॥ શ્રી સ્વામિનારાયણો વિજયતે ॥

ભગવાન સ્વામિનારાયણનાં

॥ વચનામૃત ॥

Gadhada I-32: A Nest and a Stake

Summary

1. Person who is attached to vishays: He enjoys only worldly vishays unrelated to God.
2. A devotee of God: He indulges in vishays related to God only.
3. A nest and a stake:

1. Just as birds leave their nests to gather food and return to their nests at night to rest…
2. Just as domesticated cattle return to their stake in the evening after grazing…
3. Similarly, a devotee of God, after feeding on feed in the form of discourses, devotional songs, etc., should return to their nest in the form of God.

4. Technique of meditating on God:

1. When different gunas enter the antahkaran, one should examine:

1. When sattvagun prevails, the antahkaran is pure and one can pleasantly engage in worship and remembrance of God’s form; therefore, one should meditate on God’s form.
2. When rajogun prevails, the antahkaran becomes polluted and disturbing thoughts arise; therefore, one should not meditate on God’s form.
3. When tamogun prevails, no thoughts arise at all, and one experiences a feeling of emptiness. One should not meditate on God’s form.

2. When rajogun prevails:

1. One should not become dejected on noticing the many thoughts which arise.
2. One should regard one’s self to be distinct from the thoughts arising from the antahkaran – i.e. believe one’s self to be the ātmā.
3. One should believe God forever resides in one’s ātmā and engage in the worship of God.