Freedom from money related fear-problems! (Eng. Dadavani March-2005)

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B Dadavani

Freedom From Fear and Troubles Related to Money!

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 Dada Bhagwan Foundation 5, Mamta Park Society, B\h. Navgujarat College, Usmanpura, Ahmedabad - 380014, Gujarat, India. Email: info@dadabhagwan.org Tel.: +91 9328661166-77 All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be shared, copied, translated or reproduced in any form (including electronic storage or audio recording) without written permission from the holder of the copyright. This publication is licensed for your personal use only.

Web Version May, 2021

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: Ultimate humility and the intent that 'I do not know anything'!

Note: The matter in this Dadavani is an English translation of an edited compilation of Gnani Purush Dada Bhagwan’s Knowledgeladen speech.

Trimantra The Three Mantras That Destroy All Obstacles in Life Namo Vitaraagaya I bow to the Ones who are absolutely free from all attachment and abhorrence Namo Arihantanam I bow to the living Ones who have annihilated all internal enemies of anger, pride, deceit and greed Namo Siddhanam I bow to the Ones who have attained the state of total and final liberation Namo Aayariyanam I bow to the Self-realized masters who impart the Knowledge of the Self to others Namo Uvazzayanam I bow to the Ones who have received the Knowledge of the Self and are helping others attain the same Namo Loye Savva Sahunam I bow to the Ones, wherever they may be, who have received the Knowledge of the Self Eso Pancha Namukkaro These five salutations Savva Pavappanasano Destroy all demerit karma Mangalanam Cha Savvesim Of all that is auspicious Padhamam Havai Mangalam ǁ1ǁ This is the highest Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya ǁ2ǁ I bow to the Ones who have attained the absolute Self in human form Om Namah Shivaya ǁ3ǁ I bow to all human beings who have become instruments for the salvation of the world Jai Sat Chit Anand Awareness of the Eternal is Bliss 3

EDITORIAL In this world, people believe that money is everything. Life’s priceless years and energy are spent in accumulating money believing that if they have money, they will be able to live peacefully their entire life, they will be able to enjoy pleasures they desire and they will have security in times of worldly troubles and suffering. And yet, instead of the expected peace from their wealth, they have to endure endless pain and suffering. They worry if their business is not doing well. If there is a loss in the business, they have aartadhyan (adverse internal state of being that hurts the self), worrying about what might happen and how the business will run. If their business partner betrays them, there will be hostility and vengeance. There is tension when they incur a loss and when the debtcollector shows up. Oh! There is fright and fear even when the postman delivers a letter from the income tax office. On the other hand, if the business is very profitable, even then there is stress and agitation because family members make demands for money. There is unhappiness if you don’t give it and unhappiness even if you do give it. If one has a lot of money, there are risks in keeping it safe and fear of it being robbed or stolen. If it is deposited in the bank, there is fear of bank failure and closure. If cash and jewelry is kept in the home, there is fear of theft or murder. If a person is employed for work, then he is afraid of his boss or his superiors. He may not have a choice but to do a job that entails insults; he has to work with his boss in fear. If he wants to do business, he has to deal with people who have pawned off ethics and honesty. From food and drink to medicine, they have left nothing out in their adulteration, corruption, lack of ethics, and dishonesty! And any wealth collected in this way will bite and sting every fiber of his being before it leaves. So many difficulties continue to arise in the current difficult era of the time cycle, but Dada Bhagwan [Dadashri] 4

has given us the wondrous Akram Vignan (the spiritual science of a short-cut path to Self-realization), whereby one can have closure in every difficulty and remain fearless. Despite being involved in the unscrupulous business of construction, Dadashri used to remain completely detached, even when it came to paying taxes or realizing a profit or a loss in the business. Here you will acquire the very and many keys of His experiential Knowledge. Whether you have a business or a job, if you are trapped in a troublesome situation, or have confusion due to some entanglements, Dadashri’s Knowledge-laden words regarding moneyrelated fear and difficulties will give you freedom from these situations. Dadashri also gives clarity on the principles of the intrinsic truth and laws regarding wealth and money. Included in this Dadavani is the complete solution for how to turn the use of money in a good direction and how to finally become completely free from the bondage of money, such that one can become free from the support of money and can adopt the support of the Self so as to attain the independent state and experience liberation (moksha) in this very life; it will provide guidance to the reader to become free from attachment to money. - Jai Sat Chit Anand, Deepak

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Special Note to the Reader Dadashri has given detailed explanations for this Science in the Gujarati language and He has urged those who want to understand its depth fully, to learn Gujarati. While reading these English translations, if you feel there is any sort of contradiction, then it is the mistake of the translators and the understanding of the matter should be clarified with the living Gnani. The term pure Soul is used by the Gnani Purush for the awakened Self, after the Gnan Vidhi. The word Self, with an uppercase ‘S’, refers to the awakened Self which is separate from the worldly-interacting self, which is written with a lowercase ‘s’. Similarly, the use of You or Your in the middle of a sentence, with an uppercase first letter, or ‘You’, ‘Your’ in single quotes at the beginning of the sentence, refers to the state of the awakened Self or Pragnya. Wherever the name ‘Chandubhai’ is used, the reader should substitute his or her name and read the matter accordingly. Also, note that the content in round brackets is translation of the word/s preceding the brackets. While the content in square brackets is intended to provide more clarity of the matter preceding the brackets, which is not present in the original Gujarati. Wherever Dadashri uses the term ‘we’, ‘us’, or ‘our’, He is referring to Himself, the Gnani Purush. The masculine third person pronoun ‘he’ and likewise the object pronoun ‘him’ have been used for the most part throughout the translation. Needless to say, ‘he’ includes ‘she’ and ‘him’ includes ‘her’. For reference, a glossary of all the Gujarati words is available on: http://www.dadabhagwan.org/books-media/glossary/. Please share any feedback about English Dadavani on engvani@dadabhagwan.org.      6

Freedom From Fear and Troubles Related to Money! The Correct Decision Makes One Fearless! Questioner: My question is, from all the thoughts that we have, if we want to achieve a fruitful result in one particular thought, then what should we do? Dadashri: Which thought do you want to achieve a fruitful result in? Questioner: One that is related to matters of industry. Dadashri: Yes, so you should make a decision. Whatever thought that may be coming to you, make a resolution (nishchay) that, ‘This is exactly what I want to do now.’ So, it will immediately come into fruition. Make a resolution on that thought. Yes, a strong resolution. Make a strong decision that, ‘This is exactly what I want to do, nothing else.’ Then things will become straightforward, and you will find a way. That is what you are asking, isn’t it? Are you asking something else? Make a decision, then nobody is going to stop you. If your decision is correct, then not even God is going to stop you because God cannot obstruct anyone. Otherwise, He would lose his status as God. Therefore, He too understands ‘I will lose this degree.’ ‘He’ too is worried about that. Worrying About the Future Causes Fear! Thinking or worrying about the future is considered aartadhyan (adverse internal state of being that hurts the one’s self). It is considered aartadhyan when one does not have Self-realization. What will happen tomorrow? This letter has arrived. What will the [income] tax officers do? In thinking about the future, if one experiences fear, then aartadhyan has occurred for sure. In aartadhyan, one continues to worry about himself, ‘What will happen if this occurs? What will happen if that occurs?’ He will continue to have fears of this kind. 7

If one has no worries or internal conflicts all day long, then he is said to be in dharmadhyan. Dharmadhyan is the absence of any aartadhyan and raudradhyan (adverse internal state of being that hurts one’s self as well as others); it is to remain in an auspicious state (shubha) continuously. Such a person is fearless, has patience, is worry-free and remains steadfast in his opinion. God does not have any objection to being ignorant about one’s Self, but always remain free from both, internal and external conflicts. Inclination, for Money or for God? When you are counting money, does your mind not remain very focused? Questioner: Yes, it does. Dadashri: Look how wise he is! At that time, if his wife were to come along, he would say, “Not now, come later!” so that he does not make a mistake in counting. He is so very particular! Questioner: Surely, the mind remains focused while counting money? Dadashri: So now tell me, it [mind] remains focused there, but not during the worship of God. So why the difference? Oh, one maintains focus even while buying vegetables, and it does not remain in the other case. What is the reason for this? It is because it [worship] is mandatory; one has no choice but do it. People do it out of fear that if they don’t, something bad will happen. Should you not have just as much desire for God as you do for money? So why don’t you have it? How Is the Postman at Fault in That? There are so many kinds of worries and fears here! People’s faces look as if they just drank some castor oil! The moment one sees a tax officer approach, he grows weary thinking, ‘Why does he have to come here?’ He thinks the 8

tax officer must have some bad news for him. But when he opens the letter, he finds that there is a refund inside. People do aartadhyan and raudradhyan unnecessarily, and then they become bound by karma. Whatever is in vyavasthit (result of scientific circumstantial evidence), will indeed come but why are you ruining your internal state of being (dhyan) in the process? The one bringing the letter to you is also vitaraag (absolutely free from attachment and abhorrence). This postman brings you a wedding invitation and he brings you a letter of news of someone’s death; the poor man is vitaraag. That is his job, so he is just doing his job. What does he have to do with the news he brings? But people curse at him too. Does one not do everything with his own accountability? There Is Continuous Fear in the World! Before attaining this Gnan (Knowledge of the Self), a person had all kinds of anguish out of fears like, ‘This will happen and that will happen.’ Hey! Why don’t you go to sleep peacefully, nothing is going to happen. When you have all you need to eat at home, then what else do you need? Do not worry today about tomorrow. For now, eat and drink and go to sleep recalling God’s name, or if You have attained the pure Soul (Shuddhatma), then say ‘I am pure Soul, I am pure Soul.’ Is This a Theft or a Reward? Questioner: My home was broken into when I came to New York. Dadashri: Is that so? Then what effect did it have on you when you went back? You should have cried in a corner, then they would have come back! Questioner: That is not possible, even if I did that. Dadashri: Would they not come back? 9

Questioner: But now I am fearful that what if it happens again someday, when we go out and leave the children at home... Dadashri: ‘I’ have given you vyavasthit for this one life. Vyavasthit means, there is nothing left for You to fear. Whatever is going to happen, whatever has been decided, it is going to happen. However, you cannot say so right now. Yet it is decided. Even the slightest change is not going to happen, in what has already been decided. Therefore, live a life without fear. This is the Gnan that makes You free of fear (nirbhay); that is ‘my’ guarantee. Therefore, there is no need to fear. Even if you fear, nothing is going to decrease or increase. You will incur a loss. With regard to fear, is there any way to know when we will get into an accident and die? So then why don’t you have fear of that? Is that not something you should be afraid of? Questioner: It is. Dadashri: You travel back and forth, there’s no telling when an accident is likely to happen. You travel by car daily, so why are you not afraid of that? Is it because you have life insurance? You may have life insurance, but you will have died, isn’t it? Are you going to be the beneficiary of that money? Still, if you are going out of town, leave your valuables in the bank. You know that these things happen, so you have to look at the ‘safe-side’, you cannot leave it up to vyavasthit. Questioner: Yes, we cannot say that whatever is going to happen will happen. Dadashri: Whatever happens after taking care of the ‘safe-side’ is vyavasthit. You would never leave your son behind; it happened just this once. It never happens ordinarily, does it? So do not have any fear at all. Do such ‘prizes’ [being robbed] come daily? Even if you ask someone to break into your home, he will not do so, because it takes so many circumstances to come 10

together for that to happen. Many circumstances must have come together for you to have that happen to your home. Whenever anything happens, you should conclude that, ‘It could have been much worse, it is good that it got finished with just this much.’ When You Become Aware of What Possesses You, It Leaves From That Point On! The mind, speech and body are the three instruments of action (trikaran). The ‘intoxication’ of these three instruments is indeed the problem for us. They have influence [over us]. We are possessed by these three ‘ghosts’. Due to these ‘ghosts’, the worldly-interacting state (sansaar bhaav; the state as the relative self) has arisen. Otherwise, the state as the Self (Swabhaav bhaav) would prevail. Once you understand that this worldly life is a lafru (something that takes possession of people), then the possession will begin to leave. But people do not know that this worldly life is a lafru, do they? All these lafru have clung on. So much bliss of the Self, so much happiness has been covered up! But here, some [mahatmas; those who have received Self-realization through Gnan Vidhi] meddle even after Self-realization. How much prodding would they do if they didn’t have Self-realization? They don’t see what’s prodding them but they go on prodding, ‘What if this happens, what if that happens?’ Hey, it is not going to happen this way or that way, why have you come to give advice; that is what you should say [to file 1]. [Tell file 1,] ‘Dada used to say that it is not going to fall down this way or that way.’ Is the Sun ever going to fall down? Nothing is going to fall. Look, did the pulley fall on me? If it were meant to fall, it would do so even if you were to object, so why should there be any fear about it? So then why not believe that it is not going to fall? What is the use of being afraid unnecessarily? And what is he going to rob from You? He is going to rob the pudgal (non-Self complex of input and output)! The pudgal will rob the pudgal, the 11

Self is not going to get robbed at all. What are You going to lose? He doesn’t even know You. ‘Your’ own form is avyabaadh (the property of the Self in which no pain can be inflicted to It, nor can It inflict pain on anyone). No one can ever inflict pain on the Self. The Damage Belongs to the Non-Self and Not the Self! “There is no need to be afraid in this world. Whatever is going to happen, will happen to the pudgal. Nothing will ever happen to the Self.” This is because things get stolen from the shop, has anything been stolen from You or has it been stolen from this businessman? If this man owned a shop, he would say, “I got robbed.” ‘We’ would say, “Hey, it was stolen from the shop, not from You!” And he would agree, “Yes it was taken from the shop, not from me.” This way, people can understand the facts. Similarly, nothing from the Self goes away; everything that goes away is of the non-Self complex (pudgal). If it is going away, let it, why don’t you! Eventually it will have to burn in a pile of wood, won’t it? Don’t they burn people who are not Self-realized in a pyre? For some people, they use sandalwood for the pyre and people feel happy. Oh mortal (mooah), what is there to be happy about in a pyre? Nature’s Calculation! What I am saying is, have patience, have composure. This is because, all the running around and all the multiplications and divisions that people are doing for that which is subject to the laws of input and output (purangalan), is just ruining their future lives; moreover, no changes can be made in their bank balance, because it is natural [controlled by vyavasthit]. What can anyone ‘do’ [change] to that which is natural? So, I alleviate your fears by disclosing to you everything ‘as it is’, that addition and subtraction is not in anyone’s hands, this is in the hands of nature. Any increase or decrease of money in the bank is in 12

the hands of nature. Otherwise, the banker would have kept only one kind of account. He would have kept an account for only credits, he would not have allowed for debits. But the bankers know that debits are inevitable. Many people will decide, ‘Now that I have a hundred thousand rupees in the bank, I am not going to withdraw any money. There will be a problem only if I withdraw money.’ But hey! Why have people made allowance for debits? It is because the banker knows that sooner or later, people will not refrain from withdrawing money from their account. In the end, people are indeed going to die, aren’t they? A Business Should Have Fairness and Ethics! If you want to run a business, then from now on, run it without fear. Don’t harbor any fear and run your business justly. Practice as much justice as possible. Be ethical as far as possible, you do not need to strive for that which is impossible. The concept that makes one free of fear is an activity worth doing. Questioner: What is considered as an ethical standard? Dadashri: Let me explain to you the standard of ethics. There was a merchant here in Mumbai. When the price of wheat became very high, he would order one truckload of wheat from Indore and one truckload of sand. He would mix the two and repack the sacks. Now tell me, can we call that as being ethical? Questioner: But there are many subtle differences between what is ethical and unethical that cannot be recognized. Dadashri: We do not need to be concerned about ethics in other situations, but when it comes to the food that people eat, things that are consumed by people, food or medicine, you should maintain many regulations for that. In fact, if you give someone 37 pounds of goods instead of 40 pounds but your goods are not adulterated, then you 13

are a milder offender. Whereas if someone gives the full 40 pounds but he adulterates his goods, he incurs a grave liability. There should not be adulteration where human beings are concerned. Where There Is a Strong Intent, Everything Is Natural and Easy! There is infinite energy within. The One with infinite energy says, ‘Oh Chandubhai! What do you think?’ At that time, the intellect from within says, ‘There has been this much loss in the business! What can be done now? Why don’t you get a job and make up for the loss?’ The One within with infinite energy says, ‘Why don’t you ask me, why are you taking advice from the intellect? I have infinite energy!’ Why you don’t you look for profit from the same energy that made you incur a loss! One energy made you incur a loss and you are looking for profit from another, how can that be reversed? There is infinite energy within you. If your intent (bhaav) does not waver, then there is no energy in this world that will not go according to your desire. There is such infinite energy within you. But our law should be such that no one gets hurt, there should be no violence towards anyone. The law of your intent should be so firm that the body may leave [die], but your intent should not break. If the body dies, then it will die once, so there is no need to be afraid of that! If people have such fear, then the state of these people would be grim, wouldn’t it! No one would make deals with each other, would they! I have seen many prominent men who are brokers. They talk about making demands on promissory notes worth four million rupees. Nonetheless, they tell me, “Dada, many people speak negatively, so what will happen?” I tell them, “You will have to be patient. You will have to keep the foundation strong.” When these cars are traveling at such high speeds, they are still able to reach safely, so would they not be able to come out safely from their business? Outside, we frequently fear that we will get into an accident; 14

however, people do not appear to go around colliding. It’s not as though everyone gets into a collision, is it? If they are able to safely come through, then can’t these people also come through? If you were to succumb to fear on the road, then how would you come here to Dadar from Santa Cruz [different localities in Mumbai]? The fact that you come here shows your unawareness [of the possibility of an accident], that is the only way fear does not arise. Therefore, remain a little strong within! Therefore, the very place where the ‘wound’ was inflicted is the place where it will heal. Do not change your business. I know that this is the correct way from the perspective of relative laws. While Being Aware of the Dangers, Remain Fearless! Every business has ups and downs associated with it. If there are many mosquitoes, you will not be able to sleep all night and if there are two mosquitoes, even then, you will not be able to sleep all night. So then you should say, “Oh mosquito-filled world! When just two don’t let me sleep, then why don’t you all come!” These profits and losses are considered to be mosquitoes. You have to just keep fanning them off and fall asleep. Just keep getting rid of them and go to sleep. How wonderful is the game that is in nature’s hand. And in your hand has come this business, nevertheless the business is in fact not in your hands [in reality]. You simply believe, ‘I am running the business.’ And so you fret needlessly! If a person is going from Dadar to Mumbai Central in a taxi, he will fret with anxious thoughts of, ‘It will crash, it will crash.’ Hey, no one is going to collide with you. You just look ahead and go forward, that’s all. In reality, even that is not your responsibility, nature makes you do that too. However, you do not look straight ahead and you create interferences. Nature is so wonderful! There is a vast factory that is functioning within, so won’t the external one run [as well]? Nothing needs to be run externally. What is it that needs running? 15

This happens because of the old habits of looking with the wrong vision for many lifetimes. That indeed is the fear one has, isn’t it? It troubles you for no reason. What is the use of constantly harboring fear for something which is going to happen? You may fear things that are not going to happen, but what is the point of being afraid when it is decided that something is going to happen for sure? Why should you be afraid? There is no element of fear in the world for the Self. The pure Soul that I have given you has no element of fear in It whatsoever. Honesty Is the Directive of God! Doing wrong has become a bad habit. Consequently, one’s wealth does not increase; it decreases. The first few years, it may feel easy and good, but later on there is nothing but loss. So, if one’s constitution is based on honesty, then he will not lose at any time. However, this is not completely true because, when nature takes a turn, he too will incur a loss. But if there is honesty, then he will have less fear, won’t he? Who has fear? It is the one who has greed. If you want liberation, then you must follow the words of a Gnani and if you do not want liberation, then follow the worldly norms. But without fail, you must have a biting conscience that ‘I don’t want to engage in deceitful practices in my business.’ You will then find such a business. Your business practices should be such that even when a child comes to you, his parents will not have any fear of their child getting cheated. The Consequence of Fraud and Deceit! Are you engaging in fraud and deceit in the business? Questioner: Since it is a business, I have to do it to some extent, don’t I? Dadashri: So you are engaging in fraud and deceit? Questioner: Other people must be doing it too, right? 16

Dadashri: But what I am saying is that, if you stop doing it, then others too will stop doing so. Then a third person will stop, so if everyone were to stop engaging in fraud and deceit, how wonderful everything would feel! Are you doing it because everyone else is doing it? Questioner: This is a business, so I have to say things like that, don’t I? Dadashri: What would happen otherwise? Questioner: If I don’t lie, then I won’t get any orders, I won’t get work, I won’t get any business, will I? Dadashri: How wrong has people’s faith become! How much profit will you make if you lie all day long? Questioner: None. Dadashri: Why! Don’t you make more profit if you tell more lies? Questioner: Only if we speak within limits will there be a profit. Dadashri: This is simply fear that has taken hold within, that ‘There is profit only if I lie!’ Decide on only one out of the two. What does the Lord say? Either you tell the truth or you tell lies, I will be happy with either, but do not mix the two. If I were to ask the Lord, “Lord who are you pleased with? Are you pleased with the one who does wrong or the one who does right?” Then the Lord would reply, “I am happy with the one who does everything completely right and I am pleased with the one who does everything wrong. But you must not mix the two. If you mix the two, then you will never find where the happiness is coming from. In that situation, you will only come to the conclusion that it is because I lie that I get happiness. Then this becomes established in your faith.” 17

That Too, the Truth Should Be Beneficial, Brief, and Pleasant! You should deal with the truth in a way that is beneficial (hit), pleasant (priya), and brief (mit). If one of your customers comes along, talk to him in a manner he finds pleasant, talk to him in a manner that is beneficial to him. Do not sell him an item that will end up being useless for him when he goes home. You should tell him up front, “This product is of no use to you.” Someone may argue, “How will my business run if I just tell the truth like this?” Hey, on what basis do you live? On what basis are you living? The basis on which you are living is the very same basis through which your business will run. On what basis do people wake up in the morning? What if someone were to die in his sleep? There are many people who have never woken up in the morning! On what basis is that? Therefore, there is no reason to become alarmed. Conduct your business with honesty, then whatever happens is correct, but do not start up another account. The Offense Will Stop Only When the Punishment Is Known! The pitiable thieves who steal are good people when compared to the so-called reputable people who steal; they are considered the greater culprits. Compared to the socalled reputable people, the other is simply a thief who even admits that his profession is to steal. Questioner: How can they make a living if they do not steal? Dadashri: Before, I too used to be afraid. I too am born in this Kaliyug, am I not? That fear lasted until 1951, but then I let go of that fear because to take out the cement from construction material [cheating in business by reducing the cement content] is like sucking blood from humans and to take out the iron is like taking the skeleton out of the 18

body. If you take out the ‘blood’ and the ‘skeleton’, then what is left of the building? Stealing is unbecoming of us. If we, as reputable people, steal, then the thieves are better than us. Compared to the thieves, worse still are those who adulterate their goods; they incur grave karmic liability. People have no awareness of what consequences their wrong actions will bring. They continue to perpetrate karmic liability without any awareness. Questioner: After listening to you, I remember that I have collected a lot by stealing. Dadashri: If you remember, then do pratikraman for it and if you are not afraid, then give it to me in writing and I will wash it off for you. Give it to me in writing, ‘Dear Dada, I have made this mistake, I have made that mistake.’ And [yet] find me a person that has never stolen. Is there any one person born in India who has not stolen even once? Find me one such person. They are able to live by stealing only. The police catch those who steal openly, whereas these people cannot be caught by anyone, let alone the police. And they have stolen in such a way that the law cannot catch them. The so-called reputable people steal bringing down palaces upon palaces, whereas a thief walks away with only a door. And yet he gets caught by the government and the government has no concern about those who bring down palaces. Because their stealing is done by [manipulating] the law! Should One Give Bribes or Not? The bribe is not the offense. The offense is you did not know how to adjust to whatever worldly interaction that came your way at whatever time. Now, how many people would remain adamant in this? The truth is, you are able to adjust as long as people are not cursing at you and you have money in the bank, then you can be adamant. But if it goes beyond the balance in the bank, and other people 19

are cursing at you, then what should you do? What do you think? Questioner: Yes, that is true. Dadashri: In my business, I used to tell my workers, “Go and give him the money. We do not steal or do anything such thing, but go and give him the money.’ But it is not for us, good people, to give other people the run around for their money. Therefore, I do not refer to giving a bribe as an offense. The offense lies in not paying in a timely manner, the person who has already delivered his goods to you. If some thugs were to hold you up for some money, then would you give it to them or not? Or would you not give it for the sake of doing the right thing? Questioner: We have to give it to them. Dadashri: Why do you give it up there? And why do you not give it here? These are the second tier of thugs. Do you not feel that these are thugs of the second tier? Questioner: Those thugs point a gun at you, don’t they? Dadashri: And these show a different gun. They too instill fear, don’t they, ‘I will not pass on this check for you for another month!’ Nevertheless, rather than holding on for as long as you do not receive verbal abuses, and thereafter agreeing to giving the bribe, instead of that, before even receiving the verbal insults, God has said, “Take your hand out from under the rock.” Be careful while removing your hand from underneath. The rock has nothing to lose, but you could break your hand. What do you think? Questioner: Absolutely correct. Dadashri: Now who would teach you so crazy a thing? Would anyone teach you such a thing? Everyone adamantly holds on to the truth. Hey, this is not the truth. This is actually a temporary truth, it is a relative truth. So 20

yes, if there is violence involved, if someone is getting hurt in the process, if someone’s life is in danger, then that should not happen. On the one hand, the lenders are tired of asking for their money, and on the other hand, the manager has also given an ultimatum, “If you don’t give me the ten thousand, then I won’t pass on your check.” So then why doesn’t he tell the boss? But he will not have the courage to tell the boss, because the boss will shut down his [side] business. So then he has this greed also, so why not pay the bribe and put an end to it. Is there any problem with bringing about justice in this way? Even the Lord does not consider him as an offender. If you encounter some thugs, is it an offence to give away your money to them? Is doing so righteous? Is it right for you to give away your money? So then why do you give it away? Questioner: Out of fear. Dadashri: So these are thugs of the second tier! These are refined thugs, those are unrefined thugs! These are civilized thugs, those are uncivilized thugs! Have you not seen civilized thugs? Have you not come under the clutches of civilized thugs? I have seen many of those. But it is worth understanding what I am saying, if you can understand it. And nobody will teach these things. Nobody will teach it like me. Others will say, “Don’t give it. At the most, fast, insist on truth.” So you might reply, “Oh sir, I will die. That is probably something you can do.” So all these points are from experience. As compared to the offence [of paying a bribe,] there is a greater offence in giving your customers the run around for their goods. What should you do if you get caught in the middle, like paper between the two blades of a scissor? You will get hurt, won’t you? Can the paper remain intact when the scissor starts cutting? 21

So don’t try to analyze things one way or another. Just say to yourself, ‘Our Dada has taught us [the right thing to do]’ and just pay the bribe. Questioner: The responsibility is all Dada’s. Dadashri: Yes, the responsibility is mine. But only if you do as I say. You will incur greater loss in that other situation, whereas this is a lesser loss, that’s what I am telling you. The loss is definitely there. You giving a bribe is indeed a loss. This one gets settled for 15 rupees, whereas in the other case, you lose 100 rupees. So at least you saved 85 rupees. Otherwise, if you insist [on not paying the bribe], then you will get kicked around, and then eventually you will have to let go. Solutions to the Problems Relating to the Karmic Account! Questioner: Dada, I want to tell you about a problem between my nephew and myself. When I ask him for the accounts, he is lax about disclosing them. Then he does all the work, but he would not give a report on it and so the problem increases. And if I ask him again, he gets offended. Dadashri: This increases the problem? Then what happens? Questioner: Now, you tell me, what should I do? Dadashri: I will tell you what happened with us. An acquaintance of mine was working for us. He was incorrectly writing all the accounts that he was supposed to write. He would need ten rupees for his expenses, but he would show four annas (about fifteen rupees today). So, I told him, “Write whatever expense you incur, whatever you do, write it as such. If you bought a cigarette, drank brandy, write that down. If you drank tea, you treated others to drink tea, write that. You have our permission.” Then he started writing all that down. Then the problem was discovered. Now, how would people write it all down out of fear? What 22

is the reason for not writing the accounts properly? If he ever writes it properly, then the boss will intimidate him, saying, “Hey! What have you done, where did you use so much money?” He does not have sense that is worth four annas and yet has become a boss! He doesn’t know how to encourage them, so then the workers become discouraged. Dada Helps Those Who Help Themselves! Even then, the world goes on, does it not? It has not stopped any day, not even for a second, Even the Muslim gentleman’s life goes on; he says, “Tomorrow will take care of itself.” Whereas the Hindus say, “What will I do tomorrow?” Now, if the Muslim gentleman’s world is moving forward, then is yours likely to come to a halt? Is the world going to come to a standstill in anyway? But it’s like this, as far as possible, do not step into the ‘sea’ [precarious situations] and if the occasion arises to do so, then do not be afraid. Your rule should be that you will not step into it, because the sea is not land. However, if you have to step into it, then do not be afraid. You did it because you had to, so then do not be afraid, remain free of fear. As long as you remain free of fear, God is with you. And if you become afraid, then God will say, “Go! Go to a holy man, you can’t stay here with me!” So then one finds a holy man here. He tells the holy man, “Do something for me.” So then the holy man will make him a mala (string of beads) and take money for it. Do you think God is deaf? He hears everything. Would he not know if you incur a loss? Does a person not need to be strong? Mind you, in business, I was just like you. I do talk about all these things, I am aware of all the technology, but my mind is not that soft and so I would never step into the ‘sea’. Nevertheless, once I have had to step into it, I would never lose courage. So recover your losses from wherever you have incurred a loss. As far as God is concerned, there is no difference between the business of a racecourse or a clothes shop. However, for those who want liberation, they 23

should not enter into this danger. They should not step into the ‘sea’, and if they do, if they can come out of it naturally, then they should. They should not reject it. I would tell the steamer, “You may sink when it is convenient for you to do so, but it is not my wish that you do.” I would have to say, “It is not my wish”; otherwise, the ship would say, “He does not care for me.” So I would tell the ship that our ‘marriage’ is acceptable to me. “It is not my wish, but if you want to divorce, you may do so,” this is what I whisper to the ship. Then later on, if I were to get the news that my ship has sunk, I would realize that I had said so from the start. Then there would be no fear if it were to sink afterwards. Ships do tend to sink every now and then, don’t they? Would they ever sink on land? They would sink in the sea, wouldn’t they? Trouble With Debt Collection! Some people say, “We will not recover the money we have lent!” No, this world is not like that at all. Many say, “Money lent will never remain unpaid.” It is not like that either. This world operates according to one’s own [karmic] account. If your [karmic accounts] are in the clear, then no one can trouble you; this is how the world is. A thought flashes in your mind, ‘What if a thief catches me?’ Nothing of that sort will happen. Those who are meant to be caught will be caught, and those who are not meant to be caught, will not be caught. So why be afraid? If one has a pending account, then it will have to be paid off and if the account is not there, then no one will touch him. However, you are not to become fearless [claiming,] ‘No one can touch me!’ You cannot speak this way either. That is the same as challenging someone. But otherwise, do not be afraid from within. This world is not to be feared. How can people who own big businesses manage to face the dread of income tax, sales tax; how do they manage 24

to tolerate the turbulences of big businesses? Even a single letter from the income tax office creates such fear and panic. How do the poor people manage to live? It [business] is a thing that belongs to another entity. This body too belongs to another entity; it can never belong to the Self. No One Can Take Away What Is Yours! Say one day when you returned home, you realized that you had dropped your twenty thousand dollar diamond ring in the Fort area of Mumbai. Sitting at home, will you have expectations that it will be returned to you? Will you have that expectation or not? The Fort area is like a sea. If you were to lose it in an area of less pedestrian traffic, that would be a different thing, but the Fort area is like an ocean. Can you hope to recover things lost in an ocean? Nevertheless, the world is so lawful that, three days later you read an announcement in the newspaper, ‘A diamond ring has been found and the owner should provide proof of it, pay for the advertisement and collect the ring.’ Therefore, no one in this world can keep what is yours, and if they can, then it was not yours. That is how lawful this world is; it is absolutely lawful. Does a ring get returned to the owner or not; have you heard about such things? The fact is, the world that I have Known, the world that I have Seen is not the kind of world you have to be afraid of whatsoever. That I have Seen myself. No one is able to keep what belongs to you. Questioner: Whatever time duration the mutual relations are to be maintained, they will be maintained, right? Dadashri: Yes, the relations are indeed going to be maintained. [But] You get confused and break them all. People ruin all relations. People in this current era of the time cycle continue to fracture their relationships, but they do not break. This is because they will end when it is time 25

for them to end. But they keep on fracturing every day; they keep on carving away at them. Otherwise, this is a beautiful world. The world is such that there is no need to be afraid at all. Who has fear? Anyone who has greed has fear. What is there to be afraid of? There lies infinite energy within you. Would the ring not come back to you? What does the notice say? ‘Give me proof of your ring and take it.’ And what is the charge? Rupees 15.20 for the cost of printing the ad. Then, even if you offer them a reward, they will not take it, “No I can’t accept the reward money.” Many people don’t take reward money, do they? The laws of this world are very beautiful. Nature Is Absolutely Correct! Nature’s justice is so precise that even if someone stole one strand of your hair, it is not going to be lost. Nature is absolutely correct; it is correct all the way down to every parmanu (the smallest, most indivisible and indestructible particle of matter). Therefore, there is nothing to worry about in this world. Do not fear that you will run into thieves or outlaws. The newspapers will print stories like, ‘So and so was pulled out of his car, beaten and robbed.’ So then you begin to worry whether you should wear gold jewelry or not. “Don’t worry!” Even if you were to wear ten million worth of precious gems and go out, no one would trouble you; this is how the world is. People can touch you only if you have a pending karmic liability. That is why I tell you, “There is no superior over you, so don’t worry!” Become free of fear (nirbhay). A man travelling on a train leaving Mumbai for Baroda will have the fear of his bag being stolen because he had read in the newspaper about someone whose bag was stolen the day before. Now, if I were to tell him, “You travel peacefully because I have secured everything with a mantra today,” then he would be able to travel peacefully. He would feel, ‘Dada has secured everything with a mantra, so now I don’t have to worry.’ 26

There Is As Much Liability As There Are Karmic Accounts! The world is not for suffering pain, it is for enjoying happiness. The magnitude of karmic account one has, that much he will face. Some people experience only happiness. Why is that? Some experience only pain. Why is that? It is because one has brought forth such karmic accounts. Every day, it appears in the news, ‘Today, two people robbed this person in a taxi.’ ‘Robbers tied up the owner of the apartment and carried out a robbery.’ After reading this, you need not be scared, ‘What if I also get robbed?’ This suspicion is itself an offense. Instead of that, just proceed in a manner that is natural and spontaneous! If it is in your karmic account, then someone will take it away, otherwise, there is no father figure out there who is interested in your affairs! Therefore, you should go about fearlessly. The newspaper editors will write things. Does that mean you should get scared? It is a good thing that divorces happen at a low rate. If divorces were to start happening at a higher rate, then everyone’s suspicion of, ‘What if I also end up getting divorced?’ would get support. Do not be fearful, even at a place where a hundred thousand people are robbed. Those Without Shelter Have Fear of Death… Live a life without fear and anxiety. After all, nothing in worldly life is going to take place outside of vyavasthit. A fortune teller may read your palm and tell you, “You have a life-threatening event coming up.” You should tell him, “I have no problem with one or more of such events.” We know it is vyavasthit that has control over such events. What can the fortuneteller do for you? The one who is not aware of vyavasthit will get scared the moment the fortuneteller tells him that and wonder, ‘At what age will the threat come?’ The fortunetellers run a methodical business. They are adept at reading the psychology of their clients. They will look in the face of a sad person and 27

tell him at first about a life-threatening event and later they also tell him that they see some wealth coming to him. This client will reach in his pocket, pull out a five rupee note and pay the fortuneteller, even though he has a total of only six rupees with him. Hey, you have only six rupees, why are you giving him five of them? And if you look at the fortuneteller, he does not even have a pair of shoes on him. What is he going to see [predict] for you when he cannot even afford a pair of shoes to cover his feet? Certain wealthy people feel ashamed to go to the fortuneteller, so they summon them to their homes. The fortuneteller has no shoes; he has no substance, there is no luster on his face, what is he going to predict for you? Hey, why don’t you go to someone who has luster on his face, but instead, out of greed, they try wherever they can. But these fortunetellers are very shrewd, they can figure you out and see how gullible you are. Just by looking at you, they can figure you out; they can also figure out if someone is not going to pay and so they keep away from them. So, they can make people out. They study the eyes, ears, the mouth; they will look at everything and then they get involved. They do have knowledge of characteristic traits; they know everything, they are very shrewd because they have met and studied many people. On average, they find ten to fifteen clients a day. What would the pitiable people not do out of intense greed? Out of fear, they do what the fortuneteller tells them. They do not know that there is no bapo (superior or authoritarian figure) up there to harm them. Do not look for any fortuneteller. Just go and sit down in the privacy of your home. Even if you don’t have Gnan, do what someone else tells you. The biggest bapo [the Self] is sitting within you! If you call out to Him, it will reach Him. But greedy people get cheated on the outside; they get taken advantage of and looted from all directions! The greatest attribute is to be devoid of intense greed (lalach); such a person is authentic, genuine! And as far 28

as intense greed goes, why have intense greed towards such people? They are [simply] people with two hands! One may have five billion rupees today, but tomorrow he may become a beggar; there is no telling. Why have any expectations from such people? Address the One within, if not, then the One above. If you address the One above, even then it will reach the One within. Morals, How Far Have They Fallen? By remaining sincere, no danger of any kind will come about and it will take one to moksha. Sincerity and morality have gone down to such an extent that, if the gate at the entrance of Mama ni Pol [Dadashri’s place of residence in Vadodara] were to be removed, then even the water jugs outside the toilets would disappear. If the water jug was made of brass, that too would be gone. They remain intact only because of the gate. The point I am making is that these are people of high caste, they are lofty thinkers, they have good cultural and moral values! And yet, nowadays it has come to this! What would happen if the security gates were removed all over our country? Hey, people would even steal the clothes that have been hung to dry. This is because these days, the very mentality of all people from the higher to the lower castes has become spoiled. It is only because of the gates that they are afraid. And it is because of fear that they remain straightforward. How many people are there who would let go of an opportunity in the black market? Would there be a hundred thousand of such people? Questioner: opportunity.

Hardly

anyone

would

pass

the

Dadashri: Very few people! If there are gold bars lying around in the house and no one is guarding them, and if people are told to simply go look at them and return, 29

then how many would return without taking some? Just look at our morals! How they have fallen! Hey, you ruined your mind for a bar of gold! Your mind...meaning, do you know what that bar is of? It is not of gold, it is made of metals that can’t even be envisioned. Yes, because there is no one to guard it, no one to tell him off, and no one to complain and so one would say, “I took one, let’s go.” Hey, wouldn’t there be a consequence for that? Doesn’t everything have consequences? There may not be anyone to guard it here, but wouldn’t there be some other figure of authority? Or is everything just a lie? Can everything really be baseless? You cannot take even a straw. One cannot take anything that is not rightfully his. As it is, people have no value for morality. The design drawn up by the intellect (buddhi no aashay) depends on one’s surroundings. When surrounded by police officers, fear arises in a person and [at that moment] the design drawn up by his intellect will say, ‘I don’t not want to steal anymore.’ So, everything changes accordingly. One’s Inferiority Is Proportional to the Extent of His Immorality! Why have morals declined so much? It is because of imitating others. ‘When such an esteemed person like him is doing it, then what objection would there be for a collector like me?’ So, when esteemed people do things, collectors do it too. Would they not do it then? Questioner: It happens by imitating others! Dadashri: And people think, ‘He is an esteemed person!’ Hey, how can he be an esteemed person? How can one without morals be considered esteemed? It doesn’t matter if other people say so, but why do you consider him as being honorable? It doesn’t matter if he is considered to be so in worldly interaction, but is it not your independent right to believe otherwise? Why haven’t you responded? 30

Questioner: Yes, that is true. Dadashri: Morals are required, aren’t they! Without morals, how can one be considered human at all? Questioner: But can people tell that they [the esteemed] have no such thing as morals? Dadashri: Yes, that is why we do not have value for him, isn’t it! On one hand, we may say that he is an esteemed person, yet he is not moral, so we have no value for him. Therefore, when we see him, an inferiority complex will not arise in us. He is inferior. You are superior; you are a person with morals. Actually, he feels uneasy upon seeing you. When an immoral person meets a moral person, he feels uneasy. In fact, this is the ‘law’ of the world. Therefore, it is worth increasing the value of morality and as far as possible you should turn people towards morals. You should give an example of being moral. Why are you unnecessarily feeling inferior? People keep saying, “He’s an important man. He’s an esteemed person.” But hey, just look at his morals and look at yours! Are your morals higher or are his? Therefore, look at the morals. What do you prefer, morals or do you prefer an esteemed person? Purchase Their Egos By Giving What They Ask For! One man told me, “The relatives come and take money from me.” So, I asked him, “How much do they take?” He replied, “Some take a hundred, some fifty.” So, I asked, “Do you call your relatives over to give it to them?” And he said, “They come for it. Would anyone call them to give it to them?” So, I asked, “Do they come to your house to pick it up, or do you go and give it to them?” “They come to the house,” he replied. I asked him, “How much do they ask for?” “A hundred,” he said. I asked, “How are they related to you?” Then he said, “It’s my father-in-law’s brother’s son, nephew, and son-in-law.” The fact that he comes to you means that it is some sort of an evidence. “But won’t I go broke, if I keep giving like 31

that?” he claimed. So, I asked him, “Are you going to give it away for free?” And he replied, “Then what else? What did they ever give me?” That’s when I said, “They are selling their ego to you, so take it.” Two things can happen; either he will mortgage his ego, in which case he will return the money or he will sell his ego and not return the money. Therefore, I ended up buying the egos. Where did all this baggage come from? Even you have purchased egos. I could see that, couldn’t I? Then he says, “I have given money to everyone, to all my relatives, but none of them have paid me back.” So I told him, “That’s very good. You bought their egos.” Did you just discover that today? Questioner: Yes, I found this out today. Dadashri: At a young age, I had thought about what was being traded here. When we give people money and they leave, what is being traded in return? I sat under a tree and gave it a lot of thought and then I found out that he has come to sell his ego. Who would sell it? If someone asks me, “Will you sell it if you don’t have the means?” I would say, “No! Not at all.” From the beginning, I had told every one of my friends, “These hands are not for asking, they are for giving. These hands are such that they will not beg from God.” I am saying this with ego that these hands are not for begging from [even] God. Therefore, none of you should fear, “This Ambalal will borrow from me,” but whenever you have the need, you can come to me even at two in the morning. This is because I am not the one who will sell his ego. This ego has been acquired after great effort! Small Plants Get Buried When the Banyan Tree Falls! And what is more, in the current times, money is not going to stay. After two to five years, rich businessmen will complain, “I am bankrupt.” Hey! Should you not have been straight [honest] from the start? It would have been very good, had you been honest. The money was not put 32

to good use and now it has quickly gone down the gutter. It has easily gone down the sewers of Bandra [a location in Mumbai]. People just keep throwing it down these pipes. So this is why I tell mahatmas, “Remain free of fear.” Should one not remain free of fear? Because otherwise, there is nothing but fear everywhere. Is every place not a place of fear? Why is it that we have been spared right now? It’s because we have some principles, we have ethics, we have respect for religion and that is why we have remained within the rules, and so we will be able to get across [the ocean of worldly life]. This is Dada Bhagwan’s spiritual Science; it will not uproot you and discard you. Otherwise, if you look outside, nature will uproot people. And in that, the big banyan trees will certainly fall, even trees like the Kabir banyan tree (planted by saint Kabir some five hundred fifty years ago) will fall. But along with that, so many other insects will get crushed. One person will say, “I deposited twenty thousand and I lost it.” Another person says, “I had deposited eighty thousand, mine is gone.” Another says, “I had deposited a hundred thousand rupees, that’s gone.” When a huge tree falls, they all lose. People do it to earn two percent [interest]; they don’t just give without a reason, do they? It is because of our Gnan that things have become very good. If any wrong is done, it keeps on bothering you. The difference between the two is that in the other situation [those who don’t have Self-realization], one does something wrong and then takes pleasure in how he made fools of other people. Whereas here, it keeps bothering one. For our mahatmas, it bothers them if something wrong happens, doesn’t it? Questioner: It does. Dadashri: That is a mahatma. When he does something wrong, it keeps bothering him from within. Whereas the other person does wrong and then takes pleasure in it. 33

This Is Nature’s Justice! Do not look for justice. If you look for justice, then you will have to hire a lawyer and go to court. Instead, consider whatever happens is correct and do not hire a lawyer. These are our imposed justices. Right and wrong should be according to the natural law. What does the natural law say? ‘Whatever happens is correct, whatever happens is indeed justice.’ If you want to be liberated, you will have to accept that whatever happens is justice. And if you want to wander life after life, then you should seek justice through the courts of law. What does nature say? When you understand that whatever happens is justice, you will continue becoming nirvikalpi (free from all wrong beliefs) and if you seek justice in a court of law, then you will have interference from the intellect. After That, Nature Makes One Pay! Say a person borrows money from you, but he does not pay you back even after three to four years, and you are unable to collect it legally because the statute of limitations has run out. Now, that person may escape the legal consequences of worldly law, but he will not escape the consequences of nature’s law. As far as the law of nature is concerned, people are made to pay back the sum with interest. A person may not have any recourse under worldly law, but under nature’s law, he will be paid back with interest. Therefore, if someone is not paying you back the three hundred rupees he borrowed from you, you should at least make the attempt to collect it. Why should you do this? Because if this person is not paying you back even the three hundred, just think about the interest nature will assess on this amount. And in a matter of one hundred to two hundred years, how large will this amount become? Therefore, you should try to collect the money from him so that he does not become subject to such severe 34

consequences. But if he insists on not paying you and puts himself in this predicament, then you are not responsible for it. Questioner: What is nature’s interest rate? Dadashri: The natural interest is one percent per year. It is one rupee for every one hundred. If he does not pay you back your three hundred rupees, it is fine. You should not have any hard feelings towards him. Just maintain a cordial relationship with him; you should even play cards with him because you are not going to lose anything. People Live Life in a Hurried and Frightened Frenzy! Questioner: How do I escape from the current situation? Dadashri: So you want to bring on a different situation? Do you want to escape from the situation or do you want to go to moksha? Questioner: How can our path become straightforward from such a situation? Dadashri: For that, you have to go to the One who Knows about this. So come here and I will give you moksha. Come here and keep doing darshan (devotional viewing of the Gnani Purush). Someday, when the time is right, ‘we’ will give it [Gnan] to you too. ‘We’ have given it to all these people [mahatmas]. That is why they are enjoying. And the Gnani Purush is present, the One who has crossed over the ‘ocean’ of worldly life and can do the same for others (tarantaaran); He Himself has ‘swum’ across and can help everyone else ‘swim’ across. So He will also show you the way out. However, you will not know how to do the ‘multiplication’ or ‘division’ at home. Even if I were to show you the method, you would not know how to do it at home. Instead, I will do it all for you. Along with the multiplication, division, and addition; I will give the balance with the answer, so then you pass. I do it for you 35

and you will pass. Otherwise, you would forget after you go home! That is because, people have to eat grains that are government-controlled; they have to go out to buy sugar and cooking oil! One remains startled all day long. Just like a startled horse, people remain in a constant startled state; the trains are crowded, the buses are crowded, the roads are crowded, there is congestion here, the streets are crowded! Aren’t people startled? Questioner: Life in Mumbai is indeed just like that. Dadashri: It is true that life in Mumbai is that way. Is life not that way? It is the same everywhere, wherever you go. Are there crowded trains only in Mumbai? The trains are crowded everywhere. Questioner: But the hurried life here is different, it is of a different type! The fast pace of life here is unlike others. Dadashri: No, the other is the hurried pace of a poor person and this [in Mumbai] is the hurried pace of the rich. The rich have more hurry than others; the poor have a relatively less hurried life. The poor man has a mild speed and the other one moves at a fast speed. Yes, he is in haste. He takes the car and goes around all day, he runs around like a ‘watermelon’ [mindlessly] and yet his work is not done by the evening. Mortal one! What kind of a ‘watermelon’ are you? Who is called a ‘watermelon’? The one who is going to die after living is called a ‘watermelon’. Yes, where does he go after being born as a human being if he has not attained the eternal state? He goes on to become a ‘watermelon’! The Lord did not call people ‘watermelons’; He called them animals. Animals and ‘watermelons’ are one and the same, are they not? All the cows and buffaloes live by breathing air. If they cannot breathe, they will die. 36

Greed Breaks When a Donation Is Given! Questioner: In the past, my circumstances were very adverse, so I used to have a lot of greed. Dadashri: Yes, that is indeed why greed stays. Until then, it will not go away even from your mind. Once you start giving, the mind starts becoming broad. Questioner: I just couldn’t tell whether it was greed or economy [frugality]. Dadashri: That indeed is greed. But because it [money] was used at this good place, you have started to become open-handed. That is why your greed broke. Otherwise, you would continue designing out of greed. You would continue designing out of greed. You would not remain as the Self. [You would say,] “The capital will go down!” “Hey, but are you going to take it with you?” The response would be, “I can’t take it with me, but as long as I am living, I will need it, won’t I?” Hey, mortal, what will you do with what gets left behind? But that fear, one type of fear remains. Does One Gain or Lose With Greed? Questioner: When does the tuber of greed sprout? Dadashri: When you have accumulated ‘99’. [One is constantly striving to turn that sum into 100 and so one becomes greedy in the process.] One may be a millionaire, but is it possible that he has no greed? A greedy person is obsessed with just one thing. He is not too bothered about pride (maan). Someone with pride will be offended if he is insulted, whereas a greedy person will say, “Today I got my two hundred, so what if he insulted me!” One cannot be considered greedy as long as he has anger and pride. Only Gnanis Can Give ‘This’ Donation! So the best daan (charity; donation; gift) is the state in which no one is afraid of you (abhayadaan), the second 37

is the donation of knowledge (gnandaan). The Lord has praised abhayadaan. First, give the state in which no one is afraid of you. The second is the donation of knowledge. The third is the donation of medicine (aushadhadaan), and the fourth is donation of food (aahaardaan). Abhayadaan is higher than the donation of knowledge! However, people cannot give abhayadaan, can they? Only the Gnanis can give abhayadaan. Gnanis and the Gnani’s family [mahatmas] can give abhayadaan. The followers of the Gnani can give abhayadaan. They live in a way that does not incite fear in anyone. They conduct themselves in such a way that others around them remain free from fear. Their conduct is such that they would not startle even a dog, because hurt caused to others will reach within one’s own self. So, we should live in such a way that we do not cause the slightest fear in any living being. Abhayadaan Is the Greatest Form of Donation! So for abhayadaan, first maintain the intent (bhaav) that ‘May no living being be hurt in the slightest’ and then it will come into practice. If the intent has been done, then it will come into practice, but what if the intent has not been done at all? Therefore, the Lord has referred to this as a very elevated charity (daan). There is no need for money in this. Give abhayadaan to people. Even if you do not have money, what do you lose in giving abhayadaan? If the wife forgets to put sugar in your tea and if you find her at fault, she will be scared. There, you can give abhayadaan, can you not? Drink your tea quietly. This is the highest form of charity, but people do not have the capacity for that. Even those who have money cannot give this charity. Therefore, those who have money should perform their charity through money. So, there is no other type of donation except these four; that is what the Lord has said. The donations others talk about are of their imagination; [in reality,] there are 38

only these four types of donations. The first is the donation of food. For this donation, it is said that you don’t need to worry about anything else, such as, ‘What will he eat tomorrow?’ You just give the food for today, at least help him get through today. Tomorrow is another day. And so, he will live one more day. And you are not to worry that you may not be able to do it every day. He has come to your door, so give him food. Give whatever you can, and that will keep him alive for that day. That’s all, and tomorrow, he may have some other [karmic] effect. You are not to worry. Don’t get involved in that, it is said. The donation of medicine is considered as being more valuable than this, because it will help him live for a longer period of time. It will also give him some relief from pain. Then, better than this, is said to be the donation of knowledge. And higher than this is abhayadaan. And for this, have the intention in your mind to give as much abhayadaan as possible. Questioner: But do all the other three originate from abhayadaan? From this intention of abhayadaan? Dadashri: No. In fact, abhayadaan can only be given by a highly developed person. Someone who doesn’t have any money, even an ordinary person like that can give it. Highly evolved people may or may not have money, so they may not have any dealings with money, but they can definitely give abhayadaan. In the past, wealthy men used to give abhayadaan, but they cannot do so nowadays; they fall short. They have earned only money and that too by putting fear in people! Questioner: Have they given bhaydaan (donation of fear)? Dadashri: No, you cannot say that, even after doing that, they are spending for the donation of knowledge, aren’t they? Whatever he has done before coming here, at least now he is spending his money for the donation of knowledge, and that is the best thing; that is what the Lord has said. 39

From the Perspective of the Gnani… Questioner: Among all the donations including donation of knowledge and donation of money, which is the best according to your view? Does a dilemma often arise between the two? Dadashri: The donation of knowledge is considered the best. Those who have the money, they should give the donation of knowledge; they should give money for the donation of knowledge. The donation of knowledge means to publish books or do other such things. Now, what kind of knowledge should that donation be for? Knowledge that helps people. Yes, it should not be for storybooks; stories about outlaws. With that kind of knowledge, people slip down [spiritually]. People do get enjoyment when they read such stories, but it takes them down into a lower life-form. So how can knowledge be propagated? Money should be spent towards this cause. Those who have money should give towards this cause and those who don’t should make use of abhayadaan. You should behave in such a careful manner that no one gets frightened by you. It is considered abhayadaan when no one is hurt by you nor afraid of you. The Gnani Has Given Abhayadaan! Questioner: Please tell us more about the donation of knowledge and abhayadaan. Dadashri: For the donation of knowledge, you should publish one or two thousand books of Dada so that people’s lives will change. And for those who have no money to give, you already have abhayadaan for sure. It is not dependent solely upon money. Some people may have the money and some don’t, but they all have on hand a balance of abhayadaan to give, don’t they? Questioner: Yes, they do. Dadashri: But even then, one comes home at midnight making a lot of noise with his footsteps, and the 40

street dogs will perk up their ears. He will wake up even the poor dogs. People don’t let even dogs sleep peacefully. What is the definition of abhayadaan? It is when one will not disturb even a sleeping dog. He will take off his shoes and carry them and he will walk carefully and quietly. Even the dogs will not get frightened; that is abhayadaan. Questioner: Abhay means to not cause fear to any living being. Dadashri: Yes, abhay (absence of fear). People are not afraid even when I hit them. So what must my abhayadaan be like? Even if I hit them, they are not fearful. On the contrary, they tell me, “Hit me!” So where did their fear go? When that maharaj (high-ranking Jain monk) witnessed it, he was very happy. I said to him, “These people are ready to take a beating. All these people are fond of getting a physical beating. Is there anyone in this world who would be fond of a beating?” And the maharaj replied, “No. That is not possible at all. If I were to beat my disciples, they would run away the next day.” So I said to him, “Just look, they are not afraid even when they get a beating and elsewhere, even when people don’t get a beating, they are afraid. So how many parmanu of violence must be in them?” Questioner: Are parmanu of violence filled within us for sure? Dadashri: They are filled for sure. You have brought forth parmanu of violence from infinite past lives. Violent parmanu mean people will get scared without fail. Even if you don’t want to scare them, people will continue to be afraid. Violent Parmanu Induce Fear! These animals are actually afraid of you. So then, will you not understand that there is violence in you? The birds and the sparrows recognize that there is grave danger ahead as soon they see a cat or a dog! And so they will 41

inform all others. In the same way, so many living things get scared of us because they regard us as being dangerous and so they run away from us. Questioner: When they bite us, do they bite out of fear, are there violent tendencies in that? Dadashri: The biting in the world is done out of fear only. The hurt caused in this worldly life is only by the one who is unhappy. A happy person never hurts others. One hurts others because he is unhappy. It is a pitiful situation. The Lord had said, “Feel mercy for him, the pitiful man is in so much pain!” And if five of his neighbors are happy, the unhappy person cannot tolerate that and so he takes hurtful actions and causes problems for them. Only an unhappy person does such a thing. But in those situations, the Lord has said, ‘Show compassion towards the unhappy, because how unhappy he must be that he imposes hurt on you.’ A happy person is so happy that he makes everyone happy. And otherwise, even women and children can donate food and medicine. It doesn’t cost too much to give this kind of donation, and it ought to be done. If some unhappy person comes to your door, whatever food is available in the house, give it to him right away. With regard to donation, people [generally] give so that they can be recognized for it and that is not right. They construct memorial walls so donor’s names can be hung on a plaque, but those memorials don’t last long, and does one’s giving in this life carry forward [to the next]? When we do something that helps to propagate knowledge, it will come with us. Or else abhayadaan, the perspective of not wanting to hurt anyone. From today, decide on the outlook of, ‘I don’t want to hurt anyone in this world in the slightest degree. I don’t want to torment anyone in the slightest through my mind, speech, and body.’ If you decide to do this, then it will start to work that way from within. The inside works according to your decision. It will start [to work] in accordance with your decision. 42

The Difference between an Indian and a Foreigner! Say there are two people in a nursing home. One has come from a foreign country, he is a foreigner, and the other is an Indian. We tell them both to go settle down anywhere they please in the Himalayas. We give them both a hundred thousand rupees each for their sustenance. So what will become of the two? How will they both spend their money? They will both need money for food. So would they spend their money or not? Questioner: They would. Dadashri: And fifteen or twenty years later, when they both pass away, which one of them will have more money left over? Questioner: The Indian will have more. Dadashri: Why? It is because from the time he took one hundred thousand rupees, he is scared that, ‘What will I do if it is all spent? What will I do when it is all spent? What will happen when nothing is left?’ Questioner: By that time, he dies. Dadashri: Yes, he dies before that. But he does use the money, for religious activities, he gives donations, but inside he has the awareness of, ‘What will happen when it is used up?’ Whereas the foreigner will not have anything of the sort. He will spend his money happily. He will even help someone else. He will even oblige others, it’s not as if he would not. He is natural and spontaneous (sahaj). His wallet will begin to empty, and so does he, whereas the Indian man’s wallet will remain intact. So this is the prakruti (inherent characteristic traits) of our Indian people. [They worry,] ‘What if I live longer? What will I do if I need the money?’ So, from the moment the money is put in his hands, would it be this way or not? 43

For the Purpose of Returning to India! Questioner: Dada, the mahatmas from America are asking if they should take whatever savings they have accumulated and go back to India. Dadashri: No, no, that is not necessary. There is no need to be afraid like that, and when you become afraid like that, write to me and I will reply to you that you should come. If you are not able to sleep due to fear, then I will tell you to come back. Right now, are you able to sleep peacefully? Questioner: Yes, I am, Dada. Dadashri: Yes, so don’t be frightened at all. I will bless you. What’s the point of being frightened? Even Problems Increase That Way! Questioner: Please shower your grace upon all these mahatmas so that money flows in abundance. Dadashri: In fact, if you ask for more money, then you will have problems keeping it. If you spend it, then you will have the problem of feeling you have overspent. That is how you will begin to feel. The nature of money is such that it will come after a lot of suffering. It will accumulate after one works very hard, after he resorts to a lot of deceit and goes through great difficulties. Then will come the fear of where to keep it safe. If one has a hundred thousand rupees saved in the bank, his brother-in-law will come and ask for ten thousand. He gives it to the brotherin-law, and then his cousin comes. That is a problem too. Instead, if the balance is proper, then no one will come and ask for money. It is good to get just enough money in your hands as is needed for your sustenance. Otherwise, if you have more money, then you will have fear of thieves, ‘What if he comes at night and beats me up and robs me?’ 44

If Someone Gives You Ten Million Rupees… What would you do if you were given a ten million rupees? Questioner: That too is a problem, isn’t it? Dadashri: What would you do if someone gives it to you? You should ask, “If you have a problem, then why are you passing it on to me? Why would I want to take on your problem? Please take it back.” And how much happiness arises with this money! If you are given five hundred thousand rupees, then at first you become very happy when you see it. Then you will have the problem of where you should put it. Which bank should you put it in? Then you will have to be ready so that no one can take it away from you on your way home. And what if, on the way someone does happen to take it away from you? So, none of that can be considered as happiness. When there is a fear of being robbed, and when a thing can be robbed from you, then it can be said that there is no happiness in that thing. How Does the Tuber of Greed Break? Questioner: But Dada, the tuber of greed cannot be recognized, so it remains. Dadashri: If one could detect it, he would attain salvation! The Vanik (business caste) have the tuber of greed and the Kshatriya (warrior caste) have the tuber of pride. Both tubers are harmful. People will insult a person who has pride. Pride means guilelessness, and so everyone around him recognizes it. They will say, “Why are you walking around with an inflated chest?” As for pride, even people passing by will make a comment, “Why are you so full of yourself?” Questioner: By giving respect to a greedy person, 45

one can break the tuber of greed, but how can we break this tuber of pride? Dadashri: In the case of a person with the tuber of pride, people will break it for him. It will break with insults. Otherwise, everyone can point out his pride to him. It is guileless, so even small children will understand that he has become overcome with pride. And then what else happens? If he is very greedy, then he will tolerate the insults and he will smile if he is getting one hundred rupees. He will think to himself, ‘So be it, at least I am getting it [the hundred rupees], aren’t I?’ That is the tuber of greed. And the pitiable person with pride will end up spending all he has if someone inflates his pride. Then he will become fearful of insults. ‘What if someone insults me?’ He will have a lot of fear about that. When you visit a person with pride, he will welcome you, “Please come in. Welcome.” He will give to others exactly what he wants for himself. Now, the tuber of pride is going to break. As you are going to surrender your body and your mind, the tuber of pride is going to break. But it is necessary that the tuber of greed should break too. The tubers of greed will not go away. Who is going to break this tuber of greed? He does aartadhyan and raudradhyan the entire day! The Gnani Explains It By Giving Signs! What do you want? The world takes over the responsibility for the one who has nothing! You don’t have to tell it to do so. It does so on its own. The nature of the world is very different. For how many years have I had difficulty walking? Questioner: Since the past eight years. 46

Dadashri: And yet I must be travelling more than you? Questioner: A lot more. Dadashri: On what basis? All the circumstances come together for me. The One whose potapanu (subtlest of egoism, the last residual trace of ‘I am this body’) is gone, whatever he desires, even if he is not thinking about asking for it, he will get it. One simply becomes afraid, ‘What will I do?’ To remove that fear, ‘we’ set out to make this arrangement! ‘This much is allocated to the daughter, this much for this person, and nothing for ourselves.’ Or, inform the sangh (the organization) that, ‘I donate all this to you, and now I have nothing left. When I have the need, I will take it from the sangh. And otherwise, whatever I get, I will give to the sangh.’ ‘Ours’ is subject to the unfolding of karma, and if you do the same, even then you will come close to being subject to the unfolding karma. That is considered as having complied with the deshna (liberating speech of the fully enlightened One). And for you, the other is natural! But this will make a lot of difference. If you save one or two hundred thousand, then you tell the sangh that I give this to you, then you will not have to resort to the interference of, ‘Let’s deposit this in the bank and double it’; all such thoughts will definitely not come! Questioner: Thereafter, the responsibility is Dada’s, why should I bother? Dadashri: All the responsibility belongs to Dada! I can give that in writing! I have taken responsibility for Niruben. Niruben, I have taken all your responsibilities, have I not? You have not been put in any difficulty, have you? Everywhere else, there is nothing but deceit and betrayal. 47

Total Surrender Includes Money As Well! Total surrender is indeed needed, total! Questioner: Dada, this is indeed total surrender, isn’t it? What else is left? I do not want anything except Dada. Dadashri: So then, whatever is left for you will now be accomplished. There are other things too, however, this particular thing that you have of, ‘This is mine and this is yours,’ hadn’t I told you at home that in order to get rid of that divisiveness, “Give this much to your sister.” Make it so that you have no responsibilities. You won’t even have to pay taxes. Live like I do. If I need money, then I say, “Niruben, give me some money.” What do you even need it for anyway? Especially as there are always people around you to give you everything. From Fearless to Independent! Questioner: Is there some partiality towards me or not? Dadashri: There is more partiality towards you and that is why all these people are saying, “Dada normally has no partiality, but what can be done?” You are a very good man, but the lineage of your family has come to an end, so where will you go? Questioner: There is no one. There is no one in this world except for Dada. Dadashri: Yes, for that reason, ‘we’ take care of everything for you, it has indeed become cleared out. So whatever you consider as yours, ‘we’ are in it and that is why ‘we’ have to really keep it that way [partial towards you]. And your devotion is also beautiful, it is praiseworthy; it is clean and pure. The one who is impure will hold back one gold coin; he has the habit of keeping one gold piece aside. Such people keep one gold coin aside, 48

they give away all the gold coins but keep one with them, and yesterday you understood that as well. That one has to become pure, and you understood how to become pure. Questioner: Yes, a slight hint from Dada and [file one] understands it right away. Dadashri: Make the arrangements in accordance with our conversation and then your work will be done. If it is done with Dada’s support, then you will become free from all other supports. Questioner: Dada is the sole support; for me there is no support of any other. Dadashri: That is exactly what I am saying! Therefore, when You are free from all other supports (aadhaar), that itself is the support of the Self (Atma-aadhaar) and the worldly fears will have started departing. Otherwise, he will set aside one gold coin and it won’t be of any use to him anyway. Hey, why are you afraid? So much fear? When there is so much you are not afraid of, and yet you are afraid of something so little? If you do according to what ‘we’ had told you, then the self will dwell in that. If the self were to come into the Self, then it would become free. Otherwise, one will say, “I have this and I have that, and that support! Support.” What support does one keep? The support of the two to five hundred thousand rupees one has. Questioner: No. This much fear remains. Everyone has taken money unrightfully; nothing else. Wherever I have placed trust, in all those instances, people have unrightfully taken money. Therefore, such a fear has taken a hold within. I am growing old, otherwise there is no other mamata (my-ness; attachment) within. Dadashri: Fear sets in because one feels, ‘What will I do about this?’ Actually, ‘we’ had understood it that very day, but ‘we’ said, ‘‘We’ will get rid of it gradually.’ 49

Questioner: When I became sick, it cost me a hundred and fifty thousand rupees. As I had the money, I could spend that much; otherwise, who would take care of that? Dadashri: No, no. ‘He will look after me,’ you believe this about the person who is to take care of you, but ultimately, even that turns out to be wrong, it turns out to be a betrayal. Therefore, this is the greatest thing, ‘Give everything towards God’s cause.’ Thereafter, the responsibility lies with Dada. ‘We’ have not even kept four annas with ‘us’. ‘We’ are going to leave everything here, all of it; and that which will come in the future will also to be given there. The money that will come from the land ‘our’ mother owned, that too ‘we’ will give over there. ‘We’ do not want anything. What do ‘we’ need it for? Mahatmas in America want to give ‘us’ a car. Why would ‘we’ take it? However, if ‘we’ reserve a place for some ‘seat’ (bethak; support), then there will be three [entities]: the ‘I’ (hu; developing ‘I’), the [original] Self (Atma) and the ‘seat’ (bethak). Otherwise, the ‘I’ and the original Self would indeed be one. When the ‘I’ is surrendered totally, then only This [the original Self] remains. Questioner: Once the ‘I’ surrenders, meaning that the ‘seat’ is removed, is that why the ‘I’ comes into the Self? Dadashri: Not only did Niruben immediately start working [doing seva], but as she is also following all the set discipline at present according to my Agnas; that will destroy the entire prakruti. I am satisfied! Questioner: Dada you said, “The ‘I’, the Self and the ‘seat’…” Dadashri: The ‘I’ takes the support of the ‘seat’! In this world, only the Gnani does not take the support of anything. The only support is that of the Self, which is niralamb (absolutely independent)! 50

Questioner: Who has the support of the Self, is it the ‘I’ or is it the ‘seat’? Dadashri: The ‘I’ is indeed the Self, and the Self is indeed ‘I’. The support is verily of the Self. Meaning that there is no dependency. When there is no dependency on anything else, then the ‘I’ becomes niralamb, absolute! The ‘I’ Knows that Dada is niralamb. Questioner: Does that mean that the ‘I’ and the Self become one? Dadashri: They are indeed one, but they are separate because of the ‘seat’. Questioner: If the ‘seat’ is removed, then wouldn’t the ‘I’ and the Self become one? Dadashri: They become one; that is all. Questioner: Or else, is it possible for the ‘I’ and the Self to become one, while the ‘seat’ remains intact? Dadashri: No, no. A guard has to be kept on the ‘seat’. This thought may arise for it that, what will he do? Moreover, if the ‘seat’ turns out to be genuine, then it is genuine; otherwise, it turns out to be a betrayal. Don’t you think so? Questioner: Yes, it certainly turns out to be a betrayal. Dadashri: Instead of that, what is wrong with that which is Ours? Questioner: Keep the Gnani alone as a ‘seat’ (support), nothing else at all. Dadashri: You should hand over the authority to the Gnani [by saying], “Whatever You do, will do. Whatever is done for You, let that be for me.” Meaning that the Gnani is verily One’s own Self, and therefore, You should not deem Him to be separate. Thereafter, you should not harbor the fear of, ‘What if the Gnani falls sick? What if 51

He is not around? What will I do then?’ You should not harbor any such fear. The Gnani never dies; it is just the body that dies. Questioner: Be it the dependency on the Gnani, the Gnan, or the Gnani’s body, I feel the dependency to be the same. Dadashri: Regarding the dependency on the body; the body will go away tomorrow. How can you keep dependency on the body? ‘We’ do not have that dependency [on the body] at all! ‘We’ are niralamb! There is not the slightest of dependency, be it of this body or money, or anything else at all. ~ Jai Sat Chit Anand

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Books of Akram Vignan of Dada Bhagwan 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21.

Adjust Everywhere Ahimsa: Non-Violence Anger Aptavani - 1 Aptavani - 2 Aptavani - 4 Aptavani - 5 Aptavani - 6 Aptavani - 8 Aptavani - 9 Autobiography of Gnani Purush A.M.Patel Avoid Clashes Brahmacharya: Celibacy Attained With Understanding Death: Before, During and After... Flawless Vision Generation Gap Harmony in Marriage Life Without Conflict Money Noble Use of Money Pratikraman: The Master Key That Resolves All Conflicts (Abridged & Big Volume) 22. Pure Love 23. Right Understanding to Help Others 24. Science of Karma 25. Science of Speech 26. The Current Living Tirthankara Shree Simandhar Swami 27. Simple and Effective Science for Self-Realization 28. The Essence of All Religion 29. The Fault Is of the Sufferer 30. The Guru and the Disciple 31. The Hidden Meaning of Truth and Untruth 32. The Practice of Humanity 33. Trimantra: The Mantra That Removes All Worldly Obstacles 34. Whatever Has Happened Is Justice 35. Who Am I? 36. Worries ‘Dadavani’ Magazine is published every month in English

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