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even a little. And if someone brings you some talk that he has heard about you, that person becomes close and dear to you.
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Questioner: What can we say about the state of the person who brings such information to us?
Dadashri: You should not let him touch (affect) You at
all.
Questioner: No, I do not mean that. Just as we say the one who listens secretly has kapat in him, what do we call the person who brings us such talks?
Dadashri: The messenger is interested in creating a rift between the two parties. He is deeply rooted in the pleasure this creates for him.
Questioner: That verily is his kapat (deceit) too, is it
not?
Dadashri: Yes, it is all kapat too! He is searching for a certain pleasure in it. He has some kind of interest in it.
Questioner: Is there kapat involved where one is looking for pleasure?
Dadashri: Then what else would be there? One just has to 'smell' it! All he needs is to get a whiff of it. He will say to himself, I have to tell him, I have to tell him about the other person.' Such is this whiff!
Questioner: What is the vision (drashti) of the one who is walking on the path of liberation (moksha-marg)? What is his constant understanding?
Dadashri: You will not achieve anything by me telling you all that. One has to know about one's own deceitful intent (kapat bhaav) and however much he becomes aware of his deceitfulness; that much will leave. Otherwise a great deal still remains within him and that is what he is not aware of. What is kapat bhaav (deceitful intent)? If the owner were aware of its
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existence within, then he would have got rid of it a long time ago. Therefore, beware, beware, beware!
If you listen to any talk about others, it ruins your mind. What is more, when you hear talks about you from someone else, it sounds sweet to you. Everyone has this disease however, there are many who do not wish to know. If one day someone comes to tell one, he will listen for a while. He likes it because his wish is being fulfilled, is it not? He heard it from somewhere and brought it here! Now the person who brings the news, does not know the grave consequences of what he does. He is simply absorbed in the pleasure of it. Sooner or later you will have to understand all this, will you not? And what will the middle man do? Sometimes he may give misinformation, what kind of effect will this have on your mind? It will ruin your mind; conflicts will arise creating rifts which continue to harm you. Rather than this, what if one simply rejects this 'system' of eavesdropping? Would it not be good to uproot it completely? What is wrong in not having such a "business" - in not having that "item" altogether?
A husband will ask, 'what was my wife saying?' and the wife will ask, 'what was my husband saying?' Why on earth do they want to know? It's because they are both at fault, are they not? Will they have the desire to know if they were faultless?
Why such spruha (inclination and interest) for this? This is the greatest food for the worldly people. This is called 'holiday' (Dadashri's term for languishing in meaningless and harmful pleasures)! One must not have such a habit here—on the path of liberation.
Questioner: But Dada, what should one do when he has to be deceitful out of fear of someone?
Dadashri: You must not employ deceit out of fear. Why should you fear anything? People who steal have to fear, why should you? Who would experience fear, one who is guilty or