Pujya Ramsukhdasji Maharaj

[Guest guest]

Affinity with the Body, main Obstacle in Salvation or Devotion

 

Oh Paartha, women folk, Vaisya, Sudras and even those that are born

of sinful wombs taking refuge in Me, attain Me (the Supreme God)

forever, without any doubt. (Gita 9:32)

 

" Maam hi paarth vyapaasritya ye'pi syuh paapayonayah

striyo vaisyaasthathaa sudraaste pi yaanti paraam gatim " (Gita 9:32)

 

The sinners in this birth is more guilty than the sinner of previous

birth. Therefore God first mentions the sinners of this birth in Gita

9:13 and Gita 9:31. In this verse, he mentions the sinners of

previous birth - " ye pi syuh paapayonayah. "

 

The term " Paapayonayah " (born of womb of sin) is not an adjective

qualifying woman folk, vaisya and sudras. If it is understood as

qualifying women folk, it is totally inappropriate and unjustified,

as women can be a Brahmana, Ksatriya or Vaisya and authorized to

perform Vedic rituals. Women folks have been called out in this

shloka to emphasize that they can independently attain God by taking

refuge in Him, without seeking the help of any individual.

 

A Vital Fact - Feelings play a more important role than birth, in the

field of spiritualism. A man born in a wealthy family or caste, may

be proud of his birth, because of his affinity with the body. But in

reality he is different from the body and is a part of God, a ray of

His consciousness. So, when he renounces his affinity with the body,

he becomes one with God and attains Him.

 

So long as a man identifies himself with the body, the instrument

made of flesh and bones, that produces excrement and urine, he

remains a slave to it. This identification with the body is the

result of lack of discrimination. Without discrimination, a man can

follow, neither the Discipline of Devotion, nor that of Action.

Therefore a devotee who is keen on attaining devotion or salvation,

should have a clear conception, that he is different from his body.

He has identity with the Lord, while the body has idnetity with the

world.

 

So long as he identifies with the body, he does not deserve either

devotion or knowledge. A devotee through devotion remains engrossed

in God, therefore automatically he has no identification with the

body and thus sex, caste, creed and color do not remain an obstacle

to God Realization. Similarly, a person following the Discipline of

Knowledge, by applying his discrimination, realizes that he is

different from the body and thus attains the Lord.