12. Root Cause Analysis.

 *Root Cause Analysis*

At the root of all the happenings that are not to be taken a credit for, lies a simple but deeply ingrained habit: *blaming the external*. 

Situations, people, outcomes: Everything outside becomes the cause of my inner disturbance. 

This outward orientation keeps the cycle of karma alive.

The shift begins when attention turns inward.

Not as a concept, but as a lived enquiry: What is happening within me in response to what is happening outside?

The Core Error: Misplaced Responsibility

It is tempting to say, “I am responsible for everything.”

But this needs precision.

From the standpoint of ultimate truth, the bondage of karma is indeed due to my own inner states: Raag (attachment), Dwesh (aversion), and Moh (delusion).

However, external events themselves unfold through prarabdha (karmic fruition) and nimit (the catalyst). However, at the core, prarabdh is something which is a result of my previous actions / purusharth that might have happened either during this birth or one of the previous births.

So the clarity is this:

Although, I might not be in a position to directly validate and justify that I am sole responsible if someone does something to me for no reason, I need to assure myself that this is happening to me because for sure, I have done something somewhere in the past (during the time immemorial, if I cannot find this during the current life)

And in any case, I am fully responsible for how I respond within and outside. And this is the purusharth of the present moment.

*_The Inner Axis of Nijbhaan, Nijbhaav, and Vrutti_*

From a perspective of awareness and intent, the spiritual journey revolves around three interconnected dimensions:

Nijbhaan: The state of being the knower, pure awareness

Nijbhaav: The inner purity free from distortion

Vrutti: The direction in which attention flows. The core intent.

When vrutti flows outward in identification, it strengthens false (fake) identity.

When it rests in nijbhaan, it dissolves bondage.

*_The Real vs The Fake Identity_*

At every moment, there are two identities operating:

1. The Fake Identity (Vyavaharik self)

➡️ Built on roles, relationships, and social positioning

➡️ Driven by validation, protection, and continuity

➡️ Rooted in raag, dwesh, moh and the 4 prime sagnas (ahaar, bhay, maithun, parigrah)

2. The Real Identity (Soul, Atman, the Self)

➡️ Pure knower (Gnata-Drashta)

➡️ Detached, unaffected, ever-present

➡️ Free from all dependency on outcomes

The conflict of life is nothing but...

Which identity am I prioritizing in this moment?

While dealing with the stuff in Sansaar, often I tend to say: “In the worldly context, this is necessary.”

_(Vyavahar ma to aam karvu pade)_

This statement needs to be examined deeply.

Is the action truly necessary?

Or is it driven by the need to protect, defend, or nourish the false/fake identity?

A powerful self-check in such moments:

Is there inner disturbance (fear, irritation, pride)?

Am I seeking validation or control?

If the outcome changes, will I feel affected?

Am I completely absorbed?

If the answer to any of these is “yes,”

then the action is not neutra; it is binding.

"Vyavahar" is Not the Problem. Identification is.

As long as I am embodied, vyavahar (worldly functioning) certainly will continue.

Actions will happen. Roles will be played. Decisions will be made.

The goal is not to reject vyavahar, but to purify my relationship with it.

I got to Act fully, but not become the actor.

*_Karma Bandh; The Actual Mechanism_*

Karma does not bind merely because actions happen.

Bondage occurs when:

There is kashaya (raag, dwesh, moh and krodh, maan, maaya, lobh), and

There is identification with the action

Without kashaya, even action remains non-binding.

So the focus shifts from:

Controlling actions

to

Purifying inner bhaav

Coming back to Vyavahar (that I usually defend mentioning that it needs to be taken care of)...

Using “practical necessity” as a justification often falls into the category of defending the fake identity, if it feeds attachment or ego.

If I (the soul) is in nijbhaan, yes, that can help the purification (shuddhna lakshe)

*_Guiding Principle from Shri AtmaSiddhi Shastra_*

Verse 36 gives a decisive direction:

There is only one path of ultimate truth across all time. That which supports this path alone is worthy of acceptance.

This means:

Any action, thought, or practice must be evaluated mainly on one basis:

Does it lead me closer to nijbhaan or further away?

This evaluation needs to be constant and pertaining to each moment, task, event...

*_The Endless Cycle; and the Exit_*

Since beginningless time, attention has remained outward.

Identification has remained with the non-self.

And karma has continued to accumulate.

If this pattern continues, liberation remains impossible.

But the exit is equally clear: 

It is about the Shift... 

▪️From doership to witnessing.

▪️From reaction to awareness.

▪️From identity to observation.

*_Living This in Real Time_*

In every situation:

▪️Recognize: This is Uday (karmic unfolding)

▪️Observe: What is arising within me?

▪️Detect: Is there kashaay?

▪️Stabilize: Remain in nijbhaan (knower state)

Action may still happen.

But bondage need not.

*_Final Clarity_*

The world will continue as it is.

Situations will arise as per karma.

Vyavahar will not stop.

However, one "shift" potentially is everything:

I am not the doer. I am the knower.

Of course, this needs to be considered with appropriate vigilance and responsibility. 

A clear distinction of whether I am serving the Fake identity or Real identity is inevitable 

With this "knowing", with this "vigilance & responsibility" and with this "distinction",

the chain of karma begins to dissolve.

11. ईश्वर, तेरे चरण में.

ईश्वर, तेरे चरण में,

दौड़ के आया, शरण में,

मुझे तुझसे ये कहना है...

साँसों संग तू स्मरण में

दर्शन तेरा पाकर प्रभु,

शुद्ध में खो जाता हूँ...

तेरी यात्रा को जानकर,

बस तेरा हो जाता हूँ...

बस तेरा हो जाता हूँ

अब की बार जो बिछड़ा अगर,

भटकूँगा अति भव रण में...

मुझे तुझसे ये कहना है...

साँसों संग तू स्मरण में

तेरे रास्ते पे चल कर,

पाना है सम्यक दर्शन...

जो न हुआ यह अनुभव,

व्यर्थ है सारा जीवन...

व्यर्थ है सारा जीवन

ना हो ऐसा अब की बार,

साक्षी रहना है आचरण में

मुझे तुझसे ये कहना है...

साँसों संग तू स्मरण में

ईश्वर, तेरे चरण में,

दौड़ के आया, शरण में,

मुझे तुझसे ये कहना है...

साँसों संग तू स्मरण में

10. बहुत दूर से आया, करने दर्शन.

बहुत दूर से आया, करने दर्शन,

एक बार देख लो...

एक बार देख लो, मुझको भगवन...

निकला निगोद से, महेरबानी आपकी,

काल अनंत बाद, टूटी बेड़ी पाप की,

बादर पर्याय में...

बादर पर्याय में, मिला फिर जीवन...

बहुत दूर से आया, करने दर्शन...

आगे बढ़ा और, त्रस में बसा मैं,

विकलेन्द्रिय में, भवों तक फँसा मैं,

असंग्नी का...

असंग्नी का, हुआ तब मिलन...

बहुत दूर से आया, करने दर्शन...

पुण्य उदय से, संग्नी दिशा मिली,

विवेक कम था, लेकिन दशा खिली,

शुभ धन कमाया...

शुभ धन कमाया, ठिकाने था मन...

बहुत दूर से आया, करने दर्शन...

मनुष्य भव अब, है व्यवस्थित,

एक ही विकल्प है, पाना है समकित,

शुद्ध के लक्ष से...

शुद्ध के लक्ष से, क्रिया और भजन...

बहुत दूर से आया, करने दर्शन,

अब पास आपके...

अब पास आपके, है आना भगवन...

9. Awareness of True Nature.

 There are moments when I pause and observe; not the world outside, but the quiet movement within. And in that observation, these two verses from Shri AtmaSiddhi Shastra begin to unfold, not as philosophy, but as a mirror to my own inner state (which is actually "me"). 

Verse 78:

ચેતન જો નિજભાનમાં કર્તા આપ સ્વભાવ,
વર્તે નહીં નિજભાનમાં, કર્તા કર્મ પ્રભાવ.

Chetan jo nijbhaan ma karta aap swabhaav,

Varte nahi nijbhaan ma, karta karm prabhaav.

Verse 121:

કર્તા ભોક્તા કર્મનો વિભાવ વર્તે જ્યાંય,
વૃત્તિ વહી નિજભાવમાં, થયો અકર્તા ત્યાંય.

Karta bhogta karm no vibhaav varte jyaay,

Vrutti vahi nijbhaav ma, thayo akarta tyaay.

 

Considering Verse 78 to start with…

 

The soul, in its purest sense, is nothing but awareness i.e. knowing, seeing, being. When it rests in this awareness, in Nijbhaan, it remains established in its own nature. It does not become anything else. It does not carry the burden of action. It simply knows.

 

The shift is subtle, almost imperceptible in the exterior.

 

There can be subtle instances where I experience that I am investing an effort of being aware (albeit in the practice). However, soon as I am not rooted in that inner knowing, this awareness loosens. I begin to slip. Not outwardly perhaps, but inwardly. I start identifying. With thoughts. With emotions. With roles. And in that identification, I unknowingly step into doership.

 

Now I am not just witnessing anger; I am angry.

Not just seeing a situation; I am affected by it.

 

And that is where the second line becomes real:

 

Varte nahi Nijbhaan ma, karta karm prabhaav.

 

In the absence of awareness, I am no longer acting from my nature. I am being driven. Influenced. Pulled by karmic forces already in motion. And in reacting to them, with raag, dwesh, moh, I bind more.

 

The cycle quietly continues.

 

The verse 121 deepens this understanding:

 

Karta bhogta karm no vibhaav varte jyaay,

Vrutti vahi Nijbhaav ma, thayo akarta tyaay.

 

In this state of vibhaav, this unnatural, outward-turned condition, I see myself as the doer and the consumer. I act, I react, I feel, I suffer, I enjoy. Life becomes a continuous chain of cause and effect, and I remain entangled within it.

 

Am I thinking to stop the action or consumption?

 

Well, the transformation does not come merely by stopping action. It comes by shifting the direction of my vrutti i.e. my inner tendency.

 

Vrutti vahi nijbhaav ma…

 

When the flow turns inward…

When attention settles back into its source…

When I begin to remain aware, not intellectually, but directly…

 

Something changes. Transformation is in the making…

 

Actions still happen.

Words are still spoken.

Life continues in its full movement.

 

But within, a distance emerges; not created… but revealed.

 

And in that, the verse concludes:

 

Thayo akarta tyaay.

 

The doer dissolves.

 

This is where the paradox becomes clear.

 

I may still be playing my role in this world, just like an actor on a stage. The emotions may be intense, the dialogues powerful, the involvement complete. But somewhere within, there is a quiet, unwavering knowing:

 

“This is a role. This is not me.”

 

The actor performs fully but does not become the character.

 

Similarly, when awareness is present, life can be lived fully, but without ownership. Without entanglement.

 

And yet, even this analogy has its limitation.

 

Because the soul is not merely an actor standing apart from the role. It is more like a mirror (and rather beyond that as it reflects self and everything else)..

 

A mirror reflects everything placed before it, be it fire, water, movement, stillness. But it remains untouched. The fire does not burn it.

 

Only if the mirror were to imagine, “I am burning,” would the illusion begin.

 

That imagination… is Delusion i.e. Moh.

 

So, the essence of both these verses, when seen together, becomes deeply personal.

 

The soul does not become bound because it acts.

It becomes bound because it identifies.

 

And liberation is not about withdrawing from action, but about dissolving this false identification.

 

When I am not aware, I am carried by karma.

When I am aware, I remain in my nature.

 

The actions may look the same from outside.

But within, everything has changed.

 

In the end, it all returns to one simple, uncompromising truth:

 

When I forget myself, I become the doer.

When I remain in myself, I am only the knower.

 

And perhaps, the entire journey, from bondage to liberation, rests in this one shift:

 

From involvement…

to Awareness!

8. मेरा मन भी कितना पागल है.

मेरा मन भी कितना पागल है,

ये मोह निरंतर करता है,

और सामने हो प्रभु, आप तो भी,

ना फिकर उसे, ना डरता है...

क्या कहूँ जिनवर, ओ मेरे जिनवर...

जिनवर, जिनवर, मेरे जिनवर...

कैसे इसको सुलझाऊँ मैं,

और कैसे इसे जगाऊँ मैं,

करने है इसको राग और द्वेष,

एक पल भी ना ये समझता है...

क्या कहूँ जिनवर, ओ मेरे जिनवर...

जिनवर, जिनवर, मेरे जिनवर...

तेरी राह पे चलना ज़रूरी है,

और व्यर्थ "झूठी" मजबूरी है,

ये बात का निर्णय जो मैं करूँ,

फिर देखूँ मुझे क्या रोकता है...

क्या कहूँ जिनवर, ओ मेरे जिनवर...

जिनवर, जिनवर, मेरे जिनवर...

मेरा मन भी कितना पागल है,

ये मोह निरंतर करता है,

और सामने हो प्रभु, आप तो भी,

ना फिकर उसे, ना डरता है...

क्या कहूँ जिनवर, ओ मेरे जिनवर...

जिनवर, जिनवर, मेरे जिनवर...

7. स्वामी तुम हो मेरे मन में.

स्वामी तुम हो मेरे मन में,

नदिया में और पवन में,

धरती पर और गगन में,

मेरे सारे जीवन में।

भक्ति प्रभु, चरणों में अर्पण है,

शत-शत बार, गुणों का कीर्तन है।

तुम ही मेरे दाता हो,

मुझे सच्ची राह दिखाते,

लाख बार जो पूछूं,

फिर भी मुझे सिखाते...

उपकार तुम्हारा ऐसा,

ना कभी चुका पाऊंगा,

दर पे तुम्हारे आकर,

बस शीश झुका पाऊंगा।

भक्ति प्रभु, चरणों में अर्पण है,

शत-शत बार, गुणों का कीर्तन है।

बतला दिया है तुमने,

सारा मार्ग स्पष्ट,

सभी प्रकार के कर्म,

मुझे हैं करने नष्ट...

पुरुषार्थ कठिन है लेकिन,

अवसर न फिर आएगा,

अज्ञान का घना अँधेरा,

जागृति से मिट पाएगा।

भक्ति प्रभु, चरणों में अर्पण है,

शत-शत बार, गुणों का कीर्तन है।

स्वामी तुम हो मेरे मन में,

नदिया में और पवन में,

धरती पर और गगन में,

मेरे सारे जीवन में।

भक्ति प्रभु, चरणों में अर्पण है,

शत-शत बार, गुणों का कीर्तन है।

6. तेरा मेरा नाता अमर.

 तेरा मेरा नाता अमर,

लेकिन भटकूँ मैं तो इधर,

मेरे प्रभु, मुझको बता,

पहुँचूँगा कब अपने भीतर

कह रहा है अंतःकरण, अब ये बात ना टले,

तू जहाँ बस गया, नीयत मेरी वहीं चले,

निर्णय है लेना बनके निडर,

लेकिन भटकूँ मैं तो इधर...

तेरा मेरा नाता अमर,

कब तक भटकूँ, इधर उधर...

साथ तेरा ज़रूरी है, तू मसीहा मेरा है,

रोशनी से उजाला कर, मेरे यहाँ अँधेरा है,

अब की बारी, मैं चूका अगर

भटकता रहूँगा, जाने किधर

निर्णय ले लूँ तो शुरू हो सफर

आऊँगा तब, मोक्ष नगर

तेरा मेरा नाता अमर,

जल्दी मिलूँगा, तुझे अपने घर