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Aptavani-9
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Aptavani-9
being insulted but you should not harbor beggary or a desire for respect.
Questioner: But do we not have to get rid of this weakness of fearing insults?
Dadashri: That will go down, as you get insulted. Whatever you have dished out will be returned. The problem lies in being a beggar for respect.
Questioner: What does it mean to be constantly preoccupied laksha) with the feeling of not wanting to be insulted?
Dadashri: Such a laksha where one is constantly concerned about not being insulted is verily beggary for respect. Otherwise, charitra mohaniya (conduct with moha; attachment to the relative self) is a discharge moha; it will come and go. The Self has nothing to do with it.
The Soul and respect or insult
Therefore, respect and disrespect is all the beggary of the pudgal - the physical or the relative self. If someone were to slap 'us', 'we' do not have any problem with that.
Questioner: All these talks about respect and insults, who is the one that becomes aware of it: it is not the body, it is the soul, the self, is it not?
Dadashri: The Atma (the Self) does not have respect or disrespect. The Self is not a beggar that it has anything to do with respect or disrespect. The Self is the King of the entire universe: it is the Lord of the Universe.
Questioner: But when that reaches within, is it not the soul that gets hurt?
Dadashri: No, it does not hurt the Soul (Atma); it does not touch the Soul, the Self at all.
Questioner: The body is the non-Self (anatma), what effects do respect-insults have on the non-Self?
Dadashri: What happens when you touch a block of ice with a flame? Will the flame scorch the ice?
Questioner: It will not scorch it, but it will melt the ice.
Dadashri: On the contrary, its cooling attribute cools that flame. Similarly, pain and misery do not touch the Self. They do not affect even the body or the Self.
Questioner: Then what does it affect?
Dadashri: Who is the one that endures the suffering? It is the ego! It is the ego that suffers. Nothing touches the Self. The Self does not accept anything that is not of its own. How can anyone insult You when he does
not even know You? What happens if someone were to insult Chandulal? He will not be able to sleep at night, will he? It will keep bothering him from within. The person who insulted him sleeps peacefully while Chandulal feels the hurt and will not be able to sleep. What kind of weakness is it that does not let you sleep when someone insults you? Why should You not sleep just because someone insulted you? And besides, it is not You that was insulted, it is someone else. If they insulted You, you should not tolerate it, but he did not insult 'You', so why fret over it? Someone else is being insulted and You take it personally. You should not take it as 'I am being insulted', should You? Yes, nobody should insult You, but no one will insult You either. How can they when they do not even know You? They know Chandulal but not You.
When you regard the person insulting you as someone who obliges you, then your desire for respect (maan) will end. Who is to be insulted? Ambalal Muljibhai' (reader to insert
