Aptavani 06

Author(s): Dada Bhagwan
Publisher: Mahavideh Foundation

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worldly conduct (vyavahar charitra) all the way to the conduct as the Self (atma charitra). There is knowledge (gnan), vision (darshan), conduct (charitra) and penance (tapa). In all this, the conduct as the Self (atma charitra) is the ultimate conduct. Worldly conduct (vyavahar charitra) is visible and evident, but you cannot have a snapshot of conduct of the Self, because it is not tangible. There is no snapshot of the ultimate fourknowledge, vision, conduct and penance.
Questioner: Which is the ultimate penance (tapa)?
Dadashri: What does 'doing penance' mean? When past karmic accounts come into fruition, the fruits may be sweet or bitter. One has to 'do' penance when the fruit is sweet, as well as when it is bitter. Discharge karma will not refrain from bringing its sweet or bitter fruit, will it?
Questioner: If this man were to insult me with foul language, I would immediately realize that it is the fruition of my karma. He is blameless. So where is the penance in that?
Dadashri: This is the penance of Gnan. "You' do not have to do any penance in this. To 'see' with equanimity when the mind and the intellect heat up within is penance. One is not to become one with the body and the mind (tanmayakar), not to become 'Chandulal' in this. Typically, people heat up along with the mind and the intellect.
Dadashri: When someone insults you and you remember my words (Dadashri's fourth Agna to settle with equanimity) at that time and decide, 'I want to settle (this account) with equanimity,' that is considered penance. You will experience penance (tapa) at that time.
All external penance is considered overt penance (sthool tapa). It is penance that others can know or see and its fruit or reward is worldly happiness. Inner penance is subtle penance (sookshma tapa) and its reward is liberation (moksha).
Questioner: Does that mean one has to do penance?
Dadashri: Penance does not have to be done'; it occurs naturally.
Questioner: As long as penance is occurring, there is incompleteness (apurnata), is there not?
When someone insults you with foul language, at that time the mind, intellect, chit and ego will 'heat up' within, and when you continue "seeing this (reaction within) until it all cools down, it is considered subtle penance (sookshma tapa).
If a mother-in-law scolds all the time, a smart daughterin-law will continue to reap the opportunity of the subtle penance. Such penance is freely available, sitting at home, in India. The Ganges River (considered holy in India with purifying properties) flows all the way to the home and yet people do not take advantage of it, do they? When your husband says something unpleasant, you should 'do' penance at that time.
Dadashri: Incompleteness remains all the way, until one attains absolute enlightenment (keval gnan). Mine is considered an incomplete state and so is yours.
Doing penance increases the degrees of the knowledge as the Self within (gnandasha). Penance gives rise to the ultimate purity (shuddhata). I, too, cannot be considered 100% pure gold' and neither can you. Even the Gnani has penance of the body. Pratikraman of the Akram Path and the
Kramic Path Questioner: You have said that in the path of Akram
Questioner: Where is the place for penance in Akram Vignan (science of Dadashri's step-less path to liberation)?