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Aptavani-9
existence within, then he would have got rid of it a long time ago.
Therefore, beware, beware, beware!
If you listen to any talk about others, it ruins your mind.
What is more, when you hear talks about you from someone
else, it sounds sweet to you. Everyone has this disease however,
there are many who do not wish to know. If one day someone
comes to tell one, he will listen for a while. He likes it because
his wish is being fulfilled, is it not? He heard it from somewhere
and brought it here! Now the person who brings the news, does
not know the grave consequences of what he does. He is simply
absorbed in the pleasure of it. Sooner or later you will have to
understand all this, will you not? And what will the middle man
do? Sometimes he may give misinformation, what kind of effect
will this have on your mind? It will ruin your mind; conflicts will
arise creating rifts which continue to harm you. Rather than this,
what if one simply rejects this ‘system’ of eavesdropping?
Would it not be good to uproot it completely? What is wrong
in not having such a “business” - in not having that “item”
altogether?
A husband will ask, ‘what was my wife saying?’ and the
wife will ask, ‘what was my husband saying?’ Why on earth do
they want to know? It’s because they are both at fault, are they
not? Will they have the desire to know if they were faultless?
Why such spruha (inclination and interest) for this? This
is the greatest food for the worldly people. This is called
‘holiday’ (Dadashri’s term for languishing in meaningless and
harmful pleasures)! One must not have such a habit here—on
the path of liberation.
Questioner: But Dada, what should one do when he has
to be deceitful out of fear of someone?
Dadashri: You must not employ deceit out of fear. Why
should you fear anything? People who steal have to fear, why
should you? Who would experience fear, one who is guilty or