On the day of Aso Sud 4th, Bapasri took his seat in the temple of Dahinsara after completing his daily routine. At that time, Devrajbhai came from Rampur. He prayed to Bapasri and the saints for visiting his village. Bapasri said to Swami Isvarcharanadasji, “We have to go to Rampur because of Devjibhai’s request. Moreover, devotees of Godpur have also come to take us to their village.” Swami Isvarcharanadasji said, “Bapa! Let us first go to Rampur and then we shall go to Godpur.” Then katha of Vachanamrt was being read. Khimjibhai said, “Bapa! Since you are going to Rampur today, the meals are ready early. Therefore please come to have meals.” After katha was over Bapasri went to Khimjibhai’s house for lunch. After sometime, he came back to the temple and got ready to go to Rampur along with the saints and devotees. Then all the devotees of the village came to bid them farewell. Bapasri pleased them all and then Bapasri reached Rampur at 4:00 p.m. There they stayed in the temple and immediately went to the Ganga to bathe. Some devotees of the village were with him. There, along with the saints they recited devotional songs, took bath, threw water on one another and Bapasri embraced all. Then all sat for mental worship on the bank of river. When mental worship was completed, devotees performed puja of Bapasri and the saints with sandalwood paste, flowers, etc. Bapasri, showing his favour said, “What would have happened if the river had flooded all of a sudden on both the banks, when we were performing mental worship with our eyes closed?” The saints replied, “Bapa! We would have got chance to constantly remain in Murti.” Bapasri said, “It is all correct.” Saying so all came to the temple. At night, the 51st Vachanamrt of Gadhada First Chapter was being read in the assembly. In it, it is said that everything upto Aksar should be forgotten. Bapasri said, “In this Vachanamrt followers of Sriji Maharaj have been told that nothing excepting Sriji Maharaj’s own Murti should be given priority. Even then, some do not go beyond former incarnations. They do not understand such words. Recently a saint had come here. He was said to be learned but he did not see any difference between Maharaj and other incarnations. When he would read Vachanamrt, he would say in the assembly, ‘What is the difference between other incarnations and Maharaj?’ I asked him to read the 7th Vachanamrt of Amdavad Chapter. Then he would say, ‘That Vachanamrt has been written after Maharaj left His body. It is not there in the Vachanamrt of Vadtal region.’ Then I asked him to read the 24th Vachanamrt of Gadhada First Chapter and to check if it was in the Vachanamrt of Vadtal region. He read that Vachanamrt. In it, it is said when one achieves a spiritual state because of jnan, Prakrti-Purusa and their creation do not come into his view. He sees brahma pervading everywhere and amidst that brahma he sees Lord’s Murti only. For him no other form exists. That Vachanamrt further reads that such state is achieved when one constantly keeps his mind in human form of God. Hearing this that sadhu did not speak anything. Then, I told him that in the 62nd Vachanamrt of Gadhada Middle Chapter, it is said that the one who has devotion to God like a servant, would like to have darsan of his Lord only, he would like only His nature and would like to listen to only his katha. This means we should like darsan of our God, His nature and His katha. Who is our Lord? Then he replied, ‘Maharaj is our Lord.’ What else would he say? Then he asked me, “Why did Maharaj not install His own Murtis in temples and why did He install the forms of incarnations?’ I replied, ‘Sriji Maharaj has installed Murtis of those incarnations as which He had given darsan to the people in the villages of Loj, Mangarol, etc. Even then, one cannot meditate on those Murtis. We should meditate on only those Murtis which are known as Sahajanand Swami, Ghansyam Maharaj, Sri Harikrsna Maharaj and Swaminarayana because they are causal Murti. In the 11th Vachanamrt of Loya Sriji Maharaj has asked His followers to meditate on Him only but not on the incarnations who had manifested before. In it, the difference between other incarnations and the one by whose power all the incarnations are energised is elaborated. In the 16th Vachanamrt of Gadhada Last Chapter Maharaj has said, ‘The devotee of God who had darsan of God in a particular form and for which he had developed intense love like a chaste wife will not develop love even for an incarnation of God.’ According to those words, if a devotee has equal faith in Lord Swaminarayana and other incarnations, he is said to have deviated from his status of being as faithful as a chaste wife. Therefore, in the Vachanamrt the worship which is like an immoral woman and which brings disgrace is forbidden. Thus, Maharaj has explained in the Vachanamrt, even then if we do not understand, what we have known about the greatness of Maharaj!’ Then that saint understood and said, ‘Bapa! My pilgrimage to the five places of pilgrimage seems to be fruitful. So far, whosoever I have given talks to, I have described the incarnations and Maharaj alike. If Maharaj pleases, it is well and good. My understanding was that in this Satsang some people unnecessarily go deep into the discussion about incarnations and the supreme incarnation. I felt that through such discusstions they are becoming guilty of God. But now I understand that if Maharaj is not known as He is, it will be a guilt.’ Then I said, ‘Those who do not know the greatness of muktas and those who are wiseacre say that whatever the great Sadgurus have written on this matter, is mere talks. What is the use of explaining to such persons! But if he gives up his pride of wisdom and associates with muktas through word, deed and mind; and trusts their words, he will understand. We have got Supreme Lord like Sriji Maharaj and if one takes Him as an incarnation, what to say of him! Anadi Mukta Sadguru Gopalanand Swami has stated six purposes for manifestation of Sriji Maharaj. One of the purposes, he says, is to endow His knowledge and upasana to the incarnations and their devotees thereby making them able avail His divine form. Had an incarnation and Maharaj been one and the same, why should Maharaj say so? I am surprised why such matters are not understood by those who have studied scriptures. In scriptures it may have been written ambiguously. Such ambiguity can be clarified by muktas out of mercy; but we do not take it true. And that is why we cannot understand such talks. Sadguru Gunatitanand Swami wrote that just as an arrow and the archer of the arrow are different, the king and his people are different, the moon and the stars are different; similarly the incarnations and Maharaj are different. If such words are not understood, what to say of him? In the talks, our guru Sadguru Nirgundasji Swami has written that by worshipping this Murti, infinite jivas have become Visnu. Moreover, in the 7th Vachanamrt of Amdavad Maharaj has written that He had not seen any other Purusottam excepting Himself. Thus, Supreme Lord like Sriji Maharaj explains giving His own example by showing mercy on us; even then it is not understood. Then how can scriptures be useful? I gave such talks, so that saint developed much love for me. Then often he would say, ‘Bapa! It seems that I have become saint today.’ Thus if the words of mukta are believed, the work can be done.”

“Anadi Mukta Sadguru Gopalanand Swami has written that he had been told by Maharaj that unless His form of Purusottam is not propagated, he would be kept in that body. Anadi Mukta Sadguru Gunatitanand Swami has said that Lord Swaminarayana has given secret Mantra in his ears so he would say about Maharaj as He is. Moreover, Niskulanand Swami has said, ‘Dhanya dhanya a avtarne re, jova rakhi nahin jod’ and ‘Asadhi meghe avi krya re zaza bija zakal’ (Bravo to this supreme incarnation of God who is second to none and this incarnation is so great that before Him the other incarnations are like dewdrops before torrential rains of full monsoon). Sadguru Nirgundasji Swami also used to give talks on this line, and so he was annoyed by some people. When Sriji Maharaj gave darsan to Dharma Dhurandhar Acharya Sri Ayodhyaprasadji Maharaj and asked to do needful in this matter, then this matter was understood. Formerly great saints knew it but since jivas were not worthy of it, they would give examples and would explain as and when the devotees started understanding. In the scriptures, it has been written in such a way that jiva will develop love for Him by and by and it will understand greatness and there may be talks about His supremacy. When one tries to understand such matters with his own intellect without the help of great muktas, he is likely to consider Maharaj and other incarnations at par. Maharaj and muktas will not be pleased on him and consider him having not known their greatness or supreme powers. This divine incarnation and divine way is known to him who knows it. In the 1st Vachanamrt of Panchala Chapter, Maharaj has said that when He thinks about the happiness of Aksardham, other happiness becomes inferior. Then He said the happiness, which is there in this Lord is nowhere. This is explained by giving the example of differential quantity of the light of a torch. Therefore, Maharaj is supreme, the cause of all, the support of all and He alone is like Him. After becoming His follower if one goes for searching proof of His supremacy, what can he get? It is like taking husk, leaving grain aside. After reading the Vachanamrt some persons object and say, ‘Maharaj has said to meditate on Lord Krsna along with Radhika, whereas you say to meditate on Maharaj and mukta.’ How can they understand such talks? We should also show mercy on such ordinary jivas.” After saying so Bapasri said, “Some may have studied scriptures but as they have no faith on muktas and have no association with them, they would say, ‘The divine actions which have been performed by various incarnations should be remembered.’ In the Harivakya Sudha Sindhu, Sadguru Sukanand Swami has mentioned Mathura, Dwarka, etc. which are the places of former incarnations. So some people understand that the divine actions performed at those places and by those incarnations should be remembered. Since they have not understood this point from worldly perspective and from divine perspective, how can they understand such talk? In the divine perspective, we should understand Maharaj as the cause of incarnations; and His muktas as incarnations. Sriji Maharaj writes in Siksapatri that He meditates on Lord Krsna. After reading it if one does not understand its meaning from divine perspective, how can he know Maharaj as God? One who is not able to understand from the Vachanamrt and yet relies on his intellect and has no faith on muktas, what can he understand? Look! At one place Maharaj has said He is Narnarayana and at other place He has said to have close relationshiop with Narnarayana. Similarly there are other instances where He says: I am a devotee of the devotees of God….., You know Me as God….., I, who is your preacher, guru and cherished God….., Narnarayana resides within My heart….., Knowing Narnarayana to be My form, I have installed him in the temples which have been built with hundereds of thousands of rupees….., Narnarayana is the King of Bharatkhanda….., all the incanations emanate from Me….., The Lord of Aksardham resplendently sits amidst you….., I have million times more affection for Sri Krsna than for other incarnations….., Murti which is amidst divine luminescence is I Myself. Such words cannot be understood on one’s own. Like the son of Varuna they caution others, “Do not understand Maharaj too great lest it would amount to hurting Maharaj.” Saying so, they would describe previous incarnations and Maharaj as one. What more can be said of them! Sadguru Gunatitanand Swami has said, “If a horse does not rest its one foot on ground with a fallacy that it has broken its foot in dream, it would walk normally only when one hundred horses are made run beside it and gunshots are fired by those hundred horsesmen.” Similarly the one who, because of reading scriptures, is doubtful about the supremacy of Maharaj, will understand only when Maharaj and muktas explain him by showing their mercy and when he keeps faith in their words.” || 21 ||