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Aptavani-9
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Aptavani-9
Questioner: But people's mamata is spread out is it
not?
Dadashri: But at whose expense are they extending it? Everyone has desires, do they not? How much land does a farmer desire? And there is a limit on the amount of available land, is there not? People's desire for land is endless. One person will say, 'I want five-hundred acres. Another will say, 'I want one hundred acres,' and a third person will say, 'I want hundred acres.' How can this be possible? People suffer miserably in the process but achieve nothing. Remove mamata through understanding
One man had a beautiful bungalow. He started to cry when talks about selling it came up. He said, 'Do not sell this bungalow, no matter what.' He had to sell it anyway because of financial problems. After the transfer of papers, the bungalow burnt down. Someone asked him, 'Hey did your bungalow burn down?' He replied, 'What do I have to do with it?' The young man replied, 'But that was your bungalow!' so the older man says, 'But I had sold it. Now it was such a wonderful bungalow when he lived in it, so why did his mamata towards it go away a day later?
Questioner: Because he sold it. Dadashri: But how can his mamata go away?
Questioner: His mamata went away because he let go of it.
Dadashri: He did not let go of it but he was forced to let go, was he not? On the contrary, when the bungalow burnt down, he was relieved. So, did his 'my-ness' not go away on the same day when he sold his property? And what did he get in return? Papers? Will one's 'my-ness' go away with papers? Yes it will; did you not see that? And will papers go away or not? Yes, they will too. So if a mere paper can remove the
feelings of 'my-ness, then what is wrong in you removing it by way of understanding? And can it not be removed through understanding? Then one would not cry even if his home were to burn down, would he?
Questioner: But if the court rules that the transfer of papers was invalid, then he will start crying again.
Dadashri: Yes, he will start crying again.
Questioner: So why did his mamata not go away till today?
Dadashri: It will not until he finds a way to do so. And eventually what does the bungalow of a half million say? It says, 'Hey! Nagindas sheth, either you will have to leave me or I will have to leave you.' So Nagindas sheth says, 'Where are you going to go?' And the bungalow says, 'I will have to go when you file bankruptcy. Or else, you are going to go away anyway (die) and I will remain standing here. Now when the bungalow says this, would one not feel ashamed?
So, people have needlessly extended their mamata. Why do houses and bungalows not extend their mamata by claiming, ‘only this owner is mine?' and yet man extends his mamata towards the whole world.
Questioner: But in the eyes of the world, a man is considered big if his mamata is well extended.
Dadashri: Yes, he is considered big, but he is just as miserable. People have needlessly extended their mamata.
The rules in a museum What causes one to have mamata? It is caused by the tendency to be worldly (sansari swabhav). This tendency to be worldly is binding. This binding, the feeling of 'my-ness' is mamata. For that matter has the intellect (buddhi) done anything less? The world has been made wonderful through the
