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Aptavani-2
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514
Aptavani-2
quarrel outside but do you have to do it even amongst yourselves?
Intoxication of ego blocks moksha
'We' had gone to Ahmedabad where 'we' met one Acharya Maharaj. It was during the time of Paryushan, so thousands of people were coming to greet and bow to him. I was introduced to him, by someone who said, "This is a Gnani Purush." He immediately did my darshan and got up from his high seat and then sat down on the floor: 'We' told him, "This gesture will take you a long way." Such wonderful humility can take one a long way, so he said, "I sat down because I fell it from within." Then 'we' asked him, "Do you read scriptures?" He said he has read many scriptures and so 'we' asked him, "You have read a lot of scriptures but did you read them as per Lord's instructions or otherwise?" The Lord has said, "Do not read the scriptures that increase your intoxication of 'I know something' (keyf) and if it reduces your intoxication, then read them." Throw away those books if they increase intoxication. Is it an attribute of the books to increase intoxication? No, intoxication is an attribute of the seed within you. Does a tree with thorns have to design its thorns? No, it is an inherent attribute of the tree that it will have thorns on every branch. Then I asked the Acharya Maharaj. "How will you reduce that intoxication?" he replied, "We perform our rituals, "I told him, "Any ritual that increases intoxication, is a ritual of ignorance, it is not a ritual prescribed by the Lord. The rituals He prescribed reduce intoxication, not increase it. " One can never accomplish anything by doing all these rituals. He remains where he is. He merely reaps what he sows.
The path of the vitarags is simple, easy and natural but these people have made it difficult through insistence on self punishment (kasht sadhya). In the current paths of the vitarag dharma, if there were any truth in them, the world would have
become enamored. Instead, what we see is if a person is involved in renouncing, he keeps cleaning the corner of renunciation and those that practice penance keep cleaning only the corner of penance and nothing else. Moksha is only attained when one cleans all the corners. Moksha is where there is no obstinacy or insistence Kaviraj sings:
Kyaya na hojo mamat lagare 'Let me not be attached to anything anywhere.'
In how many places does insistence (mamat) prevail? In how many places or incidents can you be insistent? If someone is taking away this cup from you, do you not have to insist that he leaves it? You would tell the man, "Brother, you are taking away this cup but it is mine, it has my name on it." He would read the name and realize it and would give it back to you. It is good if he gives it back to you, but if he refuses to give it back to you even after reading your name, then you should not become insistent. You can say it as you would say in a drama (a play), "Brother, my name is on the cup!" and then if he gives it back to you, it is fine, otherwise let go. Do not be insistent there. Vitarags are not such that they will remain silent if someone is taking something away. Vitarag is the one who speaks dramatically (without inner attachment). If someone is kidnapping one's daughter, he has to tell him, "She is my daughter. I have to get her married in a good family." While saying all that if he remains completely detached then he is a vitarag. But do they not say, "This person is being stubborn and insistent" (mamatey chadhya)? There is no insistency in the vitarag path as there is in all the other paths. If 'we' say dramatically, "It is dark outside" and you say, "No, it is light out side" 'we' would again tell you, "Brother, look again. It is still dark outside." 'We would make a request and if you still do not believe 'us', 'we' would let go. Indeed if the real world were
