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63. Study the Self One day, Manilalbhai, Sobhagbhai's son, asked Shrimad to accompany him to watch a play. Shrimad took Manilalbhai to a window and pointed to the world outside. “Look”, he said, "some people are travelling in a horse-drawn carriage; there is an old man begging for his livelihood; there is some one who is sitting helplessly, and then you see someone who is ill."
As Manilal looked at the scene below, Shrimad explained to him that all these people were reaping the consequences of their past karmas. All of this is but a part of the drama of worldly existence. Feelings, inclinations and sentiments lead to karmas. A person may outwardly appear happy but within himself he might be unhappy: he may appear to be wealthy but he might have large debts; there may be family problems, health and business worries.
Shrimad in this way showed Manibhai the continuous drama of this world, known as sansar. The Self-Realised Soul witnesses this world and its many events from a distance and does not become a part of it, realising that only the Soul is eternal, that all else is momentary. One evening Shrimad, when out for a walk with a companion, enquired about the place they had just passed. He was told that it was a crematorium. Shrimad said that he viewed the whole of Mumbai as a crematorium. Mumbai was a city of glamour and temptations that led the souls that inhabited it to their downfall.
Aneighbour of Shrimad's once learned of his extraordinary powers, but also noticed that he was always involved in spiritual activities. The neighbour was deeply involved in worldly activities and concerned with enhancing his personal interests and so he had difficulty understanding Shrimad's parmarth sadhana, efforts to undertand the ultimate Truth. He aksed Shrimad : “You have such exceptional talents. You must be well aware of the current market prices and their trends. Why don't you tell us about them?"
In reply Shrimad told him : "I am not a fool, to do Swadhyay to know the direction of market prices."
The word for religious study is Swadhyay. Its real meaning, as Shrimad wanted to point out, is the study (adhyayan) of the self (swa), of the Soul.
