260
Aptavani-8
Questioner: The body is not mine.
Dadashri: Does this body not affect you? Do you feel
cold? Or do you feel warm?
Questioner: It is the body that experiences that.
Dadashri: The body experiences it, but you do not
experience it, do you? You do experience the effects of this
body, do you not? What are you affected by? You can feel the
effects of whatever is yours. Anything that is not yours, will not
affect you. Can you comprehend this? Therefore, what is it that
affects you? It is something that you believe is yours. You are
affected by it when you say, ‘this body is mine’. Even in sleep,
you have this awareness. Even in your sleep, you say, ‘this body
is mine. This name is mine’. So, when it is yours, is it something
we can just let go?
Therefore, this I (hoo) is not something that you are likely
to be free of. The ‘I’ is the biggest ghost. Many say, ‘this body
is not mine, this is not my son, this is not my wife; no one is
mine.’ This is the kind of fruitless hassle they do. Nevertheless,
ultimately you are there of course, are you not? Now where will
you go? And where do you throw this mind, speech and body?
Where will you throw this body? All other forms of material
things can be discarded, but how are you going to discard this
one? If one goes to the Gnani Purush, the Gnani Purush will
free him.
Will the Endeavor to Understand be Fruitful?
Questioner: I am also actually trying to understand the
Atma.
Dadashri: When will that attempt to understand occur?
If you are Chandubhai, how will you try to understand? And
really, you are not Chandubhai at all. Chandubhai is your name.
You are this boy’s father; that too is a worldly interaction
(vyavahar). Besides, we accept all that anyway. What is new