In the Samvat year 1876, on the fifth day of the bright half of the month of Falgun in the evening at the time of evening prayers, Shreeji Maharaj was seated in the residential place of the saints in the Durbar of Dada Khachar in Gadhada. He had put on all white garments. Saints and devotees from various places had gathered before Him in an assembly?
Then Shreeji Maharaj invited the assembly to ask Him questions. Thereupon Muktanand Swami asked. “At the time of worshipping God, when a devotee is disturbed by the evil influence of rajogun and tamogun(p1easure seeking and evil attributes of Maya), he is not able to enjoy the bliss of worshipping God. Please tell us how we can get rid of the evil influence.”
Shreeji Maharaj replied, ‘The causes of the evil influence are: attachment for the body. evil association and the deeds of the previous life. The evil influence caused by the attachment for the body can be eliminated by a sense of discrimination between Atma-Anatma [the animate and the inanimate objects]. The evil influence caused by bad association can be eliminated by keeping the company of saints. But the evil influence caused by rajogun and tamogun is the result of some evil deeds of the previous life. Hence it is very hard to eliminate.”
Then Anandanand Swami asked, “Please, tell us then how the evil influence caused by deeds of previous life can be eliminated.”
Shreeji Maharaj replied. “If some great saint showers his grace on the devotee, the evil influence caused by the deeds of the previous life can be eliminated, however strong the evil influence may be. Even a pauper becomes a king by the grace of a great saint. Even the most unfavorable destiny becomes favorable, and the greatest misfortune is averted by the grace of a great saint.”
Again Anandanand Swami asked, “Then, please show us the way to earn the grace of a great saint.” Shreeji Maharaj replied, “In the first place one’s behavior with a great saint must be sincere and guiltless. He must try to get rid of vices like lust, anger, avarice. infatuation, pride, arrogance, worldly desires, hankering, ego and jealousy. He
must be ever ready in the service of the saint like a bond-man. He must get rid of pride from his heart, and bow to every body. Only then the great saint will shower his grace on him.”
Then Mahanubhavanand Swami asked, “Maharaj, then kindly show us the way how we can get rid of all the vices in us, during the course of our stay in the holy fellowship, and how our devotion to God can grow day by day.”
Shreeji Maharaj replied. “Devotion to God will grow day by day when the devotee begins to imbibe the virtues of the great saints. And when he realizes that the great saints are free from passion. he himself will become free from passion even if he is
passionate like a dog. But if he tries to see passion in great men, he himself will become highly passionate, however free from passion he may be. If he tries to find anger and avarice in great saints, he himself will become full of anger and avarice. If he realizes, that great saints are free from passion, free from avarice, indifferent to taste, free from pride, and free from attachment then, he himself will become free from all these vices. He will become a confirmed devotee. The special feature of a confirmed devotee is that he dislikes the enjoyment of the pleasant objects of the five senses : sound, touch. sight, taste
and smell, just as he would naturally dislike painful objects. He who has firm faith in the divine image of God only, is said to be a confirmed devotee. The only way to become such a confirmed devotee is to remain in the service of an attendant of God like a bondman, and to think one’s self standing at the lowest rung of the hierarchy of great devotees. With this understanding one should behave like the attendant of the
attendants of God. If one behaves like this all his vices will vanish and he will grow day by day in virtues like knowledge, non-attachment and devotion”.
