368
Aptavani-8
Dadashri: The Atma does not have illusion (bhranti); it
is just the vision (darshan) that has been covered up. The vision
of the real, fundamental (muda) Atma, has been entirely covered
up. Because of the external gift these people on the outside give
him; the gift of ignorance (agnan) the very moment he is born.
They themselves are ignorant (agnani) and they place him on
the rung of ignorance. Therefore, he too starts to believe it, and
because he believes it, the vision (darshan) gets covered. Because
the vision gets covered he says, ‘This is my father-in-law, and this
is my uncle.’ And I am telling you, that these are all wrong beliefs.
One’s Salvation Is Through the Awareness of
the Main Self Form
Questioner: So is that not the same as saying that the
Atma has to work towards its own liberation?
Dadashri: The liberation of the Atma has to be done by
the Atma itself, which means that fundamentally the Atma is
something that is already liberated. However, the atma that one
believes in, the atma that has been instilled with life (pratishthit
atma), is not really the right belief. The fundamental and real
(muda) Atma is already liberated, but the atma that has been
instilled with life (pratishthit atma) is the atma one where he
considers his own self to be. When he himself, comes to know
that, ‘This is indeed my own form and nature (swaroop), and I
am with Knowledge (Gnan), with Vision (Darshan), with
Conduct (Charitra)’, then even his liberation will happen. So
when one makes a real spiritual effort (purusharth) in this way
for one’s own liberation, only then will it occur. But one has to
meet the Gnani Purush who will give him the awareness of the
nature of his own Self (swaroop), and only then he will be able
to make that real spiritual effort (purusharth). And that is when
he attains liberation.
Jai Sat Chit Anand