________________
Aptavani-8
163
straightforward, provided that the Gnani is there. And if there is no Gnani around, then even with thousands of efforts, you will not attain even a fraction of the Lord's siddhant.
Keeping Separation of I-You With God Does Not Lead to Self-Realization
Therefore, it is a good thing, to do the Lord's worship (bhakti). From that, you will receive worldly happiness (bhautik sukh) and find the path ahead! You progress on a spiritual path, find the company of good people, and you even find satsang (spiritual company). But you will not find the experience of the Self (anubhuti) over there. The experience of the Self only occurs, when the differentiating intellect (bhed buddhi) which separates embodies soul and Atma (jiva-Shiva), comes to an end. And that is when you can call it experience of the Self (anubhuti).
Did you like anything that I have told you about the embodied soul (worldly being) and Atma differentiating intellect (jiva-Shiva bhed buddhi)? Only then can you call it the experience of the Self (anubhuti)! Otherwise, is the experience of the Self that you believe in, not all wrong? People have hung on to so many of these experiences of the Self, which they have even picked up from the Friday weekly market. They buy goods that others have discarded and that are now being sold! That is why the differentiating intellect (bhed buddhi) that separates the self (jiva; living being) and Atma (Shiva) has to go. That is why Akha Bhagat (17th century Gujarati spiritual poet) had said: "Jo tu Jiva toh karta Hari; jo tu Shiva toh vastu khari"
"If you are a living being (jiva), then God (Hari) is the doer. If you are Atma (Shiva); then that is the real thing."
Is it not true what Akho says? So therefore, once this living being and Atma differentiating intellect (jiva-Shiva bhed buddhi) leaves, you are the pure Soul (Shuddhatma), and after