Asserted Topics:
The extraordinary cause of salvation.
Key Points:
- Knowledge of the divine form and glory of bhagwan are the most extraordinary means to attain salvation.
- One who develops the same level of love that he possesses in the family, that becomes the cause of an extraordinary salvation.
- Vices like anger, lust etc are hindering only because there is no love in bhagwan equivalent to family.
Explanation
In this Vachanāmrut, Shreeji Māharāj encourages to ask questions. Then, Muktanand Swami asked: “What is the means to attain extraordinary salvation?” Shreeji Māharāj responds: “The knowledge of the divine form and glory of bhagwan are the two means to salvation. Here, what is salvation? That should be understood first. Salvation means liberation. The term liberation is relative, therefore; it can be referred to as liberation from the cycle of birth and death, freedom from agnosy and freedom from nature (self-nature produced from agnosy).
There is a co-relative quartet in spiritual scriptures. Such as, in medical science there are four parts for example, disease, cause of disease, medicine to cure it and health. Similarly, in spiritual scriptures also, there are four parameters to think: bond (of Maya), cause of bond, solution of freedom from bond, and state of salvation. Harililamrut also states several types of liberation for example, some sleep after intoxication. There are several types of salvation that are believed in different opinions such as, immersion in bhagwan, separation from twenty four elements etc. However, according to Maharaj, salvation is to serve Maharaj in the divine abode being in the form of brahm as mentioned in the 121st sloka of Shikshapatri: ‘तत्र ब्रह्मात्मना कृष्ण सेवा मुक्तिश्च गम्यताम्।’
Pursuant to it, Maharaj showed the knowledge of the divine form of bhagwan and glory as an extraordinary cause of salvation. With the knowledge of divine form, one can achieve attachment-deep love, and by glory, one can serve. One who possesses deep love in someone, he serves that person naturally. It can either be the path of the world or salvation. The deep love in anyone is called attachment. One engages in the service of a person without inspiration for whom he has a profound attachment. Jiva has profound love-attachment in women, children etc., which makes him devote entire life to them naturally. Thus, Muktanand swami asked a second question: What is the form of love?
Then Maharaj said: there should not be thoughts in love. There must be equivalent love in bhagwan as one possesses in the family. In reality, the nature of love is thoughtless. There is direct leap, sacrifice and heap of dedication in love. While understanding the glory is a sequential process. Its progress is sequential. The progress of Gyan and Dharma is progressive but not hasty. There is a direct leap in love and Vairagya, and seems lower sequential progress.
The love for family is thoughtless. There is no calculation of virtues of how much love should be there for them. It is a direct mathematics of heap of dedication, once a relation comes into existence. Thus, Maharaj says, we must have love in bhagwan at least equivalent to the love in family. It must be consistent but not periodically established and demolished. Because, indirectly the answer of the first question is, when there is deep love in bhagwan equivalent to family, it becomes the cause of salvation even though there is not enough knowledge of divine form or glory. Eventually, the knowledge of divine form and glory becomes the cause of salvation, as considered by Maharj, by creating love. The true love in bhagwan becomes the cause of serving to the Maharaj in his abode being brahm. There is no sequential process for it. Therefore, knowledge of divine form and glory is a highway.
Salvation is to serve Maharaj being brahm in the abode. Maharaj, after the discussion on salvation, later discusses the reason for bondage in the question of Shivanand swami. Swami asked the question: one has the expediency to stay in satsang, yet why is he not able to avoid inappropriate nature. Maharaj replied: he does not possess true expediency of bhagwan. One possesses more love in nature than bhagwan. Thus, to fulfil nature means to serve nature one is always present which is a huge obstacle in the service of bhagwan. One involves in the service of nature and its nurturer body, woman and money by force that is bondage.
This Jiva has taken many births and has been serving those three things, and for that he serves anyone happily who fulfils those desires. By taking billions of births, this is what Jiva has been doing, but he didn’t serve bhagwan and devotees. If he started serving then didn’t complete it. The reason is the nature of Jiva. If he believes those as an enemy then they get away. One can remove those hurdles if he has love in the service of bhawan or satsang like family, and he can join the service of Maharaj ceaselessly.