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Aptavani-9
a great paternal relative of the Gayakvad of the Royal Family!
Now what can be gained from all this? It eventually came ‘down
to earth’.
Questioner: Did you remain separate from the ego at
that time? Was it something like that?
Dadashri: No. This state of worries occurred because
there was no separation. That is why I could not sleep. If I were
separate at that time, would I not have been able to shut the
ego, right away?
But the ego was the only thing that was being nurtured.
Except for the ego, there was absolutely no deceit (kapat)
within; no my-ness (mamata) either. There was no mamata for
money. I did not know anything and yet I had an enormous ego.
All I knew was how to help others.
Ego of a noble man
So, I had tremendous maan. I believed myself to be
somebody great because I was born in a Kshatriya family
(warrior class family). Patels are Kshatriya, so people give them
dowries. So from the time one is born, people around him talk
about the ‘check’ (dowry) that will be forthcoming. I had
worthy attributes too. People don’t just pay dowries without a
reason. They pay for the attributes of the family lineage; they pay
for the social status. The lineage alone would not suffice, they
also look at the family and it’s prestige and honorable
upstanding. Would they give dowries otherwise? What is a
person from an honorable family like? He is noble. Noble
means he has some good family qualities. He does not cheat
anyone; he has no attributes of deceit within him. When he is
from an honorable family and good caste, then he is worthy of
a good dowry.
Now what is the definition of a noble (khandaan)
person? It is someone who ‘sheds’ readily i.e. someone who