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.
"Undecided thoughts' is called the mind. 'Decided thoughts' is called the intellect."
"When one remains 'sincere', no type of fear will come to him in the worldly life (sansar) and it will lead him to moksha (ultimate liberation)!"
"Is it atikraman [Hurtful karma] if we eat, cut our hair or brush our teeth? No, it is not like that. Anger-pride-deceit-greed is considered atikraman [Hurtful karma]. If you do pratikraman [Ask for forgiveness], they will all go away."
"One gets 'headaches', because he gives headache to others."
"What do the vitarags [the enlightened one] say? This world will keep on running, You do not interfere with anything in it. If you want to attain ultimate liberation (moksha) then you will have maintain a state of vitaragta (state free of attachment)."
"If one can exactly see the world 'as it is'; if one can exactly see the 'relative' and the 'real', it is shukladhyan (contemplation as the Self, Pure Soul)."
"If you want to attain moksha (ultimate liberation), then you cannot give unsolicited advice. Give advice only when it is asked for. In order to give advice, you have to become the chief!"
"There is no such thing as 'right' or 'wrong' in the world whatsoever. It is just the impurity of the vision. It is indeed illusion [mithyatva], it is indeed a poisoned vision."
"What is the nature of the worldly life (sansar)? God lives in every living being of the world, that means if you oppress any living being or cause misery to them, then adharma (unrighteousness, irreligion) will occur. The result (effect) of adharma will be against your desires and the result of dharma (righteousness, religion) will be favorable to your desires."
"No one can bother the one who has not interfered in the slightest with anyone. If such a person were to go into a town of robbers, the robbers will welcome him with respect and offer him food. No matter how many diamonds he would have with him, the robbers would not be able to touch them. Otherwise they would rob even the one who is accompanied by ten policemen."
"God has said for us to know bad, as bad and good, as good. But while knowing the bad, there should not be the slightest abhorrence towards it and while knowing the good, there should not be slightest attachment towards it. Without knowing bad, as bad, the good cannot be known as good."
"When you slander someone [talk negatively about people], you earn a debit in your account and that person will earn a credit. Who would do these kinds of business?"
"Illusion (maya) cannot enter where there is 'light' (enlightenment, awareness). Once darkness falls, illusion will enter there. The Gnani Purush can arrange for your illusion to go away permanently."
"When can it be said that one has entered into spirituality? Spirituality begins from the moment one gets the slight impression 'I am somewhat different from this [the body?]' And when dehadhyas, the belief of 'I am the body, the relative self', goes away; that is when spirituality is complete."
"Many people suffer great miseries but if you ask them in front of others, 'you went through great difficulty, didn't you?', then they will respond, 'no, no I didn't have any suffering'. Then they feel happy. So what kind of 'egoism' should one do? During times of sorrow, one should do the 'egoism' of happiness such that 'no one is happier than I!' People in general do the 'egoism' of sorrow at the time of happiness."
"Every human being makes mistakes, so why should you be afraid? Go to the One who can get rid of the mistakes and tell him, 'Sir, these are the kind of mistakes I make', so he will show you the solution."
"In scriptures, there is knowledge about the different methods; the knowledge about the goal [to attain Pure Soul] is not there. 'Gnani' has the knowledge about the goal [to attain Pure Soul]. Knowledge about the goal, which is the Soul, is obtained as a result of the 'Gnani's' grace."
"Whatever the other person sees according to his view-point, you have to accept it. How can we make others accept our view-point?"
"All the energy is destroyed due to conflict. That is why the infinite energy of the soul does not manifest (is not seen). If the slightest negative intent occurs, or the eye raises (on someone), it is conflict. What happens if you collide with a wall? You will crack your head. In the absence of conflict alone, man could go to moksha. If one learns only this: 'I do not want to get into conflict with anyone', he will go directly to moksha. Then no guru or anyone else would be needed in between."
"If you praise the virtues of the person who is two degrees higher than you, if you worship him, if you serve him; this is known as aradhana (veneration; worship). If you say bad things about him, defame him; it is known as viradhana (despise). Viradhana (despise) results in your down fall and aradhana (worship) results in your rise upwards."
"When one decides that I want to get rid of the mistakes which are in me, he can become the Absolute Supreme Soul (Parmatma)."
"In this world, all that which is on the outside, is also within! Faults that are seen on the outside [in other people] are the very faults that lie within [our own self]. The universe (Brahmand) that is on the outside is also within. When matters are settled with everyone on the outside, everything within will get settled. Thereafter none within will have complaints."
"To change from inauspicious [bad] to auspicious [good] can be done, through egoism. But egoism is not required to come to pure-state from auspicious-state. From there, one will not be able to know where to find the staircase to climb up the steps! That's why, all this has stopped from going further."
"Physical pleasures are not associated with attachment-abhorrence, the belief in an opinion itself is attachment-abhorrence."
"Civility must be a natural thing, all the rest is considered etiquette. The path of moksha [ultimate liberation] means there must be simplicity. There should be no 'ghosts of etiquette' there."
"Through the grace of a thief, one can become a thief and through the grace of a Gnani [the enlightened one], one can become a Gnani [the enlightened one]."
"Marriage results in two possibilities: sometimes it results in prosperity, sometimes it results in destruction."
"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."
"If anyone comes to me complaining about others that "this person is like this, I will question that person first. 'Why did you come complaining to me?' You come complaining therefore you are the guilty one. If anyone comes complaining without being asked, then you should disregard him completely."