In the Samvat year 1876 on the first day of the dark half of the month of Falgun. Shreeji Maharaj was seated in the residential place of the saints in the Durbar of Dada Khachar in Gadhada. He had put a white upper garment over His shoulder and covered His body with a white cotton shawl. He had put a white turban on His head and tassels of white flowers were hanging from His turban. Garlands of white flowers adorned His neck. Saints and devotees from various places had gathered before Him in an assembly.
Then Shreeji Maharaj said, “To get rid of worldly desires is the most difficult of all the means of realizing God. I will tell you the way to get rid of such worldly desires. One must think whether his desire for God is as intense as his desires for enjoyment for the worldly objects of the five senses i.e. sound, touch. sight, taste and smell, or whether it is more intense or less intense. One must evaluate the intensity of both the types of desires, If his sense of hearing is attracted towards the talks about this world with as much intensity as it is attracted towards the talks about God. one must know that both the
types of desires are equally intense. In the same manner. One must evaluate both the types of desires with regard to the objects of touch, sight taste and smell, and determine their intensity. In this way if he gradually tries to decrease the desires for the worldly objects, and increase the desires for God he will ultimately treat the desires for good or bad objects of the five senses equally. And when he reaches the stage of equanimity like this he will be able to accept praises and censure equally. He will be able to remain indifferent to good touch and bad touch, good sight and bad sight. good taste and bad taste, good smell and bad smell. He will look at a girl, or a young woman, or an old dame; or at gold or garbage with an equal eye. And finally when he behaves in this way quite naturally, it can be said that he has subdued the pulls of worldly desires. It is the duty of an ekantik bhakta [a single minded devotee] to be free from worldly desires. If the slightest trace of worldly desires persists, even a person who 1s able to go into trance and control his pulse and breath, will be forcibly drawn back from trance by those desires. He who can get rid of the worldly desires can be said to be an ekantik bhakta [a true single minded devotee].”
Thereupon Muktanand Swami asked, “Then what is the way to get rid of worldly desires?”
Shreeji Maharaj replied, “First of all one must have Atmanishtha [ the firmness of faith in one’s own Self]. Secondly one must realize the worthlessness of the objects of the five senses. Thirdly one must know the unlimited greatness and grandeur of God. He should know that God is the master of His divine abodes like : Vaikunth, Goloki Brahma-manhole, etc. Why He should be attracted towards the worthless worldly objects when He has already realized God Himself ? In such a way he should think of the greatness and grandeur of God.
Further he should think that if he is not able to reach the divine abode of God on account of a little flaw he may be sent by God to Idalou or Brahmlok., There also he is sure to be infinitely happier than he would be in this mortal world. Thinking in this way one should become free from worldly desires and should not hanker alter worthless pleasures of this world. Thus When a person comes to know the greatness of God and becomes free from worldly desires, he feels as if he never had any desire for worldly objects, and whatever feeling he had of having such a desire was a mere delusion, and he realizes that he was always free from such desires. This is called ekantik dhann. It can be achieved through the words of a person who is himself free from such desires, and who has realized God. It cannot be achieved by the study of the holy scriptures. If somebody wants to describe it he will not be able to do so. Such an ekantik dharm [‘dharm’ of a
single minded devotee] can be achieved through a person who himself is firmly established in the ekantik dharm.”
