By combining oil and a wick, the fire of a lamp is seen. The clay lamp, the wick, the oil, and the flame are four things. The clay lamp, the wick, the oil, and the flame. These three things hold the flame. And they maintain the existence of the flame. It cannot be called existence, but it illuminates the flame along with everything else; it illuminates the flame. If the clay lamp, the wick, and the oil either run out or get separated, then the flame ceases to be visible, as Maharaj said; he said so in the Vachanamrut. That fire cannot be grasped by hand. And it becomes invisible. Maharaj has not written that fire is destroyed. Maharaj means to say that fire is not destroyed. It remains suspended in mid-air. And it is affected by fragrance and bad odor. If that fire is burning sandalwood, then the whole place is filled with fragrance. And if that fire has caught chilies, it won't let anyone sit there. Have you seen chilies burning? It makes people scream. It is better if they are just lying around as they are. Dry chilies burning. So if it has caught them, then a person realizes that this is here. Like that. Similarly, Maharaj says that in his soul, there is affection for God, God and God's devotee, that is not visible outside. But it spreads its fragrance or its bad odor. Ashwatthama had affection for the Kauravas and not for the Pandavas. He had a hostile attitude towards the Pandavas. So he spreads his bad odor wherever he goes. Like that. He went to the forest, so he spread it there. The entire Mahabharata was over, and there was someone else with him, Kritavarma or some name like that, I don't know much. Like that. Those two, the entire Mahabharata, Duryodhana and everyone else perished, and all of them were beaten and killed. And all of these were wiped out. These two survived. This is Ashwatthama. Kripacharya. So these two remained, and they fled into the forest. Otherwise, they would have been killed. Bhima. So they fled and were sleeping there at night. At night, there was a very large old tree, so there were many crows there. There, after twelve o'clock at night, owls came. And the owls came and started killing the crows and throwing them down, and started eating the chicks. Here, those two woke up, "My goodness, what is this?" Then they saw, "Oh, an owl has come." From that, a thought arose in his mind, "This is something to be learned from the owl." That when the enemies are sleeping, they should be harassed, as much as one wants. So he went and cut off the heads of the five sons of the Pandavas who were sleeping in the camp. From there, he immediately stood up, that Ashwatthama. This is his bad odor. If he does not have affection for God and God's devotee, then there is hostility; there, it is the bad odor of hostility. If he has the desire to harm them in any way within him, then that is fragrance and bad odor. Wherever he goes, it is not that if chilies are burning only here they will harass you, even if they are burning far away, they will make you cough repeatedly. So. And fragrance, wherever it is burning, sandalwood, wherever it is burning, still it transforms the entire surrounding area. If there is the fragrance of God in our soul, then it transforms the area in that way. And if there is bad odor in our soul, then it transforms it in that way. The meaning of Maharaj's saying through the illustration is indeed that. That wind is even more unattached than fire. Yet, wherever it goes, it creates such an atmosphere. If it comes over fragrance, then it makes the atmosphere fragrant. Here, we used to plant night-blooming jasmine, so when the night-blooming jasmine was there, how in the evening, if you see, such a strong fragrance comes on this side. So it is not that it gives it only there, it makes the surrounding atmosphere like that. If it is fragrance, then fragrance, and if it is bad odor, then bad odor. What is lying in the soul? You also spread it. If bad odor is all around and all of them close their noses, and you say, "There is no bad odor in me," still, brother, it makes everyone close their noses. That itself is your atmosphere, it shows you. Your atmosphere not only shows you to yourself, but it shows your inside. It brings the inside picture out and shows it. So Maharaj says that fragrance and bad odor affect not only fire but also wind. So affection for God and God's devotee is fragrance. Dislike for God and God's devotee is bad odor. In Ashwatthama, that dislike lay in his soul. And in Shukadevji, in his soul, there was goodwill towards God and God's devotee. There was goodwill, so wherever Shukadevji goes, the atmosphere changes, and wherever Ashwatthama goes, there also the atmosphere changes. Everything changes. The fire of the lamp in the illustration, in its place, is it the state of being Brahman? Or what comes? No, no, the state of being Brahman, Maharaj called its becoming invisible as the state of being Brahman. And when it was visible, that was the bodily form. But fragrance and bad odor are in both. So fragrance and bad odor are compassion and affection. That, in its place, is affection. Then in place of the state of being Brahman, is it fire? The lamp. That is, fire. The bodily form and the lamp as the bodily form. The fire of the lamp. Firstly, lamp means fire. Maharaj has used such a term, "the fire of the lamp." Fire is in place of the soul. If the lamp is burning, then that is in place of the embodied one and the bodily consciousness. And if it is not burning and remains suspended in mid-air, then that is in place of the state of being Brahman. The state of being Brahman, Maharaj says, does not come under anyone's bondage. So that. But fire, whether it is in the form of a lamp or in an invisible form, is affected by fragrance and bad odor. Like that. When a devotee, through knowledge and detachment, becomes free from worldly limitations, when he becomes free, then he attains the state of pure Brahman existence alone. Then he does not come under the bondage of Maya or in the grasp of the ropes of compassion and affection that bind. Not coming in the grasp means he is not visible. When he becomes Brahman. That is, like the existence of fire after the lamp has been extinguished. When he becomes Brahman. And when that lamp is burning, that is the worldly state. Then what is to be understood in place of the lamp? In place of fire, the soul. The soul. Two states of the soul. One, the fire of the lamp, and one, the fire after the lamp has been extinguished. That is, one is the state of being Brahman and one is the state of bodily consciousness, that. And both of them are again affected by fragrance and bad odor. Compassion and affection. Fragrance and bad odor mean compassion in God, and compassion and affection for God and God's devotee, that is fragrance. And annoyance and dislike for God and the devotee's devotee, that is his bad odor. Even if it is on the other side, that is called bad odor; even if it is of the world, that too. Just as by combining the clay lamp, oil, and wick, the fire of the lamp is seen, is perceived. If those three get separated, then the fire neither comes into sight nor is it perceived. That is, it does exist but is not perceived, as Maharaj gave an illustration in the Vachanamrut and said so. Similarly, becoming Brahman was shown, that after the association with limitations is removed, the fire is not perceived but remains unperceived, suspended in mid-air in the sky. Yet, the effects of fragrance and bad odor that affected it while burning do not go away. For example, even if we cannot see it, we realize that somewhere here a cloth is burning, or a wire is burning, or sandalwood is burning. At that time, the fire may have merged into the sky, but the good or bad odor or fragrance that affected it reveals its presence. So Maharaj says that as this soul becomes Brahman, during the period of spiritual practice, through the pure Sampraday... Is that fragrance of sandalwood or of fire? It is of sandalwood itself. Then in this, Maharaj said that the fire has been affected. So being affected means coming from outside. So being affected means that this is the fragrance of the fire. Yes. Eh? Wherever the fire goes, does the fragrance go or does the sandalwood go? Sandalwood goes and fragrance goes, like that. What went? Fire goes. Why so? Fragrance comes from sandalwood, so where does it come from fire? Now what went? That itself is said to be affected, right? Fire has been affected by sandalwood. Sandalwood was there before, but there was not so much fragrance. When it burns, it increases, so the fire has been affected. This fragrance comes from burning sandalwood; this fragrance does not come from sandalwood just as it is. Yes. This fragrance comes from sandalwood that is burning. Fragrance comes from sandalwood that is burning, so it means that the fire has been affected and that fragrance comes. And if you just place sandalwood like that, it won't have so much fragrance. Like the one that is burning has. So Maharaj says that as this soul becomes Brahman, if during the period of spiritual practice, through the pure Sampraday, it has been affected by Satsang Satsang 1) True company. The practice of associating with Bhagvãn’s sant, other satsangis, the ãtmã, and the sacred shãstras, and also observing vartmãns and niyams. 2) Also refers to the sampradãy, which is the presence of good company. Tap to open in glossary → Not only that, it increases. And reaches perfection. Like Narada, the Sanakadik, and Shukaji, he has extreme compassion and love for God and God's devotee. Perfect affection develops and perfect compassion develops, like that. And if during the stage of spiritual practice, one is devoid of worship of God, being a mere knower of the self, or is affected by bad company, he never develops love for God or God's devotee. Just as Ashwatthama had become Brahman, yet he never developed love for Lord Krishna Krishna 1) An avatãr of Bhagvãn. He incarnated in the svarup of a cowherd. This is considered to be a greater avatãr than the others, as Shree Krishna possessed all of the powers of Bhagvãn, whereas other avatãrs possessed less power. Shree Krishna conveyed the message of love and humanity to the world. Also, He recited the epic poem, the Bhagvad Geetã, to Arjun in which He stated: ‘Whenever dharma declines and adharma increases, I shall incarnate myself as a human to save the holy, to destroy the sin of the sinner, and to establish dharma. I come into being from yug to yug’. 2) In the Vachanãmrut, Shreeji Mahãrãj also uses the name “Shree Krishna” to describe Bhagvãn Purushottam Nãrãyan. Tap to open in glossary → Therefore, even if such a person becomes Brahman, the effect of bad company does not go away. He does not develop compassion or affection for God or God's devotee. Suppose someone has been affected by such bad company during the period of spiritual practice, and then wants to change it, then? If he is in the stage of spiritual practice, it can change. After he becomes perfected, it does not change. Ashwatthama would not change. Like that. But if he is in the stage of spiritual practice, and as Maharaj said, he feels remorse in his mind. That, "Our path has changed." The one I had taken in the beginning, this is not it. For him, from the very beginning, it has affected him. For him, from the very beginning, the effect of bad company... If he had the intention earlier that, "We want to go to God," then this is not it. Or if it has affected him, he feels, "This is not the path to go to God." The wrong path has been taken. The wrong path has been taken. And Maharaj says, then he does not feel like eating and feels extreme remorse. And a long time passes, then it changes. Maharaj says so in the Vachanamrut. Otherwise, it does not change. This effect, is a very strong effect. It affects after becoming Brahman, so only if it is strong, does it remain till the end, it has penetrated deep into the bones. Just as rust settles on a sword, such is the effect, so it does not change quickly. If it is the initial stage, then it can change, as Maharaj said in the Vachanamrut. Just as Ashwatthama had become Brahman, yet he never developed love for Lord Krishna Krishna 1) An avatãr of Bhagvãn. He incarnated in the svarup of a cowherd. This is considered to be a greater avatãr than the others, as Shree Krishna possessed all of the powers of Bhagvãn, whereas other avatãrs possessed less power. Shree Krishna conveyed the message of love and humanity to the world. Also, He recited the epic poem, the Bhagvad Geetã, to Arjun in which He stated: ‘Whenever dharma declines and adharma increases, I shall incarnate myself as a human to save the holy, to destroy the sin of the sinner, and to establish dharma. I come into being from yug to yug’. 2) In the Vachanãmrut, Shreeji Mahãrãj also uses the name “Shree Krishna” to describe Bhagvãn Purushottam Nãrãyan. Tap to open in glossary → Lord Krishna Krishna 1) An avatãr of Bhagvãn. He incarnated in the svarup of a cowherd. This is considered to be a greater avatãr than the others, as Shree Krishna possessed all of the powers of Bhagvãn, whereas other avatãrs possessed less power. Shree Krishna conveyed the message of love and humanity to the world. Also, He recited the epic poem, the Bhagvad Geetã, to Arjun in which He stated: ‘Whenever dharma declines and adharma increases, I shall incarnate myself as a human to save the holy, to destroy the sin of the sinner, and to establish dharma. I come into being from yug to yug’. 2) In the Vachanãmrut, Shreeji Mahãrãj also uses the name “Shree Krishna” to describe Bhagvãn Purushottam Nãrãyan. 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