Dada Bhagwan, born as Ambalal Muljibhai Patel in 1908 in India, was a revered spiritual leader and the founder of the Akram Vignan movement, a spiritual science focused on self-realization through grace rather than traditional practices. A humble and devout man, he experienced a profound spiritual awakening in 1958, which led him to share his insight into the nature of the Self and the path to liberation. Emphasizing non-violence, equanimity, and inner purity, his teachings have inspired thousands. He passed away in 1988, leaving behind a legacy of peace and practical spirituality.
"One binds the worldly life with bad thoughts, one binds the worldly life with good thoughts. With the absence of thoughts (avichaar) there is moksha [liberation]."
"You will especially not find anyone who speaks bitterly to you. All the 'diseases' [worldly suffering] remains due to the sweetness. Bitterness will remove the disease, sweetness will increase it. Your life should be such that you will not have to listen to bitter words. If however, you have to listen to bitter words, then you should listen to it. It is always beneficial."
"Worldly life means [state of continuous] agitation and uneasiness. What makes one like it, it is a wonder in itself!"
"This is not suitable for me- to say this is indeed madness, it is nothing but egoism. To say 'will not suit' is an offense."
"What is the definition of Gnan [true knowledge]? It is that which must be present without fail when needed. Who should be the one imparting this Knowledge? It is not acceptable coming from any ordinary person. It must be from one whose speech has power (vachanbad), so that it will be present when needed. The Gnan [Knowledge] has to present itself, otherwise the work cannot be accomplished."
"Religion is that which congregate all the resources for spirituality (to attain the Self)."
"In regards to maan (to seek importance from others), a man will become impudent if he keeps getting insulted up to a point. If he gets maan (importance from others) to a certain level, he grows stronger. And if he gets too much maan [praise], then his desire for it will come to end."
"Why is there inner burning [antar daah, inner suffering] present? Inner Burning [Antardaah] is not dependent/based on merit or demerit karma (paap-punya). Inner Burning [Inner suffering] is indeed present in both suffering producing karmas, unpleasant (ashata vedaniya) as well as pleasant (shata vedaniya). Inner Burning [Inner suffering] is dependent upon the wrong belief."
"Every action ('doing') causes bondage. 'Doing' is not needed for Liberation. For liberation, 'action' of Knowledge is required. Action of ignorance [of the self] is bondage. Action done with egoism is known as ignorant-action and the action done without egoism is known as knowledge-action."
"To know worldly relations as being 'relation' (temporary) will resolve everything. However, if they are believed to be true (real) relations, there will be insistence. In relative relations, one is not to prove 'I am correct'. One has to bring about a closure by saying, 'you are correct'."
"The Gnanis [The enlightened ones] have said that if one lives as if he is dead, death will never come to him."
"Scriptures are as 'helping problem'. Scriptures only give directions. Scriptures are like a thermometer. Can you grind a thermometer and give it as medicine?"
"No one in this world is in a position to interfere with you. Therefore, do not find fault with the world; the fault is only yours. These are the echoes of interferences that you had caused. Had you not interfered, there would be no echoes that would hit you."
"When does one qualify (for moksha)? It is when he never has any conflict in the worldly life."
"If you are not able to 'adjust everywhere', then even the moksha,that you have in your hand, will go away."
"To see happiness of others, that is what is our religion."
"One with higher 'revolutions' of intellect has a higher power of understanding. He will understand before explanation becomes necessary. Laborers do not have even five 'revolutions' per minute and an intellectual has one to two thousand 'revolutions' per minute. The higher the 'revolutions, the quicker he will understand this 'Science' [Akram Vignan]."
"The crying that is done in this world is due to wrong understanding and the laughing is also due to wrong understanding. This world is not worth the crying or laughing. This world is beautiful [which one needs to know and see]."
"This world has been changing from time immemorial. But because it is "round (subject to cycle of cause-effect), one cannot find an end to it."
"How beautiful are these bangles! But if you put them on a man, he will not like it because he has assessed his own worth. One cannot be the 'thermometer (gauge)' as well as the 'fever', both cannot be one."
"Chit's tendencies can become pure [transparent] in front of God, but people don't have this knowhow. The easiest solution to purify chit's tendencies is to associate with a person who has the least amount of desires and the ultimate solution to make them pure is the inner visual contemplation (niddidhyasan) of the Vitarag (the enlightened ones who are free of all attachments)."
"The actions carried out with ignorance of the Self [agnan bhaav, ignorance intent] is all bondage. Every action done with the awareness of I am pure Soul [gnan bhaav, knowledge intent], will grant liberation."
"Things get ruined the moment you say, 'What will become of me? It means that you have no regard for the Soul. The Soul within has infinite energy, why not ask the Soul for strength [power]?"
"The path of the vitarags [the enlightened ones] is not one of 'objection'. It is a path of giving 'no objection'. They remain indifferent if circumstances for objection arises."
"That which is external, it is instrumental (naimitik); it is relative and it is perishable [destructive]. Instrumental means no one has a say in it. One's actions are not of his own free will; he is under the control of external power. So on what basis do you need to object? Sooner or later you will have to become free from objections."