॥ શ્રી સ્વામિનારાયણો વિજયતે ॥
॥ THE VACHANAMRUT ॥
Spiritual Discourses
by Bhagwan Swaminarayan
Panchala-6
Those with Firm Upāsanā Attain Liberation
On the night of Fāgun vadi 9, Samvat 1877 [28 March 1821], Shriji Mahārāj was sitting on a large, decorated cot that had been placed on a platform in Jhinābhāi’s darbār in Panchālā. He was wearing a warm, red dagli along with a white angarkhu. He had also tied a white feto around His head. In addition to this, He was wearing a white khes and had covered Himself with a white blanket. At that time, an assembly of paramhansas as well as devotees from various places had gathered before Him.
Thereupon Shriji Mahārāj said, “I thought for quite some time and having mentally skimmed through all of the scriptures, it became apparent that there has not been any avatār as powerful as Shri Krishna. Why? Because Shri Krishna has, within himself, exhibited in various ways the characteristics of all of the other countless forms of himself. How? Firstly, after Devki gave birth to him, he gave darshan in a four-armed form holding a conch, a disc, a mace and a lotus, thereby revealing in himself the characteristics of the husband of Lakshmi, Vaikunthnāth. To his mother Yashodā, he showed the Vishwarup form in his own mouth, thereby revealing the characteristics of Aniruddha in himself through his thousand-headed form. He gave darshan to Akrur in the river Yamunā, thereby revealing the characteristics of Shesh-shāyi. He showed the Vishwarup form to Arjun on the battlefield: ‘Pashya me pārth roopāni shatasho’tha sahasrashaha |’.1 There, he showed countless brahmānds and revealed the characteristics of Purushottam. Moreover, Shri Krishna himself has said:
Yasmāt-ksharam-ateeto’ham-aksharād-api chottamaha |Ato’smi loke vede cha prathitaha purushottamaha ||2
“Thereby, he revealed himself as Purushottam. Also, he himself was the Shri Krishna who resides in Golok with Rādhikā. When he went to retrieve the Brāhmin’s son, he gave darshan to Arjun as Bhumā-Purush. It was Vāsudev - who resides in Shwetdwip - who himself assumed that avatār. Moreover, throughout the Mahābhārat and the Shrimad Bhāgwat, Narnārāyan has been referred to as that Shri Krishna himself. Therefore, the forms, strength and divine powers of that same God residing in that avatār of Shri Krishna in various ways are complete. Thus, that avatār was very great. After all, other forms possessed a few divine powers, whereas he was replete with all divine powers. Therefore, there is no avatār like the avatār of Krishna; that avatār reigns as supreme. Only some powers have been revealed through the other avatārs. This Avatār, however, has revealed all divine powers and strength. Therefore, this Avatār is the greatest of all.
“If one has a firm conviction of the manifest form of Shri Krishna3 in this manner, and if that realization never changes in any way, then even if one happens to commit a slip of conduct due to the influence of bad company, one would not fall from the path of liberation; one would certainly attain liberation. Therefore, if all of you paramhansas and devotees also cultivate such firmness of the upāsanā of God in this way, then if you happen to commit a slight slip of conduct, you will still ultimately attain liberation.”
Hearing this discourse, all of the sādhus and devotees realized Shriji Mahārāj as the cause of all, thus strengthening their upāsanā.
Vachanamrut ॥ 6 ॥ 132 ॥
This Vachanamrut took place ago.
FOOTNOTES
1. पश्य मे पार्थ रूपाणि शतशोऽथ सहस्रशः।
नानाविधानि दिव्यानी नानावर्णाकृतीनि च॥
O Son of Pruthā [Arjun]! Behold my hundreds and thousands of divine forms that are of various types and of assorted colors and shapes. - Bhagwad Gitā: 11.5
2. यस्मात्क्षरमतीतोऽहमक्षरादपी चोत्तमः।
अतोऽस्मि लोके वेदे च प्रथितः पुरुषोत्तमः॥
I transcend all that is perishable and am greater than even the imperishable; therefore I am known in the Smrutis and Vedas as ‘Purushottam’. - Bhagwad Gitā: 15.18
3. Here, the words ‘manifest form of Shri Krishna’ refers to Shriji Maharaj himself because he was manifest at the time. Senior sadguru sādhus have revealed through the years that Shriji Maharaj has narrated his own supremacy by using Krishna as an example.
