Kariyani-1

A Worm and a Bee

On Bhādarvā sudi 12, Samvat 1877 [19 September 1820], a decorated, canopied cot that had been brought by Jādavji, a devotee from Surat, had been placed on the veranda outside the north-facing rooms of Vastā Khāchar’s darbār in Kāriyāni. A mattress with a white, silken cover had been placed upon that cot. A white, cylindrical cushion and red, silken knee-cushions had been placed on top of the cushion. Also, frills of golden fabric were dangling on all four sides of the cot. Shriji Mahārāj was sitting facing north on this beautifully decorated cot. He was wearing a black-bordered, white khes and had tied a golden-bordered, white feto around His head. He had also covered Himself with a golden-bordered shelu. At that time, an assembly of munis as well as devotees from various places had gathered before Him. They were all enjoying the darshan of Shriji Mahārāj and were captivated by His charming appearance.

Then Shriji Mahārāj said to the paramhansas, “Please ask and answer questions amongst yourselves.”

Thereupon Bhudharānand Swāmi asked, “Does the conviction of God arise in the antahkaran or in the jiva?”

Shivānand Swāmi attempted to answer the question but was unable to do so satisfactorily.

So Shriji Mahārāj said, “The jiva knows through the buddhi, which is the cause of all¹ and is greater than all. That buddhi resides in the man, in the chitt, in the ahamkār, in the ears, in the eyes, in the nose, in the tongue, in the mouth, in the skin, in the arms, in the legs, in the genitals and in the anus. It resides in the body in this manner, pervading it from head to toe. The jiva resides within this buddhi, but the jiva is not felt; only the buddhi is felt.

“The following example will illustrate this: When the flames of a fire rise and fall, they do so because of the wind. The rise and fall of the flames are apparent, but the wind is not apparent. Also, when dung is placed in fire, the dung begins to burn. Then, when it is placed where there is no wind, smoke begins to rise. At that time, the rising smoke is apparent, but the wind within is not apparent. Also, the clouds that move in the sky are seen to do so because of the wind. But the wind that resides within them is not apparent. In this way, flames, smoke and the clouds represent the buddhi, and the wind represents the jiva.

“What is that jiva like? Well, it is the knower of the convictions formed by the buddhi; it also knows Brahmā, the cause of the convictions in the buddhi. It perceives the thoughts of the man, and also perceives Chandra, the cause of those thoughts in the man. It perceives the contemplation of the chitt, and also perceives Vāsudev, the cause of the contemplation in the chitt. It perceives the I-ness of the ahamkār; and also perceives Rudra, the cause of that I-ness. In this manner, the jiva perceives the four antahkarans, the ten indriyas, their vishays and the presiding deities, who allow one to discriminate among those vishays. Moreover, it does all of this simultaneously.

“That jiva appears to be in one place; it appears to be as fine as the tip of a spear; and it appears to be extremely subtle. It appears so because it is associated with the buddhi. But when that jiva is known as the illuminator of the body, indriyas, antahkaran, their presiding deities and the vishays, it appears to be extremely vast, and it appears to be pervasive. That is when it is not associated with the buddhi.

“That jiva is known not by the indriyas, but by inference. For example, on seeing a sword weighing 200 kg, a person can infer, ‘The wielder of this sword must be extremely strong.’ Similarly, the jiva inspires the body, indriyas, etc., simultaneously; therefore it must be very powerful. This is how the jiva can be known by inference.” Shriji Mahārāj answered the question in this manner.

Nityānand Swāmi then asked, “Mahārāj, what is the answer to the original question in what You have just said?”

Shriji Mahārāj clarified, “Well, the answer is that when the conviction of God has developed in the buddhi, one should realize that that conviction has also developed within the jiva. How does that happen? Well, the conviction initially develops in the indriyas, then in the ahamkār, then in the chitt, then in the man, then in the buddhi, and then finally, it develops in the jiva.” Shriji Mahārāj replied in this manner.

Again Nityānand Swāmi asked, “Mahārāj, how can one know when there is conviction of God in the indriyas? How can one know when there is conviction of God in the antahkaran? How can one know when there is conviction of God within the jiva?”

Shriji Mahārāj replied, “The conviction of God which is in the indriyas should be known as follows: Of all of the objects in this world which are seen, heard, smelt or touched, some are pleasant and some are unpleasant; some give pleasure and some give misery; some are liked and some are disliked; some are appropriate and some are inappropriate. If no doubts arise even when all of these aspects are apparent in God, that should be known to be the conviction of God in the indriyas.²

“Further, of the various effects of the three gunas of sattvagun, rajogun and tamogun, the effect of tamogun is laziness, sleep, etc.; the effect of rajogun is lust, anger, etc.; and the effect of sattvagun is tranquility, self-restraint, etc. If no doubts arise even when all of these are noticed in God, then that should be known as the conviction of God in the antahkaran.³

“Due to nirvikalp samādhi, Rushabhdev Bhagwān wandered eccentrically, keeping a stone in his mouth. Although his body burned in a forest fire, he remained totally unaware of it. So, if no doubts arise even when such a gunãtit state is apparent in God, then that should be known as conviction of God in the jiva.⁴

“For example, ships which travel in the sea carry an iron anchor with them. When thrown into the sea, if that anchor is immediately retracted before it reaches the seabed, then not much effort is required; it comes out immediately. However, if it is allowed to reach the seabed before it is retracted, then it comes out only after much effort. But if it is allowed to descend gradually, and it settles and lodges itself into the seabed, then it cannot be pulled up by any means; it cannot be retracted. Similarly, when a person develops the conviction of God in his jiva, that conviction cannot be dislodged in any way whatsoever.” In this way, Shriji Mahārāj spoke at length, but only a small portion has been mentioned here.

Then Chaitanyānand Swāmi asked, “Mahārāj, God is beyond the mind and speech; He is gunātit. How, then, can the māyik indriyas and antahkaran perceive Him?”

Shriji Mahārāj replied, “When the jiva - the knower of the body, indriyas and antahkaran - becomes eclipsed during the state of deep sleep, its indriyas and antahkaran also become eclipsed in that deep sleep. At that time, God inspires that jiva. When the jiva enters the dream state from the state of deep sleep, the dream-related locations, pleasures, vishays and the jiva are all inspired by God. He inspires them during the waking state as well. In this way, God inspires the jiva both when it is conscious of the body and when it is not. Furthermore, from Pradhān, mahattattva was formed; from mahattattva, the three types of ahamkār were formed; from that ahamkār, the indriyas, deities, five bhuts and five tanmātrās were formed; all of these are also inspired by God. Virāt, who is composed of all these elements combined, is also inspired by God. When all of these merge into māyā, then God inspires that māyā as well.

“That God inspires both jiva and ishwar when they identify themselves with their bodies. He inspires both jiva and ishwar even when they reside in the state of deep sleep and are eclipsed by Pradhān and are without any identity or form. He inspires kāl, which causes māyā and other entities to assume an identity and form and also causes them to forsake identity and form. So, how can that God be known by the indriyas and antahkaran? Is that your question?”

Everyone confirmed, “Yes, Mahārāj, that is the question.”

So Shriji Mahārāj continued, “The answer to that is as follows: God does not create and sustain the world for His own sake. In fact, it is said in the Shrimad Bhāgwat:

“This verse means: God created the buddhi, indriyas, man and prāns of all people to enable the jivas to indulge in the vishays, to take birth, to transmigrate to other realms, and to attain liberation. Therefore, God created this cosmos for the sake of the jivas’ liberation; God sustains it for the sake of the jivas’ liberation; in fact, God also causes its dissolution for the sake of the jivas’ liberation. How is that? Well, He destroys it to allow the jivas - tired as a result of undergoing many births and deaths - to rest. That God, who acts in all ways for the benefit of the jivas, becomes like a human out of compassion. Then, when the jivas maintain profound association with the Sant of that God, why should they not be able to know Him? They certainly can know Him.”

Thereupon Bhajanānand Swāmi asked, “Why then, Mahārāj, does the Vedic verse claim: ‘Yato vācho nivartante aprāpya manasā saha’?”⁶

Shriji Mahārāj replied in a pleased tone, “Well, in that case, the facts are as follows: pruthvi resides in ākāsh, but does not become like ākāsh; jal also resides in ākāsh, but does not become like ākāsh; tej also resides in ākāsh, but does not become like ākāsh; and vāyu also resides in ākāsh, but does not become like ākāsh. In the same way, the mind and speech do not attain God.”

Then Nityānand Swāmi raised a doubt: “Mahārāj, the Shrutis and Smrutis claim: ‘Niranjanaha paramam sāmyam-upaiti ||’⁷ and ‘Bahavo gnāna-tapasā pootā mad-bhāvam-āgatāhā ||’.”⁸

Shriji Mahārāj then said, “What I just mentioned is regarding the mind and the indriyas of non-devotees. The mind and indriyas of devotees of God, however, do attain God-realization. For example, at the time of dissolution, pruthvi, which resides in ākāsh, becomes one with ākāsh; jal also becomes one with ākāsh; tej also becomes one with ākāsh; and vāyu also becomes one with ākāsh. Similarly, the bodies, indriyas, antahkarans and prāns of those who are devotees of God, due to their gnān of God, become like God. This is because God’s form is itself divine. So, the bodies, indriyas and antahkarans of those devotees become like God’s indriyas, antahkaran and body. That is why those devotees’ bodies, indriyas, antahkarans and prāns become divine.

“The following example will clarify: A bee captures a worm, stings it and then buzzes over it. As a result, that worm - in the very same body - is transformed into a bee. Thereafter, none of its bodily parts remain like that of a worm; it becomes exactly like a bee. Similarly, a devotee of God, in that very same body, becomes divine like God.”

Shriji Mahārāj then concluded by saying, “The essence of this talk that I have given is that for both a person with firmness in bhakti coupled with ātmā-realization, and for a person with firmness in bhakti alone, progress is as described. However, the indriyas and antahkaran of a person with ātmā-realization only, i.e., one who aspires for keval-gnān, do not become divine like God’s form; he attains only brahmasattā.”

Having spoken in this way, Shriji Mahārāj said, “Now let us stop this discourse, and as the assembly has become inert, someone please sing some pleasing devotional songs.” Saying this, He Himself sat in meditation, while the sādhus began singing devotional songs.

On Bhadarva sudi 12, Samvat 1877 [19 September 1820], a decorated, canopied cot that had been brought by Jadavji, a devotee from Surat, had been placed on the veranda outside the north-facing rooms of Vasta Khachar’s darbar in Kariyani. A mattress with a white, silken cover had been placed upon that cot. A white, cylindrical cushion and red, silken knee-cushions had been placed on top of the cushion. Also, frills of golden fabric were dangling on all four sides of the cot. Shriji Maharaj was sitting facing north on this beautifully decorated cot. He was wearing a black-bordered, white khes and had tied a golden-bordered, white feto around His head. He had also covered Himself with a golden-bordered shelu. At that time, an assembly of munis as well as devotees from various places had gathered before Him. They were all enjoying the darshan of Shriji Maharaj and were captivated by His charming appearance.

Then Shriji Maharaj said to the paramhansas, “Please ask and answer questions amongst yourselves.”

Thereupon Bhudharanand Swami asked, “Does the conviction of God arise in the antahkaran or in the jiva?”

Shivanand Swami attempted to answer the question but was unable to do so satisfactorily.

So Shriji Maharaj said, “The jiva knows through the buddhi, which is the cause of all¹ and is greater than all. That buddhi resides in the man, in the chitt, in the ahamkar, in the ears, in the eyes, in the nose, in the tongue, in the mouth, in the skin, in the arms, in the legs, in the genitals and in the anus. It resides in the body in this manner, pervading it from head to toe. The jiva resides within this buddhi, but the jiva is not felt; only the buddhi is felt.

“The following example will illustrate this: When the flames of a fire rise and fall, they do so because of the wind. The rise and fall of the flames are apparent, but the wind is not apparent. Also, when dung is placed in fire, the dung begins to burn. Then, when it is placed where there is no wind, smoke begins to rise. At that time, the rising smoke is apparent, but the wind within is not apparent. Also, the clouds that move in the sky are seen to do so because of the wind. But the wind that resides within them is not apparent. In this way, flames, smoke and the clouds represent the buddhi, and the wind represents the jiva.

“What is that jiva like? Well, it is the knower of the convictions formed by the buddhi; it also knows Brahma, the cause of the convictions in the buddhi. It perceives the thoughts of the man, and also perceives Chandra, the cause of those thoughts in the man. It perceives the contemplation of the chitt, and also perceives Vasudev, the cause of the contemplation in the chitt. It perceives the I-ness of the ahamkar; and also perceives Rudra, the cause of that I-ness. In this manner, the jiva perceives the four antahkarans, the ten indriyas, their vishays and the presiding deities, who allow one to discriminate among those vishays. Moreover, it does all of this simultaneously.

“That jiva appears to be in one place; it appears to be as fine as the tip of a spear; and it appears to be extremely subtle. It appears so because it is associated with the buddhi. But when that jiva is known as the illuminator of the body, indriyas, antahkaran, their presiding deities and the vishays, it appears to be extremely vast, and it appears to be pervasive. That is when it is not associated with the buddhi.

“That jiva is known not by the indriyas, but by inference. For example, on seeing a sword weighing 200 kg, a person can infer, ‘The wielder of this sword must be extremely strong.’ Similarly, the jiva inspires the body, indriyas, etc., simultaneously; therefore it must be very powerful. This is how the jiva can be known by inference.” Shriji Maharaj answered the question in this manner.

Nityanand Swami then asked, “Maharaj, what is the answer to the original question in what You have just said?”

Shriji Maharaj clarified, “Well, the answer is that when the conviction of God has developed in the buddhi, one should realize that that conviction has also developed within the jiva. How does that happen? Well, the conviction initially develops in the indriyas, then in the ahamkar, then in the chitt, then in the man, then in the buddhi, and then finally, it develops in the jiva.” Shriji Maharaj replied in this manner.

Again Nityanand Swami asked, “Maharaj, how can one know when there is conviction of God in the indriyas? How can one know when there is conviction of God in the antahkaran? How can one know when there is conviction of God within the jiva?”

Shriji Maharaj replied, “The conviction of God which is in the indriyas should be known as follows: Of all of the objects in this world which are seen, heard, smelt or touched, some are pleasant and some are unpleasant; some give pleasure and some give misery; some are liked and some are disliked; some are appropriate and some are inappropriate. If no doubts arise even when all of these aspects are apparent in God, that should be known to be the conviction of God in the indriyas.²

“Further, of the various effects of the three gunas of sattvagun, rajogun and tamogun, the effect of tamogun is laziness, sleep, etc.; the effect of rajogun is lust, anger, etc.; and the effect of sattvagun is tranquility, self-restraint, etc. If no doubts arise even when all of these are noticed in God, then that should be known as the conviction of God in the antahkaran.³

“Due to nirvikalp samadhi, Rushabhdev Bhagwan wandered eccentrically, keeping a stone in his mouth. Although his body burned in a forest fire, he remained totally unaware of it. So, if no doubts arise even when such a gunãtit state is apparent in God, then that should be known as conviction of God in the jiva.⁴

“For example, ships which travel in the sea carry an iron anchor with them. When thrown into the sea, if that anchor is immediately retracted before it reaches the seabed, then not much effort is required; it comes out immediately. However, if it is allowed to reach the seabed before it is retracted, then it comes out only after much effort. But if it is allowed to descend gradually, and it settles and lodges itself into the seabed, then it cannot be pulled up by any means; it cannot be retracted. Similarly, when a person develops the conviction of God in his jiva, that conviction cannot be dislodged in any way whatsoever.” In this way, Shriji Maharaj spoke at length, but only a small portion has been mentioned here.

Then Chaitanyanand Swami asked, “Maharaj, God is beyond the mind and speech; He is gunatit. How, then, can the mayik indriyas and antahkaran perceive Him?”

Shriji Maharaj replied, “When the jiva - the knower of the body, indriyas and antahkaran - becomes eclipsed during the state of deep sleep, its indriyas and antahkaran also become eclipsed in that deep sleep. At that time, God inspires that jiva. When the jiva enters the dream state from the state of deep sleep, the dream-related locations, pleasures, vishays and the jiva are all inspired by God. He inspires them during the waking state as well. In this way, God inspires the jiva both when it is conscious of the body and when it is not. Furthermore, from Pradhan, mahattattva was formed; from mahattattva, the three types of ahamkar were formed; from that ahamkar, the indriyas, deities, five bhuts and five tanmatras were formed; all of these are also inspired by God. Virat, who is composed of all these elements combined, is also inspired by God. When all of these merge into maya, then God inspires that maya as well.

“That God inspires both jiva and ishwar when they identify themselves with their bodies. He inspires both jiva and ishwar even when they reside in the state of deep sleep and are eclipsed by Pradhan and are without any identity or form. He inspires kal, which causes maya and other entities to assume an identity and form and also causes them to forsake identity and form. So, how can that God be known by the indriyas and antahkaran? Is that your question?”

Everyone confirmed, “Yes, Maharaj, that is the question.”

So Shriji Maharaj continued, “The answer to that is as follows: God does not create and sustain the world for His own sake. In fact, it is said in the Shrimad Bhagwat:

“This verse means: God created the buddhi, indriyas, man and prans of all people to enable the jivas to indulge in the vishays, to take birth, to transmigrate to other realms, and to attain liberation. Therefore, God created this cosmos for the sake of the jivas’ liberation; God sustains it for the sake of the jivas’ liberation; in fact, God also causes its dissolution for the sake of the jivas’ liberation. How is that? Well, He destroys it to allow the jivas - tired as a result of undergoing many births and deaths - to rest. That God, who acts in all ways for the benefit of the jivas, becomes like a human out of compassion. Then, when the jivas maintain profound association with the Sant of that God, why should they not be able to know Him? They certainly can know Him.”

Thereupon Bhajananand Swami asked, “Why then, Maharaj, does the Vedic verse claim: ‘Yato vacho nivartante aprapya manasa saha’?”⁶

Shriji Maharaj replied in a pleased tone, “Well, in that case, the facts are as follows: pruthvi resides in akash, but does not become like akash; jal also resides in akash, but does not become like akash; tej also resides in akash, but does not become like akash; and vayu also resides in akash, but does not become like akash. In the same way, the mind and speech do not attain God.”

Then Nityanand Swami raised a doubt: “Maharaj, the Shrutis and Smrutis claim: ‘Niranjanaha paramam samyam-upaiti ||’⁷ and ‘Bahavo gnana-tapasa poota mad-bhavam-agataha ||’.”⁸

Shriji Maharaj then said, “What I just mentioned is regarding the mind and the indriyas of non-devotees. The mind and indriyas of devotees of God, however, do attain God-realization. For example, at the time of dissolution, pruthvi, which resides in akash, becomes one with akash; jal also becomes one with akash; tej also becomes one with akash; and vayu also becomes one with akash. Similarly, the bodies, indriyas, antahkarans and prans of those who are devotees of God, due to their gnan of God, become like God. This is because God’s form is itself divine. So, the bodies, indriyas and antahkarans of those devotees become like God’s indriyas, antahkaran and body. That is why those devotees’ bodies, indriyas, antahkarans and prans become divine.

“The following example will clarify: A bee captures a worm, stings it and then buzzes over it. As a result, that worm - in the very same body - is transformed into a bee. Thereafter, none of its bodily parts remain like that of a worm; it becomes exactly like a bee. Similarly, a devotee of God, in that very same body, becomes divine like God.”

Shriji Maharaj then concluded by saying, “The essence of this talk that I have given is that for both a person with firmness in bhakti coupled with atma-realization, and for a person with firmness in bhakti alone, progress is as described. However, the indriyas and antahkaran of a person with atma-realization only, i.e., one who aspires for keval-gnan, do not become divine like God’s form; he attains only brahmasatta.”

Having spoken in this way, Shriji Maharaj said, “Now let us stop this discourse, and as the assembly has become inert, someone please sing some pleasing devotional songs.” Saying this, He Himself sat in meditation, while the sadhus began singing devotional songs.

FOOTNOTES