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Aptavani-4
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To Be the Self Is the Religion of the Self
Questioner: What is religion (dharma)? That is what I want to understand.
Dadashri: That which holds you up, and never lets you fall, is religion. At the moment you are not even aware that you are falling. All people of this Kaliyug (the current era of the time cycle characterized by lack of unity in mind, speech and body) are slipping; they are gradually heading towards a lower lifeform.
Dharma (religion) does not just have one meaning. How many kinds of religion are there? There are all kinds of religion, ranging from a single degree all the way up to three hundred sixty degrees. For each and every person's viewpoint, there is a religion, which is why there is matbhed (difference of opinion). What is the religion (dharma) that is going on in our country? It is one that stops one from doing bad deeds and encourages good deeds.
Questioner: So is that called religion (dharma)?
Dadashri: No. It cannot be called real religion. What is the dharma of this gold? Does it ever rust? So it means that dharma is when one maintains one's swabhav (inherent properties). Therefore, You are the Atma (Self), and when you remain as the Atma, only then it is called dharma. This is just dehadhyas ('I am the body'): Stopping wrong deeds and making one do good deeds. All of it is illusion (bhranti). Good deeds are illusion (bhranti), and bad deeds are illusion (bhranti) also; however, I am not asking you to stop your good deeds. They can be turned from bad to the good. It is all well and good, but still the illusion does not go away. Only after the illusion goes away, does the real religion begin!
