Aptavani-8
23
opens up for whomsoever; the knowledge pertaining to that
location (pradesh) will arise.
Now the Atma is whole. But only when a person loses a
limb or any other organ, does the Atma shorten by that much.
However, the mind is situated in the heart, which is the gross
(sthool) location of the mind. The mind exists in the heart. Now
the location of the subtle mind (sookshma mun) is here on the
forehead, two and a half inches in. And the gross mind (sthool
mun) is situated in the heart.
The Soul Expands and Contracts According to
the Receptacle
Questioner: Can the Atma ever be cut?
Dadashri: You cannot cut the Atma, split it or do anything
to it.
Questioner: What if my hand is cut off from here?
Dadashri: The Atma will shrink by that much. The Atma’s
natural property is to expand and contract, but even then, only
in its state of worldly life (sansar). But that is not the case in the
Absolutely Liberated state (Siddha). In the worldly state (sansar),
it can both contract and expand. Even in an ant, the Atma is
whole. And in an elephant, there is only one whole Atma as
well. But in the latter, it is expanded. When an arm or leg is cut
off, the Atma contracts, and even then, only when a certain part
is cut, does it contract. Then it does not contract any further!
Questioner: Just as it is throughout the human body, is
it the same in an ant’s body or an elephant’s?
Dadashri: Yes, the Atma is in the entire body. That is
because the Atma is a receptacle (bhaajan) of contraction-
expansion. The Atma will expand according to the size of the
vessel. If the vessel is small, the Atma will contract to fit into it.
Questioner: When it leaves the body here, they say that