Quotes by Dada Bhagwan

It is a tremendous strength to be able to digest an insult.

How can you tell whether the ego is there or not? You will know when someone insults you. If someone insults you, swallow (accept) it with understanding.

If one knows how to ‘digest’ an insult after attaining Self-realization, he will become a ‘Gnani’ [the enlightened one]. And if he ‘digests’ an insult before attaining Self-realization, he will become shameless (impudent).

To protect one’s own statement is the greatest form of violence. To impress upon others that his statement is correct is a form of violence itself.

Awareness’ will not arise where there is deceit along with self-pride (maan). If there is deceit with self-pride, then one can never see the self-pride.

What is arrogant pride (abhimaan)? It is to believe the weight of the body-complex [pudgal] to be one’s own weight. It is to believe that ‘I am Great’.

Arrogant pride (abhimaan) means public display of self-pride (maan).

Self-serving-pride (swamaan) means to take precaution against being insulted.

He insulted me’ -this knowledge binds one with terrible demerit karma.

Your pride will be uprooted when a person who insults you appears to be your benefactor. The person who insults should be considered a benefactor, instead people get depressed when they are insulted.

In the worldly life, self-serving pride (swa-maan) is considered a good quality and arrogant pride (abhimaan) as a bad quality.

In the ignorant state, there is a ‘limit’ for good qualities, it is known as the self-pride. Self-serving pride (swa-maan) is the limit of virtues in the realm of ignorance.

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.

If one man gets excessive maan (importance from others) higher than a certain point, he will get tired of it, and if he gets excessive insults higher than a certain point, he gets agitated.

One will become shameless if he does not fear insults in the worldly life. And in nischay [determination in the spiritual life] if one does not fear being insulted, he becomes independent.

One cannot have the same love for getting insulted (apmaan) as he does for getting importance (maan), can he? He cannot love loss as much as he loves profit, can he?

Even if you insult him, he gives you his blessings; such a one only is the Gnani Purush [The enlightened one]!

For how long will insult hurt a person? For as long as he covets self-importance. For as long as one covets temporary [non eternal] things.

There is no problem to relish pride when people praises you but at the same time, one must also be of the opinion that ‘this should not be so’.

As long as man has pride, he will appear unattractive and no one will be attracted to him. He may have a handsome face, his pride makes him unattractive.