In plain words
For twelve hours the struggle goes on between this one and that one. When it is six in the evening, thinking of the safety of that one, of the faith of this one, of the Prema of this one, he says, “Poor thing, you yearn so much to join me; come and join me.” He himself comes up and takes the river in. If you look when the river is joining the ocean, it is sweet within and salt water above. That is the close bond between the jīva and God. This fellow goes, wanting to join. He says, “You cannot come now.” The other takes a vow, “I cannot stay away.” His heart melting at this kind of stern resolve, he lets him enter within. For this entering, first comes sālokya. One must think of Him. There must be no thought other than the thought of Him. Do your own work. Whatever work you do, the thought of Him must be there. Only then do you come near, to sāmīpya. Coming near, he grows into a close bond of kinship. Step by step, what happens is that he comes to sārūpya, the state of “You and I are one.” Only after that comes sāyujya. The two become one.
In every religion, in every doctrine, these four have a close bond, one with another. The principles differ, but the goal is one. It is the same among the Christians too. Jesus said the same at first. He said, “I am the messenger of God.” That is, God is separate, and I am a messenger. But this ardent longing kept growing and growing. He arrived at sālokya. Then He said, “God is My father, I am the son of God.” That is, the relationship went on growing. That is, He is the father, this one the son. A bond came about between them. When the third step came, He said, “I and My father are one.” When He came to the state of “one”, to sārūpya, the Holy Ghost, that is sāyujya. The Muslims went on saying this very thing. I am in the light. God is in the sky, they said. Light has two meanings. One is brightness, the other is lightness. Going up above, the ether itself is light. That is why he said, “I am in the light.” As he said it, he himself went on becoming light. When he had done some more sādhana, he said, “Light is in me.” That light is within me. This itself is sāmīpya. When it came to the third, he said, “I am the light.” This itself is sārūpya. There is no weight: this itself is sāyujya. That is why
All religions point to You alone; all images are Your forms.
In the Vedānta of the Bhāratīyas too they went on teaching the same. Dvaita, Viśiṣṭādvaita, Advaita.