Dada Bhagwan
Dada Bhagwan (1908-11-07 – 1988-01-02), also known as Dadashri, born Ambalal Muljibhai Patel, was a spiritual leader from Gujarat, India who founded the Akram Vignan Movement.
Same as Dada Bhagwan, not to be confused with Bhagwan Dada
Quotes
[edit]- A person whose intentions are to serve others will be rewarded with worldly happiness; and the one who has intentions to hurt will be punished with worldly unhappiness. However, the Self cannot be attained through serving others. Until one attains the Self, one should maintain an obliging nature.
- There is an intention behind everything. If your intention is to serve others, then you will receive money as a byproduct. Use whatever skills you have to serve others. This should be your only goal.
- Service to society, to some extent, destroys the ‘my’ (mamata; ‘my-ness’). When ‘my’ is completely destroyed, then You will become the absolute Self (parmatma)! Then bliss is inevitable!
- The Lord (Lord Mahavira) says that if you want moksha, go to a Gnani Purush and if you want worldly happiness, then serve your parents and your guru. Endless happiness can be attained by taking care of your parents.
- All businesses have two sons, one’s name is profit and the other’s name is loss. No one likes the son named loss, but nevertheless both will be there. They will always be born.
- There is no need to carry a burden over money. When the bank balance grows he breathes a sigh of satisfaction and when there is a deficit he becomes sad and unhappy. There is nothing in this world worth breathing a sigh of satisfaction, because everything is temporary.
- Let money flow in naturally. Do not use it as a support. Never rest and think that it will be there forever. Proceed with caution of this awareness so that when it leaves you will not suffer.
- Obstacles to money will remain as long as you harbor the desire to earn it. When you become inattentive to money, it will come to you in abundance.
- Wealth comes your way when you give help to others, not otherwise. Wealth comes to those who have the desire to give. It comes to those who believe in giving.
- When people are contemptuous or engaged in bad mouthing others, wealth will not come their way
- What is the natural law of money? It says, ‘Do not detain and hoard me. Circulate me. Give away as much as comes your way.
- Do not obstruct money if it comes your way and do not go digging for it if it does not.
- There are two gurus for a greedy person: a trickster and a loss. If a greedy person incurs a loss, the loss will demolish his tuber of greed very quickly.
- Money will not remain where there is contempt and gossip.
- This human life is meant for liberation from anxieties; it is not just for making money.
- God does not meddle in this. In your business the only two things that will help you are your skills and your honesty and ethics. If you are unethical, you will prosper for a year or two but after that you will incur a loss. If you happen to do something wrong, you will still become free of any liability as long as you repent for your actions.
- Ethics is the essence of worldly dealings. If you are ethical but do not have a lot of money, you will still have peace of mind and if you are unethical but have a lot of money, you will be miserable.
- In your business, do not take anything that is not yours and on the day you end up doing so, there will be no substance in your business.
- In fact, those who cheat get cheated! And the person who gets cheated will have the experience; he gets the experience and becomes educated. All the money that was wrongful is taken away; and the right money is put to good use!
- If it has become spoiled externally due to the circumstances, then let it be spoiled; but make sure it does not get spoiled internally. If you do not have the capacity to repay the debt, then keep the clarity within that, ‘I want to repay it.’ Since you did not let it get spoilt internally, there will come a time when the debt will get repaid.
- Egoism and Money [Goddess of wealth; Lakshmi] are very much at odds [have great enmity]. There should be just enough egoism to accomplish one’s work. Beyond that, any expanded egoism and money have great enmity. Money (Lakshmi) stays away from it.
- Aptasutra (2016), Gujarati Edition, Translated, Quote Number: #1742
- Whether you practice craftiness in your business, you will have profit and if you do not practice craftiness, then also you will have [same] profit. Craftiness creates a liability for the next life. So, God had said not to do craftiness. There is no benefit in it and there is infinite suffering.
- Aptasutra (2016), Gujarati Edition, Translated, Quote Number: #1752
- If worldly life were a fruit [result] of labor, then the wealthy businessmen would not be eating, only the laborers would be eating!
- Aptasutra (2016), Gujarati Edition, Translated, Quote Number: #2589
All quotes herein are translations from Gujarati to English; and therefore, in a certain sense, indirect quotes.
- There are only two things, ‘positive’ and ‘negative’. If you remain negative, whom would nature help? We should not have ‘negative’ in our dictionary. (Quote Number: #706)
- We win over ‘negative’ with ‘positive’. (Quote Number: #707)
- Antray (obstacles) are created by speaking completely negatively; and 'positive' does not create obstacles. (Quote Number: #892)
- Obliging each other, that is the only enjoyment to be derived from having a human life. (Quote Number: #794)
- There is tremendous energy in the word ‘yes’ and tremendous weakness in the word ‘no’. (Quote Number: #709)
- No one should be hurt in the slightest’ - such should be one’s egoism. That is a ‘positive’ ego. (Quote Number: #242)
- Any good thing will be ruined by talking negatively about it; similarly, bad thing will improve by speaking positive about it. (Quote Number: #231)
- Comfortable (favorable) circumstance ‘polishes’ one and uncomfortable (unfavorable) circumstances ‘moulds’ one. What problem do we have with either of the two? (Quote Number: #138)
- One becomes bad himself when he sees or calls others bad. When others appear good to him, he will become good himself. (Quote Number: #1220)
- Actions do not need to be changed; just change your vision. (Quote Number: #507)
All quotes herein are translations from Gujarati to English; and therefore, in a certain sense, indirect quotes.
- One who does not allow discord [with the wife] to happen even for a minute is considered a [true] husband. Look after this relationship in the same way that you would not allow the relationship with a friend to spoil. If you do not look after your relationship with your friend, then the friendship will break. (Quote Number: #147)
- How can you afford to have difference of opinions at home? When the wife says, ‘I am yours’ and the husband says, ‘I am yours’, then how can there be difference of opinions? (Quote Number: #161)
- The wife and children have come under our shelter. How can we hurt those who have come under our shelter (and support)? We cannot hurt those who are dependent upon us even if they are at fault. (Quote Number: #213)
- Problem does not lie in being a husband; the problem is with acting as a husband (being bossy). (Quote Number: #149)
- When is one considered to have learnt to become a husband? It is when the wife continuously experiences veneration (respect) for him. (Quote Number: #151)
- How long will your acting as a husband (being boss of the wife) last? As long as you are not at fault. (Quote Number: #152)
- If the law of fidelity to one’s own wife is being practiced, then it [sexuality] is considered within limits. That will take one to a higher life-form. What is the ‘limit’ [criteria related to sexuality] of going to final liberation (moksha)? Fidelity to one’s own wife. (Quote Number: #3624)
- Relation with another man or a woman, other than one’s own husband or a wife, is a direct cause for a life in hell. (Quote Number: #677)
- There is a very big 'college' about how a man and a woman should interact with each other after marriage. However, people get married without 'studying'. (Quote Number: #146)
- Those who became God’s boss, achieved success and those who became wife’s boss, suffered torture and died! (Quote Number: #1381)
- From the time one gets married he tries to improve his wife, but neither of the two improves till death. Instead, if you would have tried to cut vegetables, it would have been done (with success.) So do not try to improve the wife. She may try to improve us [men] but we should not try to reform them. (Quote Number: #1782)
- Just as one has no choice but to defecate, one has no choice but to get married. If your mind remains single, then there is no problem. However, one has no choice but marry if the mind is already married. (Quote Number: #1860)
- Accept each other's fault; then, your married life will be full of happiness.
- Live as one family with love; then, there will not be any suffering in life.
- What is family life? In family life, love should prevail and be present at all times.
- The husband starts complaining about a meal that is not to his liking. Developed people would set aside what they do not like, and eat the rest. Can this not be done? That is a family life.
- What does “my family” mean? It should mean, “We do not have any conflicts.” You should adjust. You should know how to adjust within your family. Adjust everywhere.
- If your wife gets upset with you, wait a while and then say to her, “No matter what you say to me and no matter how upset you get with me, I miss you when you are not around!” Tell your wife that you don’t like being separated from her. Just go ahead and say this ‘Guru Mantra’ (words that give results).
- God will not stay wherever there are quarrels.
- You get good meals to eat, you wear beautiful jewellery, and yet you quarrel. You quarrel because you do not know how to live life; you do not know the art of living. This is what causes quarrels.
