Aptavani 02

Author(s): Dada Bhagwan
Publisher: Mahavideh Foundation

Page 73

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Aptavani-2
they say, "We have not come here for your scolding. This is all a science; when you scold the prakruti, you will see results immediately.
Questioner : Previously when I lived with a Jain ascetic, I was very strict with my appetite and eating habits. I punished my appetite tendencies very severely and it took six months before it succumbed to me. Now I am experiencing a reaction to that and for the last eight years, if I do not get food on time, just once, it starts shouting within and on the outside.
Dadashri : Just look at how worn out these people have become. All the ascetics, sages etc., have become exhausted because they have tried to suppress and stifle their minds. The mind is not a thing you can stifle; neither can you let it roam free. It is wrong to leave it free to roam. Both approaches are wrong.
Questioner: Do both need to be in proportion?
Dadashri : No, not in proportion. If your son's wife were to come here, do you not have certain restraint and limitations?
Questioner : Yes Dada, I do.
Dadashri : If your daughter-in-law is passing by and you stop her in a commanding tone and start questioning her about her college and her personal activities, it is all harmful. This is letting the mind run lose. You have to exercise some restraint over the mind. You must not let your influence over your mind be lost. That is why you should deal with it in a meaningful manner. You should not let it run free but neither should you get upset with it. What would happen if you were to treat the women in your household like that? They would lose respect for you.
There is a Gujarati saying, 'If the father-in-law respects his boundaries, so will the daughter-in-law. This is how things are, so you should deal with the mind in a methodical and a systematic manner. The mind has overturned everyone and that
is why the ascetics and sages struggle in all they do. The moment they become someone's guru, they tumble so hard that they end up being a disciple of a disciple, who is a disciple of another disciple. This is because the mind can easily topple them; the mind has tremendous power. What does the mind do when a control of any kind is exercised?
Questioner : It evades control; it becomes unrestrained and careless.
Dadashri : Because, to do so goes against its nature. The mind says, "Do not obstruct me."
Questioner: A guru is needed at that very moment.
Dadashri : Yes, how can anything be accomplished without a guru? How can a person accomplish anything on his own?
Questioner : A guru is needed for sure when the mind is inclined to wander according to its tendencies.
Dadashri : No one has gone to moksha without a guru. Only the tirthankaras who became spontaneously enlightened were able to do so, but they too had a guru in their previous life. Through that guru, they were given the vision of the knowledge and that is why they had no problems. But ordinary people are doomed for sure without a guru. If there is no guru overhead, one will act according his self-guided will and intellect (swachhand).
The mind should be impressed and in awe of Your presence. Let me explain to you what this is like. If someone comes looking to beat up this man here, the moment that person sees me, he will not be able to do or say anything. Why is that? It is because of my prabhav; my presence, aura and influence. I do not have to say anything. The presence (prabhav)' itself will do the work. You should be able to have the same prabhav