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Aptavani-4
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cigarettes, etc., are considered ashubha (inauspicious) fondness; whereas this japa-tapa is considered shubha (auspicious). Everything that one has to do day in and day out, is considered fondness.
Questioner: Does one bind karma doing japa-tapa?
Dadashri: Of course, you bind karma in it! You bind karma in everything. Even when you sleep at night, you bind karma. And with chanting (japa) and penance (tapa) however, there is considerable binding of karma. But that will be karma of merit (punya), which in the next life, will bring one happiness and material wealth.
This entire path of the vitarag is a path of labhalabha (gain and loss). Do not expend even five cents on religion, if you can help it. A person fasts, and then goes around bragging about how many days he fasted, but when his son comes along, he starts quarreling with him: ‘Why were you not at the shop this morning?!' For goodness sakes, why bring the shop into this? Why don't you just get on with your fasting! When the son replies, 'I could not go to the shop today', he has a row with him. While in the other room sits the mother, who has also been fasting, and when she hears the sound of breaking glass, she yells, “What happened? What just broke?' Dear old lady, it is your soul that just broke! Just one glass breaks and her chit is out there! They are all suffering nothing but loss.
Penance That Presents Naturally
In this day and age people do not need to go out in search of penance (tapa). People have been told to do penance that presents itself naturally. This is because, in this Kaliyug (current era of the time cycle characterized by lack of unity in mind, speech and conduct), people are already suffering, be it at home, in the bedroom or at the temple; they are already in torment. What is the point of making someone do penance
