The Properties of Pudgal Parmanu

Dadashri: That is actually for those embodied living beings who have not yet been named (avyavahaar rashi); when they enter into worldly nomenclature (vyavahaar rashi), a name is given to them. It is considered worldly interaction when it [the embodied living being] has a name.

Questioner: Does that mean it acquires a form first?

Dadashri: Every living being certainly has a form. The absolutely liberated Souls (Siddha) have Swaroop-roop (a form which is the Real form as the Self; the Real form as absolute Knowledge). The Real form is the fundamental form, and everywhere else, there is the bhrant swaroop (the illusory form). Therefore, ‘I’ am separate from the name and the form. This paudgalik swaroop (form as the non-Self complex) that has ended up becoming mine, ‘I’ am separate from that. That form (roop) is really the form as the non-Self complex.

Questioner: The paudgalik swaroop has also been referred to as form (roop)?

Dadashri: There is roop and there is swaroop (the Real form). Swaroop is also considered roop.

Questioner: But One’s own form is actually the Real form as the Self (Swa-swaroop), isn’t it?

Dadashri: And this form as the non-Self (par-swaroop), which one believes to be his own, is also considered roop.

Questioner: But this actually has form, doesn’t it? The form as the non-Self is considered to have form, whereas This [Swa-swaroop] is considered formless.

Dadashri: Yes, but it is because the developing I believes, ‘I am that form,’ that is why it is known as swaroop (one’s own form).

Questioner: But that is the form as the illusory self (bhrant swaroop)?

Dadashri: Yes.

Questioner: Form (roop) also causes confusion and so does knowledge (gnan), doesn’t it?

Dadashri: ‘Knowledge’ (Gnan) does not cause confusion, ignorance of the Self (agnan) causes confusion. Ignorance arises because of form. That is why it causes confusion. ‘Knowledge’ is actually considered illumination (prakash), and illumination does not cause confusion.

Questioner: The name causes confusion, doesn’t it?

Dadashri: The name? It is due to that, that all the wrong beliefs actually start arising; that is the fundamental primary cause. ‘One’ has lost One’s own Real form as the Self and has become the one with a name; that is the root cause.

The eternal element with form has become such that it changes the belief of the self. Then one will claim, “I am handsome. I am fair-complexioned.” What would one say? Hey mortal one, if you keep claiming, “I am this, I am this,” with reference to parmanu, when will there ever be an end to this? So people are confused in this way. No male ascetic nor any female ascetic can ever become free from this, nor can a monk or a nun become free from this. As long as the original element is not Known, what can be done?

The Self is not fair-complexioned, nor is It darkcomplexioned, nor is It yellow or red or green, It is none of these things...these are all properties of the eternal element with form. If a person appears very fair in complexion and handsome, that is the eternal element with form, the Self has nothing to do with this at all. However many forms and colors there are, they are all properties of the non-Self (anatma).

Questioner: One has to understand that the one with form is pudgal and the formless One is the Self.

Dadashri: The Self is indeed formless and the Pudgal has form. So ‘I’ have nothing to do with the Pudgal. So then no confusion remains, does it! No matter how beautiful anything is, even the most beautiful rose flowers, no matter how beautiful they are, what do You have to do with them? Those are all properties of the Pudgal. And the Pudgal has form and the Self is formless; it is because of the coming together of the two that this has been created, a third identity with completely new properties (visheshbhaav) has arisen!

Pudgal means that which has been filled in [charged] and that which then empties out [discharges]. That which has emptied out, gets filled; that which has been filled in, empties out. Everything that is visible in the world is all pudgal and how beautiful it appears! It actually does appear beautiful, doesn’t it?

Questioner: Yes, it does.

Dadashri: That is indeed why the world has become trapped in it.

Questioner: It appears to be both; it appears to be ugly and it also appears to be beautiful.

Dadashri: Actually that is itself contextual [relative]. As there is something beautiful, there will be something ugly; as there is something ugly, there will be something beautiful. If one was not ugly, then another would not be considered beautiful. So, this point is contextual. This pudgal actually has many properties, but it does not have the property of Knowing. It cannot Know, nor does it have feelings, nor does it experience anything. Everything that is visible is all a property of the pudgal; whatever is visible in the world, all of that. Even the pupils of the eye are [made up of] pudgal. There are all sorts of beautiful pupils, some have pupils like those of a cat, some have black ones, there are so many kinds of pupils!

There are many varieties of form. All the forms that exist, they are all a property of the pudgal. No matter how beautiful the eyes may appear, that too is a property of the pudgal.

The eye is primarily made up of luminous parmanu.

No matter what kind of body one possesses, no matter how attractive one appears, even then it is temporary. The Self does not have an attractive appearance (laavanya), the Self is actually of an entirely different sort.

Inanimate Matter Has Form, the Self Is Formless

On what basis has the Self been referred to as being formless (aroopi)? It is because inanimate matter has form, that is why the Self is formless, otherwise It has nothing to do with form. The Self which resides in Siddha gati (the realm of the absolutely liberated Souls) is neither formless, nor does It have form; It is not any of these things. ‘It’ does not have any of these properties. It is actually on the basis of the Pudgal that It can be recognized. That is why It has to be referred to as formless. ‘It’ has nothing to do with that. This is only mentioned for the purpose of contemplation, and It is not merely formless.

Questioner: The properties of the Self and the functions of those properties are different, aren’t they?

Dadashri: [To be] Invisible (amurt) and formless (aroopi) are not properties. The properties of the Self are actually infinite Knowledge, infinite Vision, infinite energy, infinite bliss, to not hurt nor be hurt (avyabaadh).

Everything else is actually considered analysis. Based on that, the scripture writers have said that if you worship It as being formless, then it will also apply to the other [eternal elements]. If you worship It as being invisible, then it will also apply to the other [eternal elements]. This Pudgal alone