This Week In History(2) - 8 to 14 January

Brahmanand Swami born at Khangam

Vachanamrut Gadhada II-44
Elaborating upon how noble qualities develop, Shriji Maharaj says, “If one previously has kept the company of the great Purush or has had the darshan of God, then one will only perceive one’s own flaws but will never perceive flaws in any other devotee of God.’ A person with such characteristics should be known to be godly.”

|| 10 January ||

Shanti Bhagat initiated into sadhu-fold. Named Sadhu Narayanswarupdas. Later known as Pramukh Swami Maharaj

|| 11 January ||

Vachanamrut Gadhada I-34
Shriji Maharaj gives the reason why misery occurs in people’s lives, “When one ignores the injunctions of God and begins to stray away from them, one suffers. On the other hand, if one acts according to those injunctions, one will experience the true bliss of God. So, in fact, one suffers only to the extent that one transgresses the injunctions of God. Therefore, renunciants should live according to the injunctions that have been prescribed for renunciants, and householders should live according to the injunctions that have been prescribed for householders. One suffers to the extent that one lapses in observing these injunctions.”

|| 12 January ||

Vachanamrut Gadhada I-35
Shriji Maharaj says, “If a person does not keep the following four swabhavs with God or His Sant, then his intellect will never become demonic.”

Vachanamrut Vartal-8
Describing a method of meditation, Shriji Maharaj says, “When one wishes to offer puja to a deity, the deity accepts the puja only after one becomes as pure as the deity. Similarly, one who keeps his vrutti on God’s form should, according to the method prescribed in the Sankhya scriptures, realise his own self to be distinct from the three bodies – sthul, sukshma and karan; and only after attaining atma-realisation, should he fix his vrutti on God’s form. While repeatedly fixing his vrutti in such a manner, when his vrutti is eventually absorbed into God’s form, that state has been defined as sleep for a meditating yogi; but a yogi’s sleep is never like the state of being eclipsed during deep sleep.”

|| 13 January ||

Vachanamrut Gadhada I-36
Defining a true renunciant, Shriji Maharaj says, “For a true renunciant both dirt and gold are equal. Moreover, a renunciant never makes distinctions by thinking, ‘This object is pleasant, and this object is unpleasant.’ He never has such an understanding; instead, he has affection only towards God. Only such a person is a true renunciant.”

|| 14 January ||

Vachanamrut Gadhada I-37
Emphasizing the absolute necessity of offering devotion to God, Shriji Maharaj says, “A person may be serving me, but if there is no bhakti for God in his heart, I cannot develop a liking for him – even if I try. Even if he is as virtuous as Naradji, if he lacks bhakti for God, I do not like him.”