AMDAVAD-1: MIRACULOUS MEDITATION
On Mahā vadi 11, Samvat 1882 [4 March 1826], Swāmi Shri Sahajānandji Mahārāj was sitting facing west in the mandir of Shri Narnārāyan in Amdāvād. He was dressed entirely in white clothes. Garlands of roses adorned His neck, bunches of roses had been placed upon His ears, and tassels of roses also decorated His pāgh. At that time, an assembly of munis as well as devotees from various places had gathered before Him.
In the assembly, Shriji Mahārāj sat introspecting. He then opened His eyes, looked at the assembly, and said, "I wish to talk to all of you about a particular type of meditation that has also been described in the Moksh-dharma. I have seen many great people who have attained enlightenment through this type of meditation. In fact, even in My experience, among the countless types of meditation, there is none comparable to the particular type of meditation that I wish to tell you about now. Just as a miraculous mantra or medicine is intrinsically miraculous, similarly, the type of meditation I wish to describe to you also has an intrinsically miraculous nature by which one instantly attains enlightenment.
"Now I shall describe that meditation. One who performs this meditation should meditate on the sun in the right eye and meditate on the moon in the left eye. Then, while meditating in this way, the sun and moon begin to appear in the eyes exactly as they are in the sky. As a result, the right eye begins to heat up, and the left eye begins to cool down. Thereafter, the sun should be envisioned in the left eye and the moon in the right eye. After visualising in this manner, the sun and moon should be visualised within one's hrudayākāsh. In addition, the form of one's own jiva, the observer, should also be seen. One should also meditate on God - who resides within the observer, i.e., within one's own jiva. At that point, one's body which is full of worldly desires is felt to rotate in the sky, like a pulley mechanism used for drawing water from a well.
"Eventually, a person who meditates in this manner attains the darshan of God'sVishwarup form, within which he also sees the system of the 14 realms. That form is not seen as being extremely large; it is seen in the same way that Mārkandeya Rishi saw the entire brahmānd in the stomach of the child form of God sleeping on the leaf of a banyan tree.
"Having meditated in this way, one is able to see everything that is described in the scriptures. Thereafter, all remaining nāstik feelings within one's jivātmā are resolved, and the jiva becomes extremely powerful. In addition, one develops a firm conviction that whatever is stated in the scriptures is true. The eight yogic powers, namely subtleness, etc., become accessible to one who performs this meditation, and one's vision reaches as far as the rays of the sun and moon reach. In this manner, countless yogic powers manifest before that person, but because he is a devotee of God, he does not accept any of those powers. Instead, he meditates only on God. As a result, the performer of this meditation attains enlightenment like Nārad, the Sanakādik and Shukji. Thus, there are countless varieties of meditation, but only this meditation grants instant enlightenment."
After Shriji Mahārāj concluded this description, Muktānand Swāmi asked, "Is this meditation attained only by one who practises the prānāyām of ashtāng-yoga, or can it be attained by others as well?"
Shriji Mahārāj explained, "It does not matter whether one practises prānāyām or not. Only if one practises this meditation and is an ekāntik bhakta of God can one perfect it; other people, however, are unable to tread this path. Therefore, for those who are eligible for this meditation, there is no alternative method for instantly becoming enlightened other than the method of meditation that I have just described."
AMDAVAD-2: PERFORMING PUJA AFTER WASHING AND BATHING
On Fāgun sudi 11, Samvat 1882 [20 March 1826], Swāmi Shri Sahajānandji Mahārāj was sitting on a cushion with a cylindrical pillow that had been placed on a wooden cot on a square platform in front of the mandir of Shri Narnārāyan in Amdāvād. He was wearing a white khes and had covered Himself with a white cotton cloth. He had also tied a pink feto with dangling tassels of roses around His head. Two bunches of roses had been inserted above His ears, and garlands of roses adorned His neck as well. In addition to this, strings of roses had been tied around His arms as well as His wrists. In this manner, His entire body had been decorated with roses. At that time, an assembly of munis as well as devotees from various places had gathered before Him.
Then, addressing all of the paramhansas, Shriji Mahārāj said, "I would like to ask you a question. Suppose there is a devotee of God who behaves above the influence of wakefulness, dream and deep sleep. He has shed the influence of polluted rajogun,tamogun and sattvagun, and acts within pure sattvagun. That is how he worships God. Another devotee behaves under the influence of the three gunas, but nevertheless, he does have intense love for God. Of these two devotees, who is better?"
Shriji Mahārāj then questioned, "Now consider the following: One person performs puja of God after washing, bathing and becoming pure; and another performs puja in an impure state. Of these two, who is better?"
Hearing this, Shriji Mahārāj said, "You claim that one who worships God after overcoming māyik influences is inferior and that one who expresses love for God withmāyik influences is superior. But how is he superior?"
Since no one could answer the question, Shriji Mahārāj said, "Of the four types of devotees1 described in the Gitā, Shri Krishna Bhagwān has called only the one possessing gnān his own ātmā. Therefore, one who, having discarded māyikinfluences, becomes brahmarup and then worships God is the best devotee.
"Why? Because nitya-pralay is the jiva's deep sleep. Nimitta-pralay is Brahmā's deep sleep. Prākrut-pralay is that in which all of the entities that had evolved from Prakruti are assimilated back into Prakruti. In ātyantik-pralay, which is gnān-pralay, everything up to and including Prakruti is eclipsed by the light of Brahma. Furthermore, in nitya-pralay, all of the jiva's adjuncts are absorbed; in nimitta-pralay all of ishwar's adjuncts are absorbed; and in prākrut-pralay all of Purush's adjuncts are absorbed. However, when the creation process is initiated, all three are again engulfed by their respective adjuncts.
"But a person who has overcome māyik influences by way of ātyantik-pralay, also calledgnān-pralay, is never engulfed by those adjuncts again. If at any time he does assume a physical body, then just like God assumes a body by His own will, he also assumes a body by his own will; he does not assume a body due to kāl, karma or māyā.
"Therefore, the one who worships God after becoming brahmarup is definitely superior. Only one who is a faithful devotee of God and possesses the characteristics of anekāntik bhakta can understand this fact."
AMDAVAD-3: THE IMPLANTED BRANCH OF A BANYAN TREE; UPSHAM
On Fāgun vadi 2, Samvat 1882 [25 March 1826], Swāmi Shri Sahajānandji Mahārāj was sitting on a large, decorated cot that had been placed on the platform facing themandir of Shri Narnārāyan in Amdāvād. A pink pāgh, decorated with garlands of roses and chameli flowers, adorned His head. At that time, an assembly of munis as well as devotees from various places had gathered before Him.
Thereupon Shriji Mahārāj asked the entire muni-mandal, "All jivas are dependent upon the panchvishays. Either they physically indulge in them, or if physical association is not possible, they think of them within the antahkaran - but the jiva is unable to remain for even a moment without thinking about or indulging in the panchvishays.
"Now take the example of a banyan tree. Everyone knows that the roots of a banyan tree keep the tree green. Even if all of its roots, except for a few minor roots, are uprooted, the banyan tree will still remain green. In the same way, one may have outwardly renounced the panchvishays, but if thoughts of them are entertained, then those thoughts become a cause of births and deaths. The question, then, is how can these panchvishays not become a cause of births and deaths for a devotee of God?"
Muktānand Swāmi attempted to answer the question but was unable to offer a satisfactory reply.
So Shriji Mahārāj said, "Here, I shall answer the question. When a devotee contemplates upon the form of God while behaving as the ātmā, i.e., independent of the traits of the three bodies, which are engulfed in māyā, then by the power of that contemplation of God, he behaves in a state of upsham. Then, due to the power of thatupsham, the panchvishays do not become a cause of births and deaths.
"Consider the following analogy: When rivers like the Mahi or the Sābarmati are in full flow between their two banks, even elephants, horses and trees are all carried away; nothing is able to remain stationary. Similarly, for a person in the upsham state, regardless of how enticing the objects presented before the indriyas are, when he focuses his attention within, they are forgotten, just as those vishays seen in past lives are forgotten in this life. Such behaviour of a devotee is known as upsham.
"Such upsham is indeed extremely important. Suppose an ignorant man and woman who are engaged in worldly life, and who have intense love for each other before marriage are then married and made to stay awake and walk continuously for three days and nights. Then when they are united, due to their fatigue, they will be incapable of enjoying the pleasure of each other's beauty or touch. Even if they embrace each other, they would sleep like logs tied together, but would not experience any enjoyment from the panchvishays. So if they have no awareness of the vishays due to upshamattained by ignorance during deep sleep, then how can the panchvishays bind the enlightened person who attains the state of upsham by the meditation of God's form? They certainly do not bind him. Therefore, the panchvishays are not a cause of births and deaths for one who has attained upsham."
Thereupon Nityānand Swāmi commented, "The method You have described for attaining the state of upsham, i.e., meditating upon God after ātmā-realisation, is very difficult. Please tell us if there is another, easier method apart from that."
Shriji Mahārāj said, "A devotee of God who, firstly, deeply understands the greatness of God; and secondly, does darshan of God and serves Him and His Bhakta with extremely intense shraddhā, attains that upsham state.
"Yet, it appears to Me that an egotistical servant will not be liked by anyone. To have an egotistical servant serve one is like when during a famine, even the rich survive by eating kodrā; having an egotistical servant to serve one is similar to this. The master is not as pleased with an egotistical servant as much as he is with a humble servant. Therefore, he who does whatever pleases the master is a true servant."
Shuk Muni then asked, "How can one without wisdom and understanding please his master?"
Shriji Mahārāj replied, "Even though Mulji Brahmachāri and Ratanji are not extremely intelligent, they have an intense yearning for liberation. So they do indeed know how to do whatever pleases God.
"Also, currently, even the paramhansas and the sānkhya-yogi and karma-yogi satsangisdo not behave as per My liking as do all of the Ayodhyāwāsi men and women. Why? Because the Ayodhyāwāsis have totally dedicated their lives for the Satsang fellowship. Therefore, nobody knows how to please God like the Ayodhyāwāsis. Moreover, theseAyodhyāwāsis are extremely trusting; a cunning person can cheat them. Therefore, if they wish to commence any activity, they should be allowed to do so only after consulting the senior paramhansas and senior satsangi householders. But they should not be allowed to do that activity based on the word of a single person. In this manner, the renunciants and householder satsangis should look after the Ayodhyāwāsis. This is My order."
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