________________
288
Aptavani-8
Dadashri: It depends upon the surrounding circumstances (saiyogo). It is not dependent on just one cause (karan). It could be any cause; just from seeing something one's angerpride-deceit-greed can become suppressed (upsham). As the Belief of 'I am this body' Dispels, the
Experience of the Atma Is Attained
Questioner: How would one know that he has attained the vision of the Self (Atma darshan)?
Dadashri: Are you able to recognize that this is dehadhyas (the belief of 'I am this body')? Do you not have the realization of 'I am Chandubhai’? Have you not realized that, “I am this woman's husband'? When you see your son, do you not immediately know that, “I am his father’, or do you forget?
Questioner: No.
Dadashri: All this comes about, because of the belief of 'I am this body' (dehadhyas). So when you have the vision of the Self (Atma darshan), all of that (Gnan) will come forth. In ignorance (agnan) all this surfaces, and in Gnan, all that surfaces.
The experience (anubhuti) of the Atma, lies with the one whose belief of 'I am this body' (dehadhyas) has gone. In Hindustan (India), even if you went around with a lamp, looking for someone whose belief of 'I am this body' has gone, you would not find him. If you kept searching around with a lamp, even if you looked in caves, you will still not find him. There would not be anyone like that in the caves anyway. All they do in caves is practice penances and austerities (tapa)! You will never find knowledge (Gnan) in caves!
Therefore, you should realize, that when a person's belief of 'I am this body' (dehadhyas) is gone, that there is experience (anubhuti); otherwise, there is no experience. Now if one's belief of 'I am this body' is gone, then with it, what else of his has gone? And that too will only be to a certain degree, not fully.
