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(Vachanamrut Gadhada I 27: The Understanding by which God Eternally Resides within One)
Extract:
After a few minutes of contemplation, Shriji Mahārāj said, “Everyone wishes to worship God, but their understanding differs. But God fully resides in the heart of a person who possesses the following understanding: ‘The earth remains stable and trembles; the stars remain steady in the sky; the rains fall; the sun rises and sets; the moon appears and disappears, waxes and wanes; the vast oceans remain constrained within their boundaries; a drop of liquid develops into a human possessing hands, feet, a nose, ears and the rest of the ten indriyas; the clouds, through which lightning strikes, float unsupported in the sky - these and a countless variety of other wonders are due only to the form of God that I have attained.’ With this understanding, he has the conviction that no one except the incarnate form of God is the cause of these wonders. He realises, ‘The countless wonders which have occurred in the past, those which are currently taking place, and those which will occur in the future are all only due to the manifest form of God that I have attained.’
“Moreover, he also has the following understanding: ‘Even if someone were to throw dust on me, or were to humiliate me in any way, or were to seat me on a donkey after cutting off my nose and ears; or even if someone were to honour me by seating me on an elephant - all these situations would be equal for me.’ Such a devotee views a beautiful young woman, an unattractive woman and an old woman with equality; he treats a heap of gold and a pile of stones with equality; he also possesses countless noble virtues such as gnān, bhakti, vairāgya, etc. God eternally resides in the heart of such a devotee.
Discussion Points:
- Where does God reside according to the extract?
- Why is it important that God resides in our hearts?
- What are some noble virtues mentioned in the passage?
- What do they mean?
- Can you think of ways to practice these virtues in your daily life?
- Why must we treat different situations as equal?
- What benefits are associated with this?
Activity:
- Draw a mind map/bubble map with the word God/Maharaj written in the centre, write out all the things in our lives that Maharaj and Swami are ib the centre of!