Shree Swaminarayan Temple, Itasca

Jay Shree Swaminarayan

Kariyani

Chapter-1

The nature of self Inference and the knowledge of self.

How to Know that the faith has develop ?

Consciousness of all the sense about the self.

Can God be known by the senses?

Divinisation but not oneness with God.

On the twelfth day of the first fortnight of the month of Bhadrapada of Samvat 1877, in the Durbar of Shri Vasta Khachar at Kariyani, a wooden cot with ornamental umbrella over it, specially prepared and brought from Surat by Shri Jadavjibhai, was placed in the Verandah near the hall facing north. Velvet mattresses covered with white bedsheets were neatly spread over along with a round white pillow placed as back rest. Red velvet cushions were arranged on it. All the four sides of the cot were richly decorated with golden fabrics. Shriji Maharaj was seated on the cot facing north. He hiad put on a white turban woven with golden fabrics and had covered his body with a rich silken garment woven with golden fabrics. Over this garment, he had put on a cotton shawl having a black border. Munis and the Bhaktas from vaious places were assembled before him. All the devotees were looking at the lotus like face of Shriji Maharaj - like a Chakor bird looks amorously at the full moon.

Then Shriji Maharaj asked the audience to start the spiritual dialogue. Whereupon Bhudharanand Swami asked, "Is the knowledge of the human form of God decisively realized by Antahkaran or by Jiva?" Shivanand Swami tried to reply the question but could not quite do so.

Then Shriji Maharaj said, "Jiva knows through Buddhi which is the source of all knowledge, Buddhi is immanently felt in Manas, Chitta, Ahamkar, in the cavities of the ears, eyes, nose, tongue, speech, touch in the limbs - hands, lags, genital organs the excretory organs etc. etc. Buddhi is, therefore, felt in every limb of body from toe to head. However, the Jiva, inherent in Buddhi, is not felt and Buddhi alone as predominantly felt as all-pervasive. I would make the phenomenon clear by an illustration, flames of fire seem to move higher and lower and they so move because of wind. But apparently the wind is not seen but only the flames are seen. Again when an ignited dung cake is put in the heap of dung cakes, smoke is seen rising high, but the wind which propels the smoke is not seen.

Further, in the sky we see the clouds moving but do not see the wind which moves the clouds. Therefore, Buddhi can be compared with flames of fire, smoke and the clouds and the unseen wind signifies the Jiva.

The Jiva, being self-revealed through this inherent powers of knowledge, inspires knowledge within Buddhi, which then knows. The Jiva is therefore the knower who knows the knowledge of God inspired in Buddhi and also knows the presiding deity of Buddhi, Brahma, who conforms the knowledge. The Jiva again knows the various thoughts which emanates from the mind also knows the moon, the presiding deity of mind, who inspires thoughts in mind. Chitta, which thinks, is also activated by Jiva who knows Vasudev the presiding deity of chitta. The Jiva again knows the ego, which inspires egoism in oneself, and also knows its presiding deity the Rudra. Jiva therefore, being an all-knowing entity, immanently knows the functioning of the four Antah-karans, ten Indiyas and their respective objects of enjoyment. Eventhough Jiva resides at one place - the heart - and is monadic, yet he is concomitant with Buddhi. However, when its immanence is visualised as an inspirer of knowledge, within the body, the Antahkaran, the Indriyas, their presiding deities and the sense objects the Jiva can be conceived to be very great and immanent and devoid of the contact of Buddhi. His greatness is, therefore, visualised or felt but can not be seen. Just as when sees a sword weighing ten maunds, one can feel the greatness of the warrior who can fight with such a sword, similarly, Jiva as an inspiror of knowledge within the body and bodily organs, is also so that his greatness can be visualised but can not be fully known." Shiji Maharaj thus replied the question.

Then Nityanand Swami asked, "Maharaj! The reply is not properly understood by us."

Shriji Maharaj then said, "When Buddhi has known God, Jiva who has inspired knowledge in Buddhihas also known God. However, the knowledge of God is apparently conveys to Jiva, through the various media of Indiyas, Ahankar, citta, Manas and Buddhi."

Again Nityanand Swami asked, "How does one know that a particular devotee has known God only through the Indriyas, through the Antahkarans and through the Jiva?"

Shriji Maharaj said "One who has felt the knowledge of God within the Indriyas would appreciate the human instincts exhibited by God fully divine, they may be of sense-objects which are seen, heard, smelt or, touched which are either scrupulous" or unscrufuous which either bring happiness or invite miseries, which may be either attractive or repulsive and may be justifiable or unjustifiable. Again indulgence in lethargy, inactivity, etc., which are the resultant features of the prevalence of Tamas, and exhibition of the instincts of passion, anger etc. the features of Rajas, and Sam Dam etc. the characteristics of Sattva, all these when exhibited by God his human form, and yet when one does not denote the esoteric divine features of God in human form, such a devotee has the well founded knowledge of God in his Antahkaran.

Rishabhadeva Bhagwan who enjoyed the Gunatit state was unconscious world. In such state of his, he behaved non-chalantly and held of the stones in his mouth. He remained Unmoved evenwhen his body was burnt in fire. When such super-human instincts are exhibited by God and yet one's knowledge of absolute divinity in the form of God is not effaced, then the devotee is said to possess an immutable knowledge comes out of the realization by Jiva.

Just as an anchor is thrown into the ocean and if it is immediately withdrawn, it would not involve any effort. But when it is withdrawn after it reached the earth level, it required some efforts to withdraw. And when it is let down in his earth, it can not be withdrawn even by great effort. Similarly, the knowledge which has its source within i.e. Jiva, can never be effaced." Shriji Maharaj thus explained the theory of knowledge eleborately, but it explained here in short.

Then Chaitanyanand Swami asked, "Oh Maharaj ! God is beyond the reach of mind and speech and is above the three Gunas. How then can Indiyas and Antahkarans evolved from Maya, know him ?"

Shriji Maharaj then said, "When the Jiva, who knows his body, the Indiyas, and the Antahkarans, goes into the deep sleep, his Indriyas and Antahkarans also merge in his state. Even in his state, God keeps his consciousness awakened to help him to enjoy the fruit of this state. When the Jiva from the state of deep sleep enters into the state of dream, he is again inspired with knowledge by God to enjoy the fruits of the state. The location of this state, the objects of enjoyment, the Vishayas and the Jiva all are inspired with knowledge by God to enable the Jiva to enjoy the objects of enjoyment in the form of desires, in the dream state. And in the waking state. God reveals before the Jiva, the nature of such enjoyable objects. God, therefore, inspires the Jiva with knowledge when he is merged in the deep sleep state and has lost his bodily consciousness and also when he is in the waking and dream state and has knowledge of his bodily consciousness.

God does not merely function to activate the Jiva only. God also inspires the Indriyas, presiding deities, Panchbhutas and the quintessence of the Panchbhutas to function which remain in an immanifasted state, before the stage of creation. Again these evolve from the types of Ahamkar. Ahamkar evolves from Mahattattvas, and Mahattattva evolves from Pradhan. All these evalutes are inspired to function by God. The cause Primordial which is Virat and from whom these mevolutes have evolved, is also inspired by god to question in the vaious spheres of his activities. When all these evolutes at the time of the Final rest merge in his Maya, Maya also is inspired by God ' to perform her function.

The Jiva and Ishwaras when in the state of creation, are inspired by God and when the Jivas merge in the state of deep sleep, and the Ishwaras in Pradhan they both lose their identity in these states, and even then God continues to inspire them. Again Kala, who at the time of creation, gives forms to these various evolutes and destroys their forms in the state of extinction, is also inspired by God to function. How can this all powerful and omnipotent God be known by the Indiyas and Antahkarans? Is this your question ?" The Muni's and devotees then said, "Oh Maharaj! this is really the question."

Replying to the question, Shriji Maharaj said, "This God, who creates the world and sustains it, does not do it for motives of his own. The Shrimad Bhagwat says : <Sanskrit Sloka> (Bhagwat 10.87.2) - Which means, God creates the Buddhi, the Inndriyas, the Mans and the Prans for the Jivas to help them to enjoy the sense-objects, to take births in higher and higher stages to transmigrate them into the higher Lokes and ultimately to attain salvation. Therefore, God creates and sustains this universe for redeeming the Jivas. God, out of compassion and with a redemptive motive for the Jivas, desires that the Jivas after incessantly moving in the cycle of births and deaths, should be given some rest. This God, when he assumes human form, with commiseration, desires that his form should be known by those who seek the contact of the realised saint, so that they may ultimately attain salvation. How, therefore, can be not known by all? He would definitely be known." So'explained Shriji Maharaj.

Then Bhajananand Swami asked, "Oh Maharaj! the Shruti says, <Sanskrit Sloka> (Taittiry opnishad-9) Why is it so ?" Then Shriji Maharaj replied happily, "The earth which is the evolute of space is not reduced to the nature of the space during the period of sustenance. Similarly, water, fire and wind, even though they are the evolutes of space, are not reduced to the subtlely of space. In the same way, mind, speech etc. do not reach God.

Again Nityanand Swami asked, Oh Maharaj! The Shruti and Smriti says <Sanskrit Sloka> Then Shriji Maharaj said, "I have spoken of those devotees who are not dedicated to God. However those devotees who are dedicated to God, thein Indriyas Antahkarans definitely altain God, in the way in which earth which at the time of the Final Rest is reduced to the nature of space. Similarly water, fire, wind etc. also attain the subtlety of space at the time of the Final Rest, likewise the body, the Indriyas, the Antahkarans and the Pran become fully divinished, when knowledge of God is revealed within the devotee. God, who is an absolute divinity even in human form, divinises the body, the Indriyas, and the Antahkarans of the devotee who has attained this knowledge. Just as a bee transforms the body of a worm in to the form of it's own body by various processes, similarly, the devotee of God is transformed into divinity even though embodied, by the realisation of the knowledge of God.

Such transformation is prescribed only to such a devotee who either has dedicated devotion towards God or who behaves with the consciousness of his self as Atma and in this state offers devotion to God. However, in no case can one who behaves as Atma and does not recognise God as transcending his Atma attain this state, at the most, he may merge in the Brahmsatta."

Saying so, Shriji Maharaj further added, "Enough has been said now, and as the assembly has become spell-bound, you may how start singing some devotional songs." Then with the beginning of devotional songs Shriji Maharaj plunged into meditation.

Thus Ends Vachanamrit : Kariyani - 1.

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