t he devot ees of God for t he
purpose of pleasing God; and he sees a non -believer who has adopt ed
t he pat h of nivrut t i as drowned in karmas, t hen such a per son is said
t o possess gnn and is t he most int elligent amongst all people; he is a
yogi; he is wor t hy t o at t ain liberat ion and is - i.e., he has
performed all karmas.
7 Ther efor e, if in any way a per son per ceives a flaw in a devot ee of
God who, by Gods command, per for ms karmas for t he purpose of
pleasing God, t hen adharma and it s r et inue will ent er and r eside in
t he per ceiver s hear t .

t hat illness? Similar ly, t hen, if all of ones karmas which [nor mally] cause one
t o pass t hr ough bir t hs and deat hs ar e offer ed t o God inst ead, t hose same
karmas ar e dest r oyed [i.e. ar e no longer capable of causing bir t hs and deat hs, but
inst ead, lead t o ones liber at ion].
i
Karmanyakarma yaha pashyed-akarmani cha karma yaha|
S a buddhimn -manushyeshu sa yukt aha krut sna-karma-krut | |
Bhagwad Git : 4.18
The Vachanmr ut 375
Ga d h a d I I -12
Th e Ar t of Ru lin g
Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing in fr ont of t he mandir of Shr i
Vsudevnr yan on t he veranda ou t side t he west -facing r ooms of
whit e clot hes. At t hat t ime, an assembly of paramhansas as well as
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, I wish t o t alk t o you, so please
list en. In t he discour se I am about t o deliver , I shall descr ibe only
one spir it ual endeavour for at t aining liber at ion, but it is so power ful
t hat all ot her spir it ual endeavour s ar e incor por at ed wit hin it . It is as
follows:
3 The jiva, which r esides in t he body, feels, Lust , anger and
ot her vicious nat ur es ar e at t ached t o my jiva. In t his manner ,
depending on which of t he vicious nat ur es, i.e., lust , anger , avar ice,
et c., is pr edominant in a per son, he believes his jiva t o be full of t hat
nat ur e due t o his associat ion wit h it . But , in fact , not a single one of
t hese vicious nat ur es lies wit hin t he jiva; t he jiva has merely believed
it self t o possess t hem out of it s own foolishness.
4 Hence, he who wishes t o at t ain t he highest st at e of
enlight enment should make an effor t , but he should not r elax or lose
cour age. Also, he should t hink, J ust as t he four antahkarans, t he
t en indriyas , and t he five prns r eside in t his body, similar ly, I am
t he jivt m , and I also reside in t his body. However , I am gr eat er
t han all of t hem, and I am t heir cont r oller . But he should not t hink,
I am insignificant , wher eas t he antahkarans and indriyas are
st r ong. For example, if a king wer e t o possess lit t le or no
int elligence, t hen even t he members of his own family would not obey
his or der s. When t he people in t he village hear about t his, no one in
t he village would obey his orders. Furt her, when t he people
t hr oughout t he kingdom hear about t his, no one in t he kingdom
would obey his order s. As a r esult , t he king would become depr essed
and powerless. He would sit idly and would not at t empt t o enforce
his rule over anyone.
The Vachanmr ut 376
5 In t his analogy, t he king symbolises t he jiva, t he member s of
t he household symbolise t he antahkaran , and t he people of t he village
and kingdom symbolise t he indriyas . So, if t he jiva becomes
discour aged and r elaxes it s aut hor it y, t hen when it wishes t o exer cise
it s sover eignt y over t he antahkaran and orient it t owards God, t he
antahkaran will not follow. Also, if it wishes t o cont r ol t he indriyas ,
even t he indriyas will not comply. Then, even t hough t he jiva is t he
king of t he kingdom in t he for m of t his body, it becomes helpless like
a beggar . When a king becomes discour aged, his subject s who live in
his kingdom assume power and do not allow him t o exercise his
aut hor it y at all. Likewise, in t he kingdom of t he jiva, symbolised by
t his body, lust , anger and ot her vicious nat ur es who are not t he
king assume t he kingship. Then, t hey do not allow t he jiva t o
exer cise cont r ol.
6 Thus, he who aspir es t o at t ain liber at ion should never har bour
such t imidit y and should employ what ever measur es ar e necessar y t o
force t he indriyas and antahkaran t o accept his aut hor it y like a
king who st udies books about t he ar t of r uling and t hen exer cises
aut hor it y over his kingdom, but is not subdued by his subject s.
However, if t he king did not know t he art of ruling, t he people would
not obey his or der s; r at her , t hey would begin t o beat him. Then, his
count ry would become desolat e, or he himself would behave miser ably
because no one would obey his r ule. In t his manner , not knowing t he
ar t of r uling r esult s in t wo unfor t unat e consequences. Similar ly, if
t he jiva were t o at t empt t o rule t he kingdom in t he form of t he body
wit hout under st anding t he ar t of r uling, t hen it would never become
happy.
7 Ther eaft er , Mukt nand Swmi asked Shr iji Mahr j, How
should one who aspir es t o at t ain liber at ion lear n t he ar t of r uling?
8 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, The ar t of r uling should be lear nt in t he
following way: Fir st of all, one should t hor oughly r ealise t he
gr eat ness of God. Then, one should conquer ones mind by
medit at ing on Gods for m. One should conquer ones ear s by
list ening t o discourses relat ed t o God, but one should not allow
wor ldly t alks t o be hear d by t he ear s. In t he same manner , t he skin
should only be allowed t o t ouch God and t he devot ees of God. The
eyes should only be allowed t o do darshan of God and His followers.
The t ongue should forever sing t he praises of God and t ast e only t he
prasd of God. The nose should only be allowed t o smell t he
The Vachanmr ut 377
fragrance of flowers and ot her object s t hat have been consecrat ed by
God. None of t he indriyas should be allowed t o follow t he
unr ight eous pat h. When a per son behaves in t his manner , no one
can over t hr ow his aut hor it y in t he kingdom in t he for m of his body.
9 Only one who endeavour s in t his way and t ot ally discar ds
t imidit y is said t o be walking on t he pat h of liber at ion. This is an
ext r emely gr eat met hod for over coming ones swabhvs. If t his
met hod of per sonal endeavour is pr act ised vigilant ly, t hen all
spir it ual endeavour s for at t aining liber at ion ar e incor por at ed wit hin
t his one endeavour. Hence, personal endeavour it self is t he great est
of all spirit ual endeavours for at t aining liber at ion.
Ga d h a d I I -13
Divin e Ligh t
1 On Shr van vadi Ams, Samvat 1878 [27 August 1821], Swmi
embroidered clot h on t he veranda out side t he mandir of Shr i
clot h. He had also t ied a whit e pgh ar ound His head. At t hat t ime,
2 Raising bot h ar ms in t he air , Shr iji Mahr j signalled t he
assembly t o set t le down and list en. Tur ning t o t he sdhus who were
humbly pr aying befor e Him wit h folded hands, Shr iji Mahr j said,
O paramhansas ! All of t he senior s, along wit h t hose who ar e wise,
please come t o t he fr ont . Please list en ver y at t ent ively t o what I am
about t o say. What I am about t o say t o you, I say not out of any
pret ence, or out of any self-conceit , or t o spr ead My own gr eat ness.
Rat her , it is because I feel t hat amongst all of you sdhus and
devot ees, if someone can under st and My message, it will
t r emendously benefit t hat per son; t hat is My pur pose in nar r at ing it .
Moreover, t his discourse is based on what I have seen and realised
t hr ough My own exper ience. In fact , it is also in agr eement wit h t he
scr ipt ur es. Alt hough I feel t hat it is not appr opr iat e t o discuss t his in
public, I shall t ell you nonet heless.
The Vachanmr ut 378
3 I r emain nat ur ally in a st at e in which even if I wished t o
engr oss my mind in t he most char ming sounds, t he most char ming
t ouch, t he most char ming smells, t he most char ming t ast es and t he
most char ming sight s of t his wor ld, I could not do so; I r emain
absolut ely deject ed t owar ds t hem. In fact , all of t he at t r act ive
vishays and t he repulsive vishays ar e t he same t o Me. Also, a king
and a beggar ar e t he same t o Me. Fur t her , t o r ule all t he r ealms and
t o beg for food carrying a broken begging bowl are t he same t o Me.
Even sit t ing wit h honour on an elephant and walking on foot are t he
same t o Me. Whet her someone honours Me wit h sandalwood past e,
flower s, fine clot hes and or nament s, or t hr ows dir t on Me all are
t he same t o Me. Whet her someone praises Me or insult s Me bot h
ar e t he same t o Me. Gold, silver , diamonds and refuse are all t he
same t o Me. Moreover, I look upon all devot ees of God as being equal;
i.e., I do not different iat e one as being superior and anot her as being
infer ior .
4 I have int ense vairgya in My antahkaran , yet I am not
burdened by it . I do not feel burdened like a person who carries a
heavy rock on his head or t ies a purse full of money and gold coins
ar ound his waist . My st r ict obser vance of swadharma does not
bur den Me, nor does t he r ealisat ion t hat I am Br ahma bur den Me.
When I super ficially pr aise some object or cr it icise anot her , I do so
pur posefully. Whenever I for cefully engage My indriyas vrut t is
t owards object s, t hey r emain t her e ver y r eluct ant ly; as soon as I
r elax t hat for ce, t hey wit hdr aw immediat ely. It is like t hr owing a
st one int o t he air it goes as high as it can depending on t he force of
t he t hr ow, but ult imat ely it falls back t o ear t h. Or consider a weak
bull it can st and only as long as a man for cefully suppor t s it . But
as soon as he wit hdraws t he suppor t , it slumps ont o t he gr ound.
Fur t her , imagine a ver y st r ong man who is able t o cr ack a bet el nut
bet ween his t eet h. But , aft er sucking t en or t went y ver y sour
lemons, he would have gr eat difficult y chewing even r oast ed chan .
In t his manner , it is only when I forcefully engage My vruttis in t he
vishays t hat t hey r emain engaged in t hem.
5 So what is t he cause of My behaving like t his? Well, it is
because My indriyas vrut t is const ant ly r emain inver t ed t owar ds My
hrudayksh. In t hat hrudayksh, I see ext r emely luminous divine
light . J ust as dur ing t he monsoon season, clouds cover t he ent ir e
sky, similar ly, only t hat light per vades My hear t .
The Vachanmr ut 379
6 Amidst t hat divine light I see t he ext r emely luminous for m of
God. The for m is dar k, but due t o t he int ensit y of t he light , it
appear s t o be r at her fair , not dar k. The for m has t wo ar ms and t wo
legs, not four , eight or a t housand ar ms; and it s appear ance is ver y
capt ivat ing. The for m is ver y ser ene; it has a human for m; and it
appear s young like a t eenager . Somet imes t he for m in t he divine
light is seen st anding, somet imes sit t ing, and at ot her t imes, it is
seen walking ar ound. It is sur r ounded on all four sides by gr oups of
muktas , who ar e seat ed facing Him, and who ar e engr ossed in
looking at t hat for m of God wit h a fixed gaze. I see t hat form in it s
incar nat e for m befor e Me at t his ver y moment . I saw it befor e I came
int o t his Sat sang fellowship; I could see it when I was in My mot her s
womb; in fact , I could see it even befor e I ent er ed my mot her s womb.
Mor eover , I am speaking t o you while sit t ing t her e. In fact , I do not
see t his village of Gadhad or even t his ver anda I also see all of you
sit t ing t her e as well.
7 Whosoever r ealises t his for m will, like Me, never be dr awn
t owards t he pleasures of t he vishays. In fact , you also see t his for m
of God, but you do not compr ehend it fully. However , when you come
t o compr ehend t his fact , you will not encount er any difficult y in
subduing t he desires for t he panchvishays and swabhvs such as
lust , anger , et c.; t hey will be subdued easily.
8 That unifor m divine light is r efer r ed t o as t he t m , or
Br ahma or Akshar dh m. The for m of God wit hin t hat light is called
t he essence of t he t m , Par abr ahma or Pur ushot t am. It is t hat
same God who, for t he liberat ion of count less jivas, manifest s on t his
eart h in different yugs in t he for m of Rm, Kr ishna, et c. In t his
r ealm, He appear s t o be like a human being, but He is not ; He is t he
lord of Akshardh m. Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn has said in t he Git ,
The Vachanmr ut 380
-;|=- =| |||- | +|
=,| |--- -| + +
i

Ther efor e, even t hough Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn appeared t o be like a
human, He st ill t r anscends Akshar and is divine.
9 Whoever medit at es on t he human form of t hat God sees t he
luminous, divine form seat ed in Akshardh m. Such a per son who
medit at es in t his manner , t r aver ses m y and at t ains t he highest
st at e of enlight enment . So, even t hough God assumes a human body,
He is st ill divine, and t he place where He resides is also nirgun. His
clot hes, jeweller y, vehicles, at t endant s, food, dr inks, et c. in fact ,
any ot her object s which become associat ed wit h Him are all nirgun.
One who r ealises Gods for m in t his manner does not har bour any
affect ion for t he panchvishays, just like I do not . He becomes
independent .
10 It is t his Pur ushot t am, who t r anscends Akshar , who is t he
cause of all avat rs. All avat rs emanat e fr om Pur ushot t am, and
t hey mer ge back int o Pur ushot t am. When God, aft er assuming a
human for m, leaves t his ear t h t o r et ur n t o His abode, somet imes,
like a human being, His physical body r emains on ear t h like when
Rukmini t ook Shr i Kr ishnas body int o her lap and was engulfed
along wit h it in t he fir e. Likewise, Rushabhdevs body was bur nt in
a r aging for est fir e. In ot her inst ances, His bones and flesh become
divine and, leaving no r emains behind, He r et ur ns t o His abode.
When He manifest s, He may somet imes be bor n of a woman, or He
may somet imes appear fr om wher ever He wishes. In t his manner ,
Gods met hod of bir t h and deat h ar e not necessar ily in accor dance
wit h t he ways of t his wor ld. When you t hor oughly r ealise God as
such, you will encount er no obst acles on t he pat h t o liber at ion.
Wit hout such fir m under st anding of t he nat ur e of God, t hough, one
will never be able t o overcome ones weaknesses, regardless of t he
amount of r enunciat ion one maint ains or t he number of fast s one
per for ms.

i
Na tad -bhsayate sooryo na shashnko na pvakaha|
Yad -gatv na nivartante tad -dhma paramam mama| |
My supr eme abode is not illumined by Sur ya [i.e. t he sun], or by Chandr a [i.e.
t he moon] or Agni [i.e. fir e]. Having at t ained it [once], no one r et ur ns fr om it .
Bhagwad Git : 15.6
The Vachanmr ut 381
11 Then you may say, We have fir m under st anding of t hat God
just as You have descr ibed. Why, t hen, do our prns and indriyas
not become engr ossed in God? Well, one should under st and t hat as
being Gods wish. In r ealit y, such a per son has not hing left t o
accomplish; he is fulfilled and has r eached t he culminat ion of all
spir it ual endeavour s. If one has such a fir m belief in God, t hen even
if a slight flaw remains in t he observance of t he vows of non -egot ism,
non -avar ice, non -lust , non -t ast e or non -at t achment , t her e is st ill
not hing t o wor r y about . However , if any deficiency r emains in
under st anding God, t hen ones flaw will never be eradicat ed.
Ther efor e, one should at t empt t o under st and t his pr inciple by any
means wit hin t his lifet ime.
12 If one has complet ely underst ood t he essence of t his discourse,
t hen regardless of whet her one is reborn in a base or elevat ed life
form due t o on es prrabdha karmas , st ill, like Vr ut r sur , one will
not for get t his gnn. Also, when Bhar at ji was r ebor n as a deer , he
ret ained gnn fr om his pr evious life. Such is t he pr ofound gr eat ness
of t his gnn. In fact , it is even nar r at ed cont inuously in t he
assemblies of sages such as Nrad, t he Sanak dik, and Br ahm and
ot her deit ies.
13 However , such discour ses r egar ding t he nat ur e of God cannot
be underst ood by oneself even from t he script ures. Even t hough
t hese fact s may be in t he scr ipt ur es, it is only when t he S atpurush
manifest s on t his ear t h, and one hear s t hem being nar r at ed by him,
t hat one under st ands t hem. They cannot , however , be under st ood by
ones int ellect alone, even fr om t he scr ipt ur es.
14 One who has such a complet e realisat ion of God, and who is also
able t o see t he past , present and fut ure, st ill does not harbour t he
slight est self-conceit r egar ding t his fact . He would not gr ant anyone
a boon, nor would he cur se anyone; somet imes, t hough, he may well
gr ant a boon or give a cur se. At t imes, he r emains fear less, and at
ot her t imes, he may even become fr ight ened. Despit e t hat , he would
never allow emot ions such as elat ion or depression t o infilt rat e his
mind. One who has such an unflinching r efuge of God would never
knowingly perform a bad deed. However, if due t o adverse
cir cumst ances an impr oper deed is per for med, a per son wit h such a
r efuge would st ill not fall fr om t he pat h of liber at ion. Hence, t her e is
no ot her obst acle-fr ee pat h like t hat of having t he fir m r efuge of God.
The Vachanmr ut 382
15 One who has r ealised t his fact har bour s only pur e int ent ions.
J ust see, I have absolut ely no selfish expect at ions from My
paramhansas and satsangis. The only r eason I may call someone,
rebuke someone or send someone away is t hat if by any means on e
r ealises t his fact , it will be ver y beneficial t o t hem. So, all of you
should fir mly imbibe t his discour se.
16 Realise t hat t he for m amidst t he divine light is t his Mahr j
visible befor e you. If you cannot do t hat , t hen at least r ealise,
Mahr j sees t he for m which is amidst t hat aksharrup light . Even
if you can under st and t his much, you will be able t o maint ain
affect ion for Me. As a r esult , you will at t ain ult imat e liber at ion.
Keep t his pr inciple const ant ly new and fr esh in your minds; never
for get it out of complacency. Remember it t omor r ow just as it is
t oday. Keep it vivid in your minds and r emember it daily unt il t he
end of your lives. Whenever you t alk about God, be sur e t o implant
t he seeds of t his pr inciple. This is My command. Mor eover , t his
pr inciple is so vit al t hat you should r emember it daily for t he r est of
your lives; in fact , even aft er you leave t his body and at t ain a divine
for m, you should r ecall it . Indeed, t his pr inciple which I have
revealed before you is t he very essence of all of t he scr ipt ur es, and it
is My own fir m exper ience; I have t alked t o you having seen it wit h
My ver y own eyes. In fact , I swear by all of you paramhansas t hat I
have seen t hese fact s wit h My own eyes.
17 In t his manner , Shr iji Mahr j descr ibed His t r ue ident it y,
t hough indir ect ly, as Pur ushot t am. Upon hear ing t his r evelat ion,
t he sdhus and devot ees accept ed t he fact t hat t he form described
amidst t he divine light is, in fact , Shr iji Mahr j Himself.
Ga d h a d I I -14
Nir vik a lp Sa m dh i
1 On Bhdar v sudi 1, Samvat 1878 [28 August 1821], Swmi
Shr i Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing on t he ver anda out side t he
nor t h-facing r ooms near t he mandir of Shr i Vsudevnr yan in Dd
had cover ed Himself wit h a whit e cot t on clot h. Ar ound His head He
had t ied a whit e fet o in which a chhoglu of red karnikr flowers had
been insert ed. A beaut iful, kumkum chndlo also adorned His
The Vachanmr ut 383
for ehead. At t hat t ime, an assembly of munis as well as devot ees
2 Ther eupon Mukt nand Swmi asked, When a sdhu at t ains
oneness wit h t he form of God, does he at t ain it t hrough sam dhi, or
can he also at t ain it t hr ough some ot her met hod?
3 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, Once a per son has known t hat t his is a
neem t r ee, he never har bour s t he doubt in his mind, Is t his a neem
t ree, or not ? Similar ly, if one has t ot al r ealisat ion of Gods for m as I
descr ibed yest er day, and if one no longer harbours any doubt s about
it , and if ones mind in no way causes ones convict ion of God t o
waver regardless of t he t ype of company one may encount er or t he
t ype of scr ipt ur es one may hear , t hen such absolut e convict ion is
what I call oneness.
4 Such oneness is at t ained t hr ough pr ofound associat ion wit h an
Ekntik Bhakta of God, but not by sam dhi alone. In fact , such
oneness is it self nirvikalp sam dhi. Mor eover , t he sdhu who has
such nirvikalp sam dhi is also called nirgun Br ahma. Regardless of
whet her he follows t he pat h of nivrut t i or t he pat h of pravrut t i, t he
sdhu who has such an unshakeable convict ion is st ill nirgun. For
example, Nrad and t he Sanak dik all followed t he pat h of nivrut t i,
wher eas t he Sapt ar shi, King J anak and ot hers, all followed t he pat h
of pravrut t i. However , due t o t heir convict ion of God, t hey should all
be known t o be nirgun.
5 However, t hose who follow t he pat h of nivrut t i but do not have
t he convict ion of God should be known t o be sagun due t o t heir m yik
gunas. Fur t her mor e, one should r ealise, This per son appear s t o be a
st aunch r enunciant , but because he does not have t he convict ion of
God, he is ignorant and will definit ely go t o narak.
6 On t he ot her hand, a per son who has such a convict ion of God
will not at t ain an ill fat e even if some small deficiency r emains in
him. In fact , ult imat ely, he will definit ely at t ain t he nirgun st at e.
But a per son wit hout such a convict ion of God even if he is a
sincer e r enunciant and is vigilant ly st r iving t o eradicat e lust , anger ,
avar ice, et c. will not be able t o eradicat e t hose vicious nat ures by
his effor t s alone. Ult imat ely, he will become evil and go t o narak.
7 Ther efor e, whoever r ealises such gnn of God, even if he has
only a feeble int ellect , should st ill be r egar ded as possessing much
int ellect . On t he ot her hand, if he has not r ealised such gnn of God,
The Vachanmr ut 384
t hen even if he has much int ellect , he should st ill be known as
having no int ellect .
Ga d h a d I I -15
Keep i n g En mi t y t owa r d s On es Swa bh vs
embroidered clot h which had been placed on t he veranda out side t he
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j asked all of t he paramhansas a
quest ion: Ther e is a single t hought which, if applied, can dest r oy
any swabhv, regardless of how for midable it may be. Wit hout t hat
t hought t he swabhv cannot be eradicat ed even if one were t o apply a
t housand ot her t hought s. What is t hat t hought ? Please answer
accor ding t o your under st anding.
3 The paramhansas r eplied accor ding t o t heir under st anding but
none were able t o give a complet e explanat ion.
4 Shr iji Mahr j t hen said, Her e, I shall explain. If one has an
enemy, and if t hat enemy wer e t o ruin what ever wor k one is doing,
or if he were t o swear at ones mot her or sist er, t hen one would bear
an int ense aver sion for him and would employ any means what soever
t o har m him. If not t hat , one would at least be ext r emely happy if
someone else were t o har m him. In t he ver y same way, if t he inner
enemies of lust , anger , et c., hinder a per son while he is st r iving t o
at t ain liber at ion, he would har bour t he same sor t of enmit y t owar ds
t hem as well; mor eover , t hat enmit y would never diminish. Whoever
applies such a t hought can er adicat e all swabhvs wit h t hat t hought
alone.
5 Now, if a sdhu wer e t o cr it icise and insult t hose int er nal
enemies of lust , anger , et c., t hen a per son who has t he
aforement ioned t hought would not develop an aversion t owards t hat
sdhu. On t he cont r ar y, he would be gr at eful t o t he sdhu and
would feel, This sdhu is helping me conquer my enemy, and t hus
The Vachanmr ut 385
he is an ext r emely gr eat benefact or . A per son who has at t ained such
a t hought can dest r oy all of his inner enemies. Ther eaft er , no vicious
swabhvs will be able t o r emain in his hear t . Wit hout t his t hought ,
t hough, t he enemies in t he for m of t he swabhvs can never be
overpowered, regardless of whichever t ypes of ot her t hought s one may
apply. Ther efor e, keeping enmit y t owar ds ones swabhvs is t he
gr eat est t hought of all.
6 Ther eaft er , Shr iji Mahr j asked, By which char act er ist ics can
one recognise a person who would never deflect from t he four
at t ribut es of dharma, vairgya, gnn of t he t m , and bhakti of God
coupled wit h knowledge of His gr eat ness?
7 All of t he sdhus at t empt ed t o answer t he quest ion according t o
t heir under st anding, but no one was able t o give a pr ecise answer .
8 So Shr iji Mahr j explained, If, fr om childhood, a per son has
such a nat ur e t hat he would never be suppressed by anyones
per sonalit y, nor could anyone mock someone or jest in his pr esence,
nor could anyone make even a mild sar casm at him, t hen such a
person would never deflect from dharma, vairgya, gnn and t he
bhakti of God. Even t hough his per sonalit y may make him appear
ar r ogant , because of his zeal t o at t ain liber at ion, he will not leave t he
Sat sang fellowship under any cir cumst ances.
Ga d h a d I I -16
Fa it h in God a n d Fa it h in Dh a r ma
Shr i Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing on a wooden cot near t he
2 Ther eupon Mukt nand Swmi asked, Some may have fait h in
God like Ar jun, and ot her s may have fait h in dharma like
Yudhisht hir . Of t hese t wo, if one at t empt s t o maint ain fait h in God,
fait h in dharma may decline; and if one at t empt s t o maint ain fait h in
dharma, fait h in God may decline. So, what means can one employ
so t hat neit her of t he t wo declines?
The Vachanmr ut 386
3 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, The fir st cant o of t he Shr imad Bhgwat
includes a dialogue bet ween Pr ut hvi and Dhar ma t hat ment ions t hat
God possesses t he 39 redempt ive at t ribut es
8
, i.e., t r ut hfulness,
pur it y, et c. Thus, all for ms of dharma are support ed by t he form of
God. That is pr ecisely why God is called Dhar ma-dhur andhar
i
.
4 Also in t he fir st cant o of t he Shr imad Bhgwat , t he Sanak dik
r ishis ask Sut pur ni, In whom did dharma seek r efuge aft er Shr i
Kr ishna Bhagwn who was t he shield for dharma revert ed t o his
abode? Thus dharma t akes refuge only in Gods for m. That is why
when a person keeps fait h in Gods form, God comes and dwells in t he
per sons hear t ; consequent ly, dharma also dwells in his hear t .
Ther efor e, fait h in dharma nat urally develops in one who possesses
fait h in God. However , if one maint ains fait h in dharma alone, t hen
fait h in God will decline. It is for t his r eason t hat one who is
int elligent should cer t ainly maint ain r esolut e fait h in God, since
t her eby fait h in dharma will also r emain fir m.
5 Ther eaft er , Mukt nand Swmi asked anot her quest ion: Can t he
desires for t he panchvishays be conquered by vairgya, or can t hey be
conquer ed by ot her means?
6 Shr iji Mahr j answer ed, Whet her or not one has vairgya, if
one diligent ly observes t he niyams prescribed by God, t hen t he
desires for t he panchvishays can be conquer ed.
7 Wit h vairgya, a great deal of effort is required t o wit hdraw
ones vrut t i fr om sounds; and even t hen, t he ear s can st ill hear . If,
however , t he ear s ar e simply plugged, t hen nat ur ally no sounds will
be heard. Similar ly, if one does not t ouch anyt hing inappr opr iat e,
one aut omat ically conquer s t ouch. In t he same way, if one does not
look at anyt hing impr oper , one aut omat ically conquer s sight . Also,
when t here is delicious food, if one mixes it t oget her and adds wat er
t herein, and one cont rols ones diet , t hen t he sense of t ast e will
aut omat ically be conquer ed. If one blocks ones nose when t her e is an
allur ing smell, one also aut omat ically conquer s t he sense of smell. In
t his manner , t he panchvishays can be conquer ed by obser ving
niyams. However, if a person does not observe t hese niyams, t hen
regardless of how int ense his vairgya may be, or how much gnn he
may possess, he will not r emain st able in any way. Ther efor e, t he

i
The t er m means The Upholder of Dharma.
The Vachanmr ut 387
only means t o overcome t he desires for t he panchvishays is t o follow
t he niyams pr escr ibed by God. Fur t her mor e, for t hose who have
lit t le vairgya, r emaining wit hin niyams is t he only way of being
saved, just as an ailing per son can be cur ed only if he cont r ols his
diet and complet es his cour se of medicat ion.
8 Ther eupon Akhandnand Swmi asked, An ailing per son has a
fixed number of days over which he must follow his cour se of
medicat ion. Similar ly, is t her e a definit e t ime per iod for which one
must endeavour t o at t ain liberat ion ?
9 Shr iji Mahr j explained, It t akes a person who has feeble
shraddh many lives t o r each t he culminat ion of his spir it ual
endeavours. In fact , t he Bhagwad Git st at es:
- |---| =||- +| |- +
i

This ver se explains t hat only a yogi who has become realised aft er
many lives at t ains t he highest st at e of enlight enment . This has been
said for t hose who have less shraddh.
10 In compar ison, one who has st r ong shraddh becomes
enlight ened immediat ely. This is also ment ioned in t he Bhagwad
Git :
|||>~- -|| -+ =-|-=
-|| | +| |||--| -||||-+
i i

The meaning of t his ver se is, He whose indriyas ar e under cont r ol
and who also possesses shraddh, at t ains gnn. Upon at t aining t hat
gnn, such a per son immediat ely at t ains t he highest st at e of
enlight enment . Ther efor e, one who has int ense shraddh r eaches
t he culminat ion of his spir it ual endeavour s ear lier , wher eas one who
has weak shraddh r eaches t hat st at e aft er many lives. For
example, if a man is going t o Kshi but walks only t wo st eps
t hr oughout t he day, it will obviously t ake him many days t o r each
Kshi. If, on t he ot her hand, he st ar t s walking 20 miles a day, it will
t ake him only a few days t o r each Kshi. In t he same way, if a

i
Bhagwad Git : 6.45
i i
S hraddhvl -labhate gnnam tat-paraha sayyatendriyaha|
Gnnam labdhv parm shntim-achirendhigachchhat i| |
Bhagwad Git : 4.39
The Vachanmr ut 388
per son has abundant shraddh, t hen even if he has only r ecent ly
become a satsangi, he will st ill become gr eat . Conver sely, a per son
who has lit t le shraddh, even t hough he may have joined t he
Sat sang fellowship a long t ime ago, st ill r emains weak.
11 Then Shr i Gur uchar anr at nand Swmi asked, If t hose who
have less shraddh at t ain liber at ion aft er many lives, wher e do t hey
st ay unt il t hen?
12 Shr iji Mahr j answer ed, They go and r eside in t he beaut iful
r ealms of t he deit ies. This is because when t hat devot ee medit at ed on
God, he used t o look t owards God and God used t o look t owards him
as well. But God was aware of t he vishays t he devot ee t hought about
and had affect ion for while medit at ing on Him. Thus, when t he
devot ee leaves his body, God sends him t o a realm full of t he vishays
for which he had a passion. God also issues t he following command
t o kl: You should not int er fer e in t his devot ees indulgence in t he
vishays. As a r esult , t hat devot ee r emains in Devlok and enjoys
t hose pleasur es. Ther eaft er , when he r et ur ns t o Mr ut yulok, he
at t ains liber at ion event ually aft er many lives.
13 Akhandnand Swmi t hen asked anot her quest ion: What ar e
t he char act er ist ics of one who possesses int ense shraddh?
14 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, Whenever a per son who has int ense
shraddh want s t o engage in an act ivit y relat ed t o God such as
going for t he darshan of God, or list ening t o t alks and discour ses
r elat ed t o God, or per for ming His m nsi puj, et c., t hen t o be able t o
do so, he would become ver y hast y in car r ying out his bodily
act ivit ies such as bat hing, et c. Also, if I wer e t o wr it e a let t er
changing a par t icular r eligious vow, he would be eager t o comply
wit h it . In addit ion, even if he were a senior person, he would become
as impat ient as a child t o have t he darshan of God. One who has
such char act er ist ics should be known as one who possesses int ense
shraddh.
15 One who has such shraddh is able t o immediat ely conquer all
of ones indriyas . However , t he indriyas of one who has lit t le
shraddh on t he pat h of God are acut ely at t ached t o t he vishays.
Mor eover , no mat t er how har d one t r ies t o hide it , ever yone st ill
r ealises t he fact t hat t his per sons indriyas ar e ver y acut ely at t r act ed
t owards t he vishays.
The Vachanmr ut 389
16 Ther eaft er Shr iji Mahr j explained, The indriyas ar e like t he
wind even t hough t he wind cannot be seen, it can be infer r ed t hat
t he wind is blowing by t he way in which it shakes t he t r ees.
Similar ly, t he vruttis of t he indriyas cannot be seen, but everyone
r ealises t hat t hey sur ge t owar ds t he vishays. If a person deceit fully
at t empt s t o hide t his, t hen r ealising him t o be deceit ful, ot her s will
condemn him all t he mor e. Ther efor e, in no way can one conceal t he
acut e cr avings of ones indriyas t o indulge in t he vishays.
17 Mukt nand Swmi t hen asked, How can t hose acut e cr avings
of t he indriyas t o indulge in t he vishays be eradicat ed?
18 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, The only means t o er adicat e t he
acut eness of t he indriyas is t o force t he indriyas t o observe t he
niyams for r enunciant s and householder s as pr escr ibed by God. The
acut eness of t he indriyas aut omat ically diminishes as a r esult .
When one does not allow t he five indriyas , i.e., t he ear s, t he skin, t he
eyes, t he t ongue and t he nose t o wander, t he diet of t he indriyas
becomes pur e, aft er which t he antahkaran becomes pur e as well.
Therefore, regardless of whet her a person possesses int ense vairgya
or not , if he conquer s his indriyas and keeps t hem wit hin t he niyams
prescribed by God, he can conquer t he desires for t he vishays mor e
t hor oughly t han one does so wit h int ense vairgya. Thus, one should
fir mly abide by t he niyams prescribed by God.
19 Again, Akhandnand Swmi asked, If one has weak shraddh,
how can it become st r onger ?
20 Shr iji Mahr j replied, If one can realise t he great ness of God
t hen even if one has weak shraddh, it will gr ow st r onger . For
example, one would never be at t ract ed t o eart hen ut ensils t hat are
used for dr inking wat er . However , if t hose ut ensils wer e made of
gold t hen one would nat ur ally be at t r act ed t o t hem. Similar ly, if one
r ealises t he gr eat ness of t he discour ses, devot ional songs, et c., r elat ed
t o God, t hen ones shraddh in God and in t hose act ivit ies will
nat ur ally incr ease. Ther efor e, one should employ whichever met hod
is necessar y t o under st and the great ness of God. If one does employ
such a met hod, t hen even if one has no shraddh at all, st ill one will
develop shraddh; and if one has feeble shraddh, it will become
st r onger .
The Vachanmr ut 390
Ga d h a d I I -17
Th e Ele men t s i n t h e For m of God ; St h i t a p r a gn a
1 On t he night of so vadi 11, Samvat 1878 [21 Oct ober 1821],
Swmi Shr i Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing on an or nat e seat on
t he veranda out side t he rooms near t he mandir of Shr i
dr essed ent ir ely in whit e clot hes. Two t or ches wer e lit in fr ont of
Him. At t hat t ime, while devot ional songs wer e being sung,
2 Then Shr iji Mahr j said, Please st op t he devot ional songs now
and let us begin a quest ion -answer session.
3 Ther eupon all t he munis replied, Very well, Mahr j.
4 Shr iji Mahr j t hen posed a quest ion: Some devot ees
underst and t he form of God as being composed of t he 24 element s
2
of
m y, while some underst and it as being composed purely of
chaitanya, free of m yik element s. Of t hese t wo t ypes of devot ees,
whose under st anding is cor r ect and whose under st anding is
incor r ect ?
5 Mukt nand Swmi replied, The underst anding of one who
considers Gods form as being composed of t he 24 m yik element s is
incor r ect . The under st anding of one who consider s Gods for m as
being composed purely of chaitanya, free of m yik element s, is
cor r ect .
6 Shr iji Mahr j t hen said, Adher ent s of t he Snkhya philosophy
claim t hat t her e ar e 24 element s. Accor ding t o t hat doct r ine, t her e
are 23 element s, and t he 24
t h
is kshetragna in t he for m of jiva-
ishwar which is chaitanya. The 24 element s have been described
in t his manner . This is because kshet ra and kshetragna have a
mut ual dependence on each ot her . Wit hout kshetragna, kshet ra
cannot be descr ibed, and wit hout kshet ra, kshetragna cannot be
descr ibed. For t his r eason, jiva and ishwar have been included wit h
t he element s, while God has been described as t he refuge of bot h
kshet ra and kshetragna. In t his case, t hen, how can t he m yik
element s be descr ibed as being dist inct fr om God? For example, four
element s r eside wit hin ksh, yet ksh is unaffect ed by any of t heir
flaws. In t he same way, not a single flaw of t he m yik element s
influences t he for m of God. So what is t he inconsist ency in believing
The Vachanmr ut 391
t hat Gods for m is composed of t he 24 element s? Does claiming t hat
Gods for m is not composed of t he element s pr event inconsist encies?
This is how I under st and it .
7 Then Dinnt h Bhat t asked, Should one who wishes t o
medit at e on Gods for m underst and it as being composed of t he
element s or underst and it as not being composed of t he element s?
8 Shr iji Mahr j replied, One who underst ands Gods for m as
being composed of t he element s is a sinner, and one who underst ands
Gods for m as not being composed of t he element s is also a sinner.
Those who are devot ees of God do not at all like t o senselessly quibble
over whet her or not Gods for m is composed of t he element s. A
devot ee r ealises, God is God. There is no scope for dividing or
discar ding any par t of Him. That ver y God is t he t m of count less
brahmnds. One who has no doubt s at all r egar ding t he nat ure of
God should be known t o have at t ained t he nirvikalp st at e. One wit h
such st able under st anding should be known as st hit apr agna
i
.
Moreover, God redeems all t he sins of a person who has such st able
underst anding regarding God.
9 In t he Bhagwad Git , God has said t o Ar jun,
|-+|== | |-|
| +|+ -=| |||==|| | | +
i i

10 In fact , it is a usual cust om in t his wor ld t hat an int elligent
person will not not ice a fault in someone who serves t he persons
major self-int er est s. For example, t o ser ve her self-int er est , a woman
will not not ice any fault s in her husband. This also applies t o ot her
householders who, if t hey have int ense self-int er est in t heir
r elat ives br ot her , nephew, son, et c. do not not ice t heir fault s. In
t he same way, if one realises t hat God serves ones own self-int er est ;
i.e., God r elieves His devot ees of t heir sins and ignor ance and gr ant s

i
Lit er ally, st hit apr agna means one wit h a st able mind but her e Shr iji Mahr j
gives His own, unique definit ion.
i i
Abandon all [ot her ] for ms of dharma and sur r ender only unt o me. I shall deliver
you fr om all sins; [so] do not lament .
Bhagwad Git : 18.66
The Vachanmr ut 392
t hem liber at ion, t hen one will never per ceive flaws in God in any
way. For example, when Shukji nar r at ed t he Rs-panchdhyyi,
King Par ikshit r aised t he following doubt : Why did God associat e
wit h ot her women? Shukji, however , did not have t he slight est
doubt . Even t he gopis, wit h whom God engaged in amor ous act ions,
did not doubt by t hinking, If he is God, why does he behave like
t his? They did not ent er t ain any such doubt s. Mor eover , when God
went t o t he home of Kubj, he t ook Uddhavji along wit h him, yet
Uddhavji did not have any doubt s at all. Mor eover , when Uddhavji
was sent t o Vr aj, he st ill did not ent er t ain any doubt s on hear ing t he
words of t he gopis. On t he cont r ar y, he pr ofoundly r ealised t he
eminence of t he gopis.
11 Therefore, t he underst anding of a person who has developed an
unflinching refuge of God will not become dist ort ed, regardless of
whet her he is ver y lear ned in t he scr ipt ur es, or he is nave.
Moreover, t he great ness of a st aunch devot ee of God can only be
realised by one who is a devot ee of God. Regardless of whet her one is
lear ned in t he scr ipt ur es or is nave, only one wit h a fir m
underst anding of God realises t he great ness of a devot ee of God, and
only he r ecognises a devot ee possessing a st aunch under st anding. On
t he ot her hand, non -believers in t he world, regardless of whet her t hey
ar e pundit s or fools, ar e unable t o develop such firm underst anding of
God. Moreover, t hey do not recognise a devot ee possessing a st aunch
underst anding, nor do t hey realise t he great ness of a devot ee of God.
Therefore, only a devot ee of God can recognise anot her devot ee of God,
and only he can r ealise his gr eat ness. For example, Uddhavji
realised t he profound great ness of t he gopis. Likewise, t he gopis
r ealised t he gr eat ness of Uddhavji.
12 Alt hough Pur ushot t am Bhagwn is t he Kshet ragna of all
kshetragnas , He is st ill not subject t o change. Mor eover , t he
dist ur bances of object s t hat cause dist ur bances such as m y and
ot her fact or s do not influence Pur ushot t am Bhagwn. In fact , if
t he dist ur bances of sthul, sukshma and kran do not influence a
person who has realised t he t m , what can be said about t hem not
influencing Pur ushot t am Bhagwn? Ther efor e, God is cer t ainly not
subject t o change; He is absolut ely uninfluenced.
13 A devot ee of God who underst ands Gods form in t his manner
should be known t o be st hit apr agna. J ust as a person who has
realised his t m is called st hit apragna, a devot ee of God who
The Vachanmr ut 393
behaves as follows is called st hit apr agna wit h r egar ds t o t he for m of
Pur ushot t am: Ent er t aining no doubt s at all r egar ding t he nat ur e of
God, he glorifies Gods weaknesses in exact ly t he same way t hat he
glor ifies His st r engt hs. He also glor ifies t hose act ions and incident s
of God t hat appear t o be inappropriat e, in exact ly t he same way t hat
he glorifies act ions and incident s t hat are appropriat e wit hout
har bour ing any doubt s about t he appropriat eness or
inappropriat eness of t hose act ions and incident s. Such a devot ee
should be known as being st hit apr agna wit h r egar ds t o t he nat ur e of
Pur ushot t am. One who has developed such a fir m convict ion of t he
nat ur e of Pur ushot t am has not hing mor e left t o under st and.
Ga d h a d I I -18
N st i k s a n d Sh u sh k a -Ved n t is
Shr i Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing on a cushion wit h a
cylindr ical pillow t hat had been placed in His r esidence in Dd
had cover ed Himself wit h a whit e cot t on clot h. On t op of t hat clot h,
He had cover ed Himself wit h a r ichly embr oider ed blanket as well.
He had also t ied a whit e fet o ar ound His head. At t hat t ime, Pr gji
Dave was r eading a scr ipt ur e befor e Him, and paramhansas as well
as devot ees from various places had gat hered before Him in an
assembly.
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, Having t hought over it fr om all
aspect s, I have come t o t he conclusion t hat of all t he so-called evil
company in t he wor ld, t he company which is wor se t han all ot her s is
t hat of t hose who do not have bhakti t owar ds God, or t he fait h in
t heir hear t s t hat God loves His devot ees, is t he mast er of all, is t he
uplift er of t he wret ched, and is also t he redeemer of sinners. Two
such schools of t hought ar e pr evalent in t his wor ld t hat shar e t hese
beliefs: one is t hat of t he nstiks, and t he ot her is t hat of t he
shushka-Vednt is. Bot h ar e ext r eme for ms of evil company. Now,
even if a per son has commit t ed t he five gr ave sins
10
, if he has fait h in
God, t hen at some t ime or anot her he will be redeemed. In fact , even
if a per son has commit t ed t he gr ave sins of killing a child,
slaught er ing a cow, killing a woman, et c., t hen he t oo can be
The Vachanmr ut 394
redeemed at some point in t ime. However, one who has come t o
accept eit her of t hese t wo set s of beliefs will never be redeemed. This
is because such a per sons under st anding is con t r ar y t o t hat of t he
Vedas, t he Shst r as and t he Pur ns.
3 Of t he t wo, t he nstiks believe t hat Rmchandr aji and Shr i
Kr ishna Bhagwn wer e act ually only kings; and because Shr i
Kr ishna killed demons and commit t ed adult er y, he has been
consigned t o t he t hir d narak. Thus, in no way do t hey consider Shr i
Kr ishna Bhagwn, who is t he redeemer of sinners and t he uplift er of
t he wr et ched, as being God. Rat her , t hey believe t heir liber at ion t o
be t hr ough karmas; t hat is, while per for ming karmas, when one
at t ains keval-gnn, one becomes God. In t his way, t hey believe t hat
t her e ar e count less Gods. So, accor ding t o t he belief of t he nstiks,
t her e is no one, beginningless God, by whose wor ship a jiva is
r eleased fr om t he bondage of bir t hs and deat hs. Thus, t hat belief is
not in accor dance wit h t he Vedas.
4 The shushka-Vednt is believe t hat Br ahma it self has assumed
t he form of t he jivas just as in t he r elat ionship bet ween t he sun and
it s r eflect ion. Thus, when one r ealises, I am Br ahma, one has no
fur t her spir it ual endeavour s left t o per for m. Then, when one has
become God, one need not wor ship anyone. Thinking t his, t hey no
longer have fear in commit t ing sins. Mor eover , t hey believe, We
have at t ained t he nirgun pat h, so we will not have t o t ake bir t h
again. However , t he shushka-Vednt is do not examine t heir own
under st anding which implies t hat nirgun Br ahma, which
t r ansgr esses m y, will also have t o pass t hr ough bir t hs and deat hs.
This is because t hey claim t hat Br ahma it self has assumed t he for m
of all mobile and immobile object s. This means t hat just as a jiva
has t o under go bir t hs and deat hs, Br ahma also has t o under go bir t hs
and deat hs. While t hey t hink, We will be r eleased fr om bir t hs and
deat hs, t hey do not r ealise, Accor ding t o our own beliefs, bir t hs and
deat hs have become a realit y for Brahma it self. Therefore, if we do
develop deep underst anding, at t he most , we shall realise ourselves t o
be brahmaswarup. But even t hen, t he cycle of bir t hs and deat hs will
st ill not be dispelled. Thus, by t heir own beliefs, liber at ion is
r efut ed. Never t heless, no one examines t his. On t he cont r ar y, t hey
boast , We ar e brahmaswarup, so whom do we need t o worship?
Befor e whom do we have t o bow? Thinking t his, t hey become
ext r emely ar r ogant . Even t hough t hey have not t r uly under st ood
anyt hing, t hey st ill har bour vanit y of t heir gnn. But t hey do not
The Vachanmr ut 395
realise t hat t heir own liberat ion is refut ed by t heir own beliefs.
Mor eover , t hey conver t whosoever keeps t heir company int o such a
fool as well.
5 However, devot ees possessing t rue gnn, such a s Nr ad, t he
Sanakdik and Shukji, const ant ly medit at e on God, chant His holy
name and sing devot ional songs. Even t he niranna-muktas in
Shwet dwip, who are brahmaswarup and who can cont r ol kl,
cont inuously medit at e on God, chant His holy name and sing
devot ional songs relat ed t o Him. They also offer puja, apply
sandalwood past e and do prost rat ions t o Him. Despit e being
aksharrup, t hey behave as t he ser vant s of Pur ushot t am Bhagwn,
who t r anscends Akshar . Also, t he r esident s of Badr ikshr am,
including Uddhav, Tanu Rishi, and t he ot her munis , per for m
aust er it ies and cont inuously offer bhakti t o God. The shushka-
Vednt is, on t he ot her hand, ar e complet ely or ient ed ar ound t heir
bodies; t hey do not medit at e on God, nor do t hey chant t he name of
God, nor do t hey bow before God. Compared t o t he power and gnn of
Nrad, t he Sanak dik and Shukji; and compar ed t o t he power and
gnn of t he niranna-muktas who reside in Shwet dwip; and compared
t o t he power and gnn of t he r ishis who r eside in Badr ikshr am,
t hese shushka-Vednt is do not possess even a milliont h of a fract ion
of such power and gnn. Never t heless, t hey equat e t hemselves wit h
God. Indeed, t hey ar e absolut ely ignor ant . In fact , t hey ar e t he most
ignorant of all ignorant people. Even aft er spending count less
millions of year s in t he pit s of narak suffer ing t he t or ment s of Yam,
t hey will st ill not be released.
6 Thus, t o associat e wit h such people is t he ver y definit ion of evil
company. J ust as t here is no deed great er t han keeping t he company
of t he S atpurush, conver sely, t her e is no sin gr aver t han keeping t he
company of ignor ant people such as t he shushka-Vednt is.
Therefore, one who aspires t o at t ain liberat ion should in no way keep
t he company of a nstik or a shushka-Vednt i.
The Vachanmr ut 396
Ga d h a d I I -19
Wr i t i n g a Let t er Ha vi n g Become Di st r essed by
Hea r i n g Sh u sh k a -Ved n t a Scr i p t u r es
1 At daybr eak on Mgshar vadi 14, Samvat 1878 [23 December
1821], Swmi Shr i Sahajnandji Mahr j ar r ived at t he r esident ial
hall of t he paramhansas in Dd Khchar s darbr in Gadhad.
Ther e, in a dist r essed mood, He sat down on a cushion wit h a
cylindr ical pillow and r efused t o t alk t o or even look at anyone. The
whit e fet o t ied around His head had loosened and become undone, yet
He paid no at t ent ion t o it . In t his manner , He sat ext r emely
dist r essed for a few minut es. Tear s had begun t o flow fr om His eyes.
2 Then, addr essing t he paramhansas , Shr iji Mahr j said, To
learn about t he beliefs of t hose possessing shushka-gnn, I list ened t o
t heir scr ipt ur es. Mer ely hear ing t hem, t hough, has caused much
gr ief in My hear t . Why? Because by list ening t o t he shushka-
Vednt a scr ipt ur es, t he upsan of God is dispelled fr om ones mind,
and a sense of equivalence arises in ones heart , whereby one begins
t o worship deit ies. By list ening t o t he wor ds of t hose shushka-
Vednt is, ones mind becomes ext r emely cor r upt ed. In fact , even
t hough I list ened t o t he pr inciples of shushka-Vednt a wit h a specific
pur pose, doing so has br ought Me much gr ief.
3 Having said t his, Shr iji Mahr j became very deject ed. Aft er
r emaining dishear t ened for a long t ime, He wiped t he t ear s fr om His
eyes wit h His hands and said, I went t o sleep last night aft er
list ening t o Rmnujs comment ar y on t he Bhagwad Git . Then, I
had a dr eam in which I went t o Golok, wher e I saw count less
at t endant s of God. Of t hese, some serve God; t hey appeared t o be
st ill. Ot her s sing devot ional songs r elat ed t o God; in fact , t hey sing
t he devot ional songs composed by Mukt nand Swmi and
Br ahmnand Swmi. In t he pr ocess of singing such devot ional
songs, t hey sway in t he same way as a per son who sings and sways
in euphor ia due t o int oxicat ion. Then, I also joined t hose who were
singing and began t o sing devot ional songs. While singing, t he
following t hought ar ose: One who shuns such loving bhakti of God
and such upsan of God, and claims t o possess gnn, believing, I
myself am God, is ext r emely wicked.
4 Having said t his, Shr iji Mahr j said, Let us wr it e a let t er t o
send t o t he satsangis in var ious places so t hat t hey never lapse in
The Vachanmr ut 397
obser ving dharma and in offering bhakti t o God in any way, and so
t hat t heir mind is never dislodged fr om t heir Ishtadev, Shr i Kr ishna
Nr yan.
5 Wr it t en by Swmi Shr i Sahajnandji Mahr j. All
paramhansas and all satsangis male and female please accept
sincer est Nr yan fr om Me. I am issuing t he following as a
command: The avat r of Shri Kr ishna Nr yan Pur ushot t am
Bhagwn manifest s among humans, deit ies, et c., for t he pur pose of
est ablishing dharma, upr oot ing adharma, and giving darshan t o and
pr ot ect ing His ekntik bhaktas who possess t he four vir t ues, i.e.,
dharma in t he form of brahmacharya, non -violence, et c.; t m -
realisat ion ; vairgya; and bhakti coupled wit h t he knowledge of Gods
gr eat ness. Ther efor e, one should have a singular convict ion of t hat
avat r like t hat of a woman who observes t he vow of fidelit y just
as Sit ji was convinced of Rmchandr ajis flawlessness. One should
also lovingly per for m t he m nsi puj of t hat God and physically offer
t o Him t he nine t ypes of bhakti. If t hat avat r of Shr i Kr ishna
Nr yan is not pr esent on t his ear t h, t hen one should perform puja of
His for m ment ally and also physically by offer ing sandalwood past e,
t ulsi, flower s and ot her such auspicious offer ings.
6 Moreover, one should offer upsan only t o God and not t o any
deit y; if one does, t hen t hat is a gr ave sin, and t her eby, ones vow of
fidelit y is lost and ones bhakti becomes like t hat of a pr ost it ut e. So,
one should offer bhakti t o God in t he manner of Sit and Rukmini.
One should medit at e only on t hat God and not on any deit y. Nor
should one medit at e on a sdhu, even if he has at t ained an elevat ed
st at e and mast ered sam dhi.
7 Fur t her mor e, all should st r ict ly abide by t he dharma of t heir
cast e and shram . All men who fir mly abide by t his injunct ion of
Mine will develop resolut e bhakti t owar ds Shr i Kr ishna Nr yan like
t hat of Nrad. All women who accept t his injunct ion of Mine will
develop resolut e bhakti t owar ds Shr i Kr ishna Nr yan like t hat of
Lakshmiji and t he gopis su ch a s Rdhikji, et c. Conver sely, t he
bhakti of t hose who do not accept t hese words of Mine will become
like t hat of a prost it ut e.
8 Wr it t en on Mgshar vadi 14, Samvat 1878.
9 Aft er wr it ing t his let t er , Shr iji Mahr j had it sent t o all
satsangis r esiding in var ious places.
The Vachanmr ut 398
Ga d h a d I I -20
How Do t h e Fa cu lt y of Kn owin g a n d
t h e St r en gt h of t h e I n d r i ya s of
On e Wh o Ha s Ma st e r e d Sa m d h i I n cr e a se ?
clot h. On t op of t hat clot h, He had cover ed Himself wit h a blanket of
chhint as well. He had also t ied a whit e pgh ar ound His head. At
t hat t ime, while some paramhansas were singing devot ional songs t o
t he accompaniment of a t l and mrudang, munis as well as devot ees
fr om var ious places had gat her ed befor e Him in an assembly.
2 Then, addressing t he paramhansas , Shr iji Mahr j said, At My
r esidence t oday, I asked a quest ion t o Soml Khchar and t he ot her
devot ees who st ay wit h Me. I would like all of t he paramhansas t o
get t oget her and answer t hat quest ion.
3 The paramhansas request ed, Mahr j, may we please hear t hat
quest ion.
4 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, A per son who mast er s sam dhi
at t ains a spir it ual st at e t hat t r anscends m y. He also has fir m
r appor t wit h t he for m of God. Ther efor e, t hat per sons facult y of
knowing as well as t he st rengt h of his body and indriyas should
incr ease. Why? Because t he 24 element s
2
t hat have been produced
fr om m y have a for m t hat is bot h jad and chaitanya; t hey cannot
be said t o be only jad, nor can t hey be said t o be only chaitan ya.
Also, t he st rengt h in each of t he element s cannot be said t o be equal.
There is a great er degree of awareness in t he antahkaran t han t her e
is in t he indriyas . Likewise, t her e is a gr eat er degr ee of awar eness
in t he jiva t he drasht of t he indriyas and antahkaran t han t her e
is in t he antahkaran .
5 When t hat jiva experiences sam dhi, it abandons it s r ole as t he
drasht of t he indriyas and antahkaran , and like Br ahma who
t r anscends m y t hat jiva becomes chaitanya, it s r appor t wit h t he
for m of God being maint ained. Now, r egar ding t hose who have
The Vachanmr ut 399
mast er ed sam dhi, some people t hink, Whoever experiences
sam dhi loses even t he knowledge he had previously. So, do t he
facult y of knowing, and t he st rengt h of t he body and indriyas of one
who has mast er ed sam dhi incr ease or not ? That is t he quest ion.
6 The paramhansas t hen answer ed accor ding t o t heir int ellect , but
no one was able t o answer Shriji Mahr js quest ion sat isfact or ily.
7 Then Shr iji Mahr j said, Her e, I will answer . The answer t o
t he quest ion is t hat Br ahma, who is t he wit ness, ent er s t he
brahmnd which is composed of t he 24 element s, and which was
produced from m y and makes it chaitanya, giving it t he power s
t o per for m all act ivit ies. The nat ur e of t hat Br ahma is such t hat
when it ent er s an object t hat is as jad as wood or st one, t hat object
becomes such t hat it can move. When t he jiva at t ains likeness t o
t hat Br ahma t hr ough sam dhi, t hen t hat jiva can also be said t o be
brahmarup. As a r esult , it s gnn also incr eases.
8 Wit h r egar ds t o t he st r engt h of t he indriyas , one who pract ises
yoga coupled wit h aust er it ies, nivrut t i dharma, and vairgya at t ains
yogic power s like t hat of Shukji. On t he ot her hand, t her e may be a
person whose aust erit ies, observance of nivrut t i dharma, and
vairgya are at an ordinary level, and who follows t he pat h of
pravrut t i in t he for m of dharma, arth and km. In his case,
alt hough he may exper ience sam dhi, only his gnn will incr ease,
but t he st r engt h of his indriyas does not incr ease and he does not
at t ain yogic power s. In fact , even t hough a per son may possess gnn
like King J anak, t hose who follow t he pat h of pravrut t i do not at t ain
yogic power s in t he manner of Nrad, t he Sanak dik and Shukji. On
t he ot her hand, one who has at t ained yogic power s can t r avel t o Gods
abodes such as Shwet dwip, et c., in his ver y body, and can also t r avel
t o all places in t his realm and beyond. But for t hose who follow t he
pat h of pravrut t i, only t heir gnn incr eases like King J anak; but it
does not decrease.
9 In fact , what happens is as descr ibed by Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn
in t he Git in t he verse:
=| ||| ~ -|| --=| ||- =|
=-=| | |- ~ -|| | ||| +=-| +
i

i
Y nish sarva-bhootnm tasym jgarti sayyamee|

The Vachanmr ut 400
The meaning of t his verse is: A self-cont rolled person is awake t o
t hat t o which all ot her beings ar e asleep, and t hat t o which all ot her
beings ar e awake, a self-cont r olled per son is asleep. Specifically,
t hen, a person whose vision is facing inwar ds t owar ds t he t m has
no r egar d for his body, indriyas or antahkaran . On seeing t his,
however , a per son who is ignor ant t hinks, The gnn of one who
experiences sam dhi decr eases. As a r esult , if a per son under t he
influence of rajogun, t amogun or impur e sattvagun at t empt s t o
answer t his quest ion, t hen he would cer t ainly t hink t hat t he gnn of
one who experiences sam dhi does decrease. However, he does not
realise, I const ant ly believe my self t o be t he body and am speaking
out of foolishness.
10 Ther efor e, t he gnn of a person who experiences sam dhi st ill
incr eases even t hough he behaves dist inct ly fr om t he body, indriyas
and antahkaran. Even aft er he r et ur ns t o t he indriyas and
antahkaran , t he gnn obt ained during sam dhi is st ill not dest r oyed.
As for a per son who t akes up aust er it ies, nivrut t i dharma and
vairgya abandoning t he pat h of pravrut t i just as his gnn has
incr eased, similar ly, t he st r engt h of his indriyas and antahkaran will
incr ease as well. Also, he will at t ain t he st at us of a realised yogi like
Nrad, t he Sanak dik and Shukji.
Ga d h a d I I -21
Th e Ma in P r in cip le
1 On Fgun sudi Punam, Samvat 1878 [7 Mar ch 1822], Swmi
Shr i Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing in fr ont of t he mandir of Shr i
Pr emnand Swmi and ot her paramhansas wer e singing a
Vishnupad befor e Him.
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, Please st op t he devot ional
songs. I wish t o speak t o all of you, so please list en at t ent ively. He

Yasym jgrati bhootni s nish pashyato munehe| |
Bhagwad Git : 2.69
The Vachanmr ut 401
t hen said, I, Myself, have at t ent ively list ened t o all of t he scr ipt ur es
which Vysji has wr it t en r egar ding t he at t ainment of liber at ion. The
main pr inciple pr evalent in all t hose scr ipt ur es, and t he only
principle for t he liberat ion of t he jiva is simply t his: The sole cr eat or ,
sust ainer and dest r oyer of t his ent ir e cosmos is God.
3 Mor eover , in all of t hose scr ipt ur es, t her e ar e t alks of t he divine
act ions and incident s of eit her God or His S ant. So, liber at ion cannot
be at t ained just by t he observance of t he dharma of ones cast e and
shram , or t hr ough it s fr uit s in t he for m of dharma, arth and km.
This is because t he obser vance of t he dharma of ones cast e and
shram on it s own may br ing wor ldly r eput at ion and physical
comfor t s but t hat is all. For t he pur pose of liber at ion, however ,
realising God t o be t he all-doer is t he only means.
4 In addit ion, if a person realises t he great ness of manifest God
and His Bhakta-S ant in exact ly t he same way as he r ealises t he
great ness of past avat rs of God such as Rm, Kr ishna, et c., as well
as t he great ness of past sdhus such as Nrad, t he Sanak dik,
Shukji, J adbhar at , Hanumn, Uddhav, et c. t hen not hing r emains
t o be underst ood on t he pat h of liberat ion.
5 Whet her t his pr inciple is under st ood aft er being t old once, or
aft er being t old a t housand t imes; whet her it is under st ood t oday, or
aft er a t housand year s, t her e is no opt ion but t o under st and it . Even
if one wer e t o ask Nrad, t he Sanak dik, Shukji, Br ahm and Shiv,
since t hey ar e wise, even t hey, using many differ ent t echniques,
would point t o t he manifest form of God and t he manifest form of t he
S ant as being t he only gr ant er s of liber at ion. They would also
explain t hat t he great ness of t he manifest form of God and t he
manifest for m of t he S ant is exact ly t he same as t he gr eat ness of past
forms of God and t he S ant.
6 A per son who has such a fir m convict ion has gr asped all of t he
fundament al pr inciples. What is mor e, he will never fall fr om t he
pat h of liber at ion. Br ahm, Shiv, Br uhaspat i, Par shar , et c., may
have fallen from t he pat h of dharma due t o lust , anger , et c., but
because t hey had t he same convict ion in and knowledge of t he
great ness of t he manifest form of God and t he manifest form of t he
S ant as t hey had of t heir past for ms, t hey did not fall fr om t he pat h
of liber at ion. Thus, t he essence of all of t he scr ipt ur es is t his ver y
fact .
The Vachanmr ut 402
7 In t he evening of t hat same day, Swmi Shr i Sahajnandji
Mahr j mount ed His hor se in Dd Khchar s darbr in Gadhad
and came t o Lakshmivdi. Ther e, He sat on a lar ge, decor at ed cot on
t he plat for m under t he mango t r ee. He was wear ing a whit e khes
around His head a whit e pgh t hat was adorned by a t assel of yellow
flower s. Bunches of mogr flowers were placed upon His ears, and a
garland of mogr flower s was also placed ar ound His neck. At t hat
8 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, Please list en, I wish t o ask all
of you a quest ion. Dur ing t he dr eam st at e, when t he jiva sees a
cr eat ion and indulges in t he pleasur es of t hat creat ion, does t he jiva
it self become t he form of t he creat ion? Or does t he jiva creat e t he
cr eat ion in it s dr eam by it s own will? Also, in t he same way as t he
jiva, t he ishwars such as Br ahm, et c., also exper ience cr eat ions
dur ing t heir dr eam st at e. Do t hey t hemselves become t he form of t he
cr eat ion? Or do t hey cr eat e it by t heir own will? Or does God, who
t r anscends bot h jiva and ishwar, creat e t he creat ions experienced in
t heir dr eams?
9 Everyone at t empt ed t o answer t he quest ion according t o his level
of int elligence, but no one was able t o offer a precise explanat ion.
10 Shr iji Mahr j t hen explained, Neit her t he jiva nor ishwar
cr eat es t he cr eat ions exper ienced dur ing t he dr eam st at e, nor do t hey
become t he for m of t hose cr eat ions t hemselves. In r ealit y, it is God
who t r anscends bot h jiva and ishwar, and who is also t he giver of t he
fr uit s of ones karmas who creat es t he world experienced in dreams
accor ding t o t he karmas of t he par t icular jiva or ishwar.
11 The unst able and illusor y nat ure of dreams is due t o t heir
r egion of or igin. The t hr oat is such t hat in t hat place, count less
t ypes of such creat ions can be seen just as when an oil lamp is lit in
one place wit hin a mandir decor at ed wit h mir r or s, count less oil
lamps would be seen. Ther efor e, due t o t he locat ion of it s or igin, t he
t hr oat , a single t hought can be exper ienced in count less ways.
12 Shr iji Mahr j t hen said, A per son possessing gnn
underst ands only t he influence of place t o be predominant when t here
is t he pr edominance of place; and when t he influence of t ime is
pr edominant , he under st ands only t ime t o be pr edominant ; and when
t he influence of karma is pr edominant , he under st ands only karma t o
The Vachanmr ut 403
be pr edominant ; and when Gods influence is pr edominant , he
under st ands only God t o be predominant . In cont rast , a fool, once he
has underst ood one fact or, considers t hat alone t o be t he chief fact or.
If he has under st ood t ime, he consider s t ime t o be t he chief fact or ; if
he has underst ood karma, he consider s karma t o be t he chief fact or ;
and if he has underst ood m y, he consider s m y t o be t he chief
fact or. But such a fool does not know how t o dist inguish bet ween t he
differ ent pr edominat ing fact or s pr evalent in differ ent cir cumst ances.
A person wit h gnn, on t he ot her hand, under st ands t he
pr edominance of var ious fact or s based on t he cir cumst ances.
13 In fact , it is God who is t he inspir er of ever yt hing of place,
t ime, karma and m y. It is He Himself who allows t he fact or s of
place, t ime, et c., t o be pr edominant . Thus, t hey ar e all dependent
upon God just as t he shishumr chakra is dependent on t he support
of t he Dhr uv st ar ; and just as all t he subject s of a kingdom ar e
dependent on t heir king. Fur t her mor e, in a kingdom, t he minist er
and secr et ar ies can only do as much as t heir king allows t hem t o do;
when t he king does not allow it , t hey cannot do even t he smallest of
t asks. In t he same way, t he fact or s of place, t ime, karma and m y
can only do as much as God allows t hem t o do; t hey cannot do a
single t hing against t he wish of God. Ther efor e, only God is t he all-
doer.
14 Aft er deliver ing t his discour se, Shr iji Mahr j r et ur ned t o t he
darbr.
Ga d h a d I I -22
Two Ar mi es; Th e I n st a lla t i on of Na r -N r ya n
1 On Fgun vadi 10, Samvat 1878 [19 Mar ch 1822], Shr iji
Mahr j awoke in t he middle of t he night and sat facing sout h on a
large, decorat ed cot in front of t he mandir of Shr i Vsudevnr yan in
whit e clot hes. At t hat t ime, He called all of t he sdhus and devot ees
t oget her , and so t hey gat her ed befor e Him in an assembly.
2 Addressing t he sdhus, Shr iji Mahr j said, I wish t o t alk, so
please list en. When t wo ar mies ar e pr epar ed for combat and bot h
have implant ed t heir flags opposit e each ot her , in t heir minds bot h
The Vachanmr ut 404
feel, We will capt ur e t heir flag and shall r aise our own in it s place.
But t hey never t hink, Along t he way t o t he enemys flag many heads
will r oll, and r iver s of blood will flow. They ar e never afr aid in t his
manner . This is because t hose who ar e br ave ar e not afr aid of dying.
A cowar d, however , har bour s t housands of t hought s of fleeing. He
also t hinks, If our ar my wins, we shall loot our opponent s wealt h
and weapons. The br ave soldier s of bot h kings, however , ar e not
afraid of dying, nor do t hey have greedy mot ives t o loot . Inst ead, t hey
have only one desire t o capt ure t he opponent s flag and ensure t heir
own vict or y.
3 Now, in t his example, t he flag r epr esent s t he abode of God, and
t he brave soldiers of t he kings represent t he st aunch devot ees of God.
Regar dless of whet her t hey encount er honour s or insult s in t his
wor ld; r egar dless of whet her t hey encount er bodily comfor t s or
miser ies; r egar dless of whet her t heir bodies r emain healt hy or
unhealt hy; and r egar dless of whet her t heir bodies sur vive or die,
st aunch devot ees of God never har bour t imid t hought s such as, We
will suffer t his much pain, or we will enjoy t his much happiness.
Neit her of t hese t wo t ypes of t hought s ar ises wit hin t heir minds.
Such devot ees firmly believe, We want t o at t ain t he abode of God
wit hin t his ver y lifet ime; we do not want t o become ent iced by
anyt hing along t he way.
4 On t he ot her hand, a devot ee of God who ident ifies his self wit h
t he body is represent ed by t he coward soldiers. While worshipping
God, he har bour s t housands of t imid t hought s such as, If t he
r eligious vows become st r ict , I will not be able t o sur vive; only if t hey
are easy t o observe will I be able t o survive. He also t hinks, If I
employ t his met hod, I shall be happy even in worldly life. Also, if it
is possible, I shall sur vive passively in t he Sat sang fellowship. Such
a devot ee represent s t he coward. A st aunch, br ave devot ee of God,
however , never has any t ypes of desires relat ed t o t he body or t he
wor ld.
5 Having said t his, Shr iji Mahr j t hen began t o nar r at e an
experience of His own. When I went t o Amdvd t o per for m t he
inst allat ion cer emony of Shr i Nar nr yandev, t housands of people
had gat hered for t he fest ival. Following t he complet ion of t he
inst allat ion of Shr i Nar nr yandev, and aft er t housands of Brhmins
from Amdvd had been fed, I depart ed from t here and spent t he
night in J et alpur . Ther e, I began t o t hink, I want t o for get all
The Vachanmr ut 405
memor ies of all of t hose people and all of t he act ivit ies t hat I saw. In
doing t his, My hear t felt int ense gr ief, and as a r esult , I became ill.
Fr om t her e, I t hen went t o Dholk, wher e I spent t he night . Then,
walking fr om Dholk wit h t he same t hought in mind, I r eached t he
forest of Ganesh Dholk near t he village of Kot h and spent t he night
t her e. I began t o t hink so much t hat I for got all about My body.
While t hinking, I for got all of t he act ivit ies, and dispelled all t hose
t hought s in such a manner t hat it was as if I had not even st ayed at
Lake Knkar i, and as if t here had been no fest ival no t hought s
r emained at all.
6 Aft er t hose worldly t hought s had subsided, I began t o look
wit hin. I began t o see t r anscendent al wonder s and also t he pleasur es
of t he deit ies. I began t o see count less t ypes of celest ial vehicles,
celest ial maidens, clot hes and or nament s just as if I were seeing
t hem her e in Mr ut yulok . In My hear t , however , I did not like
anyt hing except God. Mor eover , just as t he panchvishays here
appear t o be insignificant t o Me wit h My mind never being
t empt ed in t he same way, My mind was not t empt ed anywher e
fr om Devlok all t he way t o Br ahmalok.
7 Seeing t his, all of t he deit ies began t o pr aise Me, You t r uly ar e
an Ekntik Bhakta of God; aft er all, your mind did not forsake God
and become t empt ed elsewher e. On hear ing t heir wor ds, My hear t
gained a lot of courage. I t hen t old My man , I know your t r ue for m.
So look! If you harbour a t hought about any object ot her t han God, I
will cr ush you t o pieces. In t he same way, I t old My buddhi, If you
har bour any form of resolve ot her t han t hat of God, t hen you will be
in t r ouble. Similar ly, I t old My chit t , If you cont emplat e on
anyt hing ot her t han God, t hen I will also cr ush you t o pieces. In t he
same way, I t old My ahamkr, If you har bour any form of conceit
except t hat of servit ude t owards God, I will dest roy you.
8 Following t his, just as I had t ot ally for got t en all of t he object s of
t his realm, I also t ot ally forgot all of t he object s of Devlok and
Br ahmalok. When all of t hose t hought s were dispelled, t he illness
t hat had ar isen as a r esult of t hose t hought s also disappear ed. Thus,
one who is a devot ee of God should behave in such a manner . In t his
way, Shr iji Mahr j nar r at ed His own experience for t he sake of t he
liberat ion of His devot ees, while in r ealit y, He Himself is t he
manifest for m of Shr i Kr ishna Pur ushot t am Nr yan.
The Vachanmr ut 406
9 Shr iji Mahr j t hen said, The Vsudev Mht mya describes t he
dharma of an ekntik bhakta as follows: An ekntik bhakta does not
believe his body t o be his own t rue form; he believes himself t o be
chaitanya. He does bhakti of God while observing dharma, gnn and
vairgya. Also, he maint ains no desir e for any object ot her t han
God. When he becomes such a sdhu by wor shipping God in t his
way, t hen t her e is no gr eat er st at us t han t hat of a sdhu. For
example, in a kingdom, t he queens aut hor it y is equal t o t hat of t he
king. In t he same way, t hat sdhu possesses as much majest y as
God. Ther efor e, a sdhu should not wish for t he insignificant
pleasur es of wor ldly life. Why? Because when t hat sdhu at t ains
t he abode of God, t hen just as t he lords of count less millions of
brahmnds Br ahm and ot her ishwars br ing count less t ypes of
gift s and ot her ar t icles for God, t hey also br ing t hem for t hat sdhu.
Mor eover , by t he gr ace of God, t hat sdhu acquir es t r anscendent al
power s and st r engt h. Keeping such a loft y t hought in ones mind,
one should not desire anyt hing ot her t han God. For example, a
person who has obt ained a chintmani should look aft er it wit h gr eat
car e. This is because it will enable him t o obt ain any object he
desir es. Similar ly, a devot ee of God should hold on t o t he chintmani
in t he for m of Gods for m; he should never for sake it . Only t hen will
he at t ain ever yt hing.
Ga d h a d I I -23
He a t a n d F r ost
1 On J yesht ha sudi 11, Samvat 1878 [31 May 1822], Swmi Shr i
wear ing a whit e khes and had also covered Himself wit h a whit e
cot t on clot h. He had also t ied a whit e pgh ar ound His head. At t hat
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, Today I pondered over t he
nat ur e of t he mind. It appear s t hat t he mind is not separ at e fr om
t he jiva; t hat is, it is a r eflect ion of t he jiva it self, but not separat e
fr om it . I also obser ved t hat t he nat ur e of t he mind is like t he heat of
summer and t he fr ost of wint er . J ust as a per son can die fr om heat
The Vachanmr ut 407
or fr ost , similar ly, when t he mind t r avels t owar ds t he vishays via t he
indriyas , if t hose vishays a r e full of miser ies, t he mind becomes hot
like t he heat of summer ; and if t hose vishays ar e pleasur able, t hen
t he mind becomes cold like t he fr ost of wint er . Specifically, when
t he mind, having indulged in t hose vishays which ar e full of miser y
and having become hot like t he scor ching winds of summer heat ,
ent er s a per sons hear t , it makes t he per son ext r emely miser able and
for ces him t o fall fr om t he pat h of liber at ion. Such a per son should
be known t o have died fr om t he effect s of heat . When t he mind,
having indulged in t he pleasures of t hose vishays t hat are full of
happiness and having become cold like fr ost , ent er s a per sons hear t ,
it makes t hat per son complacent , t hus causing him t o fall fr om t he
pat h of liberat ion. He should be known t o have died due t o frost .
3 However , one whose mind r emains unmoved t hat is, it does
not become hot upon exper iencing r epulsive vishays and does not
become cold upon experiencing pleasurable vishays should be
known as a Param -Bhgwat S ant. But indeed, it is no small feat t o
cult ivat e ones mind in t his manner .
4 Mor eover , t he mind is like a child. If a child at t empt s t o gr asp
a snake, or t ouch a flame or per haps hold an unsheat hed swor d, it
becomes upset when it is not allowed t o do so; and even if it is allowed
t o do so, it will hur t it self. Similar ly, if t he mind is not allowed t o
indulge in t he vishays, it becomes upset ; and if it is allowed t o
indulge in t hem, it t ur ns away fr om God, and t hus becomes
ext r emely miser able. Ther efor e, only one whose mind has a cr aving
for God and which becomes neit her hot nor cold by t he vishays
should be known as a sdhu.
The Vachanmr ut 408
Ga d h a d I I -24
Resolu t en ess i n S n k h ya a n d in Yoga ; Ch ok o-P t lo
i

1 On Shr van sudi 8, Samvat 1879 [26 J uly 1822], Swmi Shr i
Sahajnandji Mahr j ar r ived at Lakshmivdi on hor seback fr om
Dd Khchar s darbr in Gadhad. Ther e, He sat facing nor t h
upon t he plat for m, dr essed ent ir ely in whit e clot hes. He was wear ing
a garland of mogr flower s ar ound His neck, and a t assel of mogr
flower s was also inser t ed in His pgh. At t hat t ime, an assembly of
befor e Him.
2 Ther eupon Mukt nand Swmi asked Shr iji Mahr j, Mahr j,
does a devot ee who has resolut e convict ion in God experience any
hindr ances, or not ?
3 Shr iji Mahr j replied, A devot ee may be resolut e in t wo ways:
One is by being r esolut e in yoga, and t he ot her is by being r esolut e in
snkhya. Of t hese, a devot ee who is resolut e in yoga keeps his vrut t i
const ant ly fixed on t he form of God. A devot ee who is resolut e in
snkhya under st ands t he ext ent of human pleasur es, as well as t he
ext ent of t he pleasures of t he realised yogis, chrans, vidydhars,
gandharvas , deit ies, et c. In addit ion, he appraises t he pleasures of
t he 14 r ealms and believes, These pleasur es ar e only so much;
mor eover , he also appr aises t he miser ies t hat subsequent ly follow
t hose pleasures. As a result , he develops vairgya t owar ds t hose
miser y-filled pleasures, and t hereby maint ains profound love only for
God. So, such a per son who is r esolut e in snkhya possesses t he
st r engt h of under st anding.
4 In compar ison, t he st r engt h of one who is r esolut e in yoga is
based only on keeping his vrut t i const ant ly on t he form of God. If he
wer e t o encount er some dist ur bances due t o adver se cir cumst ances,
t hen alt hough his vrut t i was or iginally fixed on Gods for m, it would
become at t ached elsewhere as well. This is because one who is
r esolut e in yoga somewhat lacks t he st r engt h of under st anding.

i
Choko-pt lo r efer s t o t he cleaning and mopping of a kit chen floor aft er a meal
has been eat en. In t his cont ext , it r efer s t o t he fact t hat ever yt hing except God,
Akshar dhm and t he muktas is per ishable.
The Vachanmr ut 409
Thus, it is possible t hat such a devot ee may well exper ience
hindr ances.
5 However, if one is resolut e in bot h snkhya and yoga, t hen
t here would be no problems what soever. Such a devot ee of God is
never ent iced by any object ot her t han t he for m of God. He r ealises,
Wit h t he except ion of Gods Akshardh m, t he for m of God in t hat
Akshardh m and His devot ees in t hat Akshardh m, ever yt hing
else all of t he r ealms, t he deit ies, and t he opulence of t he deit ies is
per ishable. Realising t his, he maint ains pr ofound love only for God.
Such a devot ee never experiences any sort of hindrances what soever.
Ga d h a d I I -25
A Ren u n cia n t Wh o Ha r bou r s Wor ld ly De s i r e s a n d
a Hou se h old e r Wh o Ha s No Wor ld ly De si r e s
veranda out side t he sout h-facing r ooms of Dd Khchar s darbr in
2 Addressing all of t he paramhansas , Shr iji Mahr j said, Please
list en, I wish t o ask you a quest ion. Fir st , suppose t her e is a
renunciant devot ee of God who is st rict in t he physical observance of
all r eligious vows. However , wit hin his hear t , he has an int ense
desire t o indulge in t he vishays. Never t heless, he does not physically
succumb to t hose desir es. Such is t he r enunciant . Suppose t her e is
also anot her devot ee who is a householder . Physically, he has close
cont act wit h bot h women and wealt h. However , in his hear t , he is
fr ee of wor ldly desir es in all r espect s. The quest ion, t hen, is what
will be t heir fat e aft er deat h? Will t hey bot h at t ain t he same st at e?
Or will one become superior t o t he ot her? Please consider t he
dist inct ions bet ween t he t wo and give an answer for each separat ely.
3 Thereupon Goplnand Swmi r eplied, When t he r enunciant
passes away, because of t he int ense desires in his heart t o indulge in
t he vishays, God will make him a wealt hy householder eit her in t his
Mr ut yulok or in Devlok, wher e he will at t ain an abundance of
The Vachanmr ut 410
vishays t o indulge in. In fact , in Devlok, he will indulge in vishays
like t hose of a person who has deviat ed from his spirit ual endeavours
as described in t he Bhagwad Git .
4 On t he ot her hand, when t he householder devot ee passes away,
because he is free of worldly desires, he will at t ain t he abode of God
Br ahmapur where he will reside at t he holy feet of God.
5 As far as t he afor ement ioned r enunciant is concer ned, when he
becomes sat iat ed aft er indulging in t he vishays, he will event ually
develop vairgya t owar ds t hem; and t hen, feeling guilt y in his mind,
he will engage in t he worship of God. Thereaft er, he will become free
of worldly desires and at t ain t he abode of God.
6 Hear ing t his, Shr iji Mahr j comment ed, Cor r ect . That is t he
exact answer t o t he quest ion.
7 Then Mukt nand Swmi asked, If one has such st r ong wor ldly
desir es and wishes t o er adicat e t hem, by what means can t hey be
eradicat ed?
8 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, J ust as Uk Khchar has become
addict ed t o serving t he sdhus, in t he same way, if one becomes
addict ed t o ser ving God and His S ant t o t he ext ent t hat one would
not be able t o st ay for even a moment wit hout ser ving t hem, t hen all
of t he impure desires in ones antahkaran will be dest royed.
9 Then Swayampr ak shnand Swmi asked, Mahr j, by which
means is God ext remely pleased?
10 Shr iji Mahr j replied, If a devot ee who once had only 20 kg of
gr ains in his house wer e t o at t ain t he sover eignt y of a village, or t he
sover eignt y of five villages, or t he sover eignt y of 50 villages, or t he
sovereignt y of 100 villages, or even t he sovereignt y of t he ent ire
ear t h; and if, aft er t his, he r emains just as loving and humble wit h
t he S ant as he pr eviously was when he was poor and submissive; and
if he r emains just as humble even if he wer e t o at t ain t he kingdom of
Indralok and Brahmalok, t hen God would be ext remely pleased upon
him.
11 As for a r enunciant , even aft er at t aining power s similar t o
t hose possessed by God, if he can cont inue t o menially serve all
sdhus in exact ly t he same manner as he did when he was new and
t imid and not at t empt t o impose his aut hor it y upon ot her sdhus or
t ry t o compet e wit h t hem, t hen God would be ext remely pleased upon
him.
The Vachanmr ut 411
Ga d h a d I I -26
Su p p r essi n g t m -r ea lisa t ion a n d
Ot h er Vi r t u es i f Th ey Obst r u ct Bh a k t i
1 On t he night of Bhdar v sudi 11, Samvat 1879 [29 August
1822], Shr iji Mahr j was sit t ing in fr ont of t he mandir of Shr i
befor e Him.
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, A devot ee of God should never
do anyt hing t hat displeases God and His Bhakta, and he should also
abandon all t hose who hinder him in wor shipping God, even if t hey
ar e his own r elat ives. Also, just as one for sakes an enemy, one
should for sake any swabhv t hat does not please God. Fur t her mor e,
one should never support t hose who are non -believer s, just as
Bhar at ji did not support his own mot her. Also, a devot ee of God
should per ceive flaws pr imar ily in himself. Conver sely, a per son who
per ceives flaws in ot her s and only vir t ues in himself may be known
as a satsangi, but he should be known t o be half-fallen.
3 Fur t her mor e, for a devot ee of God, if gnn of t he t m, vairgya
or dharma ar e a hindr ance in his bhakti t owards God, t hen he should
suppr ess even t hem and t her eby maint ain t he pr edominance of
bhakti only. If, however , t hey ar e suppor t ive in offer ing bhakti, t hen
t hey ar e fine. Only one who has such an under st anding can be called
a full-fledged devotee of God.
4 Mor eover , no mat t er how gr eat he may be, if a per son per ceives
flaws in ot her s and vir t ues in himself, he will cer t ainly encount er
hindrances on t he pat h of liber at ion. For example, Rdhikji was
great and she also had int ense love for God; but when she perceived
vir t ues in her self and flaws in Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn, a t r ace of
t amogun ent er ed int o her love for him. Ther eaft er , she quar r elled
wit h Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn and Shr idm, and t hus Shr idm
cur sed her . As a r esult , Rdhikji fell fr om Golok, t ook bir t h in t he
home of a car pent er and had t o mar r y a man ot her t han God; t hus,
she suffered a severe disgrace. Even Shridm per ceived vir t ues in
The Vachanmr ut 412
himself and at t r ibut ed fault s t o Rdhikji. As a r esult , he was
cur sed by Rdhik and had t o become a demon.
5 This, however , is not t he way of falling fr om t he abode of God,
for t hose who have fallen have done so due t o Gods will. Aft er all,
God has declar ed, Even one who is as gr eat as Rdhikji will fall if
one perceives virt ues in oneself and perceives flaws in devot ees of
God. If t hat is so, what can be said of ot hers? Hence, a devot ee of
God should see only virt ues in all satsangis a n d should find only
flaws in himself. If a per son has such an under st anding, t hen even if
he is not ver y int elligent , his satsang st ill becomes st r onger day by
day. Wit hout it , t hough, even if he is ver y int elligent , he will fall
back fr om t he Sat sang fellowship and in t he end will cer t ainly
become a non -believer .
6 Mor eover , t he following pr act ice is obser ved ever ywher e: When
a king or a gur u scolds and r ebukes a ser vant or a disciple, if t he
ser vant or disciple accept s it posit ively, t hen t he king or t he gur u
har bour s t r emendous affect ion for him. Conver sely, t hey do not feel
affect ion t owar ds a per son who r eact s negat ively when given such
advice. Gods met hod is similar . When He gives advice t o someone,
if t hey accept it posit ively, He develops affect ion for t hem; if t hey
react negat ively, however, He does not develop affect ion for t hem.
Ga d h a d I I -27
Th e Gr e a t Ar e P le a se d Wh e n
No I mp u r e De si r e s Re ma i n
sout h-facing r ooms of Dd Khchar s darbr in Gadhad. He was
dressed ent irely in whit e clot hes. A garland of whit e and yellow
guldvadi flower s ador ned His neck, and t assels hung fr om bot h
sides of His pgh. At t hat t ime, an assembly of paramhansas as well
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j asked Mukt nand Swmi, What
causes anger t o ar ise wit hin you? Also, how much of t hat cause does
it t ake for you t o become angry? As for Me, even if someone
squander s anyt hing fr om one t o one hundr ed t housand r upees, I
The Vachanmr ut 413
would not become angry for My own sake. Yet if someone
t r ansgr esses his own dharma, or if an ar r ogant per son abuses a
meek per son, or if someone sides wit h injust ice, t hen for t he sake of
anot her per son, I do become angr y for a br ief moment ; but never do I
do so for My own sake. Even when I do express anger for anot hers
sake, it does not last for even a second, nor is any gr udge for med. So,
My quest ion t o you is what causes anger t o ar ise wit hin you and how
is it dispelled?
3 To t his Mukt nand Swmi r eplied, Anger ar ises due t o
associat ion wit h some object s or on seeing per ver sit y in a per son; but
it subsides inst ant ly.
4 Then Shr iji Mahr j asked, By what t hought pr ocess do you
manage t o do t hat ?
5 Mukt nand Swmi r eplied, Fir st , by cont emplat ing upon Gods
gr eat ness, I r ealise, I do not wish t o r et ain any swabhvs t hat would
displease God. Secondly, aft er examining t he pat h of sdhus such as
Shukji and J adbhar at , I t hink, Such an inappr opr iat e swabhv does
not suit a sdhu.
6 Then Shr iji Mahr j comment ed, Such a t hought t hat is
capable of r epelling t he for ce of lust , anger , et c., t r anscends t he
gunas, and it is fir m in your jiva. In fact , such t hought s t hat r epel
t he influence of lust , anger , et c., ar e due t o t he sanskrs of past lives.
Mor eover , r egar ding your nat ur e, I know t his much: Init ially, you
may become at t ached t o any wor ldly object t hat you come acr oss, but
ult imat ely, you do not r emain at t ached t o it ; you ar e capable of
br eaking t hat bondage.
7 Ther eaft er , Mukt nand Swmi quest ioned, Why does t he
deficiency of becoming influenced in t he fir st place st ill r emain?
8 Shr iji Mahr j replied, Each of t he eight fact or s of place, t ime,
company, et c.
1
, has a force equal t o t hat of t he past sanskrs. Thus,
when one encount ers t hem, t hey overpower t he force of t he past
sanskrs. Aft er all, if good deeds and bad deeds are performed only
by t he influence of ones sanskrs t hen all of t he dist inct ions of mor al
dos and dont s; i.e., This should be done and t his should not be done,
as prescribed in t he Vedas, t he Shst r as and t he Pur ns, would
become meaningless. But t hese scr ipt ur es, which have been writ t en
by t he gr eat , can never become false.
The Vachanmr ut 414
9 J ust see, J ay and Vijay behaved impr oper ly and t hus fell fr om
t he abode of God, where t here is no influence of kl, karma or m y.
On t he ot her hand, Pr ahld pleased Nr adji and t hus, even though
cir cumst ances wer e adver se, t hey wer e unable t o hinder him.
Conver sely, even t hough cir cumst ances wer e favour able in J ay-
Vijays case, because t he Sanak dik wer e anger ed, J ay-Vijay fell fr om
t he abode of God. Therefore, one who wishes t o at t ain liberat ion
should do what ever pleases t he great Purush. Such a Purush
becomes pleased when t here are no t races of impure desires left
wit hin ones hear t .
10 One should keep in mind, t hough, t hat one who har bour s anger
and ot her such vices t owar ds t he meek will also develop such feelings
t owards t he great , and t hereaft er also t owards ones Ishtadev. Thus,
a per son wishing t o at t ain liber at ion should not har bour any vicious
feelings t owards anyone; if he does, t hen he is sure t o develop such ill-
feelings t owards devot ees of God, and t hen event ually t owards God as
well.
11 That is why if I have upset even one meek per son I t hink, God
resides as antarymi in all. While st aying in one place, He knows
what is in ever yones hear t . So, since He must also be pr esen t in t he
heart of t he person whom I have upset , I have offended God as well.
Realising t his, I bow down t o him, give him what ever he wishes and
do what ever is necessar y t o please him.
12 Having said t his, Shr iji Mahr j cont inued, I have t hought and
realised t hat if one maint ains t oo much r enunciat ion or t oo much
compassion, t hen one cannot offer bhakti t owar ds God, t hus causing
a breach of upsan . For example, fr om t he past , we not ice t hat
upsan event ually perished in t hose who were ext reme renunciant s.
Ther efor e, having t hought about t his, and for t he sake of pr eser ving
upsan , I have r elaxed t he emphasis on r enunciat ion and have built
mandirs of God. Ther eby, even if only a lit t le r enunciat ion r emains,
upsan will at least be preserved, and t hr ough it , many jivas will
at t ain liber at ion.
13 On t he ot her hand, how is it possible for a person who wishes t o
offer bhakti t o God t o ret ain compassion like t hat of J ain sdhus?
Aft er all, a devot ee is required t o pick flowers and t ulsi for God; he is
required t o bring various t ypes of veget ables and t o cult ivat e gardens
for God; he must also build mandirs. Ther efor e, one who sit s idly,
maint aining ext r eme r enunciat ion and compassion, is unable t o offer
The Vachanmr ut 415
bhakti t o God. When bhakti diminishes, t he upsan of God is also
dest royed, and a lineage of blind followers result s. That is why I
have had mandirs built for t he purpose of preserving Gods upsan
for ever .
14 Moreover, a devot ee never deviat es from ones dharma. Hence,
t o perform t he bhakt i and upsan of God while maint aining ones
dharma is My pr inciple.
Ga d h a d I I -28
Ma h r js Comp a ssi on a t e Na t u r e; A Li feli n e
1 On Fgun sudi 2, Samvat 1879 [13 Febr uar y 1823], Swmi Shr i
Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing facing west on a squar e plat for m
at His r esidence in Dd Khchar s darbr in Gadhad. He was
2 Ther eupon Pr gji Dave comment ed, Ther e is no scr ipt ur e like
t he Shr imad Bhgwat .
3 Shr iji Mahr j said, Yes, t he Shr imad Bhgwat is cer t ainly
good, but t her e is no scr ipt ur e like t he Vsudev Mht mya, a por t ion
of t he Skand Pur n. Aft er all, in t hat scr ipt ur e gr eat emphasis has
been placed on dharma, gnn, vairgya and bhakti, as well as non -
violence.
4 Having said t his, Shr iji Mahr j cont inued, The Vlmiki
Rmyan and Har ivansh have placed gr eat emphasis on violence. In
fact , even Raghunt hji has behaved accor ding t o t he char act er ist ics
of a Kshat riya. Even t hough Raghunt hji prot ect ed anyone who
sought r efuge at his feet , he would, however , immediat ely abandon
t hem if t hey commit t ed even t he slight est mist ake. For example,
even t hough Sit ji became subject t o only minor public cr it icism, he
inst ant ly r enounced her , even t hough she was ver y dear t o him.
5 Hear ing t his, Mukt nand Swmi comment ed, Rmnand
Swmis nat ur e was similar .
The Vachanmr ut 416
6 Then Shr iji Mahr j r evealed, My nat ur e is not like t hat . I
have great compassion for devot ees of God. Of t he Pndavs, Ar jun
was also of a ver y compassionat e nat ur e. Amongst all men t her e has
been no man like Rmchandr aji and Ar jun, and amongst all women
t her e has been no woman like Sit ji and Dr aupadi.
7 Now I shall descr ibe My own nat ur e. Even t hough I have a
compassionat e nat ure, if a person spit es devot ees of God, t hen I
develop an aversion t owards t hat person. If I hear someone speaking
ill of devot ees, t hen I would not feel like speaking t o him, even if I
had t o. On t he ot her hand, I become ext remely pleased wit h one who
menially ser ves t he devot ees of God. In fact , My nat ur e is such t hat I
do not become easily pleased or displeased over small mat t ers. Only
aft er I have observed for many days whet her a person is wort hy of
My pleasure or displeasure do I become pleased or displeased. Never
do I become pleased or displeased wit h a person merely upon hear ing
someone elses opinions of t hat person; I appreciat e only t hose virt ues
t hat I per ceive wit h My own mind. Also, My inclinat ion is as follows:
If one is a genuine devot ee of God, t hen I am a devot ee of t hat
devot ee, and I do t he bhakti of such devot ees of God. This is My
gr eat est vir t ue. A per son who does not have t hat vir t ue is not wor t hy
of any t ype of great ness.
8 Conversely, t hose who have perceived flaws in devot ees of God,
even t hough t hey wer e ver y gr eat , have fallen fr om t heir st at us of
eminence. Those who progress do so only by serving devot ees of God,
and t hose who regress do so only by spit ing devot ees of God. In fact ,
t he only met hod for a person t o please God is t o serve devot ees of God
by t hought , word and deed. The only met hod t o displease God is t o
spit e devot ees of God.
9 Hence, My principle is t hat if God is pleased wit h Me, and I
have t he company of t he devot ees of God, t hen even if I were t o st ay
far away from God for count less years, I would not feel any grief
ment ally. On t he ot her hand, if God is not pleased wit h Me, t hen
even if I were t o st ay near God, I would not consider t hat t o be good.
Moreover, t he essence of all t he script ures is also t hat one should only
do t hat which pleases God. In fact , one who does not do t hat which
pleases God should be known t o have fallen from t he pat h of God.
10 If a person has t he company of t he devot ees of God and also has
ear ned Gods pleasur e, t hen even t hough he is in Mr ut yulok, he is
st ill in t he abode of God. Why? Because one who ser ves t he S ant
The Vachanmr ut 417
and ear ns Gods favour will cer t ainly st ay near God. Conver sely,
even if a devot ee is in t he abode of God, if he has not earned Gods
favour and is jealous of devot ees of God, t hen t hat devot ee will
cert ainly fall from t hat abode.
11 Hence, in order t o please God, I desire only t o serve devot ees of
God in t his life and all subsequent lives. Fur t her mor e, just as t his is
My r esolut ion, all of you should also make t he same r esolut ion.
12 Ther eupon Mukt nand Swmi and all of t he ot her devot ees
folded t heir hands in pr ayer and said, Mahr j, we also wish t o keep
such a resolut ion. Having said t his, all of t he devot ees pledged and
bowed at Shriji Mahr js feet .
13 Finally, Shr iji Mahr j added, What is t his discour se which I
have delivered befor e you like? Well, I have deliver ed it having hear d
and having ext r act ed t he essence fr om t he Vedas, t he Shst r as, t he
Pur ns and all ot her wor ds on t his ear t h per t aining t o liber at ion.
This is t he most pr ofound and fundament al pr inciple; it is t he
essence of all essences. For all t hose who have previously at t ained
liber at ion, for all t hose who will at t ain it in t he fut ur e and for all
t hose who ar e pr esent ly t r eading t he pat h of liber at ion, t his discour se
is like a lifeline.
Ga d h a d I I -29
Th e Ch a r a ct er i st i cs of
On e Wh o I s At t a ch ed t o God
1 On Fgun sudi 8, Samvat 1879 [18 Febr uar y 1823], Swmi Shr i
veranda out side t he nort h-facing r ooms of Dd Khchar s darbr in
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, A devot ee whose mind has
become deeply at t ached t o t he for m of Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn has t he
following char act er ist ics: Fir st ly, even t hough he may be ext r emely
exhaust ed aft er prolonged walking and does not have enough
st r engt h left in his body even t o sit upr ight , if an oppor t unit y t o t alk
about God ar ises, t hen he becomes at t ent ive and most willing t o
The Vachanmr ut 418
nar r at e and hear such t alks as if he has not walked even a single
mile. Also, r egar dless of any diseases or ailment s t hat may be a
sour ce of pain for him and r egar dless of being insult ed, if he hears
t alks about God, t hen he would inst ant ly be relieved of all his
miser ies. Fur t her mor e, he may appear t o be t ot ally engr ossed in t he
wealt h and pr oper t y he has at t ained, but t he moment he hear s t alks
of God, it would seem as if he has no associat ion wit h anyt hing.
Such would be his eagerness t o list en t o t alks about God. One who
has such charact erist ics should be known t o have developed deep
at t achment t o God.
3 Then Mukt nand Swmi asked, How does such deep
at t achment t owards God develop?
4 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, Eit her due t o ver y st r ong sanskrs fr om
past lives, or by ser ving and t hus pleasing t he S ant who has such
fir m at t achment wit h God t hese t wo met hods help creat e deep
at t achment t owar ds God. Besides t hese, t her e ar e no ot her met hods.
Ga d h a d I I -30
Not Becomi n g Bou n d by Women a n d Gold
1 On t he second Chait r a sudi 9, Samvat 1879 [19 Apr il 1823],
Swmi Shr i Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing on a cushion wit h a
cylindr ical pillow on t he veranda out side t he mandir of Shr i
clot h. He had also t ied a black-bordered clot h around His head. In
addit ion t o t his, He was wear ing a gar land of whit e flower s, and a
t assel of whit e flower s was dangling fr om His pgh. At t hat t ime, an
assembly of sdhus as well as devot ees from various places had
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, The Shr imad Bhgwat and t he
ot her sacr ed scr ipt ur es ar e t r ut hful, and so r ealit y r eflect s what is
st at ed in t hose scr ipt ur es. J ust see, in t he Shr imad Bhgwat , Kali
i

is said t o reside in gold, and for t hat reason I do not like even t he

i
Her e Kali r efer s t o Kali-yug.
The Vachanmr ut 419
sight of gold. Mor eover , just as gold is a sour ce of at t achment , so is
beaut y. Aft er all, when a beaut iful woman ent er s an assembly, even
t he most composed cannot r emain wit hout being dr awn t owar ds her
beaut y. Hence, gold and women ar e t he sour ce of ext r eme
at t achment .
3 One does not become at t ached t o t hese t wo when one realises
t he pure chaitanya Br ahma which t r anscends Pr akr ut i-Pur ush
as t he only sat ya; and when one r ealises t hat Br ahma t o be ones own
self; and when one becomes brahmarup and wor ships Shr i Kr ishna
Bhagwn, who is Par abr ahma; and when one r ealises Pr akr ut i and
all of t he ent it ies which have evolved from it all of which are below
t hat Br ahma as being asat ya, per ishable and wor t hless; and when
one views all m yik names and for ms
i
as flawed and develops int ense
vairgya t owar ds all t hose names and for ms. Only under t hese
condit ions do gold and women not bind a person; ot herwise, t hey most
cer t ainly do cause bondage.
Ga d h a d I I -31
Associa t in g wit h Br a h ma t h r ou gh Con t e mpla t ion
1 On Shr van sudi 4, Samvat 1880 [10 August 1823], Shr iji
Mahr j was sit t ing upon a cushion wit h a cylindr ical pillow t hat
had been placed on a square plat form at His residence in Dd
clot hes. He had also t ied a black-bordered clot h around His head. At
t hat t ime, while He was having t he Kapil Git a sect ion of t he
Shr imad Bhgwat r ead by Pr gji Dave, paramhansas as well as
devot ees from various places had gat hered befor e Him in an
assembly.
2 Following t he r eading, Shr iji Mahr j said t o t he paramhansas ,
Vsudev Bhagwn who is Pur ushot t am, t he cause of all causes
and who t r anscends Akshar implant s vir ilit y in mah m y
t hr ough Mah-Pur ush. That Pur ush is like Akshar , he is a mukt a

i
Her e myik names and for m r efer s t o anyt hing t hat has a name and a for m
ever yt hing t hat has ar isen fr om my.
The Vachanmr ut 420
and he is also known as Br ahma
i
. When t hat Pur ush implant s
vir ilit y in m y, Vir t -Pur ush is bor n fr om m y via Pradh n-
Pur ush. Thus, t hat Vir t -Pur ush is said t o be t he son of it s
r espect ive Pur ush. J ust as a Brhmin, a Kshat riya, a Vaishya or
anot her man of t his wor ld beget s a son fr om his wife, similar ly,
Vir t -Pur ush is also begot t en.
3 That Vir t -Pur ush is just like t his jiva, and his act ions ar e also
similar t o t he jiva. The lifespan of t hat Virt -Pur ush is t wo
parrdhs. The cr eat ion, sust enance and dissolut ion of t his cosmos
ar e his t hr ee st at es, just as waking, dr eam and deep sleep ar e t he
t hree st at es of t he jiva. Virt , sut rt m and avykrut are t he t hree
bodies of t hat Virt -Pur ush. These bodies, which ar e encir cled by t he
eight bar r ier s
5
, have been produced from t he 24 element s
2
compr ising
of mahat t at t va, et c.
4 The indriyas , antahkaran and t heir pr esiding deit ies ent ered
t hat Vir t and at t empt ed t o awaken him. Despit e Vir t s jiva being
inside his body, Virt st ill did not r ise. Only when Vsudev
Bhagwn t he kshetragna ent ered wit hin him in t he for m of
Purush did t he body of Virt r ise. Only t hen did Vir t -Pur ush
become capable of per for ming all his act ivit ies.
5 To inspir e t he jiva, t hat same God while t r anscending m y
in t he form of deep sleep resides in t he jiva as it s wit ness. The jiva,
however , has been associat ed wit h t he body, t he indriyas and t he
vishays. As a r esult of t his impr oper associat ion, t he jiva has become
one wit h t he body, indriyas , et c. Aft er for saking t heir associat ion,
t he jiva r ealises, My self is Br ahma, which is t r anscendent al and
free from m y. If one associat es wit h Br ahma t hr ough cont inuous
cont emplat ion in t his manner , t he jiva acquir es t he vir t ues of t hat
Br ahma. However , it is a gr eat fault of t he jiva t hat even aft er
hear ing t his fact , it cannot maint ain const ant r emembr ance.
6 In t his way, t he inspir er of bot h t he ishwar known as Vir t -
Pur ush and of t his jiva is Pur ushot t am also known as Vsudev in
t he for m of Pur ush. Like t he jiva, t hat Vir t -Pur ush is also bound,
r emaining bound unt il he complet es his lifespan of t wo parrdhs.
When he dies, he get s dir ect cont act wit h t hat Pur ush. This is
because his fat her , Pur ush, is power ful and car es for him

i
Her e Br ahma should be under st ood t o mean akshar-mukta.
The Vachanmr ut 421
appropriat ely. So, because Virt -Pur ush is at t ached t o m y, he is
again produced from m y at t he end of dissolut ion.
7 Mor eover , just as t he jiva is bound and powerless, in t he same
way, it s fat her is also bound and power less. How, t hen, can t he
fat her help his son? Thus t he jiva r emains cont inuously at t ached t o
m y in t he for m of unconsciousness; t hat at t achment , however , is
never br oken. Only when one const ant ly associat es wit h ones
inspir er , Br ahma, t hr ough cont emplat ion as previously described
is t hat at t achment br oken.
8 Also, Vir t -Pur ush wor ships Sankar shan, Anir uddha and
Pr adyumna. Specifically, dur ing t he st at e of dissolut ion, he worships
Sankar shan; dur ing t he st at e of sust enance, he wor ships
Pr adyumna; and dur ing t he st at e of cr eat ion, he wor ships
Anir uddha. In fact , t he t r io of Sankar shan, Anir uddha and
Pr adyumna ar e t he sagun for ms of Vsudev Bhagwn, and it is on
t he st r engt h of his wor ship of t hem t hat Vir t -Pur ush becomes
capable of perfor ming t he act ivit ies of cr eat ion, sust enance and
dissolut ion. Mor eover , as long as he wor ships t hese t hr ee, his
associat ion wit h m y in t he for m of cr eat ion, sust enance and
dissolut ion is not br oken. It is when he wor ships Vsudev
Bhagwn, who is nirgun, t hat Vir t -Pur ush for sakes m y and
becomes brahmarup. Similar ly, when t he jiva worships God in t he
for m of Br ahm and ot her deit ies, it at t ains fr uit s in t he for m of
dharma, arth and km. But , when it wor ships t he avat rs of God
Rm, Kr ishna and ot her s it becomes brahmarup and at t ains
liberat ion . The same applies for Vir t -Pur ush.
9 Now, it is said in t he scr ipt ur es t hat t he avat rs manifest fr om
t hat Vir t -Pur ush. This should be under st ood as follows: When
Vsudevnr yan t hr ough t he for m of Pur ush comes and resides
in Vir t -Pur ush, he is said t o be an avat r. Thus all t hose avat rs
are Vsudev Bhagwns only. When t hat Vsudev Bhagwn
wit hdr aws Himself and separ at es fr om Vir t -Pur ush, t hen it is not
possible for an avat r t o manifest t hr ough Vir t -Pur ush alone.
Thus, t he descr ipt ions of avat rs manifest ing t hr ough him ar e only
because of t he pr esence of Vsudev in him. In fact , when Vsudev
t he kshetragna had not yet ent er ed him, t hat Vir t -Pur ush was not
even capable of per for ming any of his own act ivit ies.
10 When t he pr eviously-ment ioned Pur ush impr egnat es m y, a
son in t he for m of Vir t -Pur ush is pr oduced via Pr adh n-Pur ush.
The Vachanmr ut 422
Fr om t hat same m y, many brahmnds in t he for m of Vir t -
Pur ushes are produced via count less Pradh n-Pur ush pair s.
Fur t her mor e, t hat Pur ush is desir eless, he is a mukt a, he is
brahmarup and he is t he cause of m y. Alt hough he st ays wit hin
m y, he st ill r emains unaffect ed by m y. Also, he has no desire t o
enjoy m y since he is cont ent due t o t he bliss of Br ahma; t hus, he is
fulfilled.
11 The ishwar known as Vir t -Pur ush indulges in t he pleasur es of
m y and t hen, at t he t ime of dissolut ion, for sakes m y. The jiva,
on t he ot her hand, indulges in t he pleasur es of m y and t hen
mer ges int o m y, r emaining miser able.
12 Shuk Muni t hen asked, Pur ushot t am Vsudev, in t he for m of
Pur ush, is t he cause of t he cr eat ion, sust enance and dissolut ion of
count less brahmnds. Consequent ly, t he scr ipt ur es gener ally
descr ibe Pur ushot t am as Pur ush. But what is t he ext ent of t he
dist inct ion bet ween Pur ush and Vsudev?
13 Shr iji Mahr j t hen explained, J ust as t here is a difference
bet ween t he jiva and Virt -Pur ush, who is an ishwar; and just as
t here is also a difference bet ween ishwar and Pur ush, similar ly,
t her e is an immense differ ence bet ween Pur ush and Vsudev
Bhagwn Pur ushot t am. Pur ushot t am Vsudev Bhagwn is t he
mast er of all, wher eas t her e ar e many such brahmarup, Akshar -like
Pur ushes who wor ship t he holy feet of Vsudev and who offer praise
t o Him. In t his way, Pur ushot t am, Pur ush, ishwar, jiva and m y
are t he five et ernal ent it ies.
14 I have explained t his fact in t his way many t imes, but it is not
fir mly fixed in ones hear t due t o a lack of deep cont emplat ion. As a
r esult , aft er list ening t o t he wor ds of t he scr ipt ur es, no st abilit y
r emains in ones under st anding. If, however , it has been absolut ely
fixed, t hen ones under st anding would never falt er on list ening t o
such wor ds. Ther efor e, t his fact should be t hor oughly cont emplat ed
upon and wr it t en down. In t his way, t he discour se deliver ed by
Shr iji Mahr j has been wr it t en.
The Vachanmr ut 423
Ga d h a d I I -32
A Ca ct u s P la n t ; Un h i n d er ed Bh a k t i
Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing in His r esidence in Dd
clot hes. He had also t ied a black-bor der ed clot h ar ound His head. In
addit ion t o t his, gar lands of flower s ador ned His neck, bunches of
flowers were placed upon His ears and t assels of flowers were placed
upon His head. At t hat t ime, an assembly of paramhansas as well as
2 Then addressing all of t he devot ees, Shriji Mahr j said, In
wor ldly life, t he affect ion one has for family member s is like t hat of a
cact us plant or t he br anch of a banyan or pipal t r ee. That is, if t hey
ar e cut and t r ansplant ed elsewher e, t hey would once again grow int o
t r ees. In compar ison, once a mango t r ee or a neem t r ee is cut , it does
not t ake r oot again. The affect ion t hat one has for t hose ot her t han
t he member s of ones family is like t hat of t he mango t r ee or t he
neem t r ee. Again, t he affect ion one has for t he members of ones
family is like t he cact us plant and banyan t r ee in t hat if t hey have
been cut down, t hey unfailingly do gr ow again, even while lying in
t he soil.
3 For t his r eason, t he affect ion t hat a per son har bour s for his
family is only upr oot ed when he r ealises his t r ue for m t o be t he
jivt m , dist inct fr om t he t hr ee bodies of sthul, sukshma and kran ;
when, discar ding all vanit y of gender , cast e and ashram , he beholds
Gods form wit hin it ; and when he becomes eager t o en gage only in
t he wor ship of God. Only t hen will t he affect ion t hat he har bour s for
his family be complet ely cut . Besides t his, t hough, t her e ar e no ot her
means t o do so.
4 Then Shr iji Mahr j cont inued, The sole cause behind t he jiva
at t aining liber at ion, t r anscending m y and becoming
brahmaswarup is it s engagement in t he gnn, medit at ion, devot ional
songs, spir it ual discour ses, et c., of t he manifest for m of Vsudev
Bhagwn, who is Pur ushot t am. It is due t o t hese t hat t he jiva
t r ansgr esses m y, at t ains an ext r emely elevat ed st at e, and also
at t ains Gods Akshar dh m. In t his, t m -r ealisat ion, vairgya and
dharma ar e mer ely helpful auxiliar ies in offer ing bhakti t o God.
Wit hout t he bhakti of God, t hough, vairgya, t m -realisat ion and
The Vachanmr ut 424
dharma alone are not capable of allowing t he jiva t o t r anscend m y.
In fact , even if one does not possess int ense dharma, t m -r ealisat ion
or vairgya, if one possesses only bhakti t owards God, t hen one would
st ill at t ain liber at ion and t r anscend m y. Such is t he super ior it y of
bhakti over dharma, t m -r ealisat ion, and vairgya.
5 Never t heless, only wit h t he help of dharma and t he ot her
at t r ibut es is unhinder ed bhakti possible. Wit hout t hose ot her
at t r ibut es, t hough, t her e will definit ely be difficult ies in offer ing
bhakti dur ing t imes of adver se cir cumst ances. That is why one
should offer bhakti coupled wit h dharma, t m -realisat ion and
vairgya.
6 Having said t his, t hough, even if a devot ee who offer s such
bhakti happens t o be confront ed by adver se places, t imes, act ions and
company, t hen alt hough he is a devot ee of God, his heart would
indeed become dist urbed, and he would become whimsical.
Ther efor e, one should for sake such adver se places, adver se t imes,
adverse act ions and adverse company, and for ever associat e wit h
favour able places, favour able t imes, favour able act ions and
favour able company; but never should one associat e wit h adver se
cir cumst ances.
Ga d h a d I I -33
Th e Vow of Non -Lu s t
cylindrical pillow t hat had been placed on a large, decorat ed cot in
2 Then, addr essing all of t he sdhus and devot ees, Shriji Mahr j
said, Fir st , I shall t alk about My inclinat ion. Ther eaft er , all of you
ca n descr ibe your per sonal t hought s as t o how you feel liber at ion can
be at t ained, and you can also explain how you t hink you should
behave in order for God t o be pleased wit h you in t his realm and
beyond.
The Vachanmr ut 425
3 Having said t his, Shr iji Mahr j began t o descr ibe His own
inclinat ion, saying, If it appear s t o Me t hat I have a liking for
somet hing, I would only be happy aft er I have discarded it . Should I
r ecall in My mind any object or any per son ot her t han devot ees of
God, t hen I would feel comfort able only aft er I have t ot ally dist anced
Myself fr om t hat object or per son. Also, in My hear t , in no way do I
ever experience an aversion t owards a devot ee of God. Even t hough I
am insist ingly offer ed t he panchvishays wit hout act ually wishing for
t hem Myself, I st ill do not have any desir e for t hem. In fact , I push
t hem away. In fact , I swear by t he lives of t hese paramhansas t hat
fr om t he day I was bor n t o t his ver y day, I have never harboured an
impr oper t hought r egar ding women or wealt h, eit her in t he waking
st at e or in t he dr eam st at e. Thus, I am et er nally flawless. One who
per ceives any flaws in Me will himself suffer fr om vicious t hought s
bot h in t he waking and dr eam st at es. Mor eover , he will suffer
gr eat ly at t he t ime of his deat h as well.
4 In addit ion, only the cont emplat ion of God r emains wit hin My
hear t , and alt hough I out war dly meet and mingle wit h devot ees of
God, it is solely for t he benefit of t heir jivas. Indeed, t he day when I
feel t hat I have developed affect ion for somet hing ot her t han t he
devot ees of God, I will consider Myself as having been dislodged from
My spir it ual st at us. However , I am confident t hat t hat would never
happen. Thus, I have descr ibed My inclinat ion t o you. Now, all of
you can descr ibe your own per sonal inclinat ions.
5 Hear ing this, all of t he sdhus and devot ees each described t heir
inclinat ions, i.e., t heir beliefs as t o how God would be pleased upon
t hem if t hey wer e t o abide by t hat inclinat ion in t his r ealm and
beyond. Of t hem, some described how t hey possess vairgya of
ever yt hing except God; ot her s ment ioned t heir vir t ue of t m -
realisat ion ; some spoke of t heir love for God; some ment ioned t heir
observance of dharma. In t his manner , many differ ent inclinat ions
were ment ioned. However, no one ment ioned t he inclinat ion t hat
Shr iji Mahr j had in mind.
6 So, Shr iji Mahr j said, If a person firmly observes t he vow of
non -lust , t hen he is never far fr om God whet her he is in t his r ealm
or beyond. Moreover, My affect ion for such a person never
diminishes. In fact , the very reason t hat I have st ayed here is
because of t hese devot ees firm resolve t o observe t he vow of non -lust .
If a per son st r ict ly obser ves t hat vow, t hen even if I wer e a t housand
The Vachanmr ut 426
miles away fr om him, I would st ill be close t o him. Conver sely, if a
person is slack in his observance of t he vow of non -lust , t hen even if
he is beside Me, he is as good as a hundred t housand miles away. In
fact , I do not like t o be ser ved by such a per son. It is only because
t his Mulji Br ahmachr i is ext r emely st aunch in his obser vance of t he
vow of non -lust t hat I ver y much like his ser vice. If, however ,
someone else serves Me, I am not as pleased.
7 Fur t her mor e, in all of t he discour ses t hat I deliver , I always
st rongly propagat e observance of t he vow of non -lust . Indeed, I have
been solidly r einfor cing it since t he day I was bor n.
8 When an assembly has gat her ed, if a man or woman looks
lust fully at someone else, t hen no mat t er how har d t hey may t r y t o
conceal it , it never escapes My at t ent ion. At t hat t ime, I become
ext remely displeased upon t hat person, and even My face t urns red.
It hur t s Me deeply, but feeling obliged, I cannot say much.
Fur t her mor e, being a sdhu, I keep My feelings wit hin My hear t , but
if I were t o adopt t he ways of a king, I would punish t hat person
sever ely.
9 That is why I have alr eady inst r uct ed all of t he senior
paramhansas and senior women t hat if any male or female devot ee in
t he Sat sang fellowship commit s a br each in his or her obser vance of
t he vow of non -lust , t hen please do not infor m Me of it . Because
when I hear such t hings, I am deeply saddened just as a childless
couple would feel saddened if t heir newly born son were t o suddenly
die. In fact , at such t imes, I feel like abandoning t his Sat sang and
leaving. Ther efor e, only t hose who observe t his vow are dear t o Me;
t hey and I will always by very close, bot h in t his r ealm and beyond.
10 Ther eupon Har ji Thakkar asked, By what means can ones
observance of t he vow of non -lust become ext r emely fir m?
11 Shr iji Mahr j replied, Ther e is a way, and it compr ises of
t hr ee component s. J ust as many component s make up a bullock
car t t he dr iver , t he pair of bullocks, t he wheels, t he yoke, t he
suppor t ing assembly, t he wooden fr ame, et c. similar ly, many
component s are required t o be able t o firmly observe t he vow of non -
lust . Of t hese, t hough, t her e ar e t hr ee t hat ar e absolut ely
fundament al.
12 One is t o conquer t he mind by const ant ly cont emplat ing in
ones mind, I am t he t m , not t he body. Also, t he mind should be
The Vachanmr ut 427
cont inuously kept engaged in t he nine t ypes of bhakti, i.e., list ening
t o spirit ual discourses relat ed t o God, et c. It should not be left
unoccupied for even a moment . For example, if a man conquer s a
ghost but does not assign it some wor k t o do, t he ghost would t ur n
ont o t he man himself. In t his sense, t he mind is just like a ghost ;
when it is not engaged in t he bhakti of God, it begins t o conceive evil
t hought s. This can be likened t o t he ghost get t ing r eady t o devour
t he man. For t his r eason, t hen, t he mind shou ld cont inuously be
kept occupied in spir it ual discour ses, devot ional songs, et c., r elat ed t o
God. This can be known as having conquer ed t he mind.
13 The second component is t o keep t he prns under cont r ol. Shr i
Kr ishna Bhagwn h a s said in t he Bhagwad Git , Ones diet and
act ivit y should be kept regulat ed; t hat is, one should not keep a
st r ong year ning for food. One who behaves in t his manner is said t o
have kept his prns under cont rol. If t his is not done, one will feel an
int ense year ning for food in ones mind. Consequent ly, ones t ongue
will hanker aft er t he count less t ypes of t ast es. As r esult , any ot her
indriyas t hat one may have conquered will also become
unconst r ained. Ther efor e, one should cont r ol ones prns by
cont r olling ones diet .
14 The t hir d component requires one t o cont rol ones body by
physically keeping it wit hin t he niyams pr escr ibed in Sat sang for
each individual.
15 Thus, by st r ict ly obser ving t hese t hr ee component s in t his
manner, ones observance of t he vow of non -lust becomes ext r emely
fir m. But one should not consider t his t o be ver y difficult t o pr act ise.
Because it is not at all difficult for one who is, aft er all, a sdhu. The
enemies of lust , anger , avar ice, et c., pr evail st r ongly even in a sdhu,
but t o please God, he would st ill for sake t hem; for only t hen can he be
called a t r ue sdhu.
16 Aft er all, what is impossible t o achieve wit h t his human body?
That which is pr act ised r egular ly can definit ely be achieved. For
example, due t o t he daily drawing of wat er fr om a well, t he const ant
rubbing of even a soft rope can cause a groove in t he very hard piece
of r ock t hat lies on t he edge of t hat well. Similar ly, for one who is a
sdhu and who cont inuously per sist s in his effor t s for er adicat ing his
swabhvs, how long can t hose swabhvs r emain? They most
cert ainly will be dest royed. Therefore, one who wishes t o observe t he
The Vachanmr ut 428
vow of non -lust should int ensely employ t he met hod t hat compr ises of
t he t hr ee component s I have just descr ibed.
Ga d h a d I I -34
Ar e t h e Elemen t s J a d or Ch a i t a n ya ?
east -facing r ooms of Dd Khchar s darbr in Gadhad. He was
wear ing a whit e dhot iyu and had cover ed Himself wit h a whit e
cot t on clot h. He had also t ied a black-bordered clot h around His
head. At t hat t ime, some paramhansas wer e singing t o t he
accompaniment of a dukad and sarod, while ot her paramhansas as
assembly.
2 Shr iji Mahr j t hen said, Please st op t he devot ional songs, and
let us conduct a quest ion -answer session in order t o dispel
dr owsiness.
3 Having said t hat , Shr iji Mahr j cont inued, Fir st of all, allow
Me t o ask a quest ion: The 24 element s
2
such as t he indriyas ,
antahkaran , et c. which ar e t he r esult of m y reside in t he jiva.
Now, ar e t hose element s jad, or ar e t hey chaitanya?
4 The paramhansas replied, Those element s are definit ely
chaitanya.
5 Hear ing t he r eply, Shr iji Mahr j count er ed, If t hose element s
are chaitanya, t hen along wit h t he jiva r esiding in t his body, t her e
should be 24 jivas for t he 24 element s. Thus, when t he jiva at t ains
liberat ion , it would be dist r ibut ed among all of t hem; mor eover , all
sins t hat ar e commit t ed by t he jiva would also be dist ribut ed among
all of t hem. Therefore, t he experiencer of pleasure and pain cannot
be said t o be just one jiva. Fur t her mor e, t he t hr ee t ypes of karmas
sanchit karmas , prrabdha karmas and kriyam n karmas cannot
be said t o apply t o just one jiva. Fur t her mor e, in t he past , when
Nr ad and t he ot her s became liber at ed, only t heir own jiva became
liberat ed, but t here is no ment ion of t he jivas of t he 24 element s
becoming liber at ed as well.
The Vachanmr ut 429
6 By using such logic, Shr iji Mahr j proved t he element s t o be
wit hout a jiva. He t hen logically dispr oved each answer given by t he
paramhansas. As a r esult , t he paramhansas were unable t o answer
t he quest ion in any way at all.
7 Shr iji Mahr j t hen said, Her e, allow Me t o answer t he
quest ion. Due t o t he difference bet ween an effect and it s cause, t here
are t wo t ypes of element s. The element s t hat are in t he form of t he
cause ar e chaitanya, and t he element s t hat ar e in t he for m of t he
effect are jad. Now, in act ualit y, t he jiva r esides in t he hear t ; but
t hr ough it s power of consciousness, it behaves wit h oneness wit h t he
body, indriyas and antahkaran . As a r esult , t he body, indriyas , et c.,
appear t o be chaitanya, but in r ealit y t hey ar e jad.
8 When t hat jiva becomes a devot ee of God and at t ains t he abode
of God, t he element s which ar e jad ar e left behind. Now, as t hose 24
element s are produced from m y, t hey ar e for ms of m y and are
jad; t hey appear different ly in t he form of t he body, indriyas and
antahkaran . For example, t her e is one prut hvi t hat assumes t he five
for ms of t he skin, flesh, mar r ow, bones and muscles. Due t o t he
ingenuit y of t he maker , it also comes in t he for m of glass. In t he
same way, t hat m y, due t o t he will of God, appears in different
for ms t he body, t he indriyas , et c.
Ga d h a d I I -35
Th e Un d er gr ou n d St or e of Gr a i n s
1 Appr oximat ely an hour -and-a-half before sunrise on Bhdar v
sudi 11, Samvat 1880 [16 Sept ember 1823], Shr iji Mahr j awoke
from sleep and sat on a large, decorat ed cot t hat had been placed over
t he under gr ound st or e of gr ains in Dd Khchar s darbr in
wit h a whit e blanket . He had also t ied a black-bordered clot h around
His head.
2 At t hat t ime, Shr iji Mahr j summoned all of t he paramhansas
and devot ees. Then, addr essing t hem, He began, I slept ver y
soundly last night , and t hough I t r ied ver y har d t o awake, I could
not . Dur ing t hat sleep, I t hought a gr eat deal. It is based upon t hese
The Vachanmr ut 430
t hought s t hat I have t aken a r esolut ion, about which I shall now t ell
you.
3 He t hen said, Even befor e I met Rmnand Swmi, I could see
My t m as if it were before My eyes, and I also see it now. That
t m is luminous wit h light like t hat of t he sun. Even amidst t he
act ivit ies of all My indriyas , I do not lose awareness of t hat t m for
even a moment .
4 In act ual fact , such t m -r ealisat ion is ver y difficult t o at t ain.
Only a for t unat e per son who has sanskrs of many past lives is able
t o at t ain such realisat ion, whereas if someone else were t o
cont emplat e upon t he t m for even a hundred years, he would st ill
not at t ain r ealisat ion.
5 So how can one at t ain t m -r ealisat ion? Well, when one
medit at es on t he for m of Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn, it is not at all
difficult t o at t ain realisat ion. Conversely, no one should even hope of
r ealising or seeing t he t m by mer ely cont emplat ing upon it wit hout
medit at ing on God. However , by t he upsan of God, nar r at ing His
divine incident s, chant ing His holy name, and obser ving ones
dharma, it is not at all difficult for t he jiva t o at t ain liber at ion; it is
an easy pat h like cr ossing t he ocean by sit t ing in a boat . In
cont r ast , t o at t ain liber at ion t hr ough t m -r ealisat ion is a difficult
pat h like t ying gour ds t o oneself and t r ying t o cr oss t he ocean.
6 The only r eason why I deliver such t alks about knowledge of t he
t m is t hat if one can r ealise ones t m t o be dist inct fr om t he
body, t hen one will no longer harbour any love for ones body or for
ones r elat ives. Then, t her e would no longer be any hindr ances in t he
bhakti of God. This is t he only r eason; but one should not t hink t hat
it is possible t o at t ain liberat ion by t he knowledge of t he t m alone.
7 Also, t her e ar e sayings in t he wor ld such as, _
_ _.
i
But t hey are not t rue. Because regardless of how
much a per son may have mast er ed sam dhi, or how t hought ful he
may be, if he begins t o st ay in t he close company of women, t her e is
no way in which he could maint ain his dharma. Similar ly,

i
Man hoy chang to kathrotm Gang.
If t he mind is pur e, t hen a vessel of wat er is as good as Gang-wat er , i.e. if t he
mind is pur e, t her e is no need t o bat he in t he Gang t o become pur e.
The Vachanmr ut 431
r egar dless of how st aunch a woman may be in obser ving dharma, if
she st ays in t he close company of men, t hen she would also in no way
be able t o maint ain her dharma. Thus, no one should believe t hat
men and women can st ay in each ot her s company and st ill be able t o
maint ain t heir dharma. This fact is t r ue, and no one should doubt
it .
8 When can one maint ain ones dharma? Only if t hose who are
paramhansas and brahmachris abide by t he niyams prescribed for
t hem, such as brahmacharya, will t hey be able t o maint ain t heir
dharma. The same is t r ue for women; only if t hey abide by t he
niyams pr escr ibed for t hem will t hey be able t o maint ain t heir
dharma as well. In t he same way, if all ot her satsangi householders
abide by t he niyams prescribed for t hem including not st aying in
an isolat ed place wit h even ones young mot her , sist er or daught er ;
and not ext ensively looking at t hem eit her t hen t hey will also be
able t o maint ain t heir dharma.
9 In t his way, obser vance of ones dharma, upsan of t he form of
God, list ening t o and nar r at ing t he divine incident s of Gods avat rs,
and chant ing His holy name t hese four are t he only at t r ibut es
fundament ally necessar y for t he jivas liber at ion.
10 Indeed, all of you realise Me t o be God. So, wherever I have
organised fest ivals; wherever all of t he paramhansas and
brahmachris, male and female satsangi devot ees have gat hered;
when I have had devot ional songs sung; when I have delivered
discour ses; when My puja has been per for med; et c. all such act ions
and incident s should be nar r at ed, hear d, and cont emplat ed upon in
t he mind. If a per son r emember s t hese dur ing his last moment s, his
jiva will cer t ainly at t ain t he abode of God. In t his way, all of My
divine act ions and incident s, as well as t he chant ing of My name, ar e
r edempt ive. When I explained t his t o Swar upnand Swmi, t he
agonising pain in his body due t o his illness was complet ely relieved,
and he felt profound peace. In fact , he could see his own t m ver y
well, yet it was of no use.
11 One should also narrat e and list en t o t he divine incident s of t he
previous avat rs of God such as Rm, Kr ishna, et c., wher ever t hose
incident s may have t aken place.
12 It is for t he purpose of consolidat ing t hose four at t ribut es in you
t hat I have ext ensively propagat ed t he eight script ures
13
, namely t he
The Vachanmr ut 432
Shr imad Bhgwat and ot her s. Thus, t hose scr ipt ur es should be r ead
and st udied; and only t hose four at t ribut es should be emphasised.
13 Also, r ealise t hat t o t r y t o at t ain liber at ion by only obser ving
dharma wit hout t he ot her t hr ee at t r ibut es upsan of Gods for m,
nar r at ing and list ening t o Gods divine incident s, and chant ing His
holy name would be as difficult as t r ying t o cr oss t he ocean aft er
t ying gourds t o oneself. Yet , t hough a person has t he refuge of t he
for m of God; t hough he nar r at es and list ens t o Gods divine incident s
and t hough he chant s t he name of God, if he does not obser ve
dharma, he should be known t o be as foolish as one who t ries t o cross
t he ocean car r ying a st one slab upon his head; he should also be
known t o be like an out cast .
14 Thus, a jiva can at t ain liber at ion only by t hose four at t r ibut es.
Wit hout t hem, ther e ar e no ot her means by which one can at t ain
liberat ion. However, one should only list en t o and sing t he devot ional
songs and poems wr it t en by Mukt nand Swmi and ot her sdhus.
Devot ional songs and poems composed by ot her poet s can also be
heard and sung if t hey describe t he divine act ions and incident s of
God. But poems and devot ional songs like t hose composed by t he
likes of Kabir and Akh should neit her be sung nor hear d.
15 Concluding, Shr iji Mahr j said, All of you have fait h in Me. If
I wer e t o mislead you wit h unfounded t alks, it would amount t o
t hr owing all of you int o a well and sealing it wit h a st one slab so t hat
t here would be no hope of escape. However, if, because of your fait h
in My wor ds, you ar e misled along t he wr ong pat h, t hen of what good
would t hat be t o Me? Thus, t hese discour ses ar e for t he sake of your
liberat ion. I have t old you t his out of affect ion for all of you, so now
all of you should under st and it and st r ict ly live by it .
16 Having said t his, Shr iji Mahr j finally added, Now, if you
have decided t o act accor ding t o t he discour se which I have just
delivered, t hen come forward one by one and t ouch My feet . While
doing so, t ake an oat h and pledge, I definit ely want t o behave
accor dingly.
17 Ther eupon, all of t he paramhansas and satsangis happily got up
and t ouched Shr iji Mahr js holy feet and bowed before Him.
Thereaft er, He t old t he ladies t o do t he same. So, st anding at a
dist ance, t he ladies also pledged and t ook an oat h t o behave
accor dingly. Shr iji Mahr j was ver y pleased wit h t his. Ther eaft er ,
He ret ired t o His residence.
The Vachanmr ut 433
Ga d h a d I I -36
Fou r Mea n s of Ma in t a in in g Con t in u ou s Vr u t t i
1 On Bhdar v sudi Punam, Samvat 1880 [30 Sept ember 1823],
cot on t he veranda out side t he west -facing r ooms of Dd Khchar s
darbr in Gadhad. He was dr essed ent ir ely in whit e clot hes. At
t hat t ime, an assembly of paramhansas as well as devot ees from
2 Shr iji Mahr j t hen said, Please conduct a quest ion -answer
session.
3 Ther eupon Mukt nand Swmi asked a quest ion: By what
means can one cont inuously engage ones vrut t i on God?
4 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, Act ually, t her e ar e four met hods t o
achieve t his. Of t hese, t he fir st is t hat if ones chit t has a t endency of
becoming engr ossed, t hen it would become engr ossed in ever yt hing.
So, just as it becomes engr ossed in ones son, wife, et c., it can also
become engrossed in God. Thus, t hat is one met hod.
5 The second met hod is t o be ext r emely br ave. When a per son
wit h such br aver y in his hear t conceives some desir ous t hought ot her
t han t hat of God, t hen as he is a brave devot ee, int ense cont emplat ion
ar ises wit hin, t hus dispelling all such desir ous t hought s. Ther eby,
he cont inuously engages his vrut t i on t he form of God.
6 The t hir d met hod is fear . If ext r eme fear of bir t h, deat h, narak
and t he cycle of bir t hs and deat hs exist s in a per sons hear t , he
cont inuously engages his vrut t i on t he form of God due t o fear.
7 The four t h met hod is vairgya. A per son wit h vairgya
t hr ough gnn of t he Snkhya scr ipt ur es r ealises his own t m t o
be dist inct fr om t he body, and except for t hat t m , he r ealises all
worldly object s t o be asat ya. Following t his, he beholds Par amt m
wit hin his t m and cont inuously cont emplat es on Him.
8 Wit h t he except ion of a person on whom God best ows His
gr ace r egar ding which t her e is not hing t o say people may at t empt
count less ot her means, but wit hout r esor t ing t o t hese four met hods,
one will not be able t o cont inuously engage ones vrut t i on God. Of
The Vachanmr ut 434
cour se, cont inuously engaging ones vrut t i on God is an ext remely
difficult feat . It is only t hose whose good deeds from many many
lives have ripened who are able t o do so. For ot hers, it is very
difficult , indeed.
9 Having t hus descr ibed how t o cont inuously engage ones vrut t i
on Gods for m, Shr iji Mahr j added, In t his world, everyone t alks of
m y. I have seen t he char act er ist ics of t hat m y as follows:
Affect ion for anyt hing ot her t han God is it self m y. In fact , t he
affect ion a person has t owards his own body and it s relat ives and
t owards one who provides for his body exceeds even t he ext reme
affect ion one has for t he panchvishays. Thus, a per son who has
severed affect ion for his body, it s r elat ions and t hose who provide for
his body is said t o have t ranscended Gods m y. In fact , a per son
who severs affect ion for everyone ot her t han God develops affect ion
t owards God. Then, when affect ion for God is developed, his vrut t i
cont inuously r emains on God. When t hat is achieved, he has not hing
fur t her t o achieve; he has become fulfilled.
Ga d h a d I I -37
Er a d i ca t i n g On es I n n a t e Na t u r es; Even a P er son
P os s e s s i n g Gn n Beh a ves Accor d i n g t o Hi s Na t u r e
1 On Bhdar v vadi 1, Samvat 1880 [21 Sept ember 1823], Swmi
west -facing r ooms of Dd Khchar s darbr in Gadhad. He was
befor e Him.
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j asked, In t he Git , it is said t hat
even a person possessing gnn behaves accor ding t o his nat ur e
i
, and

i
This in r efer ence t o t he ver se:
| - --=| + - -|| ||+
+|- =||-- ~-|| | | |=|-+
S adrusham chestate svasyh prakruter-gnnavan -api|
Prakrutim ynti bhootni nigrahaha kim karishyati| |

The Vachanmr ut 435
not even t he st rengt h of self-cont r ol ment ioned in t he scr ipt ur es is
effect ive in such cases. How, t hen, can such innat e nat ur es be
eradicat ed?
3 All of t he munis t hought over t he quest ion, but it appeared as if
t hey would not be able t o answer Shriji Mahr js quest ion.
4 Shr iji Mahr j t hen said, The answer t o t hat is as follows:
When t he S atpurush gives guidance on how t o er adicat e such
swabhvs, if a person has t ot al fait h in t hose wor ds; if he has deep
affect ion for t he S atpurush giving t he guidance; and no mat t er how
painfully st r ong t he S atpurushs wor ds seem, if he accept s t hose
words t o be for his own benefit t hen his innat e nat ur es will be
er adicat ed. Except for t his, t her e is no ot her met hod. Ther efor e,
r egar dless of how much God or t he S atpurush insult s him for t he
purpose of eradicat ing his swabhvs, and r egar dless of t he har sh
wor ds t hey may ut t er a person who wishes t o eradicat e his innat e
nat ur es should not feel hur t in any way and should consider only t he
vir t ues of t he per son advising him. If one behaves in t his manner ,
t hen t hat nat ur e, which ot her wise could not be er adicat ed in any
way, is er adicat ed.
Ga d h a d I I -38
M n ch Bh a k t a ; Mer gi n g
cylindrical pillow t hat had been placed on a decorat ed cot on t he

Even one who ha s gnn behaves accor ding t o his innat e nat ur e. [In fact ], all
beings act accor ding t o t heir [r espect ive] nat ur es. So of what use is [t he]
r epr ession [of ones innat e nat ur e]?
Bhagwad Git : 3.33
The Vachanmr ut 436
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, If a worldly person were t o
come acr oss someone who could gr ant him wealt h or a son, he would
immediat ely develop fait h in t hat person. However, a devot ee of God
never has fait h in char ms and spells, in wit chcr aft or in vulgar ,
dr amat ic per for mances. If he wer e t o have fait h in char ms, spells or
wit chcr aft , t hen even t hough he may be a satsangi, he should be
considered t o be half-fallen.
3 Having said t his, t hough, t her e ar e not many t r ue devot ees of
God. Nonet heless, Mnch Bhakt a of Kr iyni was indeed a t rue
devot ee of God. Prior t o joining t he Sat sang fellowship, he was in t he
Mr gi sect . However , in no way did he lapse in his obser vance of t he
vow of non -lust ; inst ead, he r emained a celibat e fr om his childhood.
4 Once, an alchemist was st aying at his house. Aft er
demonst r at ing how he could t r ansfor m copper int o silver , t he
alchemist t old Mnch Bhakt a, Because you ar e ver y char it able, I
shall t each you t his spell and show you how t o t r ansfor m copper int o
silver . But Mnch Bhakt a t hr eat ened him wit h a st ick and dr ove
him out of t he village, t elling him, I have no desir e for anyt hing
except God. Aft er war ds, when Mnch Bhakt a joined Sat sang, he
became an ekntik bhakta of God.
5 Cont inuing, Shr iji Mahr j said, An ekntik bhakta would
fir st ly possess t he vir t ue of t m -r ealisat ion; secondly, he would
possess vairgya; t hir dly, he would be st aunch in his obser vance of
dharma; and fourt hly, he would possess profound bhakti for Shr i
Kr ishna Bhagwn. When such an ekntik bhakta abandons his
physical body, he mer ges int o Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn, wher eas one
who is not ekntik mer ges int o eit her Br ahm and t he ot her deit ies,
or int o Sankar shan, Anir uddha, et c. However , wit hout at t aining t he
ekntik st at e, one cannot mer ge int o Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn.
6 Such mer ging should be under st ood as follows: A per son who is
ver y gr eedy is said t o mer ge int o money; a per son who is ver y lust ful
is said t o mer ge int o his beloved; and when a per son who is ver y r ich
but childless r eceives a son, he is said t o mer ge int o his son. In t his
way, a per son should be known as having mer ged int o what ever he
is at t ached t o. However , t his mer ging is not like t hat of wat er
mer ging wit h wat er or like fir e mer ging wit h fir e.
7 If a devot ee has merged int o his Ishtadev, he would never
develop affect ion for anyt hing else except his Ishtadev. In fact , he
would cont inuously t hink of Him. If he wer e for ced t o live wit hout
The Vachanmr ut 437
his Ishtadev, he would live life in days of deep misery, but in no way
would he be happy.
Ga d h a d I I -39
Na t u r a l Vi r t u es
1 On Bhdar v vadi 10, Samvat 1880 [29 Sept ember 1823], Shr iji
Mahr j ar r ived at Lakshmivdi on hor seback fr om Dd Khchar s
darbr in Gadhad. Ther e, He was sit t ing on a lar ge, decorat ed cot
t hat had been placed on t he plat form t here. He was dressed ent irely
in whit e clot hes. At t hat t ime, an assembly of paramhansas as well
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, Please r eveal t o Me t he vir t ues
which ar e nat ur al t o you virt ues which do not recede even under
t he influence of adver se places, t imes, act ions, company, et c.
3 Having said t his, Shr iji Mahr j began Himself, Her e, let Me
fir st t ell you t he vir t ues t hat ar e nat ur al t o Me. He t hen said,
Fir st ly, it is My nat ur e t hat r egar dless of how much physical
cont act of t he panchvishays I encount er , I do not har bour any desir e
for t hem in My mind not even in My dr eams.
4 Secondly, r egar dless of how much pravrut t i I may be physically
involved in, when I look wit hin t owar ds My t m , all My vruttis
wit hdr aw int o My t m just like a t or t oise wit hdr aws it s limbs
and I experience profound bliss.
5 Thir dly, I have a ver y st r ong convict ion t hat God possesses a
for m. That is, Shr i Kr ishna Vsudev resides in His Akshardh m
which is full of chaitanya and full of divine light possessing an
et er nal and definit e for m. God, t hus possessing a for m, is also t he
all-doer , since t hat which is for mless can accomplish not hing. In
fact , so fir m is My convict ion t hat God possesses a for m t hat even
t hough I have read and heard many Vednt a scr ipt ur es, My
convict ion has not been dislodged.
6 Four t hly, if I come t o know of any man or woman t hat is
pret ent iously offering bhakti t o God mer ely as an out war d show, but
t hat t hat person is not a genuine devot ee of God, t hen My mind is not
pleased upon seeing such a person. Nor do I even feel comfort able
wit h t hat person, because My mind only becomes pleased when I see
The Vachanmr ut 438
a genuine devot ee of God, and I am only comfor t able wit h such
people.
7 I have t hus descr ibed t o you t hese four vir t ues t hat ar e nat ur al
t o Me. Now, all of you may t ell Me your s.
8 Ther eupon, t he senior paramhansas and devot ees described t he
vir t ues t hey possessed.
9 Shr iji Mahr j t hen said, For t hose who ar e senior amongst
you, t he observance of t he vow of non -lust is an absolut e must . If one
has a deficiency in some ot her aspect , it may well do, but fir mness in
t his is absolut ely essent ial. Because, t he example set by t he senior s
is what is followed by everyone else.
10 Aft er deliver ing t his discour se, Shr iji Mahr j r et ur ned t o Dd
Khchar s darbr, performed t he rt i, and joined in t he Nr yan
dhunya and pr ayer s. Ther eaft er , an assembly of all of t he sdhus
and devot ees was held t here.
11 At t hat t ime, Shr iji Mahr j asked t he senior paramhansas , I
have great ly expounded t he import ance of t he fift h and t ent h cant os
of t he Shr imad Bhgwat . Now, I would like all of you t o explain t he
fundament al principle of t hose t wo cant os as you have come t o
under st and it .
12 All of t he senior paramhansas offered explanat ions according t o
t her e own under st anding.
13 Ther eaft er Shr iji Mahr j said, Here, allow Me t o t ell you t he
fundament al pr inciple of t hose t wo cant os. But fir st of all, what can
be called a fundament al pr inciple? It is t hat which when once
explained t o even t he most lear ned scholar s or scr ipt ur al r eader s or
highly int ellect ual people, t hey would have t o believe it t o be
absolut ely t r ue and would have t o agr ee wit h it . In no way could
t hey doubt , This might not be so. That is what can be called a
fundament al pr inciple.
14 Now, of t he t wo cant os, t he fundament al pr inciple of t he t ent h
cant o is t hat t hat whom t he Upanishads i.e., Vednt a as well as
t he Shr ut is and Smr ut is descr ibe as being Br ahma, luminous, t he
embodiment of gnn, t he essence, subt le; and who is descr ibed as
non -manifest by var ious ot her t er ms such as kshetragna, t he cause of
all, Par abr ahma Pur ushot t am, Vsudev, Vishnu, Nr yan, nirgun,
one who is unt aint ed by m y, et c. is t his manifest for m of Shr i
Kr ishna Vsudev, t he son of Vasudev. Thus, wher ever t her e ar e
The Vachanmr ut 439
passages cont aining hymns in t he t ent h cant o, t he wor ds of t hose
hymns r efer t o t his manifest for m of Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn; t here is
no ment ion of anyone being super ior t o Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn. The
t ent h cant o also ment ions t hat only Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn is t he
cause of t he cr eat ion, sust enance and dissolut ion of t he whole cosmos.
15 The gr eat ness of t hat Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn is nar r at ed in t he
fift h cant o. Also ment ioned ar e t he many differ ent for ms assumed by
Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn in var ious khands for t he sust enance of t he
world and for t he sake of best owing bliss upon his devot ees. In
addit ion, all t hose who abide by t he niyams pr escr ibed by Shr i
Kr ishna Bhagwn at t ain a gr eat st at us, wher eas t hose who do not
abide by t hose niyams fall fr om t heir st at us, even if t hey ar e gr eat .
It is also said t hat if a common per son br eaches t hose niyams, he will
cer t ainly r egr ess.
16 That same Shr i Kr ishna Vsudev, who as a child gave t he
spect acular darshan of t he manifest , four -armed form t o Vasudev and
Devki, is in fact t he for m of t he et er nal Vsudev.
17 Fur t her mor e, t hat Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn had behaved
accor ding t o dharma, arth and km. All t hose who nar r at e or even
list en t o t he divine incident s of God in which he observed dharma,
arth and km will be released from all of t heir sins and will at t ain
t he highest st at e of enlight enment . Also, t he bir t h, act ions and for m
of t hat Vsudev Bhagwn ar e all divine. In fact , Vsudev Shr i
Kr ishna alone is supr eme.
18 This is t he fundament al pr inciple of t hose t wo cant os. Even
t hose who have at t ained t he brahmarup st at e, like Shukji, must also
worship and offer bhakti t o Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn. Also, as
ment ioned in t he t ent h cant o, even t he likes of Shukji should nar r at e
and list en t o t he divine incident s of God. In fact , Shukji himself has
said,
The Vachanmr ut 440

+|||! -||+ -= .|~ ||=|
|- -| | |=| =|-| +
i

19 One should also keep a fir m convict ion r egar ding t he for m of
t hat Vsudev Bhagwn. Because if a per son has a fir m convict ion of
t he for m of God, and if he happens t o commit some sin, t hen he will
be freed of t hat sin because t her e is always some for m of at onement
pr escr ibed for commit t ing a sin. However , t o r ealise God as being
for mless is a sin much gr aver t han even t he five gr ave sins
10
. Ther e
is no at onement for t hat sin.
20 Conversely, if a person realises God t o possess a form and is
convinced of t his, t hen even if he happens t o commit a sin, t her e is
not hing t o wor r y about . Because by t he gr ace of God, all of t hose sins
will be bur nt and his jiva will at t ain God.
21 Therefore, one should keep a firm convict ion of t he form of God
and st aunchly wor ship Him. This is My message t o you. So, please
imbibe t hese wor ds fir mly in your lives.
22 Having given t his advice t o ever yone, Shr iji Mahr j depart ed t o
have His meals.
Ga d h a d I I -40
Offer i n g On e Ext r a P r ost r a t i on
1 On so vadi 3, Samvat 1880 [22 Oct ober 1823], Shr iji Mahr j
was in His r esidence in Dd Khchar s darbr in Gadhad. Aft er
bat hing and donning whit e clot hes, He sat upon His seat . Then,
aft er complet ing His daily r out ine of per for ming puja of God, He was
offer ing pr ost r at ions in t he nor t her n dir ect ion t o Shr i Kr ishna

i
The Vachanmr ut 441
Bhagwn. It so happened t hat on t hat day, He offered one
pr ost r at ion mor e t han He usually offer ed ever yday.
2 Not icing t his, Shuk Muni asked, Mahr j, why did You offer
one ext r a pr ost r at ion t oday?
3 Shr iji Mahr j explained, Ever yday, aft er bowing t o Shr i
Kr ishna Bhagwn, I used t o pr ay, Mahr j, if any feelings of I-ness
and my-ness for t his body and it s relat ions exist , t hen please
er adicat e t hem. Today, however , t he following t hought occur r ed t o
Me: No ot her sin causes mor e miser y t o a per son t han when he
somehow knowingly or unknowingly harms a devot ee of God by
t hought , word or deed. Thus, I offered one ext ra prost rat ion t o at one
for any mist ake t hat may have occur r ed of knowingly or
unknowingly har ming some devot ee of God by t hought , wor d or deed.
4 Indeed, I have come t o t he conclusion t hat t he ext ent of damage
and miser y incur r ed as a r esult of har ming a devot ee of God is not
incur r ed by any ot her sin. On t he ot her hand, t her e is no spir it ual
endeavour t hat benefit s a person and gives as much happiness as
t hat of serving a devot ee of God by t hought , word and deed.
5 It is because of t he influence of avar ice, egot ism, jealousy and
anger t hat one spit es a devot ee of God. Only one who does not possess
t hese four can revere a devot ee of God. Therefore, one who wishes t o
experience supreme happiness in t his very body and also experience
supreme happiness aft er deat h should never harm a devot ee of God
by t hought , wor d or deed.
6 If, however, one does somehow harm a devot ee of God, t hen one
should ver bally pr ay t o him for for giveness; and physically and
ment ally, one should prost rat e before him and resolve t o behave in
such a manner so as t o never har m him again. However , one should
not behave in such a way t hat one per for ms pr ost r at ions aft er
har ming someone once, only t o t hen har m him again and per for m
pr ost r at ions again.
7 So t hat you r emember t his fact daily, fr om t oday, all sdhus
and all devot ees should observe t he following vow: Aft er performing
puja of God, one should offer prost rat ions according t o ones daily
pr act ice. Aft er t his, t o compensat e for having knowingly or
unknowingly harmed a devot ee of God by t hought , word or deed
dur ing t he day, one should per for m one ext r a pr ost r at ion daily. This
is My command; so please do abide by it .
The Vachanmr ut 442
Ga d h a d I I -41
A Bon e i n t h e For m of Egot i sm
t he veranda out side t he west -facing r ooms of Dd Khchar s darbr
in Gadhad. He was dr essed ent ir ely in whit e clot hes. He was
wear ing gar lands of yellow flower s ar ound His neck, and t assels of
yellow flowers had been insert ed in His pgh. At t hat t ime, an
2 Out of compassion, Shr iji Mahr j t hen began t o pr each t o His
devot ees, saying, When a per son who wishes t o worship God receives
an opport unit y t o serve God and His devot ees, he should ser ve t hem
consider ing it t o be his ext r emely gr eat for t une. Mor eover , he should
do so only wit h bhakti, for t he sake of pleasing God and for his own
liberat ion not for t he sake of r eceiving pr aise fr om ot her s.
3 The nat ure of a person , however , is such t hat he only enjoys
doing t hat which sat isfies his vanit y. Wit hout t hat , he does not enjoy
per for ming even bhakti of God. For example, a dog t akes a dry bone
t o an isolat ed place t o chew on. As a r esult of t he chewing, it s mout h
is abraded and t he bone becomes covered in blood. Then licking t he
bone, t he dog becomes overjoyed. But lit t le does t he fool realise, The
t ast e t hat I am enjoying is t hat of t he blood fr om my own mout h. In
t he same way, even a devot ee of God is unable t o forsake t he bone in
t he for m of egot ism. In fact , all of t he spir it ual endeavour s he
performs are governed by vanit y; t hey are not performed for t he sole
purpose of pleasing God, t hinking of t hem as bhakti t owards God.
Moreover, even of t he bhakti t hat he does offer t o God, he does so only
when it nourishes his pride, but not for t he sole purpose of pleasing
God.
4 There must be very few devot ees of t he likes of Rat anji and
Miyji who offer bhak t i t o God solely for t he purpose of pleasing God
wit hout any cr avings for pr aise. Not ever yone, however , is capable of
for saking t he t ast e of pr aise.
The Vachanmr ut 443
5 In r efer ence t o t his, Mukt nand Swmi r ecit ed a couplet by
Tulsids:
-=| ||| -=| -=| |- |
- | | ~| | | | +
i

6 Hear ing t his couplet , Shr iji Mahr j added, The enjoyment
which one exper iences fr om vanit y cannot be obt ained fr om any ot her
object . Thus, amongst all devot ees, a per son who for sakes vanit y and
worships God should be known t o be an ext remely great devot ee.
Ga d h a d I I -42
Ak sh a r Ha s Bot h Sa gu n a n d Ni r gu n Asp ect s; Th e
Ke y
i i

east -facing r ooms of Dd Khchar s darbr in Gadhad. He was
2 Ther eupon Bhagwadnand Swmi asked Shr iji Mahr j,
Mahr j, in what way do count less millions of brahmnds dwell
wit hin each and every pore of God? Also, where in t he brahmnds do
t he avat rs of God manifest ?
3 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, Ther e ar e t wo aspect s of Pur ushot t am
Bhagwns Akshar dh m. The fir st is t he sagun aspect , and t he
ot her is t he nirgun aspect . Pur ushot t am Nr yan, on t he ot her
hand, cannot be descr ibed as sagun, nor can He be described as
nirgun. The dist inct ion of sagun and nirgun applies only t o Akshar .

i
Kanak tajyo kmini tajyo, tajyo dhtuko sang|
Tulsi laghu bhojan kari, jive mnke rang| |
Tulsi says: r enounced he has women, wealt h and possessions;
But lives he does on pr aises alone, t he gr eat est of all obsessions.
i i
In t he t it le, The Key r efer s t o t he fact t hat Akshar br ahma is t he key t o
unlocking t he gr eat ness of Pur ushot t am.
The Vachanmr ut 444
4 The nirgun aspect of Akshar has an ext r emely subt le for m,
smaller t han even an anu, while t he sagun for m is much lar ger t han
even t he lar gest of object s. Count less millions of brahmnds dwell
like mer e at oms in each and ever y hair of t hat Akshar . It is not t hat
t hose brahmnds become small compar ed t o Akshar ; t hey st ill
r emain encir cled by t he eight bar r ier s
5
. Rat her , it is because of t he
ext r eme vast ness of Akshar t hat t hose brahmnds appear so small.
Take Mount Gir nr as an example. Compar ed t o Mount Mer u, it
appear s t o be ext r emely small. However , compar ed t o Mount
Loklok, Mount Mer u it self appear s t o be ext r emely small. In t he
same way, t he brahmnds r emain exact ly as t hey ar e, but in
compar ison t o t he ext r eme vast ness of Akshar, t hey appear t o be
ext r emely small. This is why t hey ar e descr ibed as being like at oms.
5 Akshar br ahma it self is like t he sun in t he sense t hat when t he
sun r ises, all t en dir ect ions
i
can be det er mined in r elat ion t o it .
Akshardh m is like t hat ; i.e., above, below, on all four sides of t hat
Akshar in fact , in all dir ect ions ar e millions of brahmnds.
6 Moreover, God Pur ushot t am for ever r emains pr esent in t hat
Akshardh m. His will always pr evails. While r emaining in
Akshardh m it self, He manifest s in what ever for m is r equir ed in
whichever brahmnd. For example, Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn had only
one for m, yet dur ing t he rs episode he assumed as many for ms as
t here were gopis. In t he same way, Pur ushot t am Bhagwn
manifest s in what ever for m is r equir ed in whichever brahmnd
while simult aneously dwelling in Akshar dh m. Act ually, He
Himself forever dwells in Akshardh m. In fact , wher ever t hat for m
of Pur ushot t am r esides, t hat is t he ver y cent r e of Akshar dh m.

i
The t en dir ect ions ar e: (1) Ut t ar Nor t h, (2) Ishn Nor t heast , (3) Pur va
East , (4) Agni Sout heast , (5) Dakshin Sout h, (6) Nair ut ya Sout hwest ,
(7) Pashchim West , (8) Vyavya Nor t hwest , (9) Ur dhva up, (10) Adhah
down.
The Vachanmr ut 445
Ga d h a d I I -43
Br a h ma swa r u p Love
1 On Posh sudi 4, Samvat 1880 [5 J anuar y 1824], Swmi Shr i
Sahajnandji Mahr j was seat ed on a cushion wit h a cylindr ical
pillow at t he residence of t he Ayodhywsis in Dd Khchar s
t hat t ime, Pr emnand Swmi was singing devot ional songs t o t he
accompaniment of a sarod, while munis as well as devot ees from
var ious places had gat her ed befor e Him in an assembly.
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, Let us conduct a quest ion -
answer session. So saying, Shr iji Mahr j Himself asked, A
devot ee of God who is guntit behaves only as t he t m , above t he
influence of t he t hree gunas i.e., above sattvagun in t he for m of
vairgya, above rajogun in t he form of desires for vishays, and above
t amogun in t he for m of passiveness. He har bour s absolut ely no
t hought s, and experiences a deep sleep-like st at e. Now, does such a
nirgun devot ee who behaves as t he t m in t his manner have love for
God, or not ? That is t he quest ion.
3 Mukt nand Swmi replied, One who behaves as t he t m does
have love for God.
4 Hear ing t he r eply, Shr iji Mahr j asked, Is t he love of such a
devot ee who behaves as t he t m of t he same qualit ies as t he t m ,
or different ?
5 Mukt nand Swmi r eplied, That love is of t he same qualit ies as
t he t m .
6 Shr iji Mahr j t hen explained, Regarding t he love developed for
God while behaving as t he t m , Madhvchr ya, Nimbr k and
Vallabhchrya have all described t hat love as brahmaswarup.
Therefore, only one who has love for God

having become guntit , is brahmaswarup. Such is t he pr inciple of
t he gr eat chryas .
The Vachanmr ut 446
Ga d h a d I I -44
Th e Ch a r a ct er i st i cs of God ly a n d Demon i c P eop le
Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing on t he veranda out side t he east -
facing r ooms of Dd Khchar s darbr in Gadhad. He was dressed
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j asked Mukt nand Swmi, When a
person perceives a flaw in a devot ee, does t hat person perceive t he
same amount of flaws in t hat devot ee as he had not iced previously, or
does he perceive more flaws?
3 Mukt nand Swmi r eplied, Appar ent ly, he per ceives t he same
amount of flaws as he previously perceived.
4 Shr iji Mahr j t hen said, You have missed t he point of t he
quest ion. If he per ceives exact ly t he same amount of flaws, t hen how
can you say t hat he has per ceived a flaw? In act ual fact , it is due t o
t he influence of adver se places, t imes, act ions, company, et c., t hat his
int ellect becomes spoiled; and t hat is why he per ceives mor e flaws.
In t his sit uat ion, one should r ealise t hat t he blemish of adver se
cir cumst ances has t aint ed his int ellect .
5 Moreover, I personally feel, If one previously has kept t he
company of t he gr eat Purush or has had t he darshan of God, t hen
one will only perceive ones own flaws but will never perceive flaws in
any ot her devot ee of God. A per son wit h such char act er ist ics should
be known t o be godly.
6 On t he ot her hand, a per son who is demonic never per ceives
even a single flaw wit hin himself; inst ead, he per ceives only flaws in
ot her devot ees. A person wit h such an int ellect should be known t o
be demonic. If such a demonic person happens t o be in t he Sat sang
fellowship, or if he st ays in t he mandal of sdhus, he will be similar
t o Klnemi, Rvan and Rhu; but he will not be influenced by t he
company of sdhus.
7 Thus one who is a st aunch devot ee of God perceives only his
own flaws, but never does he not ice t he flaws of ot her devot ees.
The Vachanmr ut 447
Ga d h a d I I -45
Exp elli n g t h e Hor d e of t h e Fi ft y-On e Bh u t s
i

2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, All of you munis ,
brahmachris, satsangi householder s, prshads and Ayodhywsis
are said t o be Mine. So if I was not vigilant in having all of you
behave accor dingly, and if you wer e t o t hen behave waywar dly, I
would not be able t o bear t his. In act ual fact , I do not want even t he
slight est imper fect ion t o r emain in t hose who ar e said t o be Mine.
However , you should also r emain ver y vigilant , because if you allow
even a lit t le car elessness, your foot ing in Sat sang will not last .
3 Furt hermore, as you are devot ees of God, I do not wish t o leave
any for m of impr oper swabhvs wit hin your hear t s. Nor do I wish t o
allow any t race of any of m ys t hree gunas, t en indriyas , t en prns,
four antahkarans, five bhuts, panchvishays, and t he deit ies of t he 14
r ealms t o r emain. Inst ead, I wish t o make all of you such t hat you
offer bhakti t o God r ealising your t r ue for m t o be t he t m , which is
charact erised by et ernal exist ence and is free from all of t hese m yik
flaws. In fact , I wish not t o allow any influence of m y t o r emain
wit hin you. If all of your imper fect ions ar e not er adicat ed in t his
ver y lifet ime, t hen I will t ake you t o Badr ikshr am, wher e, by
per for ming aust er it ies, all of your wor ldly desir es will be bur nt t o
ashes; or I will t ake you t o Shwet dwip and bur n all of your wor ldly
desir es t o ashes by having you per for m aust er it ies wit h t he niranna-
muktas . But I do not wish t o allow any affect ion for anyt hing except
God t o r emain. For t his r eason, t hen, all of t he devot ees and munis
should r emain vigilant .
4 Having deliver ed t his discour se, Shr iji Mahr j r et ir ed t o His
residence.

i
The fift y-one bhut s ar e t he t hr ee gunas, t he t en indriyas, t he t en prns, t he
four antahkarans, t he five bhut s, t he five t ypes of sense object s, and t he
pr esiding deit ies of t he four t een loks.
The Vachanmr ut 448
5 Lat er , in t he evening of t hat same day, Shr iji Mahr j presided
over anot her assembly t hat He had gat her ed t oget her . Aft er t he rt i
was complet ed, He said, By per for ming sttvik karmas, one goes t o
Devlok; by per for ming rjasik karmas, one goes t o Mr ut yulok; and by
per for ming t masik karmas, one is consigned t o t he lower r ealms.
But someone may doubt , If by per for ming rjasik karmas one at t ains
Mr ut yulok, t hen t hat suggest s t hat all t hose on Mr ut yulok should
exper ience t he same joys and miser ies. So, t he answer t o t his is t hat
alt hough t her e is only one par t icular rajogun, count less t ypes of
dist inct ions are creat ed wit hin it due t o t he influence of differing
places, t imes, et c. Thus, it is not t he case t hat t her e is one, cer t ain
t ype of rjasik karma. Rat her , t he t ype of karma performed varies
accor ding t o t he fact or s of place, t ime, company and act ion.
6 Having said t his, t hough, if one per for ms some karma which
displeases t he S ant of God or an avat r of God, one will suffer
miser ies similar t o t hose of Yampur i in t his ver y body her e in
Mr ut yulok. On t he ot her hand, if one per for ms a karma by which
God and His Bhakta ar e pleased, t hen, in t his ver y body, one will
enjoy bliss similar t o t hat of at t aining t he highest st at e of
enlight enment .
7 Furt hermore, if one were t o displease God and His S ant, t hen
despit e t he fact t hat one had performed such karmas t hat would have
led one t o swarg, all t hose karmas would be dest royed and one would
inst ead be consigned t o narak. Conver sely, if one were t o perform a
karma by which God and His S ant are pleased, t hen even if one were
dest ined t o fall int o narak, all of ones impur e karmas would be
dest royed and one would inst ead at t ain t he highest st at e of
enlight enment . Ther efor e, t hose who ar e wise should behave only in
a manner t hat would please God and His Bhakta. One should even
advise all of ones r elat ives, We should behave only in a manner t hat
would please God and His S ant, and in a manner by which t hey
would shower t heir gr ace upon us.
8 In fact , Agni must have also pleased God and His S ant, because
only t hen would he have at t ained his light . Sur ya, Chandr a and all
ot hers who possess light , must also have pleased God and His S ant
by per for ming pious karmas, for only t hen would t hey have at t ained
such light . In fact , all of t hose who ar e happy in Devlok and
Mr ut yulok must have pleased God and His S ant, because it is by
t heir gr ace t hat t hey ar e happy.
The Vachanmr ut 449
9 Therefore, one who aspires for t he good of ones own t m
should observe t he swadharma pr escr ibed in t he sacr ed scr ipt ur es,
and do only t hat which pleases God and His S ant.
Ga d h a d I I -46
Th e De a t h -lin e; Fa llin g fr om Ek n t ik Dh a r ma
ent ir ely in whit e clot hes, and had cover ed Himself wit h a yellow
blanket made of chhint. At t hat t ime, some sdhus were singing
devot ional songs t o t he accompaniment of a jhnjh and mrudang,
while ot her munis as well as devot ees from various places had
2 Aft er t he singing concluded, Shr iji Mahr j said, A S atpurush
living in t his wor ld is not pleased or pained upon seeing t he worldly
pr ogr ess or r egr ess of a per son. However , when someones mind
recedes from t he pat h of God, he does become grieved. Aft er all, life is
so short ; and if a persons aft erlife is ruined, it would indeed be a
gr eat loss for t hat per son.
3 In fact , God assumes avat rs upon eart h for t he purpose of
est ablishing dharma, and t hat t oo, not simply for t he est ablishment
of t he dharma of ones cast e and shram . Aft er all, even t he
chryas of pravrutti dharma, such as t he Sapt ar shi and ot her s have
est ablished t he dharma of t he four cast es and shrams. God does
not , however , assume avat rs solely for t hat pur pose; He assumes
avat rs t o expound t he dharma of His ekntik bhaktas.
4 For such ekntik bhaktas, leaving t he body is not considered t o
be deat h; r at her , for t hem, falling fr om t hat ekntik dharma is t r ue
deat h. This occur s when an aver sion ar ises in ones hear t t owar ds
God or His S ant. It is t hen t hat t hat devot ee should be known t o
have fallen from t he dharma of ekntik bhaktas. If, for example, he
has fallen due t o anger , it should be known t hat he has r eceived t he
body of a snake; and if he has fallen due t o lust , t hen it should be
known t hat he has t aken bir t h as an evil spir it or a demon.
The Vachanmr ut 450
5 Never t heless, despit e having at t ained such bodies and having
fallen fr om ekntik dharma, t hose who observe dharma or per for m
aust erit ies will at t ain Devlok due t o t heir observance of dharma or
t heir per for mance of aust er it ies. However , one who bear s an
aversion t owards God or His S ant will cert ainly not at t ain t he abode
of God. On t he ot her hand, even if a person has commit t ed t he five
gr ave sins
10
, if he has not perceived a flaw in God or His S ant, t hen
his sins will be burned, and he will dwell in t he abode of God.
Therefore, t o perceive flaws in God and His Bhakta is a gr aver sin
t han commit t ing t he five gr ave sins.
Ga d h a d I I -47
A Sp lit in t h e P r u t h vi Down t o P t l
ent ir ely in whit e clot hes and had cover ed Himself wit h a yellow
blanket made of chhint. At t hat t ime, an assembly of munis as well
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, If a person has a group of
sdhus st aying wit h him, and if he can sincer ely look aft er t hem in a
gr acious manner , t hose sdhus will happily st ay wit h him.
However, if he does not know how t o look aft er t hem, t hey will not
st ay wit h him.
3 Fur t her mor e, if a sdhu is eager t o at t ain liberat ion, he would
become incr easingly over joyed when I do somet hing t hat may upset
him or when I denou nce t he vishays. For example, Mukt nand
Swmi has cont r act ed t uber culosis, and so he is r est r ict ed fr om
eat ing yoghur t , milk and any sweet or fr ied foods. A wise per son
would t hink t o himself, This disease has r est r ict ed all t ast y food and
dr ink; t hus I wonder if I have act ually at t ained t he company of a
gr eat sdhu in t he guise of t uber culosis! This is how a wise per son
would view t he sit uat ion. Why? Because a per sons desir es
r egar ding t he genit als and t he st omach ar e, in fact , char act er ist ics of
an unholy per son. But t uber culosis is such a disease t hat it r emoves
bot h flaws. Thus, an aspir ant should not feel hur t when t he
S atpurush, in t he same manner as t hat disease, denounces vishays.
The Vachanmr ut 451
4 Also, if a per son is st aying wit h a senior sdhu due t o t he
t empt at ion of obt aining t ast y food or drink, or due t o t he t empt at ion
of obt aining nice clot hes, or due t o t he t empt at ion of collect ing object s
t hat he likes, t hen he should not be considered a sdhu at all.
Inst ead, he should be known t o be an ext remely wret ched person and
like a dog. One who has such cor r upt int ent ions will ult imat ely fall
fr om Sat sang.
5 Fur t her mor e, if someone should give a sdhu a nice object , one
who becomes jealous as well as one who is greedy for t he
panchvishays ar e bot h much wor se t han one who has commit t ed t he
five gr ave sins
10
. Ther efor e, one who is wise should r emain in t he
company of sdhus and not har bour any impur e int ent ions wit hin.
Aft er all, t his assembly is like t he assembly in Badr ikshr am and
Shwet dwip; if a persons worldly desires are not eradicat ed here,
where else will he be able t o eradicat e t hem?
6 Mor eover , our jivas have previously indulged in t he
panchvishays t hr ough count less bodies, as deit ies, humans, et c.
Never t heless, we have not been cont ent wit h t hose vishays.
Therefore, now t hat we are devot ees of God, indulging in t he vishays
for a fur t her year , or t wo year s, or maybe even five year s will st ill not
fulfill us. It is as if t he ear t h has been split down t o Pt l, and we
begin t o fill it wit h wat er obviously, it can never be filled.
Similar ly, t he indriyas have never become sat isfied by t he vishays,
and t hey never will be. So, now, one should eradicat e ones
at t achment t o t he vishays. Fur t her mor e, one should consider t he
vir t ues of t he sdhu who speaks t o one har shly and should not t hink
ill of him. This is explained in t he following devot ional song
composed by Mukt nand Swmi : , _
...
i
. Thus, one should seize t his oppor t unit y and die only aft er
er adicat ing ones impur e desir es; one should not die wit h ones
impur e desir es st ill r emaining.
7 Having said t his t hough, one should keep t he following desir e:
Aft er leaving t his body, I want t o become brahmarup like Nr ad, t he
Sanakdik, Shukji, et c., and offer bhakti t o God. Even if dur ing t his

i
S hooli upar shayan karve t oya sdhune sange rahiye re
One should r emain in t he associat ion of sdhus even if one has t o suffer t he
pain of a shuli.
The Vachanmr ut 452
pr ocess one has t o go t o dwell in Br ahmalok or Indr alok, t her e is
not hing t o worry about . Because if one goes for ablut ions and t hen
falls headfirst int o t he gut t er, one should t ake a bat h and become
pur e again; one should not r emain in t he filt h. Similar ly, if a per son
har bour s pur e desir es and as a r esult at t ains Br ahmalok or Indr alok,
he should t hink, I have fallen headfir st int o t he gut t er . Thinking in
t his manner , he should discar d t he pleasur es of Br ahmalok and
Indr alok using t he st r engt h of his pur e desir es and make his way t o
t he abode of God. He should resolve not t o st op anywhere in bet ween.
8 Also, just as t he householder s or r enunciant s ser ve us, we
should also r ealise t heir gr eat ness. For example, Mulji Br ahmachr i
r ealises My gr eat ness and ser ves Me. In t he same way, I r ealise his
gr eat ness. Thus, as t he householder s ser ve us by pr oviding food and
clot hes, we should also r ealise t heir gr eat ness and ser ve t hem by
pr eaching t o t hem. In t his way, we should fost er fr at er nit y among
devot ees of God by realising each ot hers great ness.
Ga d h a d I I -48
Th e Va n d u Devot i on a l Son gs;
Ta k in g Bir t h in t h e Comp a n y of t h e Sa n t
ent ir ely in whit e clot hes and was wear ing new, whit e kanthis made
fr om t ulsi beads ar ound His neck. In addit ion t o t his, t assels of
yellow flowers decorat ed His pgh, and garlands of flowers adorned
His neck. At t hat t ime, an assembly of munis as well as devot ees
2 In t he assembly, Pr emnand Swmi was singing Vandu
S ahajnand ras roop, anupam srne re lol devot ional songs
useful for medit at ion. Aft er he had finished singing, Shr iji Mahr j
comment ed, The devot ional songs you sang wer e ver y nice. Aft er
list ening t o t hem I t hought in My mind, Since t his sdhu
cont emplat es upon Gods for m in t his way, let Me get up and
pr ost r at e befor e him.
The Vachanmr ut 453
3 If a person is able t o cont emplat e upon God in his antahkaran
in t his manner , and if he wer e t o die while st ill har bour ing such a
desire for God, he would definit ely not have t o t ake anot her birt h. If
he engages in such cont emplat ion of God, he has cer t ainly at t ained
t he highest st at e of enlight enment while alive. In addit ion, he can be
said t o be in t he process of becoming a niranna-mukta just like t he
niranna-muktas in Shwet dwip. Such a per son per for ms t he bodily
act ivit ies t hat ar e necessar y absolut ely effor t lessly. In fact , one who
is able t o cont emplat e upon Gods form has become fulfilled and has
not hing more left t o do.
4 On the ot her hand, if a person dies while cont emplat ing upon
t hings ot her t han God, t her e will be no end t o his miser ies for
count less millions of year s. So now t hat such an oppor t unit y has
ar isen, one should seize it and, aft er discar ding any t hought s about
object s ot her t han God, should cont emplat e upon His for m only.
5 If, however, one is unable t o cont emplat e upon Gods form, one
should r emain in t he company of such a sdhu who possesses
dharma, gnn, vairgya and bhakti. As for Myself, I have only t his
desir e wit hin: When I abandon t his body, alt hough t her e will be no
r eason for Me t o t ake bir t h again, I feel in My hear t t hat I should
make a r eason and t ake bir t h in t he company of such sdhus. This
is all I wish for .
6 But if a person is able t o cont emplat e upon God as described in
t he above devot ional song, t hen he is freed from t he bondage of kl,
karma and m y. In fact , r egar dless of t he family in which such a
person happens t o be born, t he parent s of such a person should also
be consider ed t o be fulfilled. Conversely, one who cont emplat es upon
t he vishays, and not upon God, should be considered as being t ot ally
lost .
7 Aft er all, r egar dless of t he life for m in which a per son t akes
birt h, he will be able t o have a wife, a son and possessions such as
wealt h and ot her object s. However , t he company of such a sdhu
who is a knower of Br ahma, as well as t he direct darshan and
cont emplat ion of Shr i Vsudev Bhagwn ar e ext r emely r ar e. Thus,
t her e is no gr eat er advant age of possessing t his human body t han
being able t o const ant ly cont emplat e upon God in ones heart just
as a person engrossed in t he vishays const ant ly cont emplat es upon
t hem in his antahkaran . Such a per son is also t he gr eat est amongst
all devot ees of God. Even if t hat devot ee does indulge in t he
The Vachanmr ut 454
panchvishays i.e., sight s, sounds, smells, t ast es and t ouch all
would be relat ed only t o God. His ears wish t o cont inuously list en t o
discour ses r elat ed t o God; his skin wishes t o t ouch God; his eyes wish
t o have t he darshan of God and His S ant; his t ongue wishes t o t ast e
t he prasd of God; and his nose wishes t o smell t he fragrance of
flowers and t ulsi which have been offered t o God. Apart from God, he
considers not hing else t o be a source of happiness. One who behaves
in t his manner can be called an ekntik bhakta of God.
Ga d h a d I I -49
A Gr ea t Di ffer en ce Exi st s b et ween God s F or m a n d
M yik For ms; Not Becomin g Con t en t wit h
Sp i r i t u a l Di scou r ses, Devot i on a l Son gs, et c.
1 On Fgun sudi 2, Samvat 1880 [1 Mar ch 1824], Swmi Shr i
pillow t hat had been placed on a large, decorat ed cot on t he veranda
out side t he west -facing medi in front of t he mandir of Shr i
Vsudevnr ya n in Dd Khchar s darbr in Gadhad. He was
dressed ent irely in whit e clot hes, and a garland of whit e flowers also
hung fr om His pgh. At t hat t ime, an assembly of munis as well as
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, Ther e is a gr eat differ ence
bet ween t he manifest form of God and m yik for ms. However , t hose
who are ignorant and t hose who are ut t er fools consider Gods form
and m yik forms t o be t he same. Those who see m yik for ms and
t hose who cont emplat e upon m yik for ms spend count less millions of
year s wander ing in t he cycle of bir t hs and deat hs. In compar ison,
t hose who do t he darshan of Gods form and t hose who cont emplat e
upon it escape from t he bondage of kl, karma and m y; at t ain t he
highest st at e of enlight enment ; and become at t endant s of God. It is
for t his r eason t hat My mind never becomes sat iat ed wit h spir it ual
discourses, devot ional songs, t alks relat ed t o God or medit at ion of
God. All of you should also do t he same.
The Vachanmr ut 455
Ga d h a d I I -50
Th e Fu n d a men t a l P r in cip le; Wor ld ly At t a ch men t
1 On t he night of Chait r a vadi 2, Samvat 1880 [15 Apr il 1824],
Swmi Shr i Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing on t he ver anda
out side t he west -facing medi in front of t he mandir of Shr i
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, Because I consider all of you t o
be Mine, t oday I am going t o reveal t o you My fundament al
pr inciple. He t hen cont inued, J ust as r iver s mer ge int o t he sea,
just as a sat i and a mot h bur n in a fir e, and just as t he br ave
sacr ifice t hemselves on t he bat t lefield, in t he same way, I have kept
My t m absorbed in t he pure and perfect Brahma. I have also
for ever at t ached Myself wit h undying love t o Pur ushot t am Bhagwn
who possesses a definit e form and t o His devot ees dwelling in t he
r adiant Akshardh m. In fact , I have no love for anyt hing ot her t han
t hem. This is what I const ant ly exper ience.
3 Out war dly, I do not make a display of t he int ensit y of My
r enunciat ion. However , when I look int o My hear t and t owar ds t he
heart s of ot her devot ees, even t he senior paramhansas and senior
snkhya-yogi women all seem t o have some t race of t he world
r emaining wher eas wor ldly desir es never ar ise in My hear t , not
even in My dr eams.
4 It also seems t o Me t hat no one is capable of making Me falt er
fr om My bhakti t owards God and His Bhakta.
5 In addit ion, even before one had been graced wit h t he
at t ainment of God, kl a power of God was unable t o dest roy t he
jiva; karmas were unable t o dest roy t he jiva; not even m y was able
t o absorb t he jiva wit hin it self. So now, having at t ained God, why
should one worry about kl, karma and m y? Bear ing t his in mind,
I have boldly resolved t hat I do not want t o develop love for anyone
except God and His Bhakta.
6 Fur t her mor e, I do not wish t o leave any trace of t he world in
t he hear t s of whosoever keeps My company. Why? Because I get
along only wit h t hose whose r esolve is similar t o Mine. But if one
has desires for worldly pleasures, t hen even if I t ry t o develop
affect ion for t hat person, I cannot do so. Thus, only t hose devot ees of
The Vachanmr ut 456
God who are free of worldly desires are dear t o Me. What I have just
t old you is My per sonal pr inciple.
7 In t his manner , Shr iji Mahr j t alked t o His devot ees for t he
sake of t heir enlight enment .
Ga d h a d I I -51
Th e Ch a r a ct er i st i cs of On e Wh o Beh a ves a s t h e t m
1 On Chait r a vadi 9, Samvat 1880 [22 Apr il 1824], Swmi Shr i
out side t he sout h-facing r ooms of Dd Khchar s darbr in
Gadhad. At t hat t ime, an assembly of munis as well as devot ees
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j asked t he paramhansas , Oft en,
when t he jiva ent ers deep sleep, it experiences profound peace,
whereas at ot her t imes, even when it ent ers deep sleep, it s
r est lessness does not subside. What is t he r eason for t his? That is
My quest ion.
3 The senior paramhansas at t empt ed t o answer t he quest ion but
wer e unable t o give a pr ecise answer .
4 So Shr iji Mahr j explained, That is due t o t he increase of t he
force of rajogun. So, even during t he st at e of deep sleep, t he
dist ur bance of rajogun joins wit h t amogun. As a r esult , one
exper iences a feeling of rest lessness even wit hin deep sleep. Thus, as
long as t he influence of t he gunas r emains wit hin a per son, he will
never experience happiness; only when he behaves as t he t m does
he become happy.
5 Ther eupon Mukt nand Swmi asked, What ar e t he
char act er ist ics of one who behaves as t he t m ?
6 Shr iji Mahr j replied, No one is said t o be as powerful as Shiv
and Br ahm. In fact , t hey ar e t he gur us of even Nr ad. Indeed, it is
difficult for ot hers t o behave as t hey do as brah maswarup. Having
said t hat , t hough, when t he eight fact or s of place, t ime, act ion,
company, mant r a, scr ipt ur es, init iat ion and medit at ion became
unfavour able, t he adver se influence caused gr eat dist r ess in t he
The Vachanmr ut 457
hear t s of even t he likes of Shiv and Br ahm. Therefore, regardless of
how nirgun one may be, or even if one behaves as t he t m , if one
encount er s adver se cir cumst ances, one will most cer t ainly exper ience
dist r ess wit hin. So, no one can ever become happy by br eaching t he
disciplines laid down by t he gr eat Purush.
7 For t his r eason, t hen, all r enunciant s should abide by t he
dharma of r enunciant s, all householder s should abide by t he dharma
of householders, and all women should abide by t he dharma of
women. Even in t his, one will not become happy if one behaves less
t han what is pr escr ibed; nor will one become happy by behaving
beyond what is pr escr ibed. Aft er all, t he dharma pr escr ibed in t he
scr ipt ur es has been wr it t en exact ly as God has nar r at ed; t hus, t her e
can be no discr epancy in it . Mor eover , t hey ar e pr escr ibed in such a
way t hat t hey are easy t o observe. Therefore, if one observes t oo
much or t oo lit t le, one will cer t ainly become unhappy.
8 So, only one who follows t he commands of t he S atpurush can be
said t o be under t he influence of favour able cir cumst ances. To
deviat e from t hose commands is t he very definit ion of adverse
cir cumst ances. Ther efor e, only one who follows t he commands of t he
S atpurush is behaving as t he t m .
Ga d h a d I I -52
Wh a t Befit s a Ren u n cia n t a n d
Wh a t Befi t s a Hou seh old er
1 On Chait r a vadi 11, Samvat 1880 [24 Apr il 1824], Shr iji
Mahr j ar r ived at Lakshmivdi on hor seback fr om Dd Khchar s
darbr in Gadhad. Ther e, He sat on a squar e plat for m and was
dressed ent ir ely in whit e clot hes. He was also wear ing a gar land of
flowers around His neck, and a t assel of flowers decorat ed His pgh.
At t hat t ime, some munis were singing devot ional songs t o t he
accompaniment of a jhnjh and mrudang, while ot her munis as well
as devot ees from various places had gat hered before Him in an
assembly.
2 Aft er t he munis had finished singing, Shr iji Mahr j said, I
wish t o speak now, so please list en. In t his world, t he pat h of a
renunciant and t he pat h of a householder are bot h differ ent . That
The Vachanmr ut 458
which befit s a householder is not appr opr iat e for a r enunciant , and
t hat which befit s a r enunciant is not appr opr iat e for a householder .
One who is wise will r ealise t his, but ot her s will not .
3 Now, I shall explain t he dist inct ions. Wealt h and propert y;
elephant s and hor ses; cows and buffaloes; houses and mansions; a
wife and childr en; lavish clot hes and jeweller y ar e all befit t ing for a
householder . But for a r enunciant , t hey ar e complet ely
inappr opr iat e. For a r enunciant , t o live in t he forest ; t o keep no
clot hes except a loinclot h; t o wear a cap on ones head; t o shave off
ones hair , bear d and moust ache; t o wear saffr on -colour ed clot hes;
and t o t olerat e someone swearing or t hrowing dust at one are most
befit t ing. But t hese, alt hough befit t ing for a r enunciant , ar e in fact
inappr opr iat e for a householder . Thus, one who has r enounced t he
wor ld and become a r enunciant should t hink, Which shram do I
belong t o? A wise per son should t hink about t his; he should not
st ray ont o some inappr opriat e pat h like a fool.
4 Moreover, if a wise person is scolded by someone, he would in
t ur n consider t he scolder s vir t ues; on t he ot her hand, if someone
offers some useful advice t o a fool, t he fool would be offended. In t hat
r espect , Mulji Br ahmachr i and Rat anji are never offended; t hat is
why I get along ver y well wit h t hem.
5 Also, I like one who ser ves wit h shraddh. Conver sely, if
someone who does not have shraddh wer e t o br ing Me a meal, I
would not like t he food; or if t hey were t o bring some clot hes, I would
not like t o wear t hem; or if t hey wer e t o per for m My puja, I would not
like t hat puja. If, however , one offer s somet hing wit h shraddh, I
like it ver y much.
6 Fur t her mor e, even if one offer s bhakti wit h shraddh, if one
becomes jealous of someone else who comes t o offer t heir bhakti, t hen
I do not like t hat . Thus, I ver y much pr efer one who offer s bhakti
wit h shraddh and wit hout jealousy.
The Vachanmr ut 459
Ga d h a d I I -53
Not Bei n g Able t o P er cei ve On es Own Fla ws
I s De lu si on
1 On Vaishkh sudi 5, Samvat 1880 [3 May 1824], Swmi Shr i
Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing upon a cushion wit h a cylindr ical
pillow in His r esidence in Dd Khchar s darbr in Gadhad. He
was dressed ent irely in whit e clot hes. At t hat t ime, an assembly of
Him.
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, The char act er ist ic of delusion
as descr ibed in t he scr ipt ur es is as follows: When delusion per vades
ones hear t , one simply cannot per ceive ones own flaws. Thus, not
being able t o perceive ones own flaws is, in fact , t he very definit ion of
delusion.
3 Mor eover , ever yone has ext r eme vanit y of t he wisdom t hat t hey
possess, but t hey do not t hink, I do not even know anyt hing about
my own jiva t hat is, is t he jiva wit hin t his body black, or is it
whit e? Is it long, or is it shor t ? They know not hing about t heir own
jiva, yet t hey find fault s in t he gr eat Purush or in God. They feel,
Alt hough He is a gr eat Purush or God, t his much He is not doing
pr oper ly. Though t hey find fault s in t his way, lit t le do t he fools
realise t hat God sees all of t he jivas and ishwars who dwell in t he
count less millions of brahmnds as clearly as He sees a drop of wat er
in His palm. He is also t he suppor t er of count less millions of
brahmnds; He is t he husband of Lakshmi; and He is t he cr eat or ,
sust ainer and dest r oyer of count less millions of brahmnds. Even
Shesh, Shrad, Br ahm and ot her deit ies ar e unable t o fat hom t he
ext ent of His gr eat ness. In fact , even t he Vedas descr ibe His glor y as
|- |-
i
. Ther efor e, a per son who per ceives fault s eit her in Gods
divine incident s or in His under st anding should be known t o be a
non -believer and a sinner . In fact , he should be considered t o be t he
king of all fools. Besides, Gods and His Bhaktas under st anding

i
net i net i
Lit er ally meaning Not t his much; not t his much; implying t hat t he glor y of God
is unpar alleled, i.e. indescr ibable and unfat homable.
The Vachanmr ut 460
t r anscends t his wor ld. How, t hen, can a per son who believes his self
t o be t he body possibly comprehend it ?
4 So, it is simply out of ones foolishness t hat one perceives flaws
in God and His Bhakta and t hus falls fr om t he pat h of God; but ,
Gods t r ue Bhakta, t he S atpurush, cont inues t o act in a
t r anscendent al way.
Ga d h a d I I -54
Sa t sa n g I s t h e Gr ea t est Sp ir it u a l En d ea vou r ;
A Gok h a r
i
; P r ofou n d At t a ch men t
1 In t he aft ernoon on J yesht ha sudi 7, Samvat 1880 [3 J une 1824],
Swmi Shr i Sahajnandji Mahr j ar r ived at Lakshmivdi on
hor seback fr om Dd Khchar s darbr in Gadhad. Ther e, aft er
r iding t he hor se for quit e some t ime, He sat down on a squar e
plat for m. He was dr essed ent ir ely in whit e clot hes. He had also t ied
a black-bor der ed clot h ar ound His head. In addit ion t o t his, His neck
was adorned wit h a garland of mogr flower s, and His pgh was
decor at ed wit h a t assel of flower s. At t hat t ime, an assembly of
Him.
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j asked t he munis , In t he 12
t h
chapt er
of t he 11
t h
cant o of t he Shr imad Bhgwa t , Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn
has said t o Uddhav, I am not as pleased by ashtng-yoga, snkhya,
r enunciat ion, obser vances, sacr ifices, aust er it ies, donat ions,
pilgr images, et c., as I am pleased by satsang. This is what God has
said. This implies t hat of all spir it ual endeavour s, satsang is t he
gr eat est . But what ar e t he char act er ist ics of one who r egar ds
satsang as t he gr eat est spir it ual endeavour ?
3 The munis answer ed accor ding t o t heir under st anding, but none
could give a pr ecise answer .
4 So Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, One who regards satsang as t he
great est spirit ual endeavour is profoundly at t ached only t o t he S ant

i
A wild donkey.
The Vachanmr ut 461
of God. For example, if a king who is childless r eceives a son in old
age, t hen even if t hat son swear s at t he king or misbehaves, for
example, by pulling his moust ache, t he king would not find fault s in
him. Even if t he son hit s anot her child or causes pr oblems in t he
village, st ill t he king would never at t r ibut e fault s t o his child. Why?
Because t he king is pr ofoundly at t ached t o his son. Likewise, only
one who develops such profound at t achment for t he Bhakta of God
has realised satsang t o be t he most redempt ive of all spirit ual
endeavour s. This fact has been descr ibed in t he Shr imad Bhgwat :
=-=| | -|+ |||- -| ||| ~ ;=|
=||u| | | |;| |~-| |+
i

Indeed, t his verse has st at ed t hat fact appropriat ely.
| | Vachanmr ut II-54 | | 187 | |
Ga d h a d I I -55
A Gold smi t h s Wor k sh op
1 On J yesht ha sudi 11, Samvat 1880 [7 J une 1824], Swmi Shr i
Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing on a large, decorat ed cot on t he
Gadhad. He had t ied a golden -bordered, whit e moliyu fr om
Navnagar ar ound His head. He was wear ing a whit e khes and had
cover ed Himself wit h a whit e blanket . At t hat t ime, while some
munis were singing devot ional songs t o t he accompaniment of a

i
Yasytma-buddhihi kunape t ri-dhtuke swadheehee kalatrdishu bhauma
ijyadheehee|
Yat-t eert ha-buddhihi salile na karhichij-janeshvabhigneshu sa eva
gokharaha| |
He who r egar ds t he body composed of t he t hr ee const it uent s [i.e. vt (gas),
pit t a (biles) and kaf (phlegm)] t o be his own self; r egar ds his wife and childr en
t o be his own; r egar ds t he [murtis of God made fr om] ear t h t o be vener able; and
r egar ds wat er t o be [sacr ed like] a place of pilgr image but does not r egar d t he
enlight ened devot e es [of God] t o be [t hese, i.e. ones own self, ones own,
vener able and sacr ed], t hen he is t he most despicable of all animals, a wild
donkey.
The Vachanmr ut 462
jhnjh and mrudang, ot her munis as well as devot ees from various
2 Aft er t he munis had finished singing devot ional songs, Shr iji
Mahr j said, J ust as one possesses some sor t of inclinat ion t oday,
one must also have had some t race of it before joining t he Sat sang
fellowship. Therefore t oday, I would like all of you t o describe
what ever t ype of inclinat ion you have. To begin, I shall descr ibe t he
t ype of inclinat ion I have, so please list en.
3 Even when I was a child, I ver y much enjoyed such t hings as
going t o mandirs for darshan , list ening t o spir it ual discour ses,
keeping t he company of sdhus, and going on pilgr images. Then,
when I r enounced My home, I did not even like t o keep clot hes. In
fact , I liked t o st ay only in t he for est , but I was not t he least bit
afr aid. Even when I came acr oss lar ge snakes, lions, elephant s, and
count less ot her t ypes of animals in t he for est , t her e was not t he
slight est fear of dying in My hear t . In t his way, I always r emained
fear less in t he dense for est . Ther eaft er , aft er t r avelling t o holy places
of pilgr image, I met Rmnand Swmi. Only aft er Rmnand
Swmi passed away did I begin t o keep a lit t le fear t hat t oo, for t he
sake of Sat sang.
4 However , t he following t hought is const ant ly in My mind:
When a person is laid down on his deat h-bed wit h deat h impending,
everyone loses t heir self-int er est in t hat per son. The mind of t he
person who is dying also becomes deject ed from worldly life. In t he
same way, I also const ant ly feel as if deat h is imminent at t his
moment for Myself as well as for ot her s. In fact , I const ant ly r egar d
each and every wor ldly object t o be per ishable and insignificant .
Never do I make any dist inct ions such as, This is a nice object , and
t his is a bad object . Inst ead, all wor ldly object s appear t he same t o
Me. For example, when consider ing t he hair s of t he ar mpit , which
can be considered good and which bad? Indeed, good or bad, t hey are
all t he same. Similar ly, all wor ldly object s appear t he same t o Me.
5 If I do compliment or cr it icise somet hing, it is only t o please t he
devot ees of God. When I say such t hings as, This is delicious food,
or These ar e nice clot hes, or This is a beaut iful or nament , or This
is a pleasant house, or This is a fine hor se, or This is a beaut iful
flower , it is only t o please t hat par t icular devot ee. In fact , all of My
act ivit ies are for t he sake of t he devot ees of God; t here is not a single
act ivit y which I per for m for My own per sonal enjoyment .
The Vachanmr ut 463
6 Shr iji Mahr j t hen said, The mind of an ekntik bhakta of God
cont emplat es only upon t he for m of God; his mout h sings only t he
pr aises of God; his hands engage only in t he service of God and His
devot ees; and his ears list en only t o t he praises of God. In t his way, I
am able t o per for m all My act ivit ies only aft er r ealising t hem t o be a
form of bhakti t o God. Besides t he bhakti of God, My mind is
indiffer ent t o ever yt hing else. For example, if t he only son of a king
dies when t he king r eaches t he age of 60 or 70, t he king would
become disint er est ed in all t hings. In t he same manner , I const ant ly
r emain disint er est ed while eat ing, dr inking, mount ing a hor se and
even when I am pleased or displeased.
7 In addit ion, a t hought also r emains wit hin My hear t t hat I am
t he t m , dist inct fr om t he body; I am not like t his body. Also, My
mind is always caut ious, lest a por t ion of m y in t he for m of
rajogun, t amogun, et c. infilt r at e My t m ! In fact , I am const ant ly
vigilant of t hat .
8 Now, consider t he following analogy of a goldsmit hs wor kshop:
If a person t akes some pure, 24-car at gold t o a goldsmit hs wor kshop,
but t akes his eyes off of it for even a moment , t he goldsmit h will
ext r act some of t he gold and alloy some silver in it s place. Similar ly,
consider t he goldsmit hs wor kshop t o be t he hear t and t he goldsmit h
t o be m y. While t he goldsmit h is sit t ing wit hin his wor kshop t he
hear t he is cont inuously hammer ing away wit h his hammer of
desir es. Even his wife and childr en secr et ly st eal some gold if t hey
can get t heir hands on it . Consider t he indriyas and antahkaran t o
be t he wife and children of m y t he goldsmit h; aft er all, it is t hey
who add silver i.e., t he t hr ee gunas, at t achment t o t he
panchvishays, t he belief t hat one is t he body and t hat one has lust ,
anger , avar ice, et c. int o t he chaitanya, i.e., t he gold. Not only t hat ,
but t hey also ext r act some gold in t he for m of t he vir t ues of gnn,
vairgya, et c.
9 When some gold is ext r act ed and silver is mixed in it s place, t he
or iginal gold diminishes in pur it y t o become 18-car at gold. Only if it
is melt ed down can it be pur ified again. Thus, t he silver of rajogun,
t amogun, et c., which has been mixed int o t he jiva should be filt ered
out . Ther eaft er , t he pur e t m t he gold will r emain, and no ot her
impur it ies of m y will be left . This is t he t hought in which I
r emain engr ossed, day and night .
The Vachanmr ut 464
10 I have t hus descr ibed My inclinat ion t o you. Now, in t he same
manner , please descr ibe your inclinat ions t o Me.
11 Thereupon t he sdhus said, Mahr j, in no way can t her e be
any impur it ies of m y in You, for You ar e divine. The discour se
You have just deliver ed, in fact , descr ibes our inclinat ions. Also, t he
t hought t hat You ment ioned is act ually what all of us should
cult ivat e in our lives.
Ga d h a d I I -56
A Li gh t ly Dyed Clot h
1 On shdh sudi 5, Samvat 1881 [1 J uly 1824], Swmi Shr i
He was dr essed ent ir ely in whit e clot hes. At t hat t ime, some sdhus
wer e singing devot ional songs t o t he accompaniment of a dukad and
sarod, while munis as well as devot ees from various places had
2 Aft er t he singing had finished, Shr iji Mahr j said, Upon
hear ing t hese devot ional songs, My t m delved int o deep t hought ,
from which I have concluded t hat profound love for God is indeed a
gr eat t hing. I t hen r emember ed Goplnand Swmi and all of t he
devot ees who have such love for God, and in all of t heir antahkarans
and jivas I could see t heir love t owards God. Thereaft er, I examined
My own t m , and it appeared t o Me t hat ot hers do not seem t o have
as much love for God as I do. Aft er all, if t hey were t o encount er
adver se cir cumst ances, t hen even t hough t hey ar e gr eat , t heir mind
would at least be slight ly affect ed. Thus I felt t hat ult imat ely t heir
foundat ion appears t o be weak. In fact , if t hey were t o encount er
ext remely adverse cir cumst ances, t heir love for God would not
r emain st able at all.
3 So aft er examining ever yone, it seems t o Me t hat My posit ion is
bet t er, in t he sense t hat regardless of t he ext ent of adverse
cir cumst ances t hat I may encount er , in no way will My antahkaran
ever be affect ed.
The Vachanmr ut 465
4 Cont inuing, Shr iji Mahr j said, Only his love for God is t r ue
who never develops love for anyt hing ot her t han God. In fact , t he
essence of all scr ipt ur es is simply t his: God is t he sole sour ce of
et er nal bliss and t he supr eme essence of ever yt hing. Excluding God,
all ot her object s ar e absolut ely wor t hless and t ot ally unsubst ant ial.
5 If a person does have as much love for ot her object s as he does
for God, t hen his foundat ion is indeed very weak. Consider t he
analogy of a piece of light ly dyed clot h. It may look ver y nice
init ially, but if wat er happens t o fall on it , and it is t hen put out t o
dr y in t he sun, t hen it becomes ut t er ly useless. So much so, t hat it
would not even r emain like a whit e piece of clot h. In t he same way,
t hen, when a per son who has affect ion for t he panchvishays
encount er s evil company, one can never be cer t ain about him.
6 Thus, t o please God, a devot ee should t ot ally discar d t he
panchvishays. He should also abandon any affect ion for object s
which may hinder his love for God.
Ga d h a d I I -57
Th e Exa mp le of a Li za r d ; A Ca t -li k e De vot e e
1 Dur ing t he evening rt i on shdh sudi 6, Samvat 1881 [2 J uly
decorat ed cot on t he veranda out side t he east -facing r ooms of Dd
Khchar s darbr in Gadhad. A whit e pgh wit h t assels made of
flowers had been t ied around His head. He was wearing a whit e khes
and had cover ed Himself wit h a whit e cot t on clot h. At t hat t ime,
some munis wer e singing devot ional songs t o t he accompaniment of a
sarod, while paramhansas as well as devot ees from various places
had gat her ed befor e Him in an assembly. A few t or ches wer e also lit
at t hat t ime.
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, Please list en, I wish t o speak t o
all of you. When you wer e singing devot ional songs, and as I was
list ening t o t hem, a t hought occur r ed t o Me, which I shall now shar e
wit h you. If one want s t o love God, one should love Him while
believing oneself t o be t he t m , which is char act er ised by pur e
exist ence. What is t hat t m like? Well, wit hin it t her e ar e no
hindr ances eit her of m y or t he ent it ies evolved from m y, i.e., t he
The Vachanmr ut 466
t hree gunas, t he body, t he indriyas and t he antahkaran . What ever
hindrances do seem t o be in t he t m ar e, in fact , due t o ignor ance.
But no hindr ances of any for m r emain in one who has t ot ally
dispelled t hem t hr ough gnn and vairgya. However , t o behave as
t he t m does not mean t o believe oneself t o be Brahma and act
waywar dly. Rat her, t he purpose of behaving as t he t m is t o
r ealise, I am t he t m , and t her e ar e no hindr ances of m y wit hin
me. If t hat is so, how can t her e be even t he slight est t r ace of m y
in Par amt m Nr ya n Vsudev, who t r anscends t he t m ? For
t his r eason t hen, t he vir t ue of t m -r ealisat ion should be fir mly
cult ivat ed so t hat in no way does one perceive any fault in God.
3 Then keeping ones t hought in t he midst of t he light of t he
t m , one should dest r oy anyt hing t hat t r ies t o dist ur b his behaving
as t he t m . For example, when a lizar d comes near t he light of an
oil lamp, it kills any insect t hat comes near t he light . In t he same
way, t he t hought t hat r est s wit hin t he light of t he t m dest roys
ever yt hing apar t fr om t he t m .
4 Fur t her mor e, if a per son t r uly loves God, he would never
develop love for anyt hing else. If t here is an object t hat appears t o be
dear er t o him t han God, he would complet ely discar d it . That is t r ue
r enunciat ion. Indeed, he would discar d t hat object irrespect ive of
whet her it is a significant object or an insignificant object aft er all,
only t hat is called r enunciat ion. If, on t he ot her hand, a per son can
out war dly r enounce many ot her t hings but cannot discar d an object
t hat hinder s him in wor shipping God, his r enunciat ion is useless.
5 Also, do not t hink t hat only allur ing object s obst r uct ones
wor ship of God and insignificant object s do not . Aft er all, t he ver y
nat ure of t he jiva is such t hat some people prefer sweet it ems, some
prefer salt y it ems, some pr efer sour it ems, wher eas some pr efer bit t er
it ems. Thus, it is t he pet t y ment alit y of t he jiva t hat it keeps even
t he most insignificant of object s dear er t o it t han God. But when one
consider s t he gr eat ness of God, no such object can compar e t o even a
milliont h of a fr act ion of His gr eat ness.
6 If a person has developed affect ion for God having t horoughly
realised God in t his way, he would not develop affect ion t owards any
wor ldly object , i.e., t he body, t he brahmnd, et c. Inst ead, all wor ldly
object s would become insignificant t o him. Aft er all, it was when
King Chit r aket u t hor oughly r ealised t he gr eat ness of God t hat he
r enounced his t en million wives. He even r enounced his empir e,
The Vachanmr ut 467
which spanned acr oss t he ent ir e count r y. In fact , he ult imat ely
realised, Of what value is t he pleasure of t en million women before
t he bliss of God? Also, of what value are t he pleasures of an empire
spanning t he ent ir e count r y? Indeed, of what value ar e t he pleasur es
of t he realm of Indra and t he realm of Br ahm?
7 In cont r ast , one who has affect ion for some object ot her t han
such a gr eat God possesses an ut t er ly pet t y ment alit y. J ust as a dog
derives pleasure from t aking a dry bone t o some isolat ed place and
t hen licking it , in t he same way, a foolish per son believes t hat t here
are pleasures in such miseries and t hus develops affect ion for
wor t hless object s. If a so-called devot ee of God does have more
affect ion for some object t han he has for God, t hen he is not hing but a
cat -like
i
devot ee. A t rue devot ee of God, on t he ot her hand, would
definit ely not hold anyt hing dear er t o him t han God.
8 Shr iji Mahr j t hen said, A devot ee of God who possesses gnn,
vairgya, bhakti and dharma r ealises, One who is br ave and who
walks boldly t owar ds his enemy at t he t ime of bat t le is indeed t ruly
valiant . Conver sely, it is fut ile when one who is br ave is not ut ilised
in bat t le, just like wealt h t hat is not spent . Similar ly, since I have
at t ained God, if I do not t alk about liberat ion t o t hose who keep my
company, t hen of what use is my gnn? Bear ing t his in mind, he
would not har bour any cowar dice in t alking about God even if some
opposit ion wer e t o ar ise r egar ding his pr eaching.
9 Having said t his, Shr iji Mahr j had t hr ee ver ses wr it t en by
Tulsids sung. Those t hr ee ver ses wer e: =|| || || ...
i i
,
| = | ...
i i i
and =| |+= | |
i v
.
10 Shr iji Mahr j t hen added, We should live according t o t he
wor ds ment ioned in t hese ver ses. While doing so, if some
insufficiency r emains, and if one wer e t o die at t hat t ime, one will
st ill not ent er t he cycle of bir t hs and deat hs, nor will one become a
ghost . In fact , at t he ver y wor st , one will join t he r anks of Indr a or

i
The t er m cat -like used her e means deceit ful.
i i
J yki lagan Rmso nhi
i i i
Ehi kahyo sunu Veda chahu
i v
J yku priya na Rm Vaidehi
The Vachanmr ut 468
Br ahm; ones fat e will not be any wor se t han t hat . Thus, one
should fearlessly engage in t he worship of God.
11 At t hat point , Mulji Br ahmachr i came t o call Shr iji Mahr j
for His meals, and t hey bot h left t he assembly t oget her .
Ga d h a d I I -58
Th e Flou r i sh i n g of a Sa mp r a d y
1 On Shr van sudi 4, Samvat 1881 [29 J uly 1824], Swmi Shr i
of munis as well as devot ees from various places had gat hered before
Him.
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j asked, How do t he samprad ys of
t he gr eat chryas flour ish for a long period of t ime?
3 Mukt nand Swmi answer ed, Fir st ly, by t he scr ipt ur es of t he
samprad y; secondly, by t he obser vance of t he dharma of ones cast e
and shram as pr escr ibed in t he scr ipt ur es; and t hir dly, by t ot al
convict ion in ones Ishtadev. Ones samprad y flour ishes by t hese
t hr ee fact or s.
4 Shr iji Mahr j t hen asked t he same quest ion t o Br ahmnand
Swmi and Nit ynand Swmi. They also gave t he same r eply.
5 Ther eaft er , Shr iji Mahr j said, Here, allow Me t o answer t he
quest ion. A samprad y flour ishes by knowing t he following: The
purpose for which t he Ishtadev of t he samprad y manifest ed on
ear t h; and aft er manifest ing, t he var ious divine act ions He
per for med, as well as t he ways in which He behaved. Thr ough His
behaviour , dharma as well as t he great ness of t hat Ishtadev is
nat ur ally r evealed. In t his manner , t hen, a samprad y fost ered by
t he scr ipt ur es which nar r at e it s Ishtadevs divine incident s fr om His
bir t h up unt il His passing away. Regar dless of whet her t hose
scr ipt ur es ar e in Sanskr it or in t he ver nacular , only t hose scr ipt ur es
will fost er t he samprad y, not ot her s.
The Vachanmr ut 469
6 For example, t hose who wor ship Rmchandr a Bhagwn will be
inspir ed only by t he Vlmiki Rmyan; and t hose who wor ship Shr i
Kr ishna Bhagwn will be inspired only by t he t ent h and elevent h
cant os of t he Shr imad Bhgwat . The Vedas will not inspir e t hose
who worship Rmchandr aji Bhagwn or Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn.
Ult imat ely, t hen, only t he scr ipt ur es of ones own samprad y will
fost er t he samprad y.
7 Having said t his, Shr iji Mahr j t hen commanded Mukt nand
Swmi: You t oo should cont inuously pr each and wr it e scr ipt ur es
relat ed t o your samprad y and your Ishtadev for t he rest of your life.
This is My only command t o you for as long as you live.
8 Wit h gr eat r espect for t hese wor ds of Shr iji Mahr j,
Mukt nand Swmi r esolved t o devout ly abide by t hem. Then, folding
his hands, he bowed before Shriji Mahr j.
Ga d h a d I I -59
Ult ima t e Li ber a t i on
veranda out side t he mandir of Shr i Vsudevnr yan in Dd
Khchar s darbr in Gadhad. He was dressed ent ir ely in whit e
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, In t he four Vedas, t he Pur ns
and t he It ihs scr ipt ur es, t her e is but one cent r al pr inciple, and t hat
is t hat only God and His S ant can gr ant liber at ion. In fact , Gods
S ant is gr eat er t han even Bhava, Br ahm, and t he ot her deit ies. So,
when one at t ains God or His S ant, t hen, apar t fr om t his, t her e is no
ot her liberat ion for t he jiva; t his it self is ult imat e liber at ion.
3 Fur t her mor e, only t hose who have accumulat ed a gr eat number
of merit s from performing good deeds receive t he opport unit y t o serve
Gods S ant, but t hose who have a few merit s do not . So, one should
develop affect ion for Gods S ant just as one has affect ion for ones
wife, son, par ent s or br ot her . Due t o t his affect ion, t hen, t he jiva
becomes absolut ely fulfilled.
The Vachanmr ut 470
4 Mor eover , even if ones wife, son or ot her family member s ar e
unwor t hy, and even if t hey ar e immor al and vile, in no way would
one per ceive flaws in t hem. Conver sely, even if t he Bhakta of God
possesses every noble virt ue, if he were t o ut t er even a few harsh
wor ds, t hen one would hold a gr udge against him for as long as one
lives. If a per son has such an at t it ude, t hen in no way can he be said
t o have as much affect ion for t he Bhakta of God as he does for his
r elat ives. Consequent ly, he would not at t ain liber at ion.
5 Fur t her mor e, t he gr eat ness of t he S ant is indeed as much as I
ment ioned ear lier . Yet , even aft er at t aining God and His S ant, some
people st ill har bour t he doubt , Will I at t ain liber at ion or not ? What
can be t he r eason for t his? Well, in his past lives, t hat per son had
not at t ained God or His S ant, nor had he ser ved t hem. Thus, t his is
a new exper ience for him, which will bear fr uit in his subsequent
lives. If, on t he ot her hand, a person had at t ained God and His S ant
and had ser ved t hem in his past lives, t hen in t his life, his affect ion
for t he Bhakta of God would never diminish. Nor would he waver in
his fait h. Even if his dist ur bing t hought s r elat ed t o lust , anger or
avar ice per sist ed, his fait h in God would not dissolve. What can be
said, t hen, about his fait h not falt er ing due t o some ot her per sons
influence? In fact , even if his own mind wer e t o t r y t o sway him
fr om his fait h, he would st ill not be swayed. Such a per sons r esolve
can be said t o be like t hat of Nt h Bhakt as and like Vishnudss,
Himr j Shhs and Bhlchandr a Shet hs was, and like Kshidss
a n d Dmodar s is. When a per son possesses such r esolve, it should
be known t hat t his person has been a devot ee of God in a past life.
Ga d h a d I I -60
Over comi n g Di ffi cu lt i es; Bei n g Loya l
Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing on a lar ge, decor at ed cot in t he
east ern veranda out side t he west -facing r ooms of Dd Khchar s
darbr in Gadhad. He was wear ing a whit e khes and had t ied a
whit e pgh ar ound His head. He had also covered Himself wit h a
whit e blanket . At t hat t ime, an assembly of paramhansas as well as
The Vachanmr ut 471
2 Then Shr iji Mahr j request ed, Please begin a quest ion -answer
session.
3 Ther eupon Mukt nand Swmi asked, Mahr j, life is full of
difficult ies. Amidst all t hese difficult ies, what under st anding should
a devot ee of God cult ivat e in order t o remain happy at heart ?
4 Shr iji Mahr j began, To answer t hat , I shall t ell you about My
own experience. He t hen explained, By keeping t he following t hree
for ms of awar eness, I am not hinder ed by any dist ur bances: const ant
awareness of t he t m , which is dist inct fr om t he body; t he
awareness of t he perishable nat ure of all worldly object s; and t he
awar eness of Gods great ness. By keeping t hese t hree forms of
awar eness, no difficult ies hinder Me in any way.
5 If, however, one does encount er some difficult ies, t hen due t o
t he nat ure of t he chit t , it may appear t hat t her e is some dist ur bance.
However , t he effect of t hat dist urbance does not penet rat e int o t he
chaitanya. This can be r ealised by t he fact t hat one never
exper iences dist ur bances t hat ar e occur r ing ext er nally when one is
dr eaming. On t he ot her hand, if a dist ur bance has penet r at ed int o
t he chaitanya, it is exper ienced in all t hr ee st at es
7
. Ther efor e,
because I do not exper ience any dist ur bances in My dr eams, it can be
inferred t hat no dist urbances have affect ed My chaitanya in any way.
6 Having said t his t hough, if a devot ee of God encount ers some
sor t of dist r essing har dship, it is not as if I do not r ealise it ; I ver y
much do feel it in My hear t . Only a non -believer like Raghunt hds
would not feel it . For when Rmnand Swmi passed away, all of t he
satsangis began t o cr y, but Raghunt hds was not at all gr ieved.
Inst ead, he wander ed ar ound, laughing and t alking t o ot her s. Thus,
only an out cast or a non -believer would not feel hurt when a devot ee
of God encount ers some sort of misery, but a devot ee of God would
definit ely become dist ressed by t he suffering of ot her devot ees.
7 Cont inuing, Shr iji Mahr j said, The scr ipt ur es st at e t hat if a
devot ee of God is being killed or harassed by someone, t hen he who
st ands in defence of t hat devot ee of God and in doing so dies or
becomes wounded himself is t ot ally fr eed fr om t he five gr ave sins
10
,
i.e., killing a Brhmin, et c. Such is t he glory of defending a devot ee
of God. However, if one is hurt by t he words of devot ees of God as if
one has been shot in t he hear t by some ar r ows and if a grudge
develops from t hat hat red t o such an ext ent t hat it is not resolved as
long as one lives, t hen such a per son is like an out cast . Even if such
The Vachanmr ut 472
a per son possesses vir t ues such as dharma and r enunciat ion or
per for ms aust er it ies, it is all wor t hless. In fact , even if he
endeavour s in a million ot her ways, his jiva will not at t ain liber at ion.
8 In societ y, if a woman bear s equal affect ion for her husband as
she does for anot her man, t hen she is looked upon as being immor al
like a pr ost it ut e. Similar ly, if a per son in t his wor ld believes, As far
as I am concer ned, all sdhus are equal. Who is good and who is
bad? t hen even if he is considered t o be a satsangi, he should be
known t o be a non -believer. In addit ion, in case a person feels, If I
say somet hing inappr opr iat e, my own fr iends will condemn me, and
so t o preserve his respect , t he person list ens as someone speaks ill of
a devot ee of God t hen he should also be known t o be a non -believer ,
even t hough he may be considered t o be a satsangi.
9 Therefore, one should be absolut ely loyal t o a devot ee of God
just as one is loyal t o ones r elat ives and ones mot her and fat her . If
ever some sort of difficult y does happen t o arise wit h a devot ee of God,
only one who does not develop a grudge, but set t les t he difference and
reunit es wit h t hat devot ee like a line drawn in wat er can be
called a t rue a devot ee of God.
10 Having said t his, Shr iji Mahr j finally added, I am ver y
compassionat e like Dat t t r eya, J adbhar at , Nr ad and Shukji. In
fact , once while I was t r avelling in t he east , I came acr oss a band of
ascet ics. They or der ed me: Go and pick some gr een spinach. I
r eplied, I will not pick it , because it t oo cont ains a jiva. Hear ing
t his, one of t hem drew a sword and t hreat ened Me. Never t heless, I
did not pick t he spinach. This is t he ext ent of My compassionat e
nat ure. However, if one looks angrily at a devot ee of God, t hen even
if t hat person is a relat ive of Mine, I feel like t earing his eyes out ; and
if he should hur t a devot ee of God wit h his hands, I feel like cut t ing
his hands off. Such is t he aver sion I exper ience; in t hose cases, I do
not show any compassion. Only one who has such loyalt y for a
devot ee of God can be called a full-fledged devot ee of God.
The Vachanmr ut 473
Ga d h a d I I -61
Niya ms, Fa it h in God , a n d Loya lt y
Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing on a lar ge, decor at ed cot in t he
east ern veranda out side t he west -facing r ooms of Dd Khchar s
darbr in Gadhad. He had t ied a golden -bordered, whit e shelu
ar ound His head and had cover ed Himself wit h anot her whit e shelu.
He was also wear ing a whit e khes and a garland of mogr flower s.
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, A person who possesses t hree
at t r ibut es can be called a st aunch satsangi. What ar e t hese t hr ee
at t r ibut es? The fir st is t o st r ict ly adher e t o t he niyams prescribed by
ones Ishtadev t o such an ext ent t hat one would never forsake t hose
disciplines even at t he cost of ones life. The second is t o have
ext r emely fir m fait h in God, so much so t hat one would never sway
fr om it even if ot her s or ones own mind wer e t o r aise doubt s. The
t hird is t o be loyal t o t hose Vaishnav devot ees who worship ones
Ishtadev just as par ent s ar e loyal t o t heir childr en, a son is loyal t o
his fat her, and a wife is loyal t o her husband. One who possesses
t hese t hr ee at t r ibut es complet ely can be called a st aunch satsangi.
3 Then cont inuing, Shr iji Mahr j said, When someone comes
and sit s at t he fr ont of an assembly of devot ees, ot her s t hink, This
per son must be a gr eat satsangi. However , t he t est of a gr eat
satsan gi is as follows: If he is a householder, he would surrender
everyt hing he has for God and His devot ees; and if required t o do so,
would even give his life for Sat sang; and t he moment his Ishtadev
commands him t o become a paramhansa, he would immediat ely
become a paramhansa. If a devot ee of God possesses t hese
char act er ist ics, t hen whet her he sit s at t he fr ont of an assembly of
devot ees, or at t he back he should be considered t o be great
amongst all devot ees. Mor eover , a r enunciant who, despit e
encount er ing wealt h and women in his t r avels t o ot her r egions,
r emains unaffect ed and cont inues t o fir mly adher e t o all of his
niyams, is consider ed t o be gr eat amongst all r enunciant s.
4 Of course, if a sensuous person considered t o be reput able in
societ y comes t o an assembly, t hen he should be respect ed
accor dingly and given a seat at t he ver y fr ont of t he assembly. Such
The Vachanmr ut 474
et iquet t e should be observed by persons possessing gnn as well as by
r enunciant s. If t hey do not , t hen t he consequences can be
det r iment al. Consider t he example of when King Par ikshit went t o
t he r ishis her mit age. The r ishi happened t o be in sam dhi and so
t he king was not honour ed. As a r esult , t he king became angr y and
t hr ew a dead snake ar ound t he r ishis neck. Ther eaft er , t he r ishis
son cur sed t he king, leading t o t he kings deat h seven days lat er .
5 Ther e is also t he example of when Daksha prajpati visit ed
Br ahms assembly. Ther e, Shivji neit her st ood up for Daksha
prajpati, nor welcomed him ver bally, t hus upset t ing Daksha. He
t hen cancelled Shivs shar e in t he sacr ifice he per for med. Ther eaft er ,
Nandishwar and Bhr ugu cur sed each ot her ; because of t hat sin, Sat i
bur nt t o deat h in Dakshas sacr ifice. This pr ompt ed Vir bhadr a t o cut
off Dakshas head and offer it in t he fir e, which r esult ed in Daksha
receiving t he head of a goat .
6 Therefore, all of you householders and renunciant s should abide
by t he following pract ice: Those who are considered t o be respect able
in societ y and wor ldly affair s should in no way be insult ed in an
assembly. If t hey are dishonoured, it will definit ely lead t o problems
and cr eat e hindr ances in wor ship. For t his r eason, t hen, all satsangi
householder s and r enunciant s should fir mly abide by t his pr inciple of
Mine.
Ga d h a d I I -62
t m -Rea lisa t ion , Fid elit y a n d Ser vit u d e
1 On Mgshar sudi 2, Samvat 1881 [22 November 1824], Swmi
t he veranda out side t he nort h-facing r ooms of Dd Khchar s darbr
in Gadhad. He was wear ing a whit e khes and had t ied a whit e pgh
ar ound His head. Also, He had cover ed Himself wit h a t hick, whit e
cot t on clot h. At t hat t ime, an assembly of munis as well as devot ees
from various places had gat hered befor e Him.
2 Shr iji Mahr j t hen summoned His nephews, Ayodhypr asdji
and Raghuvir ji, and said t o t hem, You may ask Me quest ions.
3 Thereupon Ayodhypr asdji fir st asked, In life, a man may be
engr ossed in t he ent anglement s of wor ldly affair s all day long, and
The Vachanmr ut 475
dur ing t hat t ime, he may well per for m some pious as well as impious
karmas. Mor eover , he may engage in wor ship for only half an hour
or so. Is t his enough t o bur n all of t he sins he has commit t ed dur ing
t he day, or not ? That is my quest ion.
4 Shr iji Mahr j replied, Even if a person has spent t he whole
day in pravrut t i, and regardless of what ever t ype of act ivit ies he may
have been involved in, if, when he engages in t he worship of God, his
indriyas , antahkaran and jiva all unit e and become en gr ossed in
worship, t hen even if he does so for half an hour, or even for a few
minut es, all of his sins will be bur nt t o ashes. However , if his
indriyas , antahkaran and jiva do not unit edly engage in worship,
t hen his sins cannot be bur ned by wor shipping for such a shor t
while. Such a per son can at t ain liber at ion only by t he gr ace of God.
This is t he answer t o t he quest ion.
5 Next , Raghuvir ji asked a quest ion, Mahr j, what must one do
for t he liberat ion of t he jiva?
6 Shr iji Mahr j explained, If a person aspires for liberat ion, he
should place his body, wealt h, home, family and r elat ions in t he
ser vice of God. Fur t her mor e, he should shun any object t hat may
not be of use in serving God. One who lives such a God-cent red life
joins t he r anks of Nrad and t he Sanak dik in t he abode of God and
at t ains ult imat e liber at ion aft er he dies, even if he is a householder .
This is t he answer t o your quest ion.
7 Having answer ed t heir quest ions, Shr iji Mahr j t hen began of
His own accor d, Since t he day I began pondering over it , I have
not iced t hat t her e ar e t hr ee inclinat ions which lead t o liber at ion and
which lead t o ext reme bliss. Of t hese, one is profound t m -
realisat ion, which is t o believe ones t rue self t o be t he t m and
engage in t he wor ship of God, like Shukji. The second is t he
inclinat ion of a woman who obser ves t he vow of fidelit y, which is t o
wor ship God as if He is ones husband, just as t he gopis did. The
t hir d is t he inclinat ion of ser vit ude, which is t o wor ship God as His
ser vant , just like Hanumnji and Uddhavji. Wit hout t hese t hr ee
inclinat ions, t her e is no way in which t he jiva can at t ain liber at ion.
In fact , I, Myself, have fir mly cult ivat ed all t hr ee of t hese
inclinat ions. Even if a person possesses one of t hese inclinat ions
fir mly, he becomes absolut ely fulfilled.
8 I shall now descr ibe t he at t r ibut es of t hese t hr ee inclinat ions
individually. Fir st ly, t he following ar e t he at t r ibut es of one who has
The Vachanmr ut 476
realised t he t m . On one side t here is t he t m and on t he ot her
side is t he horde of m y t he body, t he indriyas , t he antahkaran ,
t he t hree gunas, t he panchvishays, et c. The t hought t hat r est s
bet ween t he t wo is full of gnn. This t hought r emains st eady, just as
t he t ip of a flame remains st eady in t he absence of wind. It is t his
t hought which pr event s t he body, indriyas and antahkaran fr om
becoming one wit h t he t m . In fact , even t he t hought it self does not
become one wit h t he t m .
9 When t he jiva at t ains t his t hought , it s vruttis , which once
reached all t he way t o Kshi, r ecede t o r each only as far as Var t l.
When t hat t hought is consolidat ed, t he vruttis t hen recede from
Var t l t o reach only as far as Gadhad. Then, fr om r eaching as far
as Gadhad, t hey r ecede and come int o t he vicinit y of t he body.
Fr om t he body, t he vruttis r ecede fur t her and r est in t he or gans of
t he indriyas . Fr om t he or gans of t he indriyas , t he indriyas vruttis
t ur n inwar d t owar ds t he antahkaran . Finally, t he vruttis of t he
indriyas and antahkaran become absor bed in the t m . It is t hen
t hat t he jivas kran body, which is full of wor ldly desir es, is said t o
be dest royed.
10 Fur t her mor e, when t his t hought meet s wit h t he t m , divine
light is gener at ed in t he hear t of t he t hinker , and he has t he
realisat ion of himself as being brahmarup. In addit ion, he also has
t he r ealisat ion of Par abr ahma Nr yan who r esides wit hin t hat
Br ahma
i
. One who has t his r ealisat ion feels, I am t he t m , and
Par amt m et er nally r esides wit hin me. Such a sust ained st at e is
t he highest level of t m -r ealisat ion.
11 Secondly, t he inclinat ion of a person who has fidelit y should be
like t hat of t he gopis of Vr aj. For example, fr om t he day t he gopis
t ouched t he holy feet of Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn, all of t he pleasures of
t his wor ld became like poison t o t hem. In t his way, if a fait hful wife
who has t he inclinat ion of fidelit y sees a man who is as handsome as
Indr a, or who is like a deit y or some king, t hen just as when one
sees a rot t ing dog or some excret ion one becomes ext r emely disgust ed
and looks away she would wit hdr aw her eyes. This is t he highest
for m of fidelit y. Ther efor e, if one at t aches ones vruttis t o God just as

i
Her e Br ahma should be under st ood t o mean brahmarup tm.
The Vachanmr ut 477
a fait hful wife does wit h her husband, ones mind would never
become pleased upon seeing anyon e else.
12 Thir dly, a per son who has an inclinat ion of offer ing bhakti wit h
servit ude would like t he darshan only of his Ishtadev; he would like
t o hear t alks only about Him; he would like His Ishtadevs nat ur e;
and he would also prefer t o st ay only wit h Him. Never t heless, even
t hough he has such love, for t he sake of ser ving his Ishtadev and
ear ning His pleasur e, he wishes day and night , If my Ishtadev were
t o command me, I would follow t hat command most happily. If his
Ishtadev wer e t o give a command t hat would for ce him t o st ay far
away, he would st ay t here happily, but in no way would he be
dishear t ened. In fact , he finds supr eme bliss in following t he
command it self. This is t he highest level of ser vit ude. Today,
Goplnand Swmi and also Mukt nand Swmi have such an
inclinat ion of offering bhakti wit h ser vit ude.
13 Among t he devot ees of God who possess one of t hese t hree
inclinat ions, t her e exist t hr ee levels t he highest , t he int er mediat e
and t he lowest . Those who are not found in any one of t hese
cat egor ies can only be called wr et ched. Thus, it is only pr oper t o die
aft er one has t hor oughly cult ivat ed one of t he t hr ee inclinat ions; it is
not appropriat e t o die if one has not complet ely developed any single
one of t he t hree. Inst ead, it wou ld be bet t er if a person lives five days
longer t o dispel his misunderst andings and consolidat e at least one of
t hese t hr ee inclinat ions, and die t her eaft er .
14 Cont inuing, Shr iji Mahr j added, The nat ure of t he jiva is
such t hat when a person is a hou seholder, he would prefer t o
r enounce wor ldly life; but once he has r enounced, he har bour s desir es
for t he pleasures of worldly life once again. Such is t he perverse
nat ure of t he jiva. Therefore, one who is a st aunch devot ee of God
should worship God aft er discar ding such a per ver se nat ur e as well
as all of ones per sonal likes and dislikes. Mor eover , it is only
appropriat e t o die aft er eradicat ing all desires ot her t han t hose of
God.
15 If, however, one does not have int ense love for God, one should
st r engt hen only t m -r ealisat ion by t hought . Why? Because a
devot ee of God should eit her possess resolut e t m -r ealisat ion or
ext remely profound love for God. If a person is not firm in eit her one
of t hese t wo inclinat ions, he should st r ict ly abide by t he niyams of
The Vachanmr ut 478
t his Sat sang; only t hen will he be able t o r emain a satsangi,
ot her wise he will fall fr om Sat sang.
16 When a devot ee of God experiences hardships of any kind, it
should be known t hat t he sour ce of t hose miser ies is not kl, karma
or m y. In act ual fact , it is God Himself who inspir es har dships t o
befall upon His devot ees in or der t o t est t heir pat ience. Then, just as
a man hides behind a cur t ain and wat ches, God hides in t he hear t of
His devot ee and from t here He observes t he devot ees pat ience.
Besides, who are kl, karma and m y t hat t hey could har m a
devot ee of God? So, realising it t o be Gods wish, a devot ee of God
should r emain cheer ful.
17 Upon hear ing t his, Mukt nand Swmi asked a quest ion:
Mahr j, t he discour se in which You have just descr ibed t he t hr ee
inclinat ions is ver y subt le and difficult t o put int o pr act ise. Only a
few can under st and it and only a few can act ually live by it ; not
everyone can do so. However, t here are hundreds of t housands of
people in t his Sat sang fellowship, and it would be difficult for all of
t hem t o under st and t his pr inciple. So, how can t hey pr ogr ess?
18 Shr iji Mahr j explained, If a person behaves as a servant of
t he servant s of a devot ee who possesses one of t hese t hree
inclinat ions, and if he also follows his commands, t hen despit e not
under st anding anyt hing else, he would cer t ainly become an
at t endant of God aft er t his very life and would t hus become fulfilled.
19 In t his wor ld, t he glor y of God and His Bhakta is indeed very
gr eat . Aft er all, no mat t er how sinful or insignificant a per son may
be, if he seeks t he refuge of God and His Bhakta, t hat per son will
become absolut ely fulfilled. Such is t he great ness of God and His
Bhakta. Ther efor e, one who has r eceived t he oppor t unit y to serve
Gods Bhakta should r emain fear less.
20 Finally, Shr iji Mahr j said, I have deliver ed t his discour se
about t he t hr ee inclinat ions mainly for t he sake of Mukt nand
Swmi because I have a gr eat deal of affect ion for him. So, bear ing
in mind t hat Mukt nand Swmi is suffer ing fr om an illness, I spoke
t oday so as t o be sur e t hat no for m of deficiency r emains in his
under st anding.
21 In r eply, Mukt nand Swmi said, Mahr j, I also felt t hat You
deliver ed t his discour se for me.
The Vachanmr ut 479
Ga d h a d I I -63
Ga in in g St r en gt h
Shr i Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing in His place of r esidence in
Dd Khchar s darbr in Gadhad. At t hat t ime, Bhajannand
Swmi was r eading t he Shr imad Bhgwat befor e Shr iji Mahr j, and
ot her paramhansas as well as devot ees from various places had also
2 Ther eupon Mukt nand Swmi asked, The t hought which r est s
bet ween t he drasht and t he drashya keeps t he drasht and drashya
separat ed. In t his, what should be under st ood as t he consciousness of
t he jiva and what should be underst ood as t he consciousness of t he
antahkaran ?
3 Shr iji Mahr j replied, It seems t o Me t hat if ones jiva has
become ext r emely power ful, t hen t he vruttis of ones antahkaran ar e,
in fact , t he vruttis of ones jiva. These vruttis seem t o be divided int o
four cat egor ies, accor ding t o t he four r espect ive funct ions of t he
antahkaran . Thus, t he consciousness in t he indriyas and
antahkaran is t hat of t he jiva it self. Ther efor e, t he jiva allows t he
indriyas and antahkaran t o apply t hemselves wherever it is
appropriat e t o do so and rest rict s t hem from doing as t hey please
where it is inappropriat e t o do so. In fact , if ones jiva has become
ver y power ful, one would not even have impur e dr eams. On t he
ot her hand, if ones jiva is lacking in st r engt h, t hen one should follow
t he principle of Snkhya and behave only as t he t m t he
drasht but one should not associat e wit h ones indriyas and
antahkaran . By behaving as t he t m in t his way, ones jiva gains
gr eat st r engt h.
4 Ther e is, however , an even gr eat er met hod t han t his t o gain
st rengt h. If a person has love for God and His S ant, possesses
int ense shraddh in ser ving t hem, and also engages in t he nine t ypes
of bhakti, t hen his jiva will inst ant ly gain st r engt h. Thus, for
making t he jiva st r onger , t her e is no met hod compar able t o t hat of
ser ving God and His Bhakta.
5 Shr iji Mahr j t hen said, I shall now t ell you a personal
pr inciple of Mine. So saying, He cont inued, When I became ill in
t he year of 1869, I saw Kails and Vaikunt h, and I also saw Myself
r iding on Nandishwar and r iding on Gar ud. However , I did not find
The Vachanmr ut 480
any pleasure in t hose powers. Thereaft er, I began t o behave only as
t he t m , wher eupon all dist ur bances subsided. But t hen I t hought ,
Much bet t er t han behaving as t he t m is t o st ay wit hin t he
fellowship of God and His devot ees. I t hen became afr aid, What if by
behaving as t he t m , I cannot r et ur n t o t his body again? Thus, t o
st ay wit hin t he fellowship of God and His devot ees and t hus be able t o
ser ve t hem in whichever way possible, is indeed t he ver y best
spirit ual endeavour .
6 Ther eaft er Shr iji Mahr j explained, Count less t ypes of ment al
and physical suffer ing ar ise dur ing t he final moment s of a per sons
life. But when one has t he darshan of God and His S ant, all t hose
miser ies ar e expelled. Such is t he gr eat ness of God and His Bhakta.
In act ual fact , t he Bhakta of God is indeed not hing but a form of
Br ahma. That is why one should never per ceive human t r ait s in
him.
7 In addit ion, wit h t he devot ees of God one should behave in t he
same manner as family member s do amongst t hemselves. For
example, even if a per son scolds his own family member s out of
affect ion, or if t hey happen t o scold him, grudges st ill do not develop
in t heir heart s. Wit h devot ees of God, one should behave in t he same
manner . On t he ot her hand, if a person does develop a grudge wit h
God or His devot ees, I do not even like t o look at him. In fact , My
anger wit h such a per son never subsides. Mor eover , t hose in t his
wor ld who commit t he five gr ave sins
10
can st ill be redeemed
someday, whereas one who spit es devot ees of God can never be
redeemed.
8 Thus, t her e is no mer it gr eat er t han t hat of ser ving devot ees of
God, and t here is no sin graver t han t hat of spit ing devot ees of God.
Ther efor e, if one wishes t o make ones jiva powerful, t hen one should
sincerely serve God and His devot ees by t hought , word and deed.
Ga d h a d I I -64
P u r u sh ot t a m Bh a t t s Qu est i on
1 On Posh sudi 7, Samvat 1881 [27 December 1824], Swmi Shr i
The Vachanmr ut 481
out side t he mandir of Shr i Vsudevnr yan in Dd Khchar s
2 Ther eupon Swayampr ak shnand Swmi asked, Mahr j, ar e
all avat rs of God equal, or ar e t her e dist inct ions among t hem?
3 Shr iji Mahr j explained, Aft er list ening t o and analyt ically
pondering over all of t he scr ipt ur es wr it t en by Vysji, t he conclusion
I have r eached r egar ding t he avat rs of God such as Mat sya,
Kachchha, Var h, Nr usinh, et c. is t hat Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn is
t he sour ce of t hem all. That is t o say, Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn is not
an avat r like t he ot her avat rs, but is himself t he sour ce of all
avat rs. That ver y Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn is our ishtadev. His
divine incident s ar e compr ehensively nar r at ed in t he t ent h cant o of
t he Shr imad Bhgwat Pur n. In fact , I have also considered it as a
gr eat aut hor it y in our Uddhav Sampr ady.
4 As all ot her avat rs ar e also of Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn, we
should respect t hose avat rs and all scr ipt ur es which expound t hose
avat rs. Never t heless, we should pr imar ily r espect only Shr i
Kr ishna Bhagwn and t he scr ipt ur es which expound him.
5 Ther eaft er Pur ushot t am Bhat t asked a quest ion, God cr eat ed
t his world for t he liberat ion of t he jivas. But would it not have been
possible for God, wit hout cr eat ing t his wor ld, t o gr ant liberat ion t o
t he jivas while t hey wer e dor mant in t he womb of m y? Inst ead,
why does He t ake t he t r ouble of cr eat ing t his whole wor ld? That is
t he quest ion.
6 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, Bhagwn Shr i Kr ishna Pur ushot t am is
t he sover eign r uler and is et er nal. He is for ever pr esent on his
t hr one in his Akshar dh m. Wit hin t he r efuge of t hat Akshar dh m
r eside count less millions of brahmnds. For example, a king who
r ules over t he whole wor ld owns innumer able villages, and of t hose, if
one or t wo were t o become desolat e, or if one or t wo became populat ed,
he would not even t ake not ice. Similar ly, Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn is
t he lor d of count less millions of brahmnds. Those brahmnds,
however , ar e not dest r oyed all at once. Thus, if one or t wo
brahmnds are dest royed, God would not even t ake not e of it .
The Vachanmr ut 482
7 In addit ion, t he bir t h of t hat Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn fr om
Devkiji is, st r ict ly speaking, only for t he sake of nar r at ion, because
in act ual fact , he is for ever beyond bir t h.
8 Fur t her mor e, by it s vyatirek nat ur e, t he Akshar dh m of Shr i
Kr ishna Bhagwn t r anscends Pr akr ut i-Pur ush, and by it s anvay
nat ur e it per vades ever ywher e just as ksh by it s anvay nat ur e is
present everywhere and by it s vyatirek nat ur e t r anscends t he four
bhuts. So it is for Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwns Akshar dh m.
9 Mor eover , Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn for ever dwells wit hin t hat
abode. But despit e being present in Akshardh m, he also gr ant s
darshan t o whomever , wher ever and in whichever way it is
necessar y. He speaks t o whomever it is necessary t o speak t o and
even t ouches whomever it is necessar y t o t ouch. J ust as one who has
at t ained yogic powers can while r emaining in one place see for
t housands of miles and hear t alks fr om t housands of miles away,
similar ly, despit e being in his Akshar dh m, God also r eveals himself
in t he count less millions of brahmnds wherever t here is a need t o be
r evealed. Never t heless, he himself is st ill always pr esent in his
Akshardh m. The fact t hat he r emains in one place and yet r eveals
himself in count less places is a demonst r at ion of his yogic power s
just as dur ing t he rs episode, when he assumed as many for ms as
t here were gopis. This use of Gods yogic power s t o r emain in one
place and at t he same t ime t o appear in count less places is it self his
per vasive for m. But unlike ksh, he does not pervade wit hout
possessing a for m.
10 Moreover, by t he yogic powers of God, t he 500 million -yojan
surface of t he prut hvi becomes t he size of a sub-at omic par t icle at t he
t ime of dissolut ion. Then, at t he t ime of cr eat ion, fr om being sub-
at omic in size, t he prut hvi again becomes 500 million yojans lar ge.
Also, t hunder , light ning and dense clouds of r ain appear in t he
monsoon season. These and all ot her such wonders are all due t o t he
yogic powers of God.
11 That Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn is wort hy t o be worshipped by
spir it ual aspir ant s in ever y way. Because while t he ot her avat rs
possessed t he grandeur of maybe one or t wo powers, Shri Krishna
Bhagwn possesses all power s. Aft er all, Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn is
not only amor ous, he is also a r enunciant ; he possesses gnn and is
also t he sover eign r uler ; he is a cowar d as well as br ave. He is
ext r emely compassionat e and is a mast er of all yogic power s. He is
The Vachanmr ut 483
ver y st r ong, as well as ver y decept ive. In t his r espect , t hen, only
Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn possesses all powers.
12 It is in Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwns Akshar dh m t hat t he
count less millions of brahmnds are support ed forever. Of t hose,
when t he 100-year lifespan
i
of a par t icular brahmnd expir es, t hat
brahmnd is dest r oyed. Fr om t his it is clear t hat not all brahmnds
ar e dest r oyed at t he same t ime. So, if ot her brahmnds ar e st ill
present at t he t ime of dissolut ion, why should God grant liberat ion t o
t he jivas at t hat t ime? This is t he answer t o t he quest ion.
13 In t his way, Shr iji Mahr j indir ect ly r evealed Himself as
Pur ushot t am. Upon hear ing t his, all of t he devot ees r ealised t hat
t hat same Shr i Kr ishna Pur ushot t am is, in fact , t he son of Dhar ma
and Bhakt i Shr iji Mahr j.
Ga d h a d I I -65
Th e Ove r -Wi s e
Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing on a lar ge, decor at ed cot near t he
2 Then Shr iji Mahr j said, Please list en, as I wish t o speak
about God.
3 The sdhus, who wer e singing devot ional songs t o t he
accompaniment of a t l and pakhwj, st opped singing. They t hen
folded t heir hands and set t led down t o list en.
4 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j began, When God manifest s for t he
liberat ion of t he jivas as an avat r such as Rm, Kr ishna, et c., He is
not infat uat ed by anyt hing in t his wor ld, which is t he r esult of m y.
In fact , due t o His t r anscendent al majest y, He behaves absolut ely
fear lessly. However , for t he sake of accept ing t he bhakti of His

i
The 100-year lifespan r efer r ed t o her e is t he lifespan of Br ahm.
The Vachanmr ut 484
devot ees, He also quit e t hor oughly indulges in t he panchvishays.
Seeing t his, t hose people in t he world who are over -wise, perceive
fault s in God. They t hink, He maybe called God, but He has mor e
at t achment t o t his wor ld t han we do. Thinking t hus, t hey consider
God t o be human, just like t hemselves, but t hey do not r ealise His
t r anscendent al gr eat ness. This in it self is Gods m y.
5 In fact , even a sdhu who has realised t he t m and has
become brahmarup is not infat uat ed upon seeing any object of t his
world. So t hen , what is sur pr ising about Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn
who is Par abr ahma, and who t r anscends Br ahma being able t o
r emain uninfluenced by m y and t he result s of m y? He cer t ainly
can.
6 Having said t his, Shr iji Mahr j said, A sdhu who has
at t ained t m -realisat ion also possesses int ense vairgya; due t o bot h
of t hese vir t ues, he will not become at t ached t o anyt hing in any way.
However, if he does not possess bhakti t owards God, it is as good as
preparing many different t ypes of food dishes but not adding salt ; i.e.,
all would be t ast eless. In t he same way, wit hout t he bhakti of God,
t m -realisat ion and vairgya alone ar e simply useless; one can
never at t ain liber at ion t hr ough t hem.
7 Realising t his, Shukji, despit e having alr eady become
brahmaswarup, st udied t he Shr imad Bhgwat and offered profound
bhakti t o Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn. Ther efor e, it is a gr eat
shor t coming of one who has t m -realisat ion t o not have bhakti
t owards God.
8 In t he same way, if one has bhakti t owards God, but does not
have t he virt ues of t m -realisat ion and vairgya, t hen just as one
has love t owards God, one will also develop love t owards ot her t hings.
Thus, t his is a major shor t coming for t hose following t he pat h of
bhakti.
9 Now, a perfect devot ee of God has t hor oughly r ealised Gods
gr eat ness, and t hus, ever yt hing except God seems insignificant t o
him. That is why he is not infat uat ed by anyt hing. Ther efor e, when
one possesses all t hree virt ues of t m -r ealisat ion, vairgya and
bhakti t owards God, one can be said t o have no deficiencies
what soever. Such a person is called a devot ee wit h gnn, an ekntik
bhakta and a st aunch devot ee of God.
The Vachanmr ut 485
Ga d h a d I I -66
Qu est i on s t o t h e Sen i or S d h u s;
Hold in g a Red -Hot I r on Ba ll
He was dressed ent irely in whit e clot hes. Garlands of yellow flowers
and red guldvadi flowers adorned His neck, and a t assel of yellow
flowers decorat ed His pgh. At t hat t ime, while some sdhus were
singing a Vishnupad t o t he accompaniment of a sarod and dukad ,
Him in an assembly.
2 Aft er t he devot ional songs had finished, Shriji Mahr j said,
Today I wish t o ask all of t he senior sdhus some quest ions.
Having said t his, He dir ect ed His fir st quest ion t o nand Swmi. He
said, Suppose t here is a person who, despit e having lit t le
int elligence, r ecognises his own fault s and does not look at t he fault s
of ot her devot ees; inst ead, he looks only at t heir vir t ues. On t he
ot her hand, suppose t her e is anot her per son who is ver y int elligent ,
yet he does not see his own fault s. Moreover, he overlooks t he virt ues
of ot her devot ees and looks only at t heir fault s. Why is it t hat t he
per son wit h lit t le int elligence finds fault s in himself, wher eas t he
per son wit h much int elligence cannot r ealise his own fault s? That is
t he quest ion.
3 nand Swmi answer ed as he t hought cor r ect , but he was
unable t o give a sat isfact or y r eply.
4 So Shr iji Mahr j explained, The answer t o t hat is as follows: It
is because t hat person has offended some great devot ee of God eit her
in t his life or in a past life. As a r esult of t hat sin, his int ellect has
become cor r upt ed. That is why he per ceives fault s in devot ees
wit hout being able t o r ealise fault s in himself. This is t he only
answer t o t hat quest ion.
5 Next , Shr iji Mahr j asked Nit ynand Swmi a quest ion, Is
t her e only one means t o at t ain God, or ar e t her e many? You may say
t hat God can be at t ained by four means gnn, vairgya, bhakti and
dharma. But if God is at t ained by t hese four means, t hen t he
The Vachanmr ut 486
pr inciple t hat liber at ion can be at t ained exclusively by seeking t he
refuge God does not st and.
6 Nit ynand Swmi t r ied t o answer t he quest ion in many differ ent
ways but was unable t o do so sat isfact orily.
7 So Shr iji Mahr j said, Liber at ion is only at t ained by t he r efuge
of God. However, God is very powerful; even t he deit ies such as
Br ahm and ot her s live under His command. In fact , out of fear of
God, even t he causes of all of t he brahmnds, namely kl, m y, et c.,
conscient iously follow His commands. Obviously t hen, a devot ee of
God should also st r ict ly follow Gods commands; t hat is t he ver y
char act er ist ic of a devot ee of God. For t his r eason, all ot her spir it ual
endeavour s should also be per for med st r ict ly. Thus, liber at ion is
possible only t hrough God, whereas t hose ot her spirit ual endeavours
are for t he purpose of pleasing God. That is t he only answer t o t he
quest ion.
8 Then Shr iji Mahr j asked Br ahmnand Swmi, Does t he jiva,
which dwells wit hin t he body, possess a for m, or is it for mless?
9 Br ahmnand Swmi r eplied, It possesses a for m.
10 Hear ing t his, Shr iji Mahr j quer ied, If t he jiva did possess a
for m, t hen t hat would mean it has hands and feet , as well as ot her
limbs. However , t he Vedst ut i chapt er of t he t ent h cant o of t he
Shr imad Bhgwat st at es, God cr eat ed t he buddhi, indriyas , man
and prns t o enable t he jiva t o at t ain liber at ion. If t he jiva it self did
possess a for m, t hen what would be t he need of creat ing t he buddhi,
indriyas , man and prns for it ? Ther efor e, seeing such wor ds in t he
scr ipt ur es, one can only conclude t hat t he jiva is by it s inher ent
nat ur e char act er ised by et er nal exist ence and consciousness.
11 The jiva also possesses t he kran body, which is t he
embodiment of et ernal ignor ance. J ust as a magnet ic r ock at t r act s
ir on and t hen st icks t o t he ir on, similar ly, t he jiva has a nat ur e of
st icking; t hus it st icks t o t he t wo m yik bodies t he sthul body and
t he sukshma body. Then, due t o it s ignor ance, t he jiva believes t hose
bodies t o be it s own. In r ealit y, t hough, t he jiva is not like t hose
bodies at all.
12 Then Br ahmnand Swmi asked, Aft er t he ignor ance of t he jiva
is dispelled by t he bhakti of God, t he associat ion bet ween t he jiva and
t he t hree m yik bodies, i.e., sthul, sukshma and kran , no longer
The Vachanmr ut 487
r emains. So when t he jiva at t ains t he abode of God, wit h what t ype
of form does it st ay t here?
13 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, When t he jivas ignorance is dispelled,
it s associat ion wit h t he t hr ee m yik bodies is br oken. Ther eaft er , t he
jiva r emains as pur e exist ence and consciousness. Then, by Gods
will, t he jiva receives a body composed of chaitanya prakruti which
is dist inct fr om t he eight t ypes of jad prakrut i of God, i.e., prut hvi,
jal, et c. Wit h t hat body, t hen, it st ays in Gods Akshar dh m. This is
t he answer t o your quest ion.
14 Ther eaft er , Shr iji Mahr j asked Goplnand Swmi a quest ion;
It is due t o t he grace of God and His S ant t hat one can mast er
ashtng-yoga or realise t he t m . Why is it , t hen, t hat even t hough
God and His S ant ar e t he cause of t hese, t hey become secondar y, and
inst ead ones int er est in yoga and t m -r ealisat ion incr eases?
15 Goplnand Swmi r eplied, Aft er pr act ising ashtng-yoga,
when one act ually mast er s it , one develops a lit t le conceit . As a
r esult , one becomes somewhat less int er est ed in God.
16 To t his, Shr iji Mahr j comment ed, When a yogi at t ains God-
r ealisat ion, he also becomes brahmarup, and no for m of conceit is
possible in Br ahma. Thus your answer is not consist ent .
17 Goplnand Swmi t hen said, Mahr j, I cannot under st and
t his. Please be compassionat e and explain it t o Me.
18 So Shr iji Mahr j began, It should be underst ood in t he
following way: When a per son wishes t o er adicat e his fault s, he
should er adicat e t hem aft er consult ing t he wor ds of t he gr eat . For
example, if a per son has some wor ldly t ask t o per for m, and he want s
t o accomplish t hat job ext r emely well, he should consult some
exper t s. Similar ly, such consult at ion is necessar y her e as well. For
example, Shukji had become brahmaswarup, yet he st udied t he
Shr imad Bhgwat wit h gr eat ent husiasm. In fact , even t o t his ver y
day, he engages in t he bhakti of God. Fur t her mor e, t he 88,000
r ishis, including Shaunak, had become brahmaswarup, yet t hey t oo
list ened t o t he discourses relat ed t o God from Sut purni. Thus, one
should t ake guidance fr om such wor ds t o consolidat e ones bhakti.
19 For t hose fault s which one cannot r ecognise, one should pray t o
God: Mahr j, please be compassionat e and dest roy whichever fault s
I may have just as when a man has been accused of somet hing and
has no wit nesses t o disprove t he allegat ion, t hen he proves his
The Vachanmr ut 488
innocence by holding a r ed-hot ir on ball
i
. Similar ly, if a fault cannot
be realised, one should pray t o God for t he eradicat ion of t hat fault ,
which amount s t o holding t he ir on ball. One should er adicat e ones
fault s in t his manner . That is t he answer t o your quest ion.
20 Ther eaft er , Shr iji Mahr j asked Mukt nand Swmi a quest ion:
Suppose a devot ee of God has t horoughly realised God, but God does
not show him any mir acles. Now, if some ot her per for mer of magical
spells does show him a mir acle, t hen upon seeing t his, would t he
mind of t hat devot ee waver from God, or not ?
21 Mukt nand Swmi r eplied, Mahr j, if a per son has absolut e
fait h in God, t hen he would never have fait h in anyone but God. On
t he ot her hand, if a person does have fait h in someone else, t hen he
does not have fait h in God at all. Such a per son is mer ely a
superficial devot ee; he cannot be called a t rue devot ee of God.
22 Hear ing t his, Shr iji Mahr j agr eed, That is t he exact answer
t o t he quest ion.
23 Finally, Shr iji Mahr j asked Shuk Muni, If a devot ee of God
has at t ained realisat ion of God and His S ant, t hen how does he
benefit while he is alive, and how does he benefit aft er he dies?
24 Shuk Muni said, Mahr j, t hat quest ion can be answer ed only
by You.
25 So Shr iji Mahr j said, While alive, a per son who has at t ained
God and His S ant spends his days and night s engr ossed in spir it ual
discour ses, devot ional songs, et c., r elat ed t o God. He also has t he
dir ect r ealisat ion of his jivt m , which t r anscends t he t hr ee st at es
7
,
as being brahmarup. Wit h t he except ion of God, he develops
vairgya for all ot her object s. Also, he discar ds adharma and abides
by dharma.
26 When t hat devot ee dies, God makes him just like Himself. In
fact , God had blessed Brahm: O Br ahm! By My gr ace, may you
know Me as I am, My glor y as it is, and My vir t ues and act ions as
t hey ar e. So just as God had blessed Br ahm, He also gr ant s t he
same blessings t o all of His fait hful devot ees. In addit ion, just as God

i
Refer s t o a cust om wher e an alleged cr iminal was asked t o pr ove his innocence
by holding a r ed-hot ir on ball. If his hands did not develop bur ns, he was
consider ed innocent .
The Vachanmr ut 489
is fr ee fr om kl, karma and m y, in t he same way, t hat devot ee of
God also becomes free from kl, karma and m y. Also, he for ever
resides in t he service of God. This is how t hat devot ee benefit s aft er
he abandons his body. That is t he answer t o t he quest ion.
Ga d h a d I I -67
Th e Ga n g ja liyo Well
pillow t hat had been placed on a large, decorat ed cot on t he plat form
near t he Gangjaliyo well adjacent t o His r esidence in Dd
clot hes. At t hat t ime, some sdhus wer e singing a Vishnupad t o t he
accompaniment of a dukad and sarod, while munis as well as
assembly.
2 Upon complet ion of t he singing of devot ional songs, Shr iji
Mahr j said, I wish t o ask all of t he sdhus t he following quest ion:
A devot ee of God leaves his body, becomes brahmarup, and at t ains
t he abode of God. Thereaft er, what is t he difference bet ween t hat
devot ee and God, whereby t he mast er -servant relat ionship bet ween
t hem st ill r emains? Aft er all, t hat devot ee of God t hen becomes
independent , just like God. He also becomes free from t he shackles of
kl, karma and m y just like God. Ther efor e, what differ ence
r emains so t hat t he mast er -ser vant r elat ionship is maint ained? This
is My quest ion.
3 The paramhansas answer ed accor ding t o t heir under st anding,
but t hey could not supply a pr ecise answer t o Shr iji Mahr js
quest ion. So, all of t he sdhus said, Mahr j, Your quest ion will
only be answer ed when You Your self answer it .
4 Ther eupon, Shr iji Mahr j explained, The answer is as follows:
In what ever way a devot ee of God has realised God i.e., God
possesses t his many power s; He possesses t his much char m; He is
t he embodiment of bliss; and so on t hat is t he ext ent t o which he
has realised t he great ness of God. Then, when t hat devot ee leaves
his body and goes t o t he abode of God, he at t ains char m and power s
The Vachanmr ut 490
based on t he ext ent t o which he has realised t he majest y of God.
Despit e t his, t hat devot ee st ill feels Gods majest y in t he for m of His
power s, char m, et c., t o be much gr eat er . He t hen r ealises, God has
gr ant ed me just as many divine power s and as much char m as I had
r ealised in Him. Yet , Gods divine power s and char m appear t o be
t ot ally limit less. Like me, count less ot her s have also at t ained
qualit ies similar t o t hat of God, yet , no one is capable of becoming
like God.
5 Why is t his so? Because not even Shesh, Shrad, Br ahm or
t he ot her deit ies in fact , not even t he four Vedas can fat hom t he
vast ness of Gods gr eat ness, His vir t ues, His act ions, His bir t h, His
power , His char m, His blissful nat ur e, or His count less ot her
r edempt ive vir t ues. In fact , God Himself cannot compr ehend t he
limit s of His own gr eat ness. Thus God, wit h all of His power s, is
beyond all limit s.
6 By wor shipping t hat God, count less millions of Vaishnavs have
become like God; yet , Gods majest y has not diminished even slight ly.
For example, even if t here were an ocean filled wit h sweet wat er from
which all humans, animals and bir ds could dr ink as much as t hey
wished, and fr om which vessels could be filled, t he wat er would st ill
not decrease because of t he vast ness of t he ocean. Similar ly, Gods
gr eat ness is unfat homable; t her e is no way in which it can eit her
increase or decrease. For t his reason, t hen, t hose devot ees of God
who become brahmaswarup, st ill behave as Gods ser vant s and
engage in His worship. In t his way, devot ees of God at t ain qualit ies
similar t o t hose of God, and yet , t he mast er -ser vant

r elat ionship bet ween t hem is maint ained. That is t he answer t o t he
quest ion.

The Vachanmr ut 491
| | En d of Ga d h a d I I Sect i on | |

The Vachanmr ut 492
The Vachanmr ut 493
VARTL SECTI ON
Va r t l-1
Nir vik a lp Sa m dh i
cylindrical pillow t hat had been placed on an ornat e seat in t he
mango gr ove along t he banks of Lake Gomt i on t he nor t h side of t he
mandir of Shr i Lakshminr yan in Var t l. He was wear ing a whit e
survl and a whit e angarkhu. He had also t ied a blue ret o ar ound
His waist . An or ange ret o wit h edges decorat ed wit h golden t hr eads
was t ied ar ound His head, and anot her or ange ret o wit h a brocaded
bor der was r est ing upon His shoulder . In addit ion t o t his, a gar land
of r oses was hanging ar ound His neck, t assels of roses had been
placed upon His head, and a st ring of rose flower s as well as an
ar mlet had been t ied ar ound His ar ms. Beaut ifully ador ned in t his
manner , Shr iji Mahr j sat facing nor t h, while munis as well as
devot ees fr om var ious places gat her ed befor e Him in an assembly.
2 At t hat t ime, Shobhr m Shst r i of Vadodar asked Shr iji
Mahr j a quest ion: Mahr j, when an aspir ant at t ains nirvikalp
sam dhi, he becomes guntit and an ekntik bhakta of God. What ,
t hen, becomes of one who does not at t ain nirvikalp sam dhi?
3 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j replied, It is not t he case t hat
nirvikalp sam dhi is at t ained only when t he prns ar e cont r olled.
Ther e is anot her way t o nirvikalp sam dhi, which I shall explain t o
you; so please list en car efully.
4 The Shr imad Bhgwat st at es:
| | | -u| +|-| -=
--- || u| ||| |- ||=+
i

i
Atra sargo visargash-cha sthnam poshanam-ootayaha|
Manvantareshnukath nirodho muktir-shrayaha| |

The Vachanmr ut 494
This ver se explains t hat when a spir it ual aspir ant est ablishes a fir m
convict ion of Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn who is wor t hy of being t aken
t he refuge of and who can be realised t hrough t he nine
char act er ist ics of sar g, visar g, et c. t hen he will never have a doubt .
For example, once one has fir mly r ealised t hat t his is a mango
t ree, t hen even if one is over come by lust , anger or avar ice, one will
not ent er t ain any doubt s such as, Is t his a mango t r ee or not ? In
t he same manner , r egar dless of whet her a per son has cont r olled his
prns or not , if he has a fir m convict ion of t he manifest for m of Shr i
Kr ishna Bhagwn wit hout any form of doubt s what soever t hen he
has at t ained nirvikalp sam dhi.
5 However, someone may repeat edly have doubt s in his mind
about Gods nat ur e. For example, he may t hink, What must Gods
for m be like in Br ahmapur ? What must His for m be like in
Shwet dwip and Vaikunt h? When will I have t he darshan of t hat
for m? He cont inues t o har bour such doubt s in his mind, but he does
not feel fulfilled by realising t hat t he incarnat e form of God t hat he
has at t ained is alone t he cause of ever yt hing. Even if he at t ains
sam dhi by Gods wish, his doubt s ar e never er adicat ed. No mat t er
what he sees in sam dhi, he always desires t o see somet hing new;
never ar e t he desir es of his mind subdued. Even if such a per son
experiences sam dhi, it is savikalp sam dhi; and even if he does not
experience sam dhi, it is st ill savikalp sam dhi. Therefor e, such a
person cannot be called a guntit , ekntik bhakta. One who does
have t he fir m convict ion of God, r egar dless of whet her he has
sam dhi or not , can be said t o have const ant nirvikalp sam dhi.

This ver se list s t en char act er ist ics or t opics of discussion by which t he for m of
God can be r ealised: (1) sar g cr eat ion fr om mahattattva t o t he five bhut s, et c.,
i.e. cr eat ion up t o Vir t -Pur ush; (2) visar g cr eat ion by Br ahm; (3) st hn
supr emacy of God in bat t le, et c.; (4) poshan Gods compassion in t he for m of
His pr ot ect ing of t he wor ld; (5) oot i karma and vsan; (6) manvant ar -kat h
dharma of Manu and t he subsequent kings; (7) eeshnukat h incident s of t he
var ious avatrs of God and His devot ees; (8) nir odh dwelling in a subt le for m
wit hin t he var ious for ms of Pr akr ut i; (9) mukt i r enouncing t he for m of a deit y
or human and r esiding in His or iginal for m; (10) shr ay God as t he r efuge of
t he cr eat ion, sust enance and dissolut ion of t he cosmos.
The Vachanmr ut 495
6 Then Dinnt h Bhat t asked, What will become of one who,
despit e at t empt ing t o eradicat e t he desires in ones mind, fails t o
conquer t he mind?
7 Shr iji Mahr j replied, As t he war bet ween t he Kauravs and
t he Pndavs was set t o begin, t he Kaur avs and t he Pndavs t hought ,
Let us engage in t he bat t le in such a holy place t hat even if one is
killed in t he fight ing, ones jiva will st ill benefit . Wit h t his t hought
in mind, t hey event ually fought at Kur ukshet r a. Ther eaft er , t hose
who won obviously benefit ed. Those who were killed in t he bat t le,
t hough, at t ained Devlok and obt ained happiness great er t han t hat of
r uling over a kingdom.
8 Hence, r egar ding one who t akes up a fight wit h his mind if he
wins, t hen he at t ains nirvikalp sam dhi and becomes an ekntik
bhakta of God. But if he should lose t o his mind, he falls fr om his
spir it ual endeavour s. Then, maybe aft er one life or t wo lives or even
aft er many lives, ult imat ely, he will become an ekntik bhakta; but
his effor t s will not have been in vain.
9 Thus, a person who is wise should definit ely develop enmit y
t owar ds his mind for t he sake of his liber at ion. Ther eby, if he
conquers his mind, he is sure t o benefit ; but even if he is defeat ed by
his mind, he will event ually r et ur n t o t he pat h of r ealisat ion , which
is also beneficial in t he end. Ther efore, one who aspires for liberat ion
should most cer t ainly develop enmit y t owar ds his mind.
| | Vachanmr ut Var t l-1 | | 201 | |
Va r t l-2
Rea li si n g God t h r ou gh t h e Fou r Scr i p t u r es;
K n d sji s Qu est i on
Shr i Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing on a lar ge, decor at ed cot
under a mango t r ee on t he banks of Lake Gomt i, nor t h of t he mandir
of Shr i Lakshminr yan in Var t l. He was wear ing a survl made
fr om yellow, silken clot h and a r ed dagli made from kinkhb. He had
also t ied a pgh ar ound His head using an or ange clot h wit h a
brocaded border. An orange shelu wit h a brocaded border was placed
upon His shoulder . In addit ion t o t his, His pgh was decorat ed wit h
garlands of champ flowers, and garlands of whit e flowers also
The Vachanmr ut 496
ador ned His neck. At t hat t ime, an assembly of munis as well as
session.
3 Ther eupon Kndsji Pat el of t he village Bhuv folded his hands
and asked, Mahr j, by what means does God become pleased?
4 Shr iji Mahr j replied, If we do not malign God, t hen God
becomes pleased. Then you may ask, What does it mean t o malign
God? Well, God is t he all-doer of t his world. However, if one does
not under st and Him t o be t he all-doer and inst ead believes t hat it is
kl t hat is t he all-doer of t his wor ld, or t hat it is m y, or t hat it is
karma, or t hat it is swabhv t hat is t he all-doer, t hen one is
maligning God. This is because act ually God is t he all-doer. To
ignor e t his and t o claim t hat only kl, karma, m y and swabhv are
t he all-doers of t his world is serious slander against God.
5 For example, you ar e t he Pat el
i
of your village. If someone does
not acknowledge your st at us in t he village, t hen he can be said t o be
your slanderer. Also, if someone does not accept t he sovereignt y of an
emperor of t he world, but inst ead accept s t he sovereignt y of one who
is not even a king, t hen t hat man is known as a slanderer of t he
emper or . If one wr it es and dist r ibut es let t er s st at ing, Our king has
no nose and ears; he has no hands or feet , and t hereby describes t he
king as being defor med even t hough he has a nor mal body, t hen he is
also known as a slander er of t he king. Similar ly, God is complet e,
wit h limbs, hands, feet , et c. Ther e is not t he slight est defor mat ion in
any of His limbs. He et er nally possesses a definit e for m. So, t o say
t hat He is not t he all-doer and is formless, and t hat kl and ot her s
are t he cause of all not God is equivalent t o maligning God.
6 One who does not malign God in t his manner is said t o have
per for med per fect puja of God. Ot her wise, wit hout such an
underst anding, even if one performs puja by offering sandalwood
past e, flower s, et c., one is st ill a slander er of God. Ther efor e, God is
only pleased upon one who realises God t o possess a definit e form and
t o be t he cr eat or , sust ainer and dest r oyer of t he cosmos.

i
Her e Pat el r efer s t o t he chief of a village.
The Vachanmr ut 497
7 In t he Vedas, God Himself has descr ibed His nat ur e in many
ways, but no one could compr ehend it . Then t he Snkhya scr ipt ur es
prescribed t he 24 element s
2
and said t hat God is t he 25
t h
. The
chrya of t he Snkhya philosophy, Kapil Muni, t hought , The jiva
behaves as if it is one wit h t he t hree t ypes of bodies i.e., sthul,
sukshma and kran and it cannot r emain separ at e fr om t hem. The
ishwar also behaves as if it is one wit h it s adjunct s in t he for m of it s
t hree bodies virt , sut rt m and avykrut and it t oo cannot
r emain separ at e fr om t hem. Thus, t he Snkhya scr ipt ur es count
jiva and ishwar amongst t he 24 element s and claim Par amt m t o
be t he 25
t h
.
8 The chrya of t he Yoga scr ipt ur es, Hir anyagar bh Rishi,
propounds t hat t here are 24 element s, and t hat jiva and ishwar are
t he 25
t h
; but Par amt m is t he 26
t h
.
9 This is how t he Snkhya scr ipt ur es and t he Yoga scr ipt ur es
descr ibed Gods nat ur e; st ill, no one at t ained r ealisat ion of t he nat ur e
of God as He is. By infer ence it was accept ed, Accor ding t o t he
Snkhya doct r ine, what ever t r anscends t he 24 element s is sat ya.
Accor ding t o t he Yoga doct r ine it was infer r ed, Par amt m, who
t r anscends jiva and ishwar, who t hemselves t r anscend t he 24
element s, is sat ya. In t his manner , t hr ough t hese t wo philosophies,
t he nat ure of God was realised by infer ence. However , is t hat God
black or yellow? Is He t all or shor t ? Does He possess a for m, or is
He for mless? That was not r ealised.
10 Ther eaft er , Vsudev Bhagwn himself composed t he
Panchr t r a Tant r a, in which he explained, In his own Akshardh m,
Shr i Kr ishna Pur ushot t am Bhagwn et ernally possesses a divine
for m. This God gives darshan five t imes t o t he count less niranna-
muktas , t he r esident s of Shwet dwip. In Vaikunt h, t hat same God
assumes a four -ar med for m, holding a conch, a disc, a mace, and a
lot us. Along wit h him is Lakshmiji. He is also ser ved by
Vishwaksen and ot her at t endant s. It is t hat same God who is wor t hy
of being offered puja, wort hy of worship and wort hy of at t ainment . It
is t hat same God who assumes t he avat rs of Rm, Kr ishna, et c.,
and who appears in t he four forms of Vsudev, Sankar shan,
Pr adyumna and Anir uddha. In t his way, he pr opounded t hat God
possesses a for m.
11 Then Nr adji r evised t hat same Panchr t r a Tant r a, aft er
which it came t o be known as t he Nr ad Panchr t r a. In t hat , Gods
The Vachanmr ut 498
for m was explained in such a manner t hat not even t he slight est
doubt r emained. Thus, t he Shr imad Bhgwat st at es:
||=-|+| | | ||=-||- |
||=-|+| || ||=-|+| |+
||=-|+| =|| ||=-|+ -+
||=-|+ -|| ||=-|+| |-+
i

It also st at es:
|+| | |+| |
|+| =|| |+| |=|+

i
Nryana-par ved dev nryanngajh|
Nryana-par lok nryana-par makhh| |
Nryana-paro yogo nryana-param tapaha|
Nryana-param gnnam nryana-par gat ihi| |
The Vedas ar e devot ed t o Nr yan [i.e. t he essence of t he Vedas is Nr yan]; t he
deit ies ar e all for med fr om t he for m of Nr yan; t he r ealms ar e all devot ed t o
Nr yan [i.e. all t he r ealms ar e per vaded by Nr yan]; all yagnas ar e devot ed t o
Nr yan [i.e. t he object ive of all yagnas is Nr yan]. All yoga, t oo, is devot ed t o
Nr yan [i.e. t he object ive of all yogic pr act ices is Nr yan]; all aust er it ies ar e
devot ed t o Nr yan [i.e. t he object ive of all aust er it ies is Nr yan]; all gnn is
devot ed t o Nr yan [i.e. t he essence of all gnn is Nr yan]; [indeed,] Nr yan is
[t he object ive of] all endeavour s.
The Vachanmr ut 499
|+ -|| |+ -+
|+| | |+| |-+
i

12 Thus, t he four scr ipt ur es have descr ibed t he nat ur e of Shr i
Kr ishna Vsudev only. Only one who r ealises God t hr ough t hese four
script ures can be said t o possess t ot al gnn. For example, only when
one sees wit h ones eyes does one come t o know t hat milk is whit e;
only when one smells wit h ones nose does one come t o know it s
smell; only when one t ouches it wit h ones finger does one come t o
know whet her it is hot or cold; and only when one t ast es it wit h ones
t ongue does one come t o know it s t ast e. In t his manner , only when
milk is t est ed t hrough all of t he indriyas can one t ot ally know it s
nat ur e; it cannot be t ot ally known t hr ough one indriya alone.
Similar ly, one r ealises Gods nat ur e t ot ally when one r ealises it
t hr ough t he four scr ipt ur es, i.e., t he Vedas, et c. To have such
knowledge is called t ot al gnn.
13 God is pleased only upon someone who has such underst anding;
t her e is no ot her means of pleasing Him. Thus, only one who has
such realisat ion can be said t o possess t ot al gnn, and God becomes
ext remely pleased only upon such a per son.

i
Vsudeva-par ved vsudeva-par makhh|
Vsudeva-par yog vsudeva-parh kriyh| |
Vsudeva-param gnnam vsudeva-param tapaha|
Vsudeva-paro dharmo vsudeva-par gat ihi| |
The Vedas ar e devot ed t o Vsudev [i.e. t he essence of t he Vedas is Vsudev]; all
yagnas ar e devot ed t o Vsudev [i.e. t he object ive of all yagnas is Vsudev]; all
yoga is devot ed t o Vsudev [i.e. t he object ive of all yogic pr act ices is Vsudev]; all
act ivit ies ar e devot ed t o Vsudev [i.e. t he object ive of all act ivit ies is Vsudev].
All gnn , t oo, is devot ed t o Vsudev [i.e. t he essence of all gnn is Vsudev]; all
aust er it ies ar e devot ed t o Vsudev [i.e. t he object ive of all aust er it ies is
Vsude v]; all dharma is devot ed t o Vsudev [i.e. t he object ive of all dharma is
Vsudev]; [indeed,] Vsudev is [t he object ive of] all endeavour s.
The Vachanmr ut 500
Va r t l-3
Fou r Typ es of Emi n en t Sp i r i t u a l P eop le
Shr i Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing on an or nat e seat in t he
mandir of Shr i Lakshminr yan in Var t l. He was dr essed ent ir ely
in whit e clot hes. He was also wear ing gar lands of r oses ar ound His
neck, and t assels decor at ed t he pgh upon His head. At t hat t ime,
an assembly of all of t he munis , as well as devot ees from various
places had gat hered befor e Him.
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, In our Uddhav Sampr ady one
who has t he four vir t ues of dharma, gnn, vairgya and bhakti
t owards God is called an ekntik bhakta, and only he is wor t hy of
being made eminent in our Sat sang fellowship. But if t hose four
vir t ues ar e not per fect and only one is pr edominant , t hen of t he four ,
which is t he best in t hat it incor por at es t he ot her t hr ee?
3 Goplnand Swmi and Mukt nand Swmi r eplied, Mahr j,
only dharma is such, because if t her e is dharma t hen t he ot her t hree
vir t ues will event ually develop in t hat per son.
4 To t his, Shr iji Mahr j count er ed, Dharma may be present
even in t hose who are non -believer s. Does t hat mean t hat we should
make t hem eminent in Sat sang?
5 Hear ing t his ar gument , no one could give a reply t o t he
quest ion. Shr iji Mahr j t hen explained, If one has bhakti t owards
God coupled wit h knowledge of His great ness, one will never fall from
dharma even if one has a lesser degree of t m -r ealisat ion,
vairgya and dharma. This is because he who realises Gods
gr eat ness t hinks, If Br ahm and all t he ot her deit ies follow Gods
commands, t hen how can I not follow His injunct ions? Bear ing t his
in mind, he always abides by t he niyams prescribed by God.
6 Then Shuk Muni asked, If bhakti coupled wit h t he knowledge of
Gods gr eat ness alone is enough, why ar e all four qualit ies pr escr ibed
as essent ial, and not just bhakti alone?
7 Shr iji Mahr j replied, If one has int ense bhakti for God coupled
wit h t he knowledge of His gr eat ness, t hen all t hr ee ar e incor por at ed
in bhakti alone. But if ones bhakti is of a mediocr e int ensit y, t hen
t he ot her t hr ee ar e not incor por at ed t her ein. Thus, it is said, One
The Vachanmr ut 501
who has t he t ype of bhakti which encompasses all four qualit ies can
be called an ekntik bhakta.
8 King Pr ut hu had such ext r aor dinar y bhakti. When God
conferred a boon upon him, he asked for 10,000 ears in order t o hear
discour ses r elat ed t o God, but he did not ask for anyt hing else. Also,
some gopis who were for bidden t o go and play rs discarded t heir
bodies and went t o Shr i Kr ishna in spir it . If one has such
ext r aor dinar y bhakti, t hen t he ot her t hr ee vir t ues of gnn, vairgya,
et c., ar e all incor por at ed in bhakti alone.
9 Br ahmnand Swmi t hen asked, By what means can such
ext r aor dinar y bhakti be at t ained?
10 Ther eupon, Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, It is at t ained by ser ving an
eminent spir it ual per son. Ther e ar e four t ypes of eminent spir it ual
people. One is like a small flame, t he second is like a t or ch, t he t hir d
is like light ning, and t he four t h is like t he vadvnal fire.
11 He who is like a small flame is ext inguished by t he wind in t he
form of t he vishays. He who is like a t or ch is ext inguished by
st r onger gust s of wind in t he for m of t he vishays. He who is like
light ning is not ext inguished even by r ainwat er in t he for m of m y.
The vadvnal fir e, however , st ays in t he ocean wit hout being
ext inguished by t he ocean wat er ; it dr inks t he sea wat er and excr et es
it in t he for m of sweet wat er ; in t ur n, t he clouds car r y t his wat er and
shower it upon t he wor ld; and fr om t his many t ypes of t ast es ar e
for med. Similar ly, t he gr eat Purush, like t he vadvnal fir e,
t r ansfor ms even t he salt y jivas who ar e like t he saline sea wat er ,
int o sweet jivas.
12 Of t he four t ypes of eminent spirit ual people just described, if a
per son ser ves one who is like light ning or t he vadvnal fir e by
t hought , wor d and deed, while st aying wit hin t he t enet s of ones
dharma t hen bhakti coupled wit h t he knowledge of Gods great ness
develops in t hat per son.
13 Also, one should r ealise t hat t he per son who is like light ning is
known as Gods ekntik sdhu who is in t he process of God-
r ealisat ion. The per son who is like t he vadvnal fir e is known as
Gods Param -Ekntik S ant who is perfect ly God-r ealised.
The Vachanmr ut 502
Va r t l-4
A Fou n t a in
1 On Mgshar sudi 10, Samvat 1882 [19 December 1825], Swmi
Shr i Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing in t he mandir of Shr i
Lakshminr ya n in Var t l. He had donned all whit e clot hes upon
His body. At t hat t ime, an assembly of munis as well as devot ees
session.
3 Ther eupon Mukt nand Swmi asked, For a devot ee of God who
has t aken t he pat h of bhakti, which one spir it ual endeavour
incorporat es all of t he ot her endeavours for liberat ion?
4 Shr iji Mahr j replied, All of t he spirit ual endeavours for
at t aining liber at ion ar e incor por at ed in keeping t he company by
t hought , word and deed of a S ant who possesses t he 30 at t ribut es of
a sdhu
11
.
5 Aft er r eplying t o t he quest ion, Shr iji Mahr j asked, Suppose
t her e is an ekntik bhakta yogi who realises t hat t he philosophy of
bot h t he Snkhya scr ipt ur es and t he Yoga scr ipt ur es is based upon
only Vsudevnr yan. By what means does t hat yogi fix his vrut t i
on Gods form? How does he cont rol his mind? How does he keep
t hat for m fixed in his mind? How does he keep his vrut t i facing
wit hin? How does he keep his vrut t i facing out war ds? By which of
his yogic abilit ies does he separat e himself from t he obst acles of
dist ur bing t hought s and desir es, as well as fr om t he assimilat ion of
sleep? Please answer t hese quest ions.
6 Then Mukt nand Swmi and Goplnand Swmi at t empt ed t o
answer t hese quest ions t o t he best of t heir abilit y, but neit her of
t hem was able t o give a sat isfact or y r eply. Ther efor e, Shr iji Mahr j
said, When wat er goes int o a fount ain, it fir st r evolves in a spir al
and t hen spur t s upwar ds; in t he same way, t he vrut t i of t he jiva
r evolves in a spir al in t he antahkaran , which act s like t he fount ain,
and t hen spur t s out t hr ough t he five indriyas . A yogi does t his in
t wo ways: Wit h one vrut t i, he cont emplat es upon Shr i Vsudev
Bhagwn who r esides in his hear t as a wit ness. The ot her vrut t i he
keeps facing out war ds t hr ough his eyes. Wit h t his second vrut t i, he
cont emplat es upon God who is out side. He cont emplat es upon t he
whole form from head t o t oe; he does not cont emplat e separat ely upon
The Vachanmr ut 503
any single part of t he body. J ust as when one looks at a large
mandir , one sees it complet ely as a whole; or when one looks at a
lar ge mount ain, one sees it t ot ally; similar ly, t he yogi sees Gods for m
in t he same way, but he does not see each part of Gods body
separ at ely.
7 When he beholds t he for m at a dist ance fr om his eyes, if he sees
some ot her object besides God, t hen he draws t hat form of God closer
and beholds it at t he t ip of his nose. Even aft er doing t his, if he st ill
sees some object nearby, t hen he beholds t he form of God bet ween his
eyebrows. If while doing t his he feels lazy or sleepy, t hen he would
again behold t he form of God before his eyes. Then, in t he same way
t hat a child flies a kit e, he would fly a kit e in t he for m of Gods for m
wit h a st r ing in t he for m of his vrutti. He would make it r ise
upwar ds, t hen br ing it down again, and t hen make it sweep fr om side
t o side. Using his yogic power s in t his way, when he becomes aler t ,
he would again behold t he form at t he t ip of his nose, and from t here
he would bring it bet ween his eyebrows, and t hen he would draw it
int o his hear t . Then he would mer ge t oget her bot h t he for m of God
t hat r esides in his hear t as a wit ness, and t he for m of God t hat is
out side. At t his point , t he t wo vruttis of t he antahkaran become one.
8 While doing t his, if again he feels lazy or sleepy, t hen he would
br ing t he for m out side again using t he t wo t ypes of vruttis . In t he
same manner as wit h his eyes, he would use his ear s, hands, t ongue
and nose t o perfect yoga. Also, he would behold Gods form wit h his
man , buddhi, chit t and ahamkr. Using t he snkhya t hought
pr ocess, he would dist inguish himself fr om his indriyas and
antahkaran and would behold only t he form of God in his chait anya.
If, while he is beholding t he for m, whet her it be inside or out side,
some dist ur bance r egar ding wor ldly affair s obst r uct s him, t hen he
would r emove t he pr oblem while cont inuing t o behold t he for m; but
he would not abandon his yogic endeavours because of t he
dist ur bance. This is how a yogi wit h such yogic power s behaves.
The Vachanmr ut 504
Va r t l-5
On e Sh ou ld Not P er cei ve M y i n God ;
P er for min g Simila r Ser vice
Shr i Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing facing nor t h on a lar ge,
decor at ed seat under a mango t r ee along t he banks of Lake Gomt i,
nort h of t he mandir of Shr i Lakshminr yan in Var t l. He was
dr essed ent ir ely in ext r emely fine, whit e clot hes, and He had sever al
gar lands of r oses hanging ar ound His neck. Bunches of flower s, each
made from t wo large roses, had been placed upon His ears, and
t assels made from roses decorat ed His pgh. At t hat t ime, an
assembly of all of t he munis as well as devot ees from various places
2 Then Shr iji Mahr j said, Please ask complex quest ions in
or der t o r elieve ever yones let har gy. Having said t hat , Mahr j
Himself put a pillow facing west and lied down.
3 Ther eupon Mukt nand Swmi asked, In t he ver se,
| = | -|=| |=| ==|
| = ++n-- |=|-| -|-- -+
i

Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn says, A per son who at t ains me t r ansgr esses
my m y which is composed of t he gunas and which cannot
ot herwise be t ransgressed even by suffering har dships. Yet , even
aft er one has at t ained God, one is st ill dist urbed by t hought s and
desir es in ones hear t dur ing t he wor ship of God. What else, besides
m y, could be causing t his? That is t he quest ion.
4 Shr iji Mahr j sat upr ight fr om his lying post ur e and wit h gr eat
compassion said, Of t he t hr ee gunas of m y, t he five bhuts and t he
five tanmt rs are t amogun-pr edominant ; t he t en indriyas , t he
buddhi and t he prns are rajogun-pr edominant ; t he man and t he
presiding deit ies of t he indriyas and antahkaran are sattvagun-
predominant . In t he past , all t hose who have become devot ees have
possessed t he product s of t he t hree gunas t he bhuts, t he indriyas ,

i
Daivee hyesh guna-mayee mama my duratyay|
Mm-eva ye prapadyante mym-etm taran t i t e| |
Bhagwad Git : 7.14
The Vachanmr ut 505
t he antahkaran and t heir pr esiding deit ies. Thus, t he answer t o t he
quest ion is as follows: One who has t he fir m convict ion of God i.e.,
who has realised God complet ely by believing t hat t here are no m yik
qualit ies in His for m and t hat t hat God t r anscends m y and t he
product s of m y, t he t hr ee gunas has t r anscended Gods m y.
Despit e t he fact t hat he has wit hin him t he pr oduct s of t he gunas of
m y i.e., t he bhuts, t he indriyas , t he antahkaran and t heir
pr esiding deit ies, each of which car r ies out it s r espect ive act ivit ies
he is st ill said t o have t ranscended m y. This is because even
t hough t he pr oduct s of m y ar e wit hin him, he st ill r ealises t hat t he
incar nat e for m of Shr i Vsudev Bhagwn, who is wor t hy t o be
wor shipped by him, t r anscends t he gunas of m y; t hus, he himself
should also be known t o have t ranscended m y.
5 Even t he scr ipt ur es acknowledge t hat t he gunas seem t o have
influenced all, including t he deit ies such as Br ahm, et c., and t he
r ishis such as Vasisht ha, Par shar , Vishwmit r a, et c. Does t hat
imply t hat t hey cannot be called muktas? Also, does t hat imply t hat
t hey cannot be said t o have t ranscended m y? In fact , t hey ar e all
muktas , and t hey have all t r anscended m y. If we do not answer in
t his manner t hen t her e is no ot her possible solut ion t o t hat quest ion.
Thus t his is t he only answer .
6 Then Nit ynand Swmi asked, Mahr j, people go t o seek t he
r efuge of God; what , t hen, ar e t he char act er ist ics of having t he r efuge
of God?
7 Shr iji Mahr j replied, God has said in t he Git ,
|-+|== | |-|
| +|+ -=| |||==|| | | +
i

In t his ver se he says, Abandon all ot her for ms of dharma and
sur r ender only unt o me. I shall deliver you fr om all sins, so do not
lament . One who has such a fir m r efuge of God, even if he wer e t o
experience pain equivalent t o t hat of final dissolut ion , he would not
believe anyone else t o be his guar dian against such miser y except
God. Moreover, what ever happiness he wishes for, he seeks t o at t ain

i
Bhagwad Git : 18.66
The Vachanmr ut 506
only fr om God. That is, he does not consider anyone but God t o be
t he source of happiness. Moreover, he behaves only according t o t he
wishes of God. Such a per son can be known t o have t aken r efuge in
God. It is he who can be called a st aunch devot ee of God.
8 Then Nj Bhakt a asked, How can one r ecognise a per son who,
when he speaks, shows t hat he has fait h in God like t hat of a devot ee,
yet does not t ruly have t he t ot al refuge of God?
9 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, Only aft er st aying t oget her and wor king
t oget her can one r ecognise t he st r engt h or weakness of t he fait h of a
devot ee of God. One who has lit t le fait h would become agit at ed and
find a pat h out of t he Sat sang fellowship. He would seek solit ude
wher e he could engage in wor ship t o his capacit y, but he would not be
able t o t olerat e t he pressures of living wit h t he fellowship of devot ees.
Thus, r efuge of God is of t hr ee levels: highest , medium, and lowest .
Due t o t his, t here are t hree levels of devot ees.
10 Ther eaft er , Nit ynand Swmi asked, Can a devot ee who is of
t he lowest level eradicat e his deficiency and become a devot ee of t he
highest level in t his ver y life, or not ?
11 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, J ust as one per for ms t he m nsi puj of
God, if one also performs t he m nsi puj of t he ideal Bhakta along
wit h God, by offer ing him t he prasd of God; and just as one prepares
a t hl for God, similar ly, if one also pr epar es a t hl for Gods ideal
Bhakta and serves it t o him; and just as one donat es five rupees t o
God, similar ly, if one also donat es money t o t he gr eat S ant t hen by
per for ming wit h ext r eme affect ion such similar ser vice of God and
t he S ant who possesses t he highest qualit ies, even if he is a devot ee of
t he lowest t ype and was dest ined t o become a devot ee of t he highest
t ype aft er t wo lives, or aft er four lives, or aft er t en lives, or aft er 100
lives, he will become a devot ee of t he highest calibr e in t his ver y life.
Such ar e t he fr uit s of t he similar ser vice of God and Gods Bhakta.
Va r t l-6
Ch ima n r vji s Qu est i on
1 On Mgshar vadi 11, Samvat 1882 [4 J anuar y 1826], Swmi
Shr i Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing on a dais in fr ont of t he
The Vachanmr ut 507
in whit e clot hes. Garlands of flowers had been placed around His
neck, and t assels of flower s wer e also hanging fr om His pgh. At
2 Ther eupon Chimanr vji asked, Mahr j, init ially, at t he t ime
of dissolut ion , t he jivas wit h t heir kran bodies were absorbed wit hin
m y. Then, at t he t ime of cr eat ion, t he jivas at t ained t heir sthul
and sukshma bodies. Also, a variet y of life in t he form of deit ies,
humans, animals, et c., was cr eat ed. Was t his due t o karmas? Or
was it due t o Gods wish? If we say t hat it was due t o karmas, t hen
t hat would pr ove t he J ain doct r ine t o be t r ue. On t he ot her hand, if
we say t hat it was due t o Gods wish, t hen it would suggest t hat God
is biased and not compassionat e. Ther efor e, please gr ace us by
t elling us how t hings r eally ar e.
3 Shr iji Mahr j said, You have not been able t o ask t he quest ion
properly. The t wo t ypes of bodies, sthul and sukshma, are bot h
int imat ely associat ed wit h t he kran body in t he same way t hat a
t r ee is int imat ely associat ed wit h it s seed. That is why it is called
t he kran body. This kran body is a form of avidy; it is wit hout a
beginning; and it r et ains it s sanchit karmas . J ust as a seed and it s
shell have an et er nal r elat ionship, and just as prut hvi and smell
have an et er nal r elat ionship, similar ly, t he jiva and t he kran body
have an et er nal r elat ionship. J ust as when seeds which ar e plant ed
in t he ear t h spr out upwar ds aft er coming int o cont act wit h
r ainwat er , similar ly, dur ing t he per iod of cr eat ion, t he jivas, which
had resided wit hin m y t oget her wit h t heir kran bodies, at t ain
various t ypes of bodies according t o t heir individual karmas by t he
will of God, t he giver of t he fruit s of karmas.
4 However , t he J ains, who ar e nstiks, claim t hat only karmas
ar e t he cause of t his, but t hey do not propound God as t he giver of t he
fr uit s of karmas. But , in r ealit y, t his belief of t hose nstiks is wr ong.
Ther efor e, if someone claims t hat kl is t he only influencing for ce,
t hen he is not cor r ect . Or if someone claims t hat karma is t he only
influencing for ce, t hen he is not cor r ect . Or if someone claims t hat
Gods wish is t he only influencing for ce, t hen even he is not cor r ect .
Rat her, t he script ures would propound t he predominance of
whichever influence is pr edominant at t hat t ime; but t hat same
influence should not be accept ed for all sit uat ions.
The Vachanmr ut 508
5 This is because aft er t he wor ld was cr eat ed, in t he fir st Sat ya-
yug, ever yones wishes came t r ue, all wer e Brhmins and a child
would be born merely by wishing for one men t ally. Ther e was a
kalpavruksh in every home, and all people worshipped only God.
Then, wit h t he advent of Tr et -yug, peoples wishes were no longer
fulfilled; only when one went and st ood under a kalpavruksh did ones
wishes become fulfilled. Only aft er t ouching a woman would a child
be conceived. Ther eaft er , when Dwpar-yug ar r ived, childr en wer e
bor n only aft er int er cour se wit h a woman. In t his manner , t he ways
of Sat ya-yug and Tr et -yug are not t o be found in all Sat ya-yugs and
Tr et -yugs; r at her , t hey wer e found only in t he fir st Sat ya-yug and
t he fir st Tr et -yug.
6 Therefore, when t here is t he predominance of favourable kl, it
diminishes t he power of t he impure karmas of t he jivas. Yet , when a
t er r ible famine st r ikes, ever yone suffer s; or when t her e is a
horrendous war, hundreds of t housands of people are killed at once.
In t hese cases were everyones favourable karmas suddenly exhaust ed
at t he same t ime? Inst ead, it is t he int ense power of unfavour able
kl t hat over comes t he for ce of t he favourable karmas of t he jivas.
So, when t he influence of int ense kl pr evails, karmas have no
influence; due t o t he influence of kl, karmas t hat should have
result ed in happiness lead t o misery, and karmas t hat should have
result ed in longevit y lead t o deat h. In t his manner , when t he
influence of a st r ong kl is pr evalent , ever yt hing occur s due t o kl.
So it is ment ioned in t he scr ipt ur es.
7 However, when many people become ekntik bhaktas of God,
t hen Sat ya-yug pr evails even in Kali-yug. In t hese cir cumst ances,
t he script ures propound t he st rengt h of t he favourable karmas t hat
r esult fr om t he ekntik bhaktas doing bhakti of God, but t he st r engt h
of kl is not ment ioned.
8 Wit hout under st anding t his pr inciple, t hose who believe in t he
nstik philosophy propound t hat only karmas are t he cause of
ever yt hing; but t hey do not r ealise t hat t hat is in r efer ence t o t he
st r engt h of t he karmas of ekntik bhaktas of God; but karmas of non -
believer s ar e not said t o have such st r engt h. When God manifest s
wit h t he wish, Dur ing t his lifespan, I wish t o gr ant liber at ion t o all
jivas, wor t hy or unwor t hy, who come int o cont act wit h My for m,
t hen kl and karma have no influence what soever . At t hat t ime, only
Gods influence pr evails. When God assumed t he avat r of Kr ishna,
The Vachanmr ut 509
t he evil Put n t r ied t o poison God; st ill, Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn gave
her t he same fat e as his mot her Yashod. Ther e wer e ot her evil
demons who came t o kill God; yet even t hey wer e gr ant ed t he highest
st at e of enlight enment by Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn. Ot her s wer e also
gr ant ed liber at ion accor ding t o t he feelings by which t hey wer e
associat ed wit h Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn. Thus, in t hose inst ances,
only Gods influence is said t o be pr evalent , but neit her kl nor
karma is said t o have any influence. Ther efor e, one should int er pr et
sit uat ions accor ding t o t he cir cumst ances in which t hey occur .
Va r t l-7
Th e Ch a r a ct er i st i cs of God ly a n d Demon i c P eop le;
An va y-Vya t ir ek
1 On Mgshar vadi 14, Samvat 1882 [7 J anuar y 1826], Shr iji
Mahr j was sit t ing on a dais in fr ont of t he mandir of Shr i
Lakshminr yan in Var t l. He was dr essed ent ir ely in whit e
clot hes. At t hat t ime, an assembly of paramhansas as well as
devot ees from various places had gat hered befor e Him.
2 In t he assembly, t he devot ees wer e t alking about God amongst
t hemselves wherein t he t opic arose t hat t here are t wo t ypes of people:
godly and demonic. Of t hese, godly people always become devot ees of
God, wher eas t he demonic will always r emain opposed to God.
3 Ther eupon Chimanr vji asked Shr iji Mahr j a quest ion:
Mahr j, is t her e any possibilit y for a demonic per son t o become
godly?
4 Shr iji Mahr j replied, A demonic person most cer t ainly does
not become godly. This is because he has a demonic disposit ion fr om
bir t h. Should such a per son happen t o somehow ent er t he Sat sang
fellowship, he st ill does not lose his demonic disposit ion. Then, when
he leaves his physical body aft er st aying in Sat sang, he is absorbed
int o Br ahma and t hen emer ges out again. Only aft er he does so
count less t imes is his demonic nat ur e dest r oyed; ot her wise, it is not
dest royed.
5 Then Shobhr m Shst r i asked, Mahr j, what is Gods anvay
nat ur e, and what is His vyatirek nat ur e?
The Vachanmr ut 510
6 Shr iji Mahr j explained, The principle of anvay-vyatirek is not
t hat God has become half anvay wit hin m y and half vyatirek fr om
His abode; r at her , Gods for m is such t hat He is anvay wit hin m y
and yet , at t he same t ime, He is vyatirek. God is not afr aid, What if
I ent er m y and t her eby become impur e? Inst ead, when God
associat es wit h m y, even m y becomes like Akshardh m; and if
He associat es wit h t he 24 element s
2
, t hen t hey also become
brahmarup. Hence, t he Shr imad Bhgwat st at es: |-| - |
|-- = + ||+
i
. Likewise, t her e ar e count less such
st at ement s which descr ibe Gods for m.
7 For example, t her e is ksh in t he seed of a t ree; and when a
t r ee gr ows fr om t hat seed, ksh will st ill r emain wit hin all of it s
br anches, leaves, flower s and fr uit s in an anvay manner . Yet , when
t he t r ee is cut , ksh is not cut along wit h it ; and when t he t r ee is
bur nt , ksh is not bur nt . In t he same manner , God is anvay wit hin
m y and t he ent it ies t hat have evolved fr om it ; yet , He is also
vyatirek fr om it just like ksh. This is t he anvay-vyatirek nat ur e of
Gods for m.
Va r t l-8
A Sp i d e r s We b
Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing on a dais in front of t he mandir of
Shr i Lakshminr yan in Var t l. He was dr essed ent ir ely in whit e
2 In t he assembly, Shr iji Mahr j was sit t ing in a medit at ive
post ur e and cont emplat ing while some munis were singing devot ional
songs t o t he accompaniment of a dukad and sarod. He gave

i
Dhmn svena sad nirasta-kuhakam satyam param dheemahi| |
We medit at e upon God, who via His own for m dhm [i.e. divine light ]
dest r oyed t he decept ion in t he for m of t he pr oduct s of my; such is t he
supr emely sat ya for m of God.
The Vachanmr ut 511
darshan in t his manner for a shor t while. Then He opened His eyes
and, facing t he assembly, said, Ever yone please list en as I wish t o
speak t o you. The vrut t i of t hese eyes is formless; yet , if some solid
object comes in it s way, t hat vrut t i is obst r uct ed. Thus, t hat vrut t i
is act ually gr oss and is composed pr edominant ly of t he element
prut hvi. When a devot ee of God fixes t hat vrut t i on Gods for m,
init ially t he vrut t i appears like a t hin yellow rope. J ust as a spider
st r et ches it s web fr om one pillar t o anot her , and t hen somet imes goes
t o one pillar , t hen t o t he ot her pillar , or somet imes sit s bet ween t he
t wo pillars, similar ly, t he jiva is like t he spider; Gods form is one of
t he pillar s; ones antahkaran is t he ot her pillar ; and t he vrut t i is t he
web. That is t o say, t hr ough t hat vrut t i, a medit at ing yogi
somet imes becomes absor bed in Gods for m; at t imes he st ays wit hin
his own antahkaran ; and at ot her t imes he st ays bet ween his
antahkaran and God.
3 While doing t his, when t he yellow vrut t i, which is composed
predominant ly of t he element prut hvi, becomes jal-pr edominant , it
appears t o be whit e. When it becomes t ej-predominant , it appears t o
be r ed. When it becomes vyu-predominant , it appears t o be green;
and when it becomes ksh-pr edominant , it appear s t o be dar k.
Finally, when t he vrut t i sheds t he predominance of t he five bhuts
and becomes nirgun, it appear s t o be ext r emely r adiant and assumes
t he form of God.
4 Ther efor e, one who t r ies t o maint ain his vrut t i on Gods for m in
t his manner should r emain per fect ly pur e. For example, when one
wishes t o offer puja t o a deit y, t he deit y accept s t he puja only aft er
one becomes as pure as t he deit y. Similar ly, one who keeps his vrut t i
on Gods for m should, accor ding t o t he met hod pr escr ibed in t he
Snkhya scr ipt ur es, r ealise his own self t o be dist inct fr om t he t hr ee
bodies sthul, sukshma and kran ; and only aft er at t aining t m -
realisat ion , should he fix his vrut t i on Gods form. While repeat edly
fixing his vrut t i in such a manner , when his vrut t i is event ually
absorbed int o Gods form, t hat st at e has been defined as sleep for a
medit at ing yogi; but a yogis sleep is never like t he st at e of being
eclipsed during deep sleep.
The Vachanmr ut 512
Va r t l-9
How Ca n On e Exp er i en ce t h e Ni r gu n Bli ss of God ?
pillow t hat had been placed on a dais in front of t he mandir of Shr i
clot hes. At t hat t ime, an assembly of munis as well as devot ees fr om
2 Then Shr iji Mahr j asked t he munis , J ust as one can
experience t he t hree kinds of m yik pleasures rjasik, t masik and
sttvik in t he t hr ee st at es
7
, how can one experience t he nirgun bliss
of God?
3 All of t he munis confer r ed amongst t hemselves in or der t o
answer t he quest ion, but t hey wer e unable t o do so sat isfact or ily.
4 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, Suppose t here is ksh alone,
wit hout t he ot her four bhuts prut hvi, jal, et c. Also, suppose t hat in
t hat ksh t her e ar e as many moons as t her e ar e st ar s. Then, t he
int ensit y of t hat light would be equal t o t he int ensit y of t he divine
light of Chidksh. The form of God is always seat ed at t he cent re of
t hat Chidksh.
5 When one at t ains sam dhi of t hat form, t hen even if one
exper iences it for only a moment , t he per son who is engaged in
worship feels, Ive enjoyed t he bliss of God in sam dhi for t housands
of year s. This is how one exper iences t he nirgun bliss of Gods for m.
On t he ot her hand, even if one indulges in m yik pleasures for a long
t ime, ult imat ely one feels as if it was moment ar y. Ther efor e, t he
nirgun bliss of God is et ernal and imperishable, whereas t he m yik
pleasures are perishable.
Va r t l-10
How t h e J iva At t a in s Liber a t ion
pillow which had been placed on a wooden cot under t he neem t ree in
t he campus of t he mandir of Shr i Lakshminr yan in Var t l. He
The Vachanmr ut 513
Him.
2 Ther eupon, Bhagubhi Pt idr of t he village Bhdr an ar r ived in
t he assembly. He t hen asked Shr iji Mahr j a quest ion: Mahr j,
how can t he jiva at t ain liber at ion?
3 Shr iji Mahr j said, God assumes an avat r on t his ear t h in
one of t wo forms eit her in t he for m of a king or in t he for m of a
sdhu. When He assumes an avat r upon t he ear t h as a king, He
possesses t he 39 char act er ist ics of a king
8
, and when He assumes an
avat r upon t he eart h in t he form of a sdhu, He possesses t he 30
char act er ist ics of a sdhu
11
.
4 When God appear s in t he for m of a king, He is adept in t he 64
ar t s and skills
i
; t he four met hods of r uling r econciling wit h ones
enemies, suppr essing ones enemies, inst igat ing divisions wit hin
ones enemies and punishing ones enemies as well as t he nine
t ypes of sent iment s
i i
, such amor ousness, et c. However , when God
appears in t he form of a sdhu, he does not have t hese
char act er ist ics. When God is in t he for m of a king, t hen in t imes of
calamit y He may even t ake t o hunt ing t o sur vive. He may punish
t hieves by st r angling t hem, and He may also keep many women in
His household. But in t he for m of a sdhu, God st r ict ly follows a
non -violent lifest yle; in fact , He would not even pluck a blade of green
grass. Also, He would not t ouch even wooden st at ues of women or

i
The 64 t ypes of ar t s and skills wer e a classical cur r iculum of sciences, ar t s, and
skills of cult ur ed living t hat a member of a r oyal household would be expect ed t o
know. They include: singing; magic and illusions; skills of cooking, eat ing and
dr inking; dr ama and st or y-t elling; gems and mining; knowledge of for eign
languages and dialect s; imper sonat ion; and knowledge of dhr mic war far e and
vict or y, among ot her s. Thr ough t hese ar t s and skills, God, when incar nat ed as a
king, would have t he behaviour and appear ance no differ ent fr om a king.
i i
The nine t ypes of sent iment s ar e differ ent dr amat ic moods meant t o pr oduce
t heir r espect ive emot ional effect s: (1) shr ungr amor ous, (2) hsya
humour ous, (3) kar un melancholy, (4) vir her oic, (5) r audr a fier ce,
(6) bhaynak hor r ific, (7) bibhat sa vulgar , (8) adbhut wondr ous, (9) shnt
t r anquil.
The Vachanmr ut 514
paint ings of women. Thus, t he behaviour of God in t he for m of a
sdhu is not t he same as t hat of God in t he for m of a king.
5 The 39 char act er ist ics of Gods avat rs in t he for m of a king
8

such as Shr i Kr ishna, et c. are list ed in t he first cant o of t he
Shr imad Bhgwat t hr ough t he dialogue bet ween Pr ut hvi and
Dhar ma. The 30 char act er ist ics of Gods avat rs in t he form of a
sdhu
11
such as Dat t t r eya, Kapil, et c. are list ed in t he 11
t h
cant o
t hr ough t he dialogue bet ween Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn and Uddhav.
6 Thus, on e who aspires for liberat ion should recognise God
t hr ough t hese char act er ist ics and seek r efuge of t hat God. One
should have complet e fait h in Him. One should per for m His bhakti
while r emaining wit hin t he fr amewor k of his injunct ions. This is t he
only means of at t aining liber at ion.
7 However , when God is not manifest on t his ear t h, one should
seek t he refuge of t he S ant who has t he realisat ion of God because
t he jiva can also at t ain liber at ion t hr ough him. When even such a
S ant is not present , one shou ld keep fir m fait h in Gods murt i and
per for m bhakti while obser ving swadharma because doing so can
also gr ant liber at ion t o t he jiva.
Va r t l-11
Th e Dest r u ct i on of t h e J i va ; Love for t h e Sa t p u r u sh
I s
t h e On ly Me an s t o Rea li si n g t h e t m
1 On Posh sudi Punam, Samvat 1882 [23 J anuar y 1826], Swmi
cylindrical pillow t hat had been placed on a wooden cot under t he
neem t r ee in t he campus of t he mandir of Shri Lakshminr yan in
Var t l. He was dr essed ent ir ely in whit e clot hes. He was also
wear ing gar lands of whit e flower s ar ound His neck. In addit ion t o
t his, bunches of flowers were placed above His ears, and t assels of
flower s wer e also hanging fr om His pgh. At t hat t ime, an assembly
of all of t he munis as well as devot ees from various places had
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, My nat ur e is such t hat I feel
ext r emely afr aid of har ming any of t he following: fir st ly, God;
The Vachanmr ut 515
secondly, a devot ee of God; t hirdly, a Brhmin; and four t hly, one who
is meek. Ot her t han t hese four , I am afr aid of no one. This is
because even if one were t o harm anyone else, ones body would be
dest royed; t he jiva would not be dest royed. However, if a per son
har ms one of t hese four , t hen his jiva is also dest royed.
3 Hear ing t his, Mukt nand Swmi quest ioned, Mahr j, t he jiva
is said t o be indest r uct ible; what , t hen, should one under st and by it s
dest r uct ion?
4 Shr iji Mahr j replied, He would at t ain t he body of a mount ain
or any ot her similar object t hat has a jad for m. Hence, t hat jiva
never at t ains liber at ion. This should be under st ood as t he
dest r uct ion of t hat jiva. Thus, anyone who aspir es for his own
liber at ion should never har m any of t hese four.
5 Also, one should never keep egot ism of any sort before God or
His devot ee. Why? Because egot ism is t he cause of anger , matsar ,
jealousy and slander . In fact , even t he bhakti of an egot ist is said t o
be demonic. Moreover, if a person oppresses a devot ee of God, t hen
even if he himself is a devot ee, he should be known t o be a demon.
My nat ur e is such t hat I det est even t he sight of one who har ms a
Brhmin, a meek person or a devot ee of God. Such a person will
never at t ain My company, eit her in t his r ealm or in ot her r ealms.
6 Having spoken in t his manner , Shr iji Mahr j asked for t wo
devot ional songs t o be sung. One was, _ , C
...
i
. The second was, _ , _
...
i i
. He t hen gave a command t hat all satsangis should lear n
t hese t wo devot ional songs, and added, One should const ant ly sing
t hese t wo devot ional songs and r emember t heir message.
7 Ther eaft er , Shr iji Mahr j got up and sat on a dais in front of
t he m andir of Shr i Lakshminr yan.

i
Mr harjishu het na dise re, tene gher shid jaiye
Why should one even visit t he home of a per son who has no love for my Lor d?

i i
Mr vhljishu vlap dise re, teno sang kem tajiye
Why should one for sake t he company of a per son who har bour s love for my
Lor d?
The Vachanmr ut 516
8 Goplnand Swmi t hen asked, Why is it t hat despit e r eading
t he Shst r as, t he Pur ns and ot her scr ipt ur es, t he pundit s of t he
world st ill do not underst and t he great ness of God and t he S ant as it
r eally is?
9 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, Though such a per son r eads t he
Shst r as and Pur ns, he does not have t he r efuge of God. Thus, his
jiva has been over power ed by lust , anger , avar ice, jealousy and
matsar ; and t he inner enemies in t he for m of lust , anger , et c., never
allow him t o even r aise his head. As a r esult , t he pundit s per ceive
God and His S ant t o be just like t hemselves. They t hink, J ust as
t he inner enemies of lust , anger , et c., wit hin us ar e never er adicat ed,
similar ly, t he same enemies ar e pr obably not er adicat ed fr om t hem
eit her . In t his manner , t hey per ceive fault s in God and His S ant.
So, even t hough t hey r ead t he Shst r as and Pur ns, t hey fail t o
realise t he great ness of God and His S ant as it r eally is.
10 Next , Shr iji Mahr j posed a quest ion t o Dinnt h Bhat t and all
of t he munis : The S atpurush, who is brahmaswarup, behaves above
t he t hree bodies
6
and t he t hree st at es
7
; moreover, he does not believe
any of t he act ions of t he 14 indriyas t o affect him. However , an
ignor ant per son cannot r ealise t his. Only when he at t ains a spir it ual
st at e similar t o t hat of t he gr eat Purush does he behave like t he
gr eat Purush, and only t hen does he underst and t he great Purushs
behaviour. However, as long as one has not realised t he great ness of
t he S atpurush, one does not at t ain t he st at e of being brahmaswarup;
yet , wit hout t m -realisat ion, one cannot realise t he great ness of t he
S atpurush. Hence, t here seems t o be a paradox. Now please explain
how t his par adox can be r econciled?
11 Everyone at t empt ed t o answer t o t he best of t heir abilit y, but no
one was able t o give a solut ion t o t he quest ion.
12 Then Shr iji Mahr j said, Her e, allow Me t o answer . The
answer is t hat when one develops int ense affect ion for t he S ant who
has realised t he avat r of God on t his ear t h, t hen one never per ceives
any kind of fault in t he S atpurush. For example, when one has
st rong affect ion for someone, one will never see t he persons flaws,
and one will always believe t he per sons wor ds. This is nat ur al on
t he worldly pat h and it is also nat ur al on t he pat h of liber at ion.
Therefore, int ense love for t he S atpurush is t he only means t o
r ealising ones t m ; it is t he only means t o r ealising t he gr eat ness of
The Vachanmr ut 517
t he S atpurush; and it is also t he only means t o having t he dir ect
r ealisat ion of God.
Va r t l-12
Fa i t h Cou p led wi t h t h e Kn owled ge of God s
Gr e a t n e s s
Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing on a decor at ed cot wit h a cushion
and cylindrical pillow on a wooden plat form under t he neem t ree in
was wear ing a whit e khes and had covered Himself wit h a rose-
coloured shawl over a whit e blanket . He had t ied a whit e pgh
a r ound His head and was wearing a garland of roses around His
neck. At t hat t ime, an assembly of munis as well as devot ees from
2 In t he assembly, Shr iji Mahr j sat cont emplat ing for quit e
some t ime. He t hen opened His eyes and, looking compassionat ely at
t he assembly of devot ees, said, Today I wish t o t alk t o all of you
about fait h in God, so please list en car efully. Shr i Pur ushot t am
Bhagwn, whose for m is for ever divine, is seat ed in Akshar dh m,
which is as luminous as count less millions of suns, moons, and
flames of fir e. That same God assumes t he avat rs of Rm, Kr ishna,
et c., upon t his ear t h for t he sake of gr ant ing liber at ion t o t he jivas.
Then, t he jiva t hat develops firm fait h in t hat God by profoundly
associat ing wit h t he S ant pr ogr esses spir it ually day by day, just like
t he waxing moon on t he second day of t he br ight half of t he lunar
mont h. As t he suns effect on t he moon incr eases, t he waxing moon
cont inues incr easing; finally, when Punam ar r ives, t he moon
becomes full. Similar ly, befor e developing t ot al fait h in God, t he jiva
is as dim as t he new moon of Ams only as br ight as a glow-wor m.
Then, as a person develops fait h coupled wit h t he knowledge of Gods
gr eat ness, his jivt m progresses and becomes like t he full moon of
Punam. Ther eaft er , his indriyas and antahkaran are no longer
capable of dislodging him from his fait h. Regardless of t he t ype of
act ion God performs, he does not perceive any fault in God. In
addit ion, one who has fait h in God coupled wit h t he knowledge of His
great ness becomes a fearless devot ee.
The Vachanmr ut 518
3 However , if at some t ime t hat same devot ee har bour s doubt s in
t he divine act ions and incident s of God, eit her by t he influence of
unfavour able places, t imes, company, scr ipt ur es, et c., or due t o his
ident ificat ion wit h t he body, t hen his jiva, which was like t he full
moon of Punam, becomes like t he unlit moon of Ams. Ther efor e,
some minor flaw in oneself will not r eally har m t he jiva ver y much;
but if one somehow doubt s t he divine act ions and incident s of God, or
if one somehow develops dislike for God, t hen t hat jiva inst ant ly falls
fr om t he pat h of liber at ion. J ust as when t he r oot s of a t r ee ar e cut ,
t he t r ee aut omat ically becomes dr y, similar ly, a jiva who in any way
perceives fault s in God can never st ay wit hout falling fr om t he
Sat sang fellowship.
4 Moreover, one whose fait h in God is weak, despit e being in
Sat sang, st ill doubt s, Who knows whet her I will at t ain liber at ion or
not ? When I die, will I become a deit y? Or will I become a king? Or
will I become a ghost ? One who does not have absolut e fait h in God
has such doubt s. But one who does have absolut e fait h believes, I
have at t ained liberat ion ever since t he day I at t ained God; in fact ,
whoever has my darshan or list ens t o my t alks will also be fr eed
fr om all of his sins and will at t ain t he highest st at e of
enlight enment . So, maint aining such fait h coupled wit h t he
knowledge of Gods great ness, one should believe oneself t o be
fulfilled. All of you should const ant ly be awar e of t his fact .
5 Then Shr iji Mahr j said, Please sing t he following devot ional
song descr ibing Gods gr eat ness: L T_ , F_
...
i
. Ther eupon, t hat song was sung.
6 Then Shr iji Mahr j said, In t he same manner as t he song,
Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn has also said in t he Shr imad Bhgwat :
| | ||| - +||- - +|-|
-= +||= ||||~|--|+= - - =-+
i i

i
Dhanya Vrundvanavsi vatni chy re jy Hari best
Glor ious ar e t he shades of t he banyan t r ees of Vr undvan, wher e t he Lor d oft en
sat .
i i
Aho amee devavarmarrchitam pdmbujam te sumanah -falrhanam|
Namantyupdya shikhbhir-tmanas-tamopahatyai t aru-janma yat-krutam| |

The Vachanmr ut 519
So, even one who is born as a t ree becomes fulfilled by being
associat ed wit h God. In fact , even t he t r ee under which God has sat
should be underst ood t o be ent it led t o at t ain t he highest st at e of
enlight enment .
7 One who, in his hear t , does not have such fir m fait h coupled
wit h t he knowledge of Gods great ness should be known t o be
impot ent no jiva is ever going t o be uplift ed by his wor ds. For
example, a king who is impot ent , and who is about t o lose his
kingdom, and whose family line is about t o cease, will st ill not be able
t o beget a son wit h his wife. In fact , even if he summons impot ent s
like himself fr om his ent ir e kingdom and allows t hem t o associat e
wit h his wife, she st ill will not beget a son. Similar ly, no one at t ains
liber at ion by hear ing even holy scr ipt ur es like t he Git and t he
Shr imad Bhgwat from one who does not have fait h in God coupled
wit h t he knowledge of His gr eat ness. J ust as deat h is assur ed t o
whoever dr inks sweet ened milk int o which a snakes venom has
fallen, similar ly, no one can ever at t ain liber at ion by list ening t o t he
Git or t he Shr imad Bhgwat from a person who does not have fait h
in God coupled wit h t he knowledge of His great ness. On t he
cont r ar y, only har m can come fr om it .
Va r t l-13
I f Br a h ma P er va d es, How Ca n I t P ossess a For m?
pillow t hat had been placed on a wooden cot under t he neem t ree in
had donned all whit e clot hes upon His body and was also wearing
gar lands of whit e flower s ar ound His neck. In addit ion t o t his, a
decorat ed umbrella wit h a golden, egg-shaped t op-piece had been

O t hese [t r ees] offer a t your holy feet which ar e wor shipped by t he chief deit y
[Indr a] and t he immor t als [i.e. ot her deit ies such as Br ahm, et c.] fr uit s and
flower s, and bow befor e you wit h t heir heads [i.e. their br anches and leaves] t o
er adicat e t heir dar kness [of ignor ance] which caused t heir bir t h as t r ees!
The Vachanmr ut 520
placed above His head. Shr iji Mahr j sat ador ned in such a
beaut iful manner , t ossing a pomegr anat e fr uit in His hand. At t hat
2 Ther eupon Bhagubhi Pt idr of Bhdr an appr oached Shr iji
Mahr j, and asked, Mahr j, how does sam dhi act ually occur ?
3 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, God assumes an avat r in Bhar at -
khand for t he liberat ion of jivas. When He appear s in t he for m of a
king, he possesses t he 39 at t r ibut es of a king
8
; and when he appears
in t he for m of a sdhu, such as Dat t t reya or Kapil, he possesses t he
30 at t ribut es of a sdhu
11
. By appear ance, Gods for m appear s
similar t o t hat of any human; however , it is an except ionally divine
for m. For example, a magnet ic r ock appear s similar t o all of t he
ot her r ocks on t he ear t h; yet t her e is an int r insic magical pr oper t y in
it when a ship sails past a mount ain of magnet ic r ock, t hen all of
t he ir on nails of t he ship ar e dr awn t owar ds t he magnet ic r ock.
Similar ly, when a per son does darshan of Gods for m wit h shraddh,
be it t he for m of a king or t he for m of a sdhu, his indriyas are
dr awn t owar ds God. Then one at t ains sam dhi.
4 Upon having t he darshan of Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn, all of t he
resident s of Gokul at t ained sam dhi; and in t hat sam dhi, God
showed t hem his own abode. In t his manner , whenever t her e is an
avat r of God, t hen at t hat t ime, Gods form definit ely possesses
cer t ain magical pr oper t ies. Mor eover , all of t he indriyas of anyone
who does darshan of God wit h shraddh ar e drawn t owards God, and
he inst ant ly ent er s sam dhi. At t he same t ime, if God wishes t o
at t ract many people t owards Him, t hen even people who are not
devot ees, and even animals, at t ain sam dhi upon seeing Him. So
what is so sur pr ising about t his happening t o a devot ee of God?
5 Ther eaft er , Mukt nand Swmi asked, It is gener ally said t hat
Br ahma per vades ever ywher e. But how can somet hing t hat is
pervasive be said t o possess a form? Also, how can somet hing t hat
possesses a form be called pervasive? That is my quest ion.
6 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, Br ahma r esides in only one place, but
not ever ywher e. That Br ahma is Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn; He is in all
places while st ill r esiding in only one place. For example, when a
per son wor ships Sur ya, Sur ya gr ant s t he per son a vision like his
own. Then, t hat per son can see as far as Sur yas vision r eaches.
Also, a person who has at t ained yogic powers can hear people who
The Vachanmr ut 521
may be t housands or millions of miles away as if t hey ar e speaking
next t o him. In fact , he is able t o pick up an object t hat may be
millions of miles away, even t hough his ar ms ar e t he same size as
any ot her humans. Similar ly, when Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn wishes
t o give darshan somewher e, He gives His darshan t her e while st ill
r esiding in one place. Even t hough He has only one for m, He appear s
in count less for ms. In fact , if a per son who is a r ealised yogi has
ext r aor dinar y power s such as long-dist ance hear ing and long-dist ance
vision, t hen what is so sur pr ising about God also possessing such
powers?
7 So, even t hough t he scr ipt ur es descr ibe God as per vasive, He
act ually possesses a definit e for m. In t hose scr ipt ur es, He is
descr ibed as per vasive in t he sense t hat using His own power s, He
gives His darshan t o all while st ill r esiding in one place. But He is
not pervasive in t he sense of being formless like ksh. So, in r ealit y,
God et ernally possesses a form. It is t hat God wit h a definit e form,
who, while always r esiding in Akshar dh m, appear s in count less
millions of brahmnds.
Va r t l-14
Wh om a Non -b e li e ve r Con si d e r s a Si n n e r I s Not
a Si n n er , a n d Wh om He Con si d er s t o be
Si n cer e i n Hi s Dh a r ma I s Not Rea lly So
1 On Posh vadi 9, Samvat 1882 [1 Febr uar y 1826], Swmi Shr i
2 Ther eupon Rmchandr a Vghmodi of Vadodar asked Shr iji
Mahr j, Mahr j, why does one who seems t o be an unwor t hy
per son st ill at t ain sam dhi?
3 Shr iji Mahr j replied, Everyone believes t hat one who
infr inges t he dharma of ones cast e and shram as pr escr ibed in t he
scr ipt ur es is an unwor t hy per son. However , if t hat unwor t hy
person sincerely appreciat es t he virt ues of God and His S ant, he
ear ns gr eat mer it s. As a r esult , t he sins t hat he had commit t ed by
The Vachanmr ut 522
t r ansgr essing t he dharma of his cast e and shram are eradicat ed,
and his jiva becomes ext r emely pur e. Ther eaft er , when his mind is
fixed on Gods for m, he at t ains sam dhi.
4 Moreover, when a person abides by t he dharma of ones cast e
and shram as pr escr ibed in t he Dhar ma-shst r as, ever yone
considers t hat person t o be one who is sincer e in his dharma.
However , if he maligns God or His S ant, t hen t he r esult of
commit t ing t he sin of maligning t he S atpurush is such t hat all t he
mer it s ear ned by abiding t o t he dharma of ones cast e and shram
ar e bur nt t o ashes. So, one who maligns t he S atpurush is a worse
sinner t han one who has commit t ed t he five gr ave sins
10
. This is
because he who has commit t ed one of t he five grave sins can be
redeemed of t he sin by seeking t he refuge of t he S atpurush; but t her e
are no means t o be redeemed for one who has maligned t he
S atpurush. This is because when one goes t o a place of pilgr image,
one is freed of t he sins one has commit t ed elsewhere; but t he sins
commit t ed at a place of pilgrimage are t ot ally irredeemable it is as
if t hey are et ched in ir on.
5 Thus, by seeking t he r efuge of t he S atpurush, regardless of how
t er r ible a sinner a per son may be, he becomes ext r emely pur e and
at t ains sam dhi. On t he ot her hand, a per son who maligns t he
S atpurush is st ill a t er r ible sinner , r egar dless of how sincer e he may
seem t o be in abiding by dharma; mor eover , he can never have t he
darshan of God in his heart . Therefore, whom a non -believer
consider s t o be a sinner is not a sinner , and whom he consider s t o be
sincer e in his dharma is not r eally so.
Va r t l-15
Th e Rea son s for Becomi n g God ly a n d Demon i c
pillow t hat had been placed on a dais under t he neem t ree in front of
t he mandir of Shr i Lakshminr yan in Var t l. He was wear ing a
dagli and a survl made of kinkhb. A r ich, or ange shelu wit h wide,
golden edges had been t ied around His head, and anot her orange
shelu wit h ver y wide, golden edges rest ed upon His shoulder. In
addit ion t o t his, a decorat ed umbrella wit h a golden, egg-shaped t op-
The Vachanmr ut 523
piece had been placed over His head. At t hat t ime, an assembly of all
of t he munis as well as devot ees from various places had gat hered
before Him.
2 Thereupon Shobhr m Shst r i asked a quest ion: Mahr j,
t here are t wo t ypes of jivas: godly and demonic. Have t hey always
been so since et ernit y, or have t hey become so due t o associat ion?
3 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, In t he beginning, dur ing t he period of
dissolut ion, bot h t ypes of jivas, godly and demonic, are absorbed
wit hin m y. Then, when t he cosmos is cr eat ed, bot h t ypes of jivas
emer ge, each wit h it s own nat ur e. Ther e ar e also t hose or dinar y
jivas who become godly or demonic due t o associat ion wit h godly or
demonic jivas. Also, t her e ar e some godly and demonic jivas who
gradually develop such a nat ure due t o t he karmas t hey per for m.
4 But mainly, t he cause of such godly and demonic nat ur es is t he
gr ace or t he wr at h of t he S atpurush. For example, J ay and Vijay
wer e at t endant s of God, but since t hey maligned holy per sons such as
t he Sanak dik, t hey at t ained a demonic nat ur e. Pr ahldji, on t he
ot her hand, was a demon, but since he imbibed t he pr eaching of
Nr adji, he was known as an eminent devot ee of God. Thus,
whomever t he wr at h of t he gr eat Purush falls upon, t hat jiva
becomes demonic; and whomever t he gr eat Purush is pleased upon,
t hat jiva becomes godly. Ther e is no ot her r eason for becoming godly
or demonic. Thus, one who desir es t o at t ain liberat ion should by no
means malign God or Gods Bhakta; r at her , he should do only
what ever pleases God and Gods Bhakta.
Va r t l-16
Not Feeli n g Comfor t a ble wi t h Wor ld ly Gr ea t Men
pillow t hat had been placed on a dais under t he neem t ree in front of
t he mandir of Shr i Lakshminr yan in Var t l. He was dressed
ent ir ely in whit e clot hes. At t hat t ime, an assembly of all of t he
Him.
The Vachanmr ut 524
2 Also sit t ing in t he assembly was a pundit fr om Vadodar . He
said, Mahr j, if you show a mir acle t o some wor ldly, eminent man
t hen it s impact will be very beneficial for t he development of t he
Sat sang fellowship.
3 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, I do not get along very well
wit h such wor ldly, eminent men. Aft er all, t hey have pr ide of t heir
power and wealt h, whereas I have pride of r enunciat ion and bhakti.
Thus, neit her is in a posit ion t o yield t o t he ot her. Even if I did send
some gr eat man int o sam dhi, t hen at most he would give some
village or a par t of his kingdom, neit her of which I have t he slight est
desire for in My heart . Even if I were t o wish for a village or a part of
a kingdom for t he sake of happiness, st ill when I close My eyes and
cont emplat e upon Gods for m, t hat bliss cannot be found even in a
kingdom consist ing of t he 14 r ealms.
4 Besides, if t her e is as much bliss in r uling a kingdom as t her e
is in wor shipping God, t hen why would gr eat kings such as
Swyambhuv Manu and ot her s leave t heir kingdoms and go int o t he
for est s t o per for m aust er it ies? If t her e is as much bliss in women as
t her e is in wor shipping God, t hen why would King Chit r aket u
abandon 10 million women?
5 Compared t o t he bliss of worshipping God, t he bliss of t he 14
realms is said t o be like t hat of narak. Thus, one whose happiness is
based on t he bliss of God feels t hat t he pleasures of all of t he vishays
in t he ent ir e brahmnd ar e like narak. Even I feel t hat t he bliss of
worshipping God is t he only real bliss everyt hing else seems t o be
full of miser y. Hence, while wor shipping God, if I encount er someone
who is nat ur ally dr awn int o t he Sat sang fellowship, t hen I encour age
him; but t her e is no t ype of insist ence in My hear t . I only insist upon
engaging in t he worship of God and keeping t he company of devot ees
of God. What I have disclosed before you is My deep-seat ed inner
belief.
Va r t l-17
An En li gh t en ed P er son Ha s Con qu er ed Hi s I n d r i ya s
1 On Posh vadi Ams, Samvat 1882 [6 Febr uar y 1826], Swmi
The Vachanmr ut 525
cylindrical pillow t hat had been placed in t he haveli facing t he
in whit e clot hes. At t hat t ime, an assembly of all of t he sdhus as
2 Then Shr iji Mahr j asked a quest ion: Each of t he five gnn-
indriyas and t he five karma-indriyas have t ot al knowledge of t heir
respect ive vishays. Fur t her mor e, bot h an enlight ened per son and an
unenlight ened per son behave in t he same manner t hr ough t heir
indriyas ; i.e., t he indriyas of t he enlight ened do not behave in a
differ ent manner fr om t hose of t he unenlight ened. However , t he
enlight ened person is said t o have conquered t he indriyas ; how can
t his be so? That is t he quest ion.
3 Mukt nand Swmi r eplied, It seems t hat a per son conquer s his
indriyas when he at t ains nirvikalp sam dhi.
4 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, Even one who has at t ained
nirvikalp sam dhi indulges in t he panchvishays t hr ough t he
indriyas just like everyone else; so how can he be said t o have
conquer ed his indriyas ?
5 Mukt nand Swmi made many at t empt s t o answer t he
quest ion, but he was unable t o give a sat isfact or y solut ion.
6 Then Shr iji Mahr j said, The answer is t hat he r ealises t hat
t her e is only miser y in t he panchvishays, i.e., sounds, t ouch, et c. He
also r ealises t hat t her e ar e only r edempt ive at t r ibut es in t he for m of
God. He even r ealises t hat by indulging in wor ldly vishays, t he jiva
is condemned t o t he pit s of narak, where he is compelled t o suffer
t er r ible miser ies. Having r ealised t his, he develops an int ense
aversion and a sense of enmit y t owards t he panchvishays. Ther e is
no way one will har bour affect ion t owar ds somet hing wit h which one
has such enmit y. One who r ealises t his, and t hen develops an
ext r eme aver sion in his mind t owar ds t he panchvishays can be said
t o have conquered his indriyas . Subsequent ly, he spends t he r est of
his life offering bhakti t o God in t he form of list ening t o t alks of God,
singing devot ional songs, et c. But , unlike a non -believer, he does not
become at t ached t o t he panchvishays. Such a per son is known t o
have conquered his indriyas .
7 Then Shr iji Mahr j asked anot her quest ion: Suppose t here is a
renunciant who has adopt ed t he pat h of nivrut t i. He r ealises himself
t o be t he t m and does not believe his body t o be his t r ue for m.
The Vachanmr ut 526
Also, his physical behaviour is r at her eccent r ic and er r at ic. This
man does not har bour any vanit y of gender , cast e or shram . The
manner in which he eat s, dr inks, r ises and sit s is all r at her
eccent r ic it does not seem t o mat ch t he nor ms of societ y. Such a
r enunciant does not st ay in anyones company; he is like a young
deer in a for est wander ing alone in a car efr ee manner . In no way can
he be bound by anyt hing.
8 On t he ot her hand, t her e is anot her r enunciant who, despit e
also having adopt ed t he pat h of nivrut t i, behaves in accor dance wit h
t he pat h of pravrut t i. In fact , when he engages in pravrutti t hat
br ings out vicious nat ur es such as lust , anger , avar ice, infat uat ion,
ar r ogance, matsar , desir es, cr avings, et c., in his hear t , it even causes
some sor t of dist ur bance in his hear t . So, is it appr opr iat e for such a
r enunciant t o cont inue following t he pat h of pravrut t i? If he does
remain on t he pat h of pravrut t i, how could he r emain undist ur bed?
If you say, If he follows t he pat h of pravrut t i by Gods command t hen
he will not become at t ached t o anyt hing, t hen one can ar gue, If one
dr inks bhang by Gods command, does t hat mean he will not become
delir ious? Of cour se, he will become delir ious. How, t hen, can t hat
renunciant follow t he pat h of pravrut t i and not become at t ached t o
anyt hing? That is t he quest ion.
9 Hear ing t his, Nit ynand Swmi and Shuk Muni at t empt ed t o
give an explanat ion but wer e unable t o pr esent an accur at e r eply.
10 Then Shr iji Mahr j said, The r enunciant who abides by
nivrutti dharma only and who behaves in an eccent r ic manner
should be known as one who has only t he virt ue of t m -r ealisat ion.
On t he ot her hand, t he r enunciant who has adopt ed nivrut t i dharma
but also offers bhakti t o God should vigilant ly adopt t he pat h of
pravrut t i relat ed t o God and His devot ees while st aying wit hin t he
niyams prescribed by God. In fact , adopt ing t he pat h of pravrut t i in
order t o serve God and His devot ees is t he very definit ion of bhakti.
11 The r enunciant who has adopt ed t he pat h of nivrut t i and who
has only t he vir t ue of t m -realisat ion can never be equal t o t he
renunciant who has adopt ed t he pat h of pravrut t i. This is because
alt hough t he lat t er is also a renunciant who has adopt ed t he pat h of
nivrut t i, he engages in pravrut t i for t he purpose of being able t o serve
God and His devot ees. Such a person should st ay on t he pat h of
pravrut t i while abiding by t he niyams prescribed by God. However ,
he should never overdo or under -do his observance of t hose niyams.
The Vachanmr ut 527
While discar ding vicious nat ur es such as lust , anger , avar ice,
infat uat ion, desir es, cr avings for t ast e, et c., he should follow t he pat h
of pravrut t i for t he purpose of serving God and His devot ees. As a
r esult , he will never become at t ached t o anyt hing. Compar ed t o t he
r enunciant who has only t he vir t ue of t m -r ealisat ion, t his
r enunciant is far super ior , and it is he who ear ns t he gr ace of God.
Va r t l-18
F a ct s Th a t Mu st Be Un d er st ood
1 Aft er t he evening rt i on Mah sudi 1, Samvat 1882 [7 Febr uar y
1826], Shr iji Mahr j was sit t ing on a cushion wit h a cylindr ical
pillow t hat had been placed under t he dome of t he mandir of Shr i
clot hes. At t hat t ime, all of t he paramhansas as well as devot ees
fr om var ious places had gat her ed on all four sides ar ound Him.
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, Seeing t hat you ar e all senior
paramhansas , I shall ask you a quest ion: Which fact s ar e essent ial
for a satsangi t o under st and? Because if someone wer e t o ask him, or
if he were t o experience a doubt in his own mind, t hen wit hout
knowing t hese fact s, how would he be able t o find t he solut ion?
3 Having asked t he quest ion, Mahr j Himself cont inued, Her e, I
shall answer t he quest ion Myself. Fir st ly, one should r ealise t hat
our s is an Uddhav Sampr ady, and t herefore, one should know it s
cust oms.
4 Secondly, one should know t he line of succession of our gur us.
Specifically, Rmnand Swmi was t he for m of Uddhav himself, and
in a dr eam, t hat same Rmnand Swmi was init iat ed int o t he
Vaishnav fold by Rmnujchr ya himself in Shr ir angkshet r a. So,
Rmnand Swmis gur u was Rmnujchr ya, and I am
Rmnand Swmis disciple. One should under st and t he succession
of gur us in t his manner . In addit ion, one should under st and t he
t r adit ion of t he Dhar makul t hat I have est ablished.
5 Thir dly, one should know t he aut hor it at ive scr ipt ur es of our
samprad y, t he names of which ar e: 1. The Vedas, 2. The Vys
Sut r as, 3. The Shr imad Bhgwat Pur n, 4. The Vishnu-sahasr anm
fr om t he Mahbhr at , 5. The Bhagwad Git , 6. The Vidur nit i, 7. The
The Vachanmr ut 528
Vsudev Mht mya fr om t he Vishnu-khand of t he Skand Pur n, and
8. The Ygnavalkya Smr ut i. One should know t hese eight
scr ipt ur es.
6 Four t hly, one should know all of t he niyams which ar e
prescribed for all satsangis .
7 Fift h, one should under st and Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn, our
ishtadev, and also t he var iet y of t he for ms of Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn
due t o var ying locat ions, at t endant s and wor ks.
8 In addit ion, t he manifest and t he non -manifest for m of Shr i
Kr ishna Bhagwn should be underst ood. He is non -manifest in t he
sense t hat Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn resides in Akshardh m in t he
midst of Golok, which t r anscends the darkness of m y. He has t wo
ar ms and is as luminous as millions and millions of suns, while he
himself has a dar k complexion. Rdhikji and Lakshmiji ar e beside
him, and he is ser ved by t he at t endant s Nand, Sunand, Shr idm,
et c. He is t he cause of t he creat ion, sust enance and dissolut ion of
count less millions of brahmnds. He r eigns as t he supr eme r uler of
ever yt hing. This God somet imes assumes a for m wit h four ar ms;
somet imes, he assumes a for m wit h eight ar ms; and he may even
assume a for m wit h a t housand ar ms. He also assumes all of t he
for ms of t he four emanat ions
9
, i.e., Vsudev, Sankar shan, Anir uddha
and Pr adyumna; as well as t he 24 for ms
12
, i.e., Keshav, et c. He also
manifest s t hr ough avat rs such as Var h, Nr usinh, Vman, Kapil,
Hayagr iv, et c., while he himself act ually always possesses t wo ar ms.
It is t his same for m t hat has been descr ibed in t he Upanishads, t he
Snkhya scr ipt ur es, t he Yoga scr ipt ur es and t he Panchr t r a. This is
how Gods form is described as being non -manifest .
9 Fur t her mor e, of all t he chryas t hat have lived, Vysji is t he
gr eat est . Even Shankar chrya cannot be said t o be like Vysji; in
fact , nor can Rmnujchr ya, nor can Madhvchr ya, nor can
Nimbr k, nor can Vishnu Swmi, nor can Vallabhchr ya. This is
due t o t he fact t hat only if t hose chryas accept t he aut hor it y of
Vysjis wor ds will t he wor ds of t hose chryas be accept ed as
aut hor it at ive in t he wor ld, but not ot her wise. However , Vysji
himself does not need t o rely upon anyone else t o be aut horit at ive.
This is because Vysji is t he chrya of t he Vedas and is himself an
avat r of God. Therefore, we should abide by Vysjis t eachings only.
10 That same Vysji, for t he liber at ion of t he jivas, separat ed t he
Vedas int o four par t s, wr ot e t he 17 Pur ns and t he Mahbhr at .
The Vachanmr ut 529
St ill, he felt in his mind, I have not been able t o compr ehensively
explain t he met hods for t he liberat ion of t he jivas. As a r esult , he
did not feel sat isfied in his mind. So, he wrot e t he Shr imad Bhgwat
Pur n, which is t he essence of all of t he Vedas, t he Pur ns, t he
It ihs scr ipt ur es, t he Panchr t r a, t he Yoga scr ipt ur es and t he
Snkhya scr ipt ur es. In t hat Shr imad Bhgwat , he has descr ibed
Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn as gr eat er t han all of t he ot her avat rs, and
t hat it is t hat same Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn fr om whom all of t he
ot her avat rs emanat e.
11 In t he Guna-vibhg chapt er of t he Shr imad Bhgwat , Shr i
Kr ishna Bhagwn says t o Uddhav, I am nirgun, and whoever comes
int o my cont act also becomes nirgun. That is why all t hose who
came int o cont act wit h Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn wit h whichever
feeling also became nirgun, regardless of whet her it was a feeling of
lust , hat r ed, fear , kinship, or love. Thus, Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn
himself is nirgun. This is how Vysji has descr ibed Shr i Kr ishna
Bhagwn. Also, Vysji has est ablished t he following pr inciple: Shr i
Kr ishna Bhagwn himself is t he God who assumes all of t he avat rs,
and all ot her avat rs ar e also his. If Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn, inst ead
of being described as nirgun, is descr ibed as being mer ely t he
embodiment of pure sattvagun, t hen one has not gr asped t he cont ext
of t he Shr imad Bhgwat and it r esult s in a major discr epancy. Aft er
all, t he gopis did not r ealise Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn t o be God; t heir
feeling of lust for Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn was t heir met hod of wor ship
of him. St ill, t hey became nirgun. How, t hen, can Shr i Kr ishna
Bhagwn be described as being merely t he embodiment of pure
sattvagun? Ther efor e, Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn is definit ely nirgun.
In addit ion, Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn himself has said t o Ar jun:
- |= =| || --
=-| + - |- | |- | +
i

12 At t he t ime of his bir t h, Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn showed
Vsudev and Devki his for m wit h four ar ms so t hat t hey would

i
J anma karma cha me divyam-evam yo vetti tattvataha|
Tyaktv deham punar-janma naiti mm-et i sorjuna| |
O Ar jun! He who t hor oughly r ealises my bir t h and act ions t o be divine will not
t ake anot her bir t h when he leaves his body; r at her , he will at t ain me.
Bhagwad Git : 4.9
The Vachanmr ut 530
realise him t o be God. He also showed Brahm many for ms wit h
four ar ms; he showed Akr ur t he for m of Shesh-shyi; and he showed
himself in t he Vishwar up for m t o Ar jun. In t his manner , it is
just ifiable t o make dist inct ions in t he modes of wor ship of Shr i
Kr ishna Bhagwn due t o differ ences in his for ms. However , his t r ue
for m is differ ent . Because in Vr aj, Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn was
known as Blmukund; he was also called Mur limanohar and
Rdhkr ishna; he used t o t ake t he cows and calves for gr azing; he
lift ed Mount Govardhan; he played rs wit h t he gopis; he came t o
Mat hur and killed Kansa; he pleased t he Ydavs; he st udied at t he
home of t he Brhmin Sndipani; he associat ed wit h Kubj; he st ayed
in Dwr kpur i, wher e he mar r ied eight chief queens such as
Rukmini, et c.; he also wedded 16,000 women; while st aying in
Hast inpur, he prot ect ed t he Pndavs fr om all of t he calamit ies
which fell upon t hem; he saved Dr aupadi fr om humiliat ion; he
beca me Ar juns char iot eer , et c. In t his manner , t her e wer e many
divine incident s of Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn due t o differences in
locat ions. But fr om t his, one should not make dist inct ions in t he
modes of wor ship of Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwns t wo-ar med for m. One
who does should be known as a blasphemer of t he guru and t he
gur us wor d.
13 In fact , Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn has behaved in many differ ent
ways. He has eat en t he left overs of t he gopas and has even played
rs wit h t he gopis. However , Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn s devot ees
should not imit at e his behaviour . Rat her , t hey should behave
accor ding t o t he char act er ist ics of a sdhu and abide by t he dharma
of ones cast e and shram . They should offer bhakti t o him as
pr escr ibed by Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn in t he 11
t h
Bhgwat , t he Bhagwad Git and in t he Vsudev Mht mya. But
none should behave as Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn behaved. One who
does so is an out cast and is not My satsangi.
14 J ust as one should not imit at e t he behaviour of our ishtadev
Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn, similar ly, as I am your spir it ual mast er ,
your gur u and your pr ecept or , you should not imit at e My physical
behaviour. Inst ead, all of you should behave according t o My words
in t he for m of t he r espect ive injunct ions which I have pr escr ibed for
t hose in My samprad y; but none should imit at e My behaviour .
15 All paramhansas and all satsangis should lear n t hese fact s
which I have t old you. Aft er under st anding t hem, all should behave
The Vachanmr ut 531
accor dingly. Also, when speaking wit h ot her s, you should tell t hem
t o behave similar ly.
16 Having said t his, Shr iji Mahr j left for dinner . Upon hear ing
t his discour se, all of t he sdhus and satsangis underst ood t hat t he
non -manifest for m of Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn whom Shr iji Mahr j
spoke of is none ot her t han t his Shr iji Mahr j, son of Bhakt i and
Dhar ma, and t hat no one t r anscends Him. It is only He who is our
Ishtadev, and it is only He who is our gur u.
Va r t l-19
Becomi n g a Devot ee of God ; I n d i scr et i on
1 On t he even ing of Mah sudi 2, Samvat 1882 [8 Febr uar y 1826],
Shr iji Mahr j was sit t ing on a cushion wit h a cylindr ical pillow t hat
had been placed in t he east ern roopchoki of t he mandir of Shr i
2 Then, aft er t he evening rt i had finished, Shr iji Mahr j said,
Please list en, I wish t o speak t o all of you about God. Whenever a
jiva at t ains a human body in Bhar at -khand, Gods avat rs or Gods
sdhus will cer t ainly also be pr esent on ear t h at t hat t ime. If t hat
jiva can recognise t hem, t hen he becomes a devot ee of God.
3 Once he has become a devot ee of God, it would be improper for
him t o bear affect ion for anyt hing except God. This is because,
compared t o t he bliss of t he abode of God, t he pleasures of worldly
vishays ar e like excr et a. Only wor ms t hat live in excr et a feel t hat
t her e is pr ofound bliss in excr et a a human would r ealise excr et a t o
be not hing but ut t er miser y. Thus, one who has r ecognised God
becomes an at t endant of God. Thereaft er, he should not cease t o be
an at t endant of God by desiring t o enjoy t he pleasures of worldly
vishays like wor ms in excr et a.
4 Also, what ever a devot ee of God wishes for comes t rue.
Ther efor e, it is his gr eat indiscr et ion when he, out of ignor ance,
desires any object ot her t han God. That is why a devot ee of God
should consider t he pleasures and delight s of t he 14 realms t o be like
t he excret a of a crow. He should bear st rong affect ion by t hought ,
The Vachanmr ut 532
word and deed only t owards God and Gods Bhakta. He should
believe, If, perhaps, a devot ee of God has some desires remaining in
him ot her t han t hose of God, he will st ill at t ain t he st at us of Indr a or
will at t ain Br ahmalok, but unlike wor ldly people, he will cer t ainly
not pass t hr ough t he cycle of bir t hs and deat hs or go t o narak. If
t hat is so, t hen how can one describe t he great ness of God and t he
bliss enjoyed by a t rue devot ee of God? Therefore, a devot ee of God
should maint ain deep affect ion only for God.
Va r t l-20
Ki n g J a n a k s Un d er st a n d i n g
1 On Mah sudi 3, Samvat 1882 [10 Febr uar y 1826], Swmi Shr i
pillow t hat had been placed on a square plat form under t he neem t ree
in t he darbr of t he mandir of Shr i Lakshminr yan in Var t l. He
was dr essed ent ir ely in whit e clot hes. Gar lands of chameli flowers
had also been placed ar ound His neck. In addit ion t o t his, a r ed
umbr ella made fr om fine, silken clot h had been placed over His head.
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j asked t he paramhansas a quest ion:
Lust evolves fr om rajogun, and anger and avarice evolve from
t amogun. So, which one spirit ual endeavour t ot ally uproot s t he seeds
of lust , et c.?
3 Shuk Muni r eplied, The seeds of lust and ot her such vices ar e
bur nt fr om ones hear t only when one at t ains nirvikalp sam dhi and
when one realises t he t m .
4 Hear ing t his, Shr iji Mahr j r aised a doubt : Did not Shiv,
Br ahm, Shr ungi Rishi, Par shar and Nrad have nirvikalp
sam dhi? All wer e over come by lust . However , despit e t heir
at t ainment of nirvikalp sam dhi, when t he vruttis of t heir indriyas
r ever t ed out war ds, t hey wer e over come by lust , anger , et c. For t his
r eason, what you have said cannot be t he answer t o t he quest ion. In
fact , just as an enlight ened per son r emains undist ur bed in nirvikalp
sam dhi, an unenlight ened person also remains undist urbed in deep
sleep. When t he vruttis of t he indriyas r ever t out war ds, bot h ar e
The Vachanmr ut 533
dist ur bed by lust , anger , et c. Thus, t her e does not seem t o be any
dist inct ion bet ween t he enlight ened and t he unenlight ened. Now,
ot her paramhansas may t r y t o answer t he quest ion.
5 Ther eaft er , Goplnand Swmi, Devnand Swmi, Nit ynand
Swmi and Mukt nand Swmi collect ively at t empt ed t o answer t he
quest ion accor ding t o t heir under st anding, but t hey could not give a
sat isfact or y solut ion t o Shr iji Mahr js quest ion.
6 Then Shr iji Mahr j said, J anak t he Videhi followed t he pat h of
pravrut t i, and yet he was undist ur bed. For example, when a female
sannysi named Sulbh came int o J anaks cour t , King Janak t old
Sulbh, Though you ar e t r ying t o seduce my mind, by t he grace of
my gur u Panchshikh Rishi, I have mast er ed t he doct r ines of bot h
Snkhya and Yoga. So, even if half of my body is anoint ed wit h
sandalwood past e and t he ot her half is slashed wit h a swor d, bot h
would be t he same t o me. Even if my Mit hilpur i wer e t o bur n down,
st ill not hing of mine would be bur ned. Thus, even t hough I have
adopt ed t he pat h of pravrut t i, I am st ill unaffect ed and undist ur bed.
This is what King J anak said t o Sulbh. Also, King J anak was said
t o be t he gur u of even Shukji.
7 Ther efor e, t he answer t o t he quest ion is as follows: Ones
indriyas may be direct ed out wards and one may be on t he pat h of
pravrut t i, but if in ones hear t one has a fir m under st anding like t hat
of King J anak, t hen one will in no way become dist ur bed by lust ,
anger , et c.
8 Aft er a per son has t hor oughly known t hat which needs t o be
known t hat t his is t r ue and t his is false he realises t hat except
Gods for m, all wor ldly for ms ar e full of t er r ible miser ies, and t hat
t hey are all perishable. Also, he realises himself t o be t he t m ,
dist inct fr om his body, his indriyas and his antahkaran . Aft er t his,
t her e is no object t hat would be st r ong enough t o seduce him. This is
because he sees all wor ldly for ms as wor t hless. So, even if all of t he
indriyas of a per son in whose hear t such under st anding has become
firmly root ed were t o ext end out wards on t he pat h of pravrut t i, st ill
he would not be dist ur bed by lust , anger , et c.
9 The seeds of lust , anger , et c., in t he hear t of such a devot ee of
God will be dest royed, whet her he is a renunciant or a householder.
Also, of all of t he devot ees of God, he is t he best Vaishnav. So, being
a r enunciant or a householder is of no significance; r at her , he whose
The Vachanmr ut 534
underst anding is great er should be known as being a great er devot ee
t han t he r est .
10 The mist akes of Shiv, Br ahm, et c., wer e ment ioned only t o
illust r at e t hat r egar dless of whet her t hey had deficiencies in t his
under st anding or not , when t hey encount er ed adver se places, t imes,
company, act ions, et c., even t hey wer e dist ur bed by lust , anger , et c.
Ther efor e, even if one has such under st anding, one should under no
cir cumst ances associat e wit h any t ype of evil influence. This is a
univer sal pr inciple.

| | En d of Va r t l Sect ion | |
AMDVD SECTI ON
Amd v d -1
Mir a cu lou s Med it a t ion
1 On Mah vadi 11, Samvat 1882 [4 Mar ch 1826], Swmi Shr i
Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing facing west in t he mandir of Shr i
Nar nr yan in Amdvd. He was dr essed ent ir ely in whit e clot hes.
Garlands of roses adorned His neck, bunches of roses had been placed
upon His ears, and t assels of roses also decorat ed His pgh. At t hat
t ime, an assembly of munis as well as devot ees from var ious places
2 In t he assembly, Shr iji Mahr j sat int r ospect ing. He t hen
opened His eyes, looked at t he assembly, and said, I wish t o t alk t o
all of you about a part icular t ype of medit at ion t hat has also been
descr ibed in t he Moksh-dharma. I have seen many great people who
have at t ained enlight enment t hr ough t his t ype of medit at ion. In
fact , even in My exper ience, among t he count less t ypes of medit at ion,
t here is none comparable t o t he part icular t ype of medit at ion t hat I
The Vachanmr ut 535
wish t o t ell you about now. J ust as a mir aculous mant r a or medicine
is int r insically mir aculous, similar ly, t he t ype of medit at ion I wish t o
descr ibe t o you also has an int r insically mir aculous nat ur e by which
one inst ant ly at t ains enlight enment .
3 Now I shall descr ibe t hat medit at ion. One who per for ms t his
medit at ion should medit at e on t he sun in t he right eye and medit at e
on t he moon in t he left eye. Then, while medit at ing in t his way, t he
sun and moon begin t o appear in t he eyes exact ly as t hey are in t he
sky. As a r esult , t he r ight eye begins t o heat up, and t he left eye
begins t o cool down. Thereaft er, t he sun should be envisioned in t he
left eye and t he moon in t he r ight eye. Aft er visualising in t his
manner , t he sun and moon should be visualised wit hin ones
hrudayksh. In addit ion, t he for m of ones own jiva, t he obser ver ,
should also be seen. One should also medit at e on God who resides
wit hin t he obser ver , i.e., wit hin ones own jiva. At t hat point , ones
body which is full of wor ldly desir es is felt t o r ot at e in t he sky, like a
pulley mechanism used for dr awing wat er fr om a well.
4 Event ually, a per son who medit at es in t his manner at t ains t he
darshan of Gods Vishwar up for m, wit hin which he also sees t he
syst em of t he 14 r ealms. That for m is not seen as being ext r emely
lar ge; it is seen in t he same way t hat Mr kandeya Rishi saw t he
ent ire brahmnd in t he st omach of t he child form of God sleeping on
t he leaf of a banyan t ree.
5 Having medit at ed in t his way, one is able t o see ever yt hing t hat
is descr ibed in t he scr ipt ur es. Ther eaft er , all r emaining nstik
feelings wit hin ones jivt m are resolved, and t he jiva becomes
ext r emely power ful. In addit ion, one develops a fir m convict ion t hat
what ever is st at ed in t he scr ipt ur es is t r ue. The eight yogic powers
15
,
namely subt leness, et c., become accessible t o one who per for ms t his
medit at ion, and ones vision r eaches as far as t he r ays of t he sun and
moon r each. In t his manner , count less yogic powers manifest before
t hat per son, but because he is a devot ee of God, he does not accept
any of t hose powers. Inst ead, he medit at es only on God. As a result ,
t he per for mer of t his medit at ion at t ains enlight enment like Nr ad,
t he Sanak dik and Shukji. Thus, t her e ar e count less var iet ies of
medit at ion, but only t his medit at ion gr ant s inst ant enlight enment .
6 Aft er Shr iji Mahr j concluded t his descr ipt ion, Mukt nand
Swmi asked, Is t his medit at ion at t ained only by one who pr act ises
The Vachanmr ut 536
t he prnym of ashtng-yoga, or can it be at t ained by ot hers as
well?
7 Shr iji Mahr j explained, It does not mat t er whet her one
pr act ises prnym or not . Only if one pr act ises t his medit at ion and
is an ekntik bhakta of God can one perfect it ; ot her people, however,
ar e unable t o t r ead t his pat h. Ther efor e, for t hose who are eligible for
t his medit at ion, t her e is no alt er nat ive met hod for inst ant ly
becoming enlight ened ot her t han t he met hod of medit at ion t hat I
have just descr ibed.
| | Vachanmr ut Amdvd-1 | | 221 | |
Amd v d -2
P er for min g P u ja a ft er Wa sh in g a n d Ba t h in g
pillow t hat had been placed on a wooden cot on a square plat form in
front of t he mandir of Shr i Nar nr yan in Amdvd. He was
clot h. He had also t ied a pink fet o wit h dangling t assels of r oses
around His head. Two bunches of roses had been insert ed above His
ear s, and gar lands of r oses ador ned His neck as well. In addit ion t o
t his, st r ings of r oses had been t ied ar ound His ar ms as well as His
wr ist s. In t his manner , His ent ir e body had been decor at ed wit h
r oses. At t hat t ime, an assembly of munis as well as devot ees from
2 Then, addr essing all of t he paramhansas , Shr iji Mahr j said, I
would like t o ask you a quest ion. Suppose t here is a devot ee of God
who behaves above t he influence of wakefulness, dream and deep
sleep. He has shed t he influence of pollut ed rajogun, t amogun and
sattvagun, and act s wit hin pur e sattvagun. That is how he wor ships
God. Anot her devot ee behaves under t he influence of t he t hree
gunas, but nevert heless, he does have int ense love for God. Of t hese
t wo devot ees, who is bet t er ?
3 Thereupon t he sdhus replied, The one wit h love for God is
bet t er .
4 Shr iji Mahr j t hen quest ioned, Now consider t he following:
One per son per for ms puja of God aft er washing, bat hing and
The Vachanmr ut 537
becoming pur e; and anot her per for ms puja in an impur e st at e. Of
t hese t wo, who is bet t er ?
5 The munis replied, The person who performs puja aft er
becoming pur e is bet t er .
6 Hear ing t his, Shr iji Mahr j said, You claim t hat one who
wor ships God aft er over coming m yik influences is infer ior and t hat
one who expresses love for God wit h m yik influences is super ior .
But how is he super ior ?
7 Since no one could answer t he quest ion, Shr iji Mahr j said, Of
t he four t ypes of devot ees
i
described in t he Git , Shr i Kr ishna
Bhagwn has called only t he one possessing gnn his own t m .
Ther efor e, one who, having discar ded m yik influences, becomes
brahmarup and t hen worships God is t he best devot ee.
8 Why? Because nit ya-pralay is t he jivas deep sleep. Nimit t a-
pralay is Br ahms deep sleep. Prkrut-pralay is t hat in which all of
t he ent it ies t hat had evolved fr om Pr akr ut i ar e assimilat ed back int o
Pr akr ut i. In tyantik-pralay, which is gnn-pralay, ever yt hing up t o
and including Pr akr ut i is eclipsed by t he light of Br ahma.
Fur t her mor e, in nit ya-pralay, all of t he jivas adjunct s ar e absor bed;
in nimit t a-pralay all of ishwars adjunct s ar e absor bed; and in
prkrut-pralay all of Pur ushs adjunct s ar e absor bed. However ,
when t he cr eat ion pr ocess is init iat ed, all t hr ee ar e again engulfed by
t heir r espect ive adjunct s.
9 But a person who has overcome m yik influences by way of
tyantik-pralay, also called gnn-pralay, is never engulfed by t hose
adjunct s again. If at any t ime he does assume a physical body, t hen
just like God assumes a body by His own will, he also assumes a body
by his own will; he does not assume a body due t o kl, karma or
m y.
10 Therefore, t he one who worships God aft er becoming
brahmarup is definit ely superior. Only one who is a fait hful devot ee

i
The four t ypes of devot ees descr ibed in t he Git (7.16 & 7.17) ar e: (1) r t a one
who is dist r essed fr om having fallen fr om t he pat h of at t aining yogic power s, and
t hus st ill wishes t o at t ain t hem; (2) jignsu one who seeks knowledge of t he
tm, i.e., tm-r ealisat ion; (3) ar t hr t hi one who desir es mat er ial object s, i.e.,
mat er ial pleasur es and power s; and (4) gnni one who ha s gnn .
The Vachanmr ut 538
of God and possesses t he charact erist ics of an ekntik bhakta can
under st and t his fact .
Amd v d -3
Th e I mp la n t ed Br a n ch of a Ba n ya n Tr ee; Up sh a m
Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing on a lar ge, decorat ed cot t hat had
been placed on t he plat form facing t he mandir of Shr i Nar nr yan in
Amdvd. A pink pgh, decorat ed wit h garlands of roses and
chameli flower s, ador ned His head. At t hat t ime, an assembly of
Him.
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j asked t he ent ir e muni-mandal, All
jivas are dependent upon t he panchvishays. Eit her t hey physically
indulge in t hem, or if physical associat ion is not possible, t hey t hink
of t hem wit hin t he antahkaran but t he jiva is unable t o r emain for
even a moment wit hout t hinking about or indulging in t he
panchvishays.
3 Now t ake t he example of a banyan t r ee. Ever yone knows t hat
t he root s of a banyan t ree keep t he t ree green. Even if all of it s root s,
except for a few minor r oot s, ar e upr oot ed, t he banyan t r ee will st ill
r emain gr een. In t he same way, one may have out war dly r enounced
t he panchvishays, but if t hought s of t hem ar e ent er t ained, t hen t hose
t hought s become a cause of bir t hs and deat hs. The quest ion, t hen, is
how can t hese panchvishays not become a cause of birt hs and deat hs
for a devot ee of God?
4 Mukt nand Swmi at t empt ed t o answer t he quest ion but was
unable t o offer a sat isfact ory reply.
5 So Shr iji Mahr j said, Her e, I shall answer t he quest ion.
When a devot ee cont emplat es upon t he form of God while behaving as
t he t m , i.e., independent of t he t rait s of t he t hree bodies
6
, which
are engulfed in m y, t hen by t he power of t hat cont emplat ion of
God, he behaves in a st at e of upsham . Then, due t o t he power of t hat
upsham , t he panchvishays do not become a cause of birt hs and
deat hs.
The Vachanmr ut 539
6 Consider t he following analogy: When r iver s like t he Mahi or
t he Sbar mat i ar e in full flow bet ween t heir t wo banks, even
elephant s, hor ses and t r ees ar e all car r ied away; not hing is able t o
r emain st at ionar y. Similar ly, for a per son in t he upsham st at e,
regardless of how ent icing t he object s present ed before t he indriyas
ar e, when he focuses his at t ent ion wit hin, t hey ar e for got t en, just as
t hose vishays seen in past lives ar e for got t en in t his life. Such
behaviour of a devot ee is known as upsham .
7 Such upsham is indeed ext remely import ant . Suppose an
ignor ant man and woman who ar e engaged in wor ldly life, and who
have int ense love for each ot her befor e mar r iage ar e t hen mar r ied
and made t o st ay awake and walk cont inuously for t hr ee days and
night s. Then when t hey ar e unit ed, due t o t heir fat igue, t hey will be
incapable of enjoying t he pleasur e of each ot her s beaut y or t ouch.
Even if t hey embr ace each ot her, t hey would sleep like logs t ied
t oget her , but would not exper ience any enjoyment fr om t he
panchvishays. So if t hey have no awareness of t he vishays due t o
upsham at t ained by ignorance during deep sleep, t hen how can t he
panchvishays bind t he enlight ened person who at t ains t he st at e of
upsham by t he medit at ion of Gods for m? They cer t ainly do not bind
him. Ther efor e, t he panchvishays ar e not a cause of bir t hs and
deat hs for one who has at t ained upsham .
8 Ther eupon Nit ynand Swmi comment ed, The met hod You
have described for at t aining t he st at e of upsham , i.e., medit at ing
upon God aft er t m -r ealisat ion, is ver y difficult . Please t ell us if
t her e is anot her , easier met hod apar t fr om t hat .
9 Shr iji Mahr j said, A devot ee of God who, fir st ly, deeply
underst ands t he great ness of God; and secondly, does darshan of God
and ser ves Him and His Bhakta wit h ext r emely int ense shraddh,
at t ains t hat upsham st at e.
10 Yet , it appears t o Me t hat an egot ist ical servant will not be
liked by anyone. To have an egot ist ical ser vant ser ve one is like
when dur ing a famine, even t he r ich sur vive by eat ing kodr; having
an egot ist ical ser vant t o ser ve one is similar t o t his. The mast er is
not as pleased wit h an egot ist ical ser vant as much as he is wit h a
humble ser vant . Ther efor e, he who does what ever pleases t he mast er
is a t r ue ser vant .
11 Shuk Muni t hen asked, How can one wit hout wisdom and
under st anding please his mast er ?
The Vachanmr ut 540
12 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, Even t hough Mulji Br ahmachr i and
Rat anji ar e not ext r emely int elligent , t hey have an int ense year ning
for liberat ion. So t hey do indeed know how t o do what ever pleases
God.
13 Also, cur r ent ly, even t he paramhansas and t he snkhya-yogi
and karma-yogi satsangis do not behave as per My liking as do all of
t he Ayodhywsi men and women. Why? Because t he Ayodhywsis
have t ot ally dedicat ed t heir lives for t he Sat sang fellowship.
Therefore, nobody knows how t o please God like t he Ayodhywsis.
Moreover, t hese Ayodhywsis ar e ext r emely t r ust ing; a cunning
per son can cheat t hem. Ther efor e, if t hey wish t o commence any
act ivit y, t hey should be allowed t o do so only aft er consult ing t he
senior paramhansas and senior satsangi householder s. But t hey
should not be allowed t o do t hat act ivit y based on t he wor d of a single
per son. In t his manner , t he r enunciant s and householder satsangis
should look aft er t he Ayodhywsis. This is My or der .

| | En d of Amd v d Sect ion | |

The Vachanmr ut 541
The Vachanmr ut 542
GADHAD I I I SECTI ON
Ga d h a d I I I -1
Th e I ncli n a t i on s of Gn n a n d Affect ion
1 On Vaishkh vadi 11, Samvat 1882 [1 J une 1826], Swmi Shr i
pillow t hat had been placed upon a beaut ifully coloured, decorat ed cot .
The cot r est ed on t he high veranda out side t he west -facing r ooms in
t he cour t yar d of t he mandir of Shr i Vsudevnr yan in Dd
clot hes. Beaut iful t assels of mogr flowers decorat ed t he large, whit e
pgh t hat was t ied ar ound His head. Also, a gar land of mogr
flower s hung ar ound His neck, and a st r ing of flower s decor at ed His
wr ist s. At t hat t ime, an assembly of munis as well as devot ees from
2 Then Shr iji Mahr j asked t he paramhansas , What is t he
underst anding of a devot ee who, despit e facing adverse
cir cumst ances, exper iences no set backs in his bhakti t owards God?
3 The paramhansas r eplied accor ding t o t heir under st anding, but
t hey were unable t o provide a sat isfact or y r eply.
4 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, One who worships God needs,
fir st ly, fir m vairgya; and secondly, t he vir t ue of t m -r ealisat ion. If
vairgya is lacking, t hen when one obt ains desir ed object s, one will
also develop love for t hose object s in t he same way t hat one has love
for God. If t he virt ue of t m -r ealisat ion is lacking, t hen when t he
body experiences pain or pleasure, t hat devot ees vruttis become
dist urbed. Then, he develops love for anyt hing one considers
pleasurable and an aversion for anyt hing he considers t o be full of
miser y. In t his way, his mind becomes pollut ed. Ther efor e, a
devot ee of God needs ext remely firm realisat ion of t he t m as well as
ext r emely fir m vairgya.
5 Why? Because, by vairgya, all wor ldly forms except for Gods
for m ar e negat ed; and t hr ough t m -realisat ion , worldly pleasures
and miseries are negat ed. A person who does not have t he virt ues of
The Vachanmr ut 543
t m -realisat ion and vairgya, even t hough he has at t ained nirvikalp
sam dhi, exper iences happiness and peace only while he remains in
sam dhi. But when he comes out of sam dhi, t hen, like
Nr yands, on seeing pleasur able object s, he becomes at t r act ed t o
t hem.
6 Ther eaft er Shr iji Mahr j said, A devot ee of God eit her has an
inclinat ion of gnn or an inclinat ion of affect ion t owards God. Of
t hese, one who has t he inclinat ion of gnn underst ands t he profound
great ness of God, and one wit h an inclinat ion of affect ion for God
cannot st ay wit hout God even for a moment . J hinbhi, Devr m and
Pr abhshankar , for example, have an inclinat ion of gnn. Such
devot ees who underst and t he great ness of God should be known as
having an inclinat ion of gnn. A devot ee who has affect ion for God
like t he gopis of Vr aj should be known as having an inclinat ion of
affect ion.
7 Of t hese, one who has t he inclinat ion of gnn realises God as
being antarym i and believes, God does not make judgement s based
on what He hear s fr om ot her s. Inst ead, God r ecognises a devot ees
inclinat ion and speaks t o him accordingly, but He does not act based
on ot her s advice. Conver sely, one who believes, God r ebukes me
based on someone elses wor ds, even t hough I am not at fault , has no
gnn of God.
8 Even in worldly life we not ice t hat a person who has selfish
mot ives of gaining somet hing fr om anot her will never see t he ot her
per sons fault s. Why? Because his affect ion is based on self-int er est .
Similar ly, if a per son has self-int er est in mind t hat God will fr ee him
fr om t he fear of bir t hs and deat hs, t hen he will never perceive fault s
in God. But one who at t r ibut es fault s in God by t hinking, God
changes His st and based on t he pr ompt ing of ot her s, has neit her t he
inclinat ion of gnn nor t he inclinat ion of affect ion.
9 Having said t his, Shr iji Mahr j said t o t he senior
paramhansas, Please r eveal which of t hese t wo is your inclinat ion.
10 All of t he paramhansas replied, We have t he inclinat ion of
gnn.
11 Then Shr iji Mahr j cont inued, A per son who has an
inclinat ion of affect ion will do for his loved one even t hat which is not
fit t o be done. For example, in t he world, t hieves have affect ion for
t heir wives and childr en. Yet , when t hey go t o st eal, t hey kill ot her
The Vachanmr ut 544
people and pass on t he money t o t heir own family. In realit y t hat
t hief is quit e mer ciless, but since he has affect ion for his own family,
he is not mer ciless t owar ds t hem. Similar ly, one who has affect ion
for God and His devot ees can never become angry on or jealous of God
or His devot ees, and in no way does he at t ribut e fault s t o t hem. One
who has such affect ion can be said t o have t he inclinat ion of affect ion.
One wit h neit her t he inclinat ion of gnn nor t he inclinat ion of
affect ion is said t o be confused.
12 Having deliver ed t his discour se, Shr iji Mahr j r et ur ned t o His
residence.
13 On t he even ing of t hat same day, Shr iji Mahr j was seat ed on a
cushion wit h a cylindrical pillow placed on a decorat ed cot on t he
veranda out side t he east -facing r ooms of Dd Khchar s darbr. He
was dr essed ent ir ely in whit e clot hes. He had also wor n a gar land of
mogr flower s ar ound His neck. At t hat t ime, some sdhus were
singing devot ional songs t o t he accompaniment of a dukad and
sarod, while munis as well as devot ees from various places had
14 When t he sdhus had finished singing, Shr iji Mahr j
addr essed t he assembly: The Shikshpat r i which I have wr it t en
should be read daily by all of My followers r enunciant sdhus and
brahmachris, as well as all male and female householder s. Those
who do not know how t o read should list en t o it daily; and t hose who
do not have t he facilit y t o list en t o it should worship it daily. I have
st at ed t his in t he Shikshpat ri it self. One should observe a fast on
t he day one fails t o do any of t he t hree. This is My command.
15 Thereupon everyone resolved t o observe t his command of Shriji
Mahr j by saying, O Mahr j, we will do as You have said.
16 Hear ing t his, Shr iji Mahr j became ext remely pleased. He
embraced all of t he sdhus and brahmachris and impr int ed His
holy foot print s on t he chest s of all of t he satsangis .
| | Vachanmr ut Gadhad III-1 | | 224 | |
The Vachanmr ut 545
Ga d h a d I I I -2
Th e At t a i n men t of All P u r u sh r t h s;
I n ca r n a t e God i n t h e For m of t h e Gu r u
1 On t he evening of J yesht ha sudi 6, Samvat 1882 [11 J une 1826],
Swmi Shr i Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing on a low, wooden seat
in t he cour t yar d of t he mandir of Shr i Vsudevnr ya n i n Dd
had cover ed Himself wit h a whit e cot t on clot h. He had also tied a
black-bordered, whit e pgh ar ound His head. Tassels of mogr
flowers had been insert ed in t hat pgh. At t hat t ime, an assembly of
Him.
2 Then Shr iji Mahr j posed a quest ion: One sees t hat t he world
is perishable and t hat t he chaitanya separat es from t he body and
leaves it ; yet , t he pr edominance of t he wor ld does not diminish fr om
ones heart . Despit e t horoughly believing God t o be an ocean of bliss,
ones mind st ill does not focus on God. Also, satsang does not become
pr edominant in ones hear t , and one cannot er adicat e love for wealt h,
women and ot her pleasures of t he world. What can be t he reason for
t his?
3 Ther eupon Mukt nand Swmi r eplied, The per son lacks
vairgya; as a r esult , he cannot er adicat e t he pr edominance of t he
world from his heart , nor can he develop love for God.
4 Shr iji Mahr j t hen clar ified, It is t r ue t hat t her e is a
deficiency in vairgya, but it appear s t o Me t hat t he inclinat ion
which for ms as on e pr act ises satsang, r emains as it is for ever ; i.e., a
different inclinat ion does not develop. By pract ising satsang, t hat
inclinat ion may be nour ished, but t he inclinat ion it self r emains
unchanged. Whenever a per sons inclinat ion is being for med, his
mind becomes dist ur bed in t he pr ocess of for mat ion. J ust as t he
mind of an ext r emely lust ful per son is disor ient ed by lust , and t he
mind of an ext r emely angr y per son is disor ient ed by anger , and t he
mind of an ext remely greedy person is disorient ed by greed, similar ly,
a persons mind becomes disorient ed in t he process of developing his
inclinat ion. Then, dur ing t hat dist ur bance, whichever inclinat ion
develops is t he inclinat ion t hat r emains. Ther efor e, one who is wise
should r ealise ones own inclinat ion. Because when one is dist urbed
The Vachanmr ut 546
by t he influence of lust , anger , et c., if one cont emplat es upon ones
own inclinat ion, t he influence of lust , anger , et c., is lessened.
5 In addit ion, just as a householder feels repent ant if he
exper iences lust ful t hought s on seeing his at t r act ive mot her , sist er or
daught er , similar ly, one should feel r epent ant when object s ot her
t han satsang become predominant in ones heart . If one does not feel
similar ly r emor seful on ent er t aining t hought s for indecent object s,
t hen sat sang does not r emain pr edominant in ones hear t .
6 In fact , t he fr uit of all spir it ual endeavour s is satsang. In t he
11
t h
cant o of t he Shr imad Bhgwat , Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn says t o
Uddhav, I am not as pleased by ashtng-yoga, t hought s of snkhya,
scr ipt ur al st udy, aust er it ies, r enunciat ion, yoga, sacr ifices,
obser vances, et c., as I am pleased by satsang. In fact , it appear s t o
Me t hat all sanskrs one has gat hered from previous lives have been
at t ained t hr ough associat ion wit h t he S atpurush. Even t oday, t hose
who obt ain sanskrs do so t hr ough associat ion wit h t he S atpurush.
One who has at t ained t he associat ion of such a S atpurush, but is st ill
unable t o under st and mat t er s as t hey r eally ar e should be known t o
have an ext r emely dull int ellect .
7 As for Me, I consider t his assembly of satsangis t o be far great er
t han t he assemblies in Shwet dwip, Golok, Vaikunt h and
Badr ikshram; and I see all of t hese devot ees as being ext remely
luminous. Indeed, I swear by t his assembly of sdhus t hat t her e is
n ot even t he slight est unt r ut h in t his mat t er . Why do I have t o
swear in t his manner ? Because not ever yone under st ands such
divinit y, nor can t hey see it ; t hat is why I have t o swear .
8 Thus, even aft er at t aining t his satsang which is r ar e for even
Br ahm and ot hers affect ion for object s ot her t han God st ill
remains because t he person has not developed as firm a convict ion for
t he manifest form of God as he has for t he non -manifest for m of God.
That is why t he Shr ut is st at e: If a per son develops convict ion in t he
gur u who is t he manifest form of God in t he same way t hat he
has convict ion in t he non -manifest deit ies, t hen, as a r esult , he
at t ains all of t he arthas
i
which ar e descr ibed as at t ainable. In fact ,
when he at t ains t he company of such a S ant, he has, while st ill alive,

i
Her e arthas should be under st ood as purushrt hs dharma, arth, km and
liber at ion.
The Vachanmr ut 547
at t ained He who was t o be at t ained aft er deat h. That is t o say, he
has at t ained t hat which is called t he highest st at e of enlight enment ,
or liberat ion , while being alive.
9 What I have just explained t o you may appear t o be simple, but
in r ealit y, it is ext r emely subt le. One who is cur r ent ly behaving in
t his manner will under st and t hat t his is ext r emely subt le; but ot her s
will not even be able under st and it . That is how subt le it is.
Sachchidnand t o everyone and t hen ret urned t o His residence.
Ga d h a d I I I -3
Comp a ssi on a n d Affect i on
1 On shdh vadi 1, Samvat 1883 [20 J uly 1826], Swmi Shr i
Sahajnandji Mahr j was at His r esidence in Dd Khchar s
darbr in Gadhad. On t hat day, Har ji Thakkar invit ed Shr iji
Mahr j t o sanct ify his house. Ther e, he had Shr iji Mahr j sit on a
cushion wit h a cylindr ical pillow on a decor at ed cot on t he ver anda
out side t he east -facing r ooms. He t hen per for med puja of Shr iji
Mahr j wit h sandalwood past e mixed wit h saffron and ot her
auspicious offer ings. In t his way Shr iji Mahr j sat facing east and
was dr essed ent ir ely in whit e clot hes. Gar lands of mogr flowers
ador ned His neck, st r ings of flower s ador ned bot h ar ms, and t assels
of flowers beaut ifully decorat ed His pgh. At t hat t ime, an assembly
of munis as well as devot ees from various places had gat hered before
Him.
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j asked t he ent ir e sdhu-mandal,
Compassion and affect ion reside inst inct ively in t he heart of a
devot ee of God. Of t he t wo, t he nat ure of affect ion is like honey; i.e.,
it st icks ever ywher e. The nat ur e of compassion is t hat one feels
compassion t owar ds ever yt hing. When Bhar at ji felt compassion for a
deer , he had t o t ake bir t h fr om t he womb of a deer in his next life.
Moreover, one who is compassionat e undoubt edly develops affect ion
t owar ds t hose for whom one has compassion.
3 Ther e ar e t wo met hods for er adicat ing compassion and
affect ion: t m -realisat ion and vairgya. Of t hese, t m -r ealisat ion
is such t hat not hing else can penet r at e it . The nat ur e of vairgya is
The Vachanmr ut 548
t hat it shows all object s t o be per ishable. Ther efor e, t hr ough t m -
realisat ion and vairgya, compassion and affect ion are dest royed. In
addit ion, t he influences of t he sthul, sukshma and kran bodies, as
well as all ot her influences ar e dest r oyed, and t hen, only
brahmasatt remains. But t hereaft er, does a devot ee harbour
compassion and affect ion for God and His devot ees? Or does he not ?
That is t he quest ion.
4 Mukt nand Swmi, Shuk Muni, Nit ynand Swmi and ot her
paramhansas answered according t o t he ext ent of t heir
under st anding, however , none could give a sat isfact or y r eply t o Shr iji
Mahr js quest ion.
5 So Shr iji Mahr j said, Her e, allow Me t o answer . The answer
is t hat by gnn and vairgya, t he chaitanya is freed from t he m yik
influences of t he t hree bodies
6
, t he t hr ee st at es
7
and t he t hree gunas.
It is t hen char act er ised by pur e exist ence, and not even t he slight est
t race of m yik influence r emains. Consider , for example, t he analogy
of an oil lamps flame. Only when a wick-holder , some oil and a wick
unit e can t he flame of an oil lamp be seen and r ecognised. But , when
t he combinat ion of t hese t hr ee component s is br oken, t he flame can
no longer be seen by anyone, nor can it be r ecognised by anyone.
Only when t hose component s ar e combined is it seen and r ecognised.
Similar ly, when all m yik influences ar e over come by gnn and
vairgya, t he jivt m r emains as pur e brahmasatt.
6 Now, t he jivt m is impercept ible t o t he mind and speech, and
it is not perceivable by any of t he indriyas eit her . However , if, wit h
t ime, it at t ains t he knowledge of God by associat ing wit h a pure
samprad y, and it fully under st ands t he gr eat ness of God and His
devot ees, t hen it is freed from all m yik influences. Ther eby, t hat
jivt m also becomes brahmarup. Never t heless, compassion and
affect ion for God and His devot ees do st ill remain for ever . To car r y
t he analogy of t he oil lamp fur t her , when t he combinat ion of it s
component s is br oken, it s flame r emains wit hin t he air , wher e it
cannot be perceived by any of t he indriyas . However , t he fr agr ance
or foul smell t hat had pervaded t hat flame is not dest royed. In
act ualit y, t he air is even mor e aloof t han t he flame, yet it becomes
per vaded by fr agr ant or foul smells. Likewise, by gnn and vairgya,
t he jivt m is freed from m yik influences, but t he impr ession of
satsang is not lost . Even t hough it becomes brahmarup like
Nrad, t he Sanak dik and Shukji it behaves wit h int ense
The Vachanmr ut 549
compassion and affect ion for God and His devot ees. The following
ver ses illust r at es t his:
+|||! -||+ -= .|~ ||=|
|- -| | |=| =|-| +
i

-||||--|-~ | ||=|-|
=|-|=| |= |-| |+ =+
i i

and |||| =|...+
i i i
and + |= -| =| | ...+
i v
. The Git also
st at es:

i
O King [Par ikshit ]! Despit e bein g per fect ly poised in t he nirgun st at e, I
i i
Harer-gunkshipt a-matir-bhagavn bdaryanihi|
Adhyagn -mahad -khynam nit yam vishnu-jana-priyaha| |
Honour able [Shukdevji] son of Vys, and t o whom devot ees of Vishnu ar e ver y
dear was at t r act ed by t he vir t ues of God, and t hus const ant ly st udied t he gr eat
[Shr imad Bhgwat ] epic.
i i i
tmrmsh-cha munayo| |
Despit e being engaged [only] in t he tm [i.e. having at t ained tm-r ealisat ion]
and despit e having over come all base nat ur es t he munis [st ill] offer selfless
bhakti t o God [because] God possesses such [divine] qualit ies.
iv
Pryena munayo rjan| |
O King [Par ikshit ]! [Alt hough] t he munis had no need for t he r ules of mor al
conduct and had at t ained t he nirgun st at e, t hey [st ill] engaged t hemselves in
ext olling t he glor y of God.
The Vachanmr ut 550
-| ~ - + :||| |||- |- ||-
~- ;|- ~- +|+
i

7 In t his manner , many ver ses pr omot e t he view t hat devot ees of
God who, by gnn and vairgya, have shed m yik influences and
have become brahmarup, st ill have compassion and affect ion for God
and His devot ees. On t he ot her hand, one who is not a devot ee of
God, and who, by t m -realisat ion and vairgya alone, has over come
m yik influences and behaves as t he t m has been influenced
during t he process of God-realisat ion by t he evil influence of t hose
who have only t m -r ealisat ion and are devoid of upsan of God.
Consequent ly, he does not develop compassion and affect ion for
devot ees of God. J ust as a foul smell linger s in t he air and in fir e,
similar ly, t he impr essions of evil company, which cannot be over come
by any means, linger wit hin him.
8 For example, Ashwat t hm was brahmarup, but he was
influenced by evil company. Therefore, he did not develop compassion
or affect ion for Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn or his devot ees, t he Pndavs.
Similar ly, t he impr essions of evil company do not disappear in a
person who has only knowledge of t he t m , even t hough he becomes
brahmarup; nor does he develop compassion and affect ion for God and
His devot ees. Conversely, for a devot ee of God, even t hough m yik
influences ar e over come, int ense compassion and affect ion for God
and His devot ees incr ease. But in no way ar e compassion and
affect ion ever lost ; t hey always r emain.
Sachchidnand t o ever yone and t hen r et ur ned t o His r esidence.

i
Brahma-bhoot aha prasanntm na shochati na knkshati|
One who ha s become brahmarup r emains joyful, gr ieves not hing, desir es
Bhagwad Git : 18.54
The Vachanmr ut 551
Ga d h a d I I I -4
B dh it n u vr u t t i
Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing facing nor t h on a cushion wit h a
cylindr ical pillow t hat had been placed on t he veranda out side t he
medi of His r esidence in Dd Khchar s darbr in Gadhad. He
Him.
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, Even t hough a devot ee of God
may possess gnn and vairgya, and even if by t he force of a t hought
process t he devot ee has overcome affect ion for worldly object s t hat
cause him bondage, unt il he at t ains nirvikalp sam dhi,
bdhit nuvrut t i st ill linger s wit hin.
3 Unt il a devot ee of God even t hough he may possess gnn and
vairgya, and by t he force of a t hought process has overcome affect ion
for wor ldly object s t hat cause him bondage at t ains nirvikalp
sam dhi, bdhit nuvrut t i linger s wit hin him. Due t o t his, he
doubt s, Maybe at t achment for my mot her , fat her , wife, childr en,
wealt h, r elat ives, body or pr oper t y st ill r emains! He r emains fear ful
in t his manner . For example, a br ave war r ior , even t hough he has
killed all of his enemies, st ill occasionally becomes fr ight ened by even
t hose dead enemies; in fact , even if he sees t hem in his dr eams, he
becomes fr ight ened. Similar ly, due t o bdhit nuvrut t i, even a
devot ee possessing gnn is afraid of t he bondage of worldly object s
t hat he has negat ed as false fr om wit hin and fr om which he has
sever ed all affect ion. Or , if, at some t ime, he r emember s t he money
he possessed, or his wife or ot her object s, he becomes fearful in his
mind and t hinks, What if t hey cause bondage? In t his manner , t he
r ecalling of object s t hat have been falsified fr om wit hin is called
bdhit nuvrut t i.
4 Bdhit nuvrut t i is over come when nirvikalp sam dhi is
at t ained. Then, t hat per son becomes oblivious of eat ing and
dr inking, day and night , pain and pleasur e. But t her eaft er , when he
wit hdr aws fr om nirvikalp sam dhi and ent ers savikalp sam dhi,
bdhit nuvrut t i st ill linger s. As a r esult of t he influence of t hat
bdhit nuvrut t i, when t hat devot ee cont r act s a fever or is at t he
moment of deat h, he somet imes recalls ot her object s besides God. At
The Vachanmr ut 552
t hat t ime, he may babble meaninglessly; he may even say wor ds like,
O mot her ! O fat her ! Hear ing t his, a per son who does not
underst and t he nat ure of bdhit nuvrut t i, will per ceive fault s in t hat
devot ee by t hinking, He was called a devot ee of God; yet why does he
speak like t his at t he t ime of deat h? Such fault s ar e at t r ibut ed
wit hout knowing t he nat ur e of bdhit nuvrut t i.
5 In t his wor ld, many sinful people die wit h full consciousness.
Also, a soldier or a Rajput who has injur ed his body may die while
being fully conscious. That being so, will a non -believer who dies
wit h full consciousness st ill at t ain liber at ion, despit e being a non -
believer ? Of cour se not ; he will cer t ainly be consigned t o narak.
Conversely, regardless of whet her a devot ee of God dies in a dist urbed
st at e due t o t he influence of bdhit nuvrut t i or while engaged in t he
chant ing of Gods name, t hat devot ee st ill reaches t he holy feet of
God.
6 On t he evening of t hat same day, Shr iji Mahr j was sit t ing on
t he veranda out side t he medi of His residence. He was dressed
ent ir ely in whit e clot hes. At t hat t ime, an assembly of sdhus as
7 Shr iji Mahr j t hen asked t he senior paramhansas , Please
describe how t he jiva, which r esides wit hin t he body, is pr esent in
one locat ion, and how it pervades t he ent ire body.
8 The paramhansas answer ed accor ding t o t heir under st anding,
but none wer e able t o sat isfact or ily answer Shr iji Mahr js quest ion.
9 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, In t he body, just as food is
t r ansfor med int o semen, similar ly, in t he hear t , t her e is a
t r ansfor mat ion of t he five mah bhuts
i
int o a disc of flesh, wit hin
which t he jiva r esides. The jiva clings t o t his disc of flesh like a
t or ch made of r ags t hat is set alight aft er being immer sed in oil.
Also, just as fir e per vades an ir on nail, similar ly, t he jiva act ually
resides in t he disc of flesh, and by consciousness pervades t he ent ire
body. Ther efor e, r egar dless of where pain is felt in t he body, it is t he
jiva it self t hat feels t he pain; so, in fact , t he jiva cannot be said t o be
separat e from t he pleasures and pains of t he body.

i
All r efer ences t o mahbhuts in t his Vachanmr ut act ually r efer t o
panchbhut s.
The Vachanmr ut 553
10 However , some may ar gue, The jiva is luminous, wher eas t he
disc of flesh and t he body have no light . So how can t hey be said t o
have combined? The answer t o t his is t hat just as wit hout t he
combinat ion of oil, a wick-holder and a wick, a flame cannot r emain
aloft in space on it s own, similar ly, wit hout associat ing wit h t he disc
of flesh which is a t r ansfor mat ion of t he five mah bhuts t he jiva
cannot r emain alone. J ust as fir e which is dist inct fr om t he
cont ainer , t he oil and t he wick cannot be dest r oyed by br eaking just
t he cont ainer , in t he same way, t he jiva, even t hough it pervades t he
disc of flesh and t he body, does not die wit h t he deat h of t he body.
Alt hough t he jiva does experience pleasure and pain along wit h t he
body, it is not perishable like t he body. So, t he jiva is indest r uct ible
and luminous, and it also pervades t he body.
11 Fur t her mor e, if an oil lamp is placed at one locat ion in a
mandir , it s flame pr edominant ly per vades t he wick, and secondar ily,
it also per vades t he ent ir e building. In t he same manner , t he
jivt m also predominant ly resides in and pervades t he disc of flesh
t hat is a product of t he five mah bhuts; and secondar ily, it r esides in
and pervades t he ent ire body. This is how t he jiva r esides wit hin t he
body. Moreover, God resides wit hin t he jiva as a wit ness.
Ga d h a d I I I -5
Bh a k t i Cou p led wi t h t h e Kn owled ge of
God s Gr e a t n e s s
Mahr j was sit t ing on a cushion wit h a cylindr ical pillow on t he
Gadhad. He was dr essed ent ir ely in whit e clot hes. He was also
wear ing a gar land of mogr flower s ar ound His neck. Tassels of
mogr flowers decorat ed His pgh, and st r ings of mogr flowers
ador ned His wr ist s. At t hat t ime, an assembly of t he muni-mandal
2 Then Shr iji Mahr j said, Someone please ask a quest ion.
3 Ther eupon Mukt nand Swmi asked, Mahr j, of t he var ious
t ypes of bhakti offered t o God, which t ype of bhakti does not encount er
any obst acles, and which t ype does encount er obst acles?
The Vachanmr ut 554
4 In r eply, Shr iji Mahr j said, In t he t hir d cant o of t he Shr imad
Bhgwat , wit hin t he Kapil Git , Mot her Devhut i says t o Kapilji,
=:|| =|-|| |-|n+ -||n--|||+ +|-
|||+ n |= -+- u + -- ~:| | |- +
i

| - +|-| |=| =|;| | -- | --=
- + --+-- |=| -| || -||-- = -+
i i

The great ness of God is described in t hese t wo verses. Also, Kapilji
descr ibes his own gr eat ness t o Mot her Devhut i by saying:
;=|;||- |-|= = --+|- ;=|-
-|- | =|=|- ;=|- +
i i i

i
Yan -nmadheya-shravannukeertand -yat -prahvand -yat -smarand -api
kvachit |
S hvdopi sadyaha savanya kalpate katham punas-te bhagavan -nu
darshant| |
O Lor d! If even a shwapach [i.e. a vile per son who eat s dog-meat ] becomes
immediat ely suit able for per for ming yagnas [i.e. is per fect ly pur ified] by mer ely
hear ing and r epeat ing t he name of God, by bowing t o God and by r emember ing
God, t hen what [can be said] of your darshan ?
i i
Aho bata shvapachoto gareeyn yaj-jihvgre vartate nma tubhyam|
Tepus-tapas-t e juhuvuhu sasnur-ry brahm-noochur-nma grunanti ye te| |
How amazing! Even a shwapach [i.e. a vile per son who eat s dog-meat ] becomes
gr eat if your name is on t he t ip of his t ongue [i.e. he chant s Gods name].
Indeed, t hose who chant your name ar e t he ones who have per for med all
aust er it ies, per for med all yagnas, bat hed [in t he sacr ed wat er s of all t he places of
pilgr image], st udied all t he Vedas; and t hey indeed ar e t he r yas [i.e. t he noble
ones].
i i i
Mad -bhayd -vti vtoyam sooryas-tapati mad -bhayt|
Varshat eendro dahat yagnir-mrut yush-charati mad -bhayt | |

The Vachanmr ut 555
One who has bhakti for God coupled wit h such knowledge of His
gr eat ness encount er s no obst acles in any for m. On t he ot her hand,
one who offers bhakti wit hout r ealising t he gr eat ness of God,
per ceiving wor ldly at t r ibut es in Him, does encount er obst acles.
5 Mukt nand Swmi t hen asked, By what means can such
bhakti coupled wit h t he knowledge of Gods great ness be developed?
6 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, Bhakti coupled wit h t he knowledge of
Gods gr eat ness ar ises in ones hear t by ser ving and pr ofoundly
associat ing wit h eminent sdhus like Shukji and t he Sanak dik.
7 Ther eaft er Shuk Muni asked, One devot ee of God is such t hat
his fait h in God is per fect , and dist ur bances such as lust , anger ,
avar ice, infat uat ion, et c., do not ar ise in his hear t . A second devot ee
is such t hat his fait h in God is per fect , but swabhvs such as lust ,
anger , avar ice, infat uat ion , et c., do cause a dist ur bance wit hin.
When t hese t wo t ypes of devot ees leave t heir bodies, do t hey at t ain
t he same level of bliss in t he abode of God, or do t hey at t ain different
levels of bliss?
8 Shr iji Mahr j replied, If a devot ee of God whose fait h is perfect
and who is not dist ur bed by lust , anger , avar ice, et c., desir es
anyt hing ot her t han t he manifest for m of Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn,
t hen, even if he is a gr eat r enunciant and has fir m vairgya and
int ense t m -r ealisat ion, he will at t ain a lower level of bliss. As for
t he ot her devot ee, even t hough he also has perfect fait h in God, when
lust , anger , avar ice, infat uat ion, et c., cause dist ur bances wit hin, he
feels r emor se wit hin his hear t . But , except for t he manifest for m of
Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn, he wishes for no ot her object . Then, even if
he has only a slight amount of t m -realisat ion and vairgya, such a
devot ee st ill at t ains profound bliss in t he abode of God aft er leaving
his body.
9 Why is t his? Because t he for mer devot ee superficially appears
t o be a r enunciant and fr ee of ot her desir es. But since he inwar dly
desires t o at t ain t m -r ealisat ion and ot her t hings, he is called a
sak m devot ee. In t he higher r ealms, he will cer t ainly at t ain less
bliss. Conver sely, t he second devot ee superficially appears t o be a

It is by fear of me t hat t he wind [Vyu] blows, Sur ya [i.e. t he sun] shines, Indr a
[i.e. t he clouds] r ains, Agni [i.e. fir e] bur ns, and deat h [Yam] devour s [t he living].
The Vachanmr ut 556
sak m devot ee, but inwar dly, t hat devot ee wishes for not hing except
t he form of God. If a desire for pleasures ot her t han t he form of God
ar ises, he feels int ense r emor se in his mind. Ther efor e, he is called a
nishkm devot ee. When such a devot ee leaves his body, he at t ains
profound bliss, becomes an at t endant of God, and develops int ense
love for t he for m of Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn.
Ga d h a d I I I -6
Th e Fr i en d sh i p bet ween t h e Mi n d a n d t h e J i va
Shr i Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing in His r esidence in Dd
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j looked compassionat ely at all of t he
devot ees and said, If a devot ee of God engages in delivering spirit ual
discour ses, singing devot ional songs, list ening t o t alks of God, and
t he rest of t he nine t ypes of bhakti wit h jealousy t owar ds ot her
devot ees, t hen God is not very pleased by t hat bhakti. But if, having
discarded jealousy, one offers bhakti only for ones own liberat ion and
not t o display t o ot her people, t hen God is pleased by t hat bhakti.
Therefore, one who want s t o please God should not offer bhakti t o
please ot her people or out of jealousy for someone, but should do so
only for ones own liber at ion.
3 If, while offering bhakti t o God, one commit s a mist ake, one
should not blame someone else for t hat fault . Indeed, it is t he very
nat ur e of all people t hat when t hey ar e at fault , t hey claim, I made a
mist ake because someone else misled me; but I am not r eally at
fault . One who says t his, t hough, is an ut t er fool. Aft er all, ot her s
may say, Go and jump int o a well! Then, by such wor ds, should one
r eally jump int o a well? Of cour se not . Ther efor e, t he fault lies only
in t he person who does t he wrong, but he blames ot hers nonet heless.
4 Similar ly, t o blame t he indriyas and antahkaran is t he
foolishness of t he jiva. Because in r ealit y, t he jiva and t he mind ar e
close mut ual fr iends. Their fr iendship is like t he fr iendship bet ween
milk and wat er . When milk and wat er ar e mixed and heat ed on a
The Vachanmr ut 557
fir e, wat er set t les below t he milk and it self bur ns, but it does not
allow t he milk t o bur n. To save t he wat er , t he milk over flows and
ext inguishes t he fir e. Such is t heir fr iendship. The jiva and t he
mind have a similar ly close fr iendship. So, t he mind never
ent er t ains t hought s of t hings t hat t he jiva does not like. Only when
t he jiva likes somet hing does t he mind at t empt t o persuade t he jiva.
How does it at t empt t o persuade it ? Well, when t he jiva is
medit at ing on God, t he mind suggest s, You should also medit at e on
some female devot ee of God. The mind t hen makes t he jiva
cont emplat e on all of her feat ur es. Then, it for ms indecent t hought s
about her just as it for ms indecent t hought s about ot her women.
5 But , if t he devot ees jiva is ext r emely pur e, he will not accept
t he ar gument s of t he mind, and he will, inst ead, feel int ense r emor se.
Ther eaft er , t he mind will never ent er t ain such t hought s again.
Conver sely, if his jiva is pollut ed and sinful, it will accept t he
ar gument s of t he mind. Then, by making t he devot ee r epeat edly
ent er t ain indecent t hought s, t he mind will make him fall fr om t he
pat h of liber at ion. For t his r eason, a sincer e aspir ant develops
int ense hat red for t alks of adharma which ar e cont r ar y t o t he pat h
of liberat ion regardless of whet her t hey are suggest ed by his own
mind or by some ot her per son. Then, his own mind or t he ot her
person will not reappear in an at t empt t o persuade him.
6 Fur t her mor e, because t he mind is a fr iend of t he jiva, it will
never ent er t ain t hought s which t he jiva does not like. So, when
indecent t hought s ar e for med in t he mind, if t he jiva becomes
ext r emely fur ious wit h it , such t hought s will never ar ise in t he mind
again. Thus, when indecent t hought s r epeat edly ar ise in t he mind,
t he devot ee should underst and it t o be t he fault of his own jiva, not
t he fault of his mind alone.
7 If a person offers bhakti t o God wit h t his under st anding, t he
evil influence of some non -believer or his own mind will not be able t o
affect him even slight ly. Ther eby, he will be able t o worship God
wit hout any obst acles.
The Vachanmr ut 558
Ga d h a d I I I -7
An I r on Na i l
cylindr ical pillow at His r esidence in Dd Khchar s darbr in
Gadhad. He was dr essed ent ir ely in whit e clot hes. He was wear ing
garlands of mogr flower s ar ound His neck, and t assels of mogr
flowers also decorat ed His pgh. At t hat t ime, an assembly of munis
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said t o all of t he devot ees, I shall now
t ell you My inner most pr inciple. For a per son who desir es his own
liber at ion, not hing in t his wor ld is mor e blissful t han God and His
S ant. Ther efor e, just as a per son is pr ofoundly at t ached t o his own
body, he should be similarly at t ached t o God and His S ant. One
should also remain absolut ely loyal t o t he Bhakta of God. But in no
way should one abandon ones loyalt y t o God and His Bhakta, even if
while keeping t hat loyalt y ones r eput at ion incr eases or decr eases, or
one is honoured or insult ed, or one lives or dies. In addit ion, one
should not allow an aver sion t o develop t owar ds t hem. Fur t her mor e,
one should not have as much affect ion t owards ones body or bodily
relat ions as one has t owards t he Bhakta of God. For a devot ee who
behaves in t his manner , even ext r emely power ful enemies such lust ,
anger , et c., ar e unable t o defeat him.
3 Cont inuing, Shr iji Mahr j t hen said, God, who possesses a
definit e for m, is always pr esent in His abode, Br ahmapur . Devot ees
of God, who also possess a for m, r emain in His ser vice in t hat abode.
Ther efor e, one who has t aken fir m r efuge in t he manifest for m of God
should not har bour t he following fear in ones mind: What if I
become a ghost or an evil spir it , or at t ain t he r ealm of Indr a or t he
r ealm of Br ahm aft er I die? One should not har bour such doubt s in
ones mind. Aft er all, a devot ee of God who possesses t he
underst anding ment ioned earlier definit ely at t ains t he abode of God;
God does not leave him ast ray anywhere in bet ween.
4 Mor eover , t hat devot ee should fir mly keep his mind at t he holy
feet of God. J ust as an ir on nail t hat is fir mly affixed t o an ir on
sur face can never be separ at ed, similar ly, ones mind should be fixed
firmly at t he holy feet of God. When t he devot ee has kept his mind at
The Vachanmr ut 559
t he holy feet of God in t his manner, he does not have t o die t o at t ain
t he abode of God he has at t ained it while st ill alive.
Sachchidnand t o ever yone and t hen inst r uct ed t he assembly t o
disperse.
Ga d h a d I I I -8
Rema in in g Et er n a lly Ha p p y
cylindrical pillow t hat had been placed on a large, decorat ed cot on
in Gadhad. He was dr essed ent ir ely in whit e clot hes. Gar lands of
mogr flowers adorned His neck, and t assels of mogr flowers
decorat ed His pgh. At t hat t ime, an assembly of munis as well as
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j asked t he munis , How can a devot ee
of God r emain et er nally happy? The senior sdhus replied according
t o t heir under st anding, but t hen Shr iji Mahr j Himself said, The
answer is t hat a devot ee of God who, fir st ly, has fir m vairgya; who,
secondly, has ext r emely fir m swadharma; who has gained cont r ol
over all of his indriyas by t hese t wo means; who has int ense love for
God and His Bhakta; who has a close fr iendship wit h God and His
Bhakta; who never becomes indifferent t owards God and His Bhakta;
and who is pleased only by t he company of God and His Bhakta, but
does not like t he company of a non -believer r emains et er nally happy
in t his realm and beyond.
3 A person who has not cont rolled his indriyas by vairgya and
swadharma r emains miser able, despit e st aying in t he company of
God and His Bhakta. Why? Because he who has not gained cont r ol
over his indriyas does not experience happiness anywhere. Even
while engaged in bhakti t owards God, when t he indriyas ar e dr awn
t owards t he vishays, t hat devot ee exper iences ext r eme miser y in his
hear t . Thus, only one who gains cont r ol over ones indriyas r emains
et er nally happy. Fur t her mor e, only one who has gained cont r ol over
ones indriyas should be known t o have vairgya and dharma. One
The Vachanmr ut 560
who has not con t rolled ones indriyas should not be known t o possess
vairgya and dharma. Ther efor e, since a per son who has vairgya
and dharma has r est r aint over all of his indriyas , he is et er nally
happy.
4 Then Mukt nand Swmi asked, Mahr j, for a devot ee of God,
what is one of t he great est obst acle in his bhakti t owards God?
5 Shr iji Mahr j replied, For a devot ee of God, t he great est
obst acles ar e t hat he does not r ealise his own dr awbacks, his mind
becomes aloof from God and His Bhakta, and he develops indifference
t owards t he Bhakta of God. These are t he great est obst acles for a
devot ee.
Ga d h a d I I I -9
Th e Ga t ewa y i n t h e For m of Awa r en ess
1 On so sudi 11, Samvat 1883 [11 Oct ober 1826], Swmi Shr i
ent ir ely in whit e clot hes and was ador ned wit h gar lands and st r ings
of flower s. Also, t assels of flower s wer e dangling fr om His pgh. At
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said t o all of t he devot ees, I shall now
describe t o all of you male and female devot ees t he elevat ed st at e and
under st anding of My senior paramhansas as it t r uly is. Aft er
list ening t o t his discour se, I r equest all of you t o nar r at e how you
behave and t o reveal your st at e.
3 Saying t his, Shr iji Mahr j began, The senior sdhus in My
muni-mandal behave in such a manner that t he awar eness wit hin
t heir heart s is t he gat eway t o t he abode of God. It is at t his gat eway
where all of t he sdhus r emain st anding. Consider t he following
analogy: A kings guar ds, while st anding at t he ent r ance of t he kings
palace, do not allow any t hieves or r obber s t o come near t he king.
They cour ageously believe, If anyone comes near t he king t o cause
pr oblems, we will cut t hem t o pieces, but in no way will we let t hem
r each t he king. Wit h such cour age, t hey wait , ar med wit h shields
and swor ds. Similar ly, all of t hese sdhus ar e st anding at t he
The Vachanmr ut 561
gat eway of t he abode of God in t he form of awareness. Inside t hat
gat eway of awareness in Akshardh m dwells God, of whom t hey
do darshan . Ther e, t hey do not allow wealt h, women, or any ot her
wor ldly object t o ent er and infilt r at e t hat for m of God in t heir hear t .
If any worldly object does forcefully at t empt t o ent er t he heart , t hey
dest roy t hat object , but in no way do t hey allow it t o ent er t he
locat ion in t heir hear t wher e t hey have secur ed God. In t his manner ,
t hey const ant ly r emain aler t like a br ave war r ior . But t hey do not
move from t heir posit ion r egar dless of whet her t hey encount er
pr ogr ess or r egr ess, happiness or miser y, pr aises or insult s, or
count less ot her t ypes of difficult ies.
4 However , someone may doubt , If t hey do not move fr om t heir
posit ion, t hen how do t hey per for m t heir bodily act ivit ies such as
eat ing, dr inking, et c.? I shall explain t his using t he following
example: Consider a woman who goes t o a well t o draw wat er . Ther e,
she places her feet on t he edge of t he well. On t he one hand, she
st ays caut ious of t his, lest she falls int o t he well. However , her
vrut t i is also fixed upon dr awing wat er fr om t he well. As anot her
example, a man who has mount ed a hor se is aware of his feet in t he
hor ses st ir r ups and is also awar e of t he r eins in his hand. While
r iding, he is also mindful of t he t r ees, dit ches, and st ones t hat come
along t he pat h. In t he same way, all of t hese sdhus, while
int r ospect ing, r emain in t he service of God and also perform t heir
bodily act ivit ies but t hey ar e not deflect ed fr om t heir st at e.
5 Shr iji Mahr j t hus revealed t he st at e of t he senior sdhus and
t hen said, All of you should also int r ospect and const ant ly r emain in
t he ser vice of God. Moreover, you should not allow object s ot her t han
God t o become dearer t o you t han Him. All should be ext r emely
caut ious of t his.
6 Aft er all, if a kings guar d is car eless while guar ding t he king,
t hieves and r obber s would r each t he king, and t he guar ds ser vice
would be rendered meaningless. Similarly, if a devot ee develops love
for object s ot her t han God, t hen money, women and ot her object s also
ent er his hear t wher ein lies t he awar eness of God. Due t o t his, his
bhakti is r ender ed meaningless.
7 Therefore, one who wishes t o keep ones bhakti free from
obst acles and t o at t ain t he holy feet of God, should remain const ant ly
vigilant at t he gat eway of t he abode of God in t he form of awareness,
and should not allow any object s except God t o ent er t herein.
The Vachanmr ut 562
8 In t his way, Shr iji Mahr j spoke words of enlight enment for all
of His devot ees.
Ga d h a d I I I -10
Vr u n d va n a n d K sh i
1 On so vadi 12, Samvat 1883 [28 Oct ober 1826], Swmi Shr i
Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing on t he ver anda out side t he east -
well as satsangi devot ees from various places had gat hered before
Him.
2 In t hat assembly, a scholar ly Brhmin of t he Mdhvi
Sampr ady came t o Shr iji Mahr j. Shr iji Mahr j asked him, In
t he scr ipt ur es of your samprad y, Vr undvan is called t he abode of
God. It is also said, Even at t he t ime of final dissolut ion, Vr undvan
is not dest r oyed. The follower s of Shiv also claim, At t he t ime of
final dissolut ion, Kshi is not dest royed. But I do not underst and
t hese st at ement s. Why? Because dur ing final dissolut ion, prut hvi
and t he ot her four bhuts are complet ely dest r oyed, so how can
Vr undva n a nd Kshi possibly r emain? If t hey do r emain, how ar e
t hey suppor t ed? Such ser ious doubt s ar ise.
3 Having said t his, Shr iji Mahr j asked for t he Shr imad
Bhgwat scr ipt ur e t o be br ought and r ead aloud t he nar r at ion of t he
four t ypes of dissolut ion
i
fr om t he 11
t h
and 12
t h
cant os.
4 Ther eaft er Shr iji Mahr j said, Looking fr om t he viewpoint of
t he Shr imad Bhgwat and t he Git , dur ing final dissolut ion , not hing
r emains of anyt hing t hat has evolved fr om Pr akr ut i-Pur ush. So, if
in final dissolut ion Vr undvan does r emain int act , t hen please quot e
a ver se fr om t he scr ipt ur es of Vysji or a verse from t he Vedas t o
pr ove it . Why t hese t wo? Because t her e is no gr eat er chrya t han
Vysji. Ot her s who have become chryas and have est ablished t heir

i
The four t ypes of dissolut ion ar e: (1) ni t ya-pralay , (2) nimitta-pralay ,
(3) prkrut -pralay , and (4) tyntik-pralay . See r espect ive glossar y ent r ies for
descr ipt ion.
The Vachanmr ut 563
samprad ys, have accept ed t he scr ipt ur es wr it t en by Vysji as
aut hor it at ive. Ther efor e, t he wor ds of Vysji, t he for emost chrya,
are more aut horit at ive t han t he words of all of t he ot her chryas .
So, using t he wor ds of Vysji and t he verses of t he Vedas,
subst ant iat e t he st at ement , Vr undvan is not dest royed in final
dissolut ion only t hen will My doubt be cleared.
5 Moreover, whoever has become an chrya has est ablished his
beliefs based on references from t he wor ds of t he Padma Pur n.
Most ly, t hey have est ablished t hese beliefs by insert ing concoct ed
ver ses int o t he Padma Pur n. As a r esult , no one besides t heir own
followers believes t hem. Therefore, I will be convinced if you cit e t he
words of t he popu lar Shr imad Bhgwat Pur n. Why? Because
Vysji has composed t he Shr imad Bhgwat aft er t aking t he ver y
essence of all of t he Vedas, Purns and t he It ihs scr ipt ur es. Thus,
t her e is no Pur n as per fect ly aut hor it at ive as t he Shr imad Bhgwat .
Also, t he whole of t he Mahbhr at is not as aut hor it at ive as t he
Bhagwad Git . Ther efor e, cit e t he wor ds of such power ful scr ipt ur es
t o convince Me.
6 Hear ing t hese wor ds of Shr iji Mahr j, t he Brhmin said,
Mahr j, t he quest ion you have r aised is logical. Ther e is no one on
t his ear t h capable of answer ing your quest ion. In my mind, I have
for med a fir m belief in You; i.e., You ar e t he chrya of all chryas ,
t he lord of all ishwars. Ther efor e, please have compassion on me and
explain t o me Your pr inciple.
7 Shr iji Mahr j t hen said, Fr om t he Vedas, t he Pur ns, t he
It ihs and t he Smr ut is, I have for med t he pr inciple t hat jiva, m y,
ishwar, Br ahma and Par abr ahma ar e all et er nal. Consider it as
follows: My r epr esent s t he soil; t he jivas represent t he seeds in t he
soil; and ishwar, t he r ain. By t he will of God, an ishwar in t he
for m of Pur ush unit es wit h m y
i
. Subsequent ly, just as t he seeds
in t he soil spr out by t he associat ion of r ainwat er , similar ly, t he jivas,
which a r e et er nal, ar ise fr om wit hin m y; but new jivas are not
cr eat ed. Ther efor e, just as ishwar is et er nal, m y is also et er nal.
The jivas r esiding in m y are also et ernal, and t hey are not
component s of God; t hey are always jivas.

i
Her e my r efer s t o Pr adhn-Pr akr ut i.
The Vachanmr ut 564
8 When a jiva seeks t he refuge of God, it overcomes Gods m y,
becomes brahmarup like Nrad and t he Sanak dik, at t ains t he abode
of God, and becomes His at t endant . This is My pr inciple.
9 Hear ing t hese wor ds of Shr iji Mahr j, t he Brhmin renounced
his Vaishnav beliefs, accept ed Shr iji Mahr js r efuge, and was
init iat ed int o t he Uddhav Samprady.
Un d er st a n d i n g li k e t h a t of Si t ji
1 On shdh sudi 3, Samvat 1884 [27 J une 1827], Swmi Shr i
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, I wish t o ask t he following
quest ion: Is t here one means t o overcome bot h t he indriyas and t he
mind? Or is t he means t o over come t he indriyas different from t he
means t o over come t he mind? That is t he quest ion.
3 The senior paramhansas answer ed accor ding t o t heir
under st anding, but Shr iji Mahr js quest ion was not answer ed in a
sat isfact or y manner .
4 So Shr iji Mahr j said Himself, The answer is t hat t he
indriyas are overcome by t he four means of vairgya, swadharma,
aust er it ies and niyams. The mind is over come by t he nine t ypes of
bhakti coupled wit h t he knowledge of Gods great ness.
5 Mukt nand Swmi t hen asked, How can t he t ype of bliss t hat a
devot ee of God enjoys in nirvikalp sam dhi be enjoyed even wit hout
sam dhi?
6 Shr iji Mahr j replied, If t he devot ee has profound at t achment
and deep love for God and His Bhakta, just like t he at t achment and
love t hat he has for his own body, t hen t he t ype of bliss t hat prevails
in nirvikalp sam dhi will cont inue t o r emain for ever , even wit hout
t hat sam dhi. That is t he only answer .
The Vachanmr ut 565
7 Ther eaft er Shr iji Mahr j asked t he paramhansas , What t ype
of under st anding must a devot ee have, wher eby he will in no way
recede from t he pat h of liberat ion regardless of t he adverse
cir cumst ances he may encount er , and wher eby he develops such
st aunchness t hat he will not be affect ed by any obst acles
what soever ?
8 The senior sdhus answer ed accor ding t o t heir under st anding,
but Shr iji Mahr js quest ion was not answer ed sat isfact or ily.
9 So Shr iji Mahr j said, The answer t o t his is as follows: If a
person is profoundly at t ached t o God and His Bhakta, just as he is
at t ached t o his body, t hen he will not be affect ed by any obst acles. In
fact , regardless of t he ext en t of adver se cir cumst ances he may
encount er , he will not t ur n away fr om God and His Bhakta.
10 Then Shr iji Mahr j addressed t he paramhansas again. He
sa id, When Jnkiji was exiled t o t he forest by Rmchandr aji, she
began t o lament . Lakshmanji was ver y sor r owful at t hat t ime as
well. But t hen Sit ji explained t o Lakshmanji, I am not cr ying
because of my own gr ief; I am cr ying for t he gr ief of Rmchandr aji.
Because Raghunt hji is ext r emely compassionat e, and since he has
exiled me t o t he forest ou t of fear of public accusat ion, he must be
t hinking, I have sent Sit t o t he forest wit hout any fault of her
own. Knowing t his and being compassionat e, he must be
exper iencing sever e gr ief in his mind. So please t ell Rmchandr aji,
Sit is not dist r essed; she will go t o Vlmiki Rishis her mit age and
happily engage in your worship t here. So do not feel any remorse on
account of Sit s dist r ess. Sit ji sent t his message wit h
Lakshmanji, but in no way did she per ceive fault s in Rmchandr aji.
11 Now, one devot ee is such t hat he does not perceive fault s in God
and His Bhakta, but his vairgya and dharma ar e somewhat
moderat e. On t he ot her hand, anot her devot ee has int ense vairgya
and dharma, but does not have an underst anding like t hat of Sit .
Of t hese t wo t ypes of devot ees, which t ype should one lovingly keep
t he company of?
12 Chait anynand Swmi replied, One should only keep t he
company wit h int ense love of one who has an underst anding like
J nkiji, even t hough t hat per sons dharma and vairgya may be
moderat e. One should not keep t he company of one who, despit e
having int ense vairgya and dharma, per ceives fault s in God and His
Bhakta.
The Vachanmr ut 566
13 Hear ing t his, Shr iji Mahr j said, The answer is cor r ect .
A Ma gica l Tech n iqu e
Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing in t he balcony of t he medi of His
2 Then, for t he benefit of His devot ees, Shr iji Mahr j said, One
who desir es ones own liber at ion should not har bour any for m of
vanit y such as, I have been bor n in an upper -class family, or I am
wealt hy, or I am handsome, or I am a scholar . One should not
keep any of t hese t ypes of beliefs. In fact , even wit h a meek satsangi,
one should behave as a servant of servant s.
3 Fur t her mor e, even t hough he may be called a satsangi, a
person who has perceived fault s in God or His Bhakta should be
known t o be like a rabid dog. J ust as one who is t ouched by t he
saliva of a r abid dog also becomes r abid, similar ly, if one list ens t o
t he t alks of or keeps affect ion for one who has perceived fault s in God
or His Bhakta, t hen bot h t he person who keeps t he affect ion as well
as t he list ener become like a non -believer . Then, just as t uber culosis
is never cur ed by any medicine, similar ly, t he demon ic at t it ude of one
who has perceived fault s in God or His Bhakta is never eradicat ed
fr om t he per ceiver s hear t . On t he ot her hand, one may have killed
count less Brhmins; or one may have killed count less childr en; or
one may have killed count less women; or one may have killed
count less cows; or one may even have associat ed many t imes wit h
t he wife of ones guru never t heless, at some t ime or ot her , one can
be fr eed fr om t hese sins. In fact , t he scr ipt ur es even descr ibe t he
met hods t o do so. But as for per ceiving fault s in God or His Bhakta,
no scr ipt ur e descr ibes met hods t o be r eleased fr om such a sin.
Indeed, if one consumes poison, or falls int o t he ocean, or falls from a
mount ain, or is eat en by a demon, t hen one has t o die only once. But
one who maligns God or His Bhakta has t o cont inuously die and be
r ebor n for count less millions of year s.
The Vachanmr ut 567
4 Also, in t he worst case, a disease leads t o t he deat h of t he body;
or if an enemy is encount er ed, at most he dest r oys t he body but t he
jiva is not dest royed. However , by maligning God or His Bhakta, t he
jiva is also dest r oyed. Someone may ask t hough, How can t he jiva
be dest r oyed? Well, for example, just as a eunuch cannot be called a
man or a woman he can only be called a eunuch, similar ly, t he jiva
of a per son who maligns God or His Bhakta also becomes impot ent ;
i.e., it is never able t o endeavour for it s own liber at ion. Ther efor e,
his jiva should be known as having been dest r oyed. Knowing t his,
one should never malign God or His Bhakta.
5 In addit ion, one should not harbour deep affect ion for ones
bodily relat ions, even if t hey happen t o be satsangis . For example, if
a snakes venom falls int o some sweet ened milk, t hen whoever dr inks
it will die. In t he same way, even if ones bodily r elat ions ar e
devot ees of God, t hey are st ill mixed wit h venom in t he form of
r elat ionships. Ther efor e, a per son who has affect ion for t hem will
definit ely for feit his liber at ion. Knowing t his, one who wishes for
ones own liberat ion should not maint ain affect ion for ones bodily
r elat ions. In t his way, aft er becoming aloof fr om wor ldly life and
harbouring love for t he holy feet of God, one should cont inue t o
engage in t he worship of God.
6 One who r et ains wit hin ones hear t t he discour se t hat I have
just delivered will never encount er obst acles on t he pat h of liberat ion.
In fact , t his discour se is like a magical t echnique.
7 Shr iji Mahr j t hus concluded t he discour se wit h t hese wor ds.
Ma in t a in in g Ek nt ik Dh a r ma a mi d st
Ad ver se Ci r cu mst a n ces
ent ir ely in whit e clot hes. Gar lands of mogr flower s hung ar ound
His neck, and t assels decor at ed His pgh. At t hat t ime, some munis
wer e singing devot ional songs t o t he accompaniment of a dukad and
The Vachanmr ut 568
sarod, while ot her munis as well as devot ees from various places
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, Please st op singing devot ional
songs, and let us t alk about God. So saying, Shr iji Mahr j asked a
quest ion t o t he muni-mandal: A jivas body is cont ingent upon t he
karmas performed in past lives. That is why it is not always so
st able. For example, at t imes, a per son r emains healt hy, and at
ot her t imes, he becomes ill; somet imes he funct ions independent ly,
whereas somet imes, he becomes dependent wher eby he may or may
not be able t o st ay wher e he chooses; at t imes, he may be able t o st ay
in t he fellowship of devot ees, but at some ot her t ime, he may even be
separat ed from t hem and be forced t o live alone. All of t his is due t o
t he influence of karma or kl. In such cir cumst ances, a per sons
r esolve in obser ving niyams becomes unst eady.
3 Fur t her , if a sover eign like t he Br it ish det ains one somewher e;
or if ones mind and indriyas which ar e also like t he Br it ish
r uler s keep one under t heir cont r ol, t hen it is uncer t ain whet her
one will st ay in t he mandal of sdhus or observe t he disciplines of
Sat sang. Having said t his, t hough, t he scr ipt ur es have specifically
st at ed: If one perfect ly possesses all four of t he at t ribut es of dharma,
gnn, vairgya and bhakti, t hen one can be called an ekntik bhakta,
and such a per son at t ains final liber at ion. However , it seems
unlikely t hat t he physical condit ions will r emain st able under t he
influence of kl and karma. Therefore, how can a devot ee of God
maint ain his ekntik st at e? That is t he quest ion.
4 Thereupon, Goplnand Swmi, Chait anynand Swmi,
Nit ynand Swmi, Mukt nand Swmi, Br ahmnand Swmi, Shuk
Muni, and ot her senior sdhus answer ed accor ding t o what ever t hey
felt was cor r ect but wer e unable t o answer t he quest ion sat isfact or ily.
5 Shr iji Mahr j t hen said in r eply, Please list en as I r eveal t o
you t he way in which My fait h in God r emains fir m. He t hen
began, Regar dless of how much pain or pleasur e comes My way, and
regardless of whet her wealt h or povert y comes My way, in t hose
cir cumst ances, fir st I r ealise t he immense gr eat ness of God. It is
t his r ealisat ion t hat allows Me, on seeing t he r iches and r oyal
opulence of t he great kings of t his world, t o not associat e even t he
slight est amount of significance t o t hem in My hear t . Indeed, I
believe t hat for Me, t her e is not hing gr eat er t han God; and so My
mind is fir mly at t ached t o His holy feet . In fact , My love for God is
The Vachanmr ut 569
so fir m t hat even kl, karma and m y are incapable of dest roying
t hat love. Even if My own mind at t empt s t o dest roy t hat love for
God, it cannot be dest r oyed. In fact , My r esolve is such t hat
regardless of t he ext ent of happiness or misery t hat may happen t o
come My way, t hat love is not dest royed.
6 Also, t he nat ur al inclinat ion of My mind is such t hat I do not at
all pr efer t o live in cit ies, in mansions or in r oyal palaces. On t he
cont r ar y, I ver y much pr efer t o st ay wher e t her e ar e for est s,
mount ains, r iver s, t r ees, or in some secluded place. I feel t hat it
would be nice t o sit alone in some secluded place and medit at e upon
God. This is what I pr efer at all t imes. In fact , befor e I had had t he
darshan of Rmnand Swmi, I had already decided wit h
Mukt nand Swmi, Aft er you ar r ange for Me t o have t he darshan of
Rmnand Swmi, t he t wo of us will r et ir e t o t he for est and
const ant ly engage our selves in t he medit at ion of God, and never shall
we r et ur n t o st ay amongst people. Such was t he r esolut ion of My
mind t hen; even now, I feel exact ly t he same.
7 In addit ion, t he profound affect ion t hat I have for God and His
devot ees is so st rong t hat even kl, karma and m y are incapable of
er adicat ing t hat affect ion. In fact , even if My own mind at t empt ed t o
eradicat e it , it would definit ely not be eradicat ed from My heart .
Such is t he int ense love I have for God and His devot ees.
8 Many t imes I have become disheart ened and felt like leaving
t his Sat sang, but I have remained here on seeing t he fellowship of
devot ees; I could in no way abandon t hem and leave. In fact , I would
be unable t o st ay where I do not find such devot ees of God, even if
someone were t o t ry by a million means t o keep Me t here. Regardless
of how well one may serve Me, I simply cannot get along wit h one
who is not a devot ee of God. In t his way, I have at t ached My mind
wit h profound love t o God and His devot ees; and ot her t han t hat God,
I have no liking for anyt hing else. If t hat is so, why should love for
God not r emain? Indeed, when I am engaged in spir it ual discour ses,
devot ional songs, et c., relat ed t o God, I exper ience such ecst asy t hat I
feel as if I shall become mad due t o it . In fact , what ever composur e
r emains is solely for t he benefit of t he devot ees; but in My mind, t hat
ver y same ecst asy always r emains; alt hough out war dly, I behave in
accor dance wit h t he et iquet t e of societ y.
9 It is t hat very God who is t he sole cont roller of t his body. If He
wishes, He may oblige t he body wit h an honour able r ide on an
The Vachanmr ut 570
elephant ; or if He wishes, He may have it t hr own in pr ison; or if He
so wishes, He may even place some ser ious illness in t he body.
Despit e t his, one should never pray before God in t he following
manner : Mahr j! Please r elieve me of my miser y. Why? Because
we want t his body t o behave in accordance wit h t he wishes of
God; aft er all, Gods wish is our wish. We do not want our
preferences t o differ from t he preferences of God even in t he slight est
way. Moreover, since we have offered our body, mind and wealt h t o
God, t hen now, only t he will of God is our prrabdha; besides t hat ,
t her e is no ot her prrabdha for us. Ther efor e, r egar dless of what ever
pain or pleasure we may encount er by t he wish of God, we should not
become dist urbed in any way; we should be pleased wit h what ever
pleases God.
10 Thus, God Himself pr ot ect s t he dharma, gnn, vairgya and
bhakti of a devot ee who has such int ense love for God. Occasionally,
t hough, due t o t he pr evalence of adver se cir cumst ances, it may
out war dly appear t hat such a devot ee is t r ansgr essing dharma,
gnn, et c., but inwar dly, t her e is no t r ansgr ession at all.
11 In t his manner , by cit ing His own example, Shr iji Mahr j
described t he underst anding of an ext remely st aunch devot ee of God,
and how he should develop firm love for God.
Th e K ya st h s I n d i scr et i on ; A Don k ey
ent ir ely in whit e clot hes. Tassels of flowers were dangling from t he
pgh upon His head, and gar lands of flower s hung ar ound His neck.
At t hat t ime, while some munis wer e singing devot ional songs,
before Him in an assembly.
2 Then Shr iji Mahr j said, Please st op t he singing and begin a
quest ion -answer session.
The Vachanmr ut 571
3 Ther eupon Mukt nand Swmi asked wit h folded hands,
Mahr j, t her e is not hing mor e essent ial t han God; yet why does an
individual not develop deep affect ion for Him? That is t he quest ion.
4 Shr iji Mahr j replied, He has no discret ion. If he did have
discr et ion, he would t hink, I have accept ed t he vow of
brahmacharya, yet t he desire t o enjoy t he pleasures of women st ill
has not disappear ed fr om my hear t . That is ver y impr oper as I have
invar iably enjoyed t he pleasur es of women when I have t aken bir t h
in t he 8.4 million life for ms
3
and t hose pleasures have always been
much gr eat er t han t hose exper ienced in a human bir t h. Because
when t his jiva was bor n as a goat , it must have single-handedly
indulged in t he pleasur es of a t housand she-goat s. When it t ook bir t h
as a hor se, or a bull, or a buffalo, or a king monkey, or indeed any
ot her animal, it must have encount er ed count less young, beaut iful
females of it s own species. This was not due t o prrabdha, nor was it
due t o Gods gr ace it was only nat ural. Moreover, if one does not
wor ship God, one will obt ain count less females in whichever life for m
one is bor n in. This would not be due t o t he ser vice or puja of some
deit y, or t o t he chant ing of some mant r a; because t he oppor t unit y of
enjoying women and ot her pleasur es is but nat ur al. In fact , sever al
t imes t his jiva has become a deit y, where it has enjoyed t he pleasures
of Devlok; many t imes it has become an emperor of t he world and
enjoyed count less pleasur es on t his ear t h. Despit e t his, t hough, t he
jivas cr aving t o enjoy women and ot her object s has st ill not
diminished. On t he cont r ar y, a per son feels t hat t he pleasur es of
women and ot her object s ar e ext r emely r ar e and, r ealising t heir
immense pleasur e, develops affect ion for t hem. That affect ion is such
t hat it can in no way be er adicat ed, however much one t r ies. It is
because of t his sin t hat t he jiva is unable t o develop deep affect ion for
God.
5 In fact , I have personally seen wit h My own eyes how t he jiva
har bour s such impur e, wor ldly desir es. When I was young, I used t o
go t o a mandir of Shiv in Ayodhy and sleep t her e. Ther e, a Kyast h
came daily t o offer puja t o Shiv. Aft er offering puja t o Shiv, he would
pray before Shiv and ask for t he following boon: O Mahr j! O
Shivji! Never gr ant me a human bir t h again. Because in t his
human bir t h, I have t aken so many aphr odisiacs, yet I have been
unable t o fully enjoy t he pleasur es of women t o my sat isfact ion.
Ther efor e, O Shivji! Please gr ant me t he body of a donkey for many
lives t o come so t hat I can fully enjoy t he pleasures of females
The Vachanmr ut 572
wit hout shame or r est r ict ions. He asked for t his boon fr om Shivji
daily. So, because of t his sin of har bour ing wor ldly desir es, t he jiva
does not develop affect ion for God in any way.
6 Mukt nand Swmi t hen asked fur t her , Mahr j, one wit h such
ext reme indiscret ion does not develop affect ion for God. But what
about someone who believes t hat God is t he ocean of all bliss, and
t hat all object s ot her t han God ar e cer t ainly full of only miser y?
Despit e knowing t his, why does he not develop affect ion for God?
7 Shr iji Mahr j explained, In eit her a past life or in t his present
life, t hat person has been influenced by ext remely unfavourable
places, t imes, company and act ions. Due t o t his, he has per for med
ver y int ense, sinful karmas t hat , in t ur n, have left impr essions on
his mind. Therefore, despit e being able t o discriminat e bet ween good
and bad, he is unable t o shun t he bad and develop deep affect ion for
God. Mor eover , just as t he influence of unfavour able places, t imes,
act ions and company causes t he impr essions of sinful karmas t o
influence t he mind, similar ly, t he influence of ext r emely favour able
places, favour able t imes, favour able act ions and favour able company
causes one t o per for m ver y int ense, pur e karmas, t he influence of
which will dest r oy t he ver y int ense, sinful karmas. Only t hen does
one develop deep affect ion for God. That is t he answer t o t he
quest ion.
8 Thereaft er Ayodhypr asdji asked, Suppose, on t he one hand,
t her e is one who is ver y int elligent , whose insight int o t he scr ipt ur es
is also except ional. On t he ot her hand, t here is one who is not so
int elligent and who has a limit ed under st anding of t he scr ipt ur es.
Never t heless, t he one who is ver y int elligent falls fr om t he Sat sang
fellowship, wher eas t he one who is not int elligent r emains fir m in
Sat sang. What is t he r eason for t his?
9 Shr iji Mahr j answered, There are t wo t ypes of people in t his
wor ld: godly and demonic. Of t hese, t hose who ar e demonic will fall
fr om Sat sang, despit e being except ionally int elligent ; whereas t hose
who ar e godly will never fall fr om Sat sang, even t hough t hey may not
be int elligent . For example, if one sows a seed of chilli or t he seed of
a neem t ree or t he seed of a shingadiyo vachhng plant , and one
wat er s t hem daily wit h sweet wat er , t he chillies will st ill t ur n out t o
be pungent ; t he neem t r ee, bit t er ; and t he shingadiyo vachhng
plant , poisonous. Why? Because t he ver y seeds t hemselves ar e such.
On t he ot her hand, if one sows sugar cane, t he juice of t he sugar cane
The Vachanmr ut 573
will st ill be sweet despit e t reat ing it wit h compost from t he leaves of a
neem t r ee and wat er ing it wit h bit t er wat er . In t he same manner ,
godly people will always adhere t o t he pat h of God, and demonic
people will always t urn away from t he pat h of God.
10 Then Shuk Muni asked, How can one dist inguish bet ween a
godly person and a demonic per son?
11 Shr iji Mahr j replied, In a godly per son, vicious nat ur es such
as lust , anger , avar ice, et c., ar e due t o t he influence of unfavour able
cir cumst ances. Under t he influence of favour able cir cumst ances,
however , t hey ar e dest r oyed wit hin a shor t t ime. But in a demon ic
person , vicious nat ur es such as lust , anger , avar ice, et c., ar e never
dest royed. If someone were t o speak some harsh words t o a demonic
person even once, he would not forget t hem for as long as he lives.
Then, if t hat demonic person were t o become a satsangi, he would
init ially appear t o be bet t er t han all of t he ot her devot ees. But , he
would be like t he following: Silt t hat has gat hered in t he region of
Bhl where t here was previously sea has made t he soil fert ile. As
long as t he silt r emains, sweet wat er can be obt ained by digging
below; but if one were t o dig much deeper, t hen ext remely saline
wat er would emer ge. In t he same way, even if a demonic person has
become a devot ee of God, t he moment his wishes are not fulfilled and
he is even slight ly dist ur bed, t hen compar ed t o t he ser vice of t he
sdhus he had pr eviously per for med, he would malign t hem
t housands of t imes mor e. Even t hen, his mind would not be cont ent .
12 Mukt nand Swmi t her eupon asked, Mahr j, You said t hat a
demonic person who becomes a devot ee will remain in Sat sang so
long as his wishes are fulfilled; and if t hey are not fulfilled, he falls
from Sat sang. But what if he happens t o die before falling from
Sat sang? Will he r emain demonic, or will he become godly?
13 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, As long as t hat demonic person is good
when he encount er s deat h, he will become godly and, offer ing bhakti
t o God, will at t ain t he highest st at e of enlight enment .
14 Then Nr usinhnand Swmi asked, Of t he nine t ypes of bhakti,
which is t he best ?
15 Shr iji Mahr j replied, Of t he nine t ypes of bhakti, whichever
t ype aids one in developing firm at t achment t o God is t he best t ype of
bhakti for t hat par t icular per son.
The Vachanmr ut 574
16 Thereaft er Goplnand Swmi asked, Dur ing ones childhood or
during on es yout h, what t ype of company should be sought ?
17 Shr iji Mahr j answered, Bot h should affect ionat ely keep t he
company of a per son who is senior in age; is fir m in dharma, gnn
and vairgya; and has deep affect ion for God.
18 Th en Nj J ogiy asked, Which is t he best of t he t hr ee: one
whose mind is at t ached t o God out of anger, one whose mind is
at t ached t o God out of fear or one whose mind is at t ached t o God out
of love?
19 Shr iji Mahr j said, One whose mind is at t ached t o God out of
love is t he best .
20 Ther eupon Shivnand Swmi asked, How can a devot ee of God
who does not possess discret ion of what is good and bad as described
by Shr iji Mahr j, and who also lacks vairgya, cult ivat e such
discr et ion and also cult ivat e vairgya t owar ds all object s ot her t han
God?
21 Shr iji Mahr j replied, If one develops firm affect ion for God
fr om t he init ial st ages, t hen due t o t hat affect ion, discr et ion and
vairgya will aut omat ically develop. Now, consider t he following:
When one is at t ract ed t o an object , it is called affect ion or desir e.
Then, if someone wer e t o obst r uct t he gaining of any object for which
one has affect ion, one would become angr y on t hat per son. This
applies not only t o humans; even animals expr ess such anger . For
example, a buffalo t hat is at t ached t o a female buffalo out of lust will
kill anot her buffalo t hat appr oaches t he female; t his behaviour is
widely obser ved in all t ypes of animals. In t he same way, one wit h
deep affect ion for God immediat ely becomes angry on any object t hat
act s as an obst r uct ion in t hat affect ion, and he immediat ely shuns
t hat object . Therefore, one who has deep affect ion for God
aut omat ically develops vairgya as well as discr et ion.
22 Again, Shivnand Swmi asked, Suppose t here are t wo t ypes of
people, bot h of whom are int elligent . Of t hese, one possesses fait h, in
t hat he t ot ally accept s what ever God says; wher eas t he ot her accept s
only t hose words of God t hat he feels are appropriat e. Of t he t wo,
who is bet t er ?
23 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, Only t he one who possesses fait h is
bet t er . Rmchandr aji has said in t he Rmyan, I pr ot ect one who
The Vachanmr ut 575
has fir m fait h in me just as a mot her pr ot ect s her child.
Ther efor e, only t he one wit h fait h is bet t er .
24 Then t mnand Swmi asked, In ones mind, on e is resolut e in
behaving according t o t he wishes of God for t he rest of ones life.
St ill, one feels, What can one do for God and His S ant t o ear n t heir
t r ust ?
25 Shr iji Mahr j explained, A person earns t he t rust of God and
His S ant when, fir st ly, even if he falls severely ill and is not cared for
ver y well dur ing t hat illness, he st ill does not bear an aver sion
t owards anyone, nor does he feel disheart ened. Secondly, even if he is
har shly insult ed by God and His S ant wit hout any fault of his own,
he st ill does not bear an aver sion t owar ds anyone. Thir dly, if t her e
wer e t o be t he slight est infr ingement in his obser vance of t he niyams
of t his Sat sang, he would feel ext remely repent ant and would
immediat ely per for m at onement . Also, even if he wer e t o ent er t ain
an evil t hought in his mind, he would feel just as r epent ant and
dist ressed as someone who had happened t o physically infringe t he
observance of r eligious vows. One wit h such char act er ist ics ear ns
t he complet e t rust of God and His S ant; i.e., t hey feel of him, This
per son will never fall back fr om Sat sang.
26 Thereupon Bhagwadnand Swmi asked, How can ot her s
recognise a devot ee who cont inuously underst ands t he great ness of
God and His Bhakta in his mind?
27 Shr iji Mahr j answer ed, One who cont inuously under st ands
t he great ness of God and His Bhakta in his mind ser ves t hem
sincer ely and lovingly. He physically bows and t ouches t he feet of all
of t he sdhus. If a sdhu were t o fall ill, he would massage his head
and feet and also t ake care of his diet ary needs. If he were t o receive
some object t hat he liked, he would first offer it t o t he sdhus before
using it for himself. One who behaves in t his manner by t hought ,
word and deed should be known t o have fully underst ood wit hin ones
heart t he great ness of God and His S ant.
28 Ther eaft er Shr iji Mahr j asked t he sdhus a quest ion: A
person may possess int ense dharma, gnn, vairgya and bhakti; yet
somet imes, t her e may be some r elaxat ion in his obser vance of
dharma; t her e may be some at t achment despit e having vairgya;
t her e may be some slackening in his bhakti; and at t achment t o his
body may st ill r emain despit e having gnn. What can be t he r eason
for t his?
The Vachanmr ut 576
29 Goplnand Swmi and Br ahmnand Swmi replied, If t here
appears t o be a flaw in a person who possesses int ense dharma, gnn,
vairgya and bhakti a person who can be t hought of as being as
powerful as God Himself it r emains pur ely out of compassion; it is
not a flaw as such. In fact , when such a gr eat per son behaves wit h
bhyadr asht i
i
, he t r ansfor ms many jivas t o t he r anks of J adbhar at
and Shukji. Ther efor e, such an ext r emely gr eat per son behaves in a
wor ldly manner pur ely out of compassion for t he jivas.
30 Hear ing t heir r eply, Shr iji Mahr j said, That is pr ecisely t he
cor r ect answer t o t he quest ion.
Ap p lyi n g Ba n d a ges t o Wou n d s
Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing in t he balcony of t he medi of His
ent ir ely in whit e clot hes and was also wear ing gar lands of mogr
flower s ar ound His neck. At t hat t ime, an assembly of munis as well
as devot ees from various places had gat hered befor e Him.
2 Then Shr iji Mahr j said t o Mukt nand Swmi, Today, I had a
long t alk wit h t he devot ees who cook for Me
i i
.
3 Ther eupon Mukt nand Swmi asked, Mahr j, what did You
t alk about ?
4 Shr iji Mahr j t hen said, The t alk was t hat when a devot ee of
God sit s t o per for m t he m nsi puj of God or sit s t o medit at e upon
God, he r emember s t he t imes in t he past when his jiva had
succumbed t o t he panchvishays due t o t he influence of unfavourable
cir cumst ances or t he influence of lust , anger , avar ice, et c. For
example, a war r ior who r et ur ns injur ed fr om t he bat t lefield r est s on

i
ant ar dr asht i.
i i
Her e, t he devot ees who cook for Me r efer s t o J ivubi and Ldubi, t he t wo
sist er s of Dd Khchar , who pr epar ed and ser ved meals t o Shr iji Mahr j.
The Vachanmr ut 577
a cot because of his wounds; however , unt il his wounds ar e not
dressed wit h bandages, t he pain of t he wounds does not cease, nor is
he able t o sleep. Only when bandages are applied t o his wounds is he
relieved of his pain, and only t hen is he able t o sleep. In t he same
way, t he jiva has been wounded by t he panchvishays due t o t he
influence of unfavour able places, t imes, company and act ions.
Whichever of t he nine t ypes of bhakti relieves t he pain of t hese
wounds caused by t he vishays and makes one oblivious of t he
vishays t hemselves, should be t hought of as t he applicat ion of a
bandage t o t he wounds. Also, t hat par t icular t ype of bhakti should
be known t o be one's inclinat ion in worshipping God.
5 Then, abiding by t hat par t icular inclinat ion, one should engage
in m nsi puj or t he ment al chant ing of Gods name. In fact ,
what ever one may do, one should do so wit hin one's own par t icular
inclinat ion. One will benefit t r emendously as a r esult of t his.
6 "However , just as a wounded war r ior exper iences no peace unt il
his wounds ar e bandaged, similar ly, if one fails t o r ecognise one's own
par t icular inclinat ion, one will not exper ience any happiness at all
dur ing wor ship, and t he pain due t o t he wounds inflict ed by t he
vishays will not be r elieved. Ther efor e, aft er r ecognising which of t he
nine t ypes of bhakti causes his mind t o be fixed on God and prevent s
him fr om indulging in any t hought s ot her t han t hose of God, t hat
devot ee should r ealise, This is my par t icular inclinat ion.
Thereaft er, he should keep t hat t ype of bhakti pr edominant . This
met hod is a univer sal pr inciple.
Th e Vow of Fi d eli t y
1 On shdh vadi Ams, Samvat 1884 [23 J uly 1827], Swmi Shr i
ent ir ely in whit e clot hes. He was wear ing gar lands of mogr flowers
ar ound His neck, and ext r emely beaut iful t assels wer e dangling fr om
His pgh. At t hat t ime, an assembly of munis as well as devot ees
The Vachanmr ut 578
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, I ask a quest ion t o t he ent ir e
muni-mandal a n d to all of t he householder devot ees; whoever can
reply may do so. The quest ion is as follows: It does not t ake very long
for a devot ee of God t o shun t he company of a person who is full of
flaws. But how is it possible t o shun t he company of one wit h
ext r emely fine virt ues? Aft er all, one nat urally develops affect ion for
a vir t uous per son, r egar dless of whet her he is ones own r elat ive or
not . Moreover, affect ion t hat is formed due t o t he influence of t hose
vir t ues cannot be er adicat ed, however much one tr ies. Ther efor e,
how does a devot ee of God prevent t he development of affect ion for
anyone ot her t han God, r egar dless of how vir t uous t hat per son may
be? That is t he quest ion.
3 The senior sdhus answer ed accor ding t o t heir under st anding
but were unable t o sat isfact or ily answer Shr iji Mahr js quest ion.
4 Shr iji Mahr j t hen said, Her e, allow Me t o answer . The
answer is as follows: A wife who observes t he vow of fidelit y, even if
her husband is poor , ugly, ill or old, is not even slight ly impr essed in
her mind on seeing ot her men even if t hey happen t o be rich,
handsome or young. If she does happen t o affect ionat ely look at or
laugh wit h ot her men, t hen she loses her fidelit y. If some guest s
were t o come t o t he house of t hat fait hful wife, she wou ld offer t hem
food and wat er. If she offers food and wat er t o some male relat ive of
her husband, she does so knowing him t o be r elat ed t o her husband,
but t he affect ion she has for all ot her men does not even come close t o
t he affect ion she has for her husband. Nor does she see vir t ues in
ot her men as she sees in her own husband. Mor eover , she act s
accor ding t o t he wishes of her own husband. Such is t he fir m fidelit y
t hat a fait hful wife has t owards her husband.
5 In t he same manner , a devot ee should have firm fidelit y t o God.
Specifically, like a woman who observes t he vow of fidelit y, he would
never develop t he same affect ion t owards even ot her mukta sdhus
however gr eat t hey may be as he has developed t owards whichever
form of God he has had t he darshan of. Nor does he develop affect ion
for ot her avat rs of his Ishtadev. He keeps affect ion only for t he form
t hat he has at t ained, and he act s accor ding t o His wishes only. If he
does happen t o respect ot hers, it is only because of t heir associat ion
wit h his God. One who, like a fait hful wife, has such fait hful bhakti
t owards ones own Ishtadev, never develops affect ion on seeing ot hers,
however vir t uous t hey may be. For example, Hanumnji is a devot ee
The Vachanmr ut 579
of Shr i Raghunt hji. Following t he avat r of Rm, t her e have been
many ot her avat rs of God, but Hanumnjis bhakti has been like
t hat of a woman who observers t he vow of fidelit y, as he has
r emained fait hful t o Rmchandr aji only. This is why Hanumnjis
bhakti is considered t o be like t hat of a fait hful wife. The bhakti of a
devot ee of God who has such fidelit y can be said t o be like t hat of a
fait hful wife. Conversely, if a person does not have such an
inclinat ion, his bhakti can be said t o be like t hat of a prost it ut e.
Therefore, one should not knowingly engage in bhakti t hat would
cause one t o be disgraced. Inst ead, a devot ee of God should
t hought fully engage in fait hful bhakti like t hat of a fait hful wife.
Th e St or y of Bh a r a t ji
1 On Shr van sudi 6, Samvat 1884 [30 J uly 1827], Shr iji Mahr j
was sit t ing on t he veranda out side t he east -facing r ooms of Dd
clot hes and was wear ing gar lands of flower s ar ound His neck. At
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, Ther e is no st or y in t he
Shr imad Bhgwat as incr edible as t he st or y of Bhar at ji. Why?
Because Bhar at ji was t he son of Rushabhdev Bhagwn, and for t he
specific pur pose of r ealising God, he r enounced his kingdom, which
encompassed t he whole world, and r et ir ed t o t he for est . Ther e, while
engaged in t he worship of God, he developed affect ion for a young
fawn. As a r esult , his minds vrut t i t ook t he for m of t hat fawn.
Subsequent ly, despit e his gr eat ness, Bhar at ji was r ebor n as a deer
due t o t he sin of t hat at t achment .
3 As a mat t er of fact , t her e ar e count less t ypes of sins; but for a
devot ee of God, of all t hose sins, having affect ion for anyt hing except
God is an ext r emely gr ave sin. Ther efor e, if a wise per son t hinks
over t his st or y of Bhar at ji, he becomes ext r emely fear ful in his hear t
wit h t he t hought , What if I develop affect ion for anyt hing ot her t han
God? In t his manner , he becomes ext r emely afr aid.
The Vachanmr ut 580
4 Thereaft er, when Bharat ji gave up t he body of t he deer, he was
bor n in a Brhmin family. Then, out of fear of developing affect ion
for anyt hing ot her t han God, he paid no at t ent ion at all t o worldly
affairs and deliber at ely behaved as a madman. He t hus lived in a
manner wher eby he could maint ain his vrut t i const ant ly on God.
5 Aft er deliver ing t his discour se, Shr iji Mahr j left t o at t end t he
rt i.
Th e De ge n e r a t i on of Wor ld ly De si r e s
Mahr j was sit t ing on t he veranda out side t he east -facing r ooms of
whit e clot hes. Gar lands of flower s wer e hung ar ound His neck, and
t assels of flower s wer e dangling fr om His pgh. At t hat t ime, an
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr js nephew, Raghuvir ji, asked a
quest ion: Why does t he jivas condit ion dur ing t he dr eam st at e not
r emain t he same as it is dur ing t he waking st at e?
3 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, The jiva behaves in t he dream st at e
exact ly as it does in t he waking st at e. Aft er all, t he same t ypes of
worldly desir es which appear while awake spr ing for t h in dr eams as
well.
4 Then Nir lobhnand Swmi asked, Mahr j, many t imes object s
t hat have never been seen or hear d in t he waking st at e spr ing for t h
in dr eams. What may be t he r eason for t his?
5 Shr iji Mahr j explained, If object s t hat have never been
previously seen or heard appear in t he dream st at e, it is due t o
ingrained desires generat ed by karmas per for med in past lives.
6 Ther eaft er Akhandnand Swmi asked, Mahr j, for a per son
who becomes a devot ee of God, how long does t he force of karmas
per for med in past lives per sist ?
7 Shr iji Mahr j answer ed, When t hat per son comes int o cont act
wit h t he S atpurush, t he ingr ained desir es gener at ed by his past
The Vachanmr ut 581
karmas gr adually wear away as he consist ent ly associat es wit h him.
Event ually, he r eaches a st age wher e t he desir es t hat give r ise t o
bir t hs and deat hs no longer r emain. For example, gr ains of r ice t hat
ar e t hr ee t o four year s old can be eat en, but if sown, would not gr ow.
In t he same manner , when t he ingrained desires generat ed by
karmas performed previously become det eriorat ed, t hey do not lead t o
fur t her bir t hs and deat hs.
8 However , one may ask, How does one r ecognise whet her t hose
ingr ained desir es have degener at ed, or not ? Well, consider t he
analogy of a duel bet ween t wo men armed wit h shields and swords.
As long as bot h can wit hst and each ot her , t he st r engt h of bot h
appears t o be equal. But t he moment one ret reat s, he is said t o have
been defeat ed. Similarly, for a devot ee of God, so long as t hought s
relat ed t o God and t hose relat ed t o t he vishays appear t o be equal, he
should realise his worldly desires t o be more powerful. However,
when t hought s relat ed t o God displace t hose relat ed t o t he vishays,
t hen he should r ealise t hat his wor ldly desires have degenerat ed.
9 Shr iji Mahr j t hen asked t he paramhansas a quest ion: How
can a devot ee who no longer ident ifies himself wit h t he body and who
has developed an aversion for t he panchvishays be r ecognised as such
by ot her devot ees?
10 Mukt nand Swmi r eplied, Mahr j, we are incapable of
answer ing Your quest ion. Please be compassionat e and answer it
Your self.
11 So Shr iji Mahr j t hen said, Whet her he be a householder or a
renunciant , a devot ee of God who no longer believes himself t o be t he
body and whose at t achment for t he panchvishays has been
eradicat ed, may be required t o behave as if he is t he body depending
on Gods inst r uct ions t o him; he may also have t o indulge in t he
panchvishays if necessar y. For example, a fr ail bull can be made t o
st and wit h t he support of a st ick and by people holding it by it s horns
and t ail. But , it will r emain st anding only as long as someone holds
it up; t he moment one r eleases it , it will fall t o t he gr ound.
Similarly, one who is free of worldly desir es engages in act ivit ies only
t o t he ext ent of t he inst r uct ions given by God. Take, as anot her
example, a per son wit h a bow and ar r ow in hand. The bow bends as
t he per son pulls back t he st r ing; when he r eleases t he ar r ow, t he bow
becomes slack again. In t he same way, a person free of worldly
desir es engages himself in act ivit ies only t o t he ext ent of Gods wish,
The Vachanmr ut 582
but never does he do anyt hing which t r ansgr esses t hat . On t he ot her
hand, when a per son wit h wor ldly desir es engages in act ivit ies, he is
unable t o det ach himself fr om t hose act ivit ies of his own accor d; he is
unable t o do so even when God inst r uct s him t o do so. Such ar e t he
charact erist ics of a person free of worldly desires and a person wit h
wor ldly desir es.
Two Un d esi r a ble Tr a i t s of a Ren u n ci a n t
1 On Shr van vadi 13, Samvat 1884 [20 August 1827], Swmi
in Gadhad. He was dr essed ent ir ely in whit e clot hes. Also,
garlands of mogr and karnikr flower s ador ned His neck. At t hat
t ime, an assembly of munis as well as devot ees fr om var ious places
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, A devot ee who has renounced
wor ldly life may possess t wo undesir able t r ait s which do not befit him
in t his Sat sang fellowship. The fir st is lust , and t he second is
affect ion for his relat ives. In my eyes, one who possesses t hese t wo
undesir able t r ait s is like an animal. Of t hese t wo, I have an ext r eme
repulsion for one who has excessive affect ion for ones relat ives.
3 For t his r eason, t hen, a per son who has r enounced wor ldly life
should not keep even t he slight est amount of affect ion for his
r elat ives. Why? Because having affect ion for ones bodily r elat ives is
a sin gr aver t han t he five gr ave sins
10
. Ther efor e, a r enunciant
devot ee of God should realise his own chaitanya t o be dist inct fr om
bot h t he body and t he relat ives of t he body. He should believe, I am
t he t m ; I have no r elat ions at all wit h anyone. In fact , t he
relat ives of t his body should be considered t oget her wit h t he relat ives
of t he 8.4 million t ypes of previous life for ms
3
. If a person does t ry t o
under st and t he gr eat ness of his r elat ives, knowing t hem t o be
satsangis , t hen since t here is already some affect ion due t o t he fact
t hat t hey are relat ed, he develops more affect ion for t hem t han he has
for God and t he devot ees of God. Therefore, if a person does keep
The Vachanmr ut 583
affect ion for ones relat ives t owar ds whom affect ion is but nat ur al
knowing t hem t o be devot ees of God, t hen his life becomes fut ile.
4 Moreover, it is also nat ural t o develop affect ion for t hose who
per for m ones menial ser vice, t hough t hey may not be ones r elat ives.
So, one who is wise should not keep affect ion t owards a person who is
serving one, even if t he person serving happens t o be a devot ee of
God. For example, if a snake has released ven om int o a mixt ur e of
milk and skar, t he mixt ur e also becomes poisonous. Similar ly, out
of his own self-int erest , a person should not keep affect ion t owards
one who does his menial service, even if t he person serving happens
t o be a devot ee. Why? Because his jiva becomes at t ached due t o
t hat . Then, just as he t hinks about God, he also begins t o t hink
about t he one who ser ves his needs. For t hat per son, t his in it self is
an obst acle in his worship of God just as t he young fawn it self
became avidy, i.e., m y, for Bhar at ji. In t his manner , a devot ee of
God should t ot ally shun all who obst r uct his wor ship of God, knowing
t hem t o be avidy.
5 Shr iji Mahr j t hen concluded by adding, The paramhansas
and all of t he snkhya-yogi devot ees should daily say and list en t o
t his discour se which I have just deliver ed. Specifically, t he senior
member of a mandal should daily nar r at e t his t alk, and ot her s
should list en. If t he senior person fails t o do so, he should observe a
fast on t hat day. Those who do not come t o list en t o t hat t alk of God
wit h shraddh should also observe a fast . Please imbibe t hese words
fir mly in your lives.
Swa b h v, P r a k r u t i a n d V sa n
1 On t he night of Shr van vadi Ams, Samvat 1884 [22 August
1827], Swmi Shr i Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing in His
well as devot ees from var ious places had gat her ed befor e Him.
2 Ther eupon Dinnt h Bhat t asked a quest ion: Mahr j, kl is
t he power of God, and karma refers t o t he act ions performed by t he
jiva. But what exact ly is swabhv?
The Vachanmr ut 584
3 Shr iji Mahr j explained, The karmas t hat t he jiva has
performed during past lives have fully ripened and have become
assimilat ed wit h t he jiva. J ust as fir e ent er s ir on, similar ly, t hose
karmas have ripened and have become one wit h t he jiva. It is t hose
karmas t hat ar e known as swabhv, or vsan, or pr akr ut i.
4 Mukt nand Swmi t hen asked, Mahr j, You call t he karmas
which have become assimilat ed wit h t he jiva, swabhv or vsan.
But how does one eradicat e vsan?
5 Shr iji Mahr j replied, It appears t hat t he only means t o do so
is by per for ming t he bhakti of Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn, coupled wit h
t he realisat ion of ones self as t he t m . If one offers bhakti t o Shr i
Kr ishna Bhagwn wit hout t m -r ealisat ion, t hen just as one has love
for God, one will also develop love for ot her mat erial object s.
Ther efor e, bhakti accompanied by t m -r ealisat ion is t he only means
t o er adicat e vsan. However , even one who has t m -r ealisat ion
may be dist ur bed by adver se cir cumst ances, just like an ignor ant
per son. But such dist ur bances do not last long.
A Gold e n Th r e a d ; Dh a r ma P osse sse s
t h e Sa me Emi n en ce a s Bh a k t i
in Gadhad. He was dr essed ent ir ely in whit e clot hes, and gar lands
of chameli flowers ador ned His neck. At t hat t ime, an assembly of
t he ent ire muni-mandal as well as devot ees from various places had
2 Then Shr iji Mahr j request ed Goplnand Swmi and Shuk
Muni t o begin a quest ion -answer session.
3 Ther eupon Shuk Muni asked Goplnand Swmi, It is t hr ough
offering bhakti t o God t hat t he jiva cr osses Gods m y and at t ains
Akshardh m. Thr ough dharma, it at t ains Devlok; but once it s
accumulat ed mer it s ar e exhaust ed, t he jiva falls fr om Devlok. Now,
whenever t here is a decline in dharma, God assumes an avat r for
The Vachanmr ut 585
t he purpose of re-est ablishing dharma, but not for t he purpose of
est ablishing bhakti. However , it appear s t hat what can be at t ained
t hr ough bhakti cannot be at t ained t hr ough dharma. Ther efor e, how
can dharma be elevat ed t o t he st at us of bhakti? That is t he
quest ion.
4 Goplnand Swmi began t o answer t hat quest ion. In what ever
he said, t hough, dharma became a component of bhakti, but in no
way could he elevat e t he eminence of dharma t o t he st at us of bhakti.
5 On hear ing t his, Shr iji Mahr j laughed a great deal, and
comment ed, To answer t hat quest ion is difficult indeed. Ther efor e,
allow Me t o answer it . He t hen explained, Dharma is of t wo t ypes:
One is nivrutti dharma and t he ot her is pravrutti dharma. In t ur n,
t hese t wo t ypes of dharma can eit her be relat ed t o God or not relat ed
t o God. Of t hese t wo, t he t ype of dharma t hat is relat ed t o God is t he
one t hat was adopt ed by Nrad, t he Sanak dik, Shukji, Dhr uv,
Pr ahld, Ambr ish, and ot her devot ees. It is t his dharma t hat is
known as bhgwat dharma or ekntik dharma. In fact , t his t ype of
dharma is not different from bhakti; t hey are bot h one. The t ype of
dharma t hat t he avat rs of God come t o est ablish is t his ver y same
dharma. On t he ot her hand, t he dharma of ones cast e and shram
alone is ext remely inferior compared t o bhgwat dharma, because it
is t hr ough bhgwat dharma t hat t he jiva cr osses Gods m y and
at t ains t he abode of Pur ushot t am. Ther efor e, t he eminence of
bhgwat dharma and bhakti is t he same, and t he fr uit s of bot h ar e
exact ly t he same as well. It is in t his way t hat t he gr eat ness of
bhakti and dharma ar e t he same. In compar ison, t hough, t he
dharma of ones cast e and ashram on it s own is ext r emely weak, and
it s fr uit s ar e also t empor ar y.
6 Shr iji Mahr j t hen cont inued, I am of t he opinion t hat even if I
t ry t o develop affect ion for anyone ot her t han God and His ekntik
bhaktas, I cannot do so. I also feel t hat My inclinat ion is similar t o
t hat of J adbhar at , Shukdev, Dat t t reya and Rushabhdev Bhagwn.
As a r esult , I also pr efer t o st ay only in for est s, mount ains and
jungles; I do not like t o st ay in lar ge t owns or cit ies. Such is My
inher ent nat ur e. Despit e t his, I st ay in t he midst of t housands of
people for t he sake of God and His devot ees. Never t heless, I r emain
just as det ached here as I would if I were living in t he forest s. But I
do not st ay amidst t housands of people out of any self-int er est ; it is
for t he sake of God and His devot ees t hat I st ay in t he midst of
The Vachanmr ut 586
people. In fact , no mat t er how much pravrut t i I may have t o engage
Myself in for t he sake of t he devot ees of God, I st ill consider it t o be
nivrut t i.
7 Moreover, I do not see t he flaws of a devot ee of God, however
much at fault he may be. I believe t hat even if t here are some
int r insic, minor flaws in a devot ee of God, one should over look t hem.
If t hose flaws are in oneself, however, t hen one should endeavour t o
eradicat e t hem. But if t hat t ype of flaw appears in a devot ee of God,
one should not t ake not e of t hat flaw. One should perceive flaws in a
devot ee only if he were t o lapse in his observance of some major
r eligious vow but not on account of some ot her minor flaw.
8 One should also not be pleased by defeat ing a devot ee of God in
ar gument s. On t he cont r ar y, one should der ive pleasur e in
deliber at ely losing t o him. One who does engage in an ar gument and
defeat s a devot ee of God is a sinner worse t han one who has
commit t ed t he five gr ave sins
10
.
9 In addit ion, I do not like even t he sight of one who speaks ill of a
devot ee of God before Me. In fact , I do not enjoy food or wat er offered
by a person who perceives flaws in a devot ee of God. If he does do so,
t hen even if he happens t o be My relat ive, I st ill develop an int ense
dislike for him. Why? Because in r ealit y, we ar e t he t m ; so why
should we keep affect ion for our body and t he relat ives of t he body?
We have developed affect ion for God and His devot ees believing
ourselves t o be t he t m , not out of t he belief t hat we are t he body.
10 Indeed, t he inner enemies of lust , anger , avar ice, infat uat ion ,
matsar , ar r ogance, et c., will cer t ainly dist r ess one who is unable t o
behave as t he t m . Therefore, if one offers bhakti wit hout at t aining
t m -r ealisat ion, ones t r ue nat ur e is sure t o be exposed in t his
Sat sang fellowship. Why? Because t his Sat sang is divine, and all
t hese satsangis ar e exact ly like Gods at t endant s r esiding in
Shwet dwip, Vaikunt h and Golok. I, Myself, swear by God and t he
devot ees of God t hat I realise t hese satsangis t o be t he same as t he
at t endant s of God residing in t he divine, all-t r anscending
Akshardh m.
11 However, one whose gnn, vairgya, dharma and bhakti are
not ext r emely fir m will most cer t ainly suffer a set back. For example,
a t hread dipped in wax r emains st iff in wint er and monsoon, but
when summer comes, it invar iably becomes slack. In t he same
manner, monsoon and wint er represent t he period when t he devot ees
The Vachanmr ut 587
her e ar e happy in ever y way and ar e also honour ed in Sat sang.
Dur ing t hat per iod, gnn, vairgya, dharma and bhakti appear t o be
ver y int ense. But wit h t he advent of summer t he period when a
devot ee is insult ed in Sat sang or when he becomes physically
dist ressed his gnn, vairgya, dharma and bhakti become limp like
t he t hread dipped in wax. Even t hen, I do not for sake such a per son.
But he, of his own accor d, becomes obliged t o wit hdr aw fr om Sat sang.
Thereaft er, even if he is supposedly a satsangi, he does not experience
t he bliss of satsang wit hin.
12 For t his r eason, t hen, one should pr act ise satsang wit h int ense
fir mness aft er at t aining t m -r ealisat ion; one should not pr act ise
satsang in such a manner t hat affect ion for ones body and ones
r elat ives per sist s. To cont inue t he analogy, a t hr ead of gold r emains
t he same in all six seasons
i
; it does not become limp even dur ing t he
heat of summer . Similar ly, when ones satsang is fir m, r egar dless of
t he amount of miser y t hat may befall one and however many t imes
one is insult ed in Sat sang, ones mind never t ur ns away fr om
Sat sang. Only such st aunch satsangi Vaishnavs ar e My kit h and
kin; and I wish t o st ay in t he midst of such Vaishnavs dur ing t his
life and also in Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwns abode. Such is My
r esolut ion, and all of you should also make t he same r esolut ion.
13 Why do I say t his? Because as you have all become My
disciples, I should t ell you t hat which is beneficial t o you. Aft er all, a
t r ue fr iend is he who t ells us t hat which is of benefit t o us, even if it
may appear t o hur t . Please r ealise t his as t he char act er ist ic of a t r ue
fr iend.

An I n t ima t e For m of Bh a k t i

i
The six seasons ar e: Vasant (spr ing), Gr ishma (summer ), Var sh (monsoon),
Shar ad (aut umn), Hemant (wint er ), Shishir (cool season).
The Vachanmr ut 588
west -facing r ooms of Dd Khchar s darbr in Gadhad. He was
dressed ent irely in whit e clot hes. Tassels of whit e flowers were
hanging fr om His pgh, and garlands of whit e flowers adorned His
neck. At t hat t ime, some paramhansas wer e singing a Vishnupad t o
t he accompaniment of a dukad and sarod, while ot her paramhansas
as well as devot ees from various places had gat hered before Him in
an assembly. Shr iji Mahr j was sit t ing in t hat assembly in an
int rospect ive mood.
2 Then Shr iji Mahr j said, The inclinat ion of profound, loving
bhakti in a devot ee of God, as described in t his devot ional song, is t he
inclinat ion of J hinbhi, and it was t he inclinat ion of Par vat bhi and
Mulji as well. I was r eflect ing wit hin and was t hinking t hat t her e
must also be ot her s in t he Sat sang fellowship wit h t he same
inclinat ion. One who cult ivat es t his inclinat ion of pr ofound, loving
bhakti loses all at t achment t o t he panchvishays and is able t o
maint ain t m -r ealisat ion wit hout even having t o t r y.
3 Ther eupon Mukt nand Swmi asked, Nar sinh Meht
wor shipped Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn wit h a sense of int imacy, wher eas
many devot ees of God such as Nrad and ot hers worshipped God wit h
a sense of servit ude. Of t hese t wo t ypes of devot ees, whose bhakti
should be regarded as being bet t er ?
4 Shr iji Mahr j replied, The t ype of bhakti offer ed by Nar sinh
Meht , t he gopis, Nrad, and t he Sanak dik is not of t wo t ypes; in
realit y, it is of one t ype. Aft er all, t he body be it male or female is
wor ldly and per ishable; but t he jivt m , t he worshipper , is neit her
male nor female it is char act er ised by pur e exist ence and
consciousness. When it leaves it s body and t r ansmigr at es t o t he
abode of God, it assumes a for m accor ding t o t he wish of God. Or ,
depending upon t he opport unit y for ser vice t hat ar ises t her e, t hat
devot ee assumes an appropriat e form and serves God accor dingly.
5 But if a devot ee of God develops t he same at t achment t o wealt h,
women and ot her object s as he has t owards God, t hen he cannot be
called a st aunch devot ee of God. Having become a devot ee of God, if
one commit s sins and accumulat es det r iment al desir es in Sat sang
it self while offering bhakti, t hen t hose sins become ingr ained in one
as if et ched in ir on. Mor eover , a gr aver sin t han associat ing wit h
ot her s wives due t o t he influence of evil company is t o look at a
devot ee of God lust fully while in Sat sang. Therefore, one who wishes
t o develop deep at t achment t o God should not allow any t ype of sin t o
The Vachanmr ut 589
r emain in his mind. Why? Because female satsangi devot ees are t o
be viewed as ones own mot her , sist er or daught er . They ar e t he
ext r emely vile sinner s in t his wor ld who look at women of t heir own
family lust fully. So, he who looks at devot ees lust fully is a vile
sinner and will never be released from t hat sin. That is why one who
wishes t o become an amorous devot ee should become an amorous
devot ee aft er shunning t his kind of sin.
6 Having said t his, t hough, t he gr avest of all sins is per ceiving
fault s in God and His devot ees, because due t o t hat fault -finding
at t it ude, animosit y is cr eat ed t owar ds t hem. Even if one has killed
millions of cows, consumed alcohol and meat , and commit t ed
adult er y wit h t he wife of ones gur u count less t imes, one can st ill be
r eleased fr om such sins at some t ime or ot her . But , a person who
maligns God and His devot ees will never be released from his sin.
Then, if t he maligner is a male, he will become a male demon ; or if
female, she will become a female demon. Then, even aft er count less
lives, t hat per son will never cease t o be a demon and will never
become a devot ee of God.
7 Furt hermore, one who has already maligned a devot ee of God
and whose maligning at t it ude has become est ablished will under no
cir cumst ances be able t o er adicat e t hat at t it ude. On t he ot her hand,
anot her per son who is in t he pr ocess of maligning, r ealises, I have
commit t ed a gr ave sin in maligning God and His devot ees; t her efor e I
am ext r emely vile, and God and His devot ees ar e ext r emely gr eat .
When one sees ot hers virt ues and sees fault s wit hin oneself in t his
manner , t hen any sins one may have commit t ed will be er adicat ed,
however grave t hey may be.
8 Indeed, no ot her sin displeases and pains God more t han t he sin
of maligning His devot ees. When J ay and Vijay insult ed t he
Sanakdik in Vaikunt h, God immediat ely rushed t o t he Sanak dik
and t old t hem, Whoever maligns sdhus like you is my enemy.
Ther efor e, you have done well in giving a cur se t o J ay and Vijay. In
fact , if my own hand wer e t o har m pious Brhmins like you, t hen
even I would cut off my hand; so what can I say of ot her s? This is
what Vaikunt hnt h Bhagwn said t o t he Sanak dik. Consequent ly,
J ay and Vijay became demons due t o t he sin of maligning t he pious
devot ees of God. Ot hers who have also maligned devot ees of God have
all fallen from t heir eminent posit ion a fact t hat is well not ed in t he
script ures. Therefore, one who desires ones own good should not
The Vachanmr ut 590
malign t he devot ees of God. If one does happen t o knowingly or
unknowingly malign someone, t hen one should bow t o t hat per sons
feet , pr ay t o him, and act in a manner t hat pleases him.
M n si P u j
1 On t he night of so sudi Punam, Samvat 1885 [22 Oct ober
decorat ed cot t hat had been placed in t he yard of His residence in
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j, out of compassion, addressed all of
t he devot ees and said, One who is a devot ee of God daily performs
t he m nsi puj of God. The det ails of performing t hat m nsi puj are
as follows: One should per for m t hat m nsi puj in differ ent ways,
depending on t he t hr ee seasons; namely summer , wint er and
monsoon.
3 Dur ing t he four mont hs of summer , one should per for m puja by
fir st bat hing God wit h cool, fr agr ant , pur e wat er . One should t hen
offer Him a beaut iful, washed, whit e khes t o wear , which is t hin and
fine. Aft er seat ing God on a beaut iful seat , His whole body should be
smear ed wit h fr agr ant sandalwood fr om t he Malay mount ains, which
has been collect ed in a bowl aft er for ming it int o a past e. Fir st ly, t he
sandalwood past e should be smeared on His forehead and closely
observed; t hen His hands should be smeared and closely observed;
t hen t he past e should be smear ed on His chest , st omach, t highs,
calves, and ot her par t s of His body. Those par t s should also be
obser ved. Then, beaut iful kumkum should be applied on His holy feet
as well as on t he soles of His feet , and t hey t oo should t hen be
obser ved. Ther eaft er , gar lands of fr agr ant flower s such as mogr,
chameli, champ, r oses, et c., as well as var ious or nament s such as a
cap, ar mlet s, wr ist let s, et c., made of flower s should be offer ed. A fine
clot h t hat is not t oo heavy and is as whit e as a mogr flower should
be t ied ar ound His head; and a beaut iful, whit e clot h which is fine
and light , should be wrapped around His body. Then one should
embrace God once, or t wice, or accor ding t o t he degr ee of ones love.
The Vachanmr ut 591
Thereaft er, one should t ouch Gods holy feet t o ones own chest and
head. During t hat embrace, t he sandalwood past e on Gods body as
well as par t s fr om t he gar lands of flower s may st ick t o ones own
body; and kumkum may also st ick as a r esult of t ouching Gods holy
feet t o ones own chest and head. All t his should be visualised; i.e.,
one should feel, Sandalwood past e, kumkum and gar lands
consecr at ed by God have t ouched my body!
4 Dur ing t he four mont hs of wint er , one should per for m puja by
fir st bat hing God wit h war m wat er and t hen offer ing Him a whit e
khes t o wear. One should t hen seat God on a decorat ed cot wit h a
velvet mat t r ess t hat has been cover ed wit h a whit e bedsheet . One
should offer a survl, offer a dagli, t ie a r ich or ange ret o of golden
t hr eads ar ound His head, t ie a r ich ret o ar ound His waist , and place
a r ich ret o over His shoulder s. Then one should place var ious
ornament s made of diamonds, pear ls, gold and r ubies on var ious
par t s of His body and ador n Him wit h a pear l necklace as well. Aft er
offer ing t hese clot hes and or nament s, t he var ious par t s of Gods body
should be closely observed. A kumkum chndlo should also be
applied t o Gods foreh ead.
5 Dur ing t he four mont hs of monsoon, one should per for m puja
imagining t hat God has r et ur ned fr om some village, His whit e
clot hes having become complet ely dr enched; or t hat He had gone t o
bat he wit h t he paramhansas in a r iver and has r et ur ned fr om t her e
drenched. Aft er removing His wet clot hes, He should be offered deep
or ange gar ment s t o wear ; and His for ehead should be smear ed wit h
yellow sandalwood past e mixed wit h saffron.
6 Dur ing summer , one should visualise God t o be sit t ing eit her in
an open place or in a flower gar den. Dur ing wint er and monsoon, one
should visualise God t o be seat ed in a fine medi, or inside a house. In
part icular, when offering God somet hing t o eat , only t hose foods
chewable, dr inkable, lickable or suckable which one likes t o eat
should be visualised for offering t o God. Even if God does not like
such foods, when offer ing it ems t o Him, one should st ill visualise only
t hose it ems t hat ar e r elished by oneself. Also, incense, oil lamps, rt i
and ot her art icles should be offered t o God as appropriat e.
7 In t his manner, a devot ee who offers puja in different ways
according t o t he t hree different seasons increases his love for God,
and his jiva benefit s t r emendously. Ther efor e, whoever has hear d
t his discour se should imbibe it and daily per for m t he m nsi puj of
The Vachanmr ut 592
God in t he manner descr ibed. As a mat t er of fact , I have never
t alked about t his before.
8 Shr iji Mahr j t hen spoke on anot her t opic. He said, When
God and His Bhakta are pleased on a devot ee, he should feel, It is my
gr eat for t une t hat God and His Bhakta ar e pleased wit h me. Also,
when, for t he pur pose of t eaching a lesson, t hey r epr imand him, he
should feel, It is my gr eat for t une t hat t hey r epr imand me; aft er all,
it will help in r emoving my flaws. In t his way, one should be pleased
even if r epr imanded; one should not feel any gr ief in ones mind, nor
get upset , nor even r egar d oneself as being ver y sinful. Indeed, one
should always r emain pleased. This at t it ude is also wor t hy of being
imbibed.
Sixt een Sp ir it u a l En d ea vou r s; Va ir gya Du e To Gn n
1 On so vadi 12, Samvat 1885 [4 November 1828], Shr iji
Mahr j was sit t ing in t he mandir of Shri Gopint hji in Dd
clot hes. At t hat t ime, an assembly of sdhus as well as devot ees
2 Ther eupon Mukt nand Swmi asked Shr iji Mahr j, The
devot ees of God r emain in Gods ser vice in Akshar dhm. What ar e
t he spir it ual endeavour s needed t o ear n such ser vice?
3 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, S hraddh, swadharma, vairgya, t ot al
cont r ol over t he indriyas , non -violence, brahmacharya, keeping t he
company of sdhus, t m -r ealisat ion, unflinching bhakti t o God
coupled wit h t he knowledge of His gr eat ness, cont ent ment , sincer it y,
compassion, aust erit ies, t reat ing t hose devot ees of God who are senior
t o one in t er ms of vir t ues as gur us and also maint aining deep r espect
for t hem, maint aining a feeling of friendship t owards t hose devot ees
of God who are ones equals, and t reat ing t hose devot ees of God who
are junior t o one as disciples as well as act ing for t heir benefit
t hr ough t hese 16 spir it ual endeavour s, an ekntik bhakta of God
easily earns Gods ser vice in Akshar dh m.
4 Shuk Muni t hen asked, All of our sdhus observe r eligious
vows. But what char act er ist ic in a sdhu would enable us t o be sure
The Vachanmr ut 593
t hat t hat sdhu would never deviat e from his dharma even in t imes
of adver sit y?
5 Shr iji Mahr j answer ed, He whose at t ent ion is const ant ly
focused on all of t hose mandat es, major or minor , given by God, and
who finds it ext r emely difficult t o infr inge any mandat e; and who
act s neit her excessively nor in a lax manner r egar ding t hose
mandat es, should be known as one who would not fall from his
dharma despit e adver se cir cumst ances.
6 Shr iji Mahr j t hen spoke out of compassion: For a per son t o
er adicat e ones innat e nat ur e is indeed difficult . In spit e of t his, if
one has r ealised Sat sang t o be t he fulfiller of ones self-int er est , t hen
it is not difficult t o do so. For example, t he member s of Dd
Khchar s family have an int er est in keeping Me her e, so t hey do not
r et ain any nat ur e which I do not like. In t his way, ones innat e
nat ure can be er adicat ed due t o self-int er est . It can also be
eradicat ed out of fear, albeit not t ot ally. Why? Because one may fear
a per son in t he per sons pr esence, but when t hat per son is not
present , one may no longer be fearful just as a t hief abandons his
cor r upt nat ur e out of fear of t he king.
7 Fur t her mor e, despit e t he fact t hat I have r epeat edly fir ed har sh
words and upset one who possesses some swabhv or anot her, if one
is not dishear t ened in any way at all, t hen I have such love for t hat
per son t hat t hat love r emains effor t lessly as it is, in t he waking and
dream st at es. Regardless of what ever happens, t hat love does not
diminish.
8 Moreover, of t he various virt ues possessed by devot ees, I shall
now nar r at e one admir able vir t ue in each. Dd Khchar , t he vir t ue
of fait h; Rjbi, t he vir t ue of r enunciat ion; J ivubi, t he vir t ue of
shraddh; Ldubi, t he vir t ue of desir ing t o please Me; Nit ynand
Swmi, t he vir t ue of desir ing t o please Me; Br ahmnand Swmi, t he
vir t ue of insist ing t hat t her e shou ld be no lapse at all in observing
t he disciplines of Sat sang; Mukt nand Swmi, t he vir t ues of desir ing
t o please Me and having fait h in Me; Soml Khchar , t he vir t ue of
always behaving consist ent ly; Chait anynand Swmi, t he vir t ue of
wishing t o behave in such a manner t hat pleases Mahr j in some
way; Swayampr ak shnand Swmi, t he vir t ues of fait h in God and
r ealising His gr eat ness; J hinbhi Thkor , t he vir t ue of having
awar eness, lest he becomes at t ached t o any object ot her t han God;
and Mot t mnand Swmi, t he vir t ue of ensur ing t hat none of My
The Vachanmr ut 594
commands ar e disobeyed. In t his manner , Shr iji Mahr j nar r at ed
t he vir t ues of many senior paramhansas and ot her devot ees.
9 He t hen cont inued, The t hree senior ladies of t his place and
Goplnand Swmi, Br ahmnand Swmi, Mukt nand Swmi,
Nit ynand Swmi, Shuk Muni, Soml Khchar and Dd Khchar
all of you present ly behave very well. However, if t he four fact ors of
place, t ime, company and act ion were t o become unfavourable, t hen
t her e is no doubt at all t hat your ent husiasm would not r emain as it
is now. However, if a person who has a great er degree of gnn were
t o be caught in t he vishays by chance, he would br eak fr ee fr om t hat
at t achment . What is t hat gnn? It is t he under st anding, I, t he jiva,
am like t his; t he body is like t his; t he r elat ions of t he body ar e like
t his; t he nat ur e of Pr akr ut i, Pur ush, virt , sut rt m and avykrut
is like t his; God is like t his; and t he abode of God is like t his, and so
on. If one has a fir m convict ion of t his gnn in ones hear t , t hen t he
vairgya t hat r esult s is t r ue vairgya. Apar t fr om t hat , any ot her
form of vairgya only superficially appears t o be vairgya; in fact ,
t her e is no st r engt h in it . For example, t he flame of an oil lamp is
ext inguished by t he wind, wher eas t he vadvnal fire and t he fire of
light ning in t he clouds is not ext inguished by wat er ; in fact , despit e
r emaining in wat er it self, it cont inues t o bur n. In t he same manner ,
vairgya wit hout gnn does not last when it encount er s t he vishays.
On t he ot her hand, vairgya produced from gnn does not diminish
despit e encount ering t he vishays; it cont inues t o bur n like t he
vadvnal fire.
10 It is pr ecisely for t he pur pose of somehow inst illing t his gnn in
your minds t hat I cont inuously deliver discour ses. Because if a
discour se event ually does t r uly inspir e you, t hen t his gnn will
become inst illed in you. Conversely, if a person does not underst and
t his and inst ead har bour s a sense of I-ness and my-ness by believing,
This is my cast e, t his is my mot her , t his is my fat her , t hese ar e my
r elat ives, t hen he should be known t o be an ext r emely ignor ant
person possessing a worldly perspect ive.
11 Having said t his, Shr iji Mahr j again spoke out of compassion:
What is t he r eason behind a spir it ual aspir ant at t aining noble
virt ues? Well, one develops an aversion for t he world in proport ion t o
t he at t achment one has for list ening t o t he t alks and discour ses
r elat ed t o God; mor eover , vicious nat ur es such as lust , anger ,
avar ice, et c., ar e also dest r oyed t o t hat ext ent . Conver sely, if
The Vachanmr ut 595
someone is lazy in list ening t o t hose t alks and discour ses, t hen one
should infer t hat he will not imbibe noble vir t ues. In fact , out of t he
nine t ypes of bhakti ment ioned in t he scr ipt ur es, t he bhakti of
list ening t o spir it ual discour ses is consider ed t o be t he best .
Therefore, one who possesses t hat form of bhakti will at t ain all of t he
var ious for ms of bhakti up t o and including pr ofound, loving bhakti.
Shr iji Mahr j deliver ed t he discour se in t his manner .
12 At mid-aft ernoon on t hat same day, when all of t he
paramhansas were seat ed for t heir meals in a line on t he veranda
out side t he nort h-facing r ooms of Dd Khchar s darbr, Shr iji
Mahr j was sit t ing on a lar ge, decorat ed cot t hat had been placed
under t he neem t ree.
13 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said t o t he paramhansas , One should
not under st and t he gr eat ness of female devot ees in excess. Why?
Because under t he pr et ext of r ealising t heir gr eat ness, one may
const ant ly t hink of t hem, leading t o t hem appear ing in ones dr eams.
So, if one does underst and t heir great ness, one should underst and it
collect ively, by t hinking, All of t hem ar e devot ees of God. But , one
should not at t empt t o under st and a par t icular one as being gr eat er
and anot her one being lesser. However, if one at t empt s t o
under st and t heir gr eat ness t o a gr eat er or lesser degr ee t han t his,
t hen t her e is a gr eat danger in t hat . Similar ly, female devot ees
should also underst and t he great ness of male devot ees collect ively. If
t hey do not realise t his, t hen it is also a great danger for t hose
females.
P lea sin g Sh r iji Ma h r j; A Tr u e De vot e e of God
in Gadhad. He was dr essed ent ir ely in whit e clot hes. At t hat t ime,
an assembly of paramhansas as well as devot ees from various places
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j spoke out of compassion: Bhakti,
upsan , ser vice, shraddh, fir mness in obser ving dharma, and
The Vachanmr ut 596
ot her spirit ual endeavours relat ed t o God should all be performed
wit hout har bour ing desir es for any ot her fr uit s. This fact is
ment ioned in t he sacr ed scr ipt ur es, and it is t r ue; but one should
cert ainly harbour t he following desire: May God become pleased wit h
me t hr ough t hese endeavour s. That desir e should be kept . If, on t he
ot her hand, a person does not keep such a desire and act s wit hout
any specific object ive, t hen he should be known t o possess t amogun.
Therefore, one should develop t he virt ues of bhakti, upsan , et c.
wit h t he desir e for fr uit s in t he for m of t he pleasure of God. If a
per son nour ishes any desir e ot her t han t hat , he will at t ain only fr uit s
such as t he four t ypes of liberat ion
i
.
3 Fur t her mor e, it is not t he case t hat Gods pleasur e is best owed
only on t hose who offer bhakti wit h var ious ar t icles and not upon t he
poor. Someone may be poor, but if he offers wat er, leaves, fruit s and
flowers t o God wit h shraddh, t hat is enough t o please Him. Why?
Because God is ext r emely gr eat . J ust as a king r ewar ds someone who
composes even a single verse in his pr aise wit h a village, similar ly,
God also becomes gr at ified inst ant ly.
4 Cont inuing, Shr iji Mahr j said, Who can be called a t r ue
devot ee of God? If some prolonged illness were t o overt ake a persons
body, or if he receives neit her food t o eat nor any clot hes t o wear ; in
fact , r egar dless of t he ext ent of pain or pleasur e t hat come his way, if
he st ill does not r egr ess even slight ly fr om t he wor ship and bhakti of
God, niyams, dharma or shraddh, but on t he cont r ar y, pr ogr esses
wit h t ime t hen he is called a t rue devot ee.
5 Th en Rjbi had a quest ion asked t o Shr iji Mahr j, Mahr j,
which vir t ues please You and which flaws displease You?
6 Shr iji Mahr j replied, The following are t he flaws of speech:
Specifically, if someone wishes t o behave in some special way, t hen he
should not ify Me only once by saying: Mahr j, if You agr ee, t hen I
shall behave like t his. But he should not r epeat edly ask, Mahr j,
why ar e You not t elling me whet her I should behave like t his or
behave like t hat ? That I do not like. Also, I do not like a per son
who, despit e knowing Me as his Ishtadev, repeat edly cross-quest ions

i
The four t ypes of liber at ion as descr ibed in Gadh I-43.2 ar e: (1) t o r eside in t he
r ealm of God; (2) t o st ay near God; (3) t o assume a for m similar t o t hat of God;
and (4) t o at t ain divine power s similar t o Gods power s.
The Vachanmr ut 597
My wor ds. Nor do I like a per son who, wit hout being asked,
int er r upt s Me while I am speaking t o someone. Regar ding t he
per for mance of pious act ions such as medit at ing on God, obser vance
of dharma, offer ing bhakti, et c., I do not like a per son who t hr ows t he
bur den of such act ions on God by t hinking, Only if God wishes ar e
t hese possible. Nor do I like a per son who t hinks, I shall do t his;
and I shall do t hat , and t her eby r elies solely on his own st r engt h and
not on t he st rengt h of God. Also, I ext remely dislike a person who
speaks inconsist ent ly and coar sely. Nor do I like a per son who feels a
sense of shame or laziness when it comes t o t alking of God, engaging
in spir it ual discour ses or singing devot ional songs, and yet feels no
shame or laziness in per for ming wor ldly act ivit ies. Also, I do not like
a per son who boast s of his vir t ue of r enunciat ion or bhakti, or of
anyt hing else. I do not like a person who sit s behind everyone else
dur ing an assembly inst ead of sit t ing as befit s his own st at us.
Moreover, when seniors are seat ed in an assembly, I do not like a
person who forcibly pushes t hem aside t o t ake his own place at t he
fr ont of t he assembly.
7 In addit ion, I am pleased wit h female devot ees who behave
chast ely by covering t heir own bodies and who, inst ead of keeping a
wander ing gaze, keep t heir gaze cast downwar ds when t hey walk.
Many t imes, inst ead of doing My darshan wit h a fixed gaze, someone
may for sake t hat darshan and look repeat edly in t he direct ion of an
appr oaching man or woman, or a dog walking by, or cat t le walking
by or in t he dir ect ion of some noise. On such a per son, I feel so much
disgust t hat I feel, What can I do? If I had not become a sdhu, I
would beat him in some way! But t hat is not possible since beat ing
someone is ext remely inappropriat e for a sdhu. I also do not like a
per son who conceals t he t r ut h, i.e., who does not disclose t o an
appropr iat e per son t he dist ur bing t hought s t hat ar ise in his mind.
These t hr ee t hings ar e ext r emely det r iment al: egot ism, anger , and
being suppr essed by ot her s, i.e., not r evealing what is in ones mind
due t o t he suppression of ot hers. Also, if devot ees become
disrespect ful because t hey view each ot her as equals and do not
maint ain r espect for one anot her , t hat is ext r emely inappr opr iat e as
well.
The Vachanmr ut 598
Th e Sa n t Wh o Su p p r esses Hi s Mi n d a n d I n d r i ya s
Gopint hji in Dd Khchar s darbr in Gadhad. He was dressed
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, What ar e t he char act er ist ics of
a S ant who is wort hy of being worshipped on par wit h God? Well,
such a S ant suppresses t he act ions of m ys gunas t he indriyas,
t he antahkaran , et c.; but he himself does not get suppr essed by t heir
act ions. In addit ion t o t his, he only per for ms act ivit ies r elat ed t o
God; he is st aunch in his obser vance of t he five r eligious vows
4
; and
believing himself t o be brahmarup, he wor ships Pur ushot t am
Bhagwn. Such a S ant should not be t hought of as a human being,
nor should he be t hought of as a deit y, because such behaviour is not
possible for eit her humans or deit ies. Indeed, even t hough t hat S ant
appears t o be human, he is st ill wort hy of being worshipped on par
wit h God. Therefore, whoever desires t o at t ain liberat ion should
ser ve such a S ant. Also, females should serve females possessing
such vir t uous qualit ies.
3 Then t mnand Swmi asked Shr iji Mahr j , Regardless of
how or dinar y one may be, as long as one st ays wit hin t he limit s of
t he vows of t his Sat sang, one will not become bound by t he
panchvishays. Please nar r at e t he char act er ist ics of a per son who
cannot become bound by t he panchvishays, even t hou gh he may
happen t o leave t he Sat sang fellowship due t o unfavourable
cir cumst ances.
4 Shr iji Mahr j explained, If a person has dharma pr edominant
in his mind; and if he has t he qualit ies of an stik in t hat he fir mly
believes, One who per for ms pious or impious karmas in t his r ealm
will undoubt edly receive t he respect ive fruit s of t hose karmas in t he
r ealm beyond; and if he, having such fir m beliefs, is concer ned about
his own r eput at ion by t hinking, If I do somet hing immor al, what
will people t hink of me?, t hen he will not become bound by any
object women or ot her s wher ever he goes. For example,
Mayr m Bhat t , Mulji Br ahmachr i, Nishkulnand Swmi and
The Vachanmr ut 599
t hose of t hat calibr e will never falt er even if t hey encount er women,
wealt h, et c.
5 However , someone who is like t his may, fir st ly, have t he
at t ribut es of false t m -r ealisat ion in t hinking, I am t he t m ; I am
Br ahma; so I am not affect ed by good or bad act ions. I am absolut ely
det ached fr om ever yt hing. Secondly, he may falsely under st and t he
gr eat ness of God; i.e., he may t alk a gr eat deal about t hat gr eat ness,
by saying, The gr eat ness of God is so pr ofound! So what har m is
t her e in t r ansgr essing dharma? In such a per son, t hese t wo t ypes of
flaws could become major obst acles in t he observance of dharma.
Ther efor e, it is bet t er if he has genuine t m -r ealisat ion, he
t hor oughly under st ands t he gr eat ness of God, and he fir mly
observes wit h under st anding t he various t ypes of dharma, such
as t he vows of non -lust , non -avar ice, non -t ast e, non -at t achment , non -
egot ism, et c., in or der t o please God. Such a per son believes, If I
observe dharma, God will be ext remely pleased wit h me, and if I
deviat e from dharma in any way, t hen God will be ext r emely
displeased wit h me. If he has t his fir m convict ion wit hin, t hen t hat
devot ee will never falt er from dharma in any way. On t he ot her
hand, if a per son does not have t his kind of under st anding, t hen
r egar dless of how much gnn he may have, or how much bhakti he
may offer , he may st ill deviat e fr om dharma or become bound by
wor ldly object s. This is a fundament al t r ut h.
6 Shr iji Mahr j again addr essed t he assembly out of compassion:
I do not like vanit y. That vanit y may be of ones vir t ues of bhakti,
r enunciat ion, or vairgya; of ones at t ainment of t he at t r ibut es of
Br ahma; of one's under st anding; or of ones obser vance of t he five
r eligious vows
4
. I do not like t hese or any ot her for ms of vanit y.
Also, I do not like hypocr isy. What is hypocr isy? Well, alt hough one
may not have much fait h, bhakti or dharma, t o out wardly pret end t o
possess t hem t o a great ext ent in order t o look pious in front of ot hers
is hypocr isy. That , I do not like. Nor do I like any per son who, while
wor shipping God, eliminat es t he dist inct ion bet ween himself and
God. I also do not like a person who behaves liberally; i.e., aft er
t aking a vow, he adher es t o it occasionally and r elaxes fr om it
occasionally. In addit ion, I do not like a per son who, having
ext ensively underst ood t he profound glory of God, consider s himself t o
be ext remely insignificant and does not believe his t rue form t o be t he
t m , which is dist inct fr om t he body.
The Vachanmr ut 600
7 Now I shall describe t he t ype of person I do like. Such a person
t hor oughly under st ands t he gr eat ness of God. He under st ands his
t m which is vyatirek from t he body t o be brahmarup. He
fir mly obser ves dharma and also st aunchly engages in t he bhakti of
God. Despit e having such vir t ues, if t her e is some devot ee in t he
Sat sang fellowship who does not under st and anyt hing yet has fait h in
God, t hen t he former would consider t he lat t er t o be great and
himself t o be insignificant in compar ison t o t hat devot ee. When
speaking, such a per son never r eveals even t he slight est pr ide of his
wisdom. I am ext r emely pleased wit h a per son who behaves in t his
manner .
8 Having deliver ed t his discour se, Shr iji Mahr j r et ur ned t o His
residence.
Not Keep i n g An y Obst i n a cy
1 On Kr t ik sudi Punam, Samvat 1885 [21 November 1828],
Swmi Shr i Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing in t he mandir of Shr i
as well as devot ees from various places had gat hered befor e Him.
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, The pleasur es associat ed wit h
sight s, sounds, smells, t ast es and t ouch ar e all found t o co-exist in
one place t he blissful and divine for m of Pur ushot t am Bhagwn.
When we have t he darshan of t hat for m of God, we can enjoy t he
bliss of t hat beaut y, as well as t he bliss of t he ot her four t ypes of
vishays, i.e., sounds, t ouch, et c. That gr at ificat ion occur s
simult aneously. Wit h wor ldly vishays, however , when one indulges
in one vishay, one r eceives t he gr at ificat ion of only t hat vishay, but
not of t he ot her s. Thus t he pleasur es of wor ldly vishays are found
separat ely. Moreover, t hose pleasures are fut ile, perishable and
ult imat ely t he cause of ext r eme miser y. But in God, one enjoys t he
bliss of all of t he vishays simult aneously. That bliss is ext r emely
divine; it is et er nal and imper ishable. Ther efor e, a spir it ual aspir ant
should develop vairgya t owards t he worldly vishays and become
t ot ally at t ached t o t he divine and blissful form of God.
The Vachanmr ut 601
3 Shr iji Mahr j t hen cont inued, If a devot ee has an int ense
year ning t o engage in t he bhakti of God and t o associat e wit h t he
S ant, t hen regardless of any swabhv t hat he may possess, he
eradicat es it and behaves according t o t he S ant s will and command.
Even if t hat swabhv is such t hat it has become bound t o t he
chaitanya, one who has an int ense desire t o do satsang will eradicat e
it . Wit h t hat , He nar r at ed His own st or y: Init ially, My nat ur e was
like t hat of a r enunciant , but because I had an int ense year ning for
t he darshan of Shr i Rmnand Swmi, I lived accor ding t o
Mukt nand Swmis inst r uct ions, not accor ding t o My per sonal
pr efer ences.
4 Ther eaft er Shr iji Mahr j said, The det ails of t he kind of
obst inacy a devot ee should and should not keep are as follows: One
t ype of obst inacy is observing t he vows of non -lust and ot her such
vows; t he ot her t ype of obst inacy is behaving wit h t he feeling t hat one
will be able t o sleep only if ones place is here and not if it is
elsewher e. The lat t er and ot her innumer able for ms of obst inacy t hat
ar e t he r esult of t r ivial swabhvs should not be considered t he same
as t he for mer t ype of obst inacy. The obst inacy of obser ving r eligious
vows is as essent ial as ones own life; it is ext r emely beneficial. That
t ype of obst inacy should be kept wit h an under st anding of it s
impor t ance. But if t he lat t er t ype of obst inacy, which is due t o
swabhvs, is for med, it should be t hought of as wor t hless; and if t he
S ant asks one t o abandon it , it should be abandoned. The for mer
t ype of obst inacy, however, should not be abandoned.
5 To consider t hese t wo for ms of obst inacy as equivalent is
foolishness. For example, if a child has almonds in his fist , and if
someone at t empt s t o make him give t hem up, he will not .
Fur t her mor e, if he has a fist full of rupees or a fist full of gold coins,
and if someone at t empt s t o make him give t hem up, he will not give
t hem up. Thus, it can be said t hat t he child consider s t he almonds,
t he rupees and t he gold coins t o be of equal value. Therefore, t he
child can be consider ed t o be ignor ant .
6 If someone has almonds in his hand, and a t hief comes and
t hr eat ens t he per son, saying, Put t hem down, or I will cut off your
head wit h t his swor d, t hen one who is wise will give t hem away, but
one who is foolish will not . Similar ly, bet ween t he t wo t ypes of
obst inacy, one should r ealise which is significant and which is
insignificant . If someone does not under st and t his and consider s bot h
The Vachanmr ut 602
t o be equivalent , t hen he should be known t o have a swabhv of
obst inacy and t o be arrogant . If such a person does observe r eligious
vows because of t hat obst inacy, and if he r emains in t he Sat sang
fellowship in t his manner t ill t he end, t hen it is all well and good; but
one cannot have complet e fait h in him. Why? Because if he is
offended by some r emar ks, or if his self-impor t ance is not
maint ained, t hen he will not r emain as he is. On t he ot her hand, one
who offers bhakti t o God and observes r eligious vows wit h obst inacy
is called a rjarshi. Even gr eat er , one who offers bhakti t o God while
obser ving r eligious vows wit h t he int ent ion of pleasing God is called a
brahmarshi and a sdhu. Ther e is a similar differ ence in t he fr uit s
of t he t wo as well.
7 Cont inuing, Shr iji Mahr j explained, Egot ism, jealousy and
anger t hese t hr ee vicious nat ur es ar e much mor e det r iment al t han
even lust . Why? Because t he S ant may have compassion on a
lust ful per son, but he will not have compassion on an egot ist ical
per son. In addit ion, jealousy and anger ar e evolved fr om egot ism.
Ther efor e, egot ism is a major vice. Fur t her mor e, one does not fall
from Sat sang due t o lust as one does due t o egot ism. For example,
t here are many householder devot ees in our Sat sang and t hey
cont inue t o r emain in Sat sang. So, I always have an int ense
aver sion for t hese t hr ee: egot ism, jealousy and anger . You will find
t his ver ified in My spoken wor ds which have been wr it t en down.
Also, if you r eflect upon t hem, t hen you will r ealise t his t o be t r ue as
well. Therefore, one should eradicat e egot ism by r ealising t he
great ness of God.
8 Again, Shr iji Mahr j said, What is t he convict ion of God?
Well, consider how it is in wor ldly life. Since childhood, one has t he
convict ion of ones par ent s, cast e, sub-cast e, shram , gender , as well
as t he convict ion t hat t his is an animal, t his is a man, t his is wat er ,
t his is fir e, t his is t he ear t h, t his is t he wind, t his is t he sky, and so
on. All t his is due t o t he scr ipt ur es. Even if one has not hear d t he
scr ipt ur es, one has been convinced by pr inciples prevalent in
societ y which t hemselves wer e der ived fr om t he scr ipt ur es.
Similar ly, t he at t r ibut es of t he S ant being fr ee of lust , avar ice,
egot ism, t ast e, at t achment , et c. ar e also descr ibed in t he scr ipt ur es.
The S ant who possesses t hese at t ribut es has a dir ect r elat ionship
wit h God. Therefore, one should develop t he convict ion of God based
on his wor ds. In fact , t o have fir m fait h in t he wor ds of t he S ant is
it self t he convict ion of God.
The Vachanmr ut 603
9 Ther eaft er Nt h Bhakt a of Vadodar asked Shr iji Mahr j a
quest ion: Do t he relat ives of a devot ee of God who has firm fait h in
God at t ain liberat ion due t o t heir relat ionship wit h t hat devot ee?
10 Shr iji Mahr j replied, If t he relat ives or ancest ors of t he
devot ee of God have affect ion for him, t hen yes, t hey will at t ain
liber at ion; ot her wise, t hey will not . In fact , even if one who is not
relat ed t o t hat devot ee has affect ion for him, t hen he will also benefit .
Why? Because at t he t ime of ones deat h, one may r emember t hat
devot ee whose vrut t i is const ant ly fixed on God. Thus, by
r emember ing t hat devot ee, one at t ains liber at ion.
11 Shr iji Mahr j t hen said, I t alk about t he nat ur e of t he t m
and about t he nat ur e of God; yet , by mer ely t alking about t hem one
does not experience t heir bliss as it r eally is. Their t r ue bliss can
only be experienced in sam dhi, or aft er one leaves t he body; but it
cannot be exper ienced by mer ely t alking about it . For example, t he
pleasure of looking at an at t ract ive object can only be enjoyed by t he
eyes. If someone wer e t o pr aise t hat pleasur e wit h his mout h by
saying, I saw a ver y beaut iful object , t hen t he pleasur e exper ienced
by t he mout h is not t he same as t hat exper ienced by t he eyes.
Similar ly, one may at t empt t o pr aise wit h wor ds t he pleasur e of
sounds hear d by t he ear s, fr agr ances smelt by t he nose, sensat ions
felt by t he skin, and flavour s t ast ed by t he t ongue, by saying, It was
an ext r emely pleasant smell; it had a delicious t ast e; it felt ver y good;
it sounded nice but one does not experience pleasur e t hr ough wor ds
as one experiences t he respect ive pleasures t hrough t he respect ive
indriyas . Similar ly, t he bliss and t he happiness of God which one
experiences, as well as t he bliss and t he happiness of t he t m which
one experiences t hrough sam dhi or aft er leaving t he body cannot be
exper ienced by mer ely t alking about t hem. However , if one does
shravan , manan and nididhys on t hese t wo t opics, t hen one at t ains
r ealisat ion. Then, aft er at t aining r ealisat ion, one enjoys t he same
experience and bliss as one does from t hese t wo in sam dhi.
Ther efor e, aft er list ening t o t alks concer ning t hese t wo, one should do
manan and nididhys on t hose t alks.
The Vachanmr ut 604
Fa lli n g fr om t h e P a t h of God
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, Ther e ar e t wo ways in which a
person falls from t he bhakti of God: One is by list ening t o shushka-
Vednt a scr ipt ur es, wher eby he may consider t he for m of Shr i
Kr ishna Bhagwn and ot her forms of God t o be false just as he
consider s all ot her for ms t o be false. Such a shushka-Vednt i should
be consider ed t o be ext r emely ignor ant . The ot her way of falling is by
believing, If I wor ship God, t hen I will enjoy women, food, dr ink and
ot her pleasures of t he panchvishays in Golok and Vaikunt h. Then,
due t o t he desires of t hose pleasures, he forget s even God. The fool,
wit h his dist or t ed mind, believes, If t hat enjoyment was not t r ue,
t hen God would not associat e wit h women like Rdh, Lakshmi, et c.,
in t hat abode. So t hat pleasure is also t rue. But he does not realise
God t o be absolut ely self-fulfilled and cont ent wit hin His own t m .
In act ual fact , such act ivit ies of God ar e for t he pur pose of giving
bliss t o His own devot ees. Therefore, one should engage in bhakti
t oget her wit h gnn and vairgya.
3 One who has underst ood t he great ness of God realises t hat only
God is all-blissful, wher eas t he pleasur es der ived fr om t he
panchvishays have only a slight fr act ion of t he bliss of God; t hus he
would never become at t ached t o any object . The Moksh-dhar ma also
ment ions: Compared t o t he bliss of t he abode of God, t he pleasures of
t he ot her r ealms ar e like narak. This is t he under st anding t hat a
devotee of God should have. If he does not have t his underst anding,
he will fall away from God in t he t wo aforement ioned ways.
4 Ther eupon Sur Khchar asked Shr iji Mahr j, Even aft er
r esolut ely for ming t he convict ion of God and t he S ant as t hey t r uly
ar e, what is t he r eason for someone suffer ing a set back?
5 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, Ther e was some deficiency in t hat
per sons convict ion fr om t he moment t hat he fir st est ablished it .
What was t hat deficiency? Well, if someone wishes t o indulge in
savoury food due t o a desire for t ast ing delicious food, and if God or
The Vachanmr ut 605
t he S ant denounce it , t hen he will suffer a set back. Or , if dist ur bing
t hought s of lust st ill r emain, and t hey speak against it ; or if avar ice
r emains, and if t hey have him r enounce his avar ice by t elling him,
Give away your wealt h, pr oper t y, land and far m t o someone, t hen he
will be unable t o follow t his command. Consequent ly, he suffer s a
set back. Or if a per son has egot ism and t he S ant denounces it and
insult s him, t hen he suffer s a set back due t o t hat as well. Ther efor e,
a per son suffer s a set back due t o t he fault s t hat st ill r emain in him,
even t hough he has t he convict ion of God. But if one eradicat es ones
fault s at t he out set when one est ablishes ones convict ion t hen one
will not suffer a set back. At present , if t hose who possess t hese fault s
t hought fully int r ospect , t hey will be able t o r ealise, I am weak in
t his aspect . So if I am asked t o follow such a command, I will fall
back fr om Sat sang. In t his way, t hey can under st and t hemselves
compr ehensively.
6 Ther eaft er , Shr iji Mahr j asked Br ahmnand Swmi, Shuk
Muni and Sur Khchar a quest ion: What flaw do you possess which
would have you suffer a set back?
7 The t hr ee of t hem answer ed, Mahr j, we have t he flaw of
egot ism. As a r esult , if a sdhu of equal st at us insult s us, we become
somewhat dist ur bed.
8 Hear ing t his, Shr iji Mahr j comment ed, Then I ask t hat if one
has realised God wit h t he knowledge of His great ness as ment ioned
in n-+= - ==-----=|+
i
t hen how can one keep egot ism,
jealousy or anger t owar ds a sdhu of such a God? If one st ill does,
t hen t her e is a flaw in ones under st anding. For example, if one
under st ands t he aut hor it y of t he Gover nor sahib t hat he is t he king
of t he whole world and t hat he is ext remely powerful t hen even if

i
Dyupat aya eva t e na yayur-antam anantatay| |
speed like mer e specks of dust flying in t he air . Even t he Shr ut is, descr ibing
you a s net i net i [i.e. indescr ibable and unfat homable], ult imat ely per ish in you
The Vachanmr ut 606
one of his pauper -like ser vant s wer e t o come, even a gr eat king would
obey his or der s and act accor ding t o however he is t old. Why?
Because t he king has under st ood, He is t he ser vant of t he power ful
Governor sahib. Aft er all, egot ism does not persist before one who is
more powerful t han oneself. Similarly, if one has underst ood God t o
be t he mast er of all divine powers and wealt h, t hen how can one
ret ain egot ism before a sdhu?
9 Br ahmnand Swmi agr eed, Mahr j, what you ar e saying is
correct . If a person has realised God and t he knowledge of His
great ness, t hen he will never develop egot ism, jealousy or anger
t owards a sdhu.
10 Shr iji Mahr j cont inued, J ust look, Uddhavji was so gr eat and
so int elligent ! Yet , because he had underst ood t he great ness of God,
he asked t o be reborn as a vine so t hat he could be t ouched by t he
dust from t he feet of t he gopis who wer e so at t ached t o God. Thus it
is st at ed:
||| -| -| | -=| -| ||+ --||
=| -= -|= +u || ~-+| ||-|~|=|+
i

Even Br ahm has said,
| ~|=| ~|= -|+ |
=|-| +|- + -| -| |- +
i i

i
sm-aho charana-renu-jushm-aham sym vrundvane kimapi gulma-
lataushadheenm|
Y dustyajam svajanam-ryapatham cha hitv bhejur-mukunda-padaveem
shrut ibhir-vimrugym| |
Those [gopi s] having for saken t he unfor sakeable [bond] of t heir bodily
r elat ions and t he pat h of [dharma as pr escr ibed for ] t he nobles wor shipped [i.e.
at t ained] t he st at e of God [i.e. t he st at e of highest liber at ion], which [even] t he
Shr ut is seek. O May I also become any of t he shr ubs, vines, or her bs in
Vr undvan t hat ar e gr aced [i.e. t ouched] by t he dust of t heir [i.e. t he gopis] feet !
i i
Aho bhgyam-aho bhgyam nanda-gopa-vrajaukasm|
Yan -mitram paramnandam purnam brahma santanam| |
O Indeed how for t unat e ar e Nand [t he fat her of Kr ishna], t he gopas and t he
r esident s of Vr aj whose fr iend was t he t r anscendent al, et er nal, per fect and
blissful Br ahma [i.e. God]!

The Vachanmr ut 607
Because he had underst ood t he great ness of God, even Br ahm spoke
in t his manner . Ther efor e, if a per son r ealises t he gr eat ness of God
and a sdhu in t his way, egot ism, jealousy and anger can no longer
persist . Moreover, he would behave as a servant of servant s before
t hem; and no mat t er however much t hey insult him, he would never
t hink of leaving t heir company and going away. Also, he would never
feel in his mind, How long should I t oler at e t his? I will just st ay at
home and engage in worship t her e. Thus, if one under st ands Gods
gr eat ness in such a manner , egot ism is er adicat ed.
11 Then Shr iji Mahr j explained, If a devot ee of God were placed
on a shuli due t o some karma of his, and if at t hat t ime I wer e
st anding next t o him, t he devot ee would st ill not t hink, It would be
good if God would free me from t he pain of t his shuli. In t his
manner , he is not concer ned about his own physical comfor t s.
Inst ead, he bear s t he har dships t hat befall him. As a r esult , God
becomes ext remely pleased wit h such a devot ee who is free of all
expect at ions.
12 Shr iji Mahr j t hen said, I shall now t ell you who at t ains t he
bliss r elat ed t o God. Fir st , consider t he following analogy: Wat er is
t he ver y life of a fish. As long as it r emains in wat er , it is able t o
move, swim and per for m all it s act ivit ies; but t he moment it leaves
t he wat er , it loses it s liveliness and dies. Similar ly, if a per son
believes t he panchvishays t o be his lifeline and believes t hem t o be a
sour ce of happiness, t hen when he is separ at ed fr om t hem, he
becomes almost like a dead person. Such a per son can never at t ain
t he bliss of God. In fact , only a person who does not believe t he
panchvishays t o be his lifeline experiences Gods bliss; only he is able
t o indulge in it ; and only he at t ains it .
Two Twen t y-Ye a r -Old De vot e e s of God
1 On t he night of Posh sudi 2, Samvat 1885 [7 J anuar y 1829],
Shr iji Mahr j was sit t ing on a lar ge, decor at ed cot t hat had been
placed on t he plat form in front of t he medi in Dd Khchar s darbr

The Vachanmr ut 608
an assembly of sdhus as well as devot ees from various places had
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j asked Shuk Muni a quest ion:
Suppose t here are t wo satsangis . Bot h are t went y years of age, and
bot h possess t he virt ues of fait h, affect ionat e bhakti, vairgya and
dharma t o an equal ext ent . But due t o his prrabdha, one of t hem
married, whereas t he ot her did not find anyone and so remained a
snkhya-yogi. He also had a desir e t o mar r y, but he could not find
someone. Since neit her of t hem had int ense vairgya fr om t he
beginning, bot h have an acut e desir e for indulging in t he vishays.
The quest ion, t hen, is whose acut e desir e will be calmed, t he
householder s or the snkhya-yogis? When r eplying, keep in mind
t hat t he Vedas st at e, Only one who has int ense vairgya should
renounce from t he st age of t he brahmacharya shram ; whereas one
whose vairgya is feeble should become a householder for t he purpose
of diminishing his int ense desir e t o indulge in t he vishays. Only
t hen should he accept t he vnprasth shram , and t her eaft er t he
sannys shram . Ther efor e, answer car efully.
3 Shuk Muni at t empt ed t o answer t he quest ion but was unable t o
do so sat isfact orily.
4 Answer ing t he quest ion Himself, Shr iji Mahr j said, The
householder is good, and t he ot her who is a snkhya-yogi is bad.
Why? Because he lacks int ense vairgya. As a r esult , he does not
r ealise t hat t he vishays ar e vain and false. Also, for t he same r eason,
he has no fir mness in his convict ion of his self being t m . For t his
reason, if he happens t o leave t he Sat sang fellowship and encount er
vishays, he will become at t ached t o t hem; if he does not come acr oss
vishays, however, he will be obliged t o come back int o Sat sang. On
t he ot her hand, t he householder will progress even if he has t he
darshan of a sdhu once ever y six mont hs. Ther efor e, it is not
appropriat e for one who is deficient in vairgya t o r enounce; it is only
appropriat e for someone who has int ense vairgya. If someone who is
deficient in vairgya does r enounce, t hen his r enunciat ion will not
endur e t hr oughout his life. Aft er one year , t wo year s, or aft er even
t en year s, difficult ies will definit ely ar ise in his r enunciat ion.
5 Ther eupon Shuk Muni r aised a doubt . He quest ioned, Mahr j,
if t he one whose vairgya is weak list ens t o t he great ness of God from
a sdhu and ponders over it in his mind, t hen will he not develop
The Vachanmr ut 609
int ense vairgya? In fact , only very few people due t o t heir
prrabdha have int ense vairgya fr om t he beginning. Gener ally,
t hough, we see t hat a person develops vairgya even t hough he did
not possess it init ially. How can t his be account ed for ?
6 Shr iji Mahr j explained, The answer t o that is t hat one can
never develop int ense vairgya mer ely by cont emplat ing by oneself,
or by any ot her means for t hat mat t er . However , if, in t he same way
t hat one has affect ion for God, one develops deep affect ion for t he
gr eat S ant who possesses t he four qualit ies of dharma, gnn,
vairgya and bhakti, t hen all of t he act ions one per for ms seeing,
list ening, t alking, et c. will be performed according t o t he wishes of
t hat gr eat S ant whom one has at t ained, i.e., one will not do anyt hing
which is against t he S ant s wish. In ones mind, one const ant ly fear s
behaving cont r ar y t o t he wishes of t hat S ant; one feels, If I do not
behave accor ding t o his wish, t hen he will not maint ain affect ion for
me. That is why such a per son will const ant ly behave accor ding t o
t he S ant s wishes. Therefore, if someone has developed such
at t achment for t he S ant, t hen even if he does not have vairgya, his
r enunciat ion will endur e t ill t he end.
7 J ust see in our Sat sang fellowship, since all of t he males,
females and paramhansas are at t ached t o Me, all t he ot her females
observe r eligious vows t o t he same ext ent as t he t wo or t hree senior
women. Why? Because in t heir mind, t hey r ealise, If we do not
r emain aler t and obser ve t he r eligious vows, t he love which Mahr j
has for us will not r emain, and He will become displeased. The
paramhansas also behave in t he same manner . In fact , it is t he
same for all of t he ot her satsangis , brahmachris and prshads. All
of t he male and female devot ees living far and wide are also aler t in
obser ving t he r eligious vows; t hey t oo feel, If we do not behave
pr oper ly, Mahr j will become displeased. Thus, all of t hem
st aunchly obser ve dharma out of affect ion for Me, even t hough t hey
may possess vairgya t o a great er or lesser degree.
8 However , when I r ecent ly fell ill in Panchl, if somet hing
serious had happened t o Me, t hen everyones firmness would not have
r emained as it is now. At such a t ime, one who has int ense vairgya
can r emain wit hin dharma; or one who has affect ionat ely at t ached
ones jiva t o a person who has int ense vairgya can r emain wit hin
dharma; or one who keeps cont act wit h Sat sang and, r ealising God t o
be antarym i, behaves accor ding t o t he niyams t hat have been
The Vachanmr ut 610
pr escr ibed for him can r emain wit hin dharm a. Except for t hese,
ot her s cannot r emain wit hin dharma. Thus, what I have just
explained is t he only answer t o t he quest ion I had asked.
Con st a n t Awa r en ess of Fi ve Th ou gh t s
1 On Posh sudi Punam, Samvat 1885 [19 J anuar y 1829], Swmi
as devot ees fr om var ious places had gat her ed befor e Him.
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, Two beliefs which I like, and by
which My mind becomes pacified, ar e as follows: Fir st , I like one who
is fir mly convinced t hat t her e is a mass of divine light which is
chaitanya, and t hat t he for m of Shr i Pur ushot t am Bhagwn forever
r esides at t he cent r e of t hat mass of light ; and wit h t hat belief, he
worships and offers bhakti t o t hat God. On t he ot her hand, I do not
like one who believes in and worships only t he chaitanya divine light ;
nor do I like one who does not believe God t o forever possess a form;
nor do I like one who does not worship God. Secondly, I like one who
endeavour s in aust er it ies, yoga, vairgya, developing an aversion
t owards t he panchvishays, et c., in or der t o please God wit hout any
for m of pr et ent iousness. Seeing such a per son, My mind becomes
pleased, and I feel, He should be congrat ulat ed for behaving in t hat
manner .
3 In addit ion, I have const ant awar eness of t hese five t hought s:
Fir st , I am cer t ainly going t o die and leave t his body; it is imminent .
In fact , I fir mly feel, I am going t o die at t his second, at t his ver y
moment . Such awar eness r emains in t imes of happiness and
dist r ess, pleasur e and displeasur e, in fact , amidst all act ivit ies. That
is t he t ype of vairgya I possess. The second t hought is t he const ant
awar eness t hat even t hough deat h is cer t ain, t his much wor k has
alr eady been accomplished, and t his much wor k is left , which I would
like t o complet e. The t hir d is t he t hought of whet her or not desires
for t he panchvishays have been er adicat ed fr om My mind. In fact , I
feel, If t hey have been er adicat ed, t hen why does act ivit y r egar ding
t hat vishay st ill occur ? What if maybe t hey have not been
The Vachanmr ut 611
er adicat ed? In t his manner , I am const ant ly suspicious of t he mind.
The four t h is t he concer n of whet her or not Mukt nand Swmi and
t he ot her senior sdhus and senior devot ees have eradicat ed t heir
desires for t he panchvishays. In fact , I am const ant ly awar e of
looking int o everyon es hear t s t o obser ve, This per sons wor ldly
desir es have been r emoved, but t his per sons have not . Finally, t he
fift h t hought is t hat if I become deject ed, t hen who knows wher e I
would run away t o! In fact , I would probably leave My body.
Ther efor e, I believe I should not become deject ed. Why? Because it is
good t hat by My associat ion all of t hese men, women and
paramhansas happily sit t o engage in t he bhakti of God. Seeing t hem
engaged in such bhakti, I become ext r emely pleased in My mind. In
fact , I feel, Ever yone must die someday, but t o per for m bhakti in t his
manner is t he only gr eat benefit of living. I am const ant ly awar e of
t his.
4 In t his manner , Shr iji Mahr j cit ed His own behaviour as an
example for t he enlight enment of His devot ees, while in act ual fact ,
He Himself is t he manifest for m of Shr i Pur ushot t am Nr yan.
A Met h od of Med i t a t i on Usi n g
t h e Exa mp le of a Sh a d ow
1 On t he evening of Mah sudi 4, Samvat 1885 [7 Febr uar y 1829],
out side t he west -facing r ooms of Dd Khchar s darbr in Gadhad.
He had t ied a whit e fet o ar ound His head and was wear ing a whit e
khes. He had also cover ed Himself wit h a red-bor der ed, whit e,
Br it ish clot h. At t hat t ime, some of t he paramhansas wer e singing
devot ional songs t o t he accompaniment of musical inst r ument s, while
ot her paramhansas as well as devot ees from various places had
2 Aft er t he paramhansas sang t he devot ional song | ||
|...
i
, Shr iji Mahr j r equest ed, Please sing | -| ||...
i
.

i
Hari mere hralaki lakari
The Vachanmr ut 612
The paramhansas t hen began singing t hat devot ional song. In t he
meant ime, Shr iji Mahr j sat cont emplat ing.
3 Then He int er r upt ed, Please st op singing, and allow Me t o t alk
t o you. Cont inuing, He said, What I am about t o r eveal t o you is
not much, but it can be ver y beneficial for t hose who pr act ise
medit at ion. In fact , I have never r evealed t his mat t er befor e. Then
closing His gent le eyes, He began t hinking, and t her eaft er said,
Ther e is a mass of divine light t hat is like count less millions of
moons, suns and flames of fir e. That mass of light appear s t o be like
an ocean. The for m of Pur ushot t am Bhagwn r esides wit hin t hat
luminous, brahmarup abode of God, and He Himself assumes an
avat r fr om t hat for m.
4 What is t hat God like? Well, He t r anscends bot h t he per ishable
and t he imper ishable; He is t he cause of all causes; and count less
millions of aksharrup muktas wor ship His holy feet . Out of
compassion, t hat ver y same God is manifest and pr esent befor e your
eyes in an incar nat ed for m for t he pur pose of gr ant ing ult imat e
liberat ion t o jivas. Ther efor e, t her e is a gr eat similar it y bet ween t he
form residing in t he abode of God and t his incarnat e form of Shri
Kr ishna.
5 The vision of a per son who medit at es on t his human for m of
Shr i Kr ishna develops ext r eme vairgya for all char ming sight s ot her
t han God and r emains engr ossed only in t he char m of God. Then, he
does not not ice even t he slight est difference bet ween t he manifest
form of God and t he form in His abode. The appearance and age of
t hat form, and t he appearance and age of t his form will appear
similar . In addit ion, t he height and build of t hat form will appear t o
be exact ly t he same as t hat of t his for m; not even t he slight est
difference can be discerned bet ween t hat form and t his form. Indeed,
t her e appear s t o be a t ot al oneness bet ween t hem. In t his manner ,
t here is not even t he slight est difference bet ween t hat form and t his
for m. In fact , bot h ar e one.
6 When one medit at es on t hat manifest for m out war dly, in fr ont
of t he eyes, t here is not t he slight est difference bet ween t hat form and
t his for m. But , if t he medit at or looks at t hat same for m inwar dly,
wit hin his eyes, t hen t hat same form does not appear t o be t he same

i
J amunke teera thdo
The Vachanmr ut 613
as before. In t his case, it becomes t he same size as t he pupil of t he
eye. Ther eaft er , when t he medit at or int r ospect s, and medit at es and
looks inward at t he point of his t hroat and below, he does not see t hat
same for m as t he t wo for ms he saw befor e. He sees t hat same for m
as being ext r emely lar ge, ext r emely t all, ext r emely fat , and
ext r emely fr ight ening. For example, t he shadow of a man for med by
t he sun at noon would be almost t he same lengt h as t he mans body.
But when t hat same sun set s, t he shadow becomes ver y elongat ed
it does not r emain t he same lengt h as t he mans body. Similar ly, t he
for m of God also becomes as lar ge as ment ioned pr eviously. Then
when t he per son sees t hat for m wit hin t he buddhi, which r esides in
t he hear t , and wit hin his own jiva wit hin t he buddhi, he sees t he
for m as being t he size of a t humb. It appear s t o have t wo ar ms or
four ar ms, but he does not see it in t he t hr ee ways t hat he saw
befor e. Then, inwar dly, t he medit at or sees t he for m t o t r anscend his
jiva and sees it in t he midst of a mass of divine light which is like
t hat of count less millions of suns, moons and flames of fir e. Also, he
sees t hat for m t o be just like t he for m t hat he saw before his eyes; he
does not discern even t he slight est difference bet ween t he t wo.
7 Thus, t he same for m t hat is in Akshar dh m which is
guntit is manifest . Ther e is no differ ence bet ween t he t wo. J ust
as t he form in t he abode is gunt it , t he human for m is also guntit .
The differ ence which was not iced ear lier was, in fact , due t o t he
gunas of t he differ ent locat ions wit hin t he body; i.e., in t he eyes t her e
is sattvagun; in t he t hr oat t her e is rajogun; even t he jiva, which
resides wit hin t he buddhi, is full of gunas.
8 Aft er deliver ing t his discour se, Shr iji Mahr j said, Please
cont inue singing t he devot ional song which you wer e singing ear lier .
9 In t his manner , Shr iji Mahr j r evealed Himself as
Pur ushot t am using t he non -manifest form of God as an example.
Commi t t i n g Si n s u n d er t h e P r et ext of
Kn owi n g God s Gr ea t n ess
1 On Mah sudi 5, Samvat 1885 [8 Febr uar y 1829], Swmi Shr i
Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing on a lar ge, decorat ed cot on t he
The Vachanmr ut 614
Gadhad. He was dr essed ent ir ely in whit e clot hes. At t hat t ime,
t he singer -paramhansas were singing devot ional songs relat ed t o t he
spr ing season, while ot her munis as well as devot ees from various
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j asked Mukt nand Swmi and t he
ot her sdhus, Please explain t he meaning of t he ver se |=|
||- -- |||-= |+
i
.
3 The sdhus t hen explained t he verse according t o t he
comment ar y wr it t en by Rmnuj.
4 Shr iji Mahr j t hen added, Wit h r efer ence t o t hat ver se, I have
for med t he convict ion t hat one who is in his yout h should r educe his
diet and should eat and behave moderat ely. Aft er all, when ones diet
is r educed, physical st r engt h also diminishes. Only t hen can t he
indriyas be over come; ot her wise, t hey cannot . Having done t hat , if a
per son ent husiast ically engages his mind in t he nine t ypes of bhakti
of God, and himself lovingly engages in bhakti, t hen he will r emain
in t he Sat sang fellowship t ill t he end. But if he does not behave in
t his manner , he will sur ely succumb t o his indriyas and, sooner or
lat er , he will fall fr om Sat sang. Even one who has mast er ed
sam dhi, like Govar dhan, is afr aid of t his; so what can be said for
ot her s?
5 However , ones diet cannot be cont r olled by mer ely obser ving
sever al fast s consecut ively. That only leads t o ones desir es and diet
incr easing, because when one br eaks a fast , one t ends t o eat t wice as
much. But if a per son begins t o r educe his diet gr adually, it can be
cont r olled. For example, even t hough t he clouds cause r ain t o fall in
t iny dr ops, wat er st ill collect s in a lar ge quant it y. Similar ly, one
should cont r ol ones diet gr adually. Consequent ly, ones indriyas will
also be cont r olled. Then, if one lovingly engages in bhakti, one will
r emain in Sat sang t ill t he end. This is a fact .

i
Vishay vinivart ant e nirhrasya dehinaha| |
The sense object s r ecede for a per son who abst ains fr om indulging in t hem.
However , t he longing for t hem does not subside. The longing subsides [only]
when his vision r eaches [i.e. he r ealises] t he t r anscendent al [i.e. God].
Bhagwad Git : 2.59
The Vachanmr ut 615
6 Shr iji Mahr j t hen said, How does a t rue devot ee of God
under st and Gods gr eat ness? Well, he believes, God, who possesses a
definit e for m, for ever r esides in His luminous Akshar dh m. He is
t he cause and cont r oller of ever yt hing, t he antarym i wit hin all and
t he supr eme mast er of count less millions of brahmnds. Mor eover ,
His for m is divine, blissful, and fr ee fr om t he gunas of m y.
Under st anding t he manifest God in t his way, he believes t hat wit h
t he except ion of God, all ot her worldly object s are absolut ely vain and
perishable. In addit ion, he has love only for God, and he engages in
t he nine t ypes of bhakti. He also believes, Kl, m y, Br ahm, Shiv,
Sur ya, Chandr a, et c., ar e power ful, yet even t hey act accor ding t o t he
commands of t hat ext r emely gr eat God. Under st anding t his, he
always behaves wit hin t he disciplines of dharma est ablished by God
in or der t o please Him; never does he t r ansgr ess t hose disciplines.
7 On t he ot her hand, a per son who has a cor r upt ed mind believes,
Such a great God is t he uplift er of t he wret ched and t he redeemer of
sinner s. So why wor r y about slight ly br eaching t he disciplines of
dharma? Aft er all, God is capable of gr ant ing liber at ion. In t his
manner , he does not hesit at e in commit t ing sins under t he pr et ext of
knowing Gods gr eat ness. Such a per son should be consider ed wicked
and sinful. Such a per son, even t hough he may super ficially appear
t o be a devot ee, should not be considered a devot ee, and one should
not r emain in his company. Only a per son who has t he
underst anding described previously should be considered t o be a
devot ee, and only his company should be kept .
Not Allowi n g t h e Mi n d t o Become Affect ed by
Fou r Th in gs
Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing in t he mandir of Shri Gopint hji
2 Then, addr essing all of t he paramhansas, Shr iji Mahr j said,
In t he Sat sang fellowship, t here are only a few devot ees whose mind
The Vachanmr ut 616
would not be affect ed by wealt h, propert y, women, childr en, et c., and
who would not develop fait h in t hose who fulfill t he desires relat ed t o
t hose t hings. In fact , t her e cannot be many devot ees who ar e like
t his. Saying t his, Shr iji Mahr j cont inued, This Mukt nand
Swmi and Goplnand Swmi ar e like t hat , because in no way
would t hey become impr essed by anyone, no mat t er how gr eat he
may be even if he wer e t o show mir acles.
3 What ar e t he char act er ist ics of a per son who will not be
influenced by anyone? Well, such a per son believes, I am t he t m ,
which is dist inct fr om t he body; I am luminous and char act er ised by
pur e exist ence. Mor eover , t he manifest for m of God const ant ly
r esides wit hin my self. Except for t he for m of God, all wor ldly for ms
are asat ya and full of count less flaws. A per son who has such
vairgya and who t hor oughly under st ands t he gr eat ness of God will
never har bour any kind of doubt s in his mind. But having said t hat ,
t hat under st anding is ver y difficult t o cult ivat e. Because even
t hough t hese t wo sdhus are so great , if t hey were t o receive an
abundance of honour, or if heaps of rupees and gold coins were t o be
placed befor e t hem, or if t hey wer e t o encount er at t r act ive women,
t hen even t hough t hey ar e r enunciant s, t hey would not be able t o
maint ain t heir int egr it y. In fact , if t hey do encount er t hose object s,
t hen it is doubt ful whet her t hey would r emain on par wit h even t he
lowest of our r enunciant s. Why? Because t he ver y associat ion of
t hose object s is such. For example, see how pious all of us sit t ing
here are. However, if we were t o drink bot t les of liquor, we would not
remain so composed. Similar ly, t he associat ion of t hose object s
cer t ainly has an effect on a person. Therefore, only if one does not
associat e wit h t hose object s can one be saved fr om t hem. In fact ,
even before one encount ers t hem, one should be caut ious, lest one
encount er s t hem. Mor eover , it is a well-known fact of t he scr ipt ur es
t hat only God is unaffect ed by t heir associat ion. That is why it has
been st at ed: +| ||=-| - +
i
as well as =-= --+|-||+
|-=|- -+
i
.

i
Rushim nryanam-rut e| |
Of t he pr ogeny of Br ahm [i.e. Mar ichi, et c.], and t heir pr ogeny [i.e. Kashyap,
et c.], and t heir pr ogeny [i.e. humans and deit ies] whose mind in t his wor ld,

The Vachanmr ut 617
4 Ther eaft er Shr iji Mahr j said, Who can be called an ekntik
bhakta of Vsudev Bhagwn? Well, one who possesses t he qualit ies
of swadharma, gnn, vairgya, and unparalleled bhakti t owards
Vsudev Bhagwn coupled wit h knowledge of his great ness can be
called an ekntik bhakta.
5 Fur t her mor e, r egar ding such a per sons ult imat e fat e, it is said
t hat he ent er s Vsudev Bhagwn. But what is meant by ent er ing?
Well, t hat devot ee has affect ion for t he divine form of Vsudev
Bhagwn, who dwells wit hin a mass of divine light . Due t o t hat
affect ion, he has const ant awar eness of t he for m of Vsudev Bhagwn
in his mind, and he behaves as if he is infat uat ed by t hat for m.
Remaining in t hat st at e, he also engages in t he ser vice of Vsudev
Bhagwn out war dly. For example, even t hough Lakshmiji r emains
in t he heart of Vsudev Bhagwn symbolically and t hr ough her
pr ofound love, she also out war dly ser ves him in t he for m of a female.
The ent er ing of an ekntik bhakta int o Vsudev Bhagwn should be
under st ood in a similar manner .
6 Even at pr esent , t he at t achment a devot ee has for t he t en t ypes
of bhakti engaging in discourses relat ed t o God, singing devot ional
songs, chant ing His holy name, et c. as well as t he at t achment he
has for swadharma, vairgya, t m -r ealisat ion, keeping t he company
of t he S ant and r ealising t he gr eat ness of God is such t hat he can in
no way do wit hout t hem. For example, one who is addict ed t o opium
cannot live wit hout it . Even t hough t hat opium is ext r emely bit t er , a
per son who is addict ed t o it cannot live wit hout it . Or , if a per son is
addict ed t o alcohol, t hen even t hough his t hr oat bur ns whenever he
dr inks alcohol, he cannot live wit hout it . Even if someone wer e t o
offer him many r upees he would not accept t hem, because his

besides t hat of Nr yan Rishi, can be dist inguished as being unaffect ed by t he
my [i.e. allur ing cha r m] of women?
i
Yenye svataha parihrutd -api bibhyati sma| |
O Mast er of t he Indriyas [God]! You ar e indeed t he lor d of t he whole mobile and
immobile wor ld, because even t hough you indulge in t he var ious [sense] object s
cr ea t ed by t he imbalance in t he gunas of my, you r emain unaffect ed [by
t hem]. Apar t fr om you, [t hough,] ot her s st ill fear [t he associat ion of t he sense
object s] even t hough t hey have r enounced t hem.
The Vachanmr ut 618
addict ion is mor e dear t o him. Why? Because t hat vice has become
ingr ained in his jiva. Similar ly, if a per son was addict ed t o t he
bhakti of God and ot her such act ivit ies, t hen even if he r emains
under t he influence of any t ype of bad company, he would not be able
t o live wit hout engaging in t hose devot ional act ivit ies. Moreover, his
mind would not be pleased in engaging in any ot her act ivit ies. Such
a devot ee of God whose jiva has become engrossed in Gods bhakti and
ot her such act ivit ies, and who is ext r emely eager t o per for m only
t hose act ivit ies, can also be said t o have ent er ed Vsudev Bhagwn.
7 So what ar e t he char act er ist ics of such a devot ee of God? Well,
except for t he ser vice of God, if he does not wish for even t he four
t ypes of liberat ion
i
, how can he desir e anyt hing else? Such a person
should be known as an ekntik bhakta because he has no desire for
anyt hing. A per son who is not like t his, at t imes, enjoys engaging in
t he bhakti of God; but if he encount er s evil company, he will forget
bhakti and begin t o behave immor ally. Such a person should be
known t o be a fake devot ee and a person who believes his self t o be
t he body. He is not a t r ue devot ee and cannot be t r ust ed.
8 Then Shr iji Mahr j cont inued, If a devot ee of God is vulnerable
t o women, wealt h, swabhvs and t he belief t hat one is t he body, t hen
even if he is engaged in t he bhakti of God, his bhakti cannot be
t r ust ed; he will sur ely encount er hindr ances in it . Why? Because if
at some t ime he happens t o come acr oss women or wealt h, t hen t her e
will be no st abilit y in his bhakti, and he will become engr ossed in
t hem. Also, if a person believes his self t o be t he body, t hen when he
suffers due t o some illness, or if he is unable t o obt ain food and
clot hing, or if a command t o obser ve a difficult r eligious vow is given ,
t hen again, his bhakti will be dist ur bed. In fact , he will become
frust rat ed and will not be able t o t hink; he will begin t o behave
immor ally. Also, if he has a cer t ain swabhv, and if t he S ant
r epr imands him inst ead of allowing him t o behave accor ding t o his
swabhv, i.e., makes him behave cont r ar y t o it , t hen also he will
become dist ur bed. Then, if he cannot r emain in t he company of t he
S ant, how will he be able t o maint ain bhakti? Ther efor e, he who

i
The four t ypes of liber at ion as descr ibed in Gadh I-43.2 ar e: (1) t o r eside in t he
r ealm of God; (2) t o st ay near God; (3) t o assume a for m similar t o t hat of God;
and (4) t o at t ain divine power s similar t o Gods power s.
The Vachanmr ut 619
wishes t o develop resolut e bhakti should not be vulnerable in t hese
four aspect s. If t her e is a flaw in t hese four , it should be slowly
er adicat ed wit h under st anding. Only t hen can one per for m
unflinching bhakti of Vsudev Bhagwn. What I have just said is
absolut ely t r ue; t her e is no doubt in it what soever .
Ma i n t a i n i n g Desi r es On ly for God
1 On Chait r a sudi 3, Samvat 1885 [6 Apr il 1829], Swmi Shr i
2 Then Shuk Muni asked Shr iji Mahr j, There appear t o be t wo
means by which desir es for only God, and not for any worldly object ,
r emain. One is love for God, and t he ot her is vairgya coupled wit h
gnn. These ar e t he t wo means. For one who does not pr act ise t hese
t wo means fir mly but who does have fait h in God and t he convict ion
of God, is t her e a t hir d means by which he can maint ain desir es only
for God and not for anyt hing else?
3 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said in r eply, That is a good quest ion
because it is t rue t hat only by t hose t wo means do desires only for
God, and not for anyt hing else, r emain. If a per son does not pr act ise
t hose t wo means, t hen his desir es for object s ot her t han God will not
be er adicat ed. As a r esult , he r emains unhappy in life. But since he
has fait h in God, God will gr ant him liber at ion aft er deat h
nonet heless.
4 However , just like t hose t wo means, t her e is also a t hir d means
for er adicat ing desir es for object s ot her t han God. What is it ? Well,
it is t o diligent ly observe t he prescribed niyams. J ust what ar e t hose
niyams? Some ar e r elat ed t o t he dut ies of ones cast e and shram .
J ust as t her e ar e niyams for an tmanivedi sdhu and a
brahmachri, similar ly, even t hough a per son is not an tmanivedi,
he should st ill follow t he niyams of not seeing women and not
list ening t o t alks about t hem. In t his manner , he should st r ict ly and
diligent ly observe t he niyams relat ed t o forsaking t he panchvishays.
The Vachanmr ut 620
Also, he should physically ser ve God and His Bhakta, and he should
list en t o spir it ual discour ses r elat ed t o God. In t his manner , if he
observes niyams in t he for m of engaging in t he nine t ypes of bhakti,
t hen his mind will also begin t o ent er t ain pious t hought s. So, if a
person behaves according t o t hese t wo niyams, t hen as a r esult , even
if he does not have vairgya or love for God, t hey will develop; he will
become ext remely powerful; impure desires for object s will be
eradicat ed; and only desires for God will flourish day by day.
5 Again, Shuk Muni asked Shr iji Mahr j, Mahr j, it seems
anger arises when ones desire for a cert ain object or ones sense of
my-ness for somet hing is violat ed by someone. When a desir e, i.e., a
cr aving, is not sat isfied, t hen t hat desir e r esult s in anger . So, it can
be said t hat such a person has developed a swabhv wher ein anger
can ar ise. Is it possible, t hough, t hat anger will not ar ise even in
such sit uat ions?
6 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, The gr eat S ant who, by Gods
command or by his own wish aft er under st anding Gods gr eat ness
accor ding t o t he scr ipt ur es, has made a pious r esolut ion t o keep
innumer able people wit hin t he disciplines of dharma and t o lead
t hem ont o t he pat h of God and is act ive in t hat respect may expr ess
anger on a person who infringes t he disciplines of dharma and follows
adharma. Why? Because t hat per son has infr inged on t he
S ant s r esolve. Ther efor e, if t he sdhu does not express anger and
does not r epr imand t hat per son in or der t o t each him t o r emain
wit hin t he disciplines of dharma, t hen t hat per son will cont inue t o
infr inge t hose disciplines and will not pr ogr ess. Ther efor e, anger
expr essed for t his r eason is beneficial; t her e is not hing unsuit able
about it . Why? Because t housands of people have t aken t he refuge of
t he gr eat S ant who has r esolved t o t ake t his pat h. So how can t hey
possibly not be somewhat reprimanded?
7 Anger will not ar ise, however , if one shuns t he ver y cause of
t hat anger . Obviously, anger will not ar ise, if one is t r avelling alone
in t he jungle; but how can t he gr eat S ant do t hat ? Aft er all, he has
underst ood fr om t he scr ipt ur es t he gr eat fr uit s involved in guiding
count less people t owards God by discourses in or der t hat t hey
at t ain liber at ion. Similar ly, he has also under st ood t he impor t ance of
obser ving Gods injunct ions. Ther efor e, even t hough he may expr ess
anger , he st ill does not for sake his pious r esolut ion.
The Vachanmr ut 621
8 One who has developed at t achment wit h t he great S ant, has
underst ood t hat his personal int erest of at t aining liberat ion can be
r ealised t hr ough t he S ant and believes, Only t hr ough t his S ant will
I benefit t hen even t hough he may have a swabhv in t he for m of
anger , he will never get angr y on t hat gr eat S ant. In fact , he will
sur ely for sake his swabhv. So, anger can also be er adicat ed in t his
way.
9 On t he ot her hand, he who becomes angr y on a sdhu over t he
exchange of some wor t hless object s has simply not under st ood t he
great ness of t he sdhu, or t he t r ue pat h of a sdhu. If he had
under st ood it , t hen he would not become angr y over such wor t hless
object s. In fact , even if such a per son is int elligent and
under st anding, if he does become angry on a sdhu for wor t hless
object s, t hen his int ellect should be considered t o be like t hat of a
kings minist er adept only in worldly affairs. He does not possess
t he int ellect of a t rue sdhu.
For cefu lly Alt er i n g On es I n n a t e Na t u r e;
God I s Ma li gn ed Wh en Hi s Bh a k t a I s Ma li gn ed
2 Then Shuk Muni asked Shr iji Mahr j, Mahr j, how can we
r ecognise t hat a per son has such a fir m r efuge of God and His Bhakta
t hat it will in no way falt er regardless of t he ext ent of hardships he
may have t o face; r egar dless of any physical happiness or dist r ess;
and regardless of whet her he faces honour or insult , or even adver se
cir cumst ances? Please also descr ibe what t ype of t hought s such a
per son has in his mind, as well as how he behaves physically.
3 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said in reply, If a devot ee realises
t hat only God is great , but he does not believe anyt hing else t o be
great er t han God; and if he also believes t hat everyt hing except God
is vain; and if he does not become dist urbed or annoyed when God or
The Vachanmr ut 622
t he S ant at t empt s t o for cefully alt er his innat e nat ur e or when t hey
do not allow him t o behave accor ding t o his nat ur e; and if he can
for sake his nat ur e, no mat t er how ingr ained it may be, and follow t he
commands of God and t he S ant in a st r aight for war d manner t hen
t hat devot ees accept ance of t he refuge of God will not falt er,
r egar dless of how adver se t he cir cumst ances may be.
4 Shuk Muni t hen quer ied, Such a per son must become
dist ur bed, because when anyones nat ur e is for cefully alt er ed, one
nat ur ally becomes dist ur bed. But t he quest ion is, ar e t her e
differences in t he t ypes of dist urbances t hat are experienced, or not ?
5 Shr iji Mahr j explained, If a person is dist urbed when his
nat ur e is for cefully alt er ed, and if he t hen finds fault s wit h himself
r at her t han wit h God or t he S ant, t hen he is good. However , inst ead
of finding fault s wit h himself, if a person perceives fault s in God and
t he S ant, t hen his fut ur e is doubt ful; i.e., t her e is no st abilit y in such
a persons refuge of God.
6 Again, Shuk Muni asked, If God or t he S ant have never
at t empt ed t o t wist ones nat ur e, how can one r ealise in ones own
mind, If t hey do at t empt t o do so at some t ime in t he fut ur e, I will
become dist ur bed.? Aft er all, how can one be sur e of somet hing t hat
one has not experienced?
7 Hear ing t his, Shr iji Mahr j explained, One should reflect upon
t he t hought s t hat occur in ones mind. For example, In my mind,
besides t he t hought s of God, t here are also t hought s relat ed t o t he
panchvishays; of t hese, for which object s do I have powerful desires
and for which do I have st r ong cr avings? If a per son cont emplat es in
t his manner , he can r ealise himself as he t r uly is; ot her wise, he
cannot . Dur ing t hat cont emplat ion, he should also r ealise, I have
ver y st r ong desir es for t his object , and I am st r iving t o at t ain it .
But , when t he S ant at t empt s t o have me forsake it , I will become
dist ur bed. In t his way, he becomes clear about his own self. If his
nat ur e is st ubbor n, and God or t he S ant do not at t empt t o alt er it ,
t hen he will sur vive in t he Sat sang fellowship; however , if t hey do
at t empt t o alt er it , t hen he will definit ely fall. Ult imat ely, t hen, he
will become ext r emely dist ur bed and will fall fr om Sat sang.
8 Ther eaft er Shr iji Mahr j said, The scr ipt ur es claim t hat t o
malign t he S ant is t he gr avest of all sins. What is t he r eason for
t his? Well, it is because Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn himself r esides in
t he heart of t hat S ant. Ther efor e, when one maligns t he S ant, one
The Vachanmr ut 623
maligns God as well. Aft er all, when one maligns t he S ant, God, who
r esides wit hin his hear t is hur t . In such a case, t he sin of
maligning God is an even gr aver sin. Ther efor e, it is said t hat t o
malign t he S ant is t he gr avest of all sins.
9 Having said t hat t hough, Kansa, Shishupl, Put n and ot her
demons spit ed God, yet God st ill grant ed t hem liberat ion like t hat of
a devot ee. Why was t his? Because even t hough it was out of
animosit y, t hose demons did cont emplat e upon God. Therefore God
felt , Those demons t hought of Me and t hus associat ed wit h Me, albeit
out of animosit y. So I should gr ant t hem liber at ion. These cases
should be t aken as examples of Gods compassion. One should also
r ealise, If God gr ant ed t hem liber at ion even t hough t hey sought t he
r efuge of God t hr ough animosit y, why would God not gr ant liber at ion
t o a devot ee who seeks His refuge by offering bhakti and who pleases
Him by t hat bhakti? Of cour se, He will.
10 The int ent ion of t hose who have given t he scr ipt ur es is t o
inspire people t owards t he bhakti of God by showing Gods abundant
compassion; t heir int ent ion was not t o allow people t o behave against
Gods wishes like t hose demons. Therefore, a person who spit es God
by keeping animosit y t owar ds Him and who behaves against His
wishes should definit ely be considered t o be a demon because t hat is
t he way of demons. However , one should behave only in a manner
t hat will please God; one should engage in bhakti and please Him and
His Bhakta. That is t he way of devot ees of God.
11 Shuk Muni t hen asked fur t her , Mahr j, what ar e t he
char act er ist ics of a S ant who is such t hat by maligning him, God
r esiding wit hin his hear t is also maligned, and by ser ving him, God
is ser ved?
12 Shr iji Mahr j t hought for a while and t hen answered out of
compassion: Fir st of all, t he for emost char act er ist ic is t hat he never
believes God t o be formless. He underst ands God t o et ernally possess
a for m and t o be divine. In fact , no mat t er how many of t he Pur ns,
Upanishads, Vedas, or ot her scr ipt ur es he may hear if ever he
comes acr oss t he idea of God being for mless, he t hinks, Eit her I have
not under st ood t he t r ue meaning of t he scr ipt ur es, or t her e may be
some ot her purpose behind such words; but God indeed always
possesses a for m. If he does not underst and God t o possess a form,
t hen his upsan cannot be considered resolut e. Besides, if God did
not possess a form, t hen He could not be called t he all-doer just as
The Vachanmr ut 624
ksh cannot be called t he doer; nor could He be said t o reside in one
locat ion. Thus God et er nally possesses a for m. In addit ion, He is t he
cr eat or , sust ainer and dest r oyer of count less brahmnds; He is
for ever pr esent in His Akshardh m; He is t he lor d of all; and He is
manifest here before your eyes. The aforement ioned S ant always has
t his under st anding; but t his under st anding of his is never shaken in
any way or under any cir cumst ances.
13 Secondly, he engages himself in t he ekntik bhakti of God.
Moreover, when he sees someone else engaged in spirit ual discourses,
singing devot ional songs, chant ing t he holy name of God, et c., he
becomes ext remely pleased in his mind.
14 Thir dly, when he st ays amongst devot ees, he does not allow any
of his swabhvs t o int er fer e. In fact , he will for sake his swabhvs,
but he will not leave t he company of t he devot ees of God. If t he S ant
happens t o denounce his swabhvs, he does not bear cont empt
t owards t he S ant. Inst ead, he finds fault s wit h his own swabhvs,
but never does he become upset or even t hink of depart ing from t he
company of t he devot ees of God. In t his manner , he r emains wit hin
t he fellowship of devot ees.
15 Four t hly, when he comes acr oss any pr ecious it em such as an
expensive piece of clot hing, some delicious food, clean wat er , et c., he
t hinks, It would be nice t o give t his t o a devot ee of God. He would
give away t he it ems t o him and be happy.
16 Fift h, t he devot ees in whose company he is st aying do not feel of
him, He has being st aying wit h us for so many year s, yet we have
not been able t o t r uly under st and him; and who knows what he is
r eally like? It is difficult t o judge him. He would not be like t hat .
Inst ead, he would be such t hat ever yone would know him out war dly
and inwar dly, and t hey would feel, He is definit ely like t his. He
would be of such a fr ank nat ur e.
17 Sixt h, even if he is of a quiet nat ur e, he would not like t he
company of kusangis ; and if he does happen t o come across t hem, he
would, in fact , become infur iat ed. In t his manner , he has a nat ur al
dislike for t he company of t hose who are non -believer s.
18 Thus, it should be known t hat God Himself r esides in t he hear t
of a S ant who possesses t hese six qualit ies. By maligning such a
S ant, one commit s a sin equivalent t o maligning God; and if one
The Vachanmr ut 625
ser ves such a S ant, one ear ns mer it s equivalent t o having ser ved
God.
Th e Most Ext r a or d i n a r y Sp i r i t u a l En d ea vou r for
Li ber a t i on
Sahajnandji Mahr j r ode on hor seback fr om Dd Khchar s
darbr in Gadhad and ar r ived at Lakshmivdi. Ther e, He sat on a
plat for m wit hin t he gr ounds. He was dr essed ent ir ely in whit e
2 Then Shr iji Mahr j asked all of t he paramhansas and devot ees,
What is t he most ext r aor dinar y spir it ual endeavour for t he
liberat ion of t he jiva, which, if pr act ised, will sur ely guar ant ee
liberat ion and pr event all ot her obst acles fr om hinder ing t hat
liber at ion? Also, what is t he gr eat est obst acle in t hat endeavour for
liber at ion, on account of which one would cer t ainly fall fr om t he pat h
of liberat ion? Please answer bot h of t hese quest ions.
3 Ever yone answer ed accor ding t o t heir under st anding, but t he
quest ion was not answer ed sat isfact or ily.
4 So t hen Shr iji Mahr j said in r eply, The most ext r aor dinar y
spir it ual endeavour for liber at ion is t o under st and Pur ushot t am
Bhagwn, who is seat ed amidst t he mass of light of Br ahma, as
et er nally having a for m. Fur t her mor e, under st anding t hat all
avat rs emanat e fr om Him, one should accept t he r efuge of t he
manifest form of God by any means possible. One should also offer
bhakti t o t hat God while observing dharma, as well as associat e wit h
a S ant possessing such bhakti. That is t he most ext r aor dinar y
spirit ual endeavour for liberat ion . One encount er s no hindr ances
along t hat pat h.
5 A major obst acle in pr act ising t hat spir it ual endeavour is
keeping t he company of shushka-Vednt is. Which obst acles ar ise
when a per son keeps t heir company? Well, init ially, he develops
affect ion for t hem. That affect ion develops due t o t he Vednt is
goodwill. For example, if a per son has saved someones life by giving
The Vachanmr ut 626
him some food dur ing a famine, t hen t hat per son would nat ur ally
develop affect ion for him. In t his way, one develops affect ion for a
per son who has helped one. Similar ly, t hose shushka-Vednt is would
point out advant ages, such as, The t m does not undergo birt hs and
deat hs, and it is for mless. In fact , r egar dless of t he number of sins
one may commit , t he t m r emains immune t o t hose flaws.
Point ing out such advant ages, t hey denounce t he for m of God. That
is a major obst acle since it leads t o t he r eject ion of Gods for m.
Ther efor e, one should never keep t he company of shushka-Vednt is
t hey ar e absolut ely ignor ant . In fact , t her e is no gr eat er obst acle on
t he pat h of bhakti t han t his.
6 Ther eaft er , Shr iji Mahr j r et ur ned t o Dd Khchar s darbr.
There, He sat on a large, decorat ed cot on t he veranda out side t he
east -facing r ooms and said, I have hear d all of t he scr ipt ur es and
have for med a pr inciple. I have also t r avelled t hr oughout t his land
and seen many r ealised yogis. So saying, He nar r at ed t he st or ies of
Gopldsji and ot her sdhus. He t hen cont inued by saying, I believe
t hat it is impossible t o see t he t m and Br ahma wit hout t he
upsan and medit at ion of Gods for m. Only t hr ough upsan can
t he t m and Br ahma be seen; wit hout it , t hey cannot be seen. In
fact , wishing t o see t he t m and Br ahma wit hout upsan is like
at t empt ing t o lick t he sky wit h ones t ongue; even if one t ries for a
hundred years, one will never be able t o t ast e it as sour or salt y.
Similar ly, t he t m and Br ahma simply cannot be seen wit hout t he
upsan of t he form of God regardless of t he effort s one may resort
t o. Fur t her mor e, t he scr ipt ur es ment ioning of t he possibilit y of
t m -realisat ion t hr ough nirbij
i
Snkhya and Yoga is ir r elevant I
have not seen anyone do so, nor is t he claim in accor dance wit h My
exper ience. Ther efor e, t he claim is false.

i
Lit er ally, nirbij means seedless, but her e it should be under st ood t o mean
wit hout t he associat ion of God.
The Vachanmr ut 627
Object s En joyed P r evi ou sly Ar e Remember ed i n
Ti mes of P over t y
Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing on a small, embr oider ed clot h on
t he veranda out side t he nort h-facing r ooms of Dd Khchar s darbr
an assembly of paramhansas as well as devot ees from various places
2 Then, addr essing all of t he sdhus and devot ees, Shriji Mahr j
said, Once a per son has t hor oughly at t ained t he gnn of God, t hen
even if t he fact or s of place, t ime, act ion and company become adverse
for him, his gnn does not diminish in t he least . Take, for example,
t he analogy of a gr eat king or a millionair e. If he happens t o lose his
st at us due t o his prrabdha and becomes poor, and because of t hat if
he has only cheap food t o eat , such as low-qualit y gr ains, or t he
spinach of dodi, or kot h, or ber r ies, or boiled pipal fr uit , et c., t hen
he would cert ainly eat it ; but he would also recall t he expensive
delicacies t hat he formerly ordered and at e it ems which no one else
could even obt ain. In his mind he would t hink, I used t o eat all
t hose delicacies in t he past , wher eas now I eat such common food. In
t his manner , whenever he eat s, he would r ecall t his. However , if a
per son has been eat ing such common food fr om t he beginning, and if
he becomes even poorer, t hen he cont inues t o eat t he same t ype of
food as before. So what does he have t o recall? Not hing.
3 Cor r espondingly, once a per son has t hor oughly known in his
own mind t he bliss of God and t he bliss of worshipping God, t hen
even if he can no longer r emain wit hin t he fellowship and has t o
leave, he will endur e happiness and miser y accor ding t o his
prrabdha while r emember ing t hat bliss; he will not for get it . But
what is t her e t o r ecall for someone who has not known t hat bliss of
God and who has not exper ienced it ? Not hing. Such a per son, in
fact , is like an animal.
4 Cont inuing, Shr iji Mahr j said, Now I shall nar r at e t o you t he
gnn of t he for m of God. No deit y, human or anyt hing cr eat ed fr om
Pr akr ut i, possesses a for m like God. In addit ion, kl devours
ever yt hing except God; t hat is t o say, kls powers are incapable of
affect ing God. This is what God is like. In fact , only God is like God;
The Vachanmr ut 628
no one else can even compare t o Him. Also, a devot ee in t he abode of
God who has at t ained at t ribut es similar t o God also possesses a form
similar t o t hat of God. Never t heless, t hat devot ee is st ill a mukt a,
and God is, aft er all, Pur ushot t am. Indeed, God is supr eme amongst
everyone and is fit t o be worshipped by everyone. He is also t heir
mast er . No one, however , can fat hom t he gr eat ness of t hat God. He
has a divine for m, is nirgun, and is wor t hy of being medit at ed upon.
In fact , t hat for m of God is such t hat a per son who medit at es upon
Him becomes nirgun himself.
5 Mor eover , while st aying in one place in His abode God
resides by way of His anvay for m as t he antarym i and t he giver of
t he deserved fruit s of karmas t o all of t he jivas in count less
brahmnds. Indeed, He is t he very life of all jivas; wit hout Him,
t hose jivas ar e not capable of doing anyt hing or indulging in
anyt hing.
6 In addit ion, t hat God is t he mast er of all yogic power s. J ust as
a person who has at t ained yogic power s can obt ain wit h his own
hands any object even in Br ahmalok while sit t ing her e, similar ly,
God, using His yogic power s, per for ms all act ivit ies while st aying in
one place only. Also, for example, t he fire t hat is lat ent wit hin wood
and st one is differ ent fr om t he wood and st one t hemselves. Similar ly,
God dwells wit hin all jivas, but His for m is differ ent fr om t he jivas.
7 That God Himself, possessing count less divine power s, becomes
like a human for t he pur pose of gr ant ing liber at ion t o t he jivas. If a
per son cult ivat es t he gnn of t hat for m of God in t his way, t hen if he
has offered bhakti t o t hat God and has fully experienced t he bliss of
t hat gnn and bhakti as it r eally is at least once in his jiva, he will
never for get it . In fact , r egar dless of what ever happiness or dist ress
comes his way, he does not forget t he experience of t hat bliss of Gods
for m, just as t he king in a st at e of pover t y does not for get t he
happiness of his past .
8 Why do I t ell you t his? Because cur r ent ly, all of you ar e
pr esent in t he Sat sang fellowship; but , due t o adver se cir cumst ances
or adverse prrabdha, if one no longer r emains in Sat sang, t hen if
one has under st ood t his fact , ones jiva can st ill at t ain liber at ion.
Mor eover , if one has such a convict ion, one will never feel, I will not
at t ain liberat ion . Aft er all, t o cont inuously r emain in Sat sang is
indeed ext r emely difficult . In fact , t o physically behave as descr ibed
is also rare. But if a person someday happens t o leave Sat sang, t hen
The Vachanmr ut 629
even if he cannot physically behave likewise at t hat t ime, his jiva will
st ill benefit gr eat ly if he has under st ood t his fact . That is why I have
deliver ed t his discour se.
Th e S n k h ya Scr i p t u r es a n d Ot h er s;
Rema in i n g For ever Ha p p y
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said, Having pondered over t he
Snkhya scr ipt ur es as well as ot her scr ipt ur es, I have for med t he
convict ion t hat all for ms t hat ar e t he r esult of t he ent it ies evolved
fr om m y are false. Why? Because all t hose forms will be dest royed
by kl. Conversely, t he form of God in Akshardh m and t he for m of
t he muktas t he at t endant s of God are all sat ya, divine and
ext r emely luminous. Also, t he form of t hat God and t hose muktas is
t wo-ar med like t hat of a human being, and it is char act er ised by
et er nal exist ence, consciousness and bliss. That God, r esiding in
Akshardh m, is ser ved by t hose muktas wit h various t ypes of divine
ar t icles, and He is always present t here t o best ow supreme bliss upon
t hose muktas .
3 It is t hat same supr eme Pur ushot t am Bhagwn who manifest s
on t his eart h out of compassion for t he purpose of grant ing
liberat ion t o t he jivas. He is pr esent ly visible befor e ever yone; He is
your Ishtadev; and He accept s your ser vice. In fact , t her e is
absolut ely no differ ence bet ween t he manifest for m of Pur ushot t am
Bhagwn visible before you and t he form of God residing in
Akshardh m; i.e., bot h ar e one. Mor eover , t his manifest for m of
Pur ushot t am Bhagwn is t he cont r oller of all, including Akshar . He
is t he lord of all of t he ishwars and t he cause of all causes. He r eigns
supreme, and He is t he cause of all of t he avat rs. Mor eover , He is
wort hy of being worshipped single-mindedly by all of you. The many
The Vachanmr ut 630
previous avat rs of t his God are wort hy of being bowed down t o and
wor t hy of r ever ence.
4 Shr iji Mahr j t hen explained, Greed for wealt h and ot her
t hings, desir es t o associat e wit h women, at t achment of t he t ongue t o
var ious t ast es, t he belief t hat one is t he body, affect ion for kusangis
and at t achment t o ones r elat ives one who possesses t hese six
char act er ist ics will never become happy, eit her in t his life or even
aft er deat h. Therefore, one who desires t o be happy should eradicat e
such swabhvs, maint ain nivrut t i, and not keep t he company of
equals. One should also at t ach ones jiva t o t he Bhakta of God t he
gr eat S ant who does not ident ify his self wit h t he body, who
possesses vairgya, and who feels t hat he has t r ansgr essed a major
injunct ion of God even if he has t r ansgr essed a minor injunct ion.
One should act accor ding t o his command by t hought , wor d and deed.
Also, one should cert ainly avoid t he vishays, and in no way should
one allow t hem t o come near by abandoning ones niyams. If one does
begin t o associat e wit h t he vishays, one will cer t ainly fall. This
should be accept ed as a univer sal pr inciple.
Vish a lya k a r a n i Her ba l Med icin e
1 On shdh vadi 10, Samvat 1886 [25 J uly 1829], Shr iji Mahr j
was sit t ing on t he veranda out side t he east -facing r ooms of Dd
devot ees fr om var ious places had gat her ed befor e Him.
2 Addressing all of t he paramhansas and satsangis , Shr iji
Mahr j said, What is Gods m y? My is not hing but t he sense
of I-ness t owards t he body and my-ness t owar ds anyt hing r elat ed t o
t he body. These should be eradicat ed. Anyone who eradicat es m y
can be said t o have t ranscended m y. In fact , it is t he pr inciple of
all of t he script ures t hat one should eradicat e m y and develop love
for God. This pr inciple must be under st ood eit her t oday or some
t ime in t he fut ur e. Gr eat devot ees such as Hanumn, Nr ad,
Pr ahld have also asked fr om God, Pr ot ect us fr om m y in t he for m
of I-ness and my-ness, and may we develop love for You. May we also
have t he company of t he S ant who has t r anscended m y and has
The Vachanmr ut 631
love for You; and may we develop affect ion and a sense of my-ness
t owar ds him as well. Ther efor e, we t oo should do t he same and ask
for t he same, as well as do shravan , manan and nididhys on t his
pr inciple.
3 Then cont inuing, Shr iji Mahr j said, A devot ee of God requires
t he st r engt h of t wo t hings: t m -realisat ion and t he great ness of God.
What is t m -r ealisat ion? It is t o r ealise t he t m as being dist inct
fr om t he body. If while st aying among t he sdhus t here happens t o
be a quar r el for some r eason, or if t he feelings of I-ness and my-ness,
or vicious nat ur es such as egot ism, anger , avar ice, lust , matsar ,
jealousy, cr avings for t ast e, et c., pr evail, t hen one who does not
regard oneself as t he t m perceives flaws in t he sdhus. This would
be ext r emely det r iment al for him. That is why one should r ealise
ones t rue self as being t he t m , dist inct fr om t he body.
4 That t m is neit her a Brhmin, nor a Kshat riya, nor a Kanbi.
It is no ones son and no ones fat her. It belongs t o no cast e and t o no
class. It is r adiant like t he sun and fir e; but it is also full of
consciousness. The flames of fir e and t he r ays of t he sun ar e jad
because t hey do not move when t ouched by t he finger . However ,
when an ant is t ouched by a finger , it moves and t ur ns back. This
implies t hat t he t m is full of consciousness. It is said t o be similar
t o t he sun or t o fir e, but t hat is mer ely because it s for m is similar in
radiance.
5 The t m has passed t hr ough count less life for ms. In fact , it is
said t hat a per son has dr unk as much milk fr om his mot her s as
t her e is wat er in t he ocean. In t hose lives, t he t m has experienced
deat h in count less ways, yet it has not per ished. It has r emained as
it is. So, if it did not per ish in t hat st at e of ignor ance when it
regarded it self as t he body, how shall it perish now t hat we have it s
gnn? Thus, we should r ealise t hat t m as our t rue self.
6 Fur t her mor e, how should t he gr eat ness of God be under st ood?
Well, God is t he Lord of t he lords of count less brahmnds. However ,
t he brahmnds of which He is lor d ar e insignificant compar ed t o
Him. Ther efor e, it is said:
The Vachanmr ut 632
n-+= - ==-----=|
|+ =--|-|=| |-||
i

7 Wit hin each brahmnd t her e ar e Br ahm, Vishnu and Shiv, as
well as t he prut hvi wit h it s seven dwips, seven oceans, Mer u, and
Loklok and ot her mount ains. The brahmnds also cont ain t he 14
r ealms, t he eight bar r ier s
5
, and many ot her t hings. God is t he lor d of
count less such brahmnds. For example, one can realise t he
eminence of an emper or of t he wor ld, even t hough his villages can be
count ed. But t he eminence of God is much gr eat er because even
t hose count less brahmnds ar e insignificant t o Him. So t hen, of
what significance can t he beings of t hose brahmnds be before God?
Of no significance at all; t hey ar e ut t er ly insignificant .
8 Fur t her mor e, in t hose brahmnds, what are t he pleasures of
t he panchvishays t hat God has given t o t he jivas like? Well, t hose
pleasur es seem ext r emely r ar e; so much so, t hat many have given
t heir heads for t hem. However , t he bliss of Gods own for m and of
His abode are indeed out st anding. The pleasures of t he worldly
vishays are dependant on ot her fact ors and must be experienced
dist inct ly. In compar ison, God is t he r eser voir of all for ms of bliss.
Mor eover , t he bliss of God is imper ishable and ext r emely divine. For
t his, consider t he following analogy: An ext r emely wealt hy man
enjoys a gr eat var iet y of food at home. Then, aft er finishing t he
meal, he t hr ows a left over piece of rotlo t o a dog. In t his case, t he
left over piece of rotlo can be consider ed ut t er ly infer ior , and t he
var ious delicacies t hat t he wealt hy man enjoys can be consider ed t o
be full of pleasur e. In t he same way, God has given t he count less
jivas of t he brahmnds t he pleasures of t he panchvishays. But t hey

i
Dyupat aya eva t e na yayur-antam anantatay
Tvamapi yad -antarnda-nichay nanu svaranh|
speed like mer e specks of dust flying in t he air . Even t h e Shr ut is, descr ibing
you a s net i net i [i.e. indescr ibable and unfat homable], ult imat ely per ish in you
The Vachanmr ut 633
are inferior like t he piece of rotlo t hr own t o t he dog, wher eas t he bliss
of God Himself is far super ior .
9 Even so, God grant s a great deal of happiness t o t he jiva dur ing
t he st at e of deep sleep. During deep sleep, one is relieved of even
severe pain, and inst ead, one experiences profound peace.
10 Even t he gr eat such as Br ahm, Shiv, La kshmiji, Rdhji,
Nr ad, Shuk, t he Sanak dik, and t he nine Yogeshwar s apply t he
dust of Gods holy feet upon t heir heads. They put aside all of t heir
self-impor t ance and const ant ly offer bhakti t o Him.
11 Moreover, just look at t he diverse creat ion creat ed by God!
What ingenuit y He has used! J ust see, a human is bor n of a human
and an animal fr om an animal; a t r ee fr om a t r ee and an ant fr om an
ant . Also, no mat t er how int elligent someone may be, no one is
capable of replacing a dest royed part of someones body exact ly as it
was befor e. God possesses innumer able such skills. Ther efor e, by
r ealising such gr eat ness of God and r ealising Him t o be blissful, one
develops vairgya for all t hings and love for God alone.
12 If one at t ains t he gnn of ones jivt m and t he gnn of Gods
great ness as ment ioned earlier, t hen even if one has somehow become
at t ached t o any sort of pleasures of t he panchvishays, one would not
r emain bound by t hem, but would, in fact , br eak t hat bondage and
wit hdr aw fr om t hem. How, t hen, can one who for sakes t he pleasur es
of t he panchvishays become at t ached? Ther efor e, having list ened t o
t hese t wo t ypes of gnn, one should apply t hem wit hin ones mind
wit h gr eat fer vour . For example, a br ave and fier ce man would be
ext r emely anger ed if an adver sar y killed his fat her . If t he adver sar y
har assed him fur t her by also killing his son and br ot her , kidnapping
his wife, passing on his mot her t o a Muslim, as well as st ealing all
his belongings, t he man would become incr easingly aggr avat ed as he
is har assed mor e and mor e. At all t imes t hen while awake as well
as in his dr eams he would be obsessed by only t his. In t he same
way, only when a person is const ant ly obsessed by t hese t wo t opics
can t hat gnn be r ealised. Then, t hat gnn would assist him against
any sor t of adver sit y t hat may befall him. For example, when
Hanumnji brou ght t he vishalyakarani her bal medicine for
Rmchandr a and gave it t o him t o dr ink, all of t he ar r ows fr om
Rmchandr ajis body fell out by t hemselves. Similar ly, all of t he
ar r ows in t he for m of t he indriyas desires t o indulge in t he vishays
are removed when t hese t wo point s have been imbedded in a persons
The Vachanmr ut 634
mind. That is t o say, t he vruttis of his indriyas wit hdr aw fr om t he
pleasures of t he vishays and become root ed only in God. Only he is a
satsangi, because only he who associat es wit h his own sat ya t m
and sat ya God can be called a satsangi.
13 If a godly person were t o hear t he t alks of t hese t wo point s, t hey
would st ir his heart and pervade every pore of his body. Conversely,
if a demonic per son wer e t o hear t hem, t hey would not t ouch his
hear t at all; inst ead, t hey would exit fr om his ear s, just as khir would
not r emain in a dogs st omach because t he dog would vomit it out . In
act ual fact , not hing can be said t o be as delicious as khir, yet it does
not r emain in a dogs st omach, let alone per vade it s body. On t he
ot her hand, if a man wer e t o eat khir, it would indeed pervade every
pore of his body, and it would be ext remely enjoyable. Likewise,
t hese t alks do not ent er int o t he heart s of dog-like, demonic people;
r at her , t hese t alks ent er and pervade t ot ally only in t he heart s of
godly people.
14 Shr iji Mahr j t hen added, Only God is like God. Many have
at t ained qualit ies similar t o His by wor shipping Him, yet t hey
cert ainly do not become like God. If t hey did become like God, t his
would suggest t he exist ence of sever al Gods. As a r esult , t he
governance of t he world would not remain orderly. One God would
say, I will cr eat e t he wor ld, while anot her God would say, I will
dest r oy t he wor ld. One God would say, I will make it r ain, while
anot her would say, I will not . One would say, I will inst il human
inst inct s in animals, while anot her would say, I will inst il animal
inst inct s in humans. A st able st at e would not be possible in t his
sit uat ion. But see how or der ly ever yt hing funct ions in t he world!
Ther e is not even t he slight est ir r egular it y. Thus, t he gover nor of all
act ivit ies and t he lor d of all is one God. Not only t hat , it seems t hat
no one can ever challenge Him. Ther efor e, God is definit ely one, and
no one can become like Him.
15 All t hese fact s t hat I have r evealed may be simple, but
ever yt hing is included t her ein. However , only t he wise can gr asp
t heir essence, but not ot her s. Whosoever under st ands t hese fact s and
t hor oughly consolidat es t hem has accomplished ever yt hing; indeed,
he has not hing mor e t o achieve. Having list ened t o t hese discour ses
delivered by Me, one should keep t he company of t hose devot ees of
God who have t hor oughly imbibed t hem. This will lead t o t he day-by-
day consolidat ion of t hose discourses.
The Vachanmr ut 635
16 In conclusion, Shr iji Mahr j revealed, I deliver t hese
discour ses t o you not fr om any imaginat ion of My mind, nor t o
display any sort of apt it ude. I have experienced all t hat I have
spoken about . In fact , I speak in accor dance t o what I pr act ise.
Out war dly, I may have a gr eat deal of cont act wit h women, wealt h
and t he panchvishays. In fact , wher ever I go Sur at , Amdvd,
Vadodar, Var t l, et c. t housands of people gat her; t hey obey Me,
honour Me and welcome Me wit h gr eat fanfar e. Ther e I st ay in
luxur ious places and r eceive r ich clot hes, vehicles, et c. Despit e all of
t his, whenever I look t owar ds My t m and t owards t he great ness of
God, it all seems absolut ely insignificant . I cannot become at t ached
t o any of it . In fact , I become oblivious t o it all, just as one is
oblivious t o ones past lives. The r eason I can behave in such a
manner is t hat I have t hor oughly r ealised t he afor ement ioned t wo
t opics. In fact , whosoever r ealises t hem would also behave
accor dingly if ever he wer e somehow put in similar cir cumst ances.
Therefore, t hese t wo t opics should be underst ood by all means.
The Vachanmr ut 636
17 In t his way, Shr iji Mahr j, out of gr eat compassion, addr essed
ot her s on t he basis of His own behaviour . He, however , is Shr i
Pur ushot t am Nr yan.

| | En d of Ga d h a d I I I Sect i on | |

The Vachanmr ut 637
The Vachanmr ut 638
ADDI TI ONAL VACHANMRUTS
(Included in ver sions of t he Amdvd diocese)
Amd v d -4
pillow placed on a decorat ed cot upon a square plat form facing t he
mandir of Shr i Nar nr yan in Amdvd. He was dressed ent irely in
whit e clot hes. A pink pgh had been t ied around His head, and
t assels of r oses wer e dangling fr om t hat pgh. Bunches of r oses had
also been placed upon His ears. In addit ion t o t his, several garlands
of r oses wer e hanging ar ound His neck, and ar mlet s of r oses had
been t ied ar ound bot h ar ms. At t hat t ime, an assembly of munis as
2 Ther eupon Shr iji Mahr j said t o t he muni-mandal and t he
devot ees, Everyone please list en t o what I have t o say. One should
first develop a firm convict ion of t he for m of God. What is God like?
Well, He, by His own wish, t akes bir t h for t he liberat ion of t he jivas.
Yet having t aken bir t h, He is st ill beyond bir t h. Despit e having t o
die, God is st ill beyond aging and deat h. He is also nir anjan, t hat is
t o say, He has no blemish of m y. In addit ion, He possesses a
definit e form and is self-r adiant ; He is Par abr ahma, antarym i, t he
support er of count less millions of brahmnds; and He also t r anscends
Akshar . His assuming and discar ding of a human body is mer ely an
illusion like t he magic of a wizar d. Fur t her mor e, He is t he
cont r oller of t he count less muktas , including Akshar . He is also t he
lord of all. That Shr i Pur ushot t am Nr yan, aft er fir st t aking bir t h
fr om Dhar madev and Mur t i, per for ms aust er it ies in Badr ikshr am
in t he for m of Nar nr yan.
3 That same Shr i Nar nr yan assumes t he for ms of Mat sya,
Kur ma, Var h, Vman, Rm, Kr ishna, et c., on ear t h for t he
fulfillment of par t icular t asks. Ther e, using his own body, he helps
ot her people eradicat e t heir belief of being t he body and accept t he
belief of being t he for m of Br ahma. In t his way, he makes his body
and t he bodies of ot her people appear t o be t he same. J ust as, for
The Vachanmr ut 639
example, aft er a t horn is used t o remove anot her t hor n, bot h t hor ns
ar e discar ded, similar ly, God also discar ds His body like ot her jivas
discar d t heir s. This phenomenon is explained in t he Mahbhr at
t hr ough t he st or y of Nr usinhji. When he wished t o leave his body,
Nr usinhji, t hr ough his antarym i power s, inspir ed Shiv wit hin his
heart t o t ake t he for m of a sharabh. Then bot h Nr usinhji and t he
sharabh fought a bat t le in which Nr usinhji died. Thus God
independent ly, by His own wish, accept s a human body and abandons
t hat human body.
4 Aft er hear ing t he incident s of Rushabhdev being bur nt in a
forest fir e, and Shr i Kr ishna Bhagwn being killed by an ar r ow
st r iking his foot , t he minds of t hose wit h a nstik perspect ive, and
t hose who are not devot ees of God become confused. They t hen allege
t hat God t oo passes t hr ough bir t h and deat h just like t hemselves,
and t hat He r eceives a human body accor ding t o His karmas and
leaves t he human body by His karmas as well. They also asser t t hat
only when God performs karmas t hat do not cause at t achment will
He be acquit t ed of His karmas and at t ain liberat ion .
5 On t he ot her hand, t hose who have an stik mind, and t hose
who are devot ees of God realise t he underst anding of t he nstiks t o be
wr ong. They know t he body of God t o be et er nal; and t hat t he bir t h,
childhood, yout h, old age and deat h of God, as well as what ever ot her
bodily t r ait s He may display, ar e mer ely an illusion. This is because
kl and m y are not powerful enough t o have any sort of influence
on Gods body. In fact , all t r ansfor mat ions t hat do appear t o occur in
Gods body are all due t o His yogic powers. Those who are devot ees of
God do not become misled by t his; whereas t he minds of t hose who
are not devot ees become bewildered, just like worldly people become
bewilder ed on seeing a wizar ds act s. Those, however , who ar e awar e
of t he wizards t echniques are not bewildered. Similar ly,
Pur ushot t am Shr i Nar nr yan also assumes many different bodies
and discar ds t hem like t he wizar d. Thus, t his Shr i Nar nr yan is
t he cause of all avat rs.
6 Those who infer deat h upon Shr i Nar nr yan will t hemselves
have t o under go count less bir t hs. The suffer ing of passing t hr ough
t he cycle of 8.4 million differ ent life for ms
3
and t he t orment s of
Yampuri are indeed endless. Conversely, t hose who realise Shri
Nar nr yan t o be beyond aging and deat h will be released from t heir
karmas and t he consequent cycle of bir t hs and deat hs in t he 8.4
The Vachanmr ut 640
million life for ms. Ther efor e, all satsangis and sdhus of our Uddhav
Sampr ady should not infer deat h upon t he for ms of God t hose t hat
have occur r ed in t he past , t he cur r ent one or t hose t hat will occur in
t he fut ur e. This pr inciple should be not ed by all.
7 So saying, Shr iji Mahr j r evealed Himself as t he incar nat e
for m of God. All who hear d t his discour se affir med t heir fait h in
Shr iji Mahr j in t his same manner .
Amd v d -5
pillow placed on a large, decorat ed cot on t op of a square plat form
nor t h of t he mandir of Shr i Nar nr yan in Amdvd. He was
dr essed ent ir ely in whit e clot hes. Ar ound His neck was a lar ge
gar land of r oses, and t assels of flower s wer e hanging fr om His pgh.
Wit h His r ight hand, He was t ur ning a r osar y made fr om t ulsi
beads. At t hat t ime, an assembly of senior munis as well as devot ees
2 Ther eupon Chhadidr Kuber sinhji asked Shr iji Mahr j,
Mahr j, what is t he most ext r aor dinar y char act er ist ic of Shr i
Pur ushot t am Nr yan?
3 Shr iji Mahr j replied, No one except Shri Pur ushot t am
Nr yan can cont r ol t he ndis and prns of innumer able beings and
gr ant t hem inst ant sam dhi. Nor can anyone else influence
hundreds of t housands of people by having t hem abide by niyams.
Nor does anyone else have t he power t o cont rol Akshar and t he
muktas . These ar e t he ext r aor dinar y char act er ist ics of Pur ushot t am
Nr yan.
4 Ther eaft er , Kuber sinhji asked a second quest ion: Mahr j,
t her e ar e count less millions of brahmnds. In t his brahmnd, t he
avat r of God is present in Bharat -khand, in J ambu-dwip. But
please explain how God redeems t he count less beings of t he ot her
brahmnds.
5 Shr iji Mahr j explained, The ver y God t hat r esides in t his
brahmnd is also t he lor d of all. It is He Himself who, for t he sake of
t he liber at ion of count less beings, assumes a body in each brahmnd.
The Vachanmr ut 641
Innumer able beings seek His r efuge and consequent ly at t ain t he holy
feet of Shr i Pur ushot t am Nr yan in Akshardh m. That is t he
answer t o you r quest ion .
6 Kuber sinh t hen asked again, Mahr j, please ident ify what
satsangis who know God should r enounce and what t hey should
accept .
7 Shr iji Mahr j answer ed, They should in all ways r enounce
desires for worldly object s; inst ead, t hey should develop desires
relat ed t o God. If t hey do have desires for wealt h, t hey should reason
inst ead, If we worship God, we will at t ain gold coins, diamonds,
r ubies, jewels and ot her invaluable t hings in t he abode of God but
in no way should t hey har bour desires for worldly object s. If t hey
have lust ful desir es, t hey should t hink, If we look lust fully t owar ds
anot her woman, we will have t o pass t hr ough t he cycle of 8.4 million
life for ms
3
and suffer ext ensively. Besides, even dogs and donkeys
indulge in t his, wher eas I have at t ained t he incar nat e for m of
Pur ushot t am. It will be a great loss for me if He is displeased.
Reasoning in t his manner , t hey should r enounce such lust ful desir es
and should desire happiness t hat is relat ed t o God. If t hey have
affect ion for t he relat ives of t he body, t hey should abandon it .
Inst ead, t hey should form affect ion t owards t he S ant, t he ser vant of
God. They should accept t his much.
8 On t he ot her hand, satsangis should r enounce t he sense of I-
ness t owards t he body and develop an at t it ude of servit ude t owards
God. If God or t he S ant have become displeased in any way or have
held one in cont empt , t hen one should discard all ill feelings t hat one
may have developed t owards God or t he S ant. Moreover, one should
realise ones own mist ake and accept t he virt ue of God and t he S ant.
In t his way, one should always t hink posit ively, but never t hink
negat ively. That is t he answer t o your quest ion.
9 Ther eaft er Kuber sinh asked anot her quest ion: Mahr j, please
explain t he nat ur e of dharma, arth, km and liberat ion .
10 Shr iji Mahr j smiled gent ly and said, The nat ur e of arth is t o
accumulat e wealt h or t o fulfill ones aim of liber at ion. That is t he
nat ure of arth. The nat ur e of dharma is t o use t hat wealt h in
Sat sang for t he purpose of dharma but not squander it for ot her
pur poses. That is t he nat ur e of dharma. The nat ur e of km is t o
have only one wife, t o have int er cour se wit h her only at t he
appropriat e t ime and t o renounce all ot her women in t he world by
The Vachanmr ut 642
r egar ding t hem as ones mot her or sist er or daught er . That is t he
nat ure of km. Finally, t he nat ur e of liberat ion is t o diligent ly
observe all of t he vows of Sat sang and keep unfalt ering fait h in God.
That is t he nat ur e of liberat ion . That is t he answer t o your
quest ion. So saying, Shr iji Mahr j ret ired t o sleep.
Amd v d -6
pillow t hat had been placed on a decorat ed cot on t op of a square
plat for m facing t he mandir of Shr i Nar nr yan in Amdvd. He
was dressed ent irely in whit e clot hes. Garlands of roses were placed
ar ound His neck, and t assels of chameli flower s wer e dangling fr om
bot h sides of His pgh. Bunches of roses were also placed upon bot h
of His ear s. In addit ion t o t his, Shr iji Mahr j had t aken a lar ge
bunch of r oses in His hand and was gent ly r ubbing it along His face.
At t hat t ime, an assembly of munis as well as devot ees from var ious
2 Then, aft er t he evening rt i, Kuber sinh asked Shr iji Mahr j a
quest ion: Mahr j, please reveal how t he convict ion of God t hat a
per son has fir mly est ablished in his hear t would never falt er .
3 Shr iji Mahr j fir st comment ed, Ever yone should hear t he
answer t o t his quest ion, so please list en at t ent ively. He t hen said in
r eply, If one knows t he gr eat ness of t he manifest form of God, t hen
ones convict ion never falt er s. I shall now explain t hat gr eat ness.
4 All of t he avat rs of God manifest from t he very God t hat is
pr esent in t his Sat sang fellowship. That is t o say, He is t he cause of
all of t he avat rs and is t he antarym i of all. It is He who, in
Akshardh m, is r adiant , full of count less power s and et er nally has a
form. He is also t he Lord of all of t he lords of t he count less
brahmnds; He is even t he cause of Akshar br ahma. When t hat God
manifest s and adopt s t he behaviour of Rushabhdev, He is known as
Rushabhdev; when He accept s t he divine ways of t he avat r of Rm,
He is known as Rmchandr a; and when He per for ms t he divine
act ions of Shr i Kr ishna, He is known as Shr i Kr ishna. In t his way,
whichever behaviour of t he avat rs can be seen in God, it should be
The Vachanmr ut 643
underst ood t hat all of t he previous avat rs of God have manifest ed
fr om Him, and t hat He is t he ult imat e cause of t hem all. If one
under st ands t his, ones convict ion never falt ers. But if one does not
under st and t his, ones convict ion may falt er somewhat . That is t he
answer t o your quest ion.
5 Shr iji Mahr j t hen added, Fur t her mor e, t hat same Shr i
Kr ishna Bhagwn t ook bir t h as Shr i Nar nr yan fr om Dhar ma and
Bhakt i. Ther efor e, r ealising t his Shr i Nar nr yan t o be My for m, I
have insist ingly inst alled his murt i for t he fir st t ime here in
Shr inagar . Ther efor e, no one should per ceive even t he slight est
differ ence bet ween Shr i Nar nr yan and Myself. It is He who is t he
dweller of Brahmadh m.
6 Hear ing Shr iji Mahr j say t his, Kuber sinh asked fur t her ,
Mahr j, what is t hat Br ahmapur like? Please descr ibe it and t he
devot ees of God t hat reside t here.
7 Shr iji Mahr j explained, It is aksharrup Br ahma which has
become t he abode for Shr i Pur ushot t am Nr yan t o dwell in. That
Akshar br ahma in t he for m of t he abode of God is et er nal in
compar ison t o all t he ot her akshar br ahmas
i
. Wit hin t hat
Brahmadh m, t her e ar e sever al t ypes of palaces. Each palace has
various t ypes of decorat ive balconies and t er r aces. Ther e ar e also
many different t ypes of fount ains and many different t ypes of
gar dens. The gar dens cont ain innumer able flower s of innumer able
species, each one r adiant . It is so beaut iful t hat it cannot be
compared t o any ot her abode. It is also called Golok. In addit ion, it s
splendour is count less t imes mor e t han t he divine r iches of count less
ot her abodes.
8 That abode is also limit less. J ust as t her e is no limit t o ksh,
r egar dless of t he dir ect ion in which one looks, similar ly, t her e is no
limit t o Br ahmadh m. Whet her above, below or in t he four
dir ect ions, t her e is no boundar y t o t he abode of God. This is because
it is boundless. If one were t o t ry t o reach it s end one would realise
t hat it is endless. Such is t he vast ness of Br ahmapur .

i
Her e, ot her aksharbrahmas should be under st ood t o mean muktas who ha ve
become like Akshar br ahma.
The Vachanmr ut 644
9 Also, t he object s wit hin Br ahmapur ar e all divine and composed
of chaitanya. Count less at t endant s, who ar e also r adiant and have a
divine for m, r eside in t hat abode. Ther e, t hey ar e for ever eager for
t he ser vice of God, t he antarym i of all life for ms. It is t he same
mast er of t hat abode t he lord of Akshar and t he muktas ,
Par abr ahma Pur ushot t am who is pr esent her e in t his Sat sang.
Only one who has such fait h at t ains Br ahmadh m.
Amd v d -7
Sahajnandji Mahr j was having t he Vsudev Mht mya r ead on
t he medi above t he gat e of t he mandir of Shr i Nar nr yan in
Amdvd. Ther eaft er , in t he evening, He got up and sat facing east
on a large, decorat ed cot under t he neem t ree near t he gat e. Around
His head He had t ied a pink pgh, in which t assels of r oses had been
inser t ed. He was also lavishly ador ned wit h gar lands of r oses. In
addit ion t o t his, He had cover ed Himself wit h a whit e blanket and
was wear ing a whit e survl. At t hat t ime, an assembly of munis as
2 Ther eupon Pr gji Dave asked Shr iji Mahr j, Mahr j, by
what means can ones mind become fir mly fixed on You so t hat it
does not become adult erous by st raying elsewhere?
3 Shr iji Mahr j began by saying, Please list en as I answer your
quest ion. He t hen cont inued, By r ealising t he gr eat ness of God,
ones mind becomes fixed on Him. Now I shall explain how t hat
gr eat ness should be underst ood.
4 I had pr eviously asked Rmnand Swmi a t Ldh Br hmins
house in Pipln, Ar e you t r uly God, or ar e you mer ely called God?
Rmnand Swmi did not r eply t hen. Lat er in Samvat 1869, I had
fallen ill. Dur ing My illness, I went t o Kshir -sgar wher e Shesh-
shyi Nr yan r est s upon Shesh and saw Rmnand Swmi t her e.
He was wear ing a whit e dhot iyu and had covered himself wit h a
whit e clot h. I also saw many ot her s sit t ing near t he holy feet of
Shesh-shyi Nr yan. Ther e, I asked Nr yan, Who is t his
Rmnand Swmi ? Nr yan r eplied, He is a knower of Br ahma.
The Vachanmr ut 645
Aft er he said t his, Rmnand Swmi merged int o t he body of
Nr yan, and I t hen r et ur ned t o My physical body.
5 Then, when I looked wit hin, I saw t he sour ce of t he divine
sound of pranav. While I was looking at it , Nandishwar , t he bull,
approached Me. I mount ed upon it and went t o Shiv in Kails.
Ther e, Gar ud ar r ived. So I mount ed upon it and began t o t r avel t o
Vaikunt h and Br ahmadh m. But as Gar ud was unable t o fly t o
Brahmadh m, I went alone t o t he abode of Shr i Pur ushot t am
Nr yan, which t r anscends ever yt hing. Ther e, I saw t hat it was I
who was Pur ushot t am; I did not see anyone eminent apar t fr om
Myself. In t his manner , I t r avelled t o t hese places and finally
ret urned t o My body.
6 Then, when I looked wit hin again, I r ealised t hat I am t he
cr eat or , sust ainer and dest r oyer of all of t he brahmnds. In t hose
count less brahmnds, it is by My divine light t hat count less Shivs,
count less Br ahms, count less Kailses, count less Vaikunt hs, Golok,
Br ahmapur , as well as count less millions of ot her r ealms ar e r adiant .
7 What am I like? Well, if I wer e t o shake t he ear t h wit h t he t oe
of My foot , t he worlds of count less brahmnds would begin t o shake.
It is also by My light t hat t he sun, t he moon, t he st ar s, et c., ar e
r adiant . So, if one develops t he convict ion of My for m in t his
manner , ones mind becomes fixed on Me God and would never
st r ay anywher e else. Mor eover , I will gr ant My supr eme abode t o all
who come t o My refuge and underst and t his. In addit ion, I will make
t hem vir t ually antarym i, and power ful enough t o cr eat e, sust ain
and dest roy brahmnds. However , aft er r eceiving such power s, one
should not become egot ist ical and t hink, I alone am gr eat , and
neglect t he manifest r ishi-for m of Shr i Nar nr yan. Inst ead, one
should r ealise, It is by t he compassion of Shr i Nar nr yan t hat I
have at t ained such gr eat ness. Thus, Shr iji Mahr j concluded t he
quest ion -answer dialogue.
Amd v d -8
Sahajnandji Mahr j was serving food t o t he sdhus in t heir
r esident ial hall, nor t h of t he mandir of Shr i Nar nr yan in
The Vachanmr ut 646
Amdvd. He had t ied a beaut iful, whit e pgh around His head and
was wear ing a whit e khes. He had also placed a khes over His left
shoulder and had t ied one of it s ends around His waist . A large
gar land of r oses ador ned His neck as well.
2 While ser ving ldus t o t he sdhus, Shr iji Mahr j said, A
sdhu should renou nce anger in all r espect s. What is anger like?
Well, it dest r oys all vir t uous qualit ies such as gnn, t he per for mance
of aust er it ies, t he chant ing of t he name of God, et c.
3 Now I shall ident ify t he mot ives fr om which anger ar ises.
Anger ar ises when sdhus are engaged in a quest ion -answer session
amongst t hemselves, or if t her e is an ar gument at ive discussion. It
can also ar ise fr om t he giving and t aking of par t icular object s, or
when r epr imanding someone, or when someone t r ies t o maint ain
par t ialit y t owar ds ones at t endant sdhu. Also, anger can ar ise when
one is insult ed, out of jealousy, over wher e t o sit or not t o sit , or even
because of t he unequal dist ribut ion of Gods prasd. In t his way,
t her e ar e many r easons for anger t o arise.
4 If a senior sdhu or a junior sdhu becomes angr y, he should
fir st prost rat e t o whomever he has expressed his anger upon, and
t hen please t hat person by speaking pleasant words t o him in a
pleading, meek and sincer e t one. This is My command.
5 If anyone else, due t o a malignant int ellect , har bour s an
offensive t hought t owards a sdhu, he should confess and himself
voice his offensive t hought by saying, Mahr j, I have har bour ed an
offensive t hought r egar ding you. Then, in or der t o at one for t hat
t hought , he should fold his hands and pray for forgiveness.
6 If a sdhu becomes angry on a householder devot ee, t hen he
should verbally pray and bow down t o him from a seat ed post ure; but
he should not prost rat e before him. If snkhya-yogi women become
angr y amongst themselves or on karma-yogi women, t hey t oo should
pray verbally and bow down from a seat ed posit ion. S nkhya-yogi
men, on t he ot her hand, should do as t he sdhus do if t hey become
angr y upon anyone.
7 In gener al, whenever we become angr y on someone, we should
realise t hat person t o be a devot ee of our mast er , Shr i Nar nr yan,
and inst ant ly for sake our ar r ogance, bow down t o him and pr ay.
However , one should never maint ain a super ficial per spect ive by
believing, I am senior and bet t er t han him; wher eas he is not senior
The Vachanmr ut 647
but a mer e junior . One should not ent er t ain such a feeling. In fact ,
even our Ishtadev, Shr i Nar nr yan, does not keep any ar r ogance or
anger ; so as his follower s and t he member s of t his Uddhav
Sampr ady, we should r enounce all for ms of anger and ar r ogance.
8 Shr i Nar nr yan will be great ly pleased upon anyone who
performs t he at onement t hat I have prescribed for becoming angr y.
As a r esult , t hat per sons antahkaran will be purified, and all of his
vicious nat ur es such as lust , anger , egot ism, avar ice, ar r ogance and
matsar will be dest royed. Conversely, he who does not perform
at onement for becoming angr y should be t hought of as a snake, not
as a devot ee of God.
9 Shr iji Mahr j t hus deliver ed t his discour se. The sdhus as
well as all t he male and female devot ees who hear d t his discour se
were ext remely overjoyed.
Ash l li
Sahajnandji Mahr j left Amdvd wit h gr eat pomp and fest ivit y
and reached Ashlli in t he evening. Ther e, He was accommodat ed in
a mango grove nort h of t he village and was seat ed on a dais. He was
dr essed ent ir ely in whit e clot hes. Also, He was wear ing beaut iful
gar lands of flower s ar ound His neck, and t assels of flowers were
hanging fr om His pgh. At t hat t ime, an assembly of munis as well
2 Shr iji Mahr j t hen said t o Mukt nand Swmi, Br ahmnand
Swmi and all of t he ot her sdhus, Please list en, I wish t o say
somet hing. Whoever incomplet ely r ealises t he nat ur e of God suffer s
a gr eat loss. That is, t hat per son cannot exper ience t he t r ue bliss of
Pur ushot t am Bhagwn who we also call Shr i Kr ishna, Shr i
Vsudev, Shr i Nar nr yan, Par abr ahma a nd Shr i Nr yan nor
can he become an ekntik bhakta. Thus, one should consolidat e ones
gnn by pr ofoundly associat ing wit h an Ekntik Bhakta of God who
has such gnn. This is because, wit hout t he t r ue gnn of God, even
t he prajpatis and ot her creat ors of t he cosmos have t o repeat edly
t ake bir t h along wit h t he cr eat ion and t hen ult imat ely mer ge back
int o m y. But t hey do not at t ain Akshardh m, t he abode of Shri
The Vachanmr ut 648
Pur ushot t am Bhagwn. The r eason for t his is a flaw in t heir
under st anding.
3 Thereupon all of t he munis asked, Mahr j, please explain t his
flaw in t heir under st anding.
4 Shr iji Mahr j said, Ver y well. Please list en as I explain t heir
flaws. Fir st of all, t hey consider t he st r engt h of t heir own act ions but
not t he st r engt h of ones r efuge in God t o be inst r ument al in t heir
liberat ion . Secondly, t hey do not realise t hat becoming aksharrup
and ser ving Shr i Pur ushot t am Nr yan is in it self liberat ion . This
is t heir second mist ake. Their t hir d mist ake is t hat t hey believe t he
innumer able avat rs of God such as Rm, Kr ishna, et c., t o be a par t
of God. This is a gr ave mist ake on t heir par t . Four t hly, at t he t ime
of a pr evious deat h, t hey had a t hought in t heir minds, How ar e
t hese brahmnds creat ed? It would be good to see for once. Seeing
t heir desire, God engaged t hem in t he creat ion of t he brahmnds.
Only when t hey r ealise t r ue gnn by pr ofoundly associat ing wit h t he
Ekntik Bhakta of God will t hey become brahmarup and at t ain t he
abode of God, and only t hen will t hey become et er nally happy.
Ther efor e, a devot ee of God should desire not hing but t he ser vice of
God.
5 Shr iji Mahr j t hen explained, There are t hree t ypes of
devot ees; t hey can be recognised by t heir char act er ist ics: He who
worships God wit h t he int ent ion of earning powers t o creat e t he world
is known as aishvar yr t hi. He is t he lowest t ype of devot ee. He
who worships God only t o experience t he t m is known as a
kaivalyr t hi. He is of an int er mediat e level. However , he who has
a const ant and singular resolve for t he ser vice of t he manifest form of
Pur ushot t am Bhagwn is known as a bhagwat -nisht r t hi. He is
t he best devot ee of all. Because all of us have t he convict ion of t he
incar nat e for m of Shr i Nar nr yan, we are all undoubt edly t he best .
6 All who had gat hered in t he assembly were overjoyed hearing
t hese words of Shr iji Mahr j.
| | Vachanmr ut Ashlli | | 6 | |
J et a lp u r -1
1 About an hour -and-a-half aft er sunr ise on Chait r a sudi 3,
Samvat 1882 [10 April 1829], Swmi Shr i Sahajnandji Mahr j was
The Vachanmr ut 649
sit t ing on a large, decorat ed cot t hat had been placed under an
soplav t r ee in t he mansion in J et alpur . He was dr essed ent ir ely in
whit e clot hes. Ar ound His neck He was wear ing sever al gar lands of
guldvadi flower s, t assels of dolariy flower s wer e dangling fr om His
pgh, and t wo karnikr flowers had been placed upon bot h of His
ear s. Also, He was playing wit h a beaut iful lemon in His hands. At
t hat t ime, an assembly of sdhus as well as satsangi men and
women fr om var ious places had gat hered before Him.
2 Then addr essing t he ent ir e assembly, Shr iji Mahr j asked,
Ever yone in t his wor ld accept s some doct r ine or ot her . Basically,
t hough, t her e ar e t wo major doct r ines: One is t he Dvait doct r ine and
t he ot her is t he doct r ine of Advait . Please explain which doct rine a
spir it ual aspir ant should accept .
3 Ther eupon Pur ushot t am Bhat t said in r eply, Mahr j, in t he
Advait doct r ine, by believing t heir t m t o be God, people behave as
t hey please. Consequent ly, t hey fall fr om t he pat h of liberat ion.
Thus, an aspir ant should accept t he Dvait doct r ine.
4 Shr iji Mahr j t hen r aised a doubt . He quest ioned, Accor ding
t o t he Dvait doct r ine, jiva, ishwar and m y are sat ya. But as long
as m y per sist s, how can t he jiva at t ain liber at ion?
5 Pur ushot t am Bhat t r eplied, By per for ming pur e karmas one
at t ains liber at ion.
6 Again Shr iji Mahr j raised a doubt : The t wo t ypes of karmas,
namely nivrut t i and pravrut t i, become assimilat ed in m y in t he
form of deep sleep. What is t hat st at e of deep sleep like? Well, just
as no one is capable of conquering Mount Lok lok, similar ly, no jiva
is capable of conquering t hat deep sleep. Above t hat st ill is m y in
it s st at e of equilibr ium, which is ext r emely immense. No jiva can
conquer it . Thus, t he means t o t r anscend m y is as follows: When
t he jiva comes int o cont act wit h t he manifest for m of Shr i
Pur ushot t am Bhagwn who is beyond m y and who is t he
dest royer of m y and all karmas or t he S ant who has at t ained
t hat God, t hen by accept ing t heir r efuge, t he jiva can t r anscend
m y.
7 Aft er deliver ing t his discour se, Shr iji Mahr j went up int o t he
mansion t o His meals. Aft er dinner , He r et ur ned and sat on a lar ge,
decorat ed cot under t he soplav t r ee. Then, looking lovingly at all of
t he sdhus and devot ees, He said, In t he beginning, when no one
The Vachanmr ut 650
honour s a per son, imagine what his nat ur e is like. Then, when 100
people begin t o follow him, his self-conceit becomes of a different t ype.
Fur t her , when 1,000 people or 100,000 people follow him, or 10
million people follow him, his self-conceit becomes of a different t ype
alt oget her . Then, if he becomes like Br ahm, or Shiv, or Indr a, and
if he is r at ional, he would r ealise, My gr eat ness is not due t o t his
st at us. What is it due t o? Well, gr eat ness is due t o t he t m ; and
secondly, it is due t o associat ion wit h t he S ant. This is because even
t hough Br ahm and t he ot her s ar e all gr eat , t hey st ill cr ave for t he
dust from t he feet of t he S ant.
8 So t hen, wherein lies t he great ness of t he S ant? Allow Me t o
explain. The gr eat ness of t he S ant is not due t o wealt h or object s or
any kingdom; r at her , his gr eat ness is due t o his bhakti and upsan
of God. Secondly, t he S ant has t m -realisat ion. It is due t o t hese
vir t ues t hat he is gr eat .
9 If one cannot realise t his, t hen one should develop a convict ion
wit hin ones t m t hat one should be profoundly at t ached t o t he S ant
who has at t ained t he incarnat e form of God, and one should believe
only t hat S ant t o be ones own self. One may doubt , t hough, How,
t hen, is t he mast er -ser vant r elat ionship maint ained? Well, t ake t he
example of King Glav. He want ed t o per for m a sacr ifice for which
he specifically r equir ed black-eared horses. It so happened t hat t hose
black-ear ed hor ses wer e at t he home of Var un. But since t hat r egion
was beyond his r each, he called upon Gar ud. Then, having mount ed
Gar ud, he went t her e and br ought back t he hor ses. So does t his
mean t hat King Glavs ser vit ude t owar ds Gar ud diminished? No, it
did not diminish. Similar ly, t he pur pose of being pr ofoundly at t ached
t o t he S ant , who is a knower of Br ahma, is t hat he has t he abilit y of
penet r at ing t he bar r ier s. That is t he r eason for being pr ofoundly
at t ached t o such a S ant.
10 Shr iji Mahr j t hen added t hat all should imbibe t his pr inciple,
as it is t he very life of everyone.
| | Vachanmr ut J et alpur -1 | | 7 | |
J et a lp u r -2
1 In t he evening of Chait ra sudi 4, Samvat 1882 [11 Apr il 1829],
Swmi Shr i Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing on a large, decorat ed
The Vachanmr ut 651
cot t hat had been placed in t he middle of t he court yard of t he mandir
of Shr i Baldevji in J et alpur . He was dr essed ent ir ely in whit e
clot hes, and t assels of dolariy flowers decorat ed His pgh. In
addit ion t o t his, He had a handker chief in His left hand and was
t ur ning a r osar y made of tulsi beads wit h His r ight hand. At t hat
2 Ther eupon Br ahmnand Swmi bowed before Shriji Mahr j
and asked, Mahr j, please r eveal who can be called a yat i?
3 Shr iji Mahr j said, One who fir mly obser ves brahmacharya
and has conquered all of his indriyas should be known as a yat i; i.e.,
one who is like Hanumnji and Lakshmanji should be known as a
ya t i. When, on Rmchandr ajis inst r uct ion, Hanumnji went t o
Lank in sear ch of Sit ji, in or der t o r ecognise Sit ji he looked at t he
faces of all of t he women in Lank. As he cont inued looking, he
t hought , This is not Jnkiji This one is not Jnkiji Then, while
he was t hinking t his, he saw Mandodar i and t hought , Could t his be
J nkiji? But t hen he concluded in his mind t hat because of her
separ at ion fr om Rmchandr aji, J nkijis body would never be so
healt hy, and she would never be able t o sleep so soundly. Wit h t his
t hought in mind, Hanumnji t ur ned back. Then he doubt ed in his
mind, I am a yat i, but could a flaw have developed in me by seeing
all t hese women? But t hen he r econciled t o himself, How can t her e
be any flaw in me? It is because of Rmchandr ajis inst r uct ion t o
find Sit ji t hat I had t o look at all of t hese women. He also t hought ,
By Rmchandr ajis gr ace, no dist ur bance has ar isen in my indriyas
and in my vrut t i. Thinking t his, he wander ed unr eser vedly t o look
for Sit ji. In t his way, like Hanumnji, one whose antahkaran
r emains pur e despit e being faced by such vicious influences is called
a yat i.
4 Mor eover , while sear ching for Sit ji in t he for est aft er she was
abduct ed, Rmchandr aji and Lakshmanji came t o t he place where
Sugr iv was seat ed on t he Fat ak Shil. Ther e, t hey infor med Sugr iv,
We have come her e because Jnkiji has been abduct ed. So if you
know of her wher eabout s, please t ell us. Sugr iv r eplied, Mahr j, I
did hear t he cr ies, O Rm! O Rm! coming fr om t he sky. Also,
some pieces of jewellery, which are t ied in t his piece of clot h, were
dr opped fr om above. I have kept t hem wit h me. Ther eupon
Raghunt hji r equest ed, Please br ing t hem her e so t hat we can check
The Vachanmr ut 652
t hem. Sugr iv t hus br ought t he jeweller y t o Raghunt hji.
Raghunt hji t ook t he pieces of jewellery and showed t hem t o
Lakshmanji. Fir st he showed or nament s wor n on t he ear s, t hen he
showed br acelet s and ot her or nament s wor n on t he ar ms, but
Lakshmanji did not r ecognise any of t hese. He was t hen shown some
anklet s. Lakshmanji immediat ely exclaimed, Mahr j! These ar e
J nkijis anklet s! Hear ing t his, Raghunt hji inquir ed, Lakshmanji,
how is it t hat you did not r ecognise t he ot her or nament s and
recognised t hese anklet s? Lakshmanji r eplied, Mahr j, I have
never seen Jnkijis body. In fact , except for her feet , I have not seen
any ot her part of Sit jis body. The only reason I have been able t o
r ecognise t he anklet s is because whenever I used t o go and bow at her
feet ever y evening, I would see her anklet s. In t his way, despit e t he
fact t hat for 14 year s Lakshmanji was in t heir ser vice, wit h t he
except ion of Jnkijis feet , he had never int ent ionally seen her body.
Such a per son should be known as a yat i.
5 Having said t his, Shr iji Mahr j comment ed, This
Br ahmnand Swmi is also like t hat .
6 In t his manner , as t he assembly was list ening, Shr iji Mahr j
gr eat ly pr aised Br ahmnand Swmi as being a yat i.
7 Ther eaft er , Shr iji Mahr j went t o t he out skir t s of t he village.
There, He sat on a large, decorat ed cot t hat had been placed on t op of
a low, broad plat form at t he sit e where t he sacrifices had been
per for med. At t hat t ime, an assembly of munis as well as devot ees
session.
9 Ther eupon shjibhi Pat el asked, Mahr j, what is t he nat ur e
of t he jiva? Please r eveal it t o me as it is.
10 Shr iji Mahr j explained, The jiva is uncut t able, unpier ceable,
immor t al, chaitanya, and t he size of an anu. You may also ask,
Where does t he jiva r eside? Well, it r esides in t he hrudayksh,
and while st aying t her e it per for ms differ ent funct ions. Fr om t her e,
when it want s t o see, it does so t hr ough t he eyes; when it want s t o
hear sounds, it does so t hr ough t he ear s; it smells all t ypes of smells
t hr ough t he nose; it t ast es t hr ough t he t ongue; and t hr ough t he skin,
it exper iences t he pleasur es of all sensat ions. In addit ion, it t hinks
t hr ough t he man , cont emplat es t hr ough t he chit t and makes
The Vachanmr ut 653
convict ions t hr ough t he buddhi. In t his manner , t hr ough t he t en
indriyas and t he four antahkarans, it indulges in all of t he vishays.
It pervades t he ent ire body from head t o t oe, yet is dist inct from it .
Such is t he nat ur e of t he jiva. It is due t o t he gr ace of t he incar nat e
for m of Pur ushot t am, Shr i Nar nr yan, t hat a devot ee is able t o see
t he jiva as it act ually is. Ot her s, on t he ot her hand, cannot even
begin t o realise t he nat ure of t he jiva.
11 Having answer ed t he quest ion in t his manner and t her eby
pleasing ever yone, Shr iji Mahr j bid J ai Sachchidnand t o t he
assembly and ret ired t o t he mansion t o sleep.
J et a lp u r -3
1 In t he ear ly mor ning of Chait r a sudi 5, Samvat 1882 [12 April
1829], Swmi Shr i Sahajnandji Mahr j arrived in t he garden on
t he west ern side of t he mansion , t he place of His r esidence, in
J et alpur . Under a lar ge borsali t r ee wit hin t he gar den, He was
sit t ing facing east on a cushion wit h a cylindrical pillow placed on a
decorat ed cot on a square plat form. He was dressed ent irely in whit e
clot hes. He was also wear ing gar lands of champ, borsali and
guldvadi flower s ar ound His neck, and t assels of chameli and
dolariy flower s wer e hanging fr om His pgh. Bunches of hajri
flowers had been placed upon His ears. In addit ion t o t his, He was
playing wit h a pomegr anat e and a lemon wit h bot h hands. At t hat
t ime, Mukt nand Swmi, Br ahmnand Swmi, and ot her munis as
well as devot ees from var ious places had gat her ed befor e Him in an
assembly.
2 Shr iji Mahr j fir st t hought for a while, and t hen said,
Everyone please list en; I wish t o speak t o you. For devot ees of God,
t her e is not hing wor se t han har bour ing impur e desir es. This is
because devot ees who have such impure desires, even if t hey st ay
near Me, cannot be happy. In fact , befor e engaging in t he wor ship of
God, t hey asked, Mahr j, please keep us near You. However ,
because t hey did not eradicat e t heir impure desires, t hey ar e
miser able.
3 Ther eupon Mukt nand Swmi asked, Mahr j, how ar e t hose
impur e desir es er adicat ed?
The Vachanmr ut 654
4 Shr iji Mahr j explained, The met hod for er adicat ing impur e
desir es is as follows: Fir st ly, whenever one ent er t ains a t hought
which infr inges t he codes of dharma t hat have been laid down by Me,
or whenever one t hinks ill of a sdhu or a householder, one should
r epeat edly chant Nar nr yan, Swminr yan aloud. Secondly, one
should offer t o God t he nine t ypes of bhakti coupled wit h knowledge of
His great ness and t he observance of dharma. As a r esult , God
r esides in ones hear t and dest r oys t he impur e desir es. In fact , just
as God fr eed t he elephant fr om t he cr ocodiles mout h, in t he same
way, t his met hod t hat I have just r evealed t o you will er adicat e your
impur e desir es.
5 Now I shall now t ell you anot her met hod which will benefit all
of you, so please list en. One should never int ent ionally infr inge t he
codes of dharma relat ed t o ones five religious vows
4
. If one does so
unknowingly, one should immediat ely at one for t he infr ingement .
6 In addit ion, one should realise ones own self t o be t he wit ness;
i.e., I am t he t m , which is full of chaitanya; it t r anscends all
t hought s and r eason. This body, which is accompanied by t he mind,
is not act ually my t r ue for m.
7 Fur t her mor e, if God smiles at someone, or if God calls someone,
or if He per for ms any ot her sor t of act ion, one should never bear an
aver sion t owar ds Him. One should imbibe t his for m of
under st anding. However , someone may feel, I have worshipped
Mahr j a lot , and I have also ser ved Him a gr eat deal; st ill, Mahr j
does not t alk t o me. Inst ead, he t alks t o ot her s a lot . So I might as
well wor ship God while sit t ing at home. In t his manner , he bear s an
aversion t owards God. In t hat case, I could also believe, What does
t his per son have t o do wit h Me? As a r esult , t hat per sons fut ur e
would be uncer t ain. However , I Myself do not look at anyones flaws.
In fact , My nat ur e is such t hat I always look only at peoples vir t ues.
8 Now I shall t ell you how t hat devot ee should imbibe virt ues and
er adicat e flaws. If he t hinks, What was I like befor e I came int o t he
Sat sang fellowship? Well, I was t he experiencer of kl, karma, bir t h,
deat h, and t he cycle of bir t hs and deat hs. So how can I bear an
aversion t owards God who has freed me from all of t hat , who has
made me fearless, and who has helped me progress by best owing
noble vir t ues upon me? How can I ignor e His wishes and do as I
please? Only when t hat devot ee st ops bearing an aversion t owards
God by t hinking in t his manner does he become happy.
The Vachanmr ut 655
9 In fact , wit h t his body, not hing is gr eat er t han t o do as God
likes. That in it self is bhakti. In fact , only by doing t his does one
at t ain God. That is why egot ism, jealousy, lust , anger , avar ice, et c.,
are all obst acles on t he pat h of liberat ion and should be discarded.
10 Of t hose vicious nat ur es, egot ism is absolut ely t he wor st of all.
J ust look, one who has a minor flaw in any ot her r eligious vow st ill
manages t o sur vive in Sat sang, wher eas t hose who had egot ism have
never been able t o sur vive. Ther efor e, O sdhus! Never allow any
lapse in t he observance of non -egot ism and ot her vows. Be ext r emely
vigilant . Believe your self t o be dist inct fr om your body. Offer bhakti
t o Shr i Pur ushot t am, Shr i Nar nr yan, diligent ly and scr upulously.
Const ant ly engage in wor ship coupled wit h r emembr ance of God; it s
bliss will equal t he bliss of act ually having t he darshan of God.
11 Secondly, in our Sat sang one who is well-versed in t he
scr ipt ur es is not necessar ily gr eat . Who should be consider ed gr eat ?
Well, he who, t hr ough vairgya, consider s all 14 r ealms t o be as
insignificant as a blade of gr ass; he who, just as he has fir m
at t achment for his body, has fir m convict ion of God,
i.e., Pur ushot t am, as He is; and he who is oblivious t o t he world in
t he waking st at e just as he is oblivious t o t he wor ld in t he st at e of
deep sleep such a per son is gr eat in our Sat sang.

J et a lp u r -4
1 On Chait r a sudi 6, Samvat 1882 [13 April 1829], Swmi Shr i
Sahajnandji Mahr j was sit t ing leaning on t he cylindr ical pillow
on a cushion t hat had been placed in t he sout h-facing balcony of t he
mansion in J et alpur . He was wear ing a whit e khes wit h a border of
silver t hr eads. A whit e pgh wit h a veil of flowers adorned His head,
and He had also covered Himself wit h a blanket of whit e flowers. In
addit ion t o t his, His ent ire body had been anoint ed wit h sandalwood
past e mixed wit h saffr on. Gar lands of guldvadi flowers were placed
ar ound His neck as well. At t hat t ime, an assembly of munis as well
2 Then addr essing t he ent ir e assembly, Shr iji Mahr j said, In
t his r ealm, t he jiva at t ains liberat ion only by t he following means:
The Vachanmr ut 656
fait h in t he manifest for m of God, His darshan and His const ant
r emembr ance. Aft er all, it is said in t he Shr imad Bhgwat t hat even
t hose who insult ed God, namely Kansa, Shishupl, Dant vakr a, et c.,
at t ained liber at ion since all of t hem had const ant r emembr ance of
God. Thus, liber at ion is at t ained by const ant ly r emember ing God.
And since all of you possess such r emembr ance, your liber at ion is
assured.
3 Having said t hat t hough, you should st ill obser ve t he codes of
dharma prescribed by Me in all r espect s for as long as you have
consciousness of your bodies. You may claim, t hough, If a per son
has at t ained God and const ant ly r emember s Him, why does he need
t o observe r eligious vows? Well, in r eply t o t hat , consider t he
difference bet ween one who firmly observes t he vows and one who is
slack in his obser vance. Allow Me t o explain t hat differ ence t o you.
Even t hough bot h remember God, t he person who does not observe
niyams can only ear n liber at ion for himself, but he cannot help ot her
jivas at t ain liberat ion . Also, he does not become an ekntik bhakta,
nor does he at t ain t he nirgun abode of God. Alt hough he does not
have t o under go bir t hs and deat hs, he cannot st ay in t he Sat sang
fellowship.
4 All of you, however, are t he best t ype of devot ees. In fact ,
sdhus such as your selves who obser ve niyams are of a t ot ally
differ ent cat egor y. For t hat r eason, whoever feeds you sincer ely will
ear n t he mer it s of per for ming millions of sacr ifices and will
ult imat ely at t ain liber at ion. Whoever t ouches your feet will be freed
of t heir sins commit t ed in millions of past lives. Anyone who kindly
offer s you clot hes will also at t ain ult imat e liber at ion. Whichever
rivers and lakes int o which you dip your feet become like places of
pilgr image, and any t r ee t hat you have sat under or eat en fruit s of
will also definit ely benefit . If someone devout ly does your darshan , or
if someone devout ly bows before you, t hen all of his sins are
dest royed. Moreover, whomever you t alk t o about God and whomever
you inspire t o observe t he niyams relat ed t o dharma will at t ain
liber at ion. In fact , all of t he act ions of sdhus like your selves who
observe niyams ar e r edempt ive. This is because you have t he fir m
r efuge of t he manifest for m of Shr i Nar nr yan Rishi. That Shr i
Nar nr yan Rishi is always pr esent in your assembly. This is t he
answer t o t hose t wo point s.
The Vachanmr ut 657
5 If again you may claim, If we have a fir m r efuge of God, why do
m yik gunas st ill per vade us? Then let Me say t hat it t akes Me no
t ime at all t o er adicat e t he six physical and emot ional sensat ions
14

and t he m yik gunas fr om all of you. In fact , it would t ake Me no
t ime t o enable all of you t o recall your count less previous lives and t o
be able t o perform t he creat ion and ot her processes of count less
brahmnds. Never t heless, I have kept you like t his and have
suppressed your powers because it is My wish t o do so, and for t he
purpose of enabling you t o at t ain t he bliss of t he manifest form of
God. What is mor e, all of you have cur r ent ly at t ained Shr i
Pur ushot t am who is incar nat e in t he for m of Shr i Nar nr yan Rishi.
Ther efor e, r elinquish all doubt s and happily engage in wor ship.
Saying t his, Shr iji Mahr j became silent .
6 Ther eaft er shjibhi asked Shr iji Mahr j a quest ion: Mahr j,
how is it t hat one at t ains liber at ion by keeping enmit y t owar ds God?
Please do t ell us.
7 Shr iji Mahr j r eplied, Once King Dr upad wished t o have his
daught er , Dr aupadi, mar r ied. So t hat she could select a br idegr oom,
he ar r anged a gr and funct ion in which he invit ed all of t he kings.
Dron chr ya also came, as did t he Pndavs. Then all of t he kings
t ook t urns t o t ry and pierce t he fish, but none were able t o do so.
Ther eupon Yudhisht hir said, I will pier ce t he fish. Having said
t his, Yudhisht hir t ook aim. Dr on chr ya asked him, Can you see
t his assembly? He r eplied, Yes, I can see it . Again Dr on chr ya
asked him, Can you see your body? He r eplied, Yes, I can see it .
Then Dron chr ya said, You will not be able t o pier ce t he fish. In
t his way, four of t he br ot her s wer e unable t o pier ce t he fish.
Thereaft er, Arjun st epped forward. He picked up his bow and t ook
aim. Dr on chr ya asked him, Can you see t his assembly? Ar jun
r eplied, No, I cannot see t he assembly, and I cannot even see t he
fish. Inst ead, I see only t he bir d at t ached t o t he fish. Hear ing t his,
Dron chr ya said, Focus on it s head. Ar jun adjust ed his aim and
said, Now I do not see even t he bir d; I see only it s head. Finally
Dron chr ya said, Now t ake you r shot . Ar jun t hen pier ced t he
fishs head. In t his manner , if all of ones vruttis are focused on t he
for m of God, t hen one can at t ain liberat ion even wit h a feeling of
enmit y t owards God.
8 For example, when t he vruttis of Shishupl, Kansa and ot her s
became complet ely engr ossed in Shr i Kr ishna, t hey at t ained
The Vachanmr ut 658
liberat ion. But if a person does not know how t o bear malice t owards
God in t his manner t hen he is consigned t o narak. Rat her t han t his,
it is much easier t o engage in t he bhakti of God. Conversely, t hough,
one who wor ships God wit h such a malignant int ellect will never
cease t o be called demonic and can in no way be called a devot ee.
9 Thus, if one want s t o for sake t he evil pr act ices of t he demons
and join t he r anks of Dhr uv, Pr ahld, Nr ad, t he Sanakdik, et c.,
engaging in t he worship of God by offering bhakti is far bet t er .
10 Having hear d Shr iji Mahr j speak in t his manner , ever yone in
t he assembly experienced profound bliss.
J et a lp u r -5
1 Approximat ely four -and-a-half hour s aft er sunset on Chait r a
sudi 7, Samvat 1882 [14 Apr il 1829], Swmi Shr i Sahajnandji
Mahr j was sit t ing on a wooden cot facing nor t h in t he cour t yar d
sout h of t he palace in J et alpur. He was dressed ent irely in whit e
clot hes. He was wear ing a pgh made fr om a t hin, whit e clot h
ar ound His head. He had also cover ed Himself wit h a t hin, whit e
cot t on clot h and was wear ing a whit e dhot iyu. At t hat t ime, an
gat hered before Him.
2 Aft er t hinking for a moment , Shr iji Mahr j said, Ever yone
please pay at t ent ion; t oday I wish t o t alk t o you about t hings as t hey
r eally ar e. Specifically, t her e is not hing gr eat er t han wor shipping
God. Why? Because ever yt hing happens accor ding t o t he will of God.
In fact , at t his moment , even t he will of t his assembly can be
fulfilled. By t he gr ace of Shr i Nar nr yan, even My will can be
fulfilled; i.e., what ever I wish for is also fulfilled. Allow Me t o
elabor at e on t his.
3 What ever I will in My mind is fulfilled in t his wor ld. If I will,
May he at t ain a kingdom, t hen he will at t ain a kingdom. If I will,
May he lose his kingdom, t hen his kingdom will be lost . If I will,
Let t her e be t his much r ainfall her e at t his moment , t hen it will
definit ely r ain her e; and if I will, Let t her e be no r ainfall her e, t hen
it will not r ain her e. Also if I will, May he at t ain wealt h, t hen he
does so; and if I will, May he not at t ain wealt h, t hen he cer t ainly
The Vachanmr ut 659
does not . If I will, May she bear a son, t hen she mot her s a son; and
if I will, May she not have a son, t hen she definit ely does not . If I
will, May he cont r act a disease, t hen he will cont r act a disease; and
if I will, May he not cont r act a disease, t hen he will not cont r act a
disease. So, when I will for somet hing, it act ually happens t hat way.
4 Then you will ar gue t hat a satsangi st ill has t o bear joy and
pain he cont r act s diseases, he somet imes loses all of his wealt h and
luxur ies, and despit e wor king ext r emely har d all his life, he st ill
r emains poor . Well, t he explanat ion for all of his effor t s not yielding
fr uit s is t hat it occur s in dir ect pr opor t ion t o his slackness in
engaging in t he wor ship of God. God definit ely wishes t o assist him.
In fact , if His own devot ee is t o face t he pain of a shuli, God will
r educe t hat pain by having him pr icked by a mer e t hor n inst ead. As
far as I am concer ned, I feel, If a satsangi is t o suffer t he pain of a
scor pion st ing, may I suffer t hat pain a t housand-fold inst ead, but a
devot ee should be r elieved of t hat pain and r emain happy. This is
t he boon I had r equest ed fr om Rmnand Swmi. That is why I
pray, May good be best owed upon all!
5 Also, I am always t r ying t o keep t he vrut t i of peoples minds
fixed on God. Why? Because I know ever yt hing about t he past , t he
pr esent and t he fut ur e. In fact , while sit t ing her e, I know ever yt hing
t hat happens; even when I was in My mot her s womb, I knew
ever yt hing; and even befor e I came int o My mot her s womb, I knew
ever yt hing. This is because I am God Shr i Nar nr yan Rishi.
Even if a per son who has commit t ed ext r emely gr ave sins comes and
accept s My r efuge and abides by t he niyams, t hen in his last
moment s, I will gr ant him My darshan and t ake him t o Gods
Akshardh m.
6 Pr esent ly, t he lord of Akshardh m, Shr i Pur ushot t am, being
bor n t o Dhar madev and Mur t idevi who is also called Bhakt i
manifest s in Badr ikshr am and per for ms aust er it ies in t he for m of
Shr i Nar nr yan Rishi. It is t o denounce t he beliefs of t he
hypocr it es, t o dest roy any t radit ions of adharma and nur t ur e t he
t radit ions of dharma, and t o propagat e bhakti coupled wit h dharma,
gnn and vairgya on t his ear t h in t his Kali-yug t hat Shr i
Nar nr yan Rishi was bor n t o Shr i Dhar madev and Bhakt i in t he
form of Nr yanmuni who is pr esent ly sit t ing in t his assembly.
7 By saying t his, Shr iji Mahr j filled His devot ees wit h joy.
The Vachanmr ut 660
8 Cont inuing, He said, The only purpose behind My repeat edly
ment ioning t he pr edominance of Shr i Nar nr yandev is t hat t hat
same Shr i Nar nr yan, who is Shr i Kr ishna Pur ushot t am and who
resides in Akshardh m, himself sit s daily in t his assembly. That is
why I speak of his pr edominance. So, r ealising My for m, I have
spent hundreds of t housands of rupees on const ruct ing a spired
mandir in Amdvd. That is why I fir st inst alled t he idols of Shr i
Nar nr yan t her ein. That Shr i Nar nr yan is t he lor d of count less
brahmnds. Of t hese, he is especially t he lor d of t his Bhar at -khand.
Those people in Bharat -khand who disr egar d t his manifest form of
Shr i Nar nr yan by wor shipping ot her deit ies ar e like adult er ous
women who leave t heir husbands and become at t ached t o ot her
lover s. Even t he Shr imad Bhgwat ment ions t hat Shr i Nar nr yan
is t he lor d of t his Bhar at -khand.
9 Fur t her mor e, it is for t he liberat ion of t he jivas t hat I have
manifest ed along wit h t hese sdhus. Ther efor e, if you abide by My
words, I will t ake all of you t o t he abode fr om which I have come. So
you should also realise, We have already at t ained liber at ion.
Fur t her mor e, if you keep fir m fait h in Me and do as I say, t hen even
if you were t o suffer ext reme hardships, or even if you were t o face
t he calamit ies of seven consecut ive famines, I will pr ot ect you fr om
t hem. Even if you were made t o suffer miser ies fr om which t her e
seems t o be no way out , I will st ill prot ect you but only if you
met iculously obser ve t he dharma of My Sat sang, and only if you
cont inue pr act ising satsang. However , if you do not , you will suffer
t er r ible miser ies, and I will have not hing t o do wit h you.
10 This t ime, I have left no deficiency in any mat t er what soever .
J ust look, I have performed several sacr ifices in t his village of
J et alpur . I have also been visit ing her e for so many year s; I must
have bat hed in t his lake along wit h My sdhus t housands of t imes; I
must have visit ed each home in t his village of J et alpur a hundr ed
t imes, and I have also t aken meals in ever y home. In t his way, I
have r ender ed t his village and it s out skir t s even mor e sanct ified t han
Vr undvan.
11 As Mahr j was saying t his, a lar ge ball of light appeared in t he
sky, and t hen split int o t hr ee dist inct balls. They t hen hover ed above
t he mansion for a while and t hen disappeared.
12 Seeing t his phenomenon, ever yone asked, Mahr j, what was
t hat ?
The Vachanmr ut 661
13 Shr iji Mahr j r evealed, Ever yday, Br ahm, Vishnu and Shiv
come for My darshan and t he darshan of t his assembly of sdhus.
But t oday, by t he wish of God, you have been able t o see t hem along
wit h t heir celest ial vehicles.
Bh u gol-Kh a gol
Rega r d i n g Geogr a p h y a n d Ast r on omy
1 [Fr om Kr t ik sudi 1 t o Kr t ik sudi 11, Samvat 1863 [21
November 1806], under t he harmo t r ee in Bhakt ibg, Gadhad,
Shr iji Mahr j dict at ed a let t er t o Shuk Muni addressed t o His
follower s. The let t er included a descript ion of prut hvi, t he dwips and
t he khands; t he t ime span of t he yugs; as well as a nar r at ion of t he
var ious t ypes of dissolut ion in r efer ence t o t he r ar it y of at t aining a
human bir t h in Bhar at -khand. It incor por at ed t he message of
st r iving for liber at ion r at her t han engaging t oo deeply in wor ldly
act ivit ies. A similar let t er is also not ed in t he Har ililmr ut [VI/11-
12]. Regardless of whet her t he let t er ment ioned in t he Harililmr ut
is t his same let t er , it is just as significant , and so it is present ed here
separ at ely.]
2 The Shr imad Bhgwat and ot her sacr ed scr ipt ur es st at e t hat it
is ext r emely r ar e t o r eceive a human bir t h in Bhar at -khand, and
t hat it can be equalled t o receiving a chintmani. In fact , even Indr a
and ot her deit ies long for a human bir t h. The vishays, t he affluence
and opulence, as well as t he lifespan of t he deit ies great ly exceed t hat
of humans, yet t hey have no means of at t aining liber at ion in t heir
own r ealms. Only aft er r eceiving a human bir t h in Bhar at -khand
can one at t ain liberat ion. In no ot her place and wit h no ot her body is
liber at ion possible. For t his r eason, at t aining a human bir t h in
Bhar at -khand is bet t er t han being bor n in any of t he ot her r egions of
Mr ut yulok . Thus, t her e is no place in t he 14 r ealms t hat can
compar e wit h Bhar at -khand.
3 Her e ar e t he names of t hose 14 r ealms, of which six ar e above
Mr ut yulok: (1) Fir st ly, t her e is Bhuvar lok wher e impur e deit ies
reside. (2) Above t hat is Swarglok wher e Indr a and ot her deit ies
reside. (3) Next is Maharlok wher e Ar yam and ot her ancest r al
deit ies r eside. (4) Four t h is J anlok and (5) fift h is Taplok. Bhr ugu
and ot her r ishis st ay in t hese t wo r ealms. (6) Finally, t he sixt h and
The Vachanmr ut 662
highest r ealm is Sat yalok wher e Br ahm r esides. These ar e t he
seven r ealms inclusive of Mr ut yulok.
4 Below Mr ut yulok t her e ar e a fur t her seven r ealms. In (1) At al,
(2) Vit al, and (3) Sut al, t he demons reside. Below t hem are (4)
Talt al, (5) Maht al, and (6) Rast al in which noct ur nal beings
r eside. (7) Finally, ser pent s st ay in t he sevent h r ealm, Pt l. These
seven r ealms ar e below Mr ut yulok. This makes 14 r ealms in t ot al, of
which Mr ut yulok is t he best .
5 Mr ut yulok compr ises of seven concent r ic dwips: (1) In t he
cent r e is J ambu-dwip, which is 100,000 yojans in size. It is
sur r ounded by a salt -wat er ocean t hat is also 100,000 yojans in size.
(2) Plaksh-dwip, t he second dwip, is 200,000 yojans in size. It is
sur r ounded by an ocean t hat is also 200,000 yojans in size. The
wat er of t his ocean is like t hat of ikshu, i.e., sugar cane juice. (3)
The t hir d sur r ounding dwip is called Shlmali-dwip. It is 400,000
yojans in size and a sur r ounding ocean t hat is also 400,000 yojans in
size. It s wat er is like t hat of sur , i.e., alcohol. (4) The four t h dwip,
Kush-dwip, is also cir cular . It is 800,000 yojans wide and has a
similar -sized sur r ounding ocean whose wat er is like t hat of ghr ut ,
i.e., ghee. (5) Next is t he fift h dwip, Kr aunch-dwip. It is 1,600,000
yojans in size and it also has an ocean of 1,600,000 yojan s
sur r ounding it . It s wat er is like t hat of kshir , i.e., milk. (6) The
sixt h dwip, called Shk-dwip, is 3,200,000 yojans wide and has a
sur r ounding ocean of t he same size. The wat er of t his ocean is like
t hat of dadhi-mandod, i.e., yoghur t . (7) Finally, t he sevent h dwip is
called Pushkar -dwip. It is 6,400,000 yojans in size, it has a
sur r ounding ocean t hat is also 6,400,000 yojans in size. It s wat er is
as sweet as sudh , i.e., amrut . These are t he seven dwips t hat
make up Mr ut yulok, of which J ambu-dwip is t he best .
6 J ambu-dwip it self comprises of nine khands. At t he cent r e is
t he golden Mount Mer u. Sur r ounding it s base on all four sides is t he
landmass called Ilvar t -khand wher e t her e is t he worship of
Sankar shan, and Shivji is t he pr incipal devot ee. To t he west of Mer u
is Ket uml-khand, which is also called by t he name of Subhag.
Ther e, Pr adyumna is wor shipped, and Lakshmiji is t he pr incipal
devot ee. To t he nort h of Meru, t here are t hree khands: Ramyak -
khand where t here is t he worship of Mat sya Bhagwn, and Svar ni
Manu is t he main devot ee; nor t h of t hat is Hir anyamay-khand
wher e t her e is t he wor ship of Kur maji, and Ar yam is t he main
The Vachanmr ut 663
devot ee; and nor t h of t hat st ill is Kur u-khand where t here is t he
worship of Varh, and Pr ut hvi is t he main devot ee. This makes five
khands. To t he east of Meru t here is t he khand called Bhadr shwa-
khand wher e Hayagr iv is wor shipped, and Bhadr ashr av is t he
pr incipal devot ee. Sout h of Mer u, t her e ar e a fur t her t hr ee khands:
Har ivar sh-khand wher e t her e is t he wor ship of Nr usinh, and
Pr ahld is t he main devot ee; sout h of t hat is Kimpur ush-khand
wher e t her e is t he wor ship of Rm-Lakshmiji, and Hanumn is t he
main devot ee; and fur t her sout h of t hat is Bhar at -khand where
t her e is t he wor ship of Nar nr yan, and Nr adji is t he main devot ee.
These ar e t he nine khands of J ambu-dwip. Of t hese, Bhar at -khand
is t he best because alt hough t he ot her eight have a great er ext ent of
worldly pleasures t o indulge in, one cannot at t ain liberat ion t her e
endeavours for liberat ion are only possible in Bharat -khand. For t his
r eason, t her e is no place in t he 14 r ealms equal t o Bhar at -khand.
7 Wit hin Bhar at -khand, t her e ar e 13 r egions which ar e anr ya,
t hat is t o say, ignoble. They ar e: (1) Bangl, (2) Nepl, (3) Bhut , (4)
Kmkshi, (5) Sindh, (6) Kbul, (7) Lhor , (8) Mult n, (9) Ir n, (10)
Ast ambol, (11) Ar bast n, (12) Swl, and (13) Pilpilm. These 13
r egions ar e impur e. It is ver y difficult for someone who has t aken
bir t h t her e t o at t ain t he associat ion of a S adguru t he gr ant er of
liberat ion and t o underst and t he nat ure of liberat ion.
8 Twelve-and-a-half r egions in Bhar at -khand are said t o be r ya,
i.e., noble. These ar e: (1) Pur va, (2) Vr aj, (3) Mlav, (4) Mr u, (5)
Panjb, (6) Gujar t , (7) Dakshin, (8) Malbr , (9) Tilang, (10) Dr vid,
(11) Br malr , (12) Sor at h, and half of Kut ch. These t welve-and-a-
half r egions ar e super ior . Ther e, t he S ant a S adguru who is a
knower of Br ahma is invar iably pr esent . Whosoever r eceives a
human bir t h in t hese r egions is able t o under st and dharma, gnn,
vairgya and bhakti, and is able t o realise t he pat h t o liberat ion.
How does he come t o r ealise t his? Well, t hese r egions ar e called t he
best because of t he many avat rs of God t hat manifest t her e. Thus,
all humans of Bhar at -khand can at t ain liber at ion if t hey endeavour ;
if t hey do not endeavour , t hey will not at t ain it . Ther efor e, one who
is wise should abandon violence and ot her such vices, r enounce evil
influences, and seek t he refuge of t he S adguru S ant who is a knower
of Br ahma and ser ve him.
9 The S adguru S ant, whose char act er ist ics ar e not ed in t he
sacred script ures, is one who is endowed wit h all of t he noble virt ues
The Vachanmr ut 664
of dharma, gnn, vairgya, bhakti, et c. Aft er r ecognising t hat S ant,
one should seek his refuge, keep ones body, indriyas and antahkaran
in accor dance wit h his commands, and engage in t he wor ship of God.
This is t he only means for at t aining liber at ion. Whoever has done
t his in t he past , is pr esent ly doing so, or will do so in t he fut ur e,
should be regarded as one who has best ut ilised his invaluable
human body, as one who has t r ue under st anding, and as one who is
eminent . Conversely, one who does not under st and t his, wast es such
an invaluable human bir t h by cr aving t he insignificant pleasur es of
t he wor ld, and by having fait h in t he wor ds of a hypocr it ical,
misleading gur u who himself is pr ey t o deat h. Even t hough t he
lat t er person who may be called under st anding, eminent and wise
among t he devot ees may be highly est eemed and famed in t he
wor ld, his est eem and fame ar e mer ely like a dr eam. Those who
assume such fame and est eem t o be t r ue and ar e infat uat ed by t hem,
but do not underst and t he pat h t o liberat ion, are called fools and self-
dest royers by t he S ant who is a knower of Br ahma and by t he sacr ed
script ures. They would t hen have t o wait a great deal of t ime before
r eceiving anot her human bir t h in such a place wher e liber at ion can
be at t ained.
10 The dur at ion of t his wait is st at ed in t he scr ipt ur es. One lav of
Br ahm is equal t o our 666 year s and eight mont hs. Sixt y such lavs
equal one nimish, which is t he equivalent of our 40,000 year s. Sixt y
such nimishas equal one pal, which is t he equivalent of our 2,400,000
year s. Sixt y such pals equal one ghadi, which is 144,000,000 year s of
our year s. Thir t y such ghadis make a day of Br ahm, which is t he
equivalent of our 4,320,000,000 year s.
11 The passing of four yugs is called a chokdi. Sat ya-yug last s for
1,728,000 year s; Tr et -yug for 1,296,000 year s; Dwpar-yug for
864,000 year s; and Kali-yug for 432,000 year s. This means one
chokdi is complet ed in 4,320,000 year s; and one t housand such
chokdis pass in one day of Br ahm. That is, in one day of Brahm,
14 Manus and 14 Indr as r eign and ult imat ely die. Each Manu and
each Indr a r eign for 308,571,428 year s, six mont hs, 25 days, 42
ghadis, 51 pals, 25 nimishes and 42 and
12
/
14
lavs. Four t een such
Manus and Indr as ar e cr eat ed and dest r oyed during one day of
Br ahm. Count less cr eat ur es die t hr oughout t hat day of Br ahm.
This is called nit ya-pralay.
The Vachanmr ut 665
12 When one night of Br ahm passes and Br ahm ret ires t o sleep,
t he t en r ealms inclusive of swarg, Mr ut yulok and pt l are
dest royed. Brahms night is as long as his day. Thus, one of
Br ahms night and day t oget her last s for our 8,640,000,000 year s.
The lower t en r ealms of t he brahmnd are t hus dest royed daily. At
t he end of each day, a new set of r ealms is cr eat ed, which in t ur n will
be dest royed as well. This is called nimit t a-pralay, which is t he
dur at ion of Br ahms day.
13 Thir t y days of Br ahm make one mont h, 12 such mont hs make
one year , and a hundr ed such year s is t he lifespan of Br ahm. When
Br ahm dies, t he brahmnd, consist ing of t he 14 r ealms, is
dest r oyed. Then, all of t he ent it ies t hat have evolved out of Pr akr ut i
ar e assimilat ed back int o Pr akr ut i. This is called prkrut-pralay.
14 The fourt h t ype of dissolut ion is tyantik-pralay. This is when
count less million s of brahmnds ar e dest r oyed. At t hat t ime, even
Pr akr ut i-Pur ush t he cause of Pradh n-Pur ushes dr aws count less
brahmnds wit hin it self, and is t hen eclipsed by t he light of Akshar -
Pur ush
i
. This, t he four t h t ype of dissolut ion, is called tyantik-
pralay.
15 At t he t ime of cr eat ion, ever yt hing evolves fr om Pr akr ut i-
Pur ush in t he exact r ever se or der fr om which it was assimilat ed
during t he t ime of dissolut ion. I have t hus described t he four t ypes of
dissolut ion.
16 The t hir d t ype of dissolut ion, prkrut -pralay, is t he end of t he
lifespan of Brahm. A jiva squander s it s human body, which it
r eceives aft er 350,000,000 such prkrut-pralays, for t he sake of vain
wor ldly pleasur es and by t he r efuge of a false gur u. Consequent ly, it
has t o suffer t he t or ment s of Yam and t he agonies of t he pit s of
narak. Mor eover , it r eceives anot her human bir t h in a place wher e
liber at ion is at t ainable only aft er passing t hr ough t he suffer ings of
t he cycle of 8.4 million life for ms
3
, i.e., aft er anot her t hr ee-and-a-half
prkrut-pralays. This is t he int er val befor e one r eceives a human
bir t h again.
17 Ther efor e, O br ot her , having under st ood t his t oday, and having
sought t he refuge of t he S adguru S ant t he grant er of liberat ion

i
Akshar -Pur ush in t his cont ext r efer s t o Akshar br ahma.
The Vachanmr ut 666
and having kept your body, indriyas and ant ahkaran in accor dance
wit h his wish, st r ive for t he benefit of your t m and reach t he abode
of God. If you do not realise t his fact t oday and wast e t his human
body, which is inst r ument al in at t aining liber at ion, you will have t o
wait for t he aforement ioned t ime before you receive anot her chance
like t his. Only aft er such suffer ing and only at t he end of t hat
int er val will you r eceive anot her oppor t unit y t o at t ain liber at ion, and
t hat t oo if you st r ive for it . If you do not , you will not at t ain
liber at ion. This is a fundament al pr inciple. The wise should ponder
over t his. Fools, on t he ot her hand, will never under st and t his since
t hey have no r espect for t he Shr ut is or Smr ut is.
| | Bhugol-Khagol | |

| | En d of Ad d it ion a l Va ch a n mr u t s | |

The Vachanmr ut 667

The Vachanmr ut 668
Glossary

Needless t o say, t he aim of any t r anslat ion is t o conver t t ext
fr om one language int o anot her . Tr anslat ing t he Vachanmr ut ,
however , posed a major challenge t he synt act ic and cult ur al
differences bet ween Gujart i-Sanskr it and English ar e so gr eat t hat
some of t he original words had t o be ret ained in t he t ext t o maint ain
concept ual accur acy. This Glossar y is an at t empt t o succinct ly
define t hose words.
While t he limit ed space of t he Glossary does not do complet e
just ice t o t he definit ions of many of the wor ds, under st anding t he
convent ions used in t he Glossar y will allow t he r eader t o maximize
it s ut ilit y. In t he t ext of t he Glossar y, pr oper nouns ar e capit alised
and non -it alicised, while common nouns appear in lower case and ar e
it alicised. For definit ions followed by S ee: anot her word, a cr it ical
part of t he definit ion is explained under t he ot her word; whereas, for
definit ions followed by S ee also: anot her word, t he ot her wor d
provides some support ing explanat ion. Moreover, t he reader is
advised t o r efer t o t he Glossar y ent r y of any it alicised wor d t hat may
be included wit hin a par t icular definit ion for mor e infor mat ion about
t hat concept . Readers should also not e t hat t he definit ions provided
ar e accor ding t o usage in t he Vachanmr ut t r anslat ion, which may
not necessar ily mat ch t he common use of t he wor d. For example, t he
wor d km has alr eady been t r anslat ed in t he t ext as lust , but in it s
second meaning as one of t he four endeavour s of Hinduism, it has
been used in it s unt ranslat ed for m in t he t ext . So, t he Glossar y will
only include t he less common but only r elevant definit ion of km as
one of t he four endeavours. In addit ion, where t he same word is
used in bot h lower case and capit alised for m, e.g., ekntik bhakta
and Ekntik Bhakta, t he lower case for m is used for t he gener al
meaning of t he word while t he capit alised form is used when t he t ext
is r efer r ing specifically t o God or t he Sat pur ush. Also, t he definit ion
of some words is preceded by t he words lit eral t ranslat ion, which
appear s in single quot es. For example: Bhagwad Git Song of God,
followed by t he act ual definit ion.
Finally, r efer ences t o specific Vachanmr ut par agr aphs included
in some of t he definit ions serve bot h t o aut hent icat e t he definit ion as
well as t o direct readers t owards more det ailed explanat ions of t he
t opic wit hin t he Vachanmr ut it self.
The Vachanmr ut 669

The Vachanmr ut 670
A
chrya Est ablisher of a r eligious doct r ine or a school of philosophy.
The lat er chryas, st ar t ing wit h Shankar ch rya,
est ablished a school of philosophy, having wr it t en
comment ar ies on t he Vy s Sut r as, t he Upanishads and t he
Bhagwad Git .
adharma Opposit e of dharma. That which t r ansgr esses dharma.
Unr ight eousness. Immor alit y. See: dharma.
adhibhut 1) Indriyas organs, i.e., sthul body of t he jiva {Loy -15.2}.
2) Five mahbhuts, i.e., sthul body of Vir t -Purush {Gadh II-
10.3}.
adhidev 1) Governing deit y of t he indriyas of t he jiva {Loy -15.2}.
2) Governing deit y of t he indriyas of Vir t -Purush {Gadh II-
10.3}.
adhytma 1) Indriyas of t he jiva {Loy -15.2}.
2) Indriyas of Vir t -Purush {Gadh II-10.3}.
Advait Non-dual. The monot heist ic doct r ine pr opounded
pr ominent ly by Shankar ch r ya t hat st at es t hat t he
ult imat e r ealit y is only one (i.e., non-dual) pr incipa l
subst ance nirgun Br ahma and t hat all else is mer ely an
illusion.
ahamkr 1) I-ness-maker . One of t he four aspect s of t he antahkaran,
char act er ised by it s funct ion of giving r ise t o t he sense of
self, i.e., sense of individual exist ence.
2) On a cosmic level, a pr oduct of mahattattva, which is of
t hr ee t ypes sttvik-ahamkr, rjas-ahamkr and tmas-
ahamkr and fr om which, in t ur n, t he r emaining element s
ar e pr oduced. By nat ur e, it is passive, dense and t ot ally
ignor ant {Gadh I-12.10; Ga dh I-12.27}.
hir Specific sub-cast e of t he Vaishya cast e t r adit ionally
engaged in commer cial act ivit ies.
akartum Ext r aor dinar y divine power of God wher eby He exer cises
r est r aint in His power t o eclipse t he infinit e muktas of
Akshar dh m by His own divine light and pr evail alone
{Loy -13.10}
The Vachanmr ut 671
ksh 1) Space/et her or vacuum. One of t he five gr oss element s,
fr om which t he sthul body of Vir t -Pur ush, i.e., t he physical
wor ld, is for med. By nat ur e, it pr ovides space for all jivas,
is t he cause of t he int er nal and ext er nal act ivit ies of t heir
bodies, and is also wher e t he prns, indriyas and
antahkarans r eside {Ga dh I-12.23}. The st r ongest of t he
five element s since it suppor t s and per vades all of t he ot her
four {Gadh I-56.12} yet r emains wholly unaffect ed by
t hem {K r-8.3 et al.}. See also: mahbhuts.
2) Also r efer s t o space.
3) Also oft en used t o r efer t o Chid k sh {e.g., Gadh I-46.3,5;
I-65.5}. See: Chidksh.
Akshar 1) Imper ishable. Second-highest of t he five et er nal
ent it ies; i.e., t r a nscends ever yt hing except Pur ushot t am.
Also r efer r ed t o as Akshar br ahma or Br ahma. See also
ot her four et er nal ent it ies: jiva, ishwar, my, and
Purushottam.
2) In his per sonal for m, Akshar ser ves Pur ushot t am in His
abode, Akshar dh m, and manifest s as His ideal devot ee,
t he Sat pur ush, on ear t h. Bot h for ms ar e human in
appear ance.
3) In his imper sonal for m, Akshar is t he abode of
Pur ushot t am, called Akshar dh m. See: Akshardhm.
4) In his all-per vading anvay for m, Akshar is called
Chid k sh {Gadh I-21.7; I-46.3,5; I-65.5}. See: Chidksh.
Aksharbrahma Akshar . See: Akshar.
Akshardhm The highest abode. The divine abode of Pur ushot t am
Bhagw n Sw min r yan, wher e He is for ever seat ed befor e
count less muktas, who have at t ained qualit ies similar t o
t hose of Akshar {Gadh I-21.7}. The imper sonal for m of
Akshar .
akshar-mukta A jiva t hat has at t ained ult imat e liber at ion and r esides
for ever in Akshar dh m wit h a divine body.
Akshar-Purush Also called Mah -Purush, Mul -Pur ush, or simply,
Purush. See: Purush.
aksharrup 1) For m of Akshar . That which has qualit ies similar t o
t hose of Akshar . Used t o descr ibe t he spir it ual st at e of
akshar-muktas. Highest level of fait h or spir it ual st at us is
The Vachanmr ut 672
t o become aksharrup and wor ship Pur ushot t am {Loy -
12.8}.
2) Is also somet imes used t o descr ibe t hings t hat have
at t ained qualit ies similar t o Akshar t hr ough his cont act ,
e.g., light {Gadh II.13.16}.
akshividy Knowledge of t he eyes. A t ype of brahmavidy by which
one sees ones tm and t he for m of God wit hin t he eyes
{Loy -15.6}.
Alok Region beyond t his r ealm.
Ams No-moon day signifying t he last day of a lunar mont h, i.e.,
t he 15
t h
day of t he dar k half of an Indian calendar mont h.
New moon.
amrut Wit hout deat h. An exhilar at ing liquid chur ned fr om t he
ocean by t he deit ies and t he demons, known t o gr ant
immor t alit y t o t hose who dr ink it .
analpakshi Bir d of fir e. Lar ge, legendar y bir d t hat never lands on t he
gr ound and has t he st r engt h t o car r y seven elephant s wit h
it .
andaj Born fr om egg. Cat egor y of life for ms bor n fr om eggs, i.e.,
all for ms of bir ds, r ept iles, et c.
angarkhu Long, sewn upper gar ment wor n by males, similar t o a long
waist -coat st r et ching down t o t he knees.
antahkaran Inner facult y. The complet e mind which compr ises of four
aspect s, each char act er ised by it s individual funct ions:
called t he man when gener at ing t hought s and desir es; t he
buddhi when consolidat ing t hought s, making decisions and
r esolut ions, for ming convict ions , or discr iminat ing; t he chitt
when r epeat edly cont emplat ing or focusing; and t he
ahamkr when forming a sense of being. Nor mally used in
t he singular since all four ar e aspect s of t he one
antahkaran, but also oft en r efer r ed t o as being four
differ ent antahkarans.
antarymi Inner cont roller . Power of God t o r eside wit hin a jiva,
ishwar, et c., and cont r ol it s each and ever y act ion. Also
implies God knowing it s inner most t hought s and feelings.
anu Fundament al, univer sal and at om-like unit of mat t er .
Monad. Smallest building block of cr eat ion.
The Vachanmr ut 673
anvay Not separ at e. Associat ed. Connect ed. When used for God,
implies immanent , i.e., inher ent ly exist ing wit hin {Gadh I-
7; S r-5; Va r-7}.
anyath-kartum Ext r aor dinar y divine power of God wher eby He can
eclipse even Akshar in t he for m of Akshar dham and
uphold t he infinit e muktas by Himself, implying t hat He is
t he suppor t er of all, but t hat He Himself is t ot ally
independent {Loy -13.10}.
archimrg Road of fir e. Tr adit ionally t hought of as t he pat h t o t he
sun, but also t he pat h t o t he abode of God t aken by t he jiva
aft er deat h.
arth One of t he four purushrths, allowing for t he fulfillment of
desir es for mat er ial object s, in par t icular wealt h {Amd-
5.11}.
rti Hindu r it ual of waving light ed wicks befor e t he murti of God
as an act of wor ship.
san 1) Seat , der ived fr om ver b-r oot s t o sit . Yogic sit t ing
post ur e.
2) Thir d of t he eight st eps of ashtng-yoga, ent ailing
physical exer cises of post ur es for soundness of body, which
pr omot es concent r at ion.
asat 1) Opposit e of sat. Tr ansient , i.e., per ishable, changing and
bound by t he const r aint s of t ime.
2) False. Not t r ue.
asatya 1) Opposit e of satya. Tr ansient , i.e., per ishable and
changing, and bound by t he const r aint s of Time.
2) False. Not t r ue.
3) Imaginar y or illusor y accor ding t o t he Advait doct r ine.
shdh Fir st mont h of t he s h dhi Samvat year , nor mally
beginning bet ween J une and J uly.
shram St age of life. Tr adit ionally in Hinduism, t her e ar e four in
t ot al, each wit h t heir cor r esponding dut ies and
r esponsibilit ies. Specifically, brahmachrya, as a st udent
and celibat e; gruhastha, as a householder wit h a family;
vnprasth, as an elder ly advisor , lit er ally implying t aking
t o t he for est s; and sannystha, as a r ecluse, lit er ally
The Vachanmr ut 674
implying t hr owing away or put t ing aside, i.e., r enouncing
t he wor ld.
ashtng-yoga Syst em of Yoga compr ising eight pr ogr essive st eps leading
ult imat ely t o yoga, i.e., union wit h God. The eight st eps ar e,
namely: yam (r est r aint ), niyam (obser vance), san (seat or
post ur e), prnym (mast er ing t he prns), pratyhr
(wit hdr awal), dhrn (concent r at ion), dhyn (medit at ion),
and samdhi (t r ance). See also individual ent r ies.
so Four t h mont h of t he s h dhi Samvat year , nor mally
beginning bet ween Sept ember and Oct ober .
soplav Type of t r ee whose leaves ar e used in r it uals and on
auspicious occasions as decor at ion.
stik 1) Believer . Per son who believes in t he exist ence of God, or
mor e gener ally, one who is r eligiously-inclined.
2) Can also descr ibe people or scr ipt ur es t hat accept t he
aut hor it y and aut hent icit y of t he Veda s.
3) Per son who fir mly believes t hat pious or impious karmas
in t his r ealm will undoubt edly r eceive t he r espect ive fr uit s
of t hose karmas in t he r ealm beyond {Gadh III-26.4}.
asuy For m of jealousy, in which fault s ar e at t r ibut ed t o t he
vir t ues of t he per son of which one is jealous {S r-8.3}.
Atal Fir st r ealm beneat h Mr ut yulok, wher e demons r eside.
Sevent h r ealm fr om t he bot t om in t he 14-r ealm syst em of a
brahm nd. See: Appendix B.
tm 1) The pur e jiva, dist inct fr om t he physical, subt le and
causal bodies i.e., dist inct fr om t he indriyas, t he
antahkaran, wor ldly desir es, or any ot her t r aces of my.
2) Gener ally, t hat which per vades, inspir es and gover ns.
Thus, also r efer s t o God as t he per vader , inspir er and
gover nor of t he physical and non-physical wor ld, i.e., shariri.
tmanivedi One who offer s tmanivedanam, t he nint h t ype of bhakti,
i.e., a devot ee who has t ot ally sur r ender ed himself t o God.
One whose ever y act ion is an offer ing t o God and who has
God at t he cent r e of his/her ever y act ion.
tyantik-pralay 1) Final dissolut ion. Dest r uct ion of all of t he count less
millions of brahm nds, when even Prakrut i-Pur ush t he
cause of count less Pr adh n-Pur ushes dr aws in count less
The Vachanmr ut 675
brahm nds wit hin it self, and is t hen eclipsed by t he light of
Akshar br ahma {Bhu-Kha.14; Gadh I-12.29; Amd-2.8}. In
tyantik-pralay, only Pur ushot t am, Akshar , and t he
akshar-muktas r emain (Pan-7.10). See also t he ot her t hr ee
t ypes of dissolut ion: nitya-pralay, nimitta-pralay and
prkrut-pralay.
2) On t he individual level, also called gnn-pralay. See:
gnn-pralay.
val Type of small shr ub whose leaves have inher ent healing
qualit ies.
avatr Incar nat ion of Vishnu. Thr ough Vishnu, God incar na t es on
Ear t h for t he welfar e of societ y and for t he liber at ion of t he
jivas. God is always pr esent in Bhar at -khand t hrough such
incar nat ions or His sdhu {Va r-19.2}. He assumes var ious
for ms accor ding t o whichever t ask needs t o be accomplished
in whichever place {Loy -7.10}. Differ ent scr ipt ur es offer
differ ent list s of t he act ual incar nat ions, but 24 avatrs ar e
gener ally agr eed upon; and of t hese, 10 ar e r egar ded as
major incar nat ions wit h a gr eat er degr ee of t he pr esence
of God t han ot her s. The most common list of t he 24 avatrs
based on t he Pur ns ar e: (1) Br ahm , (2) Va r h,
(3) Mat sya, (4) Hayagr iv, (5) Hansa, (6) Yagnarup,
(7) Kur ma, (8) Dhanvant ar i, (9) Mohini, (10) Prut hu,
(11) N r ad, (12) Rushabhdev (13) Dat t t r eya,
(14) Kapildev, (15) Nar n r yan, (16) Nr usinh, (17) V man,
(18) Par shur m, (19) Vy s, (20) R m, (21) Ba lr m,
(22) Kr ishna, (23) Buddha, and (24) Kalki. Of t hese, t he t en
main avatrs of Vishnu ar e: (1) Mat sya, (2) Kur ma,
(3) Va r h, (4) Nr usinh, (5) V man, (6) Pars hur m, (7) R m,
(8) Kr ishna, (9) Buddha, and (10) Kalki.
avidy Synonymous wit h my {Gadh III-19.4}. False
under st anding of t he nat ur e of r ealit y. Ignor ance.
avykrut Of t he t hr ee bodies of Vir t -Pur ush and ot her ishwars, t he
causal body. Analogous t o t he k ran body of t he jivas. The
body fr om which t he ishwars virt (gr oss) body and
sutrtm (subt le) body evolve, and is t hus also consider ed
as t he my of ishwar {K r-12.4}.
Ayodhywsi Resident s of Ayodhy . Ayodhy , t he bir t hplace of R m
Bhagw n, is a cit y in nor t her n India wher e Bhagw n
The Vachanmr ut 676
Sw min r yans family lived for sever al year s aft er moving
fr om Chhapaiy , Bhagw n Sw min r yans bir t hplace. In
t he cont ext of t he Vachan mr ut , t he t er m r efer s t o
Bhagw n Sw min r yans family.
B
bdhitnuvrutti Recollect ion of t he falsified. Ment al st at e in which one
feels a sense of appr ehension at t he possibilit y of becoming
bound again t o object s t hat have alr eady been ment ally
falsified, i.e., t o which t he t ies of affect ion have been
sever ed due t o an under st anding of t he object s inher ent
falseness {Gadh III-4}.
Badrikshram Her mit age wit h or char ds of badr i -t r ees. Celest ial abode of
Nar n r yan. Consider ed t o be full of or char ds of badr i-
t r ees t r ees bear ing small, slight ly sour apple-like fr uit s,
called badr i-fr uit s in Sanskr it . The muktas t hat r eside in
t his abode ar e elevat ed souls who per for m cont inuous
aust er it ies t o please God and at t ain salvat ion t hr ough
human bir t h.
Bhdarv Thir d mont h of t he s h dhi Samvat year , nor mally
beginning bet ween August and Sept ember .
bhgwat dharma Dharma r elat ed t o God. The dharma which avatrs of
God come t o est ablish and which was adopt ed by N r ad,
t he Sanak dik, Shukji, Dhruv, Prahl d, Ambr ish and ot her
devot ees; t his for m of dharma is not differ ent fr om bhakti
it self {Gadh III-21.5}. Also called ek ntik dharma. See:
ekntik dharma.
Bhagwad Git Song of God. One of t he most popular Hindu scr ipt ur es.
Compr ises of a dialogue bet ween Ar jun, t he war r ior , and
Shr i Kr ishna, his char iot eer , at t he out set of t he bat t le
bet ween t he feuding cousins, t he P ndavs and t he
Kaur avas. For ms a por t ion of t he epic Mah bh r at
(Bhishma-par va, chapt er s 25-42) in which Shr i Kr ishna
enlight ens Ar jun on karma, bhakti and gnn, and inspir es
him t o selflessly fulfill his dut y of fight ing for dharma and
against adharma by t he st r engt h and will of God. One of
t he eight scr ipt ur es accept ed as aut hor it at ive by Bhagw n
Sw min r yan. See: Appendix D.
The Vachanmr ut 677
Bhakta Ideal devot ee of God, r efer r ing t o t he S atpurush. See:
Satpurush.
bhakti Devot ion t o God. Not ed t o be of nine t ypes:
(1) Shravanam List ening t o spir it ual discour ses or
devot ional songs r elat ed t o God.
(2) Keertanam Singing or t alking about God.
(3) S maranam Remember ing God.
(4) Pda-sevanam Ser ving Gods holy feet .
(5) Archanam Anoint ing God wit h sandalwood past e, et c.
(6) Vandanam Bowing befor e God.
(7) Dsyam Behaving as t he ser vant of God.
(8) S akhyam Behaving as t he fr iend of God.
(9) tmanivedanam Uncondit ionally offer ing oneself and
all of ones belongings t o God wit h absolut e submission.
Wher e t he t en t ypes of bhakti ar e ment ioned {Gadh
III-33.6}, t he t ent h t ype is prem -lakshan bhakti pr ofound,
loving bhakti.
Bht Specific sub-cast e of people t r adit ionally employed by kings
t o flat t er t hem wit h self-composed poems and ver ses.
Similar t o a bar d. Also popular ly known as B r ot .
Bharat-khand Ancient India, consider ed t o have st r et ched west war d t o
pr esent -day Tur key, east war d t o pr esent -day Bur ma, and
beyond t he Himalayan mount ain r ange in t he nor t h.
Consider ed t he best of t he nine khands of J a mbu-dwip
because t hose who at t ain bir t h in t his r egion can
pot ent ially at t ain liber at ion due t o t he invar iable pr esence
of Gods avatr or Gods S ant {Bhu-Kha.8,9; Var-9.2}.
Bhurlok Mr ut yulok. See: Mrutyulok.
bhut A gr oss element fr om which t he sthul body of Vir t -Purush,
i.e., t he physical wor ld, is for med. Ther e ar e five in t ot al
pruthvi, jal, tej, vyu and k sh. They ar e collect ively called
t he five bhuts or five mahbhuts.
Bhuvarlok Fir st r ealm above Mr ut yulok, wher e impur e deit ies r eside.
Nint h r ealm fr om t he bot t om in t he 14-r ealm syst em of a
bokni Clot h t ied ar ound t he head wit h ends also made t o cr oss
fr om under t he chin t o cover t he ear s and cheeks as well.
Wor n dur ing cold spells.
The Vachanmr ut 678
bordi Type of t r ee bear ing delicat e flower s amid small t hor ns and
small, slight ly sour apple-like fr uit s called bors. Found t o
gr ow nat ur ally in unat t ended fields or jungles due t o it s
par t icular ly r esilient r oot s.
borsali Specific t ype of t r ee t hat blossoms wit h delicat e, whit e, and
ext r emely fr agr ant flower s.
Brahma 1) Second-highest of t he five et er nal ent it ies, i.e.,
t r anscends ever yt hing except Par abr ahma. Also called
Akshar , Akshar br ahma or Br ahman. See: Akshar. See
also ot her four et er nal ent it ies: jiva, ishwar, my, and
Parabrahma.
2) Alone, oft en t aken t o r efer t o t he Br ahma of t he shushka-
Ved nt is, i.e. t he nirgun, for mless and non-dual ult imat e
realit y, apar t fr om which, t hey claim, all else is mer ely an
illusion.
Brahm The ishwar r esponsible for t he cr eat ion of t he brahm nd
and t he life for ms wit hin it . Par t of t he t r init y of ishwars,
along wit h Vishnu (t he sust ainer ) and Shiv (t he dest r oyer ),
r esponsible for t he gover nance of one brahm nd. Not t o be
confused wit h Br ahma, t he second-highest of t he five
et er nal ent it ies.
brahmachri 1) Brhmin who has been init iat ed as a r enunciant int o t he
holy or der of t he Sw min r yan Fellowship. Such
brahmachris wer e invest ed wit h special pr iest ly aut hor it y,
i.e., appoint ed as per sonal at t endant s t o t he murtis wit hin
mandirs, and as t he per for mer s of ot her r eligious r it es.
2) One who obser ves brahmacharya, i.e., leads a life of
celibacy.
3) One who is in t he fir st st age of life in t he t r adit ional
Hindu four st ages of life, i.e., brahmacharya st age.
brahmacharya 1) Divine conduct . Celibacy. For r enunciant s
brahmacharya has been pr escr ibed as eight -fold abst inence
fr om associat ing wit h t he opposit e gender in t he following
ways:
(1) shravanam list ening t o or of
(2) keertanam t alking t o or of
(3) keli fr olicking wit h
(4) prekshanam int ent ionally looking at
(5) guhyabhshanam pr ivat ely conver sing wit h
The Vachanmr ut 679
(6) sankalpa fant asising about
(7) adhyavasya t hinking of
(8) kriy int er cour se wit h
For householder males, brahmacharya const it ut es
r enouncing all women except t heir wives, abst aining fr om
sexual r elat ions wit h ones wife on days of obser vance, and
engaging in sexual r elat ions wit h her only dur ing t he
appr opr iat e t imes {Gadh I-34.8}.
brahmacharya shram Fir st of t he four st ages of life, when one fulfills
ones dut y as a st udent and celibat e.
Brahmadhm 1) Abode of God. Akshar dh m. See: Akshardhm.
2) At t imes also r efer s t o t he var ious abodes of ot her
avatrs.
Brhma-kalp Per iod of t ime dur ing t he pr ocess of cr eat ion when Br ahm
and ot her jivas ar e given t heir r espect ive bodies by God
{Gadh I-13.3}. Lengt h of t ime is one of Br ahm s days, i.e.,
4.32 x 10
9
human year s.
Brahmalok 1) Realm of God. Akshar dh m. See: Akshardhm.
2) Realm of Br ahm . Highest r ealm in t he 14-r ealm
syst em of a brahm nd. Also called Sat yalok. See:
Appendix B.
Brahmamahol 1) Palace of God. Abode of God. Akshar dh m. See:
Akshardhm.
2) For mless and pur e chaitanya for m of Akshar . Also called
Chid k sh {Gadh I-21.7}.
brahmnd Individual cosmos compr ising of a syst em of 14 r ealms, of
which t her e ar e count less millions on var ious planes. Each
brahm nd, cr eat ed and sust ained by a Pr a dh n-Purush
pair , cont ains a t r init y of Br ahm , Vishnu, and Shiv as t he
governing deit ies {Pan-4.8}. The 14 r ealms of each
brahm nd ar e, in descending or der : Sat yalok, Taplok,
J anlok, Mahar lok, Swar glok, Bhuvar lok, Mr ut yulok, At al,
Vit a l, Sut a l, Tal t a l, Ma h t al, Ras t a l, P t l. See also:
Glossar y ent r y on each r ealm and Appendix B.
Brahmapur 1) Abode of God. Akshar dh m. See: Akshardhm.
2) Also r efer s t o Br ahmalok as r ealm of Br ahm . See:
Brahmalok (2
nd
definit ion).
The Vachanmr ut 680
brahmarandhra Myst ical opening in t he cr own of t he head at t he end of
t he sushumn ndi t hrough which t he jiva leaves t he body
on deat h or dur ing samdhi and r eaches higher r ealms.
brahmarshi Lit er ally, a r enunciant or one engaged in st er n aust er it ies
wit h char act er ist ics like t hat of a r ishi. Consider ed t o be
higher t han a rjarshi.
brahmarup For m of Br ahma. Possessing qualit ies similar t o t hose of
Br ahma. Same as aksharrup. See: aksharrup.
brahmasatt 1) For mless for m of Br ahma, i.e., Chid k sh {Gadh I-66.4;
K r-1.27}.
2) Also r efer s t o t he tm , which is char act er ised by et er nal
exist ence {Gadh III-3.3,5}.
brahma-sushupti The sushupti-like divine light of Br ahma. Chid k sh,
t he all-per vading for m of Br ahma.
brahmaswarup For m of Br ahma. See: brahmarup and aksharrup.
brahmavidy Knowledge of Br ahma, i.e., God. Knowledge t hat guides
one on t he pat h t o God-r ealisat ion.
Brhmin pious and lear ned per son t r adit ionally assigned dut ies of
wor ship, per for ming r it es and r it uals, t eaching, et c. One of
t he four cast es of t he ancient Indian social syst em.
Bruhadranya Upanishad One of t he most impor t ant of t he pr incipal
Upanishads, belonging t o t he Yajur Veda, and ascr ibed t o
Y gnavalkya Rishi. Teachings cent r e ar ound modes of
wor ship, cont emplat ion and ident it y wit h Br ahma. See:
Appendix D.
Burnpuri Specific t ype of clot h fr om cent r al India.
buddhi Int ellect , der ived fr om ver b-r oot budh t o know. One of
t he four aspect s of t he antahkaran, char act er ised by it s
funct ions of consolidat ing t hought s, making decisions,
for ming convict ions and discr iminat ing. By nat ur e, it
possesses t he knowledge of all object s and is also t he
r eason for t he specific knowledge which all of t he indriyas
possess. It s inher ent feat ur es ar e doubt s, convict ion, sleep
and memor y {Gadh I-12.12}.
The Vachanmr ut 681
C
chaitanya Consciousness. The subst ance of t he tm . A higher
consciousness t hat t r anscends t he physical r ealm which is
jad and myik.
chaitanya prakruti Ter m denot ing all t hings t hat ar e chetan or animat e,
i.e., t hat possess chaitanya or consciousness. Living
element s.
Chaitra Tent h mont h of t he s h dhi Samvat year , nor mally
beginning bet ween Mar ch and Apr il.
chkhdis Wooden, st r apless sandals wor n specifically by r enunciant s
for simplicit y and per sonal discipline.
chakra Wheel. Accor ding t o yogic pr act ices, any of t he ner ve
plexuses or cent r es of spir it ual ener gy locat ed wit hin t he
inner body of ever y individual. Each one is t hought t o be a
seat of inst inct ive consciousness.
chameli Delicat e, fr agr ant and usually whit e flower of t he jasmine
genus found t o blossom especially in t he mont h of
Shr van.
champ Specific t ype of flower , usually yellow in colour .
chan A t ype of gr am, similar t o dr ied chickpeas.
chndlo Small, r ound mar k usually eit her of kumkum or of
sandalwood past e applied in t he cent r e of t he for ehead
indicat ing ones Hindu affiliat ion.
chndryan St r ict for m of fast ing wher e ones int ake of food is r egulat ed
by t he waxing and waning of t he moon. For example, one
for m is t o incr ease food int ake fr om one mor sel of food at
t he beginning of a new lunar mont h r ising t o 15 mor sels on
Punam, t hen decr easing again t o a complet e fast by Am s;
or , beginning wit h 15 mor sels of food at t he beginning of a
new mont h and decr easing t o a complet e fast on Punam,
t hen incr easing again t o 15 by Am s. Ot her for ms involve
having only eight mor sels a day, or four mor sels t wice a day,
or mer ely t hr ee mor sels a day.
chran Celest ial minst r el. Member of a specific class of people,
consider ed demigodly in or igin, as t hey wer e employed by
The Vachanmr ut 682
deit ies t o compose and r ecit e ver ses celebr at ing t heir
exploit s.
chetan That which possesses chaitanya, i.e., is full of
consciousness.
Chhndogya Upanishad One of t he most impor t ant of t he pr incipal
Upa nishads, belonging t o t he S m Veda. Teachings cent r e
ar ound t he or igin and significance of t he divine r esonat ion
AUM, t he tm , cont emplat ion, and life aft er deat h. See:
Appendix D.
chhint Type of r ich, embr oider ed clot h.
chhoglu Cr est -like t uft of clot h eit her emer ging fr om t he end of a
pgh or left hanging fr om one side. Somet imes inser t ed int o
a pgh when made of a st r ing of flower s.
Chidksh For mless and pur e chaitanya for m of Akshar {Gadh I-21.7}.
By nat ur e, it is t he all-suppor t ing and all-per vading k sh,
ext r emely luminous, not subject t o change and et er nal,
wit hin which Pur ush and Pr akr ut i under go t heir st at es of
expansion and cont r act ion. Also known as Br ahma.
Alt hough t he t er m Chid k sh is somet imes abbr eviat ed as
k sh, it is not t o be confused wit h t he k sh evolved fr om
tamogun, which is one of t he five gr oss element s and which
under goes cr eat ion and dest r uct ion {Gadh I-46.5,9,10}.
chintmani Divine gemst one t hat fulfills all of t he wishes of it s
possessor .
chitt Mind/consciousness. One of t he four aspect s of t he
antahkaran, char act er ised by it s funct ions of cont emplat ing
or ponder ing and especially focusing. Ment al impr essions
and exper iences ar e r ecor ded and r ecalled fr om it . By
nat ur e, t he ent ir e jagat inher ent ly r esides in a subt le for m
wit hin it , and it is it self unchanging, luminous, pur e, full of
pure sattvagun and passive {Gadh I-12.9; Gadh II-6}.
D
dagli Sewn upper gar ment wor n by males, mor e pleat ed at t he
chest . Shor t er t han an angarkhu.
daharvidy Knowledge of t he inner k sh. Knowledge of Chid k sh
{Gadh I-46.9}.
The Vachanmr ut 683
darbr Cour t of r esidence belonging t o a king or feudal r uler ,
t r adit ionally wit h a cent r al cour t yar d sur r ounded by r ooms
wit h ver andas.
darshan Seeing, der ived fr om ver b-r oot drush t o see. To see wit h
r ever ence and devot ion. Ter m used specifically for
beholding, wit h inner or out er vision, God, t he S atpurush,
murtis, or highly revered people wit h t he int ent ion of
inwar dly cont act ing and r eceiving t heir gr ace and blessings.
By doing dar shan pr oper ly a devot ee develops affect ion for
God, and God develops affect ion for t hat devot ee {S r-2}.
Darshans Insight s or per spect ives. The six classical syst ems of
Hindu philosophy, namely:
(1) Ny ya Logic. Syst em r elat ing logic and validat ion as
a means t o ar r ive at cor r ect knowledge.
(2) Vaisheshikh Dist inct ionism der ived fr om vishesha
dist inct ion. Syst em analysing t he dist inct nat ur es of t he
basic element s of exist ence and r ealit y.
(3) S nkhya Enumer at ion der ived fr om sam + verb-r oot
k h t o count or number . Syst em analysing t he cat egor ies
of exist ence and r ealit y. See also: Snkhya.
(4) Yoga Union der ived fr om verb-r oot yuj t o yoke or
join. Syst em focusing on quiet ing t he fluct uat ions of t he
mind t hr ough var ious physical and ment al pr act ices,
ult imat ely aiming at t he t r anscendent al exper ience of
union wit h God. See also: Yoga.
(5) Pur va Mim ns Early inquir y. Syst em emphasising
and clar ifying t he cor r ect pr ocedur es and per for mance of
Vedic r it es and r it uals as a means t o liber at ion.
(6) Ut t ar Mim ns or Ved nt a Lat er inquir y or
conclusion of t he Vedas. Syst em of t hought embodied in
t he Upanishads t hat r eveals t he conclusive t eachings of t he
Vedas, cent er ing pr imar ily on t he nat ur e of t he tm , t he
wor ld, r ealit y and per sonal exper ience. See also: Vednta.
Devlok Realm of t he deit ies. Swar glok. See: Swarglok.
dharma 1) Tha t which sust ains or holds, der ived fr om ver b-r oot
dhru t o sust ain or hold. Univer sal law or pr inciple t hat
sust ains or upholds t he ent ir e wor ld. All-inclusive t er m
used t o mean r ight eousness, mor alit y, r eligion,
r esponsibilit y and dut y.
The Vachanmr ut 684
2) The pr act ice of r eligious disciplines and dut ies, i.e.,
niyams including honest y, brahmacharya, non-violence,
et c. One of t he four at t r ibut es of ek ntik dharma.
Somet imes r efer r ed t o as t he dhar ma of t he four cast es and
four shrams, which ar e encapsulat ed in t he five r eligious
vows
4
{Gadh I-21.3}.
3) Ek ntik dharma. See: ekntik dharma.
4) One of t he four purushrths, allowing for t he fulfillment
of ones per sonal, domest ic and social dut ies {Amd-5.11}.
Dharmakul 1) Bhagw n Sw min r yan Himself {Gadh I-1.8}.
2) Family of Dhar madev [Bhagw n Sw min r yans
fat her ]. Refer s t o Bhagw n Sw min r yans family {Var-
18.4}.
Dharma-shstras Set of scr ipt ur es coding t he basic laws and pr inciples of
civil and social conduct . They int egr at e spir it ualit y and
polit ical law by including t he discussion of cr eat ion, st ages
of life, dut ies of daily living, aust er it ies, st udy of t he Vedas,
et c. A par t of t he Smr ut i lit er at ur e. See also: Appendix D
and Smrutis.
dhrn Concent r at ion. Sixt h of t he eight st eps of ashtng-yoga,
ent ailing focusing of t he mind t o guide t he flow of
consciousness.
Dhruv Star Fixed st ar . Refer s t o t he celest ial polest ar . Remaining
fixed, t his st ar is used by t r aveler s as a useful navigat ional
r efer ence mar king due nor t h.
dhunya For m of jap, i.e., cont inuous chant ing of t he holy name of
God, oft en t o t he accompaniment of musical inst r ument s.
Commonly pr onounced as dhun.
dhotiyu Unst it ched, long piece of clot h t r adit ionally wor n by males
as a lower gar ment , usually wound ar ound t he waist wit h
one end t ucked in aft er passing bet ween t he legs. Also
known as dhot i.
dhyn Medit at ion, der ived fr om ver b-r oot dhyai t o medit at e.
Sevent h of t he eight st eps of ashtng-yoga, ent ailing
sust aining a concent r at ed st at e wher e t he mind is clear and
calm.
Diwli Ser ies of oil lamps. Last day of t he Vikr am Samvat
Indian year , i.e., day of Am s of t he mont h of so. Ver y
The Vachanmr ut 685
holy and joyous Hindu fest ival celebr at ing t he r et ur n of
R m Bhagw n t o Ayodhy fr om his 14-year exile, and t he
vict or y of good over evil signified by t he light ing of oil
lamps dispelling t he dar kness.
dodi Cheap, infer ior qualit y of spinach gener ally eat en only by
t he ext r emely poor .
dolariy Der ived fr om t he Gujar t i verb-r oot dolvu t o sway.
Whit e flower of t he jasmine genus, whose blossoming buds
ar e consider ed t o be especially beaut iful when swaying in
t he wind fr om which it get s it s name.

drasht Seer , der ived fr om ver b-r oot drush t o see. Gener ally
r efer s t o t he tm as t he obser ver {S r-12}. In some places
also r efer s t o God as t he obser ver wit hin each tm {Gadh I-
64; S r-6.10}.
drashya 1) Visible, der ived fr om ver b-r oot drush t o see. An
object of vision. Oft en r efer r ing t o t he physical body {S r-
12.9}.
2) Also t aken t o mean t he visible wor ld as a whole {Gadh I-
64.5}.
dudhpk Rich it em of food made of sweet ened milk and r ice,
gar nished wit h ar omat ic spices and nut s.
dukad Pair of t r adit ional Indian dr ums used t o pr ovide r hyt hm
dur ing t he singing of devot ional songs, similar t o pr esent -
day t abl .
Dvait Dual. Philosophical doct r ine pr opounding t he et er nally
dist inct nat ur es of t he jiva and God, as opposed t o t he
monist doct r ine of t he Advait school pr opounding t heir non-
dualit y.
Dwpar-yug Third Age, derived fr om dwi + para lit er ally meaning
aft er second. Thir d of t he four ages t hat mar k t he t ime-
scale of t he wor ld. Last ing 864,000 human year s, it was an
age when pur it y and r ight eousness diminished
consider ably, people lived t o be 1,000 and t he syst em of t he
four cast es came int o full oper at ion. See also: yug.
dwip Island, or a landmass r esembling an island.
The Vachanmr ut 686
E
Ekdashi 1) 11
t h
day of t he br ight and dar k halves of a lunar mont h.
2) Special r eligious obser vance per for med on t his day
which, among ot her t hings, also involves fast ing.
3) Name of t he young woman t hat was cr eat ed fr om t he
light of Gods t en indriyas and mind t o bat t le against Mur
D nav {Gadh II-8.2}.
ekadmal For mer sdhu, who left t he holy or der due t o some per sonal
misconduct or his inabilit y t o confor m t o t he r enunciant
r egimen and now t r avels alone, i.e., wit hout a companion
sdhu. This is cont r ar y t o t he niyams set by Bhagw n
Sw min r yan t hat sdhus should never t r avel alone, but
at least in pair s.
ekntik One possessing an elevat ed spir it ual st at e wher ein one
offer s bhakti t o God along wit h dharma, gnn and vairgya,
i.e., all four of t he at t r ibut es of ek ntik dharma {Loy -6.3}.
See also: ekntik dharma.
ekntik bhakta Highest level of devot ee. One who offer s ek ntik bhakti,
i.e., per fect ly possesses all four of t he at t r ibut es of ek ntik
dharma dharma, gnn, vairgya and bhakti {Gadh III-
13.3, Gadh III-33.4; Gadh II-38.5; Va r-3.2}. One who has no
desir es ot her t han God, and who wor ships God r ealising
himself t o be brahmarup {Gadh I-11}
Ekntik Bhakta Refer s t o t he ideal ek ntik bhakta, t he S atpurush. See:
Satpurush.
ekntik bhakti Bhakti compounded wit h dharma, gnn and vairgya.
Synonymous wit h ek ntik dharma. See also: ekntik
dharma.
ekntik dharma Collect ive t er m for t he four endeavour s of dharma
(r eligious disciplines and dut ies, i.e., niyams), gnn
(spir it ual knowledge), vairgya (an aver sion for wor ldly
pleasur es), and bhakti (devot ion) coupled wit h t he
knowledge of Gods gr eat ness {Gadh I-21.3} t he cult ivat ing
of which will lead one t o become an ek ntik bhakta {Gadh I-
19.5} who cr osses Gods my and at t ains His abode {Gadh
III-21.5}. Also called bhgwat dharma.
The Vachanmr ut 687
ekntik sdhu Highest level of sdhu, one who has at t ained t he ek ntik
st a t e {Va r-3.13}. See also: ekntik.
Ekntik Sant Refer s t o t he ideal ek ntik sdhu, t he S atpurush {Va r-3.13}.
See: Satpurush.
F
Fgun Nint h mont h of t he s h dhi Samvat year , nor mally
beginning bet ween Febr uar y and Mar ch.
feto Long piece of clot h t wist ed and t ied ar ound t he head as a
headdr ess.
G
gandharva Celest ial being engaged in music, song and dance in t he
celest ial r ealms.
Garud Fier y eagle-like bir d wit h whit e head and r ed wings, and a
golden male body. Ser ves as Lor d Vishnus vehicle.
gu measur e of dist ance equivalent t o appr oximat ely 1 t o 1
miles.
ghadi Dur at ion of t ime equaling appr oximat ely 24 minut es. See
also: Appendix B.
Git Bhagwad Git . See: Bhagwad Git.
gnn 1) Knowledge, der ived fr om ver b-r oot gn t o know.
Spir it ual knowledge leading t o enlight enment . In
par t icular , t he knowledge of ones tm and t he for m and
gr eat ness of Par am t m .
2) Also oft en used t o mean tm -r ealisat ion or tmagnn.
gnn-indriya Cognit ive sense, t hr ough which one can know. There are
five cognit ive senses in t ot al (t he or gans of which ar e t he
physical aspect of t he senses) namely: hear ing (ear s), t ouch
(skin), sight (eyes), t ast e (t ongue) and smell (nose). By
nat ur e, t hey engage t hemselves in t heir r espect ive vishays
{Ga dh I-12.13} and have t he complet e knowledge of t hat
vishay {Va r-17.2}. In cer t ain cases, it may seem t hat no
dist inct ion is made bet ween t he physical and subt le
aspect s, i.e., t he senses and t he sense or gans ar e r efer r ed t o
by t he same nouns eyes, ear s, nose, et c. However , t he
sense or gans ar e not t o be confused wit h t he indriyas (t he
The Vachanmr ut 688
senses), which ar e par t of t he subt le body, and which ar e
quit e dist inct fr om t he physical or gans.
gnn-pralay Dissolut ion by gnn. St at e of individual under st anding
wher eby Pr akr ut i-Pur ush and t he ent it ies evolved t her eof
do not come int o view, and one sees only pur e chaitanya,
wit hin which only t he for m of God r esides, but no ot her
for ms r emain. In ot her wor ds, all myik influences ar e
dissolved as if tyantik-pralay has t aken place for t hat
par t icular individual {Gadh I-24.2; Amd-2.8}. See also:
tyantik-pralay.
Golok Realm of cows der ived fr om go meaning cows, and lok
meaning r ealm. Celest ial abode of Shr i Kr ishna descr ibed
in t he Pur ns as being ext r emely pict ur esque.
gopas Pr ot ect or s of cows. Cowher ds, in par t icular t he member s
of t he cat t le-r ear ing communit y of Vr und van pr esent
dur ing t he t ime of Shr i Kr ishna. Male devot ees of God who
epit omized t he ideal of pr ofound love and bhakti t owar ds
God.
gopis Pr ot ect or s of cows. Wives of t he cowher ds of Vr und van
pr esent dur ing t he t ime of Shr i Kr ishna. Female devot ees
of God who epit omized t he ideal of pr ofound love and bhakti
t owar ds God.
gor Sweet mat er ial made dir ect ly fr om sugar cane, and yellow
t o br own in colour .
gorakh-san san t o pr ot ect t he indriyas. Specific yogic san or sit t ing
post ur e wher ein one sit s wit h bot h heels t ucked int o t he
gr oin, t he t oes folded under t he but t ocks, and t he lar ge t oes
held by t he hands fr om behind t he back. Consider ed t o help
in pr event ing t he ejaculat ion of semen and t hus helping in
t he obser vance of brahmacharya. Also popular ly known as
gor aksh san or bhadr san.
guldvadi Flower of t he chr ysant hemum genus, found t o blossom
unusually out of season. Ther e ar e t wo var iet ies, r ed and
yellow, bot h wit h small point ed pet als. Also known as
sevanti.
guna Qualit y. Pr inciple qualit y of Pr akr ut i, or my {Ga dh I-
12.6}. Ther e ar e t hr ee in t ot al: sattvagun (goodness, i.e.,
awareness), rajogun (passion, i.e., desir es) and tamogun
The Vachanmr ut 689
(dar kness, i.e., unawar eness, let har gy). All beings ar e
affect ed by t he influence of one or a combinat ion of t hese
t hr ee gunas of my unt il t hey become guntit. Wit h
r espect t o t he influence of t he gunas on jivas and ishwars,
t he gunas elicit in peoples minds t hr ee differ ent t ypes of
moods as follows: a per son in sattvagun is calm, placid,
peaceful; a per son in rajogun is desir ous, act ive, sensual; a
per son in tamogun is volat ile, let har gic, dr owsy. See also:
guntit, sattvagun, rajogun and tamogun.
guntit Tr anscending t he gunas. That which t r anscends t he t hr ee
gunas of my sattvagun, rajogun and tamogun, i.e., t hat
which has no t r ace or influence of my what soever {Gadh
II-43.2}.
Guna-vibhg Por t ion of Shr i Kr ishnas final t eachings (Shr imad
Bh gwat , cant o XI, chapt er 25) t o his fr iend and st at esman
Uddhav r egar ding t he classificat ion and char act er ist ics of
t he t hr ee gunas.
H
hajri Specific t ype of lar ge, yellowish or ange flower . Known as
mar igold in t he west er n wor ld.
Harililmrut Gujar t i scr ipt ur e of t he Sw min r yan Fellowship
poet ically det ailing t he life and wor k of Bhagw n
Sw min r yan.
Harivansh Annexe t o t he Mah bh r at nar r at ing in over 16,000 ver ses
Vishnus lineage, including t he life and hist or y of Shr i
Kr ishna.
harmo Specific t ype of small t r ee which blossoms wit h whit e
flower s, found gener ally in t he Kut ch r egion of Gujar t .
haveli Tr adit ional mansion-like building, usually const r uct ed of
int r icat ely car ved woodwor k.
hrudayksh Space wit hin t he hear t . Spir it ual r egion of t he hear t . The
inner self.
I
id ndi Ner ve or channel of a feminine nat ur e t r ansmit t ing
physical and emot ional ener gy wit hin t he inner body of a
per son, wher e t he cur r ent of ener gy flows downwar d and
The Vachanmr ut 690
ends on t he left side of t he body. One of t he t hr ee major
ndis.
Indralok Realm of Indr a, t he god of r ain and king of deit ies. Also
known as Swar glok.
indriya Sense, t hrough which one can know and per for m act ions
t he or gan of which is t he physical aspect of t he sense, e.g.,
sight (eyes), hear ing (ear s), smelling (nose), et c. Ther e ar e
t en in t ot al t he five gnn-indriyas (cognit ive senses) and
t he five karma-indriyas (conat ive senses), wit h t he man
oft en t aken t o be t he 11
t h
. By nat ur e, t hey engage
t hemselves in t heir r espect ive vishays {Ga dh I-12.13} and
have t he complet e knowledge of t hat vishay {Va r-17.2}. In
cer t ain cases, it may seem t hat no dist inct ion is made
bet ween t he physical and subt le aspect s, i.e., t he senses
and t he sense or gans ar e r efer r ed t o by t he same nouns
eyes, ear s, nose, et c. However , t hey ar e not t o be confused
wit h t he indriyas t hat for m t he subt le body, and which ar e
quit e dist inct fr om t he physical or gans. When ment ioned
as t he five indriyas, gener ally r efer s t o t he five gnn-
indriyas {Pan-2.16; Gadh II-2.4; Va r-4.6}. See also: gnn-
indriya and karma-indriya.
ishtadev Favour able deit y. Beloved god.
Ishtadev Refer s t o t he Supr eme God.
ishwar Second of t he five et er nal ent it ies. Infinit e in number .
Similar t o jiva wit h r espect t o being bound by my i.e.,
composed of t he 24 element s
2
, having t hr ee bodies, t hr ee
st at es, t hr ee gunas, desir es, et c. but involved in t he
pr ocesses and lor dship of t he brahm nds, and t hus
endowed by God wit h gr eat er power s. Br ahm , Vishnu,
Shiv and all ent it ies gr eat er t han t hem upwar ds t o
Pr akr ut i-Pur ush, ar e consider ed ishwars. See also ot her
four et er nal ent it ies: jiva, my, Akshar, and Purushottam.
Itihs Hist or y. The t wo Indian hist or ical epics t he R m yan
and t he Mah bh r at which ar e among t he most popular
and widely accept ed of all Hindu scr ipt ur es. Bot h ar e
int er woven wit h st or ies and sub-st or ies incor por at ing social
ideals as well as philosophical and spir it ual pr inciples.
The Vachanmr ut 691
Consider ed a par t of t he Smr ut is. See also: Rmyan,
Mahbhrat and Appendix D.
J
jad Non-living, inanimat e. Opposit e of chaitanya. That which
is wit hout consciousness.
jad prakruti 1) Eight non-chaitanya (inanimat e) const it uent s of t he
wor ld: pruthvi, jal, tej, vyu, k sh, mahattattva, Pr adh n-
Pr akr ut i and Mul -Pr akr ut i.
2) The Bhagwad Git ment ions t hese t o be pruthvi, jal, tej,
vyu, k sh, man, buddhi and ahamkr {Loy -7.14}.
Jai Sachchidnand Tra dit ional ver bal gest ur e among Hindus used in
gr eet ing one anot her or in depar t ing.
Jai Swminryan Tr adit ional ver bal gest ur e among Sw min r yan
devot ees used in gr eet ing one anot her or in depar t ing. Used
by Shr iji Mah r j t wice in t he Vachan mr ut {Kar .-3.12;
Loy -18.17}.
Jain 1) Of, or r elat ing t o J ainism t he non-Vedic r eligion of
India pr opagat ing st r ict non-violence, ascet icism, and
karmas as being t he only fact or r esponsible for cr eat ion and
t he cont inuing unfolding event s and act ivit ies of t he wor ld.
Since, accor ding t o J ain philosophy, karmas t hemselves can
gr ant t heir own fr uit s, God is not a necessar y element of
t heir philosophy.
2) Adher ent of J ainism.
Janlok Four t h r ealm above Mr ut yulok, wher e Bhr ugu and ot her
r ishis r eside. The 12
t h
r ealm fr om t he bot t om in t he 14-
r ealm syst em of a brahm nd. See: Appendix B.
Janmshtami Bir t hday of Shr i Kr ishna accor ding t o t he Indian calendar ,
i.e., Shr van vadi 8. Celebr at ed annually by Vaishnavs
wit h fest ivals of devot ional wor ship.
jal Wat er or liquid mat t er . One of t he five gr oss element s,
wor ld, is for med. By nat ur e, it binds pruthvi and ot her
subst ances, soft ens and moist ens all object s, sat isfies and
sust ains all life for ms, quenches t hir st , subdues heat and is
abundant {Gadh I-12.20}. See also: mahbhuts.
The Vachanmr ut 692
jal-basti Flushing wit h wat er . An aust er e yogic pr act ice t o help
cleanse t he inner par t s of t he body which in t ur n helps in
t he obser vance of brahmacharya. The pr act ice involves
st anding in waist -high wat er and dr awing in wat er t hr ough
t he anus, swir ling t he wat er ar ound t he st omach, and t hen
dischar ging it again t hr ough t he anus. Anot her ver sion of
t he pr act ice involves dr awing in wat er t hr ough t he genit als
a nd t hen flushing it out eit her t hr ough t he genit als or t he
anus.
jaryuj Bor n fr om womb. Cat egor y of life for ms bor n fr om wombs,
i.e., all for ms of mammals including humans.
jhnjh Pair of small, t r adit ional cymbals slight ly lar ger t han
manjirs used in t he accompaniment of ot her per cussion
inst r ument s.
jiva 1) That which is living, der ived fr om ver b-r oot jiv t o live.
Individual, embodied soul st ill bound by my and
consequent ly under going t he cycle of bir t hs and deat hs .
Infinit e in number . Wit h t he t hr ee bodies sthul (gr oss),
sukshma (subt le), and k ran (causal) and t hr ee st at es
waking, dr eam, and deep sleep. Fir st of t he five et er nal
ent it ies. See also ot her four et er nal ent it ies: ishwar, my,
Akshar and Purushottam.
2) Oft en used synonymously wit h tm , i.e., a pur e soul
dist inct fr om all t r aces of my {Pan-3}.
jivtm J iva. See: jiva.
Jyeshtha The 12t h mont h of t he s h dhi Samvat year , nor mally
beginning bet ween May and J une.
K
Kails Celest ial abode of Shiv.
kl Time. The univer sal and cont inuous phenomenon t hat
account s for and gives r ise t o t he pr ogr ession of exist ence
and event s allowing for t he past , pr esent and fut ur e and
which ult imat ely leads t o t he dest r uct ion of all t hings
{Loy -9.4}, t hus oft en used as a synonym of deat h and
dest r uct ion. Like my, a power of God fr om which t he jiva
is r eleased when he at t ains liber at ion. {Gadh II-50.5; J et -
3.8}
The Vachanmr ut 693
Kali-yug Age of Dar kness. Four t h and pr esent of t he four ages t hat
mar k t he t ime-scale of t he wor ld. Last ing 432,000 human
years of which over 5,000 have alr eady passed it is when
pur it y and r ight eousness have t hor oughly diminished in
compar ison t o what t hey wer e in Sat ya -yug. People
gener ally live t o be not mor e t han 100 and swabhvs pr evail
in gr eat er abundance t han ever befor e. See also: yug.
kalpavruksh Tr ee t hat last s for a kalp. Special t r ee possessing t he
magical power t o fulfill t he wishes of anyone who sit s under
it . One of t he 14 divine object s t hat emer ged fr om t he
churning of t he oceans by t he deit ies and demons.
km One of t he four purushrths, allowing for t he r egulat ed
fulfillment of ones per sonal and social desir es {Amd-5.11}.
Kanbi Specific sub-cast e of t he Vaishya cast e t r adit ionally
engaged in far ming and r ear ing cat t le.
kanthi Double-t hr eaded necklace, usually made of tulsi beads,
r eceived by satsangis upon init iat ion int o t he Sat sang
Fellowship, and wor n as a sign of t heir affiliat ion t o God.
Derived from noun kantha, meaning neck.
Kapil Git Por t ion of t he Shr imad Bh gwat (cant o 3, chapt er s 25-33)
consist ing of Kapiljis pr eachings t o his mot her , Devhut i.
See: Appendix D.
kran Causal. Of t he t hr ee bodies of t he jiva, t he causal body,
i.e., t he jivas desir es or my {K r-12.4} which causes t he
jiva t o t ake bir t h again. By nat ur e, it it self is ignor ance,
which has been fused wit h t he jiva since t ime immemor ial.
It r et ains t he jivas sanchit karmas and is t he cause of t he
sthul and sukshma bodies just as a seed is t he cause of a
t r ee {Va r-6.3}. See also ot her t wo bodies of t he jiva: sthul
and sukshma.
karma Act ion, deed, der ived fr om ver b-r oot kru t o do. Any
act ion or deed including word and even t hought t hat will
sooner or lat er r eap it s consequences. For ms par t of a
univer sal, unbiased and inescapable law cent r al t o Indian
philosophy linking act ions and t heir fr uit s cause and
effect t o t he ver y per for mer of t he act ions, via God t he
giver of t he fr uit s of each karma; i.e., pious deeds r eap
pleasant fr uit s for t he per for mer , impious deeds r eap
The Vachanmr ut 694
painful fr uit s for t he per for mer {Gadh III-26.4}. There ar e
t hr ee t ypes of karmas: sanchit karmas (deeds accumulat ed
over infinit e bir t hs), prrabdha karmas (deeds whose
consequences ar e alr eady set in mot ion) and kriyamn
karmas (deeds whose consequences ar e in t he pr ocess of
being for med). These can be explained wit h t he popular
analogy of t he var ious st ages of gr owing r ice: r ice har vest ed
and st or ed in t he gr anar y can be likened t o sanchit karmas;
fr om t his st ock, a por t ion select ed and r eadied for cooking
and eat ing is like prrabdha karmas past deeds shaping
t he pr esent event s; meanwhile, new gr ains being sown in
t he fields which will yield a fr esh cr op in t he fut ur e, and in
t ur n be added t o t he st ock in t he gr anar y, ar e like t he
kriyamn karmas, i.e., cur r ent deeds event ually being
added t o sanchit karmas unt il t hey r ipen t o bear fr uit as
prrabdha karmas, eit her lat er in t he pr esent life or in a
fut ur e life.
karma-indriyas Conat ive senses. The senses t hr ough which one can
per for m act ions. Ther e ar e five in t ot al (t he or gans of which
ar e t he physical aspect of t he senses) namely: speech
(voice), handling (hands), walking (feet ), excr et ion (anus)
and pr ocr eat ion (genit als). By nat ur e, t hey engage
t hemselves in t heir r espect ive vishays {Ga dh I-12.13} and
have t he complet e knowledge of t hat vishay {Va r-17.2}. In
cer t ain cases, it may seem t hat no dist inct ion is made
bet ween t he physical and subt le aspect s; i.e., t he senses
and t he sense or gans ar e r efer r ed t o by t he same nouns
voice, hands, feet , et c. However , t he sense or gans ar e not
t o be confused wit h t he indriyas, t he senses, t hat for m t he
subt le body, and which ar e quit e dist inct fr om t he physical
or gans.
karma-yogi One who is st r iving for karma-yoga, i.e., yoga t hrough
act ivit ies. Ter m used for a householder devot ee who has
not r enounced his/her wor ldly dut ies out r ight as opposed
t o a snkhya-yogi but is never t heless sincer ely st r iving for
yoga or liber at ion. Refer s t o t he many householder s in t he
t ime of Bhagw n Sw min r yan who chose t o t ot ally
commit and dedicat e t heir lives t o Sat sang.
karnikr Specific t ype of flower , usually r ed, whit e or yellow in colour .
The Vachanmr ut 695
Krtik Fift h mont h of t he s h dhi Samvat year , nor mally
beginning bet ween Oct ober and November .
kartum Ext r aor dinar y divine power of God t o eclipse t he infinit e
muktas of Akshar dh m by His own divine light and pr evail
alone {Loy -13.10}.
Kathavalli Upanishad Also called Kat ha Upanishad. One of t he most
impor t ant of t he pr inci pal Upanishads, belonging t o t he
Kr ishna Yajur Veda. Includes t he enlight ening st or y of how
t he young Nachiket r eceived t he knowledge of immor t alit y
fr om Yam, t he god of deat h. See: Appendix D.
Kthi Specific sub-cast e of t he Kshatriya cast e t r adit ionally
st r ong and well-built . Type of Rajput. Nat ive(s) of
K t hi w d, a r egion in Gujar at .
Kyasth Specific communit y of people or a per son bor n of Brhmin
and Kshatriya par ent s, t r adit ionally engaged in polit ical
affair s.
keval-gnn Per fect or ult imat e gnn. Specific philosophical t er m of
t he J ain school descr ibing as pr opounded in t heir nstik
philosophy t he final st at e of r ealisat ion {Gadh II-18.3}.
khand Cont inent . Lar ge land mass or r egion.
khes Piece of clot h t hat may be wor n as a dhotiyu or as an upper
garment .
khir Rich it em of food made of sweet ened milk and r ice,
gar nished wit h ar omat ic spices and nut s, and usually
ser ved hot .
kinkhb Fine silken fabr ic br ocaded wit h golden or silver t hr eads.
Krishnatpni Upanishad One of t he many Upanishads. See: Appendix
D.
kodr Infer ior qualit y of gr ain lacking in nut r it ion. Similar in size
and shape t o must ar d seeds, but whit e in colour . St or ed in
t imes of famine because of it s r esilience against ext r eme
weat her condit ions and t ime, but gener ally eat en only by
t he poor .
Koli Specific sub-cast e of people t r adit ionally living as boat
people, and cat ching fish for t heir livelihood.
The Vachanmr ut 696
koth Cheap, infer ior t ype of sweet and sour fr uit , r ound in shape
and ext r emely heavy. Gener ally used only t o make pickles
and chut neys.
kriyamn karmas Deeds whose consequences ar e in t he pr ocess of being
for med. Cur r ent deeds including wor ds and even
t hought s which will event ually be added t o t he st ock of
karmas (sanchit karmas) unt il t hey r ipen t o be bear fr uit
a s prrabdha karmas, eit her lat er in t he pr esent life or in a
fut ur e life. See also: karma.
kruchchhra chndryan For m of st er n aust er it y ent ailing r egulat ing ones
int ake of food over pr olonged per iods of t ime, gener ally
per for med as a for m of at onement for a gr ave sin. See also:
chndryan.
Kshatriya Per son of power physical and sover eign t r adit ionally
r esponsible for bot h t he for mat ion and enfor cement of law
wit hin societ y, as well as it s safet y. One of t he four cast es
of t he ancient Indian social syst em t he r uler s and
war r ior s of societ y.
kshetra 1) Field or t er r it or y. Oft en used wit h kshetragna t o
descr ibe a r elat ionship similar t o t hat bet ween some land
and it s owner t he kshetra is t he land, t he kshetragna it s
owner . For example, oft en used t o r efer t o t he t hr ee bodies
(t he kshetra) of which t he tm is t he mast er (t he
kshetragna) {Pan-3.11}. Also used t o r efer t o all jivas,
ishwars, t he var ious evolut es of my, and Br ahma of
which God is t he mast er . See also: kshetragna.
2) Field or t er r it or y. Place of dwelling {e.g., Gadh I-12.6}.
kshetragna 1) Knower of kshetra. Oft en used wit h kshetra t o descr ibe a
r elat ionship similar t o t hat bet ween a landowner and his
la nd. For example, oft en used t o r efer t o t he tm , t he
mast er (t he kshetragna) of t he t hr ee bodies (t he kshetra)
{Pan-3.11}. Also used t o r efer t o God, t he mast er of all
jivas, ishwars, t he var ious evolut es of my, and even
Br ahma {Gadh II-31.4}. See also: kshetra.
Kshir-sgar Ocean of milk. Wher e Lor d Vishnu is said t o r ecline upon
Shesh, lor d of t he ser pent s. Accor ding t o t he Mah bh r at
(Udyog-parva -102), t he ocean was for med fr om t he milk of
The Vachanmr ut 697
Sur abhi, a cow for med fr om t he vomit of Br ahm when he
dr ank t oo much amrut.
Kud-panthi Follower of an ant i-Vedic cult t hat falsely pr opagat es t he
five ms as a means t o liber at ion, namely: madya (alcohol),
m ns (meat ), mat ysa (fish), mudr (t ant r ic, i.e., occult
mar kings) and mait hun (illicit s ex).
kumkum Fine, r ed powder t r adit ionally made of t ur mer ic and
lime used by Hindus in r it es and wor ship, and also
applied on t he for ehead t o for m a chndlo.
kunjar-kriy Elephant act . An aust er e yogic pr act ice t o help cleanse t he
inner par t s of t he body which in t ur n helps in t he
obser vance of brahmacharya. The pr act ice involves
dr inking a consider able amount of wat er , swir ling it ar ound
t he st omach, and t hen dischar ging it out again t hr ough t he
mout h.
kusangi A per son who is bad company, i.e., a bad influence on ones
spir it ual pr ogr ess, and leads one ast r ay fr om Sat sang
{Gadh I-48; Gadh I-70}.
L
ldu Sweet it em of food made pr incipally of flour , ghee, and gor
or sugar , shaped int o small balls.
lav Per iod of t ime equaling appr oximat ely
1
/
150
t h
of a second,
t r adit ionally not ed as eight t imes t he t ime t aken t o pier ce
a lot us -leaf wit h a needle, or one-sixt iet h of t he t ime t aken
t o blink. See also: Appendix B.
M
Mdhvi Samprady School of philosophy adher ing t o t he doct r ine of
Madhv ch r ya, a 13
t h
cent ur y Sout h Indian Vaishnav
ch r ya. He pr opounded a doct r ine of pur e dualism,
wher ein t her e is an essent ial and et er nal dist inct ion
bet ween God and all ot her beings and t hings.
Mgdhi Dialect specific t o Magadh, t he sout her n r egion of pr esent -
day Bih r . Language of t he ancient J ain and Buddhist
scr ipt ur es.
Mgshar Sixt h mont h of t he s h dhi Samvat year , nor mally
beginning bet ween November and December .
The Vachanmr ut 698
Mah Eight h mont h of t he s h dhi Samvat year , nor mally
beginning bet ween J anuary and Febr uar y.
Mahbhrat Gr eat epic of India. Popular Hindu scr ipt ur e r evolving
ar ound t he family feud bet ween t he P ndavs and t he
Kaur avas, culminat ing in t he gr eat bat t le, t he Mah bh r at
war . One of t he t wo It ih s scr ipt ur es. Wit h over 100,000
ver ses, it is t he wor lds longest poem. See: Appendix D.
mahbhuts Major element s. Collect ive t er m for t he five gr oss
element s t hat evolve fr om tmas-ahamkr and fr om which
ishwars, and in par t icular Vir t -Pur ush, i.e., t he physical
wor ld, ar e for med. Namely: pruthvi (ear t h or solid mat t er ),
jal (wat er or liquid mat t er ), tej (light or energy), vyu (air
or gaseous mat t er ) and k sh (space/et her or vacuum).
Each one has a r oot cause, called it s tanm tr, namely:
smells, t ast es, sight s, t ouch and sounds, r espect ively.
mahmy Also called Mul -m y , Mul -Pr akr ut i, or simply, Pr akr ut i.
See: Prakruti.
mahprn Technical t er m r efer r ing t o one of t he 11 effor t s r equir ed t o
pr onounce cer t ain syllables r equir ing an ext ended br eat h.
Mah-Purush Also called Mul -Pur ush, Akshar-Pur ush, or simply, Pur ush.
See: Purush.
Maharlok Thir d r ealm above Mr ut yulok, wher e Ar yam and ot her
ancest r al deit ies r eside. The 11
t h
r ealm fr om t he bot t om in
t he 14-r ealm syst em of a brahm nd. See: Appendix B.
Mahtal Fift h r ealm below Mr ut yulok, wher e noct ur nals r eside.
Thir d r ealm fr om t he bot t om in t he 14-r ealm syst em of a
mahattattva Major element . Taken t o be on par wit h t he chitt of t he
jiva, but on a cosmic level. Fir st of t he ent it ies pr oduced by
Pr adh n-Pur ush. By nat ur e, t he ent ir e jagat inher ent ly
r esides wit hin it in a subt le for m. It is it self unchanging,
luminous, pur e, full of pur e sattvagun and passive {Gadh I-
12.9}. See also: Appendix C.
Malr t echnically Malh r. Specific musical r aga of Indian music.
Consider ed t o induce r ainfalls if sung cor r ect ly.
man Mind (pr onounced mun). One of t he four aspect s of t he
antahkaran, char act er ised by it s funct ions of gener at ing
The Vachanmr ut 699
t hought s and desir es, and gover ning all of t he indriyas
{Gadh I-12.11}.
manan Thinking, derived from verb-r oot man t o t hink.
Cont emplat ion. Deep r eflect ion.
mandal 1) Gr oup or assemblage. In t he t ime of Bhagw n
Sw min r yan, t he sdhus wer e oft en for med int o gr oups
wit hin which t hey t r aveled and pr eached in differ ent
r egions.
2) Also r efer s t o all of t he sdhus in t he holy or der .
mandir Sacr ed Hindu place of wor ship. Temple.
manjirs Pair of small, t r adit ional cymbals used in t he
accompaniment of ot her per cussion inst r ument s.
manomay chakra The mind in t he for m of a wheel. The mind, seen as an
incessant ly t ur ning wheel, whose t en spokes ar e t aken t o be
t he t en indriyas {Sa r-7}. See also: chakra.
manovah ndi Ner ve or channel wher ein t he mind r esides, t r ansmit t ing
ener gy wit hin t he inner body of a per son and allowing t he
flow of desir es and t hought s.
mnsi puj Ment al wor ship. For m of wor ship in which one devout ly
per for ms puj , offer s rti, thl, et c., t o God ment ally
exact ly as one would physically {S r-3.3; Gadh III-23}.
Manu Smruti Oldest and consider ed t o be t he most aut hor it at ive of t he
ancient Smr ut i scr ipt ur es, ser ving even t oday as a
sour cebook of Hindu cult ur e and cust oms, incor por at ing in
it s 2,685 ver ses day-t o-day laws and dut ies for people of
ever y st r at a of societ y. Ascr ibed t o t he pr imor dial King
Manu, t he fat her of mankind. See also: Smrutis and
Appendix D.
manvantar Of t he 14 Manus t hat r eign sequent ially dur ing one day of
Br ahm , t he dur at ion of t he r eign of one Manu. Dur at ion of
t ime equaling 306,720,000 human year s.
Mrgi Follower of t he V m-m r g (Cult of Lust ), an ant i-Vedic cult
t hat pr opagat es illicit sex and ot her Veda-pr ohibit ed
pr act ices as a means t o liber at ion.
matsar Similar t o envy. But when ment ioned t oget her wit h
jealousy, t aken t o mean t he inabilit y t o t oler at e t he r ise
The Vachanmr ut 700
and gain of anyone else whet her it be of a per son of equal
st anding or ot her wise {K r-6}.
my Inst r ument or power of God used as t he fundament al
subst ance of cr eat ion. By nat ur e, it is composed of t he
t hr ee gunas, is bot h jad and chaitanya, et er nal, nirvishesh,
and in it s dor mant st at e befor e t he t ime of cr eat ion
houses all jivas and ishwars, and all element s {Gadh I-
12.6}. It is inspir ed by, cont r olled by, and dependent on God
Himself {Gadh II-21.13}. The jivas and ishwars must
t r anscend my, i.e., er adicat e it fr om wit hin t hemselves,
in or der t o at t ain Akshar dh m. Thir d of t he five et er nal
ent it ies. See also ot her four et er nal ent it ies: jiva, ishwar,
Akshar and Purushottam. See also: Prakruti.
myik Of, or per t aining t o my. Opposit e of divine.
medi A sma ll, well-vent ilat ed r oom at op a t r adional r esident ial
haveli st r uct ur e. Somet imes, it also r efer s t o t he ent ir e
building it self.
mogr Delicat e flower of t he jasmine genus, whit e in colour and
ext r emely sweet in fr agr ance. Tr adit ionally used in
offer ings t o murtis of God.
Moksh-dharma Por t ion of t he Mah bh r at (Sh nt i-par va, chapt er s 174-
365) compr ising of Bhishmas t eachings fr om his bed of
ar r ows t o Ki ng Yudhisht hir aft er t he conclusion of t he
Ma h bh r at war .
moliyu Rich fabr ic wit h silky finish woven wit h golden or silver
t hr eads and det ailed, decor at ive edges.
mothya (Pr onounced mot h). Ver y cheap and infer ior t ype of moss-
like spinach found t o gr ow on r iver banks, eat en only by t he
ext r emely poor .
mrudang Type of double-sided dr um. Tr adit ional Indian per cussion
inst r ument played t o supply r hyt hm in t he singing of
devot ional songs.
Mrutyulok Realm of deat h. Eight h r ealm in t he 14-r ealm syst em of a
brahm nd, wher e ever yone and ever yt hing is subject t o
deat h, but also only of t he r ealms wher e human bir t h and
ult imat e liber at ion is possible. See: Appendix B.
The Vachanmr ut 701
mukta Fr ee or r eleased, der ived fr om ver b-r oot much t o fr ee or
r elease. A liber at ed soul. A r esident of any abode of God
who has been fr eed fr om a lower plane of exist ence t o a
mor e spir it ually elevat ed st at e. Ther e ar e var ying levels of
spir it ual elevat ion, i.e., muktas of Badr ik shr am,
Shwet dwip, Golok, et c. The highest level of mukta, akshar-
mukta, has at t ained ult imat e liber at ion and is fr ee fr om
t he bondage of my and t he consequent cycle of bir t hs and
deat hs {S r-17}.
Mul-Prakruti Also called mahmy, Mul -m y , or simply, Pr akr ut i.
See: Prakruti.
Mul-Prakruti-Purush Pr akr ut i-Pur ush. See: Prakruti-Purush.
Mul-Purush Also called Mah -Pur ush, Akshar-Pur ush, or simply,
Pur ush. See: Purush.
muni S dhu. See: sdhu.
murti Sacr ed idol of God used t o offer wor ship {Gadh I-68}.
N
ndi Conduit . Ner ve or channel t r ansmit t ing ener gy wit hin t he
inner bodies of a per son and int er connect ing t he chakras.
Ther e ar e said t o be 72,000 ndis in all, of which t hr ee ar e
major . The id ndi, t he pingal ndi and t he sushumn
ndi.
Nrad Panchrtra Revised edit ion of t he Panchr t r a Tant r a composed by
N r adji. See: Panchrtra Tantra.
narak Realm t o which damned sinner s ar e consigned and
compelled t o suffer at t he hands of Yam, t he god of deat h,
and his ser vant s. Oft en used in t he plur al t o signify t he
var ious infer nal r egions. Aft er ser ving an appr opr iat e
amount of t ime, based on t he ext ent of t he sin, t he jiva
event ually r et ur ns t o t he cycle of bir t hs and deat hs.
nstik 1) Non-believer . Opposit e of stik. Per son who does not
believe in t he exist ence of God, or mor e gener ally, one who is
not r eligiously inclined.
2) Can also descr ibe people or scr ipt ur es t hat do not accept
t he aut hor it y and aut hent icit y of t he Veda s.
3) Oft en r efer s specifically t o t he J ains, who pr opound t hat
all act ivit ies and event s are dir ect r esult s of karmas, but
The Vachanmr ut 702
who do not accept God as t he all-doer or t he giver of t he
r espect ive fr uit s of karmas {Va r-6.4,8; Gadh I-48.5, Gadh I-
78.6, Gadh II-18}.
4) One who pr oclaims as false t he mor al dos and dont s
pr escr ibed by t he scr ipt ur es {Gadh I-42.4}.
5 ) One who does not t r ust t he wor ds of gr eat s such as
N r ad, t he Sanak dik, Vy s, V lmiki, et c. {Gadh II-6.6}.
nididhys Const ant cont emplat ion, der ived fr om ni + verb-r oot
dhyai t o t hor oughly cont emplat e or ponder . Const ant ,
concent r at ed cont emplat ion on a subject . Repeat ed deep
r eflect ion {S r-3; Loy -15.13}.
nimish Blink. Dur at ion of t ime equaling appr oximat ely
2
/
5
t h

of a
seconds, t r adit ionally t aken t o be t he t ime t aken t o blink.
See also: Appendix B.
nimitta-pralay 1) St imulat ed dissolut ion. Dest r uct ion of t he lower 10
r ealms of t he 14-r ealm syst em of a brahm nd including
swarg, Mr ut yulok and ptl. This is st imulat ed by t he end
of t he 14-manvantar da y of Vir t -Purush, i.e., when his
equally long night falls {Ga dh I-12.29; Bhu-Kha.12}. See
also t he ot her t hr ee t ypes of dissolut ion: nitya-pralay,
prkrut-pralay, tyantik-pralay. See: Appendix C.
2) Br ahm s deep sleep st at e when all of ishwars
adjunct s ar e absor bed which last s as long as his day,
equi valent t o 4,320,000,000 human year s {Amd-2.8}.
niranna-mukta Lit er ally, food-less mukta. Refer s t o a liber at ed soul of
Shwet dwip, who per for ms sever e aust er it ies and is said t o
sur vive t her e wit hout any food.
nirgun 1) Wit hout gunas. Not possessing any at t r ibut es of t he
t hr ee gunas sattvagun, rajogun and tamogun i.e.,
t r anscends all myik qualit ies. Divine.
2) Ext r emely subt le {K r-8}.
nirvikalp Wit hout alt er nat ives or doubt s. Adject ive descr ibing fait h
or st at e of being in which one sees only God but no doubt s
or dist inct ions r emain what soever , i.e., a st at e of per fect
r ealisat ion {Gadh I-39; Gadh II-14; Loy -12}.
nirvikalp samdhi 1) Highest st at e of r ealisat ion, in which one sees only
God but no doubt s or dist inct ions r emain what soever , i.e.,
a st at e of per fect r ealisat ion {Gadh II-14; Va r-1}.
The Vachanmr ut 703
2) The eight h and final st age and ult imat e goal of
ashtng-yoga.
nirvishesh Adject ive descr ibing t hat which is wit hout any adjunct s.
This descr ibes my in her causal st at e when she is devoid
of all of t he t hings t hat may develop fr om her , i.e., pruthvi,
jal, tej, et c.
Nitishatak A 100-ver se poet ical scr ipt ur e expounding et hical values
and mor als. Composed by Bhar t uhar i, t he famous sevent h
cent ury King-t ur ned-sannysi.
nitya-pralay 1) Const ant dissolut ion. The day-t o-day dying of count less
individual deit ies, demons, humans and ot her s {Gadh I-
12.29; Bhu-Kha.11}. See also t he ot her t hr ee t ypes of
dissolut ion: nimitta-pralay, prkrut-pralay and tyantik-
pralay.
2) The jivas st at e of deep sleep when all of jivas adjunct s
ar e absor bed {Amd-2.8}.
nivrutti 1) Inact ivit y. St at e of quiet ness and passivit y, i.e.,
r et ir ement fr om social dut ies and affair s. In t his sense,
oft en used t o r efer t o t he pat h of r enunciat ion.
2) Can also encompass r et ir ement fr om all for ms of
act ivit ies and r esponsibilit ies including even r eligious
act ivit ies such as ser ving in t he mandir, at t ending t o
devot ees of God, et c. i.e., emphasizing cont emplat ion and
medit at ion at t he expense of devot ion and ser vice.
nivrutti dharma Dharma char act er ised by nivrutti. Pat h of r enunciat ion or
pat h of inact ivit y fr om wor ldly pur suit s. See: nivrutti.
niyam 1) Mor al and spir it ual disciplines, and r eligious codes of
conduct pr escr ibed by God, t he Sat pur ush, or t he scr ipt ur es
t o pr ot ect a devot ee on t he pat h t o God. Niyams may r elat e
t o eit her t he obser vance of dharma or t he obser vance of
bhakti {Gadh III-34.4}. Obser vance of niyams keeps t he
devot ee fit t o t r avel closer t o God and ult imat ely ear ns t he
gr ace of God. Tr ansgr essing niyams causes t he devot ee t o
fall fr om t he pat h of God. Bhagw n Sw min r yan has
out lined t he basic niyams for all of His follower s in t he
Shiksh pat r i. See also: Shikshpatri.
The Vachanmr ut 704
2) Second st ep of ashtng-yoga, ent ailing obser vance of
r eligious pr act ices and code of dharma for t he cont r ol and
r efinement of t he mind.
P
Padma Purn One of t he 18 Pur ns. Scr ipt ur e of 55,000 ver ses descr ibing
t he pr ocess of cr eat ion, t he wor ld, swarg, ptl and also t he
seat of Br ahm , t he lot us called padma in Sanskr it .
Consider ed t o have been infilt r at ed by unfounded scholar s
wit h sever al concoct ed ver ses, t hus r ender ing it
unaut hor it at ive. See: Appendix D.
Pdma-kalp Per iod of t ime dur ing t he pr ocess of cr eat ion when Mar ichi
and ot her s jivas ar e given t heir r espect ive bodies by God
{Gadh I-13.3}. Measur ing one of Br ahm s days, i.e., 4.32 x
10
9
human year s.
pgh Long, t hin piece of clot h t ied ar ound t he head like a t ur ban
t o for m a t r adit ional headdr ess.
pakhwj Type of mrudang or double-sided dr um. Tr adit ional Indian
per cussion inst r ument wit h a deep, mellow sound, played t o
supply r hyt hm in t he singing of devot ional songs.
pal Dur at ion of t ime equaling appr oximat ely 24 seconds.
Panchrtra Tantra Sacr ed scr ipt ur e of t he Vaishnavs composed by
V sudev Bhagw n ser ving as aut hor it y r egar ding r it es and
r it uals, mandir const r uct ion, et c. Rever ed by Vaishnavs on
par wit h t he Vedas, i.e., consider ed as being r evealed
(Shr ut i) r at her t han r emember ed (Smr ut i). See: Appendix
D.
panchvishays The five t ypes of object s in which t he jiva indulges via t he
indriyas i.e., var ious sight s, sounds, smells, t ast es and
t ouches. See: vishay.
Parabrahma Supr eme Br ahma, God. Also called Par am t m or
Par abr ahma. Highest of t he five et er nal ent it ies
t r anscending even Br ahma. See: Purushottam. See also
ot her four et er nal ent it ies: jiva, ishwar, my, and Akshar.
Paramtm Supr eme being, God. Also called Par abr ahma or
Pur ushot t am. Highest of t he five et er nal ent it ies
t r anscending even Akshar . See: Purushottam. See also
ot her four et er nal ent it ies: jiva, ishwar, my, and Akshar.
The Vachanmr ut 705
Param-Bhgwat Ideal devot ee of God, r efer r ing t o t he S atpurush. See:
Satpurush.
Param-Bhgwat Sant Ideal sdhu of God, referring t o t he S atpurush. See:
Satpurush.
Param-Ekntik Sant Ideal ek ntik sdhu of God, r efer r ing t o t he
S atpurush. See: Satpurush.
paramhansa Supr eme swan. A male sdhu of t he highest or der ,
char act er ised by his abilit y t o discr iminat e bet ween sat a nd
asat just as swans wer e t r adit ionally consider ed t o be
able t o dist inguish bet ween milk mixed wit h wat er .
Tr adit ionally, t hey r enounce not only wor ldly pur suit s but
also all r eligious accessor ies such as r it es, symbols and
object s daily wor ship, chndlo, kanthi, et c. and lead a
life of t r aveling and pr eaching. In t he t ime of Bhagw n
Sw min r yan, t her e was an illust r ious band of 2,000
lear ned, t alent ed and saint ly sdhus of which 500 wer e
init iat ed int o t he paramhansa or der . These wer e lat er re-
init iat ed as sdhus and had r et ur ned t o per for ming all
t r adit ional r eligious r it es and r it uals, but wer e st ill known
a s paramhansas.
parrdh Dur at ion of t ime equaling 1 x 10
17
human year s.
Parshar Smruti One of t he pr incipal ancient Smr ut i scr i pt ur es. Ascr ibed
t o Pa r shar Rishi, fat her of Vy s. See also: Smrutis and
Appendix D.
prasmani Philosopher s st one. Magical gem t hat t ur ns ir on int o
gold.
prshad Male r enunciant in t he t ime of Bhagw n Sw min r yan,
similar t o a sdhu, but one whose niyams wer e not as
st r ingent ; i.e., t hey obser ved brahmacharya in gener al but
wer e allowed t o t alk wit h women, wer e allowed t o t ouch
money but not keep it for t hemselves, et c. Most prshads
shaved t heir heads like ot her sdhus but wor e a whit e not
saffr on dhotiyu and upper gar ment . See also: sdhu.
ptl Collect ive t er m for t he r egion of r ealms below Mr ut yulok.
See: Appendix B.
Ptl Lowest r ealm in t he 14-r ealm syst em of a brahm nd, where
ser pent s r eside. See: Appendix B.
The Vachanmr ut 706
pingal ndi Ner ve or channel of a masculine nat ur e t r ansmit t ing
int ellect ual and ment al ener gy wit hin t he inner body of a
per son, wher e t he cur r ent of ener gy flows upwar d and ends
on t he r ight side of t he body. One of t he t hr ee major ndis.
Posh Sevent h mont h of t he s h dhi Samvat year , nor mally
beginning bet ween December and J anuar y.
Pradhn Pr adh n-Pr akr ut i. See: Pradhn-Prakruti.
Pradhn-Prakruti Pr akr ut i half of t he Pr adh n-Pur ush pair , conceived by
Mul -Pur ush and Mul -Pr akr ut i for t he cr eat ion and
sust enance of each brahm nd. Also called simply Pr adh n.
Pradhn-Purush One of t he count less pair s of Pr adh n-Pr akr ut i and
Pur ush (2
nd
definit ion) conceived by Mul -Pur ush and
Mul -Pr akr ut i for t he cr eat ion and sust enance of each
brahm nd. Subsequent ly, fr om each pair of Pr adhan-
Pur ushes, t he 24 element s
2
ar e cr eat ed, and in t ur n, t he
jivas and ishwars r eceive t heir r espect ive bodies.
prgna Ter m for t he jivtm when in t he st at e of deep sleep, i.e.,
when it is conscious of it s k ran body.
prajpati Deit ies r esponsible for t he cr eat ion of t he wor ld. Fr om
Br ahm , Mar ichi and ot her prajpatis wer e pr oduced.
Fr om t hem, Kashyap and ot her prajpatis wer e pr oduced.
Fr om t hem, Indr a and ot her deit ies, t he demons, and all of
t he mobile and immobile cr eat ion wer e pr oduced. {Gadh I-
41.5}
prakruti Refer s t o chaitanya prakruti and/or jad prakruti. See:
chaitanya prakruti and jad prakruti.
Prakruti 1) Pr imal nat ur e. Divine ener gy or inst r ument of God t hat
init iat es t he cr eat ion pr ocess by being impr egnat ed by
Pur ush also called Mul -Pur ush, Mah -Pur ush, or Akshar-
Pur ush and fr om which count less pair s of Pr adh ns and
Pur ushes ar e conceived for t he cr eat ion and sust enance of
each brahm nd. Taken t o be feminine in nat ur e, she is
composed of t he t hr ee gunas, is bot h jad and chaitanya,
et er nal, nirvishesh, and in her dor mant st at e houses all
jivas and all element s {Gadh I-12.6}. Also called Mul -
Pr akr ut i, Mul -m y , and even mahmy. See also: my.
2) Also r efer s t o Pr adh n-Pra kr ut i {e.g., Gadh I-46.5}.
The Vachanmr ut 707
Prakruti-Purush The pair of Mul -Pr akr ut i and Mul -Purush, from which
count less pair s of Pr adh ns and Pur ushes ar e for med for
t he cr eat ion and sust enance of each brahm nd. Also called
Mul -Pr akr ut i-Purush.
prkrut-pralay 1) Gener al dissolut ion. Dest r uct ion of t he body of Vir t -
Pur ush, i.e., of all 14 r ealms of one brahm nd, and t he
absor pt ion of Pr adh n-Pur ush and t he 24 element s
2

including mahattattva int o mahmy, i.e., Mul -Pr akr ut i
{Gadh I-12.29; Bhu-Kha.13}. This occur s when t he t wo-
parrdh lifespan of Vir t -Pur ush has elapsed {Amd-2.8}.
See also t he ot her t hr ee t ypes of dissolut ion: nitya-pralay,
nimitta-pralay and tyantik-pralay.
pranav The t hr ee-syllable A, U and M sound known as Aum,
also oft en spelled as OM. A t r ansfor med for m of t he divine,
t r anscendent al vibr at ion emanat ed at t he moment of fir st
cr eat ion, and fr om which all ot her sounds, and ult imat ely
t he sacr ed Vedas, come for t h.
prnym Cont r olling t he prns. Four t h of t he eight st eps of ashtng-
yoga, ent ailing cont r olling of prns t hr ough br eat hing
exer cises leading t o t he quiet ening of t he chitt in
pr epar at ion for concent r at ion.
prns Vit al air s, der ived fr om ver b-r oot pran t o br eat he.
Collect ive t er m r efer r ing t o t he pr inciple life for ce or ener gy
flowing wit hin t he pr imar y life-cur r ent s of t he body, called
vyus, which cont r ol cr ucial bodily funct ions. Ther e ar e five
main vyus:
(1) prn exhaled br eat h
(2) apn inhaled br eat h
(3) samn equalising br eat h
(4) udn ascending br eat h
(5) vyn r et r ained br eat h
and five subor dinat e vyus: (1) ng, (2) kurma, (3) kukal, (4)
devadatta, and (5) dhananj y.
prrabdha Prrabdha karmas. Oft en loosely t aken t o mean fat e or
dest iny. See also: prrabdha karmas and karma.
prrabdha karmas Deeds whose consequences ar e alr eady set in mot ion.
The por t ion of t he st ock of karmas (sanchit karmas) t hat ar e
pr esent ly bear ing fr uit , based on t he pr inciple of past deeds
The Vachanmr ut 708
shaping pr esent event s. Prrabdha karmas influence t he
nat ur e of ones body and associat ions {e.g., Gadh I-13},
pr evailing cir cumst ances {e.g., Gadh III-37.2, Loy -17.14},
and even per sonal inclinat ions. Also r efer r ed t o as simply
prrabdha. See also: prrabdha and karma.
prasd Sanct ified food, blessed and consecr at ed by having been
offer ed t o God.
pratyhr Wit hdr awal. Fift h of t he eight st eps of ashtng-yoga,
ent ailing wit hdr awing of consciousness fr om oneself t o
engage in a higher consciousness.
pravrutti 1) Act ivit y. Act ivit y in the for m of social dut ies and
affair s. In t his sense, oft en used t o r efer t o t he pat h of a
householder .
2) Can also encompass all for ms of act ivit ies and
r esponsibilit ies even r eligious act ivit ies such as ser ving
in t he mandir, at t ending t o devot ees of God, et c. i.e.,
emphasising devot ion and ser vice r at her t han mer e
cont emplat ion and medit at ion.
pravrutti dharma Dharma char act er ised by pravrutti. Pat h of act ivit y.
See: pravrutti.
pruthvi 1) Ear t h or solid mat t er . One of t he five gr oss element s,
wor ld, is for med. By nat ur e, it suppor t s all jivas, and in t he
for m of a celest ial body, is t heir place of r esidence. It
separ at es k sh and t he ot her four bhuts, and gives a
physical for m t o all life for ms {Gadh I-12.19}. See also:
mahbhuts.
2) Also used t o mean ear t h.
Punam Full-moon day signifying t he cent r al day of a lunar mont h,
i.e., t he 15
t h
day of t he br ight half of an Indian calendar
mont h.
Purns Ancient . Set of 18 scr ipt ur es r ecor ding ancient Hindu
nar r at ives incor por at ing et hical and spir it ual t eachings,
most popular of which is t he Shr imad Bh gwat Pur n. The
ot her 17 Pur ns ar e, namely: t he Br ahma Pur n, Padma
Pur n, Vishnu Pur n, V yu Pur n, N r ad Pur n,
M r kandeya Pur n, Agneya Pur n, Bhavishya Pur n,
Br ahma-Vaivar t Pur n, Ling Pur n, Va r h Pur n, Skand
The Vachanmr ut 709
Pur n, V man Pur n, Kurma Pur n, Mat sya Pur n, Garud
Pur n, and Br ahm nd Pur n. For ms a por t ion of t he
Smr ut is. See: Appendix D.
Purush S atpurush. See: Satpurush.
Purush 1) An akshar-mukta select ed by Akshar br ahma t o
impr egnat e Pr akr ut i for t he cr eat ion pr ocess, fr om which
count less pair s of Pr adh ns and Pur ushes ar e for med for
t he cr eat ion and sust enance of each brahm nd. Taken t o be
masculine in nat ur e, he possesses a divine body, is t he
cont r oller of Pr akr ut i, and is also dist inct fr om her , is
indivisible, wit hout a beginning, wit hout an end, self-
luminous, omniscient , satya, kshetragna, and t he cause of
t he act ivit ies of all object s t hat possess a for m {Gadh I-
12.5, Gadh II-31.13}. Also called Mah -Purush, Mul -
Pur ush or Akshar-Purush.
2) Pur ush half of t he Pr adh n-Pur ush pair , conceived by
Mul -Pur ush and Mul -Pr akr ut i for t he cr eat ion and
sust enance of each brahm nd.
purushrths Pur suit s. Collect ive t er m for t he four goals legit imat ely
pur sued by all Hindus, namely: dharma (dut ies), arth
(mat er ial wealt h), k m (desir es), and ult imat ely, moksh
(liber at ion) {Amd-5.11}.
Purushvatr Physical wor ld, or a brahm nd, which is, in fact , human in
form possessing hands, feet , et c. but beyond
visualisat ion because of it s immense size {Gadh I-63.10}.
Also known as Vir t -Pur ush. See: Virt-Purush.
Purushottam Supr eme being, God. God, accor ding t o Shr iji Mah r j, is:
one and unpar alleled, omnipot ent and t he all-doer ,
omniscient , omnipr esent , t he r eser voir of all for ms of bliss,
devoid of any at t r ibut es of my (i.e., divine), r eplet e wit h
all for ms of r edempt ive at t r ibut es, always manifest ing on
Ear t h, and always wit h a human for m. Also called
Par abr ahma or Par am t m . Highest of t he five et er nal
ent it ies t r anscending even Akshar . See also ot her four
et er nal ent it ies: jiva, ishwar, my, and Akshar.
The Vachanmr ut 710
R
rjarshi Lit er ally, a householder or r oyal per son wit h char a ct er ist ics
like t hat of a r ishi. Not consider ed as r espect able or
elevat ed as a brahmarshi.
rjas-ahamkr One of t he t hr ee t ypes of ahamkrs t hat evolve fr om
mahattattva, and fr om which, in t ur n, t he t en indriyas, t he
buddhi and t he prns evolve {Ga dh I-12.27}. See: ahamkr
(2
nd
definit ion).
rjasik Of, or per t aining t o, rajogun. Full of rajogun.
rajogun Qualit y of passion. One of t he t hr ee pr inciple qualit ies of
Pr akr ut i, or my {Gadh I-12.6}, char act er ised by
incoher ence {Gadh I-30. 4; K r-12.7} and desir es for t he
vishays {Gadh II-43.2}. When rajogun pr evails, t he
antahkaran becomes pollut ed and many dist ur bing
t hought s r egar ding desir es for t he vishays ar ise, making it
difficult t o wor ship Gods for m {Gadh I-32.15}. Also, when
rajogun is pr edominant , t he fr uit s of any karmas per for med
by a jiva ar e exper ienced in t he dr eam st at e {Gadh I-65.13}.
The pr oduct s of rajogun include lust , desir es for enjoying
sense pleasur es, et c. {K r-1.14; Va r-20.2}. See also: guna.
Rajput Son(s) of the King. Specific sub-cast e of t he Kshatriya
cast e descending or iginally fr om r oyal lineage, t r adit ionally
ext r emely st r ong and br ave.
Rmyan St or y of R m. Popular Hindu scr ipt ur e nar r at ing t he st or y
of Shr i R m Bhagw n his 14-year banishment fr om t he
t hr one of Ayodhy t o t he for est ; his wife, Sit s, abduct ion
by t he evil emper or R van; and R ms ult imat e vict or y over
R van and his ar mies t o r et ur n wit h Sit and r eign over
Ayodhy wit h r ight eousness. One of t he t wo gr eat It ih s
scr ipt ur es. Encompasses ideals for societ y t hr ough t he
vir t ues exhibit ed by t he exemplar y lives of R m, Sit , and
R ms br ot her s, Lakshmanji and Bhar at ji. See: Appendix
D.
rkhdi A decor at ive, st r and-like wr ist let t r adit ionally t ied by
sist er s t o t heir br ot her s on t he day of Raksh -bandhan
Shr van sudi Punam affir ming t heir loving bond bet ween
each ot her , and in par t icular , t he br ot her s vow t o pr ot ect
his sist er . Der ived fr om ver b-r oot raksh t o pr ot ect .
The Vachanmr ut 711
rs Tr adit ional Indian folkdance nor mally played bet ween a
collect ion of par t ner s, each par t ner having a pair of st icks t o
st r ike in accompaniment t o t he music while singing and
dancing in a cir cular mot ion.
Rastal Sixt h r ealm beneat h Mr ut yulok, wher e noct ur nal beings
r eside. Second r ealm fr om t he bot t om in t he 14-r ealm
syst em of a brahm nd. See: Appendix B.
Rs-panchdhyyi Five chapt er s in t he Shr imad Bh gwat Pur n (cant o X,
chapt er s 29-33) nar r at ing t he divine rs episode of Shr i
Kr ishna wit h t he gopis of Vr a j.
reto Feto, moliyu or shelu wit h silky, decor at ive edges woven
wit h golden or silver t hr eads. Tied ar ound t he head or
waist , or left t o r est upon t he shoulder s.
roopchoki Squar e, compounded ar ea on t he out er sides of a mandir,
quit e oft en in t he for m of a pr ot r uding por t ion of an
encir cling galler y.
rotlo A basic unleavened br ead-like st aple food in many par t s of
Gujar at , made gener ally of millet or jowar flour t hat is
kneaded and pat t ed int o a flat , cir cular shape befor e being
cooked on an ear t hen hot plat e.
S
Sadguru Tr ue gur u. Refer s t o t he S atpurush. See: Satpurush.
sdhu Male per son who has r enounced wor ldly pur suit s and has
chosen an aust er e life of r eligious act ivit ies under st r ict
vows of pover t y, chast it y and obedience. A Hindu
r enunciant .
sagun 1) Wit h gunas. Possessing divine qualit ies and r edempt ive
vir t ues.
2) Wit h gunas. Possessing myik qualit ies, i.e., myik
not divine.
3) Ext r emely vast .
skar Lumps of pr ocessed sugar cr yst als.
skshtkr Spir it ual r ealisat ion. Also used t o descr ibe somet hing t hat
has been so well lear ned or under st ood t hat it becomes
second nat ur e {S r-3}.
The Vachanmr ut 712
samdhi 1) Tr ance. Tr anscendent al exper ience, usually of God or
His abode, in which consciousness of t he body and
sur r oundings is lost .
2) Eight h and final st ep of ashtng-yoga. Tr anscendent al
exper ience of union wit h God, which is t he culminat ion and
climax of yoga.
samprady Fellowship. Body of devot ees.
sanchit karmas Accumulat ed deeds. Immeasur able st ock of all deeds
per for med, in infinit e past lives and in t he pr esent , which is
r et ained in t he k ran body unt il t he karmas r ipen t o
event ually bear fr uit as prrabdha karmas, eit her lat er in
t he pr esent life or in a fut ur e life {Var-6.3}. See: karma.
snkhya Fundament al belief of t he S nkhya doct r ine; i.e., all t hat
evolves fr om my is per ishable and vain. Cult ivat ing
t hought s of snkhya, t he devot ee gr adually becomes
det ached fr om wor ldly, myik object s allowing him/her t o
become fur t her engr ossed in God.
Snkhya Enumer at ion, der ived fr om sam + verb-r oot k h t o
count or number . School of philosophy analysing t he
cat egor ies of exist ence t at t vas or element s, which it
under st ands as 25 in number . Founded by sage Kapil,
aut hor of t he S nkhya Sut r as. See also: snkhya.
snkhya-yogi Yogi who has r enounced act ivit ies. Ter m used for a devot ee
who has r enounced his/her wor ldly dut ies as opposed t o a
karma-yogi and is sincer ely st r iving for liber at ion. Refer s
t o a r enunciant who is t ot ally dedicat ed and commit t ed t o
Sat sang. In t he t ime of Bhagw n Sw min r yan, many
widows and widower s chose t o become snkhya-yogis aft er
t heir spouse passed away, i.e., t o dedicat e t heir lives t o God
r at her t han any ot her family member s. Oft en r efer s t o
female r enunciant s when used in ser ies wit h paramhansas.
sanskr Impr ession. Refer s t o t he favour able or unfavour able
impr ession of a karma per for med ear lier in t he pr esent life
or in a pr evious life t hat is impr int ed and accumulat ed in
t he k ran body. This impr ession in t ur n influences act ions
and achievement s in t he pr esent and/or subsequent lives.
Sant Synonymous in t he Vachan mr ut wit h S atpurush. See:
Satpurush.
The Vachanmr ut 713
sannys shram Der ived fr om sam + ni + verb-r oot s t o put aside,
i.e., r enounce. Last of t he four st ages of life, when one
r enounces all wor ldly dut ies and lives as an ascet ic.
sannysi Der ived fr om sam + ni + verb-r oot s t o put aside, i.e.,
r enounce. Per son who has r enounced all wor ldly dut ies and
is living as an ascet ic.
srangi Tr adit ional Indian st r inged musical inst r ument played by
st r oking wit h a bow and depr essing st r ings on a fr et t ed
neck.
sarod Tr adit ional Indian st r inged musical inst r ument played by
st r oking wit h a bow and depr essing st r ings on a fr et t ed
neck; a smaller ver sion of a srangi.
sat (pr onounced sut ) 1) Per manent , i.e., imper ishable and
unchanging. Tr anscending t ime, and t hus unbound by t he
past , t he pr esent and t he fut ur e.
2) Real. Tr ue.
satr Tr adit ional Indian st r inged musical inst r ument played by
st r iking wit h a wir e plect r um and depr essing st r ings on a
fr et t ed neck, similar t o a pr esent -day sit ar .
sati Widow who, out of her t ot al dedicat ion and commit ment t o
her husband, volunt ar y commit s immolat ion by t hr owing
her self on her dead husbands bur ning funer al pyr e.
Satpurush Gur u for a spir it ual aspir ant . Akshar br ahma by for m and
t he living embodiment of Par abr ahma Pur ushot t am.
Thr ough whom God r emains ever -manifest , passing on His
divine ener gy and exper ience, love and guidance t o all
beings on ear t h. The cont inuing lineage of God-r ealised
Satpurushes ensur es t hat t he gat eway t o liber at ion and God
is for ever open for all seeker s. Sur r ender ing t o him, st r iving
t o obey his commands, and developing pr ofound love for him
is t he r oot of all spir it ual endeavour s. Synonymous in t he
Va cha n mr ut wit h S ant, Bhakta, Ek ntik Bhakta, Ek ntik
S ant, Param-Bhgwat, Param-Bhgwat S ant, Param-
Ek ntik S ant, Purush and Sadguru.
satsang 1) Company of t he t r ue. The pr act ice of spir it ually
associat ing wit h t he S atpurush, fellow satsangis, ones own
tm and t he sacr ed scr ipt ur es of t he Sat sang fellowship,
The Vachanmr ut 714
i.e., obser ving t he r eligious vows and spir it ual pr act ices of
Sat sang.
2) Good company. Opposit e of bad company, whose
influences cause spir it ual r egr ess.
Satsang The ent ir e body of satsangis. The fellowship of t he devot ees
of Bhagw n Sw min r yan, i.e., t hose who wor ship Him as
God and obser ve t he basic r eligious vows pr escr ibed by
Him.
satsangi Member of t he Sat sang fellowship. One who pr act ises
satsang.
sattvagun Qualit y of goodness. One of t he t hr ee pr inciple qualit ies of
awar eness {Gadh I-30.4; K r-12.7} and vairgya t owar ds
t he vishays {Gadh II-43.2}. When sattvagun pr evails, t he
antahkaran is pur e, and one can pleasant ly wor ship Gods
for m {Gadh I-32.15}. Also, when sattvagun is pr edominant ,
t he fr uit s of any karmas per for med by a jiva ar e
exper ienced dur ing t he waking st at e {Gadh I-65.13}. The
pr oduct s of sattvagun include happiness, gnn, vairgya,
wisdom, t r anquilit y, self-r est r aint , et c., {Loy -10.22; K r-
1.14}. See also: guna.
sttvik Of, or per t aining t o, sattvagun. Full of sattvagun.
sttvik-ahamkr One of t he t hr ee t ypes of ahamkrs t hat evolve fr om
mahattattva, and fr om which, in t ur n, t he man and t he
pr esiding deit ies of t he indriyas evolve {Gadh I 12.27}. See:
ahamkr (2
nd
definit ion).
satya 1) Tr ut h. Per manent , i.e., imper ishable and unchanging.
Tr anscending t ime, and t hus unbound by t he past , t he
pr esent and t he fut ur e.
2) Real. Tr ue.
Satyalok Realm of Br ahm . Highest r ealm in t he 14-r ealm syst em
of a brahm nd. Also called Br ahmalok. See: Appendix B.
Satya-yug Age of Goodness. Fir st of t he four ages t hat mar k t he
t ime-scale of t he wor ld. Last ing 1,728,000 human year s, it
is t he pur est and most r ight eous of t he ages, when people
lived t o be 100,000, all wer e Brhmins, ever yones wishes
wer e fulfilled, and ever yone wor shipped God. See also: yug.
The Vachanmr ut 715
savikalp Wit h alt er nat ives or doubt s. Adject ive descr ibing fait h
{Loy -12} or st at e of being in which one sees God but doubt s
or dist inct ions st ill r emain in cont r ast t o t he nirvikalp
st at e, in which no dist inct ions r emain and one sees only
God. A st at e of imper fect r ealisat ion.
savikalp samdhi St at e of r ealisat ion in which one sees God but doubt s or
dist inct ions st ill r emain in cont r ast t o nirvikalp samdhi,
in which no dist inct ions r emain and one sees only God. A
st at e of imper fect r ealisat ion {Gadh I-39; Gadh I-40}.
sevanti Flower of t he chr ysant hemum genus, found t o blossom
unusually out of season. Ther e ar e t wo var iet ies r ed and
yellow, bot h wit h small point ed pet als. Also known as
guldvadi.
Shakti-panthi Follower of a Shakt i cult a cult wor shipping Shakt i, a
for m of Lakshmi or P r vat i (Kali), as t he gover ning power of
t he wor ld wher ein t he consumpt ion of meat and alcohol is
consider ed holy.
Shankh-likhit Smruti One of t he ancient Smr ut i scr ipt ur es. Ascr ibed t o t he
t wo br ot her s, Shankh Rishi and Likhit Rishi. See:
Appendix D.
shligrm Small sacr ed st one wor shipped by Vaishnavs as a for m of
Vishnu. Found in t he wat er s of t he River Gandki, flowing
t hr ough t he foot hills of Tibet , which is consider ed especially
sacr ed because of t he numer ous r ishis who per for med
aust er it ies on her banks.
sharabh Legendar y beast t hought t o be fier cer t han a lion, and which
r oams in t he Himalayas.
sharir Embodiment . Gener ally, t hat which is per vaded, inspir ed
and gover ned by t he tm (2
nd
definit ion). Refer s t o t he
physical and non-physical wor ld, which is per vaded,
inspir ed and gover ned by God, it s shariri.
shariri That which is embodied. Gener ally, t hat which per vades,
inspir es and gover ns t he sharir. Refer s t o God as t he
per vader , inspir er and gover nor of t he physical and non-
physical wor ld, His sharir.
Shstras 1) Ter m used gener ally in t he Vachan mr ut t o r efer t o t he
Dhar ma-s h st r as. See: Dharma-shstras.
The Vachanmr ut 716
2) Also somet imes r efer s t o t he scr ipt ur es of t he Six
Dar shans, par t icular ly when specifically st at ed as t he six
Sh st r as. See: Darshans and Appendix D.
shelu Rich fabr ic wit h a silky finish woven wit h golden or silver
t hr eads and det ailed, decor at ive edges wor n as an upper
gar ment or t ied ar ound t he head or waist , or even left t o
r est upon t he shoulder s.
Shikshpatri Succinct scr ipt ur e of 212 Sanskr it ver ses wr it t en by
Bhagw n Sw min r yan for all of His follower s: male and
female, mar r ied or ot her wise, young and old, r enunciant
and householder , lear ned and lay, even t hose in sover eign
power . Ser ves as a concise, fundament al code of conduct
encompassing ever yt hing fr om basic civic nor ms, i.e., fr om
per sonal hygiene t o social et hics, up t o univer sal philosophy
and spir it ualit y. {Gadh III-1.14}
shingadiyo vachhng Type of t r ee gr owing in mount ainous r egions.
shishumr chakra Shishum r wheel. One of t he cent r es of spir it ual
ener gy locat ed in t he inner body, seen as a seat of
inst inct ive consciousness. See also: chakra.
shraddh A vir t ue t hat incor por at es t he vir t ues of fait h, t r ust , hope,
pat ience, per sist ence and zeal.
shravan 1) List ening, der ived fr om ver b-r oot shru t o list en. For
example, t o list en t o, or do shravan of t he t alks of God.
2) Mor e gener ally, t he t er m also means t he init ial int ake of
gnn fr om any of t he out er indriyas. In t his sense, darshan,
int ake of gnn t hr ough t he eyes, is also consider ed a for m of
shravan. However , t he int ake of gnn t hr ough t he pr ocess of
shravan (list ening) must be consolidat ed wit h manan
(r eflect ion) and nididhys (deep cont emplat ion) if it is t o
lead t o t he skshtk r (r ealisat ion) of t hat gnn {S r-3}.
Shrvan Second mont h of t he s h dhi Samvat year , nor mally
beginning bet ween J uly and August .
Shrimad Bhgwat Most popular of t he 18 Pur ns. Nar r at es t he life,
divine act ions and incident s of var ious incar nat ions of God,
par t icular ly Shr i Kr ishna Bhagw n. One of t he eight
scr ipt ur es accept ed as aut hor it at ive by Bhagw n
Sw min r yan.
The Vachanmr ut 717
Shrivatsa Divine mar king found on t he chest s of murtis of Vishnu and
Shr i Kr ishna, similar t o a bir t hmar k.
Shrutis The hear d. Collect ion of divine r evelat ions impar t ing
philosophical and spir it ual wisdom as r evealed t o t he
r ishis aft er st r ict aus t er it ies and deep cont emplat ion. The
four Vedas fall int o t he classificat ion of Shr ut is. See:
Appendix D.
Shudra Labour er . Skilled wor ker t r adit ionally ser ving t he ot her
t hr ee cast es t he Brhmins, Kshatriyas and Vaishyas.
Consider ed t he lowest of t he four cast es in t he ancient
Indian social syst em.
shuli Shar p, point ed ver t ical st ake t o which an offender is bound
and t hen allowed t o be pier ced by his/her own weight as t he
body is t ur ned. A for m of br ut al execut ion per for med in
public a s an effect ive det er r ent t o major cr imes and social
deviance.
shushka-gnn Dr y knowledge. Refer s t o t he monot heist ic philosophy of
t he Advait school. Refer r ed t o as dr y because it disclaims
t he exist ence of a per sonal God, and so does not pr opound
any for m of bhakti t owar ds Him. See also: shushka-
Vednta.
shushka-Vednta Dr y Ved nt a. The Advait doct r ine. Monot heist ic
school of Ved nt a pr opounding t hat t he ult imat e r ealit y is
only t he one, non-dual Br ahma. Refer r ed t o as dr y
beca use it disclaims t he exist ence of a per sonal God, His
et er nally divine for m, His abode, et c., and so does not
pr opound any for m of bhakti or wor ship of God and His
avatrs. {Gadh II-19; Gadh III-28.2}
shushka-Vednti Dr y Ved nt i. One who pr opounds or adher es t o t he
shushka-Ved nt a school of philosophy {Gadh II-18, Gadh
III-36.5}. See: shushka-Vednta.
Shwetdwip Whit e island. Celest ial abode of Shr i Lakshmi-n r yan.
It s muktas per for m sever e aust er it ies and offer devot ional
wor ship t o God. They ar e fr ee fr om t he six physical and
emot ional sensat ions
14
and sur vive wit hout food t hus
ear ning t he name niranna-mukta.
Skand Purn One of t he 18 Pur ns. Sacr ed scr ipt ur e of 84,000 ver ses
nar r at ing t he killing of t he demon T r ak sur by Skand, son
The Vachanmr ut 718
of Shiv. Cont ains t he V sudev M h t mya, one of t he eight
Smrutis 1) The r emember ed. Set of scr ipt ur es not consider ed t o be
r evealed, in compar ison t o t he Shr ut i scr ipt ur es, but st ill
just as r ecognised and r ever ed. In gener al, a collect ive t er m
r efer r ing t o any t ext or body of scr ipt ur es ot her t han t he
Shr ut i scr ipt ur es. The set of ancient t ext s including t he
secondar y and complement ar y Vedas (Upvedas and
Ved ngs), t he Upanishads, t he Dhar ma-s h st r as, t he 18
Pur ns, t he t wo It ih s scr ipt ur es, t he gamas and t he
scr ipt ur es of t he six Dar shans. See also: Upanishads,
Dharma-shstras, Purns, Itihs and Appendix D.
2) Set of scr ipt ur es also known as t he Dhar ma-s h st r as,
t he most famous of which ar e t he Manu Smr ut i and t he
Y gnavalkya Smr ut i. These scr ipt ur es discuss secular
mat t er s science, law, hist or y, agr icult ur e, et c. as well as
spir it ual lor e, r anging fr om day-t o-day r ules and
r egulat ions t o super conscious out pour ings. See also:
Dharma-shstras, Manu Smruti, Ygnavalkya Smruti and
Appendix D.
sthul Gr oss, as opposed t o sukshma, i.e., subt le. Of t he t hr ee
bodies of t he jiva, it r efer s t o t he physical body of t he jiva,
which is composed of t he five element s, i.e., t he five bhuts
{S r-14.18}. Includes all of t he physical, visible aspect s
commonly r efer r ed t o as t he body. Because it is evolved
fr om t he k ran body, it is also consider ed as t he jivas m y
{K r-12.4}. The jiva at t ains a differ ent sthul body upon
each bir t h. See also ot her t wo bodies of t he jiva: kran and
sukshma.
Sudarshan Chakra Fier y, disc-like weapon or iginally used by Vishnu, and
lat er also by Shr i Kr ishna, endowed wit h t he power and
r adiance of sever al suns.
sudi Br ight half of a Hindu lunar mont h in which t he moon is in
it s waxing phase, i.e., days bet ween Am s up t o and
including Punam.
sukshma Subt le, as opposed t o sthul, i.e., gr oss. Of t he t hr ee bodies
of t he jiva, it r efer s t o t he subt le body of t he jiva, which is
composed of 19 element s: t he five gnn-indriyas, t he five
The Vachanmr ut 719
karma-indriyas, t he five prns and t he four antahkarans
{S r-14.18}. Unlike t he sthul body, t he sukshma body is not
visible and is commonly t hought of as t he ment al body.
Because it is evolved fr om t he k ran body, it is also
consider ed as t he jivas m y {K r-12.4}. See also ot her t wo
bodies of t he jiva: sthul and kran.
survl Tr ouser -like lower gar ment .
sushumn 1) Unint er r upt ed pat h of light fr om t he brahma-randhra t o
Pr akr ut i-Pur ush {Gadh I-65.9}.
2) Pat h by which t he nd pr oduced by Par abr ahma via
Akshar br ahma per vades t he navel of Vir t -Pur ush {S r-
6.13}.
sushumn ndi Ner ve or channel t r ansmit t ing cosmic ener gy wit hin t he
inner body of a per son, wher e t he cur r ent passes t hrough
t he spinal column fr om t he base of t he spine and ends in
t he brahmarandhra locat ed in t he cr own of t he head. One of
t he t hr ee major ndis.
Sutal Thir d r ealm beneat h Mr ut yulok, wher e demons r eside.
Fift h r ealm fr om t he bot t om in t he 14-r ealm syst em of a
sutrtm Of t he t hr ee bodies of Vir t -Pur ush and ot her ishwars, t he
subt le body. Analogous t o t he sukshma body of t he jiva.
Because it is evolved fr om t he avykrut (causal) body, it is
also consider ed as t he my of ishwar {K r-12.4}.
svedaj Bor n fr om sweat . Cat egor y of life for ms bor n fr om sweat ,
i.e., lower life for ms such as bact er ia, et c.
swabhv 1) A per sons vicious nat ur es such as lust , anger , gr eed,
jealousy, egot ism, et c. Also used t o r efer t o a per sons
nat ur es in t he for m of habit s for med aft er r epeat ed act ions,
in t his bir t h or in t he ones past . The er adicat ion of all of
ones swabhvs and feelings of body-consciousness is
necessar y in or der t o at t ain ult imat e liber at ion.
2) Nat ur e. Accor ding t o t he doct r ine of Nat ur alism, t he
for ce r esponsible for all phenomena in t he mat er ial wor ld.
This school of t hought claims all event s and act ivit ies can
be explained by nat ur al laws alone; i.e., ever yt hing occur s
nat ur ally or aut omat ically, wit hout t he need of an all-doer
God {Gadh I-62.3 & Va r-2.4}.
The Vachanmr ut 720
swadharma Ones own dharma. Synonymous wit h dharma. See:
dharma.
Swminryan Mant r a given by Bhagw n Sw min r yan t o His
follower s in 1801 when He became head of t he Fellowship.
The mant r a est ablishes t he wor ship of bhakt a wit h
Bhagw n, as Sw mi signifies Gun t it nand Swami, t he
choicest devot ee, and N r yan signifies Pur ushot t am
N r yan Sahaj nand Sw mi, t he supr eme God. Event ually
people began t o ident ify Shr iji Mah r j by t his mant r a and
called Him Bhagw n Sw min r yan.
swarg Collect ive t er m for all six r ealms above Mr ut yulok in t he
14-r ealm syst em of a brahm nd. See: Appendix B.
Swarglok Second r ealm above Mr ut yulok, wher e Indr a and ot her
deit ies r eside. Tent h r ealm fr om t he bot t om in t he 14-
r ealm syst em of a brahm nd. Also called Indr alok. Not t o
be confused wit h swarg, a collect ive t er m for all six r ealms
above Mr ut yulok in t he 14-r ealm syst em of a brahm nd.
See: Appendix B.
T
taijas Ter m for t he jivtm when it is in t he dr eam st at e, i.e.,
when it is conscious of it s sukshma body.
tl 1) Pair of small and deep, t r adit ional cymbals slight ly
lar ger t han manjirs used in t he accompaniment of ot her
per cussion inst r ument s.
2) Pair of hand-held wooden blocks holding mini -cymbals
t hat chime when shaken or st r uck. Used in t he
accompaniment of ot her per cussion inst r ument s. Similar
t o pr esent -day kart ls.
Taltal Four t h r ealm beneat h Mr ut yulok, wher e noct ur nals r eside.
Four t h r ealm fr om t he bot t om in t he 14-r ealm syst em of a
tmas-ahamkr One of t he t hr ee t ypes of ahamkrs t hat evolve fr om
mahattattva, and fr om which, in t ur n, t he five bhuts and t he
five tanm trs evolve {Gadh I-12.27}. See: ahamkr (2
nd

definit ion).
tmasik Of, or per t aining t o, tamogun. Full of tamogun.
The Vachanmr ut 721
tamogun Qualit y of dar kness. One of t he t hr ee pr inciple qualit ies of
unconsciousness {Gadh I-30.4} and passiveness {Gadh II-
43.2}. When tamogun pr evails, no t hought s ar ise in t he
antahkaran at all and one exper iences a feeling of
empt iness {Gadh I-32.15}. Also, when tamogun is
pr edominant , t he fr uit s of any karmas per for med by a jiva
ar e exper ienced dur ing t he st at e of deep sleep {Gadh I-
65.13}. The pr oduct s of tamogun include laziness, sleep
{K r-1.14}, anger , avar ice, et c. {Var-20.2}. See also: guna.
tanmtra A subt le element , in cont r ast t o a gr oss element or one of
t he five mahbhuts. Ther e ar e five tanm trs in t ot al and
each one is t he r oot cause of it s cor r esponding mahbhut
namely: sight s (of tej), sounds (of k sh), smells (of pruthvi),
t ast es (of jal) and t ouch (of vyu). Collect ively called t he
five tanm trs.
Taplok Fift h r ealm above Mr ut yulok, wher e Bhr ugu and ot her
r ishis r eside. 13
t h
r ealm fr om t he bot t om in t he 14-r ealm
syst em of a brahm nd. See: Appendix B.
tapta-kruchchhra For m of st er n aust er it y ent ailing fast ing for 12
cont inuous days, gener ally per for med as a for m of
at onement for a gr ave sin.
tej Fir e or ener gy. One of t he five gr oss element s, fr om which
t he sthul body of Vir t -Purush, i.e., t he physical wor ld, is
for med. By nat ur e, it is luminous, causes t he digest ion of
food, absor bs liquids, eliminat es cold, dr ies, cr eat es hunger
and t hir st , and bur ns wood, ghee and ot her sacr ificial
offer ings {Gadh I-12.21}. See also: mahbhuts.
thl Food devot ionally offer ed t o God as a for m of bhakti, which
in t ur n consecr at es t he food t ur ning it int o prasd.
Tret-yug Age of Thr ee. Second of t he four ages t hat mar k t he t ime-
scale of t he wor ld. Last ing 1,296,000 human year s, it was
when puri t y and r ight eousness diminished somewhat , t he
inst inct s of t he Kshatriyas pr evailed, people lived t o be
10,000, and peoples wishes wer e not so r eadily fulfilled.
Called t he Tr et -yug, or Age of Thr ee, because t he gener al
r at io of good deeds per for med t o bad deeds was 3:1. See
also: yug.
The Vachanmr ut 722
tulsi Holy Basil. Var iet y of plant nat ive t o war m r egions. It s
ar omat ic leaves have inher ent healing qualit ies and ar e
also oft en used as seasoning. Consider ed ext r emely holy
and auspicious in Hinduism, so much so t hat most
t r adit ional Hindu homes r eser ve a special place for a shr ub
just out side t heir houses. Used as a fr agr ant offer ing t o
God. Wood of t he plant is also used in t he making of beads
for r osar ies and kanthis.
turyapad Four t h st at e. Ter m r efer r ing t o God who t r anscends t he
t hr ee st at es of waking, dr eam and deep sleep.
U
udbhij Bor n fr om penet r at ing. Cat egor y of life for ms bor n out of
t he gr ound, i.e., all for ms of plant -life.
Uddhav Samprady Fellowship of Uddhav. Name used by Bhagw n
Sw min r yan t o r efer t o t he Sat sang Fellowship. Named
for R m nand Sw mi, who init iat ed Bhagw n
Sw min r yan and who was consider ed t he avatr of
Uddhav Shr i Kr ishnas t r ust ed advisor and one of his
eminent devot ees.
Udyog-parva Fift h of t he 12 sect ions of t he Mah bh r at compr ising of
t h e P ndavs and t he Kaur avas commit ment t o t he gr eat
Ma h bh r at war and t he init ial for mat ion of t heir
st r at egies. Cont ains t he Vidur nit i. See also: Vidurniti.
Upanishads Sit t ing near, der ived fr om upa + ni + verb-r oot shad.
Four t h and final por t ion of t he Vedas. Collect ion of
pr ofound t ext s expounded by t he ancient r ishis pr imar ily
r evolving ar ound t he philosophical discussion of t he nat ur e
of t he tm , t he wor ld, my, and r ealit y. Tr adit ionally
number ing 108, t en ar e consider ed t o be t he pr incipal
Upanishads upon which philosopher s, par t icular ly t he
chryas, have wr it t en compr ehensive comment ar ies. See:
Appendix D.
upsan Sit t ing near , der ived fr om upa + verb-r oot s meaning t o
sit near . Philosophical fr amewor k out lining t he
fundament al pr inciples of a doct r ine. Philosophical
under st anding of t he nat ur e of God as well as t he mode of
wor ship of God, i.e., how one under st ands God t o be like,
The Vachanmr ut 723
and how one wor ships Him {Gadh I-40.6; Pan-6.3; Gadh III-
36.6}. Somet imes synonymous wit h bhakti.
upsham St at e of being when, while cont emplat ing on God or ones
tm , one becomes absolut ely unmindful of t he wor ld, and
as a r esult , becomes t r anquil and peaceful {Amd-3}.
urdhvaret 1) One whose semen r emains high, der ived fr om urdhva
meaning high and retas meaning semen. St aunch
brahmachri who does not allow t he ejaculat ion of semen.
2) Also used as adject ive t o descr ibe a brahmachri who
does not allow t he ejaculat ion of semen.
V
Vachanmrut Amrut in t he for m of wor ds. Compilat ion of 273 spir it ual
discour ses deliver ed by Bhagw n Sw min r yan,
met iculously not ed and collat ed by His senior paramhansas
in His pr esence, and aut hent icat ed by Bhagw n
Sw min r yan Himself. Cent r al philosophical scr ipt ur e of
t he Sw min r yan Fellowship encapsulat ing t he essence of
all Hindu scr ipt ur es.
vadi Dar k half of a Hindu lunar mont h in which t he moon is in
it s waning phase, i.e., t he days falling bet ween t he day aft er
Punam up t o and including Am s.
vadvnal For m of demigodly fir e t hat r esides wit hin t he oceans yet
r emains inext inguishable. Der ived fr om vadv meaning
female hor se, and anal meaning fir e, since depict ed in
t he Pur ns as being a deit y wit h a fier y body and t he head
of a hor se t hat dr inks t he wat er s of t he oceans.
vaijayanti Unique gar land ador ned by Vishnu and ot her avatrs,
gener ally depict ed as r eaching down t o t he feet . Made of
five t ypes of gems (r ubies, pear ls, sapphir es, emer alds and
diamonds r epr esent ing t he five element s) and/or divine
flower s said t o never wit her . Der ived fr om vijay
meaning vict or y, since Shr i Kr ishna oft en wor e t he gar land
t o war and invar iably r et ur ned vict or ious.
Vaikunth Celest ial abode of Lor d Vishnu, t he sust ainer of cr eat ion in
t he Hindu t r init y of ishwars.
vairgya Det achment . An aver sion or st r ong, per sist ent dislike,
gener ally for t he wor ld and it s myik pleasur es, i.e., t he
The Vachanmr ut 724
panchvishays {Ga dh I-47.7}. Char act er ised by r emaining
det ached fr om t he body and t he brahm nd {Gadh I-44.4}, or
fr om all t hings t hat ar e t he pr oduct s of Pr akr ut i {Loy -
16.7}. One of t he four at t r ibut es of ek ntik dharma {Loy -
6.3}.
Vaishkh Tent h mont h of t he s h dhi Samvat year , nor mally
beginning bet ween Apr il and May.
Vaishnav 1) Follower of Vishnu and/or his var ious incar nat ions, in
par t icular Shr i Kr ishna Bhagw n.
2) Of, or r elat ing t o, Vishnu.
Vaishya Mer chant . Businessman or employer t r adit ionally dealing
wit h financial and commer cial mat t er s in societ y. One of
t he four cast es of t he ancient Indian social syst em.
Vlmiki Rmyan Popular Sanskr it scr ipt ur e of appr oximat ely 33,000
ver ses depict ing st or y of Shr i R m Bhagw n as t old by
V lmiki Rishi. Consider ed t o be t he fir st poet ic
composit ion of it s kind in t he wor ld. See: Rmyan and
Appendix D.
Vniy Specific class of people of t he Vaishya cast e t r adit ionally
engaged in commer cial act ivit ies.
vnprasth ashram Thir d of t he four st ages of life, when one wit hdr aws t o
some ext ent fr om social dut ies and ser ves mer ely as an
elder ly advisor . Lit er ally implying t aking t o t he for est s.
Vsudev Mhtmya Por t ion of t he Skand Pur n descr ibing how an
ek ntik bhakta should offer bhakti t o God while possessing
dharma, gnn and vairgya. One of t he eight scr ipt ur es
accept ed as aut hor it at ive by Bhagw n Sw min r yan.
See: Appendix D.
vyu 1) Air or gaseous mat t er . One of t he five gr oss element s,
wor ld, is for med. By nat ur e, it causes t r ees t o shake,
gat her s leaves and ot her object s, car r ies t he panchvishays,
i.e., sight s, sounds, smells, t ast es and t ouch, t o t heir
r espect ive indriyas, and is t he vit al for ce of all of t he
indriyas {Gadh I-12.22}. See also: prns and mahbhuts.
Vednta Conclusion of t he Vedas. School of t hought embodied in
t he Upanishads which r eveal t he conclusive t eachings of t he
The Vachanmr ut 725
Vedas, cent er ing pr imar ily on t he nat ur e of t he tm , t he
wor ld, r ealit y and per sonal exper ience. Also called Ut t ar
Mim ns , t he lat er inquir y, it const it ut es one of t he six
syst ems of philosophy known as t he Six Dar shans.
Alt hough each of t he chryas have wr it t en ext ensive
comment ar ies upon t he Upanishads and pr opounded t heir
per sonal doct r ines that can also be called Ved nt a, t he
t er m is oft en used specifically t o r efer t o t he Advait
doct r ine. See also: shushka-Vednta.
Vednti Anyone who pr opounds or adher es t o Ved nt a philosophy,
but gener ally used specifically for one who accept s t he
Advait doct r ine. See also: shushka-Vednti.
Vedas Knowledge, derived from verb-r oot vid t o know. Most
sacr ed and aut hor it at ive set of Hindu scr ipt ur es, t he oldest
por t ions of which ar e also r ecognised as t he most ancient
wr it ings in hist or y. Collect ion of divine r evelat ions
impar t ing philosophical wisdom as r evealed t o t he r ishis
aft er st r ict aust er it ies and deep cont emplat ion. Body of
scr ipt ur es consist ing of over 100,000 ver ses wit h addit ional
pr ose. Collat ed int o four par t s: t he Rig Veda, S m Veda ,
Yajur Veda and At har va Veda, collect ively known as t he
Vedas. Each par t compr ises of four por t ions: Samhit
(hymns), Br hman (manual of r it es and r it uals), r anyak
(for est t r eat ises), and Upanishad (enlight ened t eachings).
See: Appendix D.
Vedstuti Por t ion of t he Shr imad Bh gwat (cant o 10, chapt er 87)
wher ein t he Vedas ext ol t he glor y and gr eat ness of God.
Vidurniti Code of polit ical et hics expounded by Vidur , t he lear ned
st at esman, t o his elder br ot her , King Dhr ut r sht r a. For ms
por t ion of t he Ma h bh r at (Udyog-par va, chapt er s 33-41).
One of t he eight scr ipt ur es accept ed as aut hor it at ive by
Bhagw n Sw min r yan.
vidydhar Celest ial ser vant of Indr a, demigodly in or igin, t hought t o
live in bet ween t he skies and ear t h.
virt Of t he t hr ee bodies of Vir t -Pur ush and ot her ishwars, t he
physical body, i.e., t he physical wor ld it self composed of
t he five mahbhuts and which sust ains t he bodies of all
jivas {Pan-2.4}. Because it is evolved fr om t he avykrut
The Vachanmr ut 726
(causal) body, it is also consider ed as t he my of ishwar
{K r-12.4}.
Virt Vi r t -Pur ush. See: Virt-Purush.
Virt-Purush 1) An ishwar conceived by one of t he count less pair s of
Pr adh n-Purushes {II-31.2}. A for m assumed by God
t hr ough His t wo inst r ument s of Pur ush and Pr akr ut i, and
t hr ough whom He t hen gr ant s Br ahm and ot her jivas t heir
bodies {Gadh I-13.3}. By nat ur e, he is like a jiva, wit h his
act ions also being similar t o t hat of a jiva but wit h a
lifespan of t wo parrdhs (2 x 10
17
human year s). The
cr eat ion, sust enance and dissolut ion of t his cosmos ar e his
t hr ee st at es {Gadh II-31.3}
2) Also t he physical wor ld, or a brahm nd, which is, in fact ,
human in for m possessing hands, feet , et c. but beyond
visualisat ion because of it s immense size {Gadh I-63.10; II-
31.10}. Also known as Pur ush vat r . See also:
Purushvatr.
vishalyakarani Ancient her bal medicine consider ed t o r elieve one of any
st ab wounds in t he body by causing t he ver y implement s
t hat one has been st abbed wit h t o fall out fr om t he body.
vishay An object indulged in by t he jiva via t he t en indriyas
(senses). The five t ypes of vishays var ious sight s, sounds,
smells, t ast es and t ouches ar e called t he panchvishays.
The jiva cannot r emain wit hout indulging in t he vishays,
but vishays r elat ed t o God uplift while vishays r elat ed t o
t he wor ld pollut e t he jiva. The jivas deep-r oot ed desir e t o
indiscr iminat ely indulge in t he pleasur es of t he vishays
deflect s it fr om t he pat h of ult imat e liber at ion {Gadh I-8}.
Vishnu-khand Sect ion of t he Skand Pur n wit hin which lies t he V sudev
M h t mya.
Vishnupad A devot ional song wr it t en by t he gr eat Vaishnav poet -
devot ee Nar sinh Meht nar r at ing t he divine act ions of
Kr ishna Bhagw n. Can also r efer t o a gener al devot ional
song of Vishnu or his avat r s.
Vishnu-sahasranm Scr ipt ur e ext olling t he t housand sacr ed names of
Vishnu, cr eat or in t he t r init y of gover ning deit ies, and God
of t he Vaishnavs. One of t he eight scr ipt ur es accept ed as
The Vachanmr ut 727
aut hor it at ive by Bhagw n Sw min r yan. See: Appendix
D.
Vishnu-yg Specific yagna per for med t o seek t he blessings of Lor d
Vishnu, or God in gener al. See: yagna.
vishwa Ter m for t he jivtm when it is conscious of it s sthul body,
i.e., when in t he waking st at e.
Vishwarup For m of t he wor ld. The immense, univer sal for m of Shr i
Kr ishna shown t o Ar jun befor e t he Mah bh r at war , as
descr ibed in t he Bhagwad Git (chapt er 11).
Vital Second r ealm beneat h Mr ut yulok, wher e demons r eside.
Sixt h r ealm fr om t he bot t om in t he 14-r ealm syst em of a
brahmnd. See: Appendix B.
vrutti Classically defined as an emanat ion of t he indriyas,
antahkaran or jiva; i.e., a for m of emission t hat is r eleased
fr om any of t he above. In simple t er ms, t he jivas vrutti can
be t hought of as t he jivas focus of at t ent ion. The jiva can
exper ience t he physical wor ld t hr ough t he medium of t he
indriyas. Similar ly t he jiva can t hink about , ponder upon,
or have a desir e about t he wor ld t hr ough t he antahkaran.
When t he jivas at t ent ion is focused on a physical object
t hrough t he indriyas, it can be said t hat t he indriyas vruttis
ar e focused on t hat object . Similar ly, when t he jivas
at t ent ion is focused on an object via t he antahkaran, it can
be said t hat t he antahkarans vruttis ar e focused on t hat
object . Also, like t he focus of at t ent ion, t he vrutti can be
focused on or can be emanat ed t o many t hings at once wit h
differ ent levels of int ensit y. Also, just as t he jiva can focus
it s vrutti out war ds, it can also focus it inwar ds on it self or
on Para m t m r esiding wit hin.
Vys Sutras Ext r emely succinct , esot er ic aphor isms expounding t he
essence of t he Upanishads. Encoded by Vy s. Also known
as t he Br ahma Sut r as or Ved nt a Sut r as. One of t he eight
vyatirek Separ at e. Dist inct or unassociat ed. Unconnect ed. When
used for God, implies t r anscendent {Gadh I-7; S r-5}.
The Vachanmr ut 728
Y
yagna Sacr ificial wor ship. Cer emonial r it ual per for med as a
for m of wor ship t o seek t he good favour and r eceive t he
blessings of t he deit ies. Oblat ions ghee, gr ains, wood,
spices, et c. ar e offer ed int o a sacr ed pit of fir e in
accor dance wit h st r ict scr ipt ur al injunct ions amid t he
chant ing of definit e mant r as all pr escr ibed in t he
Samhit and Br hman por t ion of t he Vedas, and
pr opounded by t he syst em of Pur va Mim ns .
Ygnavalkya Smruti One of t he pr incipal ancient Smr ut i scr ipt ur es,
second in aut hor it y only t o t he ear lier Manu Smr ut i.
Ascr ibed t o Y gnavalkya Rishi. One of t he eight scr ipt ur es
accept ed as aut hor it at ive by Bhagw n Sw min r yan.
See: Appendix D.
yam Rest r aint , der ived fr om ver b-r oot yam t o r est r ain. Fir st
of t he eight st eps of ashtng-yoga, ent ailing vir t uous and
mor al living for pur it y of mind and unobst r uct ed
concent r at ion.
Yampuri Cit y of Yam t he god of deat h. Nar ak. Wher e non-
believer s and sinner s ar e consigned t o aft er deat h t o suffer
for t heir wr ongdoings. Aft er suffer ing for t heir wr ongdoings,
t hese souls cont inue t o migr at e t hr ough t he cycle of bir t hs
and deat hs.
Yoga Union der ived fr om ver b-r oot yuj t o yoke or join. School
of philosophy focusing on quiet ing t he fluct uat ions of t he
mind t hr ough var ious physical and ment al pr act ices and
ult imat ely aiming at t he t r anscendent al exper ience of
union wit h God.
yojan Measur e of dist ance equaling four gus, i.e., appr oximat ely
6-7 km (3
3
/
4
t o 4
1
/
2
miles).
yug Age. Division of t ime used t o out line t he t ime-scale of t he
wor ld. Ther e ar e four pr ogr essive ages t hat char t t his t ime-
scale: Sat ya -yug (Age of Goodness), Tr et -yug (Age of
Three), Dw pa r-yug (Thir d Age), and finally, t he pr esent
age, Kali-yug (Age of Dar kness). The dharmas of t he yugs
exist ext er nally as well as int er nally in t he hear t {Gadh-
I.77.6; Sar-9}. See also: Appendix B.
The Vachanmr ut 729
The Vachanmr ut 730
Ap p e n d i x A
En d n ot e s

1
The ei ght factors of i nfl uence
The eight fact or s of influence on a per son, as not ed in Gadh I-78.5, ar e:
(1) place, (2) t ime, (3) act ion, (4) company, (5) mant r a, (6) scr ipt ur es, (7)
init iat ion, and (8) medit at ion. If t hese influences are favour able, t hey
pur ify ones mind; if t hey ar e unfavour able, t hey pollut e ones mind.

2
The 24 el ements (24 tattvas)
As descr ibed in S r-14.18, t he 24 element s ar e t he myik pr oduct s of
mahat t at t va t hat r efer t o t he five element s t hat make up t he st hul body
plus t he 19 element s t hat make up t he suk shma body. The st hul body is
composed of t he five mahbhut s: prut hvi , jal, t ej, vyu and k s h. The
suk shma body is composed of 19 element s: t he five gnn-indriyas, t he five
k arma-indriyas, t he five prns and t he four ant ahk arans .

3
The 8.4 mi l l i on l i fe forms
The Hindu concept of r eincar nat ion is based on t he cycle of bir t hs and
deat hs. The jiva is not bor n and never dies. But due t o it s bondage of
my, it t akes bir t h in t he var ious life for ms based on t he k armas it
per for ms. Accor ding t o Hindu beliefs, t her e ar e 8.4 million such life for ms
in t ot al.

4
The fi ve rel i gi ous vows (panch-vart mn)
The five r eligious vows pr escr ibed for sdhus ar e: (1) Nishk m vow
of celibacy; (2) Nir lobh vow of non-gr eed; (3) Nissw d vow of
det achment fr om t he pleasur es of t ast e; (4) Nissneh vow of det achment
fr om bodily r elat ions; and (5) Nirm n vow of humilit y.
The five r eligious vows for householder s ar e: t o r efr ain fr om st ealing,
adult er y, eat ing meat , dr inking alcohol, and changing someones cast e by
for ce and having ones own cast e changed by for ce.
Most of t he r efer ences t o t he five r eligious vows in t he Vachan mr ut
r efer t o t he five r eligious vows for sdhus , which encompass t he five
r eligious vows of householder s.

5
The ei ght barri ers (asht varan)
Eight bar r ier s encir cle each brahm nd, beyond which is t he divine
light of Chid k sh. The eight bar r ier s ar e: (1) prut hvi ear t h; (2) jal
liquid mat t er ; (3) t ej energy or light ; (4) vyu gaseous mat t er ; (5)
The Vachanmr ut 731
k s h space; (6) mahat t at t va; (7) Pr adh n-Pur ush; and (8) Pr akr ut i-
Purush.

6
The three bodies (3 deh)
Ea ch embodied soul (jiva) possesses t hr ee bodies, namely: (1) t he
st hul body t he gr oss body, which is t he visible physical body; (2) t he
suk shma body t he subt le body, which is t he invisible ment al body; and
(3) t he k ran body t he causal body, which st or es t he jivas k armas and is
t he cause of r ebir t h. A devot ee should wor ship God, under st anding ones
t r ue self as t m, dist inct fr om t he t hr ee bodies. Refer t o t he r espect ive
glossar y ent r ies for fur t her descr ipt ion.

7
The three states of the j i va (3 avasth)
That in which t he jivt m dwells when it indulges in t he vishays is
known as a st at e. Ther e ar e t hr ee t ypes of st at es: waking, dr eam and
deep sleep {S r-6.3}. The jiva no longer exper iences t he influence of t he
t hr ee st at es when it becomes brahmarup and t r anscends my.

8
The 39 attri butes of God [as a ki ng]
The 39 r edempt ive vir t ues of God as list ed in t he Shr imad Bh gwat
1.16.26 - 28 ar e: (1) sat ya t r ut hfulness or benevolence t o all beings;
(2) sauch [inner ] pur it y, i.e., flawlessness; (3) da y compassion, i.e.,
int oler ance of ot her s pain; (4) ksh nt i for bear ance, i.e., t oler ance of
cont empt fr om adver sar ies; (5) t y g r enunciat ion, i.e., for saking of all
t hings, including ones self; (6) sant osh cont ent ment , i.e., fr ee fr om
r est lessness; (7) r jav sincer it y, i.e., congr uence of mind (t hought s),
speech (wor ds) and body (act ions); (8) sham t r anquilit y, i.e., r est r aint of
mind; (9) da m self-cont r ol, i.e., r est r aint of out er sense or gans; (10) t a p
aust er it y, i.e., cont emplat ion upon t he cr eat ion of t he wor ld; (11) s mya
equalit y, i.e., equal behaviour wit h fr iends and foe; (12) t it iksh
endur ance, i.e., wit hst anding of comfor t s and har dships; (13) upar at i
abst inence, i.e., r efr aining fr om unnecessar y act ivit ies; (14) shr ut
lear ning, i.e., knowledge of t he pr ecise meanings of t he scr ipt ur es; (15) gn n
knowledge, i.e., knowledge useful in helping aspir ant s at t ain t he
desir able and avoid t he undesir able; (16) vir akt i disaffect ion, i.e.,
unat t r act ion t owar ds t he pleasur es of t he sense enjoyment s;
(17) aishvar ya power , i.e., cont r ol over all t hings; (18) shaur ya valour ,
i.e., boldness in bat t le; (19) t ej br illiance, i.e., r esist ance t o defeat ;
(20) ba l st r engt h, i.e., power t o gover n all beings; (21) smr ut i memor y,
i.e., r emember ing of devot ees favour s in t heir t imes of falt er ing;
(22) s w t ant r ya independence; (23) kaushal exper t ise; (24) k nt i
lust r e; (25) dhairya for t it ude, i.e., st r engt h of mind in adver se t imes;
(26) m r dav suppleness, i.e., modest y; (27) pr galbhya courage;
The Vachanmr ut 732
(28) pr ashr ay cour t esy; (29) sheel chast it y, i.e., pur it y of char act er ;
(30) saha pot ency; (31) oja s vit alit y; (32) ba l st r engt h, i.e., power t o
suppor t all t hings; (33) bhag excellence; (34) g mbheerya pr ofundit y;
(35) st hair ya st abilit y; (36) st ikya fait h in God and scr ipt ur es;
(37) keer t i glor y; (38) m n self-r espect ; (39) anahamkr ut i
egolessness, i.e., humilit y.

9
The four emanati ons of God (chaturvyuh)
The four emanat ions of God ar e t he four for ms of Vishnu t hat play
differ ent r oles in t he wor kings of t he brahm nd. V sudev is t he for m of
Vishnu t hat is meant for wor ship. The wor k of Pr adyumna is t o pr opagat e
dharma and t o cause t he cr eat ion t he brahm nd. The wor k of Anir uddha is
t o explain t he t at t vas i.e., element s and t o cause t he sust enance of
cr eat ion. The wor k of Shankar shan is t o pr opagat e spir it ual knowledge
and t o cause t he dest r uct ion of cr eat ion.

10
The fi ve grave si ns (5 mahpp)
The five gr ave sins ar e: (1) Br ahma-hat y killing a Brhmin,
(2) Madya -p n dr inking alcohol, (3) Suvar nani chor i st ealing gold (or
money), (4) Guru-st r i no sang having illicit r elat ions wit h t he wife of
ones guru, and (5) Ch rm hino sang company of one engaging in any of
t he previous four sins . One who commit s any of t hese sins will be
consigned t o suffer miser ies in t he pit s of narak .

11
The 30 attri butes of a sdhu
The 30 at t r ibut es of a sdhu as descr ibed in t he Shr imad Bh gwat
11.11.29 ar e as follows: (1) krup lu one who selflessly shower s gr ace
upon ot her s; (2) sar vedehin m akr ut a droh one who does not har m any
living being; (3) t it ikshu one who r emains equipoised in all sit uat ions
such as in t he dualit ies of pr aise and insult , happiness and miser y, hunger
and t hir st , et c.; (4) sat yas r one whose st r engt h comes fr om sat ya;
(5) anavadhy t m one who is devoid of jealousy or ot her such vices;
(6) sa m one who views ot her s wit h equalit y; (7) sar vopak r ak one who
does only good t o ot her s; (8) k ma ira hat adhihi one whose mind is not
dist ur bed by indulging in vishays ; (9) d nt one whose indriyas ar e
r est r ained; (10) mr udu gent le-nat ur ed; (11) shuchi one wit h inner and
out er pur it y; (12) akinchan one wit hout any wor ldly desir es; (13) aniha
one wit hout any desir es for wor ldly gains; (14) mit a bhuk one who eat s in
moder at ion; (15) s h nt one whose mind is r est r ained; (16) st hir one
who is equipoised; (17) machchhar an one whose only r efuge is God;
(18) muni one who has noble t hought s; (19) apr amat t a one who is
awar e; (20) ga mbhir t m one whose mot ives ar e beyond our
under st anding; (21) dhr ut im n one who is pat ient even in difficult
The Vachanmr ut 733
cir cumst ances; (22) jit a shadguna one who has defeat ed: t hir st , hunger ,
gr ief, infat uat ion, old age and deat h; (23) am ni one wit h humilit y;
(24) m nad one who can pr aise ot her s; (25) kalp one who has t he abilit y
t o speak for ot her s benefit ; (26) mait r a one who does not deceive ot her s;
(27) k runik one who is compassionat e wit hout any selfish mot ive;
(28) kavi one who fully knows t he animat e, t he inanimat e and God;
(29) one who wor ships God; (30) one who has single-minded wor ship wit h
t he r ealisat ion of God in His t r ue glor y.

12
The 24 forms [of Vi shnu]
The 24 for ms of Vishnu ar e t he 24 unique names given t o Vishnu
based on t he per mut at ions of t he four object s he holds in his four hands.
For example, in t he for m of Keshav, he holds t he lot us in his lower r ight
hand, t he conch in his upper r ight hand, t he Sudar shan Chakr a in his
upper left hand and t he mace in his lower left hand. In t he for m of
N r yan, he holds t he conch in his lower r ight hand, t he lot us in his upper
r ight hand, t he mace in his upper left hand and t he Sudar sha n Chakr a in
his lower left hand.
Based on t hese per mut at ions, t he names of t he 24 for ms of Vishnu
ar e as follows: Keshav, N r yan, M dhav, Govind, Vishnu, Madhusudan,
Tr ivikr am, V man, Shr idhar , Hr ushikesh, Padman bh, D modar ,
Sankar shan, V sudev, Pr adyumna, Anir uddha, Pur ushot t am, Adhokshaj,
Nr usinh, Achyut , J an r dan, Upendr a, Har i and Kr ishna.

13
The ei ght scri ptures
The eight scr ipt ur es held as aut hor it at ive and of special significance
by Bhagw n Sw min r yan as accor ding t o Var t al-18.5 as well as t he
Shiksh pat r i ar e: (1) The Vedas, (2) The Vy s Sut r as, (3) The Shr imad
Bh gwat Pur n, (4) The Vishnu-sahasr an m fr om t he Mah bh r at ,
(5) The Bhagwad Git , (6) The Vidur nit i, (7) The V sudev M h t mya fr om
t he Vishnu-khand of t he Skand Pur n and (8) The Y gnavalkya Smr ut i.

14
The si x physi cal and emoti onal sensati ons (shad-urmi )
The six physical and emot ional sensat ions ar e: (1) t hir st , (2) hunger,
(3) gr ief, (4) infat uat ion, (5) old age and (6) deat h. One must conquer t hese
six physical and emot ional sensat ions.

15
The ei ght yogi c powers (ashta-si ddhi )
The eight yogic power s (siddhis) ar e: (1) anim t he abilit y t o make
oneself subt le or small, wher eby t he yogi can ent er even nonpor ous r ocks;
(2) mahim t he abilit y t o become lar ge, wher eby a yogi can become as
lar ge as a mount ain; (3) gar im t he abilit y t o make oneself heavy,
wher eby t he yogi is not moved by even t he st r ongest of winds; (4) laghim
The Vachanmr ut 734
t he abilit y t o make oneself light giving t he yogi t he abilit y t o t r a vel wit h a
r ay of light t o t he abode of Sur ya; (5) ishit va t he abilit y t o cr eat e, sust ain
and dest r oy living and non-living ent it ies; (6) vashit va t he abilit y t o exer t
cont r ol over living and non-living ent it ies; (7) pr pt i t he abilit y t o gr asp,
wher eby a yogi can fet ch object s t hat may be ext r emely far away;
(8) pr k mya t he abilit y t o make ones wishes come t r ue.

The Vachanmr ut 735
Ap p e n d i x B
Th e Hi n d u Ca l e n d a r & Ti me Sca l e s

The Hindu Calendar
The Hindu calendar year is based on t he Vikr am er a, aft er King
Vikr am of Ujjain. The syst em is st ill widely used in Nor t her n and
West er n India. The fir st year of t he Vikr am er a cor r esponds t o
57-56 BCE.
The 12 mont hs of t he year ar e lunar-based, wit h each mont h divided
int o t he br ight half (named so because of t he waxing of t he moon), known
as t he shukla or sudi paksh, and t he dar k half (named so because of t he
waning of t he moon), known as t he kr ishna or vadi paksh. The 15
t h
day of
t he sudi paksh, t he day of t he full moon, is known as Punam, while t he la st
day of vadi paksh, t he day of t he new moon, is known as Am s. In
Nor t her n India, t he mont hs end on t he day of t he full moon, while in
Gujar t , t he mont hs end on Am s, t he dar kest night . The Gujar t i names
of t he mont hs and t heir cor r esponding English names of t he mont hs ar e
given in t he char t ent it led Mont hs of t he Year . To keep t he lunar
calendar , in which year s ar e appr oximat ely 354 days long, synchr onised
wit h t he solar calendar , in which year s ar e appr oximat ely 365 days long,
adjust ment s have t o be made t o t he lunar-based calendar ever y 2.5 year s.
This is achieved by adding an addit ional mont h called an adhik m s t o
t he calendar . So, for example, in Vachan mr ut Gadhad I-76, t he
Ek dashi of t he fir st J yest ha r efer s t o t he act ua l J yest ha of t he calendar .
But , in Gadhad I-77, t he second J yest ha r efer s t o t he addit ional J yest ha
mont h t hat has been inser t ed for t he sake of synchor isat ion.
Cur r ent ly in Gujar t , t he new year , aft er t he Diw li fest ival, begins
wit h t he mont h of K r t ik. Alt hough losing it s pr evelance, t he s h dhi
syst em st ill pr evails in some par t s of R ja st h n and Gujar t in Kut ch
and Saur sht r a. In t his syst em, t he new year begins on s h dh sudi 1. In
t he Vachan mr ut , t he chr onological syst em used by t he compiler s is of t he
Vikr am er a and t he s h dhi year .
The Common Er a year cor r esponding t o t he Vikr am er a and s h dhi
year of t he Vachan mr ut is obt ained by subt r act ing 57 year s fr om t he
Vikr am year if t he dat e falls bet ween s h dh sudi 1 and December 31
st
;
and 56 year s if t he dat e falls bet ween J anuar y 1st and J yesht ha vadi 15.

The Indi an Measurement of Ti me and
Cosmol ogi cal Chronol ogy
In t he Vachan mr ut Bhagw n Sw min r yan has r efer r ed t o var ious
measur ement s of t ime using t r adit ional Hindu t ime scales, e.g., ghadi,
The Vachanmr ut 736
k alp, et c. This sect ion pr ovides a list of Indian t ime measur ement s wit h
moder n conver sion equivalent s. In addit ion, t he foldout char t ent it led
Cosmological Chr onology pr ovides t he t ime scales of t he differ ent t ypes
of dissolut ion, i.e., prkrut -pralay, nimit t a-pralay, et c.

1 kr at i 34,000
t h
of a second
1 t r ut i 300
t h
par t of a second
2 t r ut i 1 luv (
1
/
150
of a second)
2 luv 1 kshan (
1
/
75
of a second)
30 ksha n 1 nimish (
2
/
5
of a second)
60 nimish 1 pal (24 seconds)
60 pa l 1 ghadi (24 minut es)
2.5 ghadi 1 hor (1 hour )
24 hor 1 diwas (1 day)
7 diwas 1 sa pt h (1 week)
4 sa pt 1 m s (1 mont h)
2 m s 1 r ut u (1 season)
6 r ut u 1 var sh (1 year )
100 var sh 1 shat bda (1 cent ury)
10 shat bda 1 sa ha sr bda (1,000 year s)
432 sa ha sr bda 1 yug (i.e., lengt h of Kali-yug, 432,000 year s)
2 yug 1 dw pa r-yug (864,000 year s)
3 yug 1 t r et -yug (1,296,000 year s)
4 yug 1 sat ya -yug (1,728,000 year s)
10 yug 1 ma h yug = 1 chokdi (4,320,000 year s)
1000 ma h yug 1 kalp
1 kalp 4.32 billion year s

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