Aptavani-4
167
The Life Given to Inanimate Objects by ‘My-
ness’
People say that there is God in every grain, in this and in
that. Isn’t there a difference between what the person is trying
to say and the way the listener understands the message?
Questioner: Of course, there has to be!
Dadashri: I will explain to you what the expectation
(apeksha) behind a message is. There are two divisions in this
world: The Atma (Self) and the anatma (the non-Self). This
table here has no chetan (life) in it. But because this table
belongs to ‘Chandubhai’, it means that it has become vested
with the chetan bhaav (living intent). That is sankalpi chetan,
or the extension of life through ‘My-ness’; it is given life because
of Chandubhai’s belief that he is its owner. If you took the table
away from him, without asking, then to such an extent, you
would be at fault. However, if you paid him for it first and then
smashed it and destroyed it, then in that case, you would not be
at fault. The chetan tattva (element of chetan; the Self) is that
in which there is knowledge (Gnan) and vision (darshan).