Aptavani-9 339
The water buffalo does not realize that she will eventually have to go home when the sun sets. So why not shape up and get out. There is food at home and at the same time she will also maintain her owner’ s respect and her selfdignity. But she will not get up. Will she not have to go home at night? When she feels cold she will come out of the ditch but as long as she remains in the ditch, it is called a state of garavata. When one becomes restless from the heat of a hot summer day and indulges in three scoops of ice cream; that is garavata.
See the garavata! The buffalo’ s garavata is mud and the human’ s garavata is this worldly life. Buffalos have garavata of only certain places but humans have garavata of women, airconditioners etc! A father will smile ear to ear because he thinks,‘ I have three sons so I will have three daughter-in-laws. I want to build three homes for them.’ All such garavata arises. Just as the water buffalo sits in the smelly ditch, the whole world is stuck in garavata. People sit in the stench- nothing but the stench of sense pleasures. In order to indulge in the stench of such pleasures, they will put up with bitterness of quarrels. People take pleasure of garavata from their looks, garavata of sex, garavata of taste, garavata of illusion and greed and this is why they do not like to come out of it.
Questioner: Dada, can it be said that we have become like the buffalos because of wealth, fame, respect, status, etc., that we have attained?
Dadashri: Yes, you have become like the buffalos!
Questioner: Do we not need someone to get us out of that garavata?
Dadashri: Yes you do need someone to get you out. Who would do the enticing and the coaxing? What would it take to entice you? What will the buffalo respond to when she will not budge even with un-ginned cotton and jaggery? Is the