Aptavani-2
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vow not to criticize, then at some point in time you will have to
become free from that vow too.
Where is vitaragata (non-attached interaction)? You can
find vitaragata where both praise and criticism are considered
equal. ‘Our’ words may be candid and harsh, but the vision
within remains the same. The intent (bhaav) is balanced and
non-partial. When praise and criticism appear the same to you
on the outside, then the same will be the case on the inside. One
will have to rise above these dualities. This world has arisen
from such dualities. Praises and criticisms are dualities. One will
have to rise above these dualities; he will have to become a
vitarag.
Excess of likes and dislikes leads to raag-dwesh
Like and dislike are two divisions. Like brings pleasure
and dislike brings pain. When you like something excessively, it
can turn into dislike. If you like ice cream a lot and they feed you
ice cream day and night for eight days, what would happen?
Questioner : I would get tired of it.
Dadashri : Excesses of likes-dislikes result in raag-
dwesh but if they remain as likes and dislikes then there is no
problem. Like-dislike is an effect of karmas that are neutral
(nokarma), these karmas are light and of no significance; they
are not sticky. They do not hurt anyone. If there is a chair and
a mat, even this Gnani Purush will sit on the chair because that
is appropriate and acceptable to everyone, however if someone
were to say to ‘us’, ‘sit over there’, ‘we’ would get up and sit
where he tells me to. ‘We’ too have likes and dislikes. If you
make ‘us’ sit on the floor, ‘we’ would do so; ‘we’ would make
an internal adjustment to ‘like’ sitting on the floor. For us (the
relative self) a trace of like-dislike remains from the past, but the
Self does not have any like-dislike. Like-dislike is not an effect
of the Self. When you eat vegetables and they are bitter, there