Gadhada First Section Vach. 1 Vachanamrut Rahasyarth Pradeepika Tika

It is understandable that Maya can raise obstacles in the form of thoughts and volitions etc., but how do the categories of Ishwar, Brahm and Mul-akshar create obstacles?

A lamp is seen when our eyes make contact with its light; stars are seen when our eyes make contact with their light; the Moon is seen when our eyes come into contact with moonlight; and the Sun is seen when our eyes come into contact with sunlight. In the same way, if we believe our soul to be united with the lustre of Mul-purush, who is above Mul-maya, it can attain the contact of Mul-purush’s lustre, i.e. Ishwar. Only then can we attain the Mul-purush status. However, above this, is the [Vasudev-]Brahm status and this can not been attained. Ishwar can therefore be considered to have created an obstacle in achieving the [Vasudev-]Brahm status. Similarly, by associating with the lustre of [Vasudev-]Brahm, the [Vasudev-]Brahm status may be attained, but not the Akshar status. From this perspective, [Vasudev-]Brahm can be considered an obstacle. By associating with the lustre of Akshar, the status of Akshar can be attained, but Purushottam is not attained. In this context, Akshar acts as an obstacle. When our soul comes into contact with the lustre of Purushottam, He is attained, and the obstacles of Akshar, etc. do not exist. It is stated in GFS.51, “Purushottam can only be visualised when one becomes like Purushottam.” Thus Shreejimaharaj is supreme; above Akshar, etc. Only after having believed oneself as His lustre and uniting with His divine abode, i.e. His lustre, can a soul become one with Shreejimaharaj. Shreejimaharaj can only be attained in this manner, but not in any other way.