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Aptavani-1
‘Gnan is itself the Self ’. One becomes what one knows.
If the knowledge is deluded and wrong (viprit gnan), the self
too will be deluded. The self becomes the knowledge on which
one pins his faith. Once you have faith in something, you will
acquire knowledge to help that faith. The coming together of
faith and knowledge results in conduct (charitra). The self
becomes like that too. Suppose a mother-in-law tells her
daughter-in-law that she is crazy, the daughter-in-law will not
be affected as long as she does not believe (have faith) in her
mother-in-law’s statement. Even if the whole world were to call
her mad, it would not have an effect on her. But if her belief
changed and she started believing that something was wrong
with her mind, she would really turn mad. So never let anyone
or anything in the world influence or affect you.
Whatever you empower and charge into the self, that will
become your state. If you believe that you are Chandulal, you
will become Chandulal.
Questioner : What is the difference between shraddha
(faith) and Gnan (knowledge)?
Dadashri : Shraddha, faith or darshan is undecided gnan
and gnan is decided gnan or experiential knowledge. For
example, we are sitting in a park in the dark and you hear a
sound. I tell you there is something there and you agree. Now
what type of gnan (knowledge) is this? It is shraddha or darshan
or belief. Then we go and investi