Aptavani-8
353
will take over. It is like that sheth, after he has had a bit to drink
in the evening, what does he say? ‘I am king of so and so.’ Why
does he talk like that? Has that sheth gone mad? No. He is
under the influence of the alcohol, which has given rise to illusion
(bhranti).
Questioner: What placed him in those circumstances,
was it the Atma that put him there, or was it illusion (bhranti)
that put him there? And can the Atma not control him?
Dadashri: The Atma has nothing to do with it. This is all
the ego’s doing. The one that is suffering is the ego (ahamkar).
The one that suffers the unhappiness (dukh) is the ego, and the
one that enjoys happiness (sukh) is also the ego. Therefore,
when the ego disappears, you become the Atma and you are
then worthy of freedom (mukti). It is because of ego that the
entire worldly life (sansar) stays standing, and it is also because
of ego that we have attachment-abhorrence (raag-dwesh). And
all because of ego you are the doer of karma. When there is
no more ego (ahamkar), you will cease to be the doer of
karma. Right now, you are the doer of karma. Therefore, you
are also the sufferer. It is because of illusion (bhranti) that this
doership arises within you.
So the sheth was not talking gibberish, so long as he was
not drinking alcohol. But as soon as he drinks the alcohol, he
begins his gibberish, and would even use abusive language at
someone. You could then say that karma was done by being
inebriated; it was done through illusion (bhranti). But then would
he not have to suffer the consequences? The other person is not
likely to let it go, is he? Would he not berate him by saying, ‘You
were drunk and you were swearing at me.’ So that is how these
karmas have to be suffered. And because you yourself become
the doer of the karma, you yourself are giving support to the
karma. ‘I am doing it.’ Goodness sakes! You do not even have
the power (shakti) to defecate, and why are you saying, ‘I am
the one doing all this.’ That is precisely why these karmas are