With devotion, the soul elevates. So, one should have devotion. Even if he does not do the work, but has devotion, he still elevates. And then if he takes action, then he achieves success. Even if he just has devotion, he elevates. That is why, God said in the Gita, "nehābhikrama-nāśo 'sti pratyavāyo na vidyate." "nehābhikrama-nāśo 'sti" means he has only had devotion, the desire for selfless service. He may not have done anything. If he is on his deathbed, and thinks, "If I get well, I will do this." Even then, Maharaj says, he attains a great status. It is said so in Satsangi Satsangi A person who practises satsang. Tap to open in glossary → In the second chapter of Satsangi Satsangi A person who practises satsang. Tap to open in glossary → in the chapter on Dharma Dharma 1) Universal law or principle that 'sustains' or 'upholds' the entire world. Righteousness, morality, religion, Tap to open in glossary → "I want to perform such good conduct." Even then, he gets its fruit. In the Gita, it is said "nehābhikrama-nāśo". "Abhikrama" means just the beginning. In the beginning, there is only devotion. A person starts with devotion, first the feeling comes. The feeling, as they say, becomes filled with emotion. Then the person begins. And then completes it. So, even if there is only feeling, Maharaj says there are two ways to attain a great status. One is to remain free from desires. If one remains free from desires, then he attains a great status. A person goes down only because of desires. Because of desires, the soul goes down. If he has the capacity to remain free from desires, then he attains a great status. So, the soul cannot remain free from desires. But Maharaj has shown a technique for that, and that technique is completely worldly, a very natural technique. Maharaj says, no matter how ordinary a soul is, he can still remain free from desires towards his mother and sister. Even an ordinary soul. If he has such a feeling here, then here also he can remain free from desires. Mostly, what happens? That either a person gets too many resources, meaning too much enjoyment, or there is an extreme lack of enjoyment, then desires arise in him. He becomes agitated. Desire means agitation. Desire is a slightly milder word, and agitation is a slightly stronger word. So, he becomes agitated. If he gets it, then he feels, "Now let me enjoy this," "and let me enjoy it quickly, let me consume everything." Even if he has attained it, he still feels so. And in lack also, he becomes agitated. That, "Oh, I have nothing." "I have nothing." Ordinary people become agitated even in ordinary situations. But even very good spiritual seekers, at these two times, become agitated. Either when they get nothing at all, or when there is an abundance. So, Maharaj says, that there is no beauty like Radhikaji and Lakshmiji in this world, in all the three worlds. And when they are described, then whose mind remains free from desires? So, "whose mind remains free from desires" is a challenge Maharaj has thrown to the spiritual seekers. Those who walk on the path of God, He has challenged them. When there is an extreme abundance, or when there is an extreme lack, then even the best spiritual seekers become agitated. That, "We want to do it, but what do we do now?" "And we have nothing at all." Like that. An ordinary soul becomes agitated in everything, if he is ordinary. But if he is a spiritual seeker, he does not become agitated in ordinary situations. In ordinary situations, he just walks through free from desires. What if there is nothing? And what if there is a slight increase? An increase in happiness. An increase in quality. Maharaj said, the extremely beautiful five sensory objects, they are the cause of the rise of attachment. So, if something extremely beautiful comes, or if something extremely bad comes, Then even the best spiritual seekers become agitated. In negative situations, they become agitated differently, and in this, they become agitated differently. In this, they drown completely, and in negative situations, they become sad, "Oh, "We don't want this." "We don't want this." That is also agitation. It is a kind of distortion, "We don't want this, we don't want this." Like that. Maharaj says, in that other Vachanamrut, a very nice point was mentioned, that when a well is being dug, then rags are stuffed from outside. Inside. In the beginning, rags are stuffed from outside where water is coming in. They dig from inside. If the water inside does not push back the water outside, it won't let them dig. So, the inside, then Maharaj says, one's own soul inside, with conviction and with the glory of God, should remain full from inside. And the outside streams should not be allowed to come inside. Then his heart, the five sensory objects that have entered previously, they will come out. And otherwise, they won't come out. Those that have entered will remain stuffed in there. And they won't let it become pure from inside. If all that dirt is put from outside, then whatever is inside, it spoils everything. So, a person becomes agitated in these two ways. And in that other one also, two such things are said. That either when a person becomes very great while doing spiritual practice, he becomes agitated, then he forgets the attitude of a servant. And either when there is nothing at all, "With what should I serve?" The attitude of a servant, it goes away in these two situations. It goes away even for the best of people. There is nothing at all. There is no resource, there is no person, there is nothing at all. So, it is written in that, "māṇā, pāṇā, nāṇā, and tāṇā." Even if there is nothing, he still does it. Even if there is nothing, he still does it. So, if there is no person, or if in the name of convenience, there is a zero, then, "Now we don't want to do any service." "We want to do it, but" "we are leaving it." "We want to do it, but we are leaving it." That means he deviated from the attitude of a servant. And Maharaj said that if he has devotion, then he keeps attaining higher and higher statuses. Then, if he keeps attaining higher and higher statuses, then does the attitude of a servant remain? And in that, Maharaj even said that he himself becomes Brahm Brahm 1) The dhãm of Bhagvãn. It is eternal, complete with all gun, luminous, and flawless. Also called Akshar, or Akshar-Brahm, or Akshardhãm. 2) Fourth of the five eternal entities, which transcends everything except Purushottam (jeev, ishvar, Mãyã, and Brahm, and Parbrahm). Tap to open in glossary → Brahm Brahm 1) The dhãm of Bhagvãn. It is eternal, complete with all gun, luminous, and flawless. Also called Akshar, or Akshar-Brahm, or Akshardhãm. 2) Fourth of the five eternal entities, which transcends everything except Purushottam (jeev, ishvar, Mãyã, and Brahm, and Parbrahm). Tap to open in glossary → To leave the service of God, meaning, "Now whom should I serve?" The service of God, he himself has become Brahm Brahm 1) The dhãm of Bhagvãn. It is eternal, complete with all gun, luminous, and flawless. Also called Akshar, or Akshar-Brahm, or Akshardhãm. 2) Fourth of the five eternal entities, which transcends everything except Purushottam (jeev, ishvar, Mãyã, and Brahm, and Parbrahm). Tap to open in glossary → then whom should he serve? So, either he attains a very great success, so he stops being a servant. And either he becomes devoid of all conveniences, becomes zero, then service slips away from him. In the other case, he deliberately lets it slip away. So, there are also two ways to attain a great status. And there are also two ways to fall down. One, free from desires, to remain, and to become a servant. Those two are the ways to attain a great status. It is well-known in the scriptures. If he gets it, and remains free from desires, then he has indeed become great. He attains a great status. If he gets success and still remains a servant, no one can match his greatness. Whether it is of this world, or of the other world, whatever success it may be, and he still remains a servant, so even the best of people drown in it, that is why Maharaj warned. All this self-knowledge is indeed devotion, isn't it? Soul is Supreme Soul, meaning the feeling of the Supreme Soul. In the Brahma Sutras, there is the mention of symbolic worship. Symbol, as they say. The instruction of symbol comes, meaning it comes in the Upanishads, and its subject is taken in the Brahma Sutras, symbolic instruction. "pṛthivī brahma iti upāsīta." "This earth is Brahm Brahm 1) The dhãm of Bhagvãn. It is eternal, complete with all gun, luminous, and flawless. Also called Akshar, or Akshar-Brahm, or Akshardhãm. 2) Fourth of the five eternal entities, which transcends everything except Purushottam (jeev, ishvar, Mãyã, and Brahm, and Parbrahm). Tap to open in glossary → Brahm Brahm 1) The dhãm of Bhagvãn. It is eternal, complete with all gun, luminous, and flawless. Also called Akshar, or Akshar-Brahm, or Akshardhãm. 2) Fourth of the five eternal entities, which transcends everything except Purushottam (jeev, ishvar, Mãyã, and Brahm, and Parbrahm). Tap to open in glossary → Brahm Brahm 1) The dhãm of Bhagvãn. It is eternal, complete with all gun, luminous, and flawless. Also called Akshar, or Akshar-Brahm, or Akshardhãm. 2) Fourth of the five eternal entities, which transcends everything except Purushottam (jeev, ishvar, Mãyã, and Brahm, and Parbrahm). Tap to open in glossary → Brahm Brahm 1) The dhãm of Bhagvãn. It is eternal, complete with all gun, luminous, and flawless. Also called Akshar, or Akshar-Brahm, or Akshardhãm. 2) Fourth of the five eternal entities, which transcends everything except Purushottam (jeev, ishvar, Mãyã, and Brahm, and Parbrahm). Tap to open in glossary → his vision reached up to the earth. The covering of the earth did not remain for him at all. Directly. Then he came back again. That, "Maharaj, Guru Guru A teacher. He will guide you on the path of kalyãn. Tap to open in glossary → Brahm Brahm 1) The dhãm of Bhagvãn. It is eternal, complete with all gun, luminous, and flawless. Also called Akshar, or Akshar-Brahm, or Akshardhãm. 2) Fourth of the five eternal entities, which transcends everything except Purushottam (jeev, ishvar, Mãyã, and Brahm, and Parbrahm). Tap to open in glossary → So he said, "jalam brahma iti upāsīta." "Meditate that water is Brahm Brahm 1) The dhãm of Bhagvãn. It is eternal, complete with all gun, luminous, and flawless. Also called Akshar, or Akshar-Brahm, or Akshardhãm. 2) Fourth of the five eternal entities, which transcends everything except Purushottam (jeev, ishvar, Mãyã, and Brahm, and Parbrahm). Tap to open in glossary → Brahm Brahm 1) The dhãm of Bhagvãn. It is eternal, complete with all gun, luminous, and flawless. Also called Akshar, or Akshar-Brahm, or Akshardhãm. 2) Fourth of the five eternal entities, which transcends everything except Purushottam (jeev, ishvar, Mãyã, and Brahm, and Parbrahm). Tap to open in glossary → I tell you. Huh? Is earth Brahm Brahm 1) The dhãm of Bhagvãn. It is eternal, complete with all gun, luminous, and flawless. Also called Akshar, or Akshar-Brahm, or Akshardhãm. 2) Fourth of the five eternal entities, which transcends everything except Purushottam (jeev, ishvar, Mãyã, and Brahm, and Parbrahm). Tap to open in glossary → Is it or not? It is not. But in that, one has to meditate. That is called symbolic worship. The idol is indeed a kind of symbolic worship, but it is not completely like that other one. In that, we have meditated on Maharaj directly, and in the idol, it is said that in the earth, one has to meditate, it comes only when you meditate. And in the idol, since the consecration of feeling has been done, the idol is God Himself, the form of God. But it is close to it. By doing so, he reached the very end. Water is Brahm Brahm 1) The dhãm of Bhagvãn. It is eternal, complete with all gun, luminous, and flawless. Also called Akshar, or Akshar-Brahm, or Akshardhãm. 2) Fourth of the five eternal entities, which transcends everything except Purushottam (jeev, ishvar, Mãyã, and Brahm, and Parbrahm). Tap to open in glossary → Brahm Brahm 1) The dhãm of Bhagvãn. It is eternal, complete with all gun, luminous, and flawless. Also called Akshar, or Akshar-Brahm, or Akshardhãm. 2) Fourth of the five eternal entities, which transcends everything except Purushottam (jeev, ishvar, Mãyã, and Brahm, and Parbrahm). Tap to open in glossary → Brahm Brahm 1) The dhãm of Bhagvãn. It is eternal, complete with all gun, luminous, and flawless. Also called Akshar, or Akshar-Brahm, or Akshardhãm. 2) Fourth of the five eternal entities, which transcends everything except Purushottam (jeev, ishvar, Mãyã, and Brahm, and Parbrahm). Tap to open in glossary → So, one has to meditate on it. And by meditating, he keeps becoming great. As the meditation becomes successful, so he kept attaining such great statuses. And he himself also kept becoming that form. But then his limit came. Then he said, "Tell me if there is still anything further ahead of this." So he said, "mūrdhāste nipatiṣyati." "Now if you meditate further, your head will fly off." "Now if you meditate further, if you interfere further in that, then your head will fly off." Where? That, "Now there is nothing else further ahead of God." "There is no Brahm Brahm 1) The dhãm of Bhagvãn. It is eternal, complete with all gun, luminous, and flawless. Also called Akshar, or Akshar-Brahm, or Akshardhãm. 2) Fourth of the five eternal entities, which transcends everything except Purushottam (jeev, ishvar, Mãyã, and Brahm, and Parbrahm). Tap to open in glossary → "He Himself is the great Brahm Brahm 1) The dhãm of Bhagvãn. It is eternal, complete with all gun, luminous, and flawless. Also called Akshar, or Akshar-Brahm, or Akshardhãm. 2) Fourth of the five eternal entities, which transcends everything except Purushottam (jeev, ishvar, Mãyã, and Brahm, and Parbrahm). Tap to open in glossary → But that is to be meditated upon, and through meditation, he keeps becoming the greatest. But in that, if he himself meditates on Brahm Brahm 1) The dhãm of Bhagvãn. It is eternal, complete with all gun, luminous, and flawless. Also called Akshar, or Akshar-Brahm, or Akshardhãm. 2) Fourth of the five eternal entities, which transcends everything except Purushottam (jeev, ishvar, Mãyã, and Brahm, and Parbrahm). Tap to open in glossary → Brahm Brahm 1) The dhãm of Bhagvãn. It is eternal, complete with all gun, luminous, and flawless. Also called Akshar, or Akshar-Brahm, or Akshardhãm. 2) Fourth of the five eternal entities, which transcends everything except Purushottam (jeev, ishvar, Mãyã, and Brahm, and Parbrahm). Tap to open in glossary → That, "Meditate on Brahm Brahm 1) The dhãm of Bhagvãn. It is eternal, complete with all gun, luminous, and flawless. Also called Akshar, or Akshar-Brahm, or Akshardhãm. 2) Fourth of the five eternal entities, which transcends everything except Purushottam (jeev, ishvar, Mãyã, and Brahm, and Parbrahm). Tap to open in glossary → But by doing what? Keeping the attitude of a servant in your heart, do whatever meditation you want to do. No problem with that. Those who believe in formless God, all these people, they forget the attitude of a servant and think, "I myself am Brahm Brahm 1) The dhãm of Bhagvãn. It is eternal, complete with all gun, luminous, and flawless. Also called Akshar, or Akshar-Brahm, or Akshardhãm. 2) Fourth of the five eternal entities, which transcends everything except Purushottam (jeev, ishvar, Mãyã, and Brahm, and Parbrahm). Tap to open in glossary → Like that. "I myself am the all-powerful ruler." Bossism, it desires to fall down. The other one says, that is it. If God has given you a chance and makes you a boss, even then, do not consider yourself a boss. Maharaj says so, consider yourself a servant. Consider yourself a servant. No matter how much respect Maharaj gives to Muktanand Swami, and Maharaj even said up to that point, "Go, we are not coming, so whatever worship materials you have prepared for us, perform the worship of Muktanand Swami with that." So, all the devotees decorated Muktanand Swami on a swing with all the ornaments, and even told Muktanand Swami, "You accept this, fulfill the devotion of these devotees." So they seated him on the swing and decorated him with flowers and everything. But still, Muktanand Swami did not feel, "I have become Brahm Brahm 1) The dhãm of Bhagvãn. It is eternal, complete with all gun, luminous, and flawless. Also called Akshar, or Akshar-Brahm, or Akshardhãm. 2) Fourth of the five eternal entities, which transcends everything except Purushottam (jeev, ishvar, Mãyã, and Brahm, and Parbrahm). Tap to open in glossary → Muktanand Swami felt, "I am a servant." That is called remaining free from desires. And that is called remaining a servant. Even if he reaches the very top, still he remained a servant. Maharaj told that Shekhji, "I give you divine powers, go." Divine powers just like Maharaj. "If you touch this end, they will go into samadhi, and if you touch this end, they will wake up." "Go." "But you have to do one thing, do not accept our food offering." "Do not eat the food offering like us." "And do not accept all these things like us." "Do not accept worship." "You just have to do the work." But he could not remain so. God had given it to him. For Muktanand Swami, it cannot be said that God gave it, it was his own spiritual practice, a vast spiritual practice. And he had the worship of Maharaj, still he virtues had naturally arisen from within him. And still, he himself considered himself that, "I am a servant of God." "I am not just anyone." Maharaj said in the 62nd Vachanamrut, that, "This attitude of a servant, Muktanand Swami, Gopal, this point we have, especially for Muktanand Swami" "and Gopalanand Swami, we have made it especially." So, Muktanand Swami folded his hands and said, "Yes, yes, Maharaj, you have made this point especially for me." So, there are two ways to grow. Remaining free from desires, meaning keeping a selfless attitude. A selfless attitude, this is for the servant, this is the duty of a servant, so everything is to be offered to God. It is not for my enjoyment. "It is not for my enjoyment." If he can remain free from desires like that, then he elevates. And no matter how great he has become, he can still remain a servant. One can remain free from desires in the beginning. If there is nothing, then he is indeed free from desires, isn't it? Secondly. If there is nothing, then he is indeed free from desires. So, in the beginning, a person can remain free from desires, in the stage of a spiritual seeker. But if some achievement happens, then he cannot remain a servant and free from desires. Either when it goes away completely, when he becomes zero, then also he cannot remain free from desires. Then desires arise, "I don't have this, I don't have this, I don't have this." Then he cannot be said to have remained free from desires. If desires arise in the state of lack, then he cannot remain free from desires. And in the state of attainment also, if if he starts enjoying, and becomes proud of his status, then also he does not remain free from desires. Then he does not attain a great status. But if he did not remain free from desires, then he attains a lower status. He goes down. Even if he is doing spiritual practice, he goes down. All this, Maharaj has extracted the essence, religions of years, religions of years, extracting the essence from all of them, He has brought this out. He has brought this out. Maharaj says, if one becomes extremely detached, even if he becomes extremely detached, still the devotion and worship of God gets disrupted, the attitude of a servant goes away. "I don't want anything at all." So, the attitude of a servant goes away. Even if he becomes extremely detached, it gets disrupted, and if he walks on an extremely passionate path, still, while offering to God, he himself starts enjoying. While offering to God, he himself starts enjoying. Then also he falls. So, very there are religions of thousands of years, extracting the essence from them, Maharaj has put the essence of the scriptures. That there are two ways to attain a great status. And the ways to fall are also the exact same two. The only difference is, to set the intention right from within. If the soul has made such an intention from within, "Even after attaining a great status, we are servants," and even if there is nothing, still he wants nothing at all, then where is the problem for him? He is indeed free from desires. But then, when there is nothing, the state of a servant becomes zero. If there is nothing, that is why Maharaj said this, that if one keeps extreme detachment like a Dhundhiya, if he keeps extreme detachment, then he keeps extreme detachment knowingly. But what if he does not get it? Even if he does not get it, the attitude of a servant becomes zero. And what if he has become very great? If ten or twelve levels of people are working under him as servants, saying "Yes sir, yes sir, yes sir," then what should he do? What does he start believing? Does he believe that, "I am a servant?" "I am born to receive service." He starts feeling, "I am born to receive service." Even then, Maharaj says, he fell. He fell. [Music] 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