Shreeji Maharaj and Gunatitanand Swami descended upon the earth from Akshardham and introduced a revolutionary way which would redeem and purify souls, this new method is known as sambandhyog.
Shreeji Maharaj was himself the supreme Par-brahm Swaroop – God. If God had held any expectations of his devotees then realistically what could they have been ? What could any meek, humble devotee have offered Him ? Thus he manifested himself in a human body and those who came into contact with him, even only by chance, were showered with blessings and divine love. It was this divine love which lead the devotees to believe that Shreeji Maharaj and His devotees are divine and ultimately freed the devotees from their egos. What could the devotees have offered God to achieve this ?
Thus those who had nothing whatsoever to offer, were in fact the most suited to be the chosen ones. It is widely known that the soul of a peacock was redeemed when Gunatitanand Swami simply noticed it’s beauty and commented upon it. Also, that once Shreeji Maharaj tripped over a tuft of grass which was redeemed and reborn in the form of a man called Viro Bhagat. A courtesan who devoted her time in grinding wheat for the temple was granted the same redemption as Nityanand Swami. Even the most sinful of men such as the notorious bandit Joban Pagi was redeemed by the grace of Gunatitanand Swami and granted the bliss of Akshardham. Other examples include the redemption of a mango consumed by Gunatitanand Swami and the cactus-like tree which shed all its thorns when touched by Him. Similarly, those who supported Shashtriji Maharaj in his quest to build temples were freed from their egos.
We have made no conscious effort and yet still we have achieved firm conviction and placed our faith in Bapa and Akshar-Purushottam. We came in contact with Bapa quite by chance, unknowingly we may have served him in one way or another and ever since then he has taken control of our destiny. So far, he has guided us and protected us and he will continue to do so. We did not do anything ourselves, thus even now, we should do whatever we are inspired to do by Him, then wait and watch patiently. Bapa will surely free us from the impurities of this world.
Prapatiyog is the total dependence on the pratyaksh swaroop, it means placing total faith in Him. i.e. Sincerely praying:
“Lord, I rely on you totally. You must do everything for me. When you are purifying my soul, when I feel troubled or tormented, just as a helpless child clings to it’s parents, I will remember you. I shall not question what you are doing nor why you are doing it. I will not compare my sadhana with anyone else’s.”
Absolute unwavering faith and patience are the essence of prapatiyog. One should remain carefree and light-hearted in the knowledge that He who has taken us under His wing will take care of us. He is the almighty supreme being and He will not relent until he has purified us and freed us from our ego. He has brought us this far, so whether we like it or not, he will take us to the finish.
“Jiv né Javu hashé bijé trijé ré .. avu padshé rijé khijé ré…”
Even if the soul is un-willing to be purified, God is so great, His powers are so immense that by hook or by crook, the soul will be purified. That is the significance and the power of the association with God.
“Khéshé aa sant to bohu sara ré
Khara kalyan na karnara ré…..”
Whoever serves the santo will be redeemed, they will not have to be re-born. i.e. the law of re-incarnation will not apply to them.
Swami-ni-Vato : Chapter 1. Discourse 301
The association with the satpurush known as sambandh, has such powers thing that it brings about major changes in the life of a devotee, it grants him virtues, morals, righteousness and eventually, he is received in Akshardham – the kingdom of God. Whomsoever comes into contact with the satpurush, in any way i.e. by seeing Him, serving Him, singing His praise will gain the sambandh. Gunatitanand Swami stated that even trees which provided shade, cows which provided milk to the satpurush will also be redeemed and eventually be received in Akshardham ! Thus humans who serve the satpurush will surely be made citizens of Akshardham in this very lifetime!
Yogiji Maharaj used to say when the tree and the cow provided their services to the satpurush, they were unaware of the greatness of the satpurush; still they were granted the gift of Akshardham. Even if one has come in contact with the satpurush quite by accident, the fact that contact has been made is important. Now the satpurush assumes total responsibility for his devotees. He will do anything and everything necessary to purify the devotee’s soul and free him from his ego. The devotees need only live in harmony with each other, sing the praises of God, and remain happy and care-free. They will experience peace and bliss. They should do only that which is inspired by the Lord. They should not worry about anything or interfere in the purification process. if they do so, then they will become distressed.
If the devotee perseveres in this way then within a period of five to seven years he will see and experience a difference in his life. He will say :
“Oh Lord, thank you for everything. In times of distress when I cursed you, you did not leave me. You did not give up on me but persisted with your work. You have liberated my soul. You have granted me happiness beyond measure. Only you Lord could have done this. Thank you.”
Thus the devotee needs to be patient, wait and watch until the process is over. He needs to do nothing except remain happy and think positively.
Thus remember the following points:
- Those who become associated with Yogiji Maharaj are mukto (sabandhwala).
- Each individual is an independent person and unique. Bapa controls the pace / progress of the devotee’s sadhana depending on the devotee’s own characteristics, nature etc. Each has his own sadhana ; everyone’s sadhanas will be different. Thus one should not interfere in another’s sadhana.
- Each mukta has his prarabhdhas (past destiny) which Bapa utilises to purify his ego. Bapa is very powerful. Devotees will not be able to act against Bapa’s wishes.
- We should pray to Bapa to guide us such that we can live according to our convictions. We should be sincere, we should try to obey each and every command given by Bapa.
Never look at others’ faults. Don’t ever give any advise to anyone. Live with everyone in peace and harmony. Be happy. This is true spiritual knowledge. Everything else is ignorance. Avoid it.