In the Samvat year. 1876 on the sixth day of the bright half of the month of Magh, Shreeji Maharaj was seated facing the west on a wooden bedstead laid on the platform under the neem tree in front of the temple of Shree Vasudev Narayan in Durbar of Dada Khachar in Gadhada. He had put on a white turban on His head and covered His body with white cotton shawl. He had put a white upper garment over His shoulder. Bunches of yellow flowers were studded over His ears. Saints and devotees from various places had gathered before Him in an assembly.
Some Brahmans belonging to the Vedant philosophy were present in the assembly. When Shreeji Maharaj saw them He said to them, ‘Those who have studied the Vedant scriptures or heard them say that ‘The rules of Vidhi and Nishedh [‘do’s and ‘dont’s of scriptures] are false. Heaven and Hell to be gained by observing these do’s and ‘dont’s are also illusions. The preceptor and the disciple are also illusions. And the only one ultimate reality is the all pervading Brahm. What do they mean by such statements ?
Shankaracharya, the exponent of the Vedant philosophy has ordained that his disciples should keep a staff and a wooden bowl. He has laid down that they should recite
Bhagavad Geeta and Vishnu Sahastranam and worship Lord Vishnu. He has laid down that the younger should bow and pay homage to the elders. He has ordained his disciples that they should go for alms only to the house of a holy Brahman. Thus he himself has prescribed these ‘do’s and ‘dont’s. Does it mean that Shankaracharya had no true knowledge? Those who have recently become the followers of the Vedant philosophy and try to falsify the ‘do’s and ‘dont’s, are pseudo-philosophers. Are they wiser than Shankaracharya even ? It seems the recent pseudo-scholars who make such statements reveal their stark foolishness.
Suppose a ship is sailing in the middle of the ocean for a whole year. A person on board cannot see the coast that lies ahead, nor can he see the coast he has left behind. He cannot see even the big mountains on both the coasts. How is it then possible that he will be able to see the trees and human beings there ? All around him he sees water, water and water only. No other object will come within his sight. If he looks upwards he will see gigantic waves of the ocean rolling one after the other. He will see water above him also. In such a situation he will say, ‘There is only water. and nothing else exists.’ This illustration establishes the principle that a person who has attained the nirvikalp [absolute state of mind] will say. There is only one Brahm alone, and everything else, soul, Ishwar,
Maya, etc. are all illusory. Of course statements to this effect are to be found in the scriptures. But there are persons who have not attained such an absolute state of mind, and yet they are bold enough to say that the ‘do’s and ‘dont’s are false. And in actual Me the same person pays attendance to his wife and children, and diligently carries on worldly affairs believing it to be a reality. And yet he has the audacity to say that the ‘do’s
and ‘dont’s are false. Such hypocrites who propagate such pseudo-knowledge must be considered the most degenerate atheists. Shankaracharya was aware of this danger and he
composed devotional prayers like:
[O you blockhead, worship the Lord, worship the Lord, worship the Lord.]
He has composed many such devotional prayers in praise of Vishnu, Shiv, Ganapati and the Sun-god and other deities. Shankaracharya has composed these prayers with an idea that whoever hears them, will consider the deities to be real. But the pseudo-scholars of recent origin have the audacity to fulfill all of them. They have the audacity to say that the gnani [man of knowledge] may, commit whatever sin he likes, but nothing will affect him. He makes such statements out of his utter foolishness.
Jad Bharat is considered to be the greatest of all the renunciates and paramahansas (ascetics of the highest order]. He was so great that his life story appears in all the Puran and books of Vedant. So great a person, Jad Bharat was the son of Bhagawan Rushabhdev in his previous life. In that life he renounced his empire and went to the forest to lead the life of an ascetic. But there he developed attachment for a young deer out of pity. But this turned out to be his great mistake. He had to be born again in the form of a deer in his next life. He acquired four legs and a short tail, and two little horns on his head.
On the other hand the gopis [cowherd damsels] loved Lord Shree Krishna amorously with lustful mind, but all of them could overcome the Lord’s Maya, become gunateet [beyond the reach of the attributes of Maya], reach Akshardham [divine abode of God] and they became one with Him. The reason is that Lord Shree Krishna is Himself beyond the reach of the attributes of Maya and therefore the cowherd damsels could
escape from the clutches of Maya because they loved Him intensely. knowingly or unknowingly. On the contrary Bharatji had to be born as a young deer. because he showered his affection on that young deer instead of on God. Therefore, however great a man may be, he is sure to meet with misfortune if he comes in contact with vicious persons. And however sinner a person may be, he will become pure and will attain abhaypad [place where no fear exists] if he comes into the contact of God, the ultimate Reality. If Lord Krishna were not gunateet [beyond the reach of the attributes of Maya] the cowherd damsels also would not have become ‘gunateet’. And if the damsels could become ‘gunateet’, it means that Lord Shree Krishna Himself is ‘gunateet’. It is the belief of vedantis that the only one ultimate reality is the all pervading Brahm.
Other women love their husbands with the same intensity and men also love their wives with the same intensity. as the damsels but these men and women do not attain the stage attained by the damsels. Most of them are cosigned to the frightful hell. Hence the ‘do’s and “dont’s are real, they are not false. And those who try to falsify them deserve to go to hell”. With these words Shreeji Maharaj concluded His talks uttered Jay Sachchidanand’ and went to His residence.
