And what is the most binding thing for every jiva? That is the answer to the question. Some said affection, some said pride, and some said the bondage of women, etc. In this way, it was said in many ways. Then Swami said, 'The most binding thing seems to be dehabhiman.' And Shreeji has also said in the Vachanamrut that all flaws reside in dehabhiman. There is an example. Just as there is a large courtyard with a big pit in the middle, which is covered with grass, and everyone falls into it, similarly, the pit of dehabhiman is covered with the grass of the five sensory pleasures. In it, all flaws like greed, lust, taste, affection, pride, etc., keep falling. Therefore, one should remove them by distinguishing between sat sat 1) True. Real. 2) Permanent, imperishable and unchanging. Is unbound by the past, the present, and the future. Tap to open in glossary → asat asat 1) False. 2) Temporary, perishable, and changing. Is bound by the past, present, and future. Tap to open in glossary → And the body is also described as a tree. From it, the sprout of the mind arises, and two large branches of 'I' and 'mine' grow, and the ten senses form small branches, and thoughts and doubts form very small twigs, and the actions performed because of them form the leaves, and just as a tree grows with leaves, infinite bodies come through actions. God has said in the Gita, right? The banyan tree, 'ashvatthamenam suvirudhamulam'. Explain that shlok shlok A verse from shãstras. Tap to open in glossary → shlok shlok A verse from shãstras. Tap to open in glossary → Nirmanamoha... That banyan tree. 'Urdhvamulamadhahshakhamashvattham prahuravyayam | chhandamsi yasya parnani yastam veda sa vedavit || adhashchordhvam prasrtastasya shakha gunapravrddha vishayapravalah | adhashcha mulanyanusantatani karmanubandhini manushyaloke ||' That one, 'tatah padam tatparimargitavyam... asangashastrena drdhena chhittva...' Cut it down. In the Gita, God gave the example of the banyan tree; in this, Swami has given the example of just a tree. Dehabhiman, what is dehabhiman called? What is called dehabhiman? What is called dehabhiman? To consider oneself as the body... That dehabhiman, what do you say? What do you think of dehabhiman? This body... he does not take care of this body. What if he makes the body like a dry leaf? Then wouldn't it be said that he didn't consider the body as his own? What if he performs intense penance and makes the body like a dry leaf, or does so by doing a lot of seva? Then can it be said that he has given up dehabhiman? Since you say so, then what should be called dehabhiman? What should it be called? Self-centered, self-centered thoughts and attitudes, in which even the subtle body is included. That is dehabhiman. Even the subtle body, even the causal body is included. That is why it is said here that it is extremely binding; it has to be understood in reverse. What is said to be binding? 'I' and 'mine'. To believe that 'I' and 'mine' are superior and never to yield, that is dehabhiman. Dehabhiman means otherwise, ascetics cause a lot of pain to the body, exploit the body greatly, and do not care about the body at all. If someone does extreme seva and makes the body completely like a dry leaf, they are all causing pain to the body. Then can it be said that their dehabhiman has gone? But does it go like that? Huh? It does not go. Therefore, giving up 'I' and 'mine' is what is called overcoming dehabhiman. 'I' resides in the body, and 'mine' resides in objects and pages. Where do we reside? What is 'mine' for us? What is yours? What is 'mine' for us? Nothing at all. After leaving everything behind, what is 'mine' for us? What is ours? One might have beliefs. One has beliefs, one's own virtues, one's own skills; giving up one's attachment to them and using them in favor of God is what is called overcoming dehabhiman. If that does not happen, it is called dehabhiman, and if one does it, it is said that they have given up dehabhiman. Dehabhiman does not mean just the body. In it, our beliefs are also part of dehabhiman... beliefs have sprouted from dehabhiman. Therefore, call it avidya, call it dehabhiman, or call it maya, all three mean the same thing. Therefore, it is more binding for everyone. Just the body is not binding. Many times, people can suppress the body greatly. They can even do seva by sacrificing the body, but they cannot be persuaded, they cannot be persuaded. They cannot be stopped, they cannot be changed. So in this, by sacrificing the body, what did he sacrifice? He cannot be changed; if he has made up his mind, he won't change even if God comes. Maharaj made all those parshads go and sit in the Ghela river during the cold of the months of Maha and Posh Posh Seventh month of the Ãshãdhi Samvat year, normally falling between December and January. Tap to open in glossary → Posh Posh Seventh month of the Ãshãdhi Samvat year, normally falling between December and January. Tap to open in glossary → They would go and sit there, many would sit in water up to their necks. So Maharaj said, 'Come on now, you have performed a lot of penance, finish it.' The month is over, otherwise, there is a rule for a month, right? The month is over and everything is finished for you. 'No, no Maharaj, we want to complete it. We have no problem with this. We are still doing seva, we have no problem, we want to complete it.' Maharaj said, 'But we are telling you, so you finish it.' So they did it insistently, to complete it. So what kind of dehabhiman is that, or what should it be called? So dehabhiman is called when no harm comes to the body, right? No pain should be caused to the body, no harm should come to the body, is that what is called dehabhiman or what? What should it be called? It is confusing. No pain should be caused to the body, no harm should come to the body, to call that dehabhiman is correct, that it shouldn't come is correct, and harm should indeed come, but if no harm comes to it, can it be said that he has given up dehabhiman? Therefore, it is very confusing. That is why it is said that in a scholar, it is in the form of a scholar, and in a fool, in the form of a fool. In a devotee, in the form of a devotee, and in a bhakhal, in the form of a bhakhal. Do you know what bhakhal is? Vishvadarshan Swamiji, what is the meaning of bhakhal? Now tell me what bhakhal is. Does Saral Swami know bhakhal? See, you don't know. Sadgun Swami, explain it to everyone, you are his guru guru A teacher. He will guide you on the path of kalyãn. Tap to open in glossary → To abandon Maharaj's rules and accept whatever comes, that is called bhakhal. Maharaj has given rules, right? Not to abide by the rules, and if no rules hinder at all, then it is called bhakhal. Therefore, maya resides in a devotee in the form of a devotee, and in a bhakhal in the form of a bhakhal; dehabhiman resides. Nishkulanand Swami Nishkulanand Swami Disciple of Sahajanand Swami (Swaminarayan Bhagwan) and author of the Bhaktachintamani, as stated in the scripture's own closing colophon at the end of every chapter. Tap to open in glossary → AI translation of the Gujarati transcript above, produced in the same pass that transcribed the audio, one English segment per Gujarati segment. Devotional and technical terms with no precise English equivalent (kirtan, satsang, vasana, samskara, and similar) are kept as their plain transliteration rather than force-translated. Not human-proofread., AI-translated, unverified · Source details