2.Conviction Determination in Divine form of God (Part - I)

Purushottam Shri Swaminarayan is the Ultimate Supreme God. It should be firmly determined that there is no other God except Him.

1. If Shriji Maharaj and Muktas are believed to be inherent to all, then not a single act would be against Satsang. Hence one is able to follow the commands and perform recitation, meditation etc. faithfully. And then unity with divine form of Maharaj could be attained. But there is no belief in inherent presence of God and His Muktas and there is lack of conviction and faith in glory of God. 1/88/160.

2. Describing conviction is little intricate. I am little cautious while describing it, because we may be attracted towards indirect incarnations etc.. You have Shriji Maharaj who is Ultimate Supreme God and His abode is also eternal. There is no other abode like His abode. There is no Master like Maharaj and no Guru like a Mukta. Therefore, we should not feel attracted towards anyone else by forgetting them. As an empress can not even think about marrying other then an emperor, similarly we should not surrender to anyone else then Shriji Maharaj. Shriji Maharaj is sustainer of all and cause of all. 1/95/171.

3. When do we attain unity with divine form of God? Bapashri replied, when devotion matures and when a seeker considers all those devotees divine who follow teachings of Shriji Maharaj and does not consider Kaal-Karm, deity-demon etc. other than Maharaj as doer. A seeker, who considers someone other than Mahaprabhuji as doer - cause, offends Maharaj. How! If time is not favourable and we migrate somewhere else, then we have considered Kaal as cause. And if we consider action or deeds responsible, then we have considered Karm as cause. If there is an understanding that without Maya body can not sustain and existence of this world is due to Maya then we have considered Maya as cause. If we believe that world is functioning spontaneously following natural rules as well as we cannot change our nature (i.e. we are slave of our nature-behaviour) then we have considered nature as cause. Therefore, a seeker, who considers only Shriji Maharaj as cause of all not only in words but also in deeds, who is aware of the difference between direct and indirect presence of Maharaj, gets united with divine form of God. 1/107/193.

4. Surrender means full faith in God. It should be firm. If physical body is going to die, then let it die, but we should not have faith in medicine or any other deity. If we have faith in other deity, then it is like commiting adultery. ‘Surrender to one’s husband should be infallible and faultless.’ A Lady gave up wooden pestle, but kept her husband’s words. Devotion should be with complete surrender, but should not wander here and there. Nobody takes care of a wanderer. When we have Shriji Maharaj Himself, we should not go to deities-demons, because Vaidya, doctors etc. also die unexpectedly. A lot of old men are alive who refused to take medicines and some of the Vaidyas and doctors have died in young age of twenty-five years. Medicines harm our body in one or the other way, therefore we should not depend on medicines and we should neither depend on Yantra-Mantra nor on deity-demons. We should never depend on magicians or tricksters. They are the worst kind of people. They divert your attention and show you gold by some trick. Later on there won’t be anything. Therefore, they should not be trusted upon. A seeker, who has known Bhagwan Swaminarayan, does not feel attracted towards anybody else. 1/149/261.

5. We should have strong conviction in Mahaprabhuji. Even during sickness or sorrow we should not trust doctors or medicines, instead we should trust Maharaj. Only Murti and Muktas bless you and destroy all your distress. If one is absorbed in Murti of God, then the pain of fever or sickness is not experienced. This world, sensual pleasures, material objects, physical body all are perishable, but a living being is full of desires. So he cannot control himself. He may be having enough wealth to last for coming five generations, but he does not worship God and cannot give up worldly activities. If a seeker has no conviction in Shriji Maharaj and if he has performed certain means, then those means become divine and go back to Shriji Maharaj and the seeker does not progress on spiritual path. Therefore, when a seeker has full conviction in Shriji Maharaj and he surrenders to Him, at that time he can reap the rewards of means performed by him. 1/203/396.

6. If a seeker is not fully convinced about glory of God, then he cannot worship God with full faith. Therefore, first of all we must strengthen our conviction in Shriji Maharaj, then there would be full faith, which would be followed by devotion full of affection and later we can attain Ultimate salvation. If a householder is determined to earn money, then he can leave his wife and children behind and go five-ten thousand miles away and earn money. Similarly, a seeker whose conviction is ripened, can injure himself for the sake of God or His Mukta and even die while intervening to help. 1/203/398.

7. If one has real conviction in divine form of Shriji Maharaj, then he is in Samadhi state even if his veins and breath are not being pulled. If a seeker avoids his own marriage, gives up kingdom, renounces wealth, wife and incase of a woman renounces husband and if Maharaj asks to come to certain place at certain time, then he gives up all other activities and even if he is feeling sick, he ignores it and obeys command of Shriji Maharaj then it is called firm conviction. Moolji Brahmachari plunged from the (platform) Verandah to offer water to Maharaj. But he did not think that he might get hurt. If the commands are obeyed in this manner, then it shows that conviction is firm. If a seeker has full faith in direct incarnate Shriji Maharaj only and he remains faithful to Him only, but not at all attached to indirect incarnations, then his conviction should be considered firm. 1/196/375.

8. Such Maharaj and such Muktas are nowhere else. Therefore, we should be proud of it. And should not feel incomplete. A seeker, who does not understand such glory of God, has no conviction. When a child is hungry and is offered money and diamonds and gems he continues to cry, because he is not aware that money is everything. When he becomes aware of the importance of money, he crosses the ocean and earns money for his family. Similarly, if there is no conviction, we cannot understand the glory of God and evenif Shriji Maharaj is sitting next to us, we do not experience bliss. If conviction is firm, then everything till Akshar becomes futile. 1/206/409.

9. Some people ask, if there is God present in Satsang, then why there are so many difference of opinions? Bapashri replied, How many problems were there during the time of Ram-Krishna? During the time of other incarnations also there were many problems and blood was shed like a river. During the time of those incarnations also there were problems. Therefore, it should not be concluded that if there are problems, then God is not present. A seeker, whose conviction is not matured, has such doubts. A seeker having firm conviction, considers this as playful act of God. Creation, sustenance and destruction is a divine sport of God. With such understanding if a seeker narrates the playful acts of God or listens to it then he attains ultimate salvation. 1/223/453

10. Today, if a seeker can bear the difficulties in Satsang, then his will power is strong. If his will is not strong enough and if he is insulted he leaves the group and goes somewhere else. If he is insulted there also, he goes to some other place. If he is mentally strong, he does not consider anybody’s weakness. He does not run after material objects and his outlook becomes divine. He never considers Muktas as ordinary human beings. His attention in Murti is not wavered in three states wiz. physical, mental or spiritual. Such conviction is called total conviction. 1/238/478.

11. 70th Vachanamrit of Gadhada first chapter was being read during congregation. In which concept of conviction is discussed. At that point Bapashri spoke, describing conviction is complicated. If the foundation in form of conviction is not firm, then we could be distracted by indirect incarnations or by someone else. We may wonder here and there. We may go to Jagannathpuri etc. places. If the conviction in Shriji Maharaj is firm, then we feel ‘You are my only strength, without You whole world is painful.’ and ‘O God, one who tastes nectar, (bliss of God) never drinks buttermilk (worldly pleasures), if we have experienced the bliss of Murti then no other object can attract us. 1/238/479.