Aptavani-6
31
worldly conduct (vyavahar charitra) all the way to the conduct
as the Self (atma charitra). There is knowledge (gnan), vision
(darshan), conduct (charitra) and penance (tapa). In all this,
the conduct as the Self (atma charitra) is the ultimate conduct.
Worldly conduct (vyavahar charitra) is visible and evident, but
you cannot have a snapshot of conduct of the Self, because it
is not tangible. There is no snapshot of the ultimate four –
knowledge, vision, conduct and penance.
Questioner: Which is the ultimate penance (tapa)?
Dadashri: When someone insults you and you remember
my words (Dadashri’s fourth Agna to settle with equanimity) at
that time and decide, ‘I want to settle (this account) with
equanimity,’ that is considered penance. You will experience
penance (tapa) at that time.
All external penance is considered overt penance (sthool
tapa). It is penance that others can know or see and its fruit or
reward is worldly happiness. Inner penance is subtle penance
(sookshma tapa) and its reward is liberation (moksha).
When someone insults you with foul language, at that time
the mind, intellect, chit and ego will ‘heat up’ within, and when
you continue ‘seeing’ this (reaction within) until it all cools down,
it is considered subtle penance (sookshma tapa).
If a mother-in-law scolds all the time, a smart daughter-
in-law will continue to reap the opportunity of the subtle penance.
Such penance is freely available, sitting at home, in India. The
Ganges River (considered holy in India with purifying properties)
flows all the way to the home and yet people do not take
advantage of it, do they? When your husband says something
unpleasant, you should ‘do’ penance at that time.
Questioner: Where is the place for penance in Akram
Vignan (science of Dadashri’s step-less path to liberation)?