Dada Bhagwan - Who am I?

Who am I ?

- Dada Bhagwan

Editor : Dr. Niruben Amin

(The Three Mantras)

Namo Arihantanam

I bow to the Lord who has annihilated all the inner enemies of anger, pride, attachment and greed.

Namo Siddhanam

I bow to all the Lord who have attained final liberation.

Namo Aayariyanam

I bow to all the Self-realized masters who unfold the path of liberation.

Namo Uvazzayanam

I bow to the Self-realized teachers of the path of liberation.

Namo Loye Savva Saahunam

I bow to all who have attained the Self and are progressing in this path in the universe.

Eso Pancha Namukkaro

These five salutations.

Saava Paavappanasano

Destroy all the sins.

Mangalanam cha Saavesim

Of all that is auspicious mantras.

Padhamam Havai Mangalam

This is the highest.

Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya

I bow to the One who has become the Supreme Lord from a human being.

Om Namah Shivaaya

I bow to all auspicious beings of this universe who are the instruments of salvation of the world.

Jai Sat Chit Anand

The Awareness Of The Eternal Is Bliss

Dadashri : What is your name?

Questioner : My name is Chandulal.

Dadashri : Are you really Chandulal?

Questioner : Yes.

Dadashri : Chandulal is your name. Is Chandulal not your name? Are you yourself Chandulal or is your name Chandulal?

Questioner : It is my name.

Dadashri : Then who are you? If Chandulal is your name, then who are you? Are you and your name not separate? If you are separate from your name, then who are you? Do you understand what I am trying to say? If you say, These are my eye-glasses, then you and the glasses are separate, right? Similarly, do you not feel that you are separate from your name?

In the same token there is nothing wrong with naming a shop General Traders. However if we call out to the shop owner Hey General Traders, come here! he would reply, My name is Jayantilal, General Traders is the name of my shop.

The owner, the shop, and the merchandise inside the shop, are all separate entities. What do you think?

Questioner : That makes sense.

Dadashri : People insist, No, I am Chandulal. That means, I am the owner of the shop and I am also the sign on the shop. Chandulal is just a means of identification.

From your very childhood, people kept calling you Chandu and you have come to believe, I am Chandu. You believe this name to be you. In reality you are not that, but you insist that you are Chandulal because everyone tells you so. Since you do not know who you really are, you believe yourself to be the name that you have been given. This has had a very powerful psychological effect on you. This effect is so deeply ingrained within you, that you believe that you are Chandulal. This belief is wrong, and because of this wrong belief, you have spent countless lives sleeping with your eyes open (oblivious to your real identity).

Will you not have to investigate who you really are? For how long can you go on being in the dark, unaware of your real Self? Do you not think it is ignorance to not investigate your true identity?

Until you realize who you really are, everything proves to be wrong and incorrect.

Even before you purchased this watch, did you not inquire about its make, quality, price, warranty, etc.? Then, is it not ironic that you have not made inquires about your own Self yet? Who are you? You have no knowledge about your true identity, where you come from, and where you are. You know none of these things and even without knowing the answer to this one vital question, Who am I? you complicate your life further, by actively participating in this relative world. In this state of ignorance you further complicate your life by getting married, having a family, etc. This is how confusion and puzzles arise in the relative world.

Even when you fall asleep at night, you do so as Chandulal. All night long this wrong belief reinforces itself, becoming stronger and stronger. Only when you realize the answer to the question Who am I? does your wrong belief stop. It is because of this wrong belief that you have been wandering from one life to another. You do not know your true identity and furthermore you impress upon yourself, the belief of that which you are not. You have imposed this wrong belief on your Real Self. In addition, you have also accepted the notion, I am Chandulal, and, as a result, have behaved accordingly. This false accusation is a blunder. This blunder is the root cause of all suffering. This suffering comes in the form of inner restlessness, misery, and discontentment. At the moment, you have so many worries caused by your false belief of, I am Chandulal. This false imposition on the Self is ignorance, and brings forth suffering.

Dadashri : The belief of, I am Chandulal, does not diminish, even in your sleep. And when you get married, people say to you, You are this womans husband, and therefore, you accept the role of a husband, and act like one. After that, through repetition, you keep reiterating the notion of being a husband. Is anyone a husband forever? If you get divorced will you still be her husband? All these false beliefs have become deeply ingrained within you.

The first wrong belief is that of I am Chandulal. I am this womans husband, is the second wrong belief, and I am a Hindu, is the third wrong belief. I am a lawyer, is the fourth wrong belief. I am this boys father, is the fifth wrong belief. I am an uncle, is the sixth wrong belief. I am fair-skinned, is the seventh wrong belief. I am forty-five years old, is the eighth wrong belief. I am a businessman, is also a wrong belief. If you say, I am a taxpayer, then that is yet another wrong belief. How many such wrong beliefs do you have?

Questioner : Too many wrong beliefs.

Dadashri : Wherever you superimpose I, where I does not belong, that is a wrong belief. You have to get rid of all these wrong beliefs. How can you be happy with so many wrong beliefs? Now tell me. What kinds of beliefs make a man happy?

Questioner : The person who does not have any beliefs is happy.

Dadashri : No, one cannot live without beliefs. But what you need is the right belief.

Questioner : Is it possible to be without any beliefs?

Dadashri : Suppose we want to go from Los Angeles to San Francisco, but instead we take the road going to San Diego. Do we not then, have to backtrack from San Diego to Los Angeles (our original place) before we proceed to San Francisco? Likewise, it is important to keep this right belief in order to come back to our original place. Once you get rid of the wrong beliefs and keep the right belief for a while, you will arrive at your original place, after which there will no longer be a need to keep any beliefs. Then your work is done.

Now, how will you get rid of all these wrong beliefs?

Questioner : I dont know. I need your guidance for that.

Dadashri : Yes, because one does not possess the knowledge of how to rid himself of this wrong belief, he continues to wander aimlessly in this world, life after life. Even if he comes to know that this belief is wrong, he does not know how to get rid of it. Infinite lives have passed without getting rid of even a single, wrong belief.