Aptavani-2
471
Only the one who can swim can save those who
are drowning
It is critical to know the main path of liberation. For that
we need the one who can give us the path of liberation; we need
a ‘liberator’. And such a One has to be the one who has
crossed the ocean of worldly life and can help others do the
same. If the ‘liberator’ himself is drowning, how can he take you
across safely? The bestower of moksha comes only to give you
the gift of moksha and not to take anything away from you.
What can the one who has come to attain moksha himself give
you? Are you likely to get charity from a person who seeks it
himself? Your work for attaining liberation will be accomplished
through the Gnani Purush who has come to give the gift of
moksha. It comes from the bestower of moksha who is moksha
swaroop, who is verily liberated and has a stockpile of it! He is
the only one who can give you moksha.
How can the whole world understand vitaragata and
attain the path of vitarag? They may not attain moksha but at
least they have to attain the path of the vitarag. Travel a mile
but travel the vitarag path. Whatever religion you choose,
travel the vitarag miles in that religion and it does not matter if
there is only one such mile in it. That is all the Gnani Purush
is telling you.
These books (Aptavanis) are like diamonds. The scriptures
are like a mixture of few real diamonds and many imitation ones.
If there is a true ‘diamond merchant’, a true seeker of liberation,
he may be able to identify a worthy book, but there are no such
merchants today and if there are, they are very few. The art of
dealing with diamonds has disappeared hence there are no true
diamond merchants left. That profession has disappeared and so
has its art. So what do the scriptures do? They show you the
path; they say, “Go to a Gnani.” They say this because the Self
is beyond words and cannot be described.