________________
Aptavani-6
239
People are not attracted to you because of the atkan within. Attraction should occur, and then the words that come out will be considered the eternal words (brahmavakya). Therefore, find out where the arkan lies. Others too have the experience, awareness and conviction (anubhav, laksha and pratiti) of the Self, but why does the attraction not increase? Should one not become attractive to others in this world? Instant attraction means instant; it should not appear to be 'on credit,' should it? So you should look for all the reasons within. Arkan is such that if one does not see a 'hotel' (that which tempts him) for ten days, then there is no problem, but the minute he sees one, he will run into it. Circumstances come together and he is tempted and tickled!
If you have helped someone stop drinking alcohol, then when he sits in satsang he will feel at peace. He will forget alcohol for several days, then one day he goes out with you for a walk and he reads a sign, 'Liquor Bar,' and immediately a change will come about within him. He feels that temptation of exciting pleasure (galgalia) within. He will somehow deceive you; he will tell you he has to use the restroom and that he will be back in a little while. Hey, you! You are talking about using the restroom now? You will understand that he has been aroused. He will somehow manage to find an excuse to slip in through the back door and take a shot or two of alcohol. Only then will the atkan leave him.
Do you understand this atkan (inner blockade)? Atkan will make you deluded (murchhit); make you lose awareness. For the duration of that period, five to ten minutes, one loses all awareness of Gnan and vision (darshan) of the Self; it renders one completely deluded.
Atkan versus Heavy Karma
Questioner: Is nikachit karma (karma that is so heavy that it has to be suffered) the same as atkan?
240
Aptavani-6
Dadashri: Atkan is much heavier than nikachit karma. Nikachit is of a lower level. Nikachit karma means that you have no choice but suffer its effects, whereas with atkan, not only do you have to suffer it, but in the process it will create another mess for you to suffer. In nikachit karma, with Gnan you can only become free after suffering through its effect. Even though you do not want to, you will still have to suffer it. Therefore, there is no problem with nikachit karma. Nikachit karma is a kind of a punishment for you. Once you serve your punishment, you are done with it, but there is a big problem with atkan.
Questioner: Is that which is known as 'current karma' which will give effect in the future (kriyamaan), in Vedanta (Hindu scriptures)?
Dadashri: Not kriyamaan. There are some karmas that can be removed just by thinking, some are removed with meditation (dhyan), and there some that you have no choice but suffer them, even if you do not wish to. Those are nikachit karma. They are sticky karma whereas this atkan is such that it creates another problem. So for atkan, one has to keep 'seeing,' with much awareness, to bring it to an end. That is why these boys, at a very young age, have started spiritual effort (purusharth) of getting rid of their atkan.
Purusharth and Parakram
Questioner: If we make the effort to destroy the arkan, will it give rise to extraordinary spiritual effort (parakram)?
Dadashri: You can only make an effort to get rid of your atkan if you put in extraordinary inner energy (parakram). Going after the arkan is itself a parakram. One cannot get rid of the atkan without parakram. That is the job of a 'parakrami purush,' one who is able to come into parakram. With the Gnan I have given you, you can do parakram.
