Questioner: Where did the Self (chetan) come from? Where does it originate?
Dadashri: It has no origin, neither does it have an end. These are just the phases and stages (avastha) of a living being (jiva). The phases (avastha) will keep changing, but the Self (vastu) remains the same.

Nature

Questioner: What is nature?
Dadashri: Nature means “scientific circumstantial evidences”.

Questioner: Is not there some sort of energy (shakti) behind all these scientific circumstantial evidences that come together.
Dadashri: It is not a living energy; it is an inanimate energy. It is an energy that is a mixture of jada (inanimate matter; non-Self) and chetan (life-energy; the Self) in which jada happens to be in vishesha bhaav (extra-expression of intent). In all this, the Self has remained the same from time immemorial.

Who Controls Whom?

Questioner: Does the embodied soul (jiva) exert control over the body, or does the body exert control over the jiva?
Dadashri: That is the question! At the moment, the embodied soul (jiva) has absolutely no control over the body. Why is that? It is because it has the wrong belief of ‘I am Chandubhai*’, and that is the greatest wrong belief of all.

Questioner: One has to believe that for the sake of worldly interactions.
Dadashri: There is nothing wrong in believing that for the sake of worldly interactions (vyavahar). But if someone insults you, do you not accept it right away? Does it affect you or not?

Questioner: It does.
Dadashri: Then you are not ‘Chandubhai’ just for the sake of worldly interactions, but you really are ‘Chandubhai’. That is how the wrong belief has set in. Just because people call you ‘Chandubhai’, you too believe yourself to be that. Then you believe: ‘I am her husband, I am this boy’s father, I am like this…I am a collector, etc.’ How many such beliefs do you have?

Questioner: Many
Dadashri: It is because of this wrong belief that the body exerts ‘control’ over the embodied soul (jiva; self). If these wrong beliefs go away, then the body has absolutely no ‘control’ over the jiva. The Atma (the Self) itself has infinite energy, but it is trapped because of these wrong beliefs. How can you get rid of these wrong beliefs? They will go away when the Gnani Purush gives you the ‘right belief’; otherwise referred to as samyak darshan (right vision of the Self) in our scriptures.

Nothing will be attained by believing, ‘I am Chandubhai’. In reality you are not ‘Chandubhai’. You are ‘Chandubhai’ ‘by the relative viewpoint’. You should enquire who you are ‘by the real viewpoint’, should you not? So, at the present moment, it is your body that has control over you. Not just the body, but the mind as well. The mind is completely physical. All these have control over you at this time. Oh, forget the body having control over the embodied soul (jiva), what about a pimple that breaks out on the body and starts to throb! Even that controls the jiva.

(*Wherever it is mentioned Chandubhai, the reader should read his or her name.)

To be Continued…

For more information on Dadashri's spiritual science, visit dadabhagwan.org