6
Aptavani-5
something, the ego has to sign off on it. It also has to sign off
if the chit and buddhi agree upon something. Therefore, a
decision is made based on whatever three of them (either of the
two plus the ego) agree upon. This talk is completely at the level
of tattvagnan (elemental knowledge), which you will need to
understand through the intellect (buddhi).
You do not have Gnan (the knowledge of the Self,
attained in the Gnan Vidhi), do you?
Questioner: I do have gnan.
Dadashri: What do you consider gnan?
Questioner: Gnan means understanding (samaj).
Dadashri: Gnan does not mean understanding; it means
light (prakash). If you have light, you will not stumble. You will
not be affected if something valuable of yours gets broken or if
something really terrible happens. Do you get affected when this
happens?
Questioner: Yes, I do.
Dadashri: Then that is not light. It is all darkness. Now
what is the function (dharma) of the ego (ahamkar)?
Questioner: It is to continue to exercise the ego. It is to
maintain ahambhaav (‘I-ness’; ‘I am’).
Dadashri: No. Wherever you look the ego claims, ‘I did
it’. That is all. It simply does the ego of ‘I did it’, ‘I experienced
it!’ Who indulges in the subject (vishay) of the pleasure of
eating a mango; is it the tongue, the intellect or the ego?
Questioner: It is the ego that experiences the pleasure of
it.
Dadashri: Now the tongue takes the taste and the ego
simply claims ‘this is what I did!’ There is no such thing as ego
in the Self, but it is something that has arisen. Nevertheless,