Sexual intercourse has the worst consequences. It attracts to oneself the worst sanskaras of ages past of one's partner; hence it is most difficult to wipe out. It incurs incredible damage to one's spiritual progress.
The young man knew what Baba meant and moved on. The darshan continued until the late afternoon. In the evening Baba went to see a film, a comedy titled Topper at the Palace Theater.
Meanwhile Minoo Desai arrived in Bombay to escort Baba to Navsari. He and Baba boarded the Flying Rani train at six in the evening on the 22nd, accompanied by eight persons: Kaka Baria, Homi Bhatena, Raosaheb, Adi Sr., Gustadji, Chanji, Gajanand and Norina.1 In the train, when Norina was discussing some spiritual topic with the others, Baba interrupted and expounded on sanskaras:
Today, I will give you some very new facts concerning sanskaras; truly, no philosophical books explain the term properly. Sanskaras are impressions of duality which make the soul go through the process of duality to attain unity with God. The soul cannot attain unity consciously unless it goes through conscious experiences of duality, and these experiences of duality cannot be had but by impressions of duality.
Sanskaras in general are called prarabdha sanskaras. Prarabdha literally means of destiny. These are applied to the whole universe in evolution from the state of a minute atom to the state of God-realization. Prarabdha sanskaras are those that help the soul [gain consciousness in order to] go through evolution — from the very beginning to the very end — to attain unity.
For the Realized soul who does not return to normal consciousness, there are no sanskaras. But the soul who, after God-realization, returns to normal consciousness automatically gets a Universal mind and, to be able to work through duality, gets superfluous unbinding sanskaras that are called yogayoga sanskaras. The literal meaning of yogayoga is automatic. Very few perfected souls have these yogayoga sanskaras because very few of the God-realized return to normal consciousness — to phenomenal consciousness.2
Now, the Avatar, being one always and having his circle of 120 always — the same each time — this Avatar gives to his circle the vidnyani sanskaras. Vidnyani literally means the threshold to unity. The Avatar, when taking form for himself and the circle, gives himself and the circle the vidnyani sanskaras beforehand [before birth]. It is similar to a veil being drawn, and exactly at the time appointed by himself, the Avatar experiences his original divinity and then works with the vidnyani sanskaras.
Footnotes
- 1.Raosaheb had met Baba at Meherabad at the end of November 1937. He had taken a teaching job in Bombay. Baba wished him to return to Meherabad, but Raosaheb was disinclined.
- 2.In Chanji's original transcription, the term written was yogayog, but Baba later corrected it to yogayoga sanskaras.