Humans, in spite of their numerous defects and loopholes, are divine beings. Sometimes due to their momentary weaknesses they commit some mistakes or crimes; but after all, they are manifestations of God. Everyone is a divine creature and everyone is destined to be perfect some day or other. Whatever we are now is the result of our thoughts and actions in the past, and whatever we shall be in the future will be the result of what we think and do now. Our past actions determine our present state, and our thoughts and actions now will determine our future. We have all come from the invisible divine source and again after a limited period we shall go back to that invisible divine source. No earthly object or human being is our permanent friend or relative. Therefore, we should not lament over anything.

Ádarshaná ápatitah punashcádarshanaḿ gatah;
Násao tava na tasya tvaḿ tatra vrthá ká parivedaná.

[Everything has come from the world of invisibility and will ultimately go back to the world of invisibility. In fact, nothing belongs to you, nor do you belong to anyone. So why should one unnecessarily bother about anything?]

Therefore wise persons conclude that the attainment of Brahma is the principal aim of human life; other aims are only secondary. When people withdraw all their mental propensities from all crude worldly objects and direct them towards Brahma, they are bound to feel immense bliss. Their constant contemplation of God lands them in the world of spiritual ecstasies. In Vaeśńava [Vaishnavite] philosophy, these various states of spiritual ecstasy are described as dashá, bhává and mahábháva.

Each and every sádhaka, however black and inglorious their past might be, is entitled to spiritual realization. Notorious criminals such as Ratnakar, Angulimala, etc., who are said to have committed numerous crimes in their past lives, were great devotees of God later, and became the finest of human beings. The one thing that always counts is one’s latent devotion and great desire to become pure and holy in life. The rest is managed by God. Since diehard criminals of this type were changed into holy men in only a short time, there is no reason why others also might not be equally blessed by the Lord. The Lord’s blessings and mercy are always with men and women. Just as God has His duty towards human beings, human beings have a duty towards God. The duty of humans is to perform only those deeds which will give pleasure to God. God never makes any distinction between a holy man and a so-called sinful man. If God wills, that so-called sinful man may become a great devotee of God in no time.

Demonstration

[A sádhaka (spiritual practitioner) was standing in front of Bábá. Bábá simply touched the index finger of His one hand with that of His other. The sádhaka immediately fell down and began to roll on the ground. Bábá described this samádhi as mahábháva, described in Vaeśńava philosophy.]

This is a kind of savikalpa samádhi. The conscious, subconscious and unconscious minds become fused into one. The eyes become fixed and red. The person feels the tactual presence of Parama Puruśa, and he holds Him, as it were, tightly.

This mahábháva is clearly distinguished from dashá and bháva. When the sádhaka clearly feels the thrill of divine existence around him at the time of sádhaná, the state of bliss as experienced by the sádhaka is described as dashá. When the sádhaka feels the existence of the divine world around him, as also the source from which the divine existence comes, the state of bliss the sádhaka experiences at the time of sádhaná is bháva. Again, when the sádhaka feels the closest proximity of Parama Puruśa, even within his embrace, that bháva is called mahábháva.

At the time of dashá, the sádhaka feels bliss within and falls down, and during bháva, the sádhaka feels proximity to God, feels great bliss and falls down.

At the time of mahábháva, the sádhaka feels the tactual presence of Parama Puruśa and falls down. At that time, every nerve-cell, every nerve-fibre and every pore of the human body feels the divine touch.

The entire [extent] of the conscious, subconscious and unconscious minds becomes filled with devotion. But devotional expression is much more in the heart, the sentiment being strongly aroused. During floods, the rivers, tanks, pools, etc., all become filled and begin overflowing. Similarly, the mind and heart of the sádhaka are filled to the brim with devotion when flooded by bháva.

The sádhaka attains states of dashá and bháva according to saḿskáras. Again, according to one’s dashá and bháva, one attains mahábháva. That is why one who has attained mahábháva becomes sometimes restless, sometimes calm, now laughs and now weeps.

Demonstration

[Bábá called one sádhaka and aroused his devotion by touching his anáhata cakra (fourth psycho-spiritual centre, or plexus, located at the mid-point of the chest). The sádhaka felt the divine proximity and bliss within. He immediately lay down. He felt the tactual presence of God. But he was a bit restless, according to his saḿskáras (mental reactive momenta). He was in mahábháva.

Another sádhaka also experienced the state of mahábháva. He was calm and placid, according to his saḿskáras.]

The sádhaka feels waves of devotion in body, mind and heart, and feels so much proximity to God that he completely forgets his physical existence. At that time, the dháma, or stratum, where he moves mentally is Nitya Vrndábana or Vaekuńt́ha.