MEDITATIONS WITH

SRI NISARGADATTA MAHARAJ

English editing by

Suresh Mehta

From the original Marathi transcription by

Dinkar Kshirsagar

MEDITATIONS WITH

SRI NISARGADATTA MAHARAJ

First published in India in 2013 by

Yogi Impressions Books Pvt. Ltd.

1711, Centre 1, World Trade Centre,

Cuffe Parade, Mumbai 400 005, India.

Website: www.yogiimpressions.com

First Edition, June 2014

without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in

a review; nor may any part of this book be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in

any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or other, without written

permission from the publisher.

ISBN 978-93-82742-19-7

Printed at: Uchitha Graphic Printers Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai

CONTENTS
Editor’s Note
Introduction
Nirupana 1 – Sunday, November 27, 1977
Nirupana 2 – Thursday, December 1, 1977
Nirupana 3 – A Compilation
Nirupana 4 – Thursday, December 22, 1977
Nirupana 5 – Sunday, December 25, 1977
Nirupana 6 – Thursday, January 5, 1978
Nirupana 7 – Sunday, January 15, 1978
Nirupana 8 – Thursday, January 19, 1978
Nirupana 9 – Sunday, January 22, 1978
Nirupana 10 – Sunday, January 29, 1978
Nirupana 11 – Thursday, February 9, 1978
Nirupana 12 – Thursday, February 16, 1978
Nirupana 13 – Thursday, March 2, 1978
Nirupana 14 – Sunday, March 5, 1978
Nirupana 15 – Thursday, March 9, 1978

Nirupana 16 – Sunday, March 19, 1978
Nirupana 17 – Thursday, March 23, 1978
Nirupana 18 – Sunday, March 26, 1978
Nirupana 19 – Thursday, March 30, 1978
Nirupana 20 – Sunday, April 2, 1978
Nirupana 21 – Sunday, April 9, 1978
Nirupana 22 – Thursday, April 13, 1978
Nirupana 23 – Sunday, April 16, 1978 Occasion: Birth anniversary of
Bhausaheb Maharaj (Maharaj’s Guru’s Guru)
Nirupana 24 – Thursday, April 20, 1978
Nirupana 25 – Sunday, April 23, 1978
Nirupana 26 – Thursday, April 27, 1978
Nirupana 27 – Sunday, April 30, 1978
Nirupana 28 – Saturday, May 13, 1978
Nirupana 29 – Sunday, May 14, 1978
Nirupana 30 – Sunday, May 21, 1978
Nirupana 31 – Thursday, May 25, 1978
Nirupana 32 – Sunday, May 28, 1978
Nirupana 33 – Tuesday, June 6, 1978
Nirupana 34 – Thursday, June 8, 1978
Nirupana 35 – Sunday, June 11, 1978
Nirupana 36 – Thursday, June 15, 1978

Nirupana 37 – Sunday, June 18, 1978
Nirupana 38 – Thursday, June 22, 1978
Nirupana 39 – Sunday, June 25, 1978
Nirupana 40 – Thursday, June 29, 1978
Nirupana 41 – Thursday, July 6, 1978
Nirupana 42 – Sunday, July 9, 1978
Nirupana 43 – Thursday, July 13, 1978
Nirupana 44 – Sunday, July 16, 1978
Nirupana 45 – Thursday, July 20, 1978
Nirupana 46 – Sunday, July 23, 1978
Nirupana 47 – Sunday, July 30, 1978
Nirupana 48 – Thursday, August 3, 1978
Nirupana 49 – Sunday, August 6, 1978
Nirupana 50 – Thursday, August 10, 1978
Nirupana 51 – Tuesday, August 15, 1978
Nirupana 52 – Thursday, August 17, 1978
Nirupana 53 – Saturday, August 19, 1978
Nirupana 54 – Wednesday, August 23, 1978
Nirupana 55 – Thursday, August 24, 1978
Nirupana 56 – Sunday, August 27, 1978
Nirupana 57 – Thursday, August 31, 1978
Nirupana 58 – Sunday, September 3, 1978

Nirupana 59 – Sunday, September 10, 1978
Nirupana 60 – Thursday, September 14, 1978
Nirupana 61 – Sunday, September 17, 1978
Nirupana 62 – Thursday, September 21, 1978
Nirupana 63 – Sunday, September 24, 1978
Nirupana 64 – Sunday, October 8, 1978
Nirupana 65 – Thursday, October 12, 1978
Nirupana 66 – Sunday, October 15, 1978
Nirupana 67 – Thursday, October 19, 1978
Nirupana 68 – Sunday, October 22, 1978
Nirupana 69 – Thursday, October 26, 1978
Nirupana 70 – Thursday, November 2, 1978
Nirupana 71 – Sunday, November 5, 1978
Nirupana 72 – Thursday, November 9, 1978
Nirupana 73 – Sunday, November 12, 1978
Nirupana 74 – Thursday, November 16, 1978
Nirupana 75 – Saturday, November 18, 1978
Nirupana 76 – Thursday, November 23, 1978
Nirupana 77 – Thursday, November 30, 1978
Nirupana 78 – Thursday, December 7, 1978
Nirupana 79 – Sunday, December 10, 1978
Nirupana 80 – Thursday, December 14, 1978

Nirupana 81 – Sunday, December 17, 1978
Nirupana 82 – Thursday, December 21, 1978
Nirupana 83 – Sunday, December 24, 1978
Nirupana 84 – Thursday, December 28, 1978
Nirupana 85 – Thursday, January 4, 1979
Nirupana 86 – Sunday, January 7, 1979
Nirupana 87 – Thursday, January 11, 1979
Nirupana 88 – Friday, January 26, 1979
Nirupana 89 – Sunday, January 28, 1979
Nirupana 90 – Thursday, February 1, 1979
Nirupana 91 – Thursday, February 8, 1979
Nirupana 92 – Sunday, February 11, 1979
Nirupana 93 – Sunday, February 18, 1979
Nirupana 94 – Thursday, February 22, 1979
Nirupana 95 – Thursday, March 1, 1979
Nirupana 96 – Sunday, March 4, 1979
Nirupana 97 – Thursday, March 8, 1979
Nirupana 98 – Sunday, March 11, 1979
Nirupana 99 – Sunday, March 18, 1979
Nirupana 100 – Thursday, March 22, 1979
Nirupana 101 – Sunday, March 25, 1979

Nirupana 102 – Wednesday, March 28, 1979 Gudi Padva, Maharashtra
New Year’s Day
Nirupana 103 – Thursday, March 29, 1979
Nirupana 104 – Sunday, April 1, 1979
Nirupana 105 – Thursday, April 5, 1979 Birthday of Lord Rama
Nirupana 106 – Thursday, April 12, 1979 Maharaj’s Birthday (Hindu
calendar – Hanuman Jayanti)
Nirupana 107 – Thursday, May 3, 1979
Nirupana 108 – Sunday, May 13, 1979
Nirupana 109 – Sunday, May 20, 1979
Nirupana 110 – Wednesday, May 30, 1979
Nirupana 111 – Thursday, May 31, 1979
Nirupana 112 – Sunday, June 3, 1979
Nirupana 113 – Thursday, June 7, 1979
Nirupana 114 – Thursday, June 14, 1979
Nirupana 115 – Thursday, June 28, 1979
Nirupana 116 – Sunday, July 1, 1979
Nirupana 117 – Thursday, July 5, 1979
Nirupana 118 – Monday, July 9, 1979, Guru Purnima
Nirupana 119 – Thursday, July 12, 1979
Nirupana 120 – Thursday, July 19, 1979
Nirupana 121 – Thursday, July 26, 1979

Nirupana 122 – Thursday, August 2, 1979
Nirupana 123 – Sunday, August 5, 1979
Nirupana 124 – Thursday, August 9, 1979
Nirupana 125 – Sunday, August 12, 1979
Nirupana 126 – Saturday, August 18, 1979
Nirupana 127 – Thursday, August 23, 1979
Nirupana 128 – Thursday, August 30, 1979
Nirupana 129 – Sunday, September 9, 1979
Nirupana 130 – Thursday, September 13, 1979
Nirupana 131 – Thursday, September 20, 1979
Nirupana 132 – Thursday, September 27, 1979
Nirupana 133 – Sunday, September 30, 1979
Nirupana 134 – Saturday, October 6, 1979
Nirupana 135 – Sunday, October 7, 1979
Nirupana 136 – Thursday, October 11, 1979
Nirupana 137 – Thursday, October 25, 1979
Nirupana 138 – Thursday, November 1, 1979
Nirupana 139 – Thursday, November 8, 1979
Nirupana 140 – Sunday, November 11, 1979
Glossary

EDITOR’S NOTE

The material presented here is based upon notes taken by Shri Dinkar

Kshirsagar while attending the daily gatherings at the residence of Sri

Nisargadatta Maharaj. This was done during the period 1977-79, before

Maharaj passed away in 1981.

Maharaj used to conduct morning and afternoon talks, mostly in a

question-answer form, with the translator sitting next to him. A small group

would also join him in meditation at 6:30 in the morning. Additionally,

there was a small gathering later in the evening with the conversation being

conducted in Marathi. Shri Dinkar usually attended the gatherings on

Thursday and Sunday in the evening, as well as on holidays. Marathi being

his mother tongue, it was easier for him to directly follow Maharaj’s words.

He wrote down the poignant Marathi sentences verbatim. As a result, we

are fortunate to have a direct and accurate record.

The daily notes are titled Nirupanas. The word means ‘investigating’,

‘defining’, ‘searching’, etc. Maharaj says: ‘To tell you about your true

nature as to what it is and how it is, is the meaning of the word Nirupana’.

Towards the end of his life, Maharaj preferred to emphasize on the core

teaching and not dwell on peripheral topics. He used to say that what was

being discussed at that time was different from the earlier dialogs

documented in I Am That.

These notes were looked at by Maharaj and he encouraged distribution

of the same. The sentences are mostly left as spoken, without

rearrangement.

I consider the Nirupanas as passages for meditation. That is their

purpose and that is where they lead. They may seem to be repetitive, yet

there is a different nuance to them almost every time you read them.

Consequently, this is not a book one would read perhaps in one sitting. One

should rather read a passage at random and meditate on the same. It will

tear away all your internal and external covers and leave your innermost

core bare, with no support and ultimately no concepts, method or system to

cling onto. At its foundation, of course, are the non-dual teachings of

Vedanta or similar schools of thought.

Its uniqueness is that here it comes to us from an enlightened master’s

direct experience expressed spontaneously.

We owe the first attempted translation of these notes to Mrs. Damayantie

Doongaji Ph.D., one of the senior disciples. She forwarded hand-written

texts to her friend Jean Dunn in the mid-1990s. Jean had already published

several books on the teachings by this time. She in turn asked me to take on

the task of editing. Subsequently, Shri Dinkar revised the first translation

and I re-edited the same through several iterations. I eventually verified it

against the Marathi notes – one sentence at a time. My small regret is that it

has taken a long time to bring this effort to fruition.

It is difficult to translate the original words (Sanskrit as well as

colloquial Marathi) into English, as exact equivalents do not exist. This

being the case, readers who are familiar with them will be able to interpret

the equivalents with the right contextual meaning. There are plenty of

precedents to this, of course. Then again, what we have here is

inexpressible in words, as such. It is presented in known languages with

their fundamental limitations. Sometimes, they are pointed out or explicit;

sometimes they are implied.

Also, many a time the same words are used to express a different

meaning or interpretation. For example, the word ‘consciousness’ has been

used as prana – the life force; as awareness; as knowingness; as ‘self’; or,

as the ultimate root of manifestation that is Brahman. Hence, the context is

very important.

I had the good fortune of attending Maharaj’s talks in the summer and

monsoon of 1979, when I lived in Mumbai.

During a visit to Sri Ramanasramam in Tiruvannamalai, a year earlier,

someone had given me Maharaj’s address. Later, when I read an article by

Jean Dunn in The Mountain Path – the Asramam’s magazine, I decided to

go visit him.

It is impossible to second-guess how, why, and when things happen.

As I reflect back on those visits, the most poignant feeling that arises is a

sense of grace. He did not call himself a Guru. And yet, I believe, if you

were ‘initiated’ you somehow experienced it. It seemed that he did not form

an image of you as such. He rarely called people by their names. It was as if

we had no names. His mind did not seem to record the meetings.

Somehow, the questions one had and were never verbalized were

answered during the flow of the session. It was as if divinity was playing its

role but there was no player, so to speak. Once in a while, he would look at

you and ask you what the question was. His primary advice was to regularly

meditate on the sense ‘I am’.

After a few months, when I told him I was going back to USA, his only

comment was: ‘You have to pass the time somehow’. When I asked if I

would see him again, he gave a look that suggested he did not like such

questions. Then he said I would see him. It so happened that I had to make

a quick trip back to India less than a year-and-a-half later and he graced me

with a meeting. Eight months later, he passed away.

A few quotations from the Nirupanas have been presented in an earlier

pictorial book The Wisdom Teachings of Nisargadatta Maharaj, published

by Inner Directions in 2003.

I am grateful to Shri Dinkar for allowing me to edit his painstaking notes

and publish the same. I am also thankful to late Damayantie Doongaji for

initiating this, and my friends and mentors late Jean Dunn and Saumitra K.

Mullarpattan for guidance and encouragement. The latter had asked me to

contact Gautam Sachdeva of Yogi Impressions for publishing the same.

I am thankful to him for making it happen. I also must thank him and his

team for a careful, thorough and extensive review of the text for syntax,

punctuation and consistency.

Gautam’s firm has earlier published three books on Maharaj, and he has

himself been deeply inspired by the Teaching. He has captured the ‘essence’

of this book in a short video that can be viewed on YouTube:

http://youtu.be/NaIvHDpbFqM or http://tinyurl.com/MaharajBook1

– Suresh N. Mehta

Pleasanton, CA

June 23, 2014

INTRODUCTION

The earliest Indian scriptures, the Vedas, are some of the oldest texts in

the history of the world, mostly composed during the Bronze Age. Vedas

primarily dealt with the material and non-material aspects of life. As the

sages turned their attention inwards to study consciousness, the revelations

that they received helped them compose the Upanishads. They are a record

of their insights. The foundation of Indian spiritual thought can, largely, be

traced to these compositions.

The sages realized that to understand the mind and make it steady, purity

of thought and concentration were necessary. Towards this goal, they

prescribed certain spiritual practices. These were broadly classified as

Bhakti yoga (yoga of devotion), Karma yoga (yoga of righteous action), and

Jnana yoga (yoga of self-discovery).

Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj was a jnana yogi. In 1932, his Guru Sri

Siddharameshwar Maharaj explained what the true nature of man was and

asked him to meditate on the same. Nisargadatta Maharaj followed this very

diligently and within three years had an unshakable insight: his Self-

realization.

Maharaj spent nearly 50 years sharing his insights with all sincere

seekers. People from all over the world came to his residence that was in a

narrow lane of Mumbai. Their queries were answered and elaborated upon,

appropriate for the enquirer’s state of mind. For a Self-realized sage, this

process occurs without any deliberation and is spontaneous.

The nature of the human mind is to identify with the body; its name and

form, consciously and unconsciously. This identification does not allow us

to reach our formless, attribute-less Self – the Atman – which is pure

consciousness. A jnana yogi contemplates on this after intense study, and

realizes the same. This is called the ‘direct path’. It may be compared to the

path of the bird that flies directly to the top. This is the first part of the

spiritual search.

After this, the seeker meditates and gains knowledge of the pure

consciousness. He then understands how it rises, sustains and sets. This

understanding leads to ultimate liberation.

A realized sage is called Sadguru – one who has realized the emergence,

sustenance and dissolution of His own consciousness. He in turn introduces

it to the seeker and initiates him.

In the absence of a master, the Self as ‘pure consciousness’ is also called

Sadguru.

Maharaj explained sadhana, spiritual practice, as follows:

Listening: Paying close attention to the teaching of the Sadguru

invariably brings change. This is exemplified in the dialog between Sri

Krishna and Arjuna as described in the Gita. Arjuna listened carefully even

while fighting a war, and was liberated. There is no need to listen once the

change is complete.

Bhajans: The chitta (inner mind) is purified by the words and singing of

devotional songs. Worldly thoughts are at abeyance at such time. For some

people this is the best practice.

Chanting: Silently reciting the name of a chosen deity, or a mantra

(secret set of words given by a Guru), while paying attention to the breath.

A mantra is usually given during the initiation of a seeker. Since mind and

breath are closely related, prana – the life force, is thus purified. The mantra

gets personified. This leads to dissolution of the mind and results in a state

of samadhi (yogic inner trance).

The sage Valmiki, who was once a bandit, recited the mantra given to

him by Narada, the messenger of the gods. By doing so, he transformed

himself and wrote the magnificent epic Ramayana. Purification of prana

may lead to spiritual powers that are inherent to pure consciousness. A

jnani (realized being) generally refrains from using them.

Meditation: For purification of the mind, dhyana or meditation, is the

best practice. After waking up and before going to bed, meditate for half an

hour. This is what Maharaj used to prescribe: Sit steady with the back erect.

Contemplate on: ‘I am not the body. I am formless. I am self-illumined,

pure consciousness’.

Remain aware of pure consciousness without words till you forget

yourself while still awake. Do not visualize any deity, or chant any name.

Just ‘TO BE’ and to remain steady with the awareness ‘I AM’ is the

beginning and end of spiritual practice.

Maharaj has given further spiritual advice: ‘The search for happiness is

the cause of suffering’. The world is a repository of desire and fear. True

detachment brings peace. The anxiety of ‘what will happen to me?’ is

removed by detachment.

Our self-image, our ego, is strengthened by aspirations. Hence, one is

advised to cast-off personal aspirations. The end of searching is ultimately

the advent of Self-realization, which is timeless.

The sense ‘I am’ is always in the present moment. Eternity is in the

present moment. We miss this because our mind wanders between the past

and the future. One must understand that nothing exists which one should

fear.

Consciousness and the world appear together and disappear together.

They are two sides of the same coin. The world exists till the mind exists.

The world comes into being with the birth of the body. Realize that the

world is within you and not you in the world.

Maharaj says: ‘From your point of view, you are born and you will die.

From my point of view, the world appears and then disappears’. One cannot

change the world, but one can change oneself and become free from desire

and fear.

Meeting a Sadguru is the most precious thing in the life of a seeker. The

sense of restlessness for the seeker, the divine dissatisfaction, is a

benediction from the Guru.

The seeker needs to follow the teaching with love and faith. Do not see

the Guru as a physical person. To follow his teaching earnestly is of the

greatest importance.

I first met Maharaj on 14th May 1977. Two days later he gave me

initiation. I usually visited him on Thursday and Sunday evenings. The first

six months were very difficult for me as what I heard was different from my

traditional knowledge, and this led to a conflict. Maharaj taught that there

was nothing to attain or nothing to lose, but to understand, not intellectually

but actually, the rising and dissolution of consciousness and its relationship

with the world.

I started to write down important sentences so I could ruminate over

them later. These formed the basis of the Nirupanas.

Maharaj was neither a preacher, nor a philosopher, nor a missionary. He

spoke from his own direct experience, in his simple language. He used to

say that if you take a few sentences and ruminate over them constantly, you

will be free.

I was fortunate to be in the holy presence of Maharaj for four years, up

to the last day of his physical existence.

May the passages on the following pages lead you to the Truth.

It is inevitable they will.

– Dinkar Kshirsagar

THE NIRUPANAS

Nirupana 1

Sunday, November 27, 1977

All worldly activities are being done for the sake of entertainment of the

consciousness of every living being.

The quality of the fruit depends upon the quality of the seed. Hence, it is

important to listen to good things.

What is seen is the reflection of the seer’s own consciousness. The

pervader (you, as consciousness) and the pervaded (the manifest universe)

are not different; they are one and the same. That through which space is

created is within us. Mind has neither birth nor death. Mind means the

speech (thoughts). The mind becomes silent when the word-flow ceases.

The word comes from space, mind comes through the word, and your

behavior depends upon your mind. (From this perspective, the first sound-

word is OM which symbolizes the manifestation – the first vibration. The

mind is formed from the words thereon.) In fact, you are not the doer.

You wear clothes but you do not say, ‘I am the clothes’. Similarly, learn

to say, ‘I am not the body’. Your form is of the nature of space.

(In this discourse Maharaj is telling us to go back to our Source. When

we get up in the morning, the first to appear is the seed consciousness, just a

feeling of our beingness. In a few seconds, this seed consciousness expands

and space comes into existence. In this space everything is seen, including

our own body. This has been happening every day from our childhood.

Since then, we have identified ourselves with the body. This deep-rooted

impression cannot be dismissed without the guidance of an enlightened

Guru. The Guru asks us to go inwards by saying, ‘I am not the body. I am

consciousness within the body’.)

Nirupana 2

Thursday, December 1, 1977

Brahman (the manifestation) is eternal. However, even the concept ‘I am

Lord Vishnu’ does not last. What does that mean? Can the meaning be

understood through austerities? It can only be understood through right

discrimination. (Maharaj points out that Vishnu may be the supreme One,

but when He sleeps, He forgets everything including His own name. As

long as one regards oneself as a body, even if one is an incarnation, one

cannot remain in his true state of being.)

To keep in mind what is heard is meditation.

What was done in childhood was true, what was done in youth was true,

and what was done in old age was also true; but finally one must realize that

it was altogether false (as it passed away with time).

Liberation means being free. It is freedom from our own concepts, from

the bondage of our mind, intellect and imagination. The Self is free from

the concept, ‘I want to be’ and requires no liberation.

One who has recognized the source of mind and intellect remains free

from the resulting harassment. They arise out of body-consciousness.

Parabrahman (Absolute) does not belong to any organization. All cults

are concepts and all concepts are incomplete.

What is the Guru-word? It is: ‘You are not the body, you are

consciousness in the body’. Hold onto this.

Time will end, but you will never end. One who says ‘I am the body’

will never understand this.

When there is no time, there is no world. (This time is not by the clock.

Maharaj says time starts with the birth of the person. It is not the child, but

it is time that is born. So, the world is there as long as you are.)

You know that ‘you are’. That is the misery. Consciousness in the body

is the reason why everything is seen. This subtle self-sensation is the Guru.

Always remember this. That is meditation. Even if the pure sense of

beingness is not held consciously in the mind, it is always there. The

experience of time disappears along with the world, just like the ending of a

dream. One who witnesses the dissolution of the universe is certainly prior

to it. The situation is like that of a sleeping man witnessing a dream.

You will get time for spirituality only when your mind is silent. For this,

concentrate on the goal. Krishna says: ‘That, through which the world is

known, is My nature as well as yours’.

Maya is difficult to grasp. She blocks the path to Self-realization, unless

there is devotion to the Guru. Practice non-dual devotion. Catch hold of the

knowledge ‘I am’. (Here, Guru is not a physical person; it is your pure

consciousness. It is also called jnana. The common meaning of maya is

delusion. The root-maya is your seed-consciousness.)

By adhering to the Guru’s word, you will grow spiritually and be happy

in household life as well.

It is said that there are three gunas (qualities). Really speaking there is

only one guna – Sattva guna – pure consciousness. When it takes up

doership, it is Tamo guna. When it is active, it is Rajo guna. The presence

of these gunas is known through worldly dealings.

Nirupana 3

A Compilation

(This Nirupana is a collection of sentences compiled over a period of

time. They represent a unique self-assertion of an enlightened person.

Generally, Maharaj did not talk about himself.)

“My identity is beyond description. I have no use for myself. Others

may find me useful depending on their faith. The eternal Truth,

Parabrahman, is always with me. The accumulated experience of 81 years is

the only obstacle that has come over me. When I am beyond my sense of ‘I

am’, how can I commit a sin or a virtuous act?”

“I have seen the existence-consciousness-bliss (sat-chit-ananda) in its

naked form; hence I talk like this. Parabrahman – the unmanifest, is guiding

Brahman – the manifest. I am not talking to a person as a person. I am

talking to pure consciousness, not the body. As you listen while identified

to the body-form, you do not understand this.”

“I accepted what my Guru taught me; no other advice. Due to maya, I

felt that ‘I am’, which was not prior to maya. When I realized this mistake, I

knew I was always there, but without knowingness.”

“I am fully aware that the devotee is not different from me. I am not

talking to the individual but to consciousness and the love within it. We

have an eternal friendship, only if you keep it up. The difference between

you and I is gone. The sense of individuality is replaced with a sense of the

totality. Now, death has become of the nature of the Absolute.”

“My answers to your questions come up spontaneously. I do not think

over them.”

“My birth is the birth of the world. The Source of my speech is the

golden womb (Hiranya Garbha) through which the world is created.”

“Here, the word is replying to the word. However, I am outside the

word. In my identity, there is no light, no darkness, no ‘I’ nor ‘you’. Who

will recognize me in my unmanifested state? I can be known when the

knower himself is dissolved. When the passions are silent, there is no urge

to go outside. I am the witness of ‘beingness’ and the ‘non-beingness’.”

“I am giving you the knowledge of my true nature. Listen to the same as

if it is your own. By the grace of the Guru, I have undergone Self-

realization. As I have known my true nature, the great scholars cannot

compete with me in arguments. Rich people, highly educated people and

dignitaries come to meet me. I behave with them just as I would with

anyone. I know why and how one feels that ‘he is’. Therefore I see no

difference between big and small. I see no difference between God and the

devotee. You will not understand this without discrimination.”

“I was convinced that I had attained a lot of knowledge and I was also

convinced that I had attained no knowledge at all. All these are seasonal

concepts. I have undergone all the yogic experiences. I have washed them

off, as there is no real greatness in spiritual powers. You must know that I

praise consciousness and condemn it as well. People are bothered by their

memories. I have baked myself and I have eaten myself up.”

“The sensation of beingness is a matter of experience, but I am beyond

that. Some people claim that they have memories of past lives. I do not

have even the experience of myself at anytime.”

“No specimen of my individuality will be found in the world. I am only

the totality. A life of an extra 100 years will be of no use to a person like

me. I have disappeared with negation. I have no use of my beingness. I am

desireless Parabrahman. You are listening to me while treating yourself as

the body, hence this is not affecting you. My saying and your understanding

should be reconciled.”

“You may not be able to endure what I will say from now on. Therefore

I ask you to leave. I have no use of myself. But for you, I will be available

anywhere according to your faith. My form will depend upon your concept.

You will meet me according to your concept.”

The following are the last words of Maharaj before he lost his voice:

“I feel the pain in the body but I have no pain of dying. What has

manifested is not ‘I’. I am That which is always there and which is prior to

manifestation. I am not consciousness; on the contrary, consciousness is a

nuisance to me.”

Nirupana 4

Thursday, December 22, 1977

Your dream is your own, no one else can watch it. Similarly, your world

is your own.

The fact ‘I am not the clothes I wear’ can be easily understood. The fact

‘I am not the body’ cannot be understood without the grace of the Guru.

The Guru’s word, ‘I am pure consciousness’ is as good as a mantra.

Self-realization never changes. The greater the understanding, the lesser

will be the desires. The nature of the Self has no desires.

Jiva (self, identified with the body) is fond of the body. However, do not

forget that even when absorbed in the Self, the body should be well looked

after. The Guru’s word reflects our true nature. After our efforts are over,

the true nature shines automatically.

One who has contemplated upon the Self even a little, will not need any

gods or deities; in fact, he will not need anything. Such a one will not hurt

even the smallest creature.

After realizing your nature you will not ask for anything.

The body has not been created by you, or by your parents, or by God. It

has been created spontaneously.

Compared to knowing your true nature, the holy places of the world are

nothing. The holy places have their importance through your light alone.

Doubting the Guru-word is the greatest sin.

The light which you see outside arises from your own light. The light of

the sun and the moon cannot be compared to the light of your Self. The

body pertains to the human being, but the one that acts through the body is

not a human being. It is the true nature of the Self. Because of body-

consciousness, you think you are someone or the other. This is not so once

the Self is realized. You are certainly going to die, but with what identity?

The sense ‘I am’ is making a small gesture towards you – catch hold of

it. It is easy for a man who is disgusted by worldly dealings. The knowledge

of beingness is motivating all. The consciousness that gives you the feeling

‘you are’, is the same as the feet of the Sadguru. Be in touch with it. At

least remember the fact that your corpse-like body contains the seed of the

Absolute. Contemplate on the flame of the Self. The eternal nature of this

flame will be understood on Self-realization.

Keep in mind that this is your own story. Then your worthiness will be

as good as that of Brahman. As you do not forget that you are a woman or a

man, so also remember ‘I am Brahman’. Do not face death by calling

yourself as the body. The meditation on the Self is what redeems us. Time

will get dissolved into you and not you into time.

‘Oh Guru, your true nature is my own Self, I see no difference in them,

and that is how I have surrendered to you’. This should be your conviction.

This knowledge of beingness is like the missile called Brahmastra. It will

never fail. Such a person may look ordinary, but he is different. Meditate on

the meditator, not on others. It is very fortunate to get to listen to Self-

knowledge in this way.

Nirupana 5

Sunday, December 25, 1977

People keep themselves busy because they find it difficult to bear their

own consciousness. People look for various entertainments to escape from

themselves. The greatest challenge lies in looking at oneself; sitting alone

by oneself.

A much greater number of people have died than those who are living

now. Where have they gone, the burden of their bodies weighing millions of

tons? What must they be doing now? The answer is that they are now as

they were before their birth.

The ultimate religion is Self-realization. This is an unbroken and fearless

state of being. This state refers to consciousness within the body. The

religions based upon the bodily behavior of human beings take them to their

downfall. The highest religion means to live with the conviction that we are

pure consciousness. Liberation means to be free. Then one is not affected

by the bondage of mind, intellect and ego. One who follows this gets

freedom from all concepts. Only the religion of one’s own Self will last to

the end. That through which worldly dealings are known is our true nature.

Though fully immersed in mundane activity, one is not affected. Understand

this fact, be silent and at peace. All your needs will be taken care of.

Krishna says: ‘I take the responsibility of sustenance for the one who

follows the religion of his own true nature’. For him, all that is required is

supplied automatically. Spiritual effort is as easy as it is difficult. One who

holds onto the Guru’s word that ‘I am the self-luminous Atman’ will find it

easy. The highest charity is to offer Self-knowledge.

A true brahmin is one who knows he is Brahman – pure consciousness.

Those who are truly religious get the real reward of Self-knowledge. Prana

(vital breath, the life force) does all the dealings; hence, be friends with it. If

prana is purified by the Guru-mantra, then it mingles with the universal

prana when one dies. Others who do not know take a fall.

Prana represents all the types of speech: para – intuition, pashyanti –

thought-form, madhyama – word unspoken, and vaikari – word spoken.

Madhyama is called the mind and when it speaks it is called vaikari. Thus

the mind is not different from prana. Prana is pranava – the primordial

sound Om. Prana, the life force, does not differentiate between a worm and

a human being. It treats each body the same. The jnani does not see prana as

an individual form. To him all is one. Prana of a jnani becomes prana of the

universe. Where consciousness is stabilized, there is compassion. That is

the only thing left with the jnani. When your prana is pleased, you will

come to know: ‘Who really speaks, is it you or your prana?’

Nirupana 6

Thursday, January 5, 1978

Thoughts come and go the way they came. They linger if there is a need.

A jnani has not even the need for himself. How does the household of a

jnani work? The One that nourishes the child for nine months in the womb

takes care of the jnani. How is the child looked after and protected until he

gets the knowingness that he has a body? The answer is, the universal

consciousness that he is, does everything. Even if you live for a thousand

years, your identification with the body will not go. How can the One who

is light and pure existence, be a body? The experience of your beingness,

without pronouncing a single word, is true knowledge.

The body is made of five elements. Its essence is the consciousness that

resides in the body. Know with certainty that you are not the body. You are

without form; you are of the nature of light. You can see light and darkness

because of your own light. Om symbolizes the hum of ascent (of breath),

the assurance of your beingness. As you get to know your consciousness,

you become liberated. If you are not the body, how are you going to act and

with whom? That is the unshakable, immovable state. Once it is known that

you are of the nature of light, there is no further coming and going. You are

of the nature of the self-luminous light by whose virtue you can see things.

Yet you believe that ‘I am so-and-so, having a body’. When the body falls,

prana leaves. No one says that prana is dead. If prana is pure, the mind and

intellect are also pure. If prana is satisfied, can one have the experience of

misery? The power of prana is the same as the power of life – the vital

force. The force of prana is the same as the primordial maya – it is the same

as the power of Brahman. If someone becomes great, it is only by the power

of prana.

There is love for the word as long as there is ignorance. After

knowledge, there is no use of words. After realization, the sense ‘I am’ is

still there but the attitude of the mind is entirely changed.

Continue your chanting of the mantra, keeping its meaning in mind.

Think of who should worship whom and why? If you want the Guru’s

grace, take the word of the Guru as authority.

Nirupana 7

Sunday, January 15, 1978

The movement of prana and the movement of God are not different.

Watch your breathing. Without the vital life force, the feeling ‘I am’ will

not be there. Consciousness in the body is the characteristic-guna of prana.

(They are not separate.) Once you have realized the Self, it is not at all

necessary to put on a special pose. That would be a sign of ignorance. To

grow a beard, to look impressive, etc., is tied to body-consciousness. They

are not the characteristics of the Self. The concept that you may take for

your meditation will be realized and you will have visions accordingly.

They are all unreal.

There is no method comparable to listening to such talks. Once you

listen to this, liberation is within reach. The manifest principle has

movement, but the unmanifest does not. It is without qualities.

As old age comes, childhood and youth go away automatically. It is not

necessary to renounce them with purpose. Similarly, your ego should

naturally fade away. No experience is lasting. There is no creator of the

world, nor is there a sustainer, nor a destroyer. All happens spontaneously.

What we know becomes the source of our happiness or sorrow. That which

is not known to us cannot be the source of our happiness or sorrow.

Mind is the concept, and concept is the mind. The concept gives birth to

whatever it likes. Such is the kingdom of the mind. The Self has no

association. When one understands the concept, simultaneously one realizes

That which is without concepts. This becomes possible even by listening.

What you have learnt from childhood has become the real world for you.

‘Jiva’, ‘jagat’ and ‘Brahman’ (individual soul, the world and the supreme

Self) are concepts. The concept creates its own meanings resulting in the

three gunas. At the root there is the manifest consciousness. When

consciousness becomes active through dealings, the mind is created. The

manifest consciousness is the base on which the mind floats.

When we get up from sleep, at that moment we feel ‘we are’, prior to

any words. That is the basic thought. How did this world come into

existence? It is like a dreamer creating a dream world without doing

anything. We feel the world to be real because we feel our body to be real,

and vice-versa. Though the world is immense, there is not an iota of truth in

it. The unmanifest became manifest and created the mind. The mind created

the world, which appears to be real. The one who goes beyond the manifest

and remains in the unmanifest cannot quite say, ‘Now, I am unknown to

me’. First comes consciousness, then the mind is created through it

followed by all the activities. In the absence of consciousness, is it possible

to do anything? The feeling ‘I am’ is a natural concept. That concept is

never satisfied. When you try to be one with your consciousness, mind

comes in the way. Keep trying. Pay attention to the Source from which

consciousness has appeared. This consciousness is untrue.

The listener should watch himself rather than interfering in the affairs of

others. He should take the opportunity to see or know what he is. After

knowing the meaning of the concept, you will know that the world is a joke.

‘Absolutely nothing has happened, I have not seen anybody, nobody has

ever seen me’; this will be your conviction.

Whatever desire you do penance with, it projects on your mind and

everything appears accordingly. The life force takes shape and then come

the visions. If you act with body-consciousness, concepts will proliferate. If

you make friendship with your pure consciousness, it will uncover its true

nature. When consciousness knows what it is, it vanishes and what remains

is vijnana – true direct knowledge that has no name. If you behave

accordingly, sooner or later you will realize that you never had any

experience of the world. Then where is the question of going about in such

a world? Till such time that you know this, do all your dealings as you like.

Look after the household. Do not run away from it.

When you were born you were in your natural state, before you started

hearing words. After what you heard, which you believed was true, you

have come to the present state. What has entered your mind so far is

behaving in different ways.

The greatest endeavor is to understand oneself. That you must achieve.

Then the secret of the whole world will be understood. When you realize

yourself, you will understand the world at the same time. You will know

what ‘you’ are. Have the firm conviction that I am what the Guru told me.

In worldly dealings you can use your identity as a man or a woman, but do

not keep it within you. Everything depends upon who you are going to die

as.

Death is only a word. It is never an experience. What will you

experience other than Brahman when there is nothing else other than

Brahman? You have become the disciple of the mind. Mind is designing

you. Mind does not know its source. Your conviction should rest in the

Guru’s word. ‘Guru initiated me’ means he told me about my true nature.

Believing it to be true, if one behaves with conviction, then the Truth will

be known. From other people’s point of view, a man is dead. From the point

of view of a jnani, he has become free of his delusion. ‘I am such and such,

a woman or a man’, is the delusion.

First the food gets ready, and then the jiva takes birth through that. The

nature of the food is the same as that of the jiva. The body is only

transformed food. It is the food for consciousness. So long as there is

consciousness, there is hunger and thirst.

Either you become determined through the Guru’s word, or keep on

stumbling in vain. That experience to which you are attracted today is false.

It will not last. You may take the best nutrition and stay strong. Yet, when

old age comes the hands and feet are sure to shake. Think of that. Surrender

to consciousness which says, ‘Jai Guru, Jai Guru’. Because you believe

that you are the body, such concepts as ‘I am a child, I am a youth, I am

old’ occur to you. ‘I am surely here and always will be; the body goes on

changing.’ This is the discrimination.

Nirupana 8

Thursday, January 19, 1978

Both reading and listening are necessary. But the knowledge received

from the Guru should perfectly tally with what is read and heard. ‘I am

exactly like what I have heard and read and what the Guru has told me’: this

is the way. That which remains after dismissing one’s consciousness is the

Truth. Union with God is yoga. After the union, both of them get

extinguished and the One who witnesses is the supreme Self – the

unmanifest state of being.

The body is prakriti (nature) and the one who resides in the body is

Purusha (Self). The one who acts is prakriti, while the Purusha is the

passive witness. In other words, prana is the movement and its knower is

consciousness. Both the energies have no form. Prakriti and Purusha are not

separate. So long as you take yourself as the body, there is no peace. Keep

in mind what you have heard and discriminate constantly. One who has

realized prakriti and Purusha becomes liberated.

In the body, God is experiencing Himself with the feeling ‘I am’. The

Guru’s word is your beingness; this should be your conviction. Surrender

yourself to prana; drop identification with the body. One who knows the

power of prana is a jnani. His meditation continues all through the day.

Concentrate on the source of the vital energy (shakti). This meditation is

carried out with that energy. Everlasting peace is the great accomplishment.

When both prakriti and Purusha are forgotten, there is real rest. By virtue of

meditation, the feeling ‘I am so-and-so’ is lost. To make meditation

successful, be faithful to it. Concentrate on the Self with the energy of

prana. When this energy is arrested, the consciousness becomes one with it

and samadhi ensues. The knowledge received from the books has to be

tested with one’s own experience.

When we get up from deep sleep, the first to appear is microscopic

consciousness. It is the feeling ‘I am’, before any words. This seed

consciousness is the cause of all experiences. In no time, it takes on the

form of the universe. But you have to see how this consciousness is unreal.

The world appears with your wakefulness. The experience goes away along

with the one who experiences. Catch the Source of this knowingness. When

an operation is done under anesthesia, there is no pain. If a man dies in that

unconscious state, is there any pain of death?

While listening to these talks, you forget yourself and thereby forget the

world. You remain in your natural state of being. Is it not a great benefit?

Devotion to the Guru rewards you with Self-realization.

Nirupana 9

Sunday, January 22, 1978

Your true nature is not different from Parabrahman. Your self-identity is

based upon your body and you consider yourself as male or female. It is a

mistake that you call yourself a human being. That which is listening now is

your true nature; it is pure consciousness. It is a mistake to call it a body.

Your true identity (unmanifest principle) is there prior to your knowledge.

Whatever form you take yourself to be will not last. Actually, you have no

birth or death. They pertain to the body.

Your consciousness is a result of the activity of the three gunas. It is

transient. It is not understood properly because of the three gunas. Your

sense of happiness or sorrow is the result of consciousness. But this

consciousness will vanish just as fire gets extinguished. The supreme fire is

Self-realization.

Does the sun know that its brightness varies? You experience the fact by

virtue of your own light. The most important of the three qualities is the

quality of knowing (Sattva). You know everything through this quality.

Who creates the houses, machines, roads, etc.? Is it not due to someone’s

consciousness?

You enslave yourself because of your needs. You will be free from this

slavery when you realize that consciousness, which is listening, is free and

formless. It is your true nature. Recognize That by which you feel you are

alive. To tell you about your true nature as to what it is and how it is, is the

meaning of the word Nirupana.

What you conceive through the mind will not last. Sense of ‘me’ and

‘mine’ is the natural characteristic of consciousness. Catch hold of the main

guna – Sattva as jnana – the quality of knowingness. Live a life without

expectations. Then, automatically, the attachments will fall off. Recognize

that you are without requirements. Your true state is spontaneously there.

Do not disturb it through the mind.

You have always taken God as your support. That does not mean that

you know God. Rama, Krishna and Vishnu are names of bodies. They

commond great devotion because they had realized the Truth.

A devotee can have visions of the deities if he meditates on them

according to what he has heard. What is the source of that vision? He,

himself, is the source of it. Whatever you have taken for granted has no

value. Worldly dealings are not under your control. They will keep on

going. Once you are stabilized in your Self, you will never feel a want of

anything.

Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva (God as creator, sustainer and destroyer) are

the names of your own Self. Jiva is born as a matter of course along with

time. There is desire associated with the jiva. Your knowledge of the world

depends upon your consciousness. When someone says, ‘I go to the subtle’,

what does it mean? It, of course, implies consciousness, your sense of ‘I

am’. It has no shape, no color. It has a taste – the awareness that ‘you are’.

What is the relationship of this knowledge to you? Does it die when the

five-elemental body ceases to be? Think of how you would appear if you

were not the body. Keeping in mind what you have heard and pondering

over it is the greatest penance. Through the practice of this kind of

meditation, you will go on changing continuously and you will reach a

stage where there is no further change.

The Truth has no knowledge of Itself (it is unmanifest). Attend to this

goal constantly. Drive away body-consciousness from your mind. No matter

how much you insist, you cannot be a man or a woman forever. The five

elements will merge into the five elements.

Even if you do not understand all this, at least understand That by which

you know ‘you are’. Once again, meditate on your goal continuously. It will

enlighten you. Your mind needs some support. You cannot bear your

consciousness without having something else to think over. To meditate on

the Self is possible only with the grace of the Guru. Such meditation is

unique, not commonly found in the world.

The nature of time is such that it will not allow anything to remain

steady. If you cannot focus your attention on the goal (consciousness), call

it as ‘Guru’ and say, ‘I am meditating on my Guru’. This is simple. The

world is a creation of your own consciousness. Purusha is the passive

witness – the seer, and prakriti (the power of prana) is doing everything

through the body. Mind, intellect and intuition are all names of the energy

of prana. There is no separation between jnana (consciousness) and prana

(the life force). They are two sides of the same coin. Hence, if prana is

pleased, consciousness is pleased. Meditate on the life force; then

meditation on consciousness will take place indirectly. Both have no form.

All activities take place because of these. How can one say that they (jnana

and prana) are dead when the body dies?

Your thoughts of ‘me and mine’ do not allow you to know your Self.

Hence, you live in an undignified manner. At least remember what Purusha

and prakriti are. Achieve union with prana. Prana is God. It implies

movement. In the end, the knower of the movement and the movement

itself both merge into that non-qualitative state. For the sage, the occasion

of prana leaving the body, the occasion of the great departure, is a

celebration.

‘Wait for a moment at the door of God. All the four kinds of liberation

are there.’ The meaning of this quotation is that if for a moment your

attention is fixed on your Self, you will be liberated. The Guru liberates

you. He initiates you by saying, ‘your true nature is like my own’. He gives

you the mantra, not taking you as male or female, but as the consciousness

that listens.

Jiva is perfect and yet he is moaning with the fear of death. The sage

feels compassion for the jiva; for its condition. That is the reason why he

sometimes gets angry and impatient.

Nirupana 10

Sunday, January 29, 1978

When you look at the moon, what do you see between your eyes and the

moon? The space in between is not seen. Similarly, your own light, through

which you look, is also not seen. They are one and the same. Your

consciousness is of the nature of space.

The creation in descending order is as follows: First comes the seed

consciousness i.e. the feeling ‘I am’, then space, followed by the other four

elements. This is the sequence.

The one who has realized his own consciousness, its cause and its

duration, is the knower. He does not act. When the king is seated on the

throne, the administration goes on, just because he is. Similarly, the knower

does not act. Along with birth, the feeling ‘I am’ arises. Before birth, there

was no such feeling. The vital energy carries out all the actions. The knower

is beyond the known. (The knower means the supreme Self or the

Paramatman who is prior to consciousness.) It is the unmanifested state. It

is the true nature of everyone. One who has realized this state is called a

jnani. The ignorant person takes the feeling ‘I am’ as the body, the seeker

takes it as pure consciousness, but the jnani does not identify with anything.

After listening to this, compare it with your present state of being.

There was no concept before birth but an eternal peaceful reality. The

concept ‘I am’ comes through the power of the Sattva guna. Because of

ignorance one apparently enjoys body-consciousness. A seeker enjoys it as

knowledge. The knower is beyond knowledge. A realized soul is beyond

that enjoyment altogether.

Sometimes it is said that a remedy can be an obstacle, yet there is one

remedy available to you. Chant your mantra. With faith in the one who has

given you the mantra, your consciousness will become stronger. As a result,

there will be no weakness in your actions. The greater the faith in the Guru,

the earlier the success. If you take your Guru as a human being, your

consciousness will harass you. One who follows this faithfully will enjoy

liberation in this very body. To surrender means to be without body-

consciousness. To offer everything to Brahman means to be without quality.

Act with the conviction that the consciousness that sustains the universe is

within your body. On your own, you are unable to do anything. All the

actions are carried out by the life force. The Guru introduces you to

consciousness.

Because of your presence (the pure consciousness) the places of your

pilgrimage become holy. There is nothing more sacred than consciousness.

When you realize your Self, there will be nothing as holy as you. When you

get this conviction, there will be no need for associating with others. One

who has pride of his (so-called) enlightenment is ignorant. How can one

have any pride when he realizes that nothing has happened?

Love implies our need for beingness. Love is infinite and unlimited. It is

consciousness that has arisen in us unknowingly. It is without shape, caste

or creed. It is the pure quality of the vital energy. It is the power of this love

by which we feel that ‘we are’.

A jnani never competes with anyone. Therefore he is beyond criticism.

Those who dislike a jnani are unripe due to their body-consciousness. They

do not understand what a jnani says. With the grace of the Guru, the

understanding could come in an instant. Do not impose body-consciousness

on the Guru who is without quality and without form. What you are hearing

now is the knowledge of the experience of the Self. It is not hearsay.

Whose is this voice? When was it created and why? It is the voice of

prana. It is not your voice. Meditate with your consciousness, not with the

body. Only love moves around in the form of the three gunas and the five

elements. It is the self-love.

Devotion to the Guru opens your eyes. That which is seen without the

eyes is superior. Before the eyes open, the light has got a dark blue shade.

As soon as the eyes open, it becomes colorless. Be loyal to the Sadguru. Do

not impose your body-consciousness on Him. After recognizing the seed-

consciousness, everything becomes an offering to Brahman. (Such a person

becomes unattached to worldly affairs.)

Who is talking? Is it you that is talking? The word belongs to space. And

you are beyond space.

My Guru used to say no matter how old you are, you are only a child.

(The body gets older. Yet consciousness is always in the present moment. It

is like a newborn child at all times.)

There are various kinds of practices in the world. To work miracles after

getting spiritual powers is also a type of learning. I did not get into that. I

only studied the nature of the Self as taught by my Guru. In comparison to

the realization of the Self, all else is meaningless. Without faith in the Guru,

you will wander about going to various teachers and holy places. If you

follow your Guru’s word it will not be necessary to go anywhere.

Nirupana 11

Thursday, February 9, 1978

Consciousness can observe only that which undergoes change. That

which is eternal cannot be observed by consciousness. Therefore it cannot

be known. The concept ‘I am so-and-so’ is not permanent. One who knows

this is everlasting. Concepts and desires appear with the body, and also

disappear with the body. All that is known is a concept. However great the

knower of the Self may be, what he teaches is still a concept that pleases

him.

All your actions are transient. It does not matter how long they last.

What is today, not a trace of it will remain tomorrow as nothing is

everlasting. What will you do when the mind-flow stops?

The one who knows what ‘he is’ will never censure anyone. The world

is bound by the three gunas. One who knows the gunas, does not censure

the gunas. So long as you consider yourself a body with a name, there is no

direct knowledge of the Self. Without that one becomes a tattler, who

blames things on someone else. All wordy attacks are the result of body-

consciousness. The feeling ‘I am’, which everyone has, is God. So whom

will you criticize?

The respect you give to the Guru, the same will be created in you. Guru

means jnana (consciousness). Guru means Parabrahman. Atman is the self-

luminous knowledge. It is of the nature of God. His very form is this

knowledge. The feeling that ‘you are’ is the soul of the world. Remember

this constantly. Put aside what you have learnt from books. As long as you

think you are separate, you have to do sadhana (spiritual practice).

Whatever happens or does not happen is within God, and by God. You are

not concerned with that. To keep this awareness throughout the day is

constant meditation on the Self. Whether prana leaves today or 10,000 years

from now, there is no gain, no loss for a jnani.

Faith in the Guru and understanding received through the Guru’s word

cannot be compared with anything else. It is so pure. Consciousness is

spotless, formless and prior to intellect. Worldly knowledge is born out of

the word. Without your consciousness, would the sun exist as the sun? As

you identify yourself with the body, you cannot even imagine the immense

consciousness. Everything is transitory. One who knows that is eternal.

What you take yourself as, its effects will be felt by you. If you live with the

understanding that you are Brahman, the same will be your destiny.

Consciousness as ‘I am’ is atomic. The moment it comes into being, it

becomes self-luminous and creates the immense world. How can you put an

end to the things that have been created by your own light?

Nirupana 12

Thursday, February 16, 1978

Your consciousness contains the immense phenomenal world. Yet it

appears outside. As it is created from this subtle consciousness, it is untrue.

Only Brahman is true.

Hold tight to that knowledge. That is true meditation. As long as you

look for personal benefit, you will not get Self-realization. Atman is our

true nature. It is the formless consciousness. With the combination of body,

prana and Atman, there is the sense ‘I am’. Put aside your problems if any

and get stabilized in the Self. The body has a form but consciousness within

the body has no form. By taking the body as our form, duality is created. It

brings the experience of happiness and misery. Worship only consciousness

by which all of this is experienced. It is beyond intellect.

The knowledge (jnana) is called the Guru. That means the knowledge

that the teacher has is the Guru. Where there is an experience of the Self,

there is bliss. We are that bliss. Consciousness is the hum of beingness. To

catch hold of it is meditation. People say they are happy, but has anyone of

them experienced bliss? Our true nature is neither happiness nor sorrow.

The Self, itself, is happiness. To worship the Guru is to worship his word. It

means to worship our own consciousness. ‘I am’ is beyond the mind, it is

also beyond the qualities. Its nature is like space. It is the all-pervading

firmament of consciousness. It is fearless just as space is fearless. It is

stupendous and fathomless. Keep your attention on It. Worship It without

bringing in duality. Do not identify with the body. You are the ocean of

bliss.

In summary, worship the word of the Guru, ‘I am not the body, I am the

formless, pure life force or Brahman that vitalizes the body’. There is no

limit to happiness where there is no body-consciousness. Consciousness

will sustain you in every sense if you have faith in the Guru’s word. When

your inner urge is devotion to the Guru, death has no effect on you.

Consciousness appears in various forms including different types of visions.

One who is firmly established in the Guru’s teaching has no fear. Because

of body-consciousness, the Atman who is of the nature of perfect bliss has

to endure misery. Do not take yourself to be an individual. Stay with the

awareness of the manifest (totality). Its body is space.

Take the Guru’s word to your heart. It will enable you to see and

experience clearly the seed within. That seed has become the world.

Though it moves about in myriad bodies, it is spotless. Hence, you need not

worry about the purification of the body. You do not require rules and

regulations of any creed. Your consciousness will slowly crystallize and you

will realize your true nature. The concept of death will seem ridiculous. The

true religion of a devotee is faith. Strictly observe the Guru’s word, ‘I have

no other form but consciousness’. Then, do what you like. Do not worry. It

is a waste of intellect and energy. Spontaneously, everything is happening in

God, through God, and by God.

Nirupana 13

Thursday, March 2, 1978

Observe your present life, how and why it has become like this. Know

that this is a temporary show. You call upon God but where was God before

you came to know ‘you are’? Find the source of all this. That which is of

the nature of time is not everlasting because time itself is not real. Your

intellect also changes with time. The manifest is bound by time. Gods and

deities are a result of the power of the word. We are alive by virtue of the

word. The pulse itself is the word. Whatever you believe in is true for you.

However, it is time-bound and not eternal. The Truth is unmanifested.

(Maharaj is saying that the manifestation is a time-bound concept. Our

body-mind is part of it. The first word, Om, is the symbol of manifestation.)

Meditate on that by which you know ‘you are’.

Birth and death are nonsense. Who is born? It is only a sport of the five

elements. The vital life force is playing as it pleases, by collecting and

mixing the five elements in the form of a body. They have no intelligence.

Why would a merciful God create a world like this, where life depends on

life? That is why there is no creator. The world is there due to duality. No

duality, no world.

People who want to make money should do just that. Search for spiritual

knowledge and pursuit of wealth cannot be done at the same time.

Spirituality is possible only when you let go of everything. As long as you

take yourself as the body, what you say is true for you. It is as true as the

body. All activities take place because of the rise of consciousness in the

body. The feeling of misery and happiness is there due to the sense ‘I am’.

Sleep and awakening come spontaneously. They are not a result of your

will. The nature of the dream continues through wakefulness. Where is the

profit or loss if there is no individual thought like ‘I am so-and-so’? Have

you thought of how this sense of ‘I am’ is created and how long will it last?

Such knowledge should be discussed only with people who have a sense

of detachment.

Why are people interested in miracles? Is not the greatest miracle your

own beingness? Because of that the immense world is created in an instant.

One may get spiritual powers by performing special practices. The

knowledge of the Self has nothing to do with it.

As consciousness, you are prior to space. Before going to sleep, at least

say, ‘I am of the nature of space’. This knowledge is beyond words. It

cannot be acquired through austerities or japa. Sri Krishna taught it out of

love. Most people get involved in rituals and various methods of search. As

a result they may get visions and feel satisfied. Self-knowledge is beyond

concepts. It is beyond words. It is eternal. Why and from where have the

experiences of the world and of our own self come over us? How were we

prior to this experience? This has to be understood. Keep listening until you

have no doubt about your identity as to what you are and how you have

come into existence. Faith in the Guru and devotion to the Guru

spontaneously brings the understanding.

The knowledge once acquired can never be lost. One who knows

samadhi does not get involved in mundane dealings. Without faith in the

Guru, there is no hope for such knowledge. Krishna taught the ultimate

knowledge: how the universe appears and disappears while the unmanifest

remains.

This knowledge is not affected by words. When the manifest withdraws

into the unmanifest, samadhi ensues. One wants meaning to the words, but

this knowledge is beyond words. How the wordless state is, has to be

explained in words. All doubts have to be eradicated. Worldly knowledge is

of no use. When listened to, this knowledge grows by itself, becomes all-

pervading, and in the end merges into the Absolute. It is pleased with

devotion to the Guru and the love for the Guru. The listener should be of a

pure heart. You get happiness only when you forget yourself. All other

activities are entertainment. The love for the Guru is not an ordinary thing.

One who goes on repeating the mantra will realize the Truth. Always

remember that our consciousness is in accordance with the Guru’s word.

Keep this firmly in mind. That is meditation. When the meaning of the

Guru-word sprouts in a person, he goes beyond everything. He understands

how the temporary consciousness merges into the eternal state of his nature

(Absolute).

Your body is the food for your consciousness. It is because of the food

that you feel ‘you are’. With faith in the Guru’s words, all will be explained.

Simple devotees will get liberated sooner than the intellectuals. If there is

fear of death at the last moment, such a devotee calls upon God, forgets

himself and gets dissolved into the universal consciousness. Prana leaves

and then there is no rebirth. The intellectual devotee becomes involved in

concepts and is born again according to his last concept.

Nirupana 14

Sunday, March 5, 1978

A teacher instructs according to his own concepts. People accept that

and become his followers. This is the way various creeds come about.

However, the situation is quite different. How can That which has no

beginning and no end be conceptualized? Nevertheless, people keep on

doing some practices and rituals according to their own concepts. People

have to do this, as they cannot keep quiet. Sai Baba of Shirdi was an

exception. He was always immersed in the Absolute. He had no concepts.

He never gave initiation. He had no disciples. So there was no creed around

him.

During this act of the body and prana, the experience of a concept is

there in one form or the other. Most people are tied to the body. A rare one

recognizes that the body depends upon consciousness. It is because of the

nature of time that a person says, ‘I am the body’ and takes on the doership,

followed by miseries and happiness. To think ‘I am like this or like that’ is

external knowledge. To see one’s true nature is direct internal knowledge.

The ignorance (consciousness) arises and shines, but it is not permanent. It

is not steady because of wakefulness and sleep. So long as one is aware of

being awake, there is no lasting peace. Dismiss everything that is not you.

Here, no action is required.

In the Gita, Arjuna, after getting enlightenment, said to Krishna, ‘So

long as this consciousness lasts, I shall follow your advice. I shall do what

you say’. His samadhi was not broken even while fighting the enemy. His

peace remained unadulterated. You will not know this until you achieve

Self-realization. When you understand it, there will be no need to know

anything else.

Krishna said: ‘Your consciousness through all the five senses is

protecting you. It is My own manifestation’. Accept consciousness as the

Guru and worship it. It sustains all the bodies. It has no form of its own. It

is self-luminous. It has come over you uninvited. The bliss from this

consciousness has no match in material happiness. It gives sustenance to

innumerable beings. It is pleased with love, it is a devotee of love. The

flavor of your beingness is the love. (The sense ‘I am’ is the love.)

Remember its worthiness. The scriptures describe its greatness. It dwells in

your heart. It will offer you enlightenment, perfection, and you will be bliss

yourself. Without it, the tongue does not know taste. When this tiny

consciousness leaves, people say the person is dead.

That which is self-sensing, which is your own beingness, is within you.

It is blissful. It is inside you. Without it there cannot be any witnessing. It is

the holy feet of Sri Guru. It is the life force. It has the flavor of self-love.

Your true state precedes the five elements, the sun and the moon.

Scriptures never get tired of praising It. It is microscopic. It nourishes and

protects the body. Take refuge at Its feet, as It is your own true nature. This

is the Guru’s word. It is through this that you will be liberated. After getting

liberation, you may behave in any way you like.

When talking to ignorant people, do not contradict them. Do not react.

What they believe according to their understanding is correct.

Nirupana 15

Thursday, March 9, 1978

It is true that the association of a sage is beneficial but one should be

prepared internally. One should have inner worthiness. The concept of sin

and virtue has importance so long as you consider yourself as the body. The

effects depend upon your idea about them. What is said at a certain time is

true at that time. It ends when that time has gone.

The light of your beingness is of the nature of space. Is space seen in

sleep? (In deep sleep there is no consciousness, hence there is no space.)

Your consciousness ‘I am’ is directly within you. You have a great need of

your beingness. You take care of yourself so as to preserve it. The reason is

that you know you are going to die one day. That which is everlasting need

not be taken care of. Are you watching your beingness without making any

effort? It is true that previously you were not known to yourself, but now

you know ‘you are’. You are the witness of this knowingness. One who

witnesses it must be prior to it.

You will not understand all the things you have heard unless you have

worthiness. For this you have to practice meditation. The Sadguru

introduces you to meditation and consciousness. First what was not, now

IS. Who knows that it was not there? Similarly, who knows that it is there?

Those who say that one will need many births to be liberated base it upon

hearsay. Only an ignorant person keeps traditional faith. Will the jnani do

so? You must see what is correct, directly. Keep quiet until you are not

aware of your silence. When someone claims that he is liberated, it should

be understood that he was liberated in a dream. (Liberation means there is

no duality. Then how can one say he is liberated?)

Why did you get up from deep sleep? Why did you see a dream while

asleep? Do you have an answer for these questions? The wakefulness that

came has brought the world. No waking up means no world. The dream is

untrue; similarly, the wakefulness is false. There is no difference between

them. They happen spontaneously. Our talk is also happening in a dream.

You know that ‘you are’. What is the reason for this? Deliberate on this.

You must practice japa, meditation and listening. With sharp intellect, one

gets liberated in a short period of time just by listening.

Your daily behavior is the result of your impressions.

First think through these things and then remain in a thoughtless state.

Do not become a slave of your own thoughts. One who has reached the

stage where there is no thought will not have to do anything for his

sustenance, for his protection. Whatever experience there is in the world,

there is no doer. Everything happens spontaneously. Space is everywhere

but consciousness is prior to space. The light of consciousness is space. You

will experience its vastness when your body-consciousness goes.

‘I am’ is the root thought. Without that basic feeling, what can we take

ourselves as? What are we in deep sleep or in a trance? When there is no

feeling of ‘I am’, it is called the unmanifest. All worldly dealings of an

entire lifetime are based upon the concept ‘I am’. However, it has no real

existence. This concept is not born of the body. Even if you have no

concept that ‘you are’, you still are. Consciousness is subtle, luminous and

self-sensing. It is subtler than space. You will know all this when you

become of the nature of consciousness. You accept the body as your

uniform but you are not the body.

Yoga means union. Unless Purusha and prakriti unite, there is no

knowledge of beingness. A yogi is one who achieves this union. By

identifying with the body, you will not understand That which has been

created in the body out of this union.

All things are identified with names, which are words. Hence, all

dealings are based upon these words. The world is not known without

words. The word arises out of prana. The basic word has appeared in

various forms. The word is also called the mind. It is the result of

impressions received by it. Behavior depends upon the mind. Meditate with

the conviction that ‘I am not the mind’.

When the atomic consciousness manifests, the vast world is created.

This atom is the subtle consciousness. There is no peace until this atom is

realized. You believe you are the gross body because you have not realized

the subtle. The vast world arises out of ignorance and subsides in ignorance.

It is unreal. When you will really say, ‘I do not know’, you will be in a state

of Parabrahman.

The blessing ‘May good things happen to you’ has meaning only with

reference to the body. From deep sleep, the atomic wakefulness has

sprouted. Without it there is no world. Both are illusory. It is the root-maya.

All existence is in words. Hence, go beyond the words. Understand worldly

dealings as unreal, and then you will not suffer from them. Think over why

and how all these things have come into existence.

Nirupana 16

Sunday, March 19, 1978

‘I am not the body, I am the Self ‘. If you meditate like this, you will

become God. This great mantra is the same as pure consciousness. Do not

worship it by giving it a form. The idea that you are the body must go. Then

the rest will be fine. You say, ‘I forgot to meditate’, but the one who says it

has not forgotten it.

Just as gold is the source of ornaments, similarly, the sense ‘I am’ is the

source of all words. When consciousness realizes itself, it is called the grace

of the Guru. One must be the proof of the Guru’s words. The initiation with

mantra establishes a special relationship with the Guru. Hence, you must

have faith in the Guru. One could die anytime. Then how can he neglect the

Guru’s words?

Real devotees are illumined by Self-knowledge. Their existence is like

that of space. When the stage of the seeker evolves, his behavior also

changes. Some behave in a peculiar fashion. Some go about naked, some

keep silent, and some become very abusive. As they are Self-realized they

do not behave consciously. A Self-realized person has no concern with how

the body behaves. His conduct is not governed by any rule of law.

The flavor of your beingness is the holy presence of God. The concern

about the individual self can be compared to a snakebite. Sages do not

consider themselves as the body, so they are not bitten. The Self is beyond

light and darkness. Only the body or the mind gets stained.

Bhagavan means light. The light of Bhagavan is a big void of light. Is

there a difference between that light and your own light? When you know

your consciousness and become a witness, you will understand that the sky

is your light. There is nothing beyond the light of God. The natural quality

of God is your own consciousness. As soon as consciousness arises, the five

elements are created along with the world. Your sight has the same color as

that of space. All the names are of the incarnations of God. Were there any

names prior to that? Bhagavan means the manifested consciousness. That

by which you know ‘you are’ is the same as His nature. Embrace it tightly.

In everything all around, there is God and only God. Does this light see

any difference between a man and a woman? All this, one and all, in its

totality is consciousness. That taste or knowledge of self-existence is

Bhagavan. To understand this means to see God in every living being.

Forget that you are a human being. Your light is the light of Bhagavan.

In all that appears, what is the underlying luminous Source? It is this light

alone. It is present even in a stone but it is prominently expressed in you.

In all things there is only one true quality. It is consciousness. It

demonstrates existence. All other knowledge comes about because of

knowingness. Paramatman means ‘I, myself, am Atman’. He is not a deity.

Deities worship Him. It is my own Self. It is the direct, correct knowledge.

It is there before a single word is uttered. The one that rises and the one that

sets finds his rest in Paramatman. People are awed by the knowledge of

Paramatman. How can it even be felt when one has no body? The

enlightened devotee says, ‘I am not the body’. Then who is it that became

enlightened? (When a person becomes realized, he no longer considers

himself a body. Then who says, ‘I have become realized’? In other words,

there is no one who has become enlightened. There is neither knower, nor

known. No one is born, no one dies, nothing has happened.)

The experience can be described in many ways but the experiencer

cannot be described. When words are silent, there is no sense in

enumerating the divine names.

Nirupana 17

Thursday, March 23, 1978

Self-knowledge means having a perfect understanding of what exactly

we are. The body, for which all the care is taken, is impermanent and

untrue. Whatever can be known is not the knowledge of the Self. One who

believes that he is going to die is ignorant. He should have the association

of Sat (that which exists forever), and not that of the body.

Sage means our own pure, ever-present, true nature. There is no

personality there. The sage is not a person; he is alone. He signifies a state

of permanent satsang (holy association). Meanwhile, the course of life

keeps changing and its finale is death. What you believe as ‘yourself ‘ is not

your true companion; it never was and never will be. One who tolerates

everything is a sage (jnani). Can he cause pain to others? The actions of the

five elements are not his own.

Whatever identity you try to create for yourself in order to be happy is

going to be left behind. Your intellect changes with age. You take pride in

being so-and-so as a body-form. You feel you are like this or like that. The

feeling ‘I am suffering from this or that’ is ignorance. Be convinced that

you are separate from the senses; their experience is not your experience.

This is the condition of Brahman. Pure consciousness has never had any

experience. Mind is the collection of impressions that have been recorded in

it since birth.

What is in the body is of the nature of the rest of the world. When it

considers itself as the body, it becomes different from the world. To be one

with the world means to have devotion for all beings, as if they are God.

One who thinks he is the body has no tolerance, nor patience. Atman means

my Self. It is ever free. It has no shape, but It has its own light: the sense ‘I

am’. It is pure consciousness. When one lives in this state one knows: ‘I am

not the body, I am the self-luminous consciousness’. What is real does not

come and go; only the body falls. Does your body know that you are sitting

here? All bodies in the entire universe move about because of the life force.

This very life-energy is given various names such as God, Iswara and

Atman, etc. Actually, consciousness has no name. Names are given for

everyday dealings in the practical world. Once consciousness leaves the

body, it does not recognize the body. That which is limitless has no

knowledge of its own. It has no pride such as ‘I am like this or like that’.

Millions of beings are born in that consciousness every day. The same

consciousness abides in all.

Your memory functions automatically. It is recorded chemically.

Anything which you take doership of remains with you as a memory. Your

body is a machine that produces vital energy that has the feeling of ‘I am’.

It carries out all dealings. Was there any experience to guide you before you

started learning about things? This chemical ‘I am-ness’ does everything.

That knowledge is not affected by the three gunas. When there was no

experience of the body, what were you like? Without ignorance, there can

be no knowledge. If the basic ignorance of a child is not there, no

knowledge can be acquired later. Knowledge appears because there is

ignorance. With the body, when one knows ‘I am’, it is called vrutta

(knowingness). Paramatman has no such knowledge of a separate existence.

This knowledge-information is called the mind, intellect, beingness,

intuition, etc. There is no truth in it. When the meaning of this is grasped,

the mind disappears.

Did we come first or did the mind (words) come first? Whatever there is,

is because of the root word ‘I’. What can that state (prior to words) be

called as? Because words in daily dealings are taken to be true, the word

body-consciousness has stuck to you. The knower (of the Self) does not

consciously experience the knowingness ‘I am’. When you become

unattached, compassion will flow through you. All undesirable things will

vanish. To become unattached means you exist as the Absolute. In such

company, others also get peace. Such a one knows how the world is created.

Ego means identification with the body. When that goes, purposeful

behavior also vanishes. The worship of such sages uplifts even the deities.

God is indebted to the devotee as He becomes free from his body. To get rid

of the body while one is alive is the most difficult task. Consciousness in

the body is God.

Nirupana 18

Sunday, March 26, 1978

The feeling ‘I know a lot’ is ignorance. Once it is understood that this is

pure ignorance, it does not matter whether one talks a lot or not at all. When

you go to sleep, you are sleep itself. You are not separate from the sleep. On

waking up, the knowledge ‘I am’ dawns upon you and instantly creates the

world. When you are asleep, you are pure ignorance. What would happen if

one day this ignorance does not wake up? Then who would be there to die?

Ignorance sleeps and wakes up every day! What is the meaning of the

removal of ignorance? You can take any meaning you like. But what is the

real situation? You, who are awake, go to sleep. That means the knowledge

itself becomes ignorance. You have to understand the true import of this

fact. (Here, ignorance implies the Absolute, and knowledge implies the

sense ‘I am’.)

When Brahman is liberated, Parabrahman stays as He is. That which is

the cause of this itch (happiness and misery) is Brahman. When the itch

disappears, it is Parabrahman. What I am, here and now, is awakened

ignorance. The base for all things is ignorance that is called sleep.

Wakefulness is the child of ignorance. If there is ignorance, only then there

can be knowledge.

The faith that ‘you are’ is created in you. It has come uninvited. Faith or

devotion means love. It is the love for the Self. The certitude that ‘you are’

is the pure and holy manifestation of Paramatman. It is jnana. Recognition

of the body comes through this faith in the Self. The holy names are for that

certitude of the Self. Do not worship the impermanent i.e. the body. The use

of this body is to nourish the faith in the Self. The fragrance of ‘I am’

coming through the body is God. One who believes he is the body faces

death.

You have different kinds of beliefs. You become according to what you

believe. How very powerful is the effect of beliefs! Be aware of that fact.

Your faith that ‘you are’ is of the nature of the Guru or God. It is in your

heart in the form of light (knowingness). The light of the Self never dies.

One whose Self-light does not die, will he ever die? He may not live in

today’s form, that is all. The form is illumined by this light. The sense ‘I

am’ is God. It is called saguna-Brahman (the manifest with quality). It is

contained in Parabrahman (the Absolute without quality). You are Brahman.

The great mantra given to you is the expression of Brahman. It is your own

nature. You must invoke It by the mantra. It will surely reveal Itself.

One who wins a big lottery becomes happy. He considers himself a rich

man. It took only a moment for this to happen. If this is so, why does not

the Guru’s mantra bring about such instantaneous change? With faith in the

Guru, fear of death vanishes forever. Thereby the fear of birth also vanishes.

As you nurse in your heart the faith of your beingness, your conduct will go

on changing. The belief that ‘I am a meager human being’ changes to ‘I am

Brahman’. Then the work is done. The Guru’s word is perfect knowledge. It

is the state of Being – it is movement as well. Hold onto it tightly. All other

means cannot even come close to it.

Nirupana 19

Thursday, March 30, 1978

‘I am without a body and everything is perceived through my own light.’

This must be firmly established within. You say you cannot see your own

light. How can you see that by which other things are seen? When you

meditate you must keep in mind that the meditator is formless. When you

go to sleep, keep the thought that you are not the body. One without the

body has no caste, no sin, no virtue, no time. The sky cannot be stained and

you are purer than the sky.

Ananda (bliss) is subjective, but the Self is not. Unless all things are

forgotten, there is no bliss. As you get more faith in yourself, the individual

mind will fade and you will be one-pointed.

Until a certain stage the deities are there. When that stage is transcended,

the deities are not there. (Until a certain stage of meditation, the seeker has

powers i.e. deities. When he goes beyond, there is only Brahman.) You do

not understand your own personality, so how can others? The scriptures are

for the ignorant, not for the one of knowledge. Whatever can be told

through words has no permanence. It can be compared to a dream. Break

off this deep-rooted habit of identifying with the body.

Dwell on this: ‘What do you think of yourself?’ Your body is food

material. It is the food of consciousness, the life force within.

Consciousness and the world are one and the same. They arise

simultaneously. World is an illusion. However, you are the knower of the

illusion that is caused by the play of the three gunas. This puzzle will be

solved only through discrimination, and not by rituals. With that, offer

yourself at the feet of the Guru. This, itself, is Guru’s grace. You ask of

what use is Paramatman to you? When Paramatman has no use for Himself,

how can He have any use for you?

Why do we ask about That which has never come into existence? From

the point of view of the jnani nothing has ever happened. How can one

recollect what was never forgotten? Actually, what is remembered will

surely be forgotten. After saying this, Guru Ramadas still made people sing

the praise of the Lord and made idols of Maruti out of cow dung. Was he a

fool?

Maya means illusion that has suddenly appeared. It is the illusion of

having a shape and form. It has come over you because you have forgotten

your true nature. Think of how and when you got your concept of

beingness. One who knows the Self has no problem with anything good or

bad. To have any want is beggarliness. Be still. Gradually, you will know

what really happens and why. In fact, even when no harm is done, the jiva,

feeling that a great calamity has happened, keeps on struggling, eventually

to die in vain. In the stage of body-consciousness, all are beggars. Each one

is asking for something or the other. Until ignorance disappears, the concept

‘I want to go beyond’ will remain.

There is only maha-maya (the grand illusion). She has to be dismissed

after first worshipping her as God or Brahman. Then Godhood is also

dismissed simultaneously. A rare one will tell you this most secret

knowledge. After worshipping the Self as God, ignorance will be revealed.

Then no knowledge will be left. As spoken in the Vedas, one can go beyond

karma after achieving knowledge of Brahman. It is rare to find one who

knows correctly and yet does not claim that he has the knowledge. Who is

the knower? The jnani? He only knows that all this is ignorance.

The union of you having the knowledge of your beingness and you not

having the knowledge of your beingness is maha-yoga (the great union).

One who knows this great yoga has transcended the knowing of beingness.

Self is light. When the jiva emanates light, he sees the world. The reflection

of the world appears in your knowingness. If there is an experience of

happiness, there will be an experience of sorrow. Remember well what you

have heard and put it directly into practice.

Nirupana 20

Sunday, April 2, 1978

Truly speaking, an individual has no form. The so-called form is made

up of the five elements. Inside the body there are five senses. Which of

these are you going to continue to live as?

Most people want to hear what is based on the body-sense. They do not

recognize the body as unreal. All the knowledge in the world is based upon

words. Find out if the one who has this wordy knowledge has any form.

Contemplation on anything which is not the Self is untrue. Meditation can

only be that of the Self. Knowingness that is in the body must be traced. It

has no individuality. Sugar melts in the mouth but its sweetness remains.

Does sweetness have any personality? There is only a trace of manifestation

there. That is all.

No experience is lasting. The experiencer cannot be described through

words, and we are the experiencers. That which depends upon life force and

consciousness is not lasting. The everlasting is beyond these. We must

expose the concept ‘I am somebody or something’. Everything happens

according to the nature of time. Desire to attain Self-realization also arises

according to the dictates of time.

When consciousness arises, the world becomes visible. This is the

ultimate principle. Childhood is put aside as you grow older. Similarly, after

getting correct knowledge, the body-form is put aside.

As you have to say something through words, you call God the doer.

Would the all-merciful God create such total chaos? Without us there is no

God. God is nothing but the certitude you have of your beingness, the love

you have of your beingness.

The sense ‘I am’ is Brahman. The One beyond it is called Parabrahman.

First you will become Brahman and then you and Brahman will disappear.

(Your subtle consciousness will expand, pervade the whole universe and

then dissolve. This happens in deep meditation.) The jnani says ultimately

there is nothing. Then why does he teach others? The answer is like this:

when one has to go (urinate), one has to go urgently. While urinating, does

not one temporarily love the act? Similarly, the body of a jnani is a

temporary sensation that makes him preach.

The primary dream is the feeling that ‘you are’. So long as you address

God (out of duality), you have not reached your destination. Paramatman

has neither birth nor death. Then why did Krishna say: ‘I have had many

births’? All these births were of the five elements. Such births are

happening by the millions, every second, in the Paramatman.

The scriptures are concepts of poets. They offer bribes as well as they

threaten. During sleep there is no experience of one’s self. Sleep cannot be

seen after waking up. In the same way, maya is unimaginable. Just as sleep

cannot be known, so maya cannot be known, either by gods or by men.

Maya appears out of the manifestation of consciousness. Prior to that

there is no maya. The thought of ‘I am’ is the disturbance. Even greater

gods do not understand maya, as they are created by maya. They are not

self-created. Their actions are illusory. The detached one has no touch of

maya. Deep sleep means total ignorance. From that the feeling ‘I am’ arises.

That is the beginning of maya. With the feeling that he is awake, one goes

about dealing proudly in the world that does not exist. The feeling ‘I am

awake’ creates the world. It is born out of maya. When you realize this, the

feeling that ‘I am the doer’ will vanish.

When you see your Self, it will be seen as an empty void, emptier than

even a dream. The image that ‘I am like this, or like that’ has seized you.

What has been created will surely be destroyed. What is created? It is our

consciousness. When the feeling of ‘I’ arises, it becomes the ego.

You would not be listening to this unless you are worthy. After hearing

it, it has to be remembered again and again. That is the beginning of the

process.

This form has come to you spontaneously. No one created it. You would

not be here unless you were inspired from within to get the true meaning of

life. This is not the type of devotion whose purpose is to acquire something.

The purpose of this devotion is to get liberation through listening. The idea

that you are a man or a woman with characteristic behavior patterns is false.

It is an appearance. To know this, some worthiness is required. The

knowledge ‘I am’ is your Godhood. Understand that. Various names are

given to it.

The fact that a liking to hear about this knowledge has arisen in you is a

good spiritual sign. When the knowledge of your beingness becomes clear,

you will transcend maya. Consciousness will reveal its own worthiness.

Manifestation is all one, but the names are many. All the names pertain to

maya. After knowing the fact that ‘I am everywhere’, the knower will not

be different from the knowledge. No experience is lasting. Whichever way

you look at yourself will surely go. The sense that you are awake is also a

concept. Sleep and wakefulness are indicators of your transient nature.

When you enter into deep sleep, you let go of yourself every day. If that

sleep does not end, what are you going to do?

Whether death arrives today or a thousand years from now, it should be

the end of it all; there should be no problem. Detachment is the feeling that

all this is an appearance. When Truth is attained, false things drop off. No

special effort is required to let them go. That is called an offering to

Brahman.

The scriptures say that, ‘At the proper time Bhagavan takes an

incarnation and nourishes dharma’. It is the dharma of one’s own true

nature. When ordinary people preach dharma, it is the dharma of the body.

The Guru is an incarnation of God. Due to devotion to the Guru, maya,

which appears demonic and vast, is reduced to the size of an atom.

Do not neglect the consciousness that is now listening. It is pure and

clean. Keep this in mind and worship the same. Do not forget that Self-

knowledge is the knowledge of our own beingness. Due to impurities of the

mind one goes to the forest and bears hardships. If your impurities are

removed here and now, as you listen, you will not have to go to the

mountains and forests (in search).

Nirupana 21

Sunday, April 9, 1978

Consciousness is boundless. It cannot be foretold when realization will

shine upon you. Someone gets it spontaneously, the other does not get it

even with much effort. When a particular stage is reached, there comes

about an appropriate change and a proper ground is prepared accordingly.

Dattatreya, a great sage, was perfect Brahman. Where was the necessity

of a Guru for him? Yet it is said that he approached 24 Gurus. In order to

eradicate egoistic consciousness and to pacify a particular quality, an

appropriate Guru was approached. Dattatreya was the knower of them.

You feel that ‘you are’ and that self-feeling behaves according to the

nature of time. The modification that flows from it is the mind. Fear is

created through the effects of the mind. The totality has no fear.

Earth is the quality of steady vital energy. The seed that sprouts from the

earth does not die even when it is tortured, beaten, cooked or roasted.

Because of this, your growth is sustained and accelerated. The earth bears

everything. That is why she is peaceful. The consciousness in the body is

the pure consciousness ‘I am’. It has infinite names. Unknowingly, you

have come to know ‘you are’ and that is God. The names of the deities

pertain to that only. Before the knowingness was known, there was no

experience of absence of peace. That is the stage of real peace. Until you

know ‘you are’, your life is infinite. If you strive to know it, you will not be

able to know it. In order to overcome ‘absence of peace’, consciousness has

to be worshipped with non-dual devotion. The meaning of these words is

not familiar to you.

Can one take support of what is transient to know the Truth? Your

consciousness has a beginning and, therefore, it will have an end. First put

aside your intellect and then take the Guru-word and meditate on your

subtle consciousness. Know that it is prior to the pondering. Make friends

with it and it will blossom within you. (You will realize that it is your true

nature.) Believe that you are what you know, before you know anything

else. That is the Guru-word. Consciousness has various names like God,

Brahman, etc. It is known and experienced without making any effort. For

Its sake, ignore your mind and body. ‘Word’ (mantra) means Brahman plus

the guarantee that precedes it. The meaning of it all is ‘I am’. Maintain that

assurance with the initiation given by the Guru as proof. (The word comes

out of the sound, which comes out of space. Consciousness is prior to

space. It is called Brahman or God – the manifest reality.)

Mind knows nothing else except for the impressions gathered from

childhood. That is the reason why good impressions are sought. That is the

reason why the importance of good company is extolled. In the company of

sages our mind emulates them. Happiness and misery are there because

they are believed to be so. Due to the nature of time they are true for that

time only. As time passes, they become meaningless.

Do not ever forget that we are exactly what our Guru has described. As

you progress in watching your consciousness, without the body, by the

same measure you will experience your worthiness. After listening to this,

compare it with your present state of being. As consciousness arises, it

becomes the individual’s world. To realize this consciousness is to attain

peace.

Can you stop sleep from turning into wakefulness and vice versa? Keep

faith in the Guru’s words as you live your daily life. Realize that when you

act, you are not the doer. You only witness what happens. The sense of

doership is because of body-consciousness. Unless you realize yourself,

your ego-sense will not end. Even with proper initiation, if you do not

follow it, it is of no use. Without uttering a single word of the Supreme or

the mundane, that which is naturally there is your consciousness. Who

knows the knowledge that is in the world? It is your own consciousness,

also called the Self. It has no color, no form, and no design. It is pure

knowingness.

You behave according to what you have heard. But do you pay attention

to That which is hearing now? That listener is your consciousness. One

deals with the world from knowledge gained by the five senses. Does that

knowledge have any color or form? Yet you superimpose wrong ideas on

that and become unhappy. Your consciousness is of the nature of love and

devotion. The proof of God’s existence is your own consciousness. As you

meditate on that knowledge, the five elements will come to serve you. You

unnecessarily believe that you are weak and sinful. Drive out the negative

by contemplating on your consciousness and recognize your true nature.

The knowledge of the Self will dawn on you at the appropriate time and

your worthiness will be boundless. Then the mind, which wants something

or wants to get rid of something, will disappear. The five elements will be at

your service. Peace cannot be achieved unless pride of knowledge is given

up. The sage is very peaceful.

Nirupana 22

Thursday, April 13, 1978

You have read and heard a lot. Now get to know the reader and the

listener. The fact that you know ‘you are’ is misery as well as joy. God is

the source of joy whereas the root of misery is maya. But at the root, it is

only consciousness.

Find out what you have with you that is your own. Meditate on and

know that one who contemplates on God, is himself God. Only the Sadguru

can tell you that it is so. Other teachers tell you to live as a servant of God.

In the beginning, your mother teaches you to understand sound. Had she

not done that, what would be your language? I am talking to you in that

language, which was yours before sound was first introduced to you. Yet

you have to understand the meaning in the language you have learned.

All the religions of the world are mere concepts. Have you any other

knowledge except what you have read or heard? The way of the Self

implies the way of the life force or consciousness, because we are

consciousness. The manifested consciousness is not steady, whereas the

unmanifested is the everlasting Truth.

When they prepare the horoscope of a child, the first consideration is the

time of its birth. Then who is born? Is it the child or is it time? Worldly

dealings are done according to the dictates of time. Time is duration. The

sense of doership can be called the mind. In all these dealings, there is the

One who has no birth. With the Sadguru’s grace, the illusion of birth will

vanish forever. Beingness comes with the combination of body and prana.

This experience has no form of its own. As a result, the mind identifies with

the (tangible) body. Birth brings on time, yet for practicality it is said that

the child is born. The witness, who believes he is the body, is the victim of

time. Does time have any form? This cannot be understood by performing

rituals. Discrimination is necessary.

All that is heard from childhood is taken for granted. Discriminate about

all this thoroughly. Take hold of your true nature. Whatever is believed or

retained will not remain with you. This will be understood when you know

the Self. Worldly dealings take place on the belief that what appears is true.

Actually, it is a fraud. From deep sleep sprouts the feeling ‘I am’, then that

of the body and the world, followed by happiness and sorrow. If you do not

realize this you have to suffer.

Your consciousness is luminous, formless and spotless. The body is

dirty, that is why you are on the ground. If it were purified, you could fly in

the air. Hatha yogis do that. Keep in mind the consciousness (that is

listening) and meditate on it. It has no attachment. There is no such thing as

sin or virtue. You limit yourself by thinking you are the body and, hence,

experience them. The one who is listening is the same as Brahman, and the

same is the Guru. Contemplate on this. Respect pure consciousness as the

Guru and it will become your friend. Stop looking outward and behave as if

you were the Self. Worship the higher knowledge while saying, ‘I am That’.

Do you stay with your consciousness even for a moment? One who wants

to know this will not die without understanding it. There is nothing like ‘I

will die with the body’. Can the light die? How long is your consciousness

going to live with you? It is seasonal. Contemplation of the Guru is

contemplation of consciousness. Contemplation of consciousness by

consciousness, is the same as non-dual devotion.

Nirupana 23

Sunday, April 16, 1978

Occasion: Birth anniversary of Bhausaheb Maharaj

(Maharaj’s Guru’s Guru)

Such is the glory of devotion to Bhausaheb Maharaj, that so many of

you have gathered here. If you cannot appreciate the greatness of the Guru’s

teaching, all else is in vain. It is conveyed to you because of its total

worthiness. Such a conviction will remove your ignorance. The firm belief

in the Guru’s word gives the knowledge of the Self. You are Parabrahman

in whom the word (mind) dissolves and nothing remains. He is alone. He is

neither the Guru, nor the disciple, nor God.

The devotion of most people is for fulfilling their needs in the world.

Such devotees cannot realize the Self. At least before sleeping say, ‘I am

Paramatman’. You are the Paramatman. He has been called by many names.

He has had many incarnations and will have many more in the future. You

are the Atman of all these incarnations. The word Atman means ‘I’.

‘Whatever happens in the world is because of Me. I must be present prior to

everything.’ Therefore you are the universal Self. You are the Paramatman.

He is neither bound nor liberated. But you have embraced body-

consciousness instead. You are attached to yourself.

What you are hearing is familiar and simple. Have complete faith in the

Guru-word. With that you will become Brahman. Paramatman does not

even know that He is. That does not mean that He is asleep. When you say

that you had a good sleep, who was the witness? Who knows ‘I am’? Then

what is the meaning of the words ‘He awoke’? How is it possible? This is

the result of maya. Each one of us knows the answer to these questions, but

we do not believe it to be so. Body-consciousness is cuddling you.

This is a journey within consciousness. You are the knower of it. (You

are prior to consciousness as a passive witness.) The fact that you know

‘you are’ is the main impediment. To remove the impediment, first believe

it to be so. Your beingness or your sense of ‘I am’ is the obstruction. It is

God Himself. This is the way you should worship. When He is pleased, He

gives true knowledge. Know that you are the Paramatman. Do not think that

you are separate from Him. That is only the concept of body-consciousness.

If my light is spotless, then how can I be stained?

The moment of death is the time of great happiness. For the body-

conscious individual, it is death. If you die saying that you are pure light,

you will be free. The moment of death, that is so terrifying, becomes a

happy time with devotion to the Guru. Such is the greatness of the Guru’s

word. As an example, how happy one feels as he slips into sleep. The

experience of happiness or misery comes because of our consciousness. It

becomes happy by the grace of the Guru. The joy of the moment when the

vital force leaves the body cannot be expressed in words.

Worldly dealings are not true. So what is there to renounce? Carry on

your worldly activities as it suits you. Remember the Guru-word, not by the

mind but by beingness. Once you are convinced of your true nature, you

will not be concerned about slander. With your light, you observe all other

lights in the world. How can that light be stained? Without words, realize

that there is no other God, no other Brahman besides you. Remember this

without any words. That is the Guru-word. One who belittles the light of the

Self will suffer great misery. Everything you recognize is based upon its

colors and designs. The Self cannot be recognized because it has no color or

design.

Nirupana 24

Thursday, April 20, 1978

Is it a small thing that you know ‘you are’? Is it not that you alone know

that? Then unite yourself with your consciousness. See what a miracle

happens! Spirituality is simple. The rest is all entertainment. The word

(thought) that rises in your mind will certainly have some effect on you. It

is obvious that everything is untrue, so what is there to be negated? Even if

there is nothing in the world, there still is delusion!

It is very difficult to get an opportunity to hear this kind of knowledge.

Liking it is even more important. One who is having his last birth only

comes to me.

What is not steady is called a phase. Samadhi is also a phase. That which

is worshipped by all people and That which is worthy of worship, is the

same as yourself. It would be unfortunate if you did not accept this.

Devotion means union. Be one with your knowledge of beingness. Then the

work is done. All methods, philosophies and rituals are of no use.

Attainment of special powers through various yogic exercises is a

hindrance. It creates false pride.

As long as there is fear in the mind, there cannot be devotion. Jnana

means realization. It is also devotion. Does one know what has brought this

knowingness to consciousness? When consciousness goes, everything

comes to an end. Krishna says: ‘My devotion cannot be practiced through

japa or austerities, it can only be practiced by observing the Guru-word’.

That is the highest devotion. The Guru’s word is: ‘You are not the body;

you are the consciousness in the body’.

Who is caring for whom? Is it not consciousness caring for itself ?

Consciousness dissolves in the state of Paramatman. It is not affected by

time. After Self-realization, not a trace of ego will remain with you e.g. ‘I

am like this, I am like that’. Hold onto the Guru’s word: ‘I am self-

luminous, pure consciousness’. Then you can involve yourself in all

worldly activities.

While sleeping, remember the Guru-word. In deep sleep there is no

body-consciousness; hence the identification will be broken. Start again

when you wake up. God is there where you are. Without the devotee, where

is God? Remain with your own Self. Do not get involved with others.

Practice non-dual devotion. It is not time-bound. It is without ego. You will

know how the five elements are created through consciousness, through

you.

Silently repeat your mantra. Meditation should be on one’s own nature.

Slowly the mind will become pure. The formless consciousness will be

uncovered and your true nature will be understood. Till then, rituals may be

practiced. You will come to know that you are spontaneously there. God is

not greater than the Sadguru. When you realize your consciousness, you

will realize the stage of Brahman.

The mind always keeps comparing. Leave the greatness to others.

Become so small that no one can see you. The conviction that ensues from

the ever-growing devotion to Paramatman is ‘I am formless, pure

Brahman’. What you are listening to is the description of pure knowledge.

With devotion to the Guru, you will come to know that you are That. Be

firm in your determination that you are formless, pure consciousness.

Nirupana 25

Sunday, April 23, 1978

Throw out concepts like ‘I have become very virtuous’ or ‘I am a great

sinner’. What is the entity that senses this? Body-consciousness will not

lose its grasp on you with the thought that your well-being is the result of

some spiritual activity. All you need to do is keep observing your Self.

Do not befriend anything that is visible to you. (Do not be attracted

towards worldly things.) If you have to act at all, do only this: please your

consciousness. It is very merciful. It will show you all that IS, directly. You

will realize that the immense manifestation never existed. You are so

microscopic that you will not be able to see yourself through your

knowledge. Take the Guru’s word as authority. You have no body. That

which is prior to consciousness is fathomless peace. Surrender to it. Do not

make everlasting bliss an object (a goal). You are beyond objects. The

moment of death is the most blissful of all. There is nothing else to gain in

this world except death. The irony is that where there is fear of death, at that

very point is the ocean of bliss.

Nirupana 26

Thursday, April 27, 1978

The entire universe is sporting in a single cell of your subtle body (seed

consciousness). That which is seen with your eyes closed is the dark blue

Absolute. It is the shadow of the subtle body. A person with body-

consciousness cannot understand this. First of all you must acquire God-

consciousness through meditation. You must have the conviction that ‘I am

not an individual, but I am God’. With transformation of the intellect, the

ego disappears. Whatever is sought is always there at the Source. Due to a

misunderstanding, That is meditating. What is most worthy of worship? Is it

not the knowledge ‘you are’, your consciousness? Only Paramatman exists,

nothing else.

What is called birth is really the birth of the three gunas. The center of

the gunas has no duality. A lamp requires oil. Similarly, consciousness

presupposes the existence of the Paramatman. As long as the jiva has the

experience of having done good or bad, there is no gaining the state of

Paramatman. Your consciousness is the essence of sweetness. It is proof of

the existence of Paramatman.

What can you do on your own? Can you sleep? Can you wake up? Can

you excrete or urinate? Then why is there pride of doership? The life force

with its three gunas is itself the indicator of Paramatman. Because of maya,

each jiva thinks that it is responsible for its actions in the world. That is

false. Childhood and youth have come and gone. What out of this remained

with you as yourself? Will your own company last forever? The reason for

this situation is the play of maya. When the concept that you are your body

is proved false through your own experience, you will know the nature of

Paramatman.

I do not talk to your body. You should not talk as the body either. Let the

body be. Keep it well. Get to know in the present who will leave the body.

Know that you are not the body, but the knower of the body. Give full

attention. Keep in mind that you are the light in the body and then act.

Consciousness is a lamp, the source of light. Do you see the sky because of

this light or are you seen because of the sky? Discriminate on this. Go into

the Source that is beyond space. Does your sight have any stain? Does

space have any holes in it? Is not the sight of your eye itself the light of the

Self? And is this light male or female? As you use it with the concept of the

body, it causes the fear of death. You hope for and expect so many things.

But why not go for the Source? Has anyone seen the light of the Self dying?

You must hear all this from the Sadguru. Liberation comes through

listening. It cannot be known through austerities or japa. When the words of

the Sadguru are understood and remembered, perfection follows without

effort. Through the mantra given to you, you have been asked to open up

the Godhood within you. You are the Self; there is no question of attaining

it.

The light of your Self is spotless. There is only the light. How can there

be death? Who is listening now? The listener is your own Self. When

consciousness forgets itself, there is peace.

The dark blue Absolute as seen with the eyes closed is similar to space.

There is no break in it. It is all-pervading. Follow devoutly what the Guru

says and you will realize that you are consciousness. When the blue shade

disappears, the void remains. It is an all-witnessing state of being. It is the

fourth stage: ‘I am all that I see’. Your consciousness is the flavor of the

Absolute. The Absolute contains an infinite number of universes. Many

may have conceived Brahman intellectually. However, out of millions a rare

one follows the Sadguru. There is no greater fortune than having Self-

knowledge.

You have committed a great sin by calling yourself the body. Then the

same Absolute becomes the great death for you in your last moment. Who

else is there except for Him at the time of death? Make your own decision,

choose for yourself. Do not depend upon other people. You must worship

this knowledge, which is listening to the word of the Guru. You will see

countless universes playing within your consciousness. There is no other

deity besides Self-knowledge. There is no greater misfortune if it is not

realized. Self-knowledge itself is the Paramatman stage – the home of

liberation.

If someone writes down my words and keeps ruminating on them, he will

get the state of Paramatman effortlessly.

Nirupana 27

Sunday, April 30, 1978

Sin can turn into virtue and a virtuous act can become sinful. One may

feed a thousand brahmins to acquire merit. The food may get poisoned

accidentally, hurting these people. This is the way of destiny.

All names have a duration. What is fancied, will be effaced. Then what

remains?

The experience of God (consciousness) is there so long as there is life.

However, I am timeless. Yet my true state has to be described in relation to

something. The unmanifest got manifested with the feeling ‘I am’. In the

prison of this concept, 81 years have gone by. There is no such thing as my

realizing God, or God knowing me. It is only hearsay. God is only a

concept. All concepts are bound by time. My everlasting state is desireless

and beyond thought. The concept ‘I am’ came unexpectedly and along

came the world. A king dreams for five minutes, wherein he goes about as a

beggar for a hundred years! When he wakes up, he is the king as usual. The

dream ‘I am’ is momentary. In this dream many worship me, many kick me

also. That does not affect me. I am perfect, always.

It is an accident that you suddenly came to know that ‘you are’. I tell

people to do something so that they have some purpose to live for. When a

man dies, it means his body has fallen. Prana has left. The one who died,

was he other than prana? When prana merges into the universal prana, it

forgets itself. Without prana there is no beingness. People have all kinds of

suggestions regarding what to do. They are like a hollow bamboo.

Who decides what honest behavior is? It is all a great fraud. It is the

primordial illusion – maya. Yet one would say, ‘Speak the truth, do this, do

not do that, etc.’ It is because of this great fraud that you feel ‘you are’ and

identify as men and women.

Your consciousness is of the nature of space. The knowingness that has

come over you unknowingly is your consciousness. What do you witness

first? It is the consciousness that ‘you are’, and after that you witness the

world. The form of a human being is the form of Brahman incarnate. Catch

hold of That which is known prior to any other thing. That is the one that

listens. What is the difference between you and the world? Is your light any

different from the light of the sun or the light in the sky?

It is the space of consciousness (chidakash) in which ‘I am’ arises.

Consciousness is the certitude of one’s own nature. Take good care of your

body. However, be certain about your true nature. Love and devotion are

names of the knowledge ‘I am’. It is pure knowledge, not imparted by

someone else. It has come over unasked for. Get a firm hold of that

knowledge. It is the one that is listening. It is your own true nature. The

teaching offered to one who dwells in body-consciousness goes to waste.

Meanwhile, pride in the body increases.

In the universal life force, a child who is not yet born is joyfully playing.

There is no difference in the life force of an unborn child and the one that is

born. You cannot say that the one that is not born does not exist. It is

joyfully playing in the whole of consciousness. Meditate on consciousness.

It is in the body. It is not the body. All is seen by virtue of that. All names

pertain to consciousness. The world is for the entertainment of that concept.

You will worship the faith in yourself, if you have faith in the Guru. When

faith is created, proper understanding will take place. There is no difference

between us. If one is without form, how can there be any pride in the action

that is performed?

From a jnani’s point of view, the world was never created. Whatever is

seen is false. The cover, that is the body, is not your form. You are the

luminous consciousness within. You may identify with this or that as

experienced in consciousness. The knower of consciousness is perfect. He

is without any desire. This true situation is not such as can be consciously

noted, because it has no form or color. With faith in the Guru’s word, one’s

realization never wavers.

Nirupana 28

Saturday, May 13, 1978

The words of a jnani are imbued with the essence of the Vedas. Nothing

is in your hands. Whatever is to happen will happen, when it has to happen.

Identification as a man or a woman is a stain on consciousness. It has to be

wiped out. Nothing else is to be done. You are already perfect. Worldly

dealings depend upon names and forms. When there is no identification

with the body, either as male or female, the cause and effect relationships

have no power over you. Then what do you have to lose?

What is the enjoyment of sages of the Himalayas who have lived for

thousands of years? Are they not enjoying their consciousness, or perhaps

just a sweet sleep?

My period of samadhi is endless. I was in samadhi for ages and ages. At

this moment there is some knowingness. When there are no words, what

can you call yourself ? Everything depends upon what you take yourself to

be. That is the reason why the word is all-powerful. When you bathe at

home it is customary to say, ‘Jai Ganga, Jai Ganga’. Does that tap water

really come from the Ganges? Your word itself is the Ganges. The One on

whom the water is poured, is the One who makes the Ganges holy. He can

never be an object to Himself. He does not have the sensation that ‘He is’.

When one is certain that he is neither a man nor a woman, that one is the

Self, will there be a thought of personal gain or loss? The past incarnations

that you worship are not aware of your devotion. Krishna and Arjuna do not

know each other in the present.

Patience, faith and determination are necessary. Association with a sage

is the same as association with peace. It is prior to consciousness.

Chidananda (consciousness-bliss) has a sense of duality. It is enjoyment. It

is movement. It is there when one knows ‘I am’. In non-duality, there is no

guna at all. Therefore there is no bliss in it. There is no knowingness in the

supreme state. When one does not know that ‘he is’, there is everlasting

peace. What has been created will vanish. Get Self-realization before that

happens. There is no peace in knowingness. Mind itself is the absence of

peace. He (as Absolute) will be there even when billions of suns come and

go. How omnipotent He must be! That power is yours when you do not

know yourself (prior to the manifestation of consciousness). The

appearance of the word means the appearance of the sky (space). The fact

that ‘you are’ is the appearance of time.

Do not get stuck to what you have been taught, or what you have

learned. Eventually, you will have to throw it away.

Nirupana 29

Sunday, May 14, 1978

Time comes into existence with our sense of ‘I am’ (beingness) and then

everything happens. When it disappears, nothing remains. It is not possible

to be totally without worry, because that is inherent in the nature of time.

We are just helpless onlookers. Things happen as they will. All dealings in

the world go on spontaneously. A rare one will deliberate on this point and

discriminate. We carry on with our practical life only on the basis of what

we have read and heard. (Maharaj says each one of us is pure

consciousness, a passive witness. The impressions recorded in the memory

are performing all the activities. This goes on automatically.) We have

forgotten our true nature. Our behavior is like that of a king behaving as a

beggar in a dream. We have knowingness in the waking state, but it has the

entanglement of the gunas.

Carry out your worldly dealings but remember that they will not last. It

is said that God created the world. It is our own consciousness. It is

formless. When it is realized, the work is over. Think of yourselves as free

without bodies. Contemplate on the contemplator.

All things are said by the word, to the word, through the word. However,

your true identity is different. Your pure word – will it purify you or will it

itself be purified? Is there any part of you that has to be purified? You have

not realized as long as there is the desire: ‘My well-being should be

achieved or I should get some benefit’. Truth cannot be an object of

knowledge. Whatever is transient can only be an object for knowing. Unless

there is silence in meditation, one has not reached the correct level. (In

meditation, one forgets oneself.) The mind flows only if there are

impressions. Can it think of things that it does not know?

Paramatman is speaking of the experience of how He has made Himself

conscious. So long as you go about in body-consciousness, in body-form,

your identification is of a jiva. Jiva and Shiva are two names given to the

state where there is action. The functions of the jiva are limited to the body.

Shiva (pure consciousness) is formless and unattached. The understanding

that you have got after listening is Parabrahman. The belief that you are like

the body is the delusion. No action can change the fact that you are pure

consciousness. The root of maya is consciousness by which you know

yourself.

Our true nature is unknown to us. How can we talk about That which is

unknown to us? Hence, the scriptures keep quiet. ‘Clean, without dirt’ does

not mean white. Even whiteness is dirt. The lotus that comes out of the

navel (the Source) symbolizes our consciousness. From consciousness, the

five elements (including space) have been created. When you did not have

knowledge of your consciousness, was there any fear? Consciousness

through which the whole world has been created; can you catch it with your

senses?

If you remember what you have heard now, there is nothing in the world

that can harm you. Why? It is because you have understood the meaning of

the Self. The birthless one is never born. Still, consciousness is created. The

impression of the body goes very deep; it is difficult to make it lighter. That

is why it is difficult to remember this. (Since childhood we have intimately

identified with the body. Now, we cannot even imagine that our true nature

is formless.) The remedy for this is the mantra given by the Guru and faith

in the Guru. Can the dream world be created by one’s own efforts? Yet it

creates itself and moves about. The meaning of the wordless silence is ‘I am

awake’. This is followed by the mundane activity with names and forms.

After waking up, when we feel ‘we are’, the word is created.

Your great discomfort is your own consciousness. It is like a child of a

barren woman (non-existent). Whatever is not fancied does not materialize.

If you do not understand, at least respect consciousness that is listening.

Treat it as the holy feet of the Guru. Have you understood the meaning of

the birth of Brahman at the navel lotus?

All the cleverness of the world comes from imitation. For example,

those who are fond of movies behave like what they see in the movies. Like

that, see the film of consciousness properly, attentively. Then you will go

beyond it. All this information is of the knowledge that is listening.

Everything is a result of the play of consciousness. The flavor of our

beingness at the navel is He, Sri Hari, who cannot be seen as someone or

something. You are in the body but you are invisible by nature. Your true

nature does exist but your eyes cannot see it. If you are like this, then there

is no bondage for you.

What is a liberated soul? The answer is: he is the one who is listening

now. When you hear, you must feel – ‘Oh, is that so?’ So long as you

consider your body as your form, everything is true. When you realize that

you are not the body, you will know that everything is just ‘word’ only.

(There are only words and nothing else.) The meaning of the word will

prove true as you want – or as you insist on it. Insist on the word, only then

the word will manifest accordingly. Whatever you say will happen.

Worship by the mind is the worship of space, by space. Mental worship

is higher than bodily worship. Before all this happened, I was there. If I am

the cause of everything that happens, then what is the use of all that? The

fact is that manifestation is all-pervading and individuality does not remain.

(Maharaj means to say that realization is of no use to the seeker. When he

attains it, he is no longer an individual to enjoy it.) When space and I are

not different, wherever I go that will be the place where I am already

present. If you go as a body, this is not true. If you apperceive this, will you

ever die? The form of your consciousness is space. The knower is you.

Whatever way the ‘I am’ behaves is called sport – maya. It is not real. Sport

means fun, where there is no gain or loss.

Nirupana 30

Sunday, May 21, 1978

Sugarcane is a plant. When its form changes, it becomes sugar. What is

there in the heart of pure sugar? Is it not sweetness? Like that, there is

sweetness in the body. It has no form but has a flavor; it is our beingness. In

the process of search, the pure consciousness is uncovered. Consciousness

means pure Sattva guna.

What is born are the gunas. It is not my birth. Even if That has many

qualities, many forms e.g. that of a man or a woman, still, That is beyond

birth or death. How can One who pervades the whole universe have death?

All have one and the same guna – the quality of being a jiva, the quality of

knowing, the information ‘I am’. The quality which is like space is the

Sattva guna. Whatever misery is experienced, is by the gunas only.

Just keep silent while saying, ‘I am not the body’. All will disappear

spontaneously and your true nature will be uncovered. I am not the Sattva

guna (consciousness) because I am the knower of it (I am prior to it). I was

there already before the body came over me, but I had no information.

All this knowledge is not honest. The reason is that it undergoes change.

The manifestation is called birth. But whose birth is it? The manifestation is

atomic but it has pervaded the whole universe! The original ignorance has

become a hundred years old and one says, ‘I have become a mahatma (great

soul)’. But if that ignorance (or consciousness) goes away, then what?

How is it that you experience good or bad odors? Or does it happen

spontaneously? Who is doing this? Who is holding up the picture that you

see? Do you purposefully keep a thing in memory, or does it stay there by

itself? All kinds of needs come with the body and make us beggars. Where

there is no consciousness, there is perfection. Where there is awareness of

the body, God (consciousness) is there, and where there is God there is also

a body. (The Absolute – Parabrahman is beyond both.) We have sorrow, but

the root of it is our own consciousness. Where there is no knowingness,

there is no form, no gunas, no actions. Just concentrate on your

consciousness and nothing else. Whatever you do will be an obstruction.

Everyone has got a taste of it (the feeling ‘I am’). It is transient. Neither

the Krishna-taste has remained, nor the Shiva-taste. There have been great

sages, but they no longer have their ‘I am-ness’.

The same vital force is there in all bodies. Yet one body does not know

the other, though millions of bodies are born every moment. That is the

wonder of the vital force (maya).

When Krishna talked about the nature of his Self, it was not the

description of a person. Krishna said: ‘Arjuna, kill all the Kauravas, but I

say not a single one will die’. Krishna gave this knowledge to Arjuna at that

fearful occasion, but does anyone think about how He did that? Though

Krishna was a truly great teacher, yet that bodily idol of Krishna was

ignorance only. (The consciousness of Krishna is the same knowingness,

which by nature is ignorance because it is transient and does not last.

Krishna had recognized that Truth so He became a jnani.)

There is nothing in the world except for this ignorance, which is the

greatest fraud. This consciousness itself is dishonest. The world-tree has

come into existence through the growth of the root ignorance (the seed

consciousness).

I have understood the reason why I have a body. It is enough to know

that ‘I am not that’. I have understood why the accusation of birth has come

over me. Contemplate on this: ‘You are pure Brahman, you have no death.

There is nothing – no one except you’. Therefore do not talk against

anyone, do not blame anyone. You are the subtle manifested consciousness.

It is the seed of the universe, seed of Brahman, seed of Atman.

There is no importance to how one behaves. Knowing he is neither ‘this’

nor ‘that’, one sits quiet. I am not even the one who knows ‘I am’. There is

bliss after ‘this is like this, this is not like that’ goes away. After the body is

forgotten, one becomes free from the pride of body-consciousness. When

bliss becomes compact, impenetrable, then it is not consciously felt. This

bliss is not such as can be remembered or forgotten. Mind, intellect and

consciousness cannot speak of the supreme Self. They dictate behavior, but

is He affected? One who is listening does so due to the conglomeration of

the mind, intellect and consciousness. But the One who is Bliss

Impenetrable is the knower of the mind, intellect and consciousness. He is

not affected by them.

One should be ashamed of saying that the body is his form. How much

is being done in order to keep honor and to avoid shame? All gunas belong

to the mind, intellect and consciousness. There can be no action without

them. One’s nature means one’s conduct based upon previous impressions.

You are inside the collective of mind, intellect and consciousness. Bliss is

beyond that. The One with Bliss Impenetrable is under no rule of conduct.

Direct knowledge means your own Self. There is no teaching there, nor

a teacher. What has been manifested has no use, either for good or bad.

Until you transcend consciousness, the sense of doership will be there. The

body is introduced only in the beingness. Beingness and dreams are the

same, and all is felt and fancied in that. So long as this ‘I am-ness’ was not

known, there was no interruption in the Compact Bliss. The dream looks

very real, but it is dishonest and not true. ‘I am-ness’ has no limit or

standard. You have to understand this only once, and then there is no

concern for the body at all. The ‘I am-ness’ is a passing phase. It is

borrowed. Beingness means the feeling ‘you are’. It will not last. A rare one

knows this beingness with the help of the Guru. He becomes timeless.

Without the grace of the Guru this consciousness will not be stabilized.

After knowing this, a rare one gets rid of his body-identification such as ‘I

am a man or a woman’. The rest die with such identification.

In this vast consciousness there is no religious system, no karma, no

time. It is prior to the sense ‘I am’. Do not try to know it, but hold onto

what you have heard. It is the natural state where there is no memory that ‘I

am the body’. One remains in his natural state of being. The one, who holds

the Guru-word as ultimate, will get forbearance and will get the state of

Brahman. Even if there is knowledge of Brahman, it is not everlasting or

true. As it is an experience, it cannot last. All is Brahman; all is blissful and

peaceful. The sense of individuality, however, is a misery. Remember that.

Nirupana 31

Thursday, May 25, 1978

Here we only talk about why we need our beingness and what its actual

use is for us. Here, nothing is said about past or future.

Whatever is known will come to an end. Everyone feels he should ‘be’,

but this beingness will not last forever. ‘We are as we appear’ – this deep-

rooted concept should go away. We should realize the fact that we are not as

we appear, but we are as we see. The belief that we will die is false. The

known will become unknown. We are ‘unknown’ by nature. Just as water

evaporates, or the sun sets, or the lamp is extinguished, it does not mean

that it dies. Understand death to be something like that.

One should treat oneself as pure consciousness and not as a body.

Anything that depends upon memory will not last. Whatever is known will

be forgotten. The one to whom knowingness happens is always at peace.

We are not going to die, but whatever is known will become unknown, it

will not be seen. The unknown is called God, Brahman, etc. It is all a bazaar

of names. All actions are performed by virtue of the name. Take your

consciousness to be God who is formless, and worship it as taught by the

Guru.

All the action is mere entertainment. The nature of the entertainment

varies with time. Life force is one. Due to difference in form, everything

looks different from the other. Every sage has a different pattern of

behavior. There are thousands of men but each one is different. Avatars

(incarnations) are the same. Yet Rama is different from Krishna. Days have

different names, but the sun is the same. This puzzle will get solved slowly

and finally there will be no trace of ego left.

The one who has doubts regarding devotion to the Guru will have

trouble. The Guru is your own Self. This Self (consciousness) has come

over us naturally, it gets realized naturally and remains in its natural state

(state of a siddha). It manages the activity of the body but the body does not

control it. You have no other heir. You are your own heir. You are Brahman,

you are maya, and you are ‘you’. Through words we are Brahman, but by

nature it is our own Self. Remember the Guru and keep your devotion to

him. If someone listens to me and remembers five or six sentences, he does

not need to do spiritual activity anymore.

Krishna says: ‘Because of devotional singing I become manifest.

Without the devotee I cannot be manifest. I gave My all to those who were

devoted to Me. Whatever are My names, they are My devotees’ names.

They do not die. Their fame spreads. Their names uplift the world’. So long

as the world and the devotee exist as true, till then the miracles are also true.

All temples are dedicated to the ones who gave devotion. Krishna says that

a realized consciousness is necessary for My becoming manifest. The same

is called ‘Guru’. Krishna has spoken the ultimate spiritual Truth. He always

said: ‘I am the perfect Atman’.

One who uses the five elements is the Atman. He illuminates space. He

is without any stain, without attachment, always and ever alive. He gives all

His worthiness to a true devotee. Devotion has to be without expectation.

One must be devoted because one wants God. Be aware. When the last

moment arrives, have full faith in whatever the Guru has said. Offer your

body by saying, ‘I am not the body. The activity of the five elements is due

to me’. This you will know only through devotion to the Guru.

Do not speak ill of anyone. This is very important. Such an attitude must

stop.

Each being has got the certitude that it is alive. It is self-luminous. This

luminosity has come spontaneously. One who offers this faith (beingness)

to the Guru receives the same in return. The Guru says, ‘Accept your

consciousness as a gift from me and use it without words, just as you know

you are male or female without saying it’. Treat your consciousness as God

or Guru. Take it away from the body and direct it to the Self. The supreme

state of being is called the Sadguru. The manifested consciousness that is

moving about in the world (through human bodies) is called as Sri Guru.

Our consciousness is the holy sight (darshan) of the Guru. He is formless.

He is motivating all the bodies. He has manifested as my own

consciousness.

If the devotee has full faith, God takes an incarnation and helps him.

That form has been taken by your own Self. There is no other deity besides

Him. If you hold onto the Guru-word, you will understand that true

happiness is the quality of your own nature. Your consciousness is the

Sadguru. It is the non-dualistic devotion that says with conviction, ‘I am

God’. That is the true situation. This is very difficult but when understood,

it is easy. All the gods and deities have used my life force, my

consciousness. I am All-Perfect. This should be the conviction. A jnani

does not need any certification.

After listening to the Guru-word one must be thought-free. Stick to the

simple conviction in your heart that your nature is in accordance with the

Guru-word. All living beings are motivated by me, not verbally but

actually, because all visible forms are the reflection of the Self. My atomic

consciousness pervades the whole world. When it manifests, only then the

world comes into existence.’ In deep sleep there was a stirring and it

manifested as the universe. The ‘I am’ has created the cosmic panorama. It

is the source of all the sages and saints. When that wakefulness goes back to

sleep, all deities melt into it.

Devotion should be accompanied by faith. The original faith ‘I am’

should be properly understood. Then the whole puzzle will be solved.

Devotion states ‘I am the life force – consciousness. All this is due to my

own light’. This should be enjoyed within in silence.

Nirupana 32

Sunday, May 28, 1978

The form of consciousness (‘I am’) is space. As you are formless, will

you have any needs? Take space as your identity. Holding onto this identity

permanently is called spiritual austerity. Do not bring humanness into this.

Once you realize this, would there be any need for a house or a family?

What instrument do you have for this search? Is it not the knowledge

that ‘you are’? This is the main capital that is spread throughout the world

in the form of the five elements. Krishna also taught this knowledge in

various ways. What was His capital? Was it not His consciousness? With

most people the same capital is smeared with sin and virtue. Whether you

see a deity or a ghost, it is seen in the light of your light. Most teachers

recommend rites and rituals. No one talks of such self-evident facts. If there

is conviction that space is one’s form, is there ever any gain or loss?

The knower of consciousness comes prior to it. That which is prior to

consciousness cannot be described in words. Existence-consciousness-bliss

(sat-chit-ananda) is the quality of knowingness. It is still objective. The

knower is not an object. My talk is like this because I have seen existence-

consciousness-bliss in its bare form.

The knowledge ‘I am’ is bliss. So long as you have not experienced this,

you will not be able to understand your Self. As soon as you become

stabilized in your Self, the continuous commentary of the mind will stop.

You still have fear; it means a little sin is lurking inside. Identification

with the body is the sin. Your consciousness works through five channels

i.e. touch, hearing, seeing, taste and smell. Consciousness is you; hold onto

it. Have you understood this? Remembering this is meditation. Gradually,

its worthiness will be inspired. Pay attention to the greatness of this

knowledge. It is so atomic, yet how colossal is the creation out of it. That

which is already there need not be searched for. Do not mix it with the mire

of body-consciousness. So long as you do not treat your beingness as God,

you will not understand anything. Had it not been there, who could have

said, ‘I am Krishna, Vishnu, etc.’? Instead of believing in facts, you believe

in illusory things. That is because of maya. If you want to drive out this

illusion, pay attention to your subtle consciousness. It is as great as the

entire universe.

When you get up from deep sleep, it is the Self (consciousness) that

wakes up, but you take yourself as a man or a woman. Then you face death.

Do not repeat the knowledge that you have heard here, till the experience

comes. The flood of light of this atomic consciousness is so vast that it has

become the whole world. It is the same through which you feel yourself to

be sinful or virtuous. If the truth and untruth are known only once, it is

enough. There is no use then of sitting down and going into samadhi all

over again.

You have fragmented yourself. That is why thoughts harass you. Pay

attention to the fact that you are all this in its entirety. The ‘I am-ness’ can

be understood in the waking state only. Your pure consciousness is prior to

any concepts. The Truth suddenly is felt as ‘I am’ and immediately

thereafter the universe comes into existence. If the knowledge of your

consciousness dissolves into the Truth, people will throng wherever you go.

Maya is that which is seen, felt, fancied and known, but it does not last.

The Self is the base for all that happens in consciousness. That which is

known becomes unknown and this is called death. It is evident that the five

elements are all that is. They are sporting within me. To wake up from deep

sleep is also the moving power of the five elements. It is the power of

Sattva guna that nourishes Rajas and Tamas. The most important power is

to understand that not I, but the world I see, is born. Through this

everything is seen. The sense of waking up is the birth of the world.

Birth means knowing the ‘I am-ness’. With it the world is created. Once

this consciousness is born, the world comes into view with individual

bodies and their joys and sorrows. Unless you meditate on this, the puzzle

will not be solved. The world is born spontaneously. Dissolve your

consciousness at that point. It is of the nature of God.

Consciousness – just the simple knowledge of our beingness – is the

Guru, the Lord of lords. One who believes that consciousness is the body

and the mind is lost. Through the mind, ‘I-am’ is sensed. Good and bad are

known through the meaning that comes out of the mind. And you are not

the mind.

How true can the experience be that comes through breathing? Had you

seen the world before you were born? The world is born along with you.

The ‘I am-ness’ in the human body is the birthplace of the world. When

consciousness arises, only then the world is born! There is no birth or death

for you. Consciousness has not created an individual, but the whole world.

Body-consciousness is the obstruction. Otherwise, it is easy to understand

this. Body-consciousness has delivered the perfect One into the hands of

time (death). It has measured it by counting its days! You as Sadguru-Self

have never been born (it’s only the body or maya that is born). You are the

proof of the Sadguru’s word. ‘I am really the One that my Guru told me I

was. Whether the body falls or not, I am the proof of what I heard from my

Guru, and the proof of my conviction is my faith in the Sadguru.’

When the jiva and Shiva both are proved to be unreal, the Paramatman

still remains as the Witness. By virtue of my sacred offering, pure

consciousness is realized. The concept ‘I am’ gets dissolved. The one who

is before such a concept cannot be destroyed. So long as consciousness has

desires, be watchful. The illusory consciousness has given birth to the

world, not to you. To move that illusory world, do you require any power?

If my words pierce someone, he will become a siddha!

Nirupana 33

Tuesday, June 6, 1978

What is needed in order to recognize one’s Self? Is it the mind? The

knower of the mind is consciousness. The Self can only be known through

consciousness. Here, the intellect is of no use. Intellect is the essence of the

collective mind. Consciousness has to be realized through consciousness,

which is prior to the mind.

You say you know the flow of the mind and yet you flow with the mind.

That is false. That means there is no conviction of how you are and till such

time, fear is there. The greatness of the whole world is in the heart of a

human being. However, he fails to understand that. He considers himself as

the body and suffers misery. All great sages of the world became so by

meditating on their own consciousness. It uncovers itself and acquires

greatness.

That which was already there came to know ‘It is’. This is called birth.

The name maya is given to birth. Maya is the behavior of gunas. Its source

is consciousness. It is the knowingness created at birth. Birth implies

beingness. You are prior to that knowledge. All this is the sport of your own

consciousness. Whatever is felt, fancied or known is actually not you. One

who knows this is the Self. The creation, sustenance and dissolution of

consciousness happens on the base of the supreme Self. All deities are a

projection of consciousness. It is the result of the action of guna-maya. You

are the support of all these. Maya means the experience of consciousness.

Dying does not mean annihilation; it is like the setting of the sun. No one

has death as such. The matchstick is the food for the flame. When it gets

extinguished, it does not mean that it has died.

The apparent conviction that one’s body is the Self is what is called

maya. It has an infinite number of names. Maya, herself, has been given the

status of a deity. There is no truth at all in this world, hence it is not

necessary to observe its rules and regulations. It is fictitious. Consciousness

is moving about as beingness. Consciousness that is experienced is in fact

not real. The meaning that floats through the feeling ‘I am’ is unreal. For

example, to say I am like this, I have done this, etc., is unreal. When

consciousness goes, the world also disappears. Consciousness and the world

are not separate.

The work is done for the one who clearly knows his own Self.

Consciousness has to know only this: the form, which is fancied and known

through consciousness, is not one’s true nature. Consciousness means the

Guru, and the Guru means consciousness. They are not apart. The ‘I am’

was not known, and is now known. This is the primordial maya. The Lord

or a blade of grass is the same for the one who has surrendered to the

Sadguru. Maya means self-love. Whatever consciousness achieves is never

full; it is incomplete, as it is not true. This attitude is born in one in whom

the Paramatman wants to manifest. Therefore, constantly remember the

word of the Sadguru. Become one with your consciousness. The oil

disappears after giving light. Similarly, your consciousness will spread

throughout the world and then disappear. Then what will remain? It is the

pure nature of Paramatman. Continue with your silent repetition of the

mantra. Then the Guru-ness in your heart will suddenly burn intensely and

show you how it rises and sets. Your true nature will be revealed.

Nirupana 34

Thursday, June 8, 1978

The meaning of the mantra is your consciousness. You should make it

known to you. While reciting the mantra, whatever you feel, let it be felt. It

will go away. The import of the mantra is your beingness. In order to realize

it, become more and more quiet. You are not dependent on the five

elements, or sleep, or wakefulness. Until such time that this becomes clear,

go on contemplating. In the end you will realize that you were never born,

neither have you carried out any worldly action. When you are enlightened

you will say, ‘It was not necessary for me to gain the world or worldly

knowledge’. Renunciation means to detach from the five elements and

consciousness.

Without air, fire has no soul. Without the light of Brahman

(consciousness) there is no space and without space there is no air. In the

five elements there is no static form as such. To know this thoroughly is

called renunciation. We know that ‘we are’ because of the five elements and

consciousness. They will not last. One who has recognized this cannot be

seasonal. If there is no consciousness, what can be known? One who has

not thought of his own nature, has to believe in things he hears in the world.

A rare one, by the grace of the Guru, will pay attention to That through

which the worldly phenomenon is sensed. He will not be attracted to the

world. He will only pay attention to his consciousness.

This knowledge is about Him through whom the world is visible. The

sense ‘I am’ is known through Him. This is the work of consciousness. As a

result of the Guru-word, this knowledge will be created spontaneously.

When the atomic consciousness in the body awakens, it pervades the

universe. When asleep, it pervades the dream world. The universe is filled

with consciousness and it continues its existence. The one who knows this

is called a jnani. A person may get to be the king of the world but as long as

he has not realized his consciousness, his achievements are like a mirage.

All religions are the religions of tradition. The true religion is to know

the nature of the Self. Be in That.

One who is dead – does he get the experience that he is dead? Someone

else says that he is dead. Such is tradition. The sight of the knower is

consciousness. In view of that sight, all this performance is going on. After

realization, there is no place for individuality. But there remains a memory,

in some form or the other, of being an individual. Consciousness that has

pervaded the universe does not pertain to someone in particular. It belongs

to all. However, it is seasonal, temporary, time-bound. When its duration is

over, it is gone.

People take to saffron robes just to take advantage of a tradition. Other

people fold their hands and bow before them. Catch hold of consciousness

so that your renunciation has a true meaning. Meditate on consciousness. It

will show you its Source. The world is seen within consciousness, which

itself has been created through ignorance.

What you have heard from other people is the source of fear, bondage,

and liberation for you. Can the one who has understood time see death?

Consciousness has no support. It does not depend on the five elements or

the three gunas. One’s own nature is the true knowledge. It is not dependent

on anyone or anything.

First you must see your own Self. Renunciation happens through Self-

knowledge. One who has understood the ultimate meaning knows his Self.

The rest are all selfish (who look after the well-being of their own

individual self – ego). Call your consciousness as the Guru. Then it will

show you the right way. It is consciousness that takes renunciation. A rare

one out of millions can give initiation by saying, ‘you will not die’.

Nirupana 35

Sunday, June 11, 1978

The more you understand about spirituality, the less will be your needs.

When a jiva dies, it means the sense ‘I am’ ends. To understand this one

should get stabilized within. Whatever you take yourself to be will come to

an end. Tie ‘I am-ness’ that you have taken for granted will not last.

Wakefulness came from deep sleep. Along with that came the feeling ‘I

am’. When the mind is busy with daily activities, we bind ourselves to what

we say or how we act. Otherwise, the beingness by itself is detached.

Unless we give ourselves a name, there will be no activity. Actually, no one

acts and no action is really true; nothing is done.

Brahman is true as it has no sense of ‘I am-ness’. So long as

consciousness is not understood, one has to act through the mind. The vast

universe arises from the Brahma-randhra (aperture in the crown of the

head). All knowledge comes out of the Brahma-atom and it merges back in

the end.

One who considers his consciousness as the Guru has no ritual to follow.

By taking the Guru-word as authority, one is not bound by the cycle of

karma. This happens spontaneously. All worldly dealings are the movement

of God. The devotee does not differentiate between himself and the Guru.

Take yourself to be pure consciousness and behave accordingly. A simple

devotee becomes limitless by holding onto the Guru-word. By reciting the

mantra given by the Guru, he becomes one with the Guru. When the inner

God is pleased, He gives the gift of the Guru.

On dissolution of individuality, the fear of death goes away. Any identity

you take will be temporary. The identity given by the Guru will remain

forever. To realize consciousness while in the human body is priceless.

There is no one as generous as the one who offers Self-knowledge. If you

realize that, there will be no difference between you and the Guru. You will

become immortal.

Even without dying you have fear of death. There will never be an

experience of death as such. Still the fear of death does exist. You know that

you have awakened. Does it not mean that you were there before

awakening? This memory could come only when one existed prior to that.

The five elements are the characteristics of the memory ‘I am’. It will never

be able to see the One who is prior to the memory. You may believe in God,

etc., but it has no steady existence. You consider your memory ‘I am’ as

yourself. There are thousands of memories; are we those memories? All

action is the result of memory, but we are not the memory. The nature of

memory is to forget. Even the memory that ‘I am God’ comes to an end.

Discriminate, deliberate on this point and be free. Get rid of the memory ‘I

am’. Identification as a man or woman is through that only. What does it

mean? How did it get created? If by the grace of the Guru someone

understands this, he will become the eternal Brahman. Do your words

belong to a mortal human or to immortal God? If you make just one

sentence out of this discourse as your own, you will become immortal.

Nirupana 36

Thursday, June 15, 1978

Bliss that comes by the grace of the Sadguru cannot come from anything

else. Bliss that you enjoy at the time of death is infinitely more than the

greatest happiness you may have experienced in your life. The time of death

is the time of perfect life, the time of immortality. Unless you embrace this

knowledge, there will be no peace. You may talk about this to others but

you will not be blissful. Contemplate on the Self with whatever name you

call it: Brahman, Guru or God.

All over the world people love themselves. Out of millions, a rare one

will understand the meaning of this. The love of the Self looks after the

body, whether it is ugly or beautiful, without getting tired. How does one

meditate on consciousness? It should be done without holding anything in

mind. Make it easy by calling it the Guru. You want every entertainment to

while away the time. The Source of all is the love of the Self. All your

relations and possessions will ultimately disperse. Get to understand the

Self before this happens. Searching through the mind will not be enough.

Discrimination will bring it to you.

Do not hurt anyone. Just go on tolerating. You will get the limitless

power of tolerance. Endure with patience the censure and harassment from

one and all. Do not, as a reaction, censure that person. All foolishness is due

to selfishness. Quarrels are due to selfishness. With realization, your

selfishness will come to an end.

He (God) who may not be found in the world is found in the heart of the

devotee. The world seems to be outside, but it is seen from within. The idol

in the heart, the idol of knowledge, has no form. It is similar to the

sweetness of sugar. Krishna says: ‘I am present in your heart as Bhagavan,

the Luminous One. It is consciousness. It is the same as you’. The sun of

knowledge in your body is that through which you know ‘you are’. It is the

supreme devotion. It is non-dualistic. It is called love. All living beings

have this devotion in their heart, but only a human being can understand it.

A busy person acts through this devotion but does not know it. Devotion

means the love ‘you are’. It has been created unknowingly. It protects the

body. Have you realized that you are love yourself ? Be aware of this

supreme devotion and meditate on it. In the first stage it is difficult.

Therefore this devotion is called God or Guru.

Who is listening now? Is it not the love in the body? One who knows

this love directly achieves the state of Paramatman. Because you take

yourself as the body, you have to face miseries day after day. The body may

be of any quality; yet the love, the supreme devotion, is never displeased.

The love of Self in the body performs devotion. For understanding Self-

love you will have to meditate on it. Treat it as the Guru. All the

incarnations, as well as maya and Brahman, are not different from Self-

love. These are names to understand the fact. What is nobler than Self-

knowledge?

Out of millions a rare one will meditate on the love of Self. You will

come to know your totality through Self-love or through devotion. For

whom do you suffer hardships and do this laborious work? Is it not for this

love? To meditate on Self-love, recognize it as God. It has thousands of

names. That which is worshipped and praised is the self-luminous love in

the body. A rare one realizes that he is that Self-love and that is where the

Paramatman manifests Himself. Self-love is Self-knowledge, which is of

the nature of Brahman. How long will it last? So long as there is

consciousness in the body.

One realizes the Self-love by following the Guru-word. It will bring you

eternity. To him the universe that is infinite looks like a sesame seed. It may

be true that you do not know this Self-love, but without it you do not exist.

Krishna says: ‘I am in the heart, but am not found without devotion’. People

worship outer covers and get devoted to them. A rare one devotes himself

to consciousness directly. This devotion works in each being; the love of

one’s own nature. The love that wakes you up in the morning is Self-love.

One who realizes this achieves perfection. This love is naturally in the

body, it is self-sensing. Once you realize it, your work is done. It can

neither be held, nor can it be given up, no matter how much one tries. So, it

is the same as the Guru.

What makes people adorn themselves? Is it not Self-love? However, it is

transient. There is going to be a separation from those whom you call your

own. Self-love is not concerned with anything else. It is without attachment.

What you have known will surely go away. You are the love that is

formless, nameless and indestructible. Keep it in mind. Once you know it,

the five elements are sure to surrender to you.

People are unable to grasp the deep secret of spiritual truth. One gets

enjoyment from various things. What enjoyment have you derived from

your consciousness? To love another is adultery. Do not love others with

your Self-love. Love the love itself. By adulterous devotion, you may get a

temporary benefit but you will not be happy. The whole world is really

brimming with your love and is created out of your love. The crowd on the

street is the love in body-forms. It is the primordial illusion or mul-maya.

Her action is moving the whole world. Love is working through all bodies.

However, it is wrongly identified as the bodies.

You may meditate on a deity, but the meditator is the Self-love. The

experience of this love has come over you unasked for, and everything

depends on it. If you please this love, you will realize that you are

everlasting and perfect. Presently you can only see it in the form of the five

elements; the sixth being God. To achieve Love, through love, names are

given to that love. Many rituals are performed to recognize this love for our

consciousness – ‘I am’. If this love determinedly worships itself, it will be

the same as the worship of all gods and deities. The names of gods and

deities are the names of love. They are the embodiment of the love.

Nirupana 37

Sunday, June 18, 1978

In the old days, whatever the Guru had to tell the disciple he would say

it only once. When they met again after twelve years, the disciple would be

ready. The meaning of this is, it is not necessary to go to the Guru

constantly.

First of all there is the Self, our true nature. Then consciousness appears.

Through that all the dealings take place. They depend upon the memory.

But nothing stays forever. The entire behavior is traditional. A rare one

looks within. Consciousness and all that is known through it is by nature

universal. That which knows this is atomic and impenetrable. Whatever is

known through consciousness goes on changing and in the end

consciousness also disappears. Then who was born and who died? You have

held everything within consciousness. But consciousness has a beginning

and an end. It is your delusion that you treat yourself as so-and-so within

that consciousness. What you know through consciousness will be gone.

Then what, ultimately, is the use of what you have done?

What is created is the lotus of the heart and the world is its petals. From

there various pollens are created. But its source is the stalk. (The subtle

consciousness is called the lotus of the heart.) Whatever you know is part of

consciousness. One who knows that consciousness rises and sets, is

liberated. One is bound when he considers what is known through

consciousness as true. It has been given the status of God. If you have no

consciousness, where is God? The Guru plants the seed in your

consciousness that ‘I am God’. It germinates and grows. Then the seeker

realizes that the form (body, world) has no use. The learned man of pure

intellect or even a simple believer gets liberated. Only those who are

somewhere in between, fumble.

Do not just meditate; live in meditation. The Guru’s words are the only

Truth. Hold onto that. The Guru gave the advice ‘You are pure Brahman’;

hold onto that. That is the seed consciousness. Do not forget that you are

consciousness. With conviction, firmly insist that ‘I am Brahman’. What is

your share in the world? Then what are you proud of?

Hope and desire are the oils that keep the flame of life going. When

hopes and desires are finished, one is extinguished right out. He is not dead

but is extinguished like a lamp. According to the Vedas, the thinking during

the last moment of life decides the destination. For example, a Hindu and a

Muslim kill each other while their attention is fixed on each other. The

Hindu is born as a Muslim and vice-versa, so the battle never ends.

Remembering the Guru means remembering consciousness. When you

see yourself as consciousness, you will come to know how free and open

everything is. You and your world are void. The efforts you make will be an

interruption in this. Your consciousness is like a visitor (transient). The

world is seen through consciousness, but consciousness will not last. It is a

passing phase. Then why be concerned with the world? When

consciousness goes, does it mean that you die? Consciousness has been

given the status of God. When you become of the nature of God, you will

understand that everything is unreal. Then you will be free from bondage. If

the effort is given up, there will be no interruption. (Efforts create the mind,

which is an interruption.)

The consciousness that talks of God and the consciousness that listens

are not different. Listening to the teachings creates detachment. The

company of the body does not remain forever. Besides, it changes through

various stages of life. Consciousness has no form, hence it is neither a man

nor a woman. The sense ‘I am’ depends upon the five elements. You wish

to get rid of your body-consciousness, hence you have to pay attention to

the consciousness that listens. It is not important whether you carry on

worldly dealings or not. But the concept ‘I am the doer and I am responsible

for the dealings’ should vanish. Your temporary consciousness is subtler

than space. You are all. Any identity you have taken up will not last. The

one who knows this is immortal.

What you know is only through this consciousness. It experiences

happiness and sorrow. The one who knows consciousness is beyond

experience. Consciousness is the birth of God. Remember that. (When you

come to know ‘you are’, God is born.)

The seed of Brahman is sown in you through the word ‘I am’. The more

it takes root, the less will be the identification as a human being. God means

consciousness, the same as your beingness, the sense ‘I am’. Your actions

are the actions of God-consciousness. Without Self-realization, you cannot

be a jnani.

Recitation of the mantra is the remembrance of one’s own true nature. It

is the meditation on ‘I am’. Practice that. It requires no other proof. The

mundane concepts of an individual determine his behavior. However, your

consciousness is natural and spontaneous. It is not a result of your concepts

or ideas. When there is no longer any necessity of ‘I am’ or ‘I should be’, it

is liberation.

Death is only a projected fear. It is not a matter of experience. Death of

the body is not your death.

Concept precedes action. But consciousness is without a prior concept.

What was not noticed before this, is noticed as ‘I am’. It is still time-bound.

It has an end. To listen to the story of God is to listen to our own story.

When you are just aware of your beingness, is there any need for God or the

world? Words cannot describe Self-realization.

One in whom God incarnates, can discriminate. This knowledge will not

come through the recitation of the mantra or austerities. (These are not

direct means for Self-realization, they are a means to keep the mind quiet.)

Who sent you here? Is it not your own Self? Where you are not, there is no

God, no religion, and no world. Wherever you are, there is everything. God

is characterized by knowingness. You are that in which all characteristics

are dissolved.

Nirupana 38

Thursday, June 22, 1978

The nature of Paramatman is such that He has no coming or going. At

this time you have two bodies before you. One is your own, the other is the

world. Worldly dealings are managed by concepts. So long as you have not

realized the supreme state of being, you have to follow traditions. All

actions happen through concepts. You have taken for granted that you are

created; this is based upon someone else’s concept. Concepts decide your

state, whether happy or unhappy, as also your ideas about birth and death.

All this is the sport of concepts. It is the concepts that act, while you think

you are the doer.

According to the Guru-word, you are formless. You were never born.

Worship consciousness and not the body. Whatever you understand as

yourself will not last. You conduct yourself as directed by your mind and

intellect. You do not have the courage to teach your mind and intellect. That

courage will come when you act according to the Guru-word. By constant

remembering and worshipping, consciousness is pleased and it uncovers

itself. Then you will know what non-duality is. There is no sense of

separateness in the Self at all. The dilemma whether to act or not goes away.

When two opinions are united, there is no conflict. When consciousness is

pleased, duality ends and there is totality. When there is no duality, there is

bliss. For this, hold onto the Guru-word.

There is no God other than consciousness. Meditate on the sense ‘I am’.

It is the meditator itself. It is so simple yet people do incredible austerities

for its sake. Like Krishna, you should also say, ‘All this is I’. One that is

listening is the consciousness. Are you not aware that ‘you are’? Previously,

you did not exist and were not aware of your beingness. Presently, you

know that ‘you are’ and this knowingness is consciousness. Meditate on

your Self, but not as a body-form.

Does the memory that you are a man or a woman belong to you or to the

body? Is that memory ‘you’? As soon as one feels ‘he is’, the five elements

are perceived in consciousness. To further qualify ‘I am’ as ‘like this’ or

‘like that’ is ignorance. The remedy for that is the search for the Self. As it

is difficult to meditate on your own consciousness, worship it as the Guru.

You can think of the Guru as standing on your back, with light spreading all

over. But you cannot imagine that you, yourself, are standing behind you.

The early stages of meditation require support of dualism.

Your identity has no body-form. Everything will become clear when you

realize that there exists nothing other than you. Where there is God, you are

there; where you are, God is. You are not dependent on the body or upon

the knowingness in the body. You will understand clearly without any

support that ‘I was eternal and am so forever’. Just worship that through

which you know everything. The nature of Paramatman is ours as our

personal right, as our own existence.

There is no Self-knowledge for the one who considers himself as a

physical body. The Self has to be realized with full determination. That is

the reason for your longing to come here.

Fate and destiny are traditional words. What is the destiny of one in

whose opinion the subtle body is not born at all? If you mention this to

others, you will disturb them.

One without duality has no occupation. The non-dual has no intention or

desire. There is no other proof for non-duality except for ‘I am That’. Your

sense of doership will not remain with you. The jnani has no desire to live.

He has no such concept.

Nirupana 39

Sunday, June 25, 1978

There should be a firm understanding of one’s own nature. What you

talk must be supported by a firm conviction about it. There is a verse: ‘God

inspires what I am saying. It is not I, but it is God talking through me’.

What is being talked about is the manifest consciousness. The

unmanifest is beyond word, devotion and love. What the Guru teaches

should be remembered continuously in all the waking hours, no matter what

activity is being performed. When there is samadhi during waking hours, it

implies that there is no worry and no thinking.

Do not hurt anybody. If there is dissension, just ignore it. The body is

going to fall someday. Then why should we undermine the Guru-word? He

has given us absolute assurance. What is the use of living if you do not

believe it? Erratic behavior is not allowed in spiritual effort. One has to be

steady. All practical dealings are based upon opinions. The Truth is one, but

people express it in their own way, according to their own opinion. They get

experiences accordingly. With the strength of austerities, whatever is said

comes true. The Principle is one but on the basis of that, thousands of

opinions have come about. This is the power of maya. Krishna says:

‘Without maya I cannot even be mentioned’. Maya performs all activities,

but the Purusha (Self – Paramatman) is always silent. He is the non-doer.

Those who know that they are Brahman are the true brahmins. People

claim to know Brahman and yet hold onto their egos. They start preaching

their opinions. This again is the play of maya. There have been many sages

and saints, but not one behaved like the other.

Only after ‘I am’ has occurred comes the concept ‘I am Vishnu’ or ‘I am

Brahma’. But before this happened, who was I? No one thinks of that.

Maya does what she wants by taking suitable forms. To create appearances

and dissolution is the characteristic of maya. Purusha is only the onlooker.

If maya were not there, there would not even be a mention of Purusha

(Absolute). When there was no experience of maya, what knowledge would

you have about yourself? All your knowledge-information is illusory. It is

not steady. It is visible, it is felt, but it is not the Truth. Purusha is

actionless. Whatever is seen and felt is due to the color of maya. Purusha is

the knower of maya.

Sometimes, sages developed pride of their realization. This pride

became a hindrance to them and made them live for thousands of years.

Whatever is known will never be steady. Why? Because maya is illusory.

You cannot ward off maya even with penance performed for thousands of

years. Even with different religious traditions, the states of sleep and

wakefulness are the same for all. Due to the superimposition of maya, some

accumulate merit or some accumulate more sins. After the body falls, there

will not be a vestige of memory left of what you did today. Then how are

you going to utilize that merit?

Rebirth is the opinion of those sages. The knowledge based upon

opinions is intellectual knowledge. It is illusory. It is not Self-knowledge. It

is temporary. It lasts as long as the body lasts. Can there be consciousness

without the body?

What do you have as your own? You have the consciousness that is in

the body. It depends upon the essence of food. So long as the body is

healthy, you feel that your thoughts are true. After the body falls, there is no

‘I’ and there is no ‘you’. But recognize it today itself. That duality was not

there and even now it is not there. It is illusory. All this is not created, yet it

is moving about. There is no such thing as a realized sage. No one lives and

no one dies. All this is maya. Even the sages get dazed with the power of

maya. Otherwise, there would not be so many opinions.

The most important thing is our consciousness. It has come as a guest

for a few days. Eventually it will go. What was originally not there, will

return to that state. How and in which bundle are you going to preserve

consciousness? Are you your consciousness? Can one say, ‘I was there

before consciousness’? It is only consciousness that is created.

Sin and virtue are all a matter of words. When one starts discriminating,

the words run away. Only the supreme Self knows how the word got the

experience of the word. The rest are slaves of the word. Each one is a slave

of the mind and intellect. Your true nature is prior to consciousness. Can

you preserve this consciousness? Discriminate on this right now.

Nirupana 40

Thursday, June 29, 1978

Only the Paramatman knows the nature of time. The rest who identify

with the body become a victim of time. All names belong to time. When

you come to know ‘you are’, it is the birth of time. It is time that is born,

not the child. For the one who has Self-realization, the movement of the

clock and time are one and the same. For the ignorant one, the experience

of time is a mountain of sorrow. For the jnani, time has ended. The ignorant

one lives thinking he is the body. He is trapped in time.

Just listen to this. There is no need of rituals. Whatever you hear here, be

aware of it and then your meditation will work. Your beingness precedes

meditation.

The body depends upon time. Consciousness in the embryo is latent. It

emerges in the form of beingness. The latent consciousness slowly starts

expanding. Does the embryo experience time? It does not know its body.

After birth, it starts identifying with the body. There is an experience of

time. It starts knowing the mother. It recognizes her voice.

A body’s growth is the result of time. One cannot will it. Strength and

weakness come according to the nature of time. Therefore, understand the

passage of time. Whatever you say is the result of time. One who knows

time has neither birth nor death. Without consciousness, one does not know.

One does not know ‘I am’ or ‘I am not’. Time is movement which is also

consciousness. The measurement of how long time is experienced is the

duration of your life. You are the support of time. The knower of time is not

in time. The Source of the creation of time is nameless. You may call it

Paramatman or Parabrahman.

Time shows you its own movie; your birth is part of it. The dormant

consciousness comes out of the womb. It is sustained by time. There were

people who knew the three times – the past, present and future. There still

are. But who is the knower of time? When they are told that the knower of

time is Paramatman, people say, ‘Yes, we understand’. Do you know that

you yourself are the knower of time? The one who is beyond time has no

birth at all. He is not born out of the essence of the five elements. He knows

that he is not the essence in the embryo.

You were born without your knowledge. The knowing-ness arose after

the birth of the body. This is the result of the nature of time. In deep sleep,

the next day’s activities are programmed. This program is recorded and

behavior happens accordingly. To make this your own understanding, be

one with your beingness. You have to do this on your own.

Time has all these names: the sun of the world, the sun of the Self, the

sun of the universe, etc. This sun is your own consciousness. When you are

with your Self, it is the sun of knowledge. The sun means time. All these

names are given to your own consciousness. It is the sun of Self. Various

names such as consciousness, life force, knowledge of Self, love, etc., are

given to the beingness. Be devoted to that consciousness. Give it the status

of the Guru. Contemplate on it, make obeisance to it. Whatever else you do

will be eaten up by time. Recognize the sun that knows time and then time

will serve you.

Take a vow to practice devotion. One who practices devotion definitely

gets an extension of life. You cannot fool the supreme Self. If this extension

is misused, it will result in disaster.

Because of the delusion of maya, the jiva does not understand this

knowledge till death comes. You do not require a vow or determination to

realize the Paramatman. He is the Witness of this determination. Be aware.

Always remember to whom you have to be devoted to and why. Remember

that the knowledge ‘you are’ is the Guru-God.

Nirupana 41

Thursday, July 6, 1978

The difference between ‘He’ (God) and ‘I’ (Self) is gone; neither really

exists. The sense of individuality has been extinguished. The sense of

universality is pervading. Neither the duality of ‘He’ and ‘I’, nor their unity

is there. If there is one, relatively the other must be there. But if one is not

there, how can the other be there?

Pleasure and pain, both should go. When a thing is useful, it brings joy.

As long as individuality is there, there is joy and sorrow. You are tortured

by miseries and elated by happiness. From where do such experiences

come? They come from your consciousness. What is the evidence that one

is realized? The individuality is completely uprooted. There is absence of

sorrow and happiness. Your consciousness realizes that it is universal.

When this knowledge really comes to you, there will not be any individual

identity.

The source of happiness and sorrow is your sense of ‘I am’. What causes

the greatest sorrow is also the means of eternal happiness. Once you know

your consciousness, individuality will not be there. But who is watching

this? It is the Sadguru, the changeless One. Have this conviction. He is the

same in deep sleep, in wakefulness and in samadhi. There is none other than

That. The total experience that comes to you, is it different from your

consciousness? Your money order has come but you have not taken the

cash. Your knowledge has come to you, but you have not taken its delivery

yet.

However great a thing is in the world, it is still a piece of information. If

there is no consciousness, of what use is it? Who would have the conviction

like this except for God? When you did not have consciousness, was God

true or false for you? This knowledge is your own. Never lose sight of the

holy consciousness that is listening to this knowledge. There are millions of

seekers; how many have realized the Self ?

Miseries abound because we identify ourselves with the body. It is the

nature of the body-mind to experience joys and sorrows. If you know that

you are not the body, there is no suffering. In deep sleep, there is no

identification with the body, male or female. Hence, there is no experience

of happiness or sorrow. Yet the mind goes on working, taking itself to be

the body. It is false. If there is no mind then nothing can be witnessed. You

have to accept the holy feet of the Guru to stop the mind. You have no

knowledge of your birth, you have only heard about it. The past and the

future, as projected by the mind, are not yours. Mind determines the past,

present and future, and makes you behave accordingly. Mind says you have

had millions of births, but you do not have the knowledge of a single one.

Do you at least have the knowledge of your present birth? All your

experiences are untrue. With the conviction that you are neither the body

nor the mind, you will understand this fraud.

Religions have come down through traditions. Is there a religion without

dogma? Even a jnani has to follow traditions until a certain stage has been

crossed.

Discriminate. There is no understanding without discrimination. Until

then, there is no peace. You are the knower of the mind. The knower is

beyond the body-mind. When you realize that you are not what your mind

tells you, you will understand why Atman is unborn. A rare one turns

inwardly on his own, without hearing about it from others. Gradually learn

to discriminate. The awareness of the Guru-word will enable you to do this.

When the mind-connection is severed, you will see the void. To purify

the mind one must remember the mantra all through the waking hours. Then

your mind will come under your control. When you pay attention to your

true nature the mind will disappear, bringing in the whole.

In the perfect state, there is no experience of bliss. It cannot be

witnessed. Did you witness anything prior to your birth? There are great

learned men, but can anyone of them step outside the mind? Wherever there

is mind, there is prana (vital force). Where there is prana, there is

consciousness. After realizing the nature of the mind, the life force is

dissolved. The delight and bliss of that moment are unique. It comes to the

one who knows the Self. Just as it is a concept that one is born, the dread of

death is also a concept. The mind surrenders to you if your incantation of

the mantra is continuous. It tells you what you need to know.

When prana leaves the body, does it have any pain? Prana carries out all

worldly action, but you say you are the doer. When there is no prana, is

there a mind? When there is no mind, there is no pain. This means that the

mind has taken the form of the body. When prana leaves and the body falls,

where does Atman go? This can be answered when one is clear about the

Self. For this, according to the sages, the mantra must be recited.

Without prana, what is your identity? Without it, who is a man and who

is a woman? Body-consciousness brings joys, miseries, and ultimately the

dreaded death. It is all a play of concepts. When you discard the concepts,

there will be a celebration of liberation, right in this body. Those who give

up the addiction of the mind and recognize the Self will surely be provided

with sustenance. Remember the Guru always and you will drop the mind

and be free. Keep on the continuous incantation of the mantra. Make the

mind i.e. prana say, ‘My true nature is indestructible and eternal’. The mind

will disappear; there will be the manifest Brahman Itself (thoughts

disappear and pure consciousness shines).

Nirupana 42

Sunday, July 9, 1978

Do not compete with anyone in the world. Put such things aside. Your

devotion to the Guru-word must be infallible. Such devotion is not dualistic.

In such devotion, there is no fear and there is no begging. You will never

attain peace in association with worldly matters. Once Self-realization is

achieved, it is never lost. Let go of your body-consciousness: the feeling ‘I

am a man’ or ‘I am a woman’. That which has no color, no design, has no

expectations. If you fully understand your weak points, they will become

your strong points. Until the age of forty go on learning something. That

way one gets some encouragement, some zeal to live by. Eventually you

will be proud to say, ‘I know nothing’.

To mention the word nirguna (unmanifest) requires relativity. Nirguna

can be recognized only if there is guna. What happens when there is no

guna? Guna means the knowingness that has come in unasked as the feeling

‘I am’. It is consciousness that is listening. When there is no feeling of ‘I

am’, it is called nirguna. When a person becomes one with his

consciousness and forgets himself, he gets Self-realization. The same

consciousness is in the form of the five elements. It is in the form of our

beingness. The knower of consciousness is without any characteristics

(gunas). When consciousness becomes illumined, you feel ‘you are’.

However, it is identified with the body. The only way to remove body-

consciousness is to hold onto the Guru-word.

One who has imbibed my words will not have any complaints. To

imbibe my words, one has to meditate on the consciousness in solitude.

When consciousness is purified, it recedes to the unmanifest state and there

is everlasting peace. You have been enchanted with consciousness and you

have identified with your body. It is very difficult to break this habit. After

listening to this, you may live your life as you please. There is no need for

rituals. There is no separation between us. I see you as formless, whereas

you take yourself as a body.

Out of the nirguna, many characteristics (manifest forms) are created.

This must be understood while the consciousness (Sattva guna) in the body

is still there. Otherwise, it will take birth time and again. Worship it with

love-devotion. It will be purified. It will clearly understand the functioning

of the three gunas. You will come to see that you are a non-doer and there

will be eternal peace. The manifestation of your consciousness is called

birth. It is also called the subtle body.

Despite intense effort, the habit of body-consciousness does not break. It

is possible for the one who holds onto the Guru-word without fail. By

reciting the mantra, ‘I am pure Brahman’, you will become limitless. There

must be unshakable faith in the Guru. His words will become one with your

breath. It will become the joy of your feeling ‘I am’. It will correct the

subtle body.

One who has no body, has neither remembrance nor forgetting. Hold

within: ‘The Guru-word is my true nature’, with every breath. The fact that

our nature is nirguna has never been forgotten, therefore it does not have to

be remembered. The devotee of the Guru-word is the devotee of his own

true nature. The Self exists and It is changeless. Do not attempt to change It

with your intellect. With devotion of the Guru in your heart, you will never

have any sense of duality. The supreme state as described by the Guru is

naturally there. No remedy is required.

For bringing worthiness into your consciousness, your faith in the Guru

must be absolute. It is the treasure house of the life force. Brahman is the

Lord of words and It contains the universe. A great miracle is hidden in the

seed. What a big tree comes out of it! The guna was latent in the nirguna.

Whatever was hidden in the golden womb came out and with that the world

became visible.

You will never get Self-knowledge if you impose your body-

consciousness on the Guru. When you live with the faith that your

consciousness and the Guru are the same, you will get Self-realization.

Such a vast world is contained in the microscopic consciousness! Such

conviction comes with the Guru-word. Reading countless books is of no

use. It will bring pride and with that the desire to undermine others. All

troubles will be over if you yourself become the Guru-word. Do not ever

forget the Guru-word: ‘Brahman is eternal’.

Consciousness will expand and in the end it will become extinguished. ‘I

am beyond the body’ will become manifest without words. It would not

have to be looked after. It is easy, straight and natural. The habit of body-

consciousness is the only hindrance.

In order to be convinced that you were never born, it should be known

what is born and from what it is born. Just as there is a tree in a seed, the

(universal) consciousness is latent within you. The Guru brings it out and it

becomes all-pervading. Has anyone seen the end of space? Why is it so? It

is because space is formed with the expanse of your own light. Make

spiritual effort out of real and sincere necessity. His Majesty, the Guru, kills

your individuality. The tree along with its fruits, flowers and branches

enters the seed again.

The Guru has said that you are present everywhere. You must believe

this in its totality. Self-realization is liberation. Then there is no need to go

to heaven. You are what the Guru has described. Do not bother with

anything else. Spiritual truth has no concern with the body. It does not

matter whether you are a man or a woman. Remember this.

Nirupana 43

Thursday, July 13, 1978

Mind is a kind of fever that has come upon you unknowingly. Whatever

you do brings on suffering. You carry out all your actions to put up with the

mind. When the body-form comes into existence, ‘I am-ness’ is sensed.

Mind is created out of that feeling of beingness. There is rest in deep sleep.

After waking up, you run around doing things that you expect will do you

good. Why so? It is an attempt to put up with the fever called mind.

There are several names given to the mind: Brahman, prana (life force),

etc. So long as there was no mind, how were you? Before mind came into

existence, what was one like? One was perfect Brahman – beyond concept,

beyond existence, beyond the three gunas. Parabrahman is always known to

all living beings. Until such time that the mind was not sensed, there was no

need for anything. There was no knowledge of ‘I am’ or ‘I am not’. When

you understand that the worship of Brahman, etc., is a joke, fever in the

form of the mind will vanish.

Really speaking, you struggle for your good because you are confused

by the basic delusion. Whatever is seen is not your true nature. That which

was motionless stirred a little and created the dream world. It really means

that you are the creator. The vision that has created the world is itself

untrue. It seems many things were done in that dream but, really speaking,

was anything done? Can anyone take credit whatsoever for the doership of

this body-form?

You are living as a body, therefore you behave as one commonded by

time. You do not know that time has been created out of you. The feeling ‘I

am awake’ is time. Who upholds this universe with its sun, moon and stars?

It is the same One who sees it. This is how Krishna says: ‘I uphold the

universe’.

Time is a season. The feeling ‘I am awake’ is time. Then comes mind as

the knowingness ‘I am’. It has occupied everything. But this is a temporary

phase. Krishna says: ‘I have observed this phase and that is how I am the

creator of the universe’.

Time is associated by its very nature with the three gunas: Sattva, Rajas

and Tamas. Time rules over people through their desires. Who carries out

the action? That which is One is doing everything. It becomes many and

moves about through desire as long as there is an experience of time. What

is mind? Mind is the feeling ‘I am awake’. When the mind dissolves, it

knows nothing. The names of deities are after all names of the mind.

This is the story of Paramatman, which you are. You are not letting go of

your habit of body-consciousness. Wakefulness is time. However, in time

there is duality. Therefore, you have to become your own proof (of non-

dual Absolute). There you will meet no other. You know the mind; you are

not the mind. Hopes, desires, passions are of the nature of time. Yet the

person says, ‘I act’ or ‘I do’. Is there any difference between an expectation

and a passion? With rites and rituals, you trade an iron cage for a golden

cage.

Only after the arrival of the mind you require food, a home, a wife, etc.

You call it desire. Yet it is of the nature of time. Recognize the fever of the

mind. The mind is also called Brahman (manifest reality) that takes millions

of births every day. All activities in the world are a result of the nature of

time. To say one is a great person, etc., is of the nature of time. Time is the

foundation of the whole universe. However, you are beyond time

(unmanifest). Yet, body-consciousness does not go. You do not have to let

anything go. You have to understand it. There is tremendous light-luster in

the body. The light that comes out of your eyes pervades the sun and the

moon. This dazzling, fierce light is absorbed by the Absolute. It swallows

millions of suns. The dense, dark blue Absolute (seen when your eyes are

closed) is so vast that innumerable worlds play in it like pebbles.

When one hears this he should say, ‘ Oh, is it really so?’ Are you going

to know this after you die? This world is so vast and yet the seer is smaller

than an atom! For understanding this, worship That with which you are

listening to all this. What did you know before consciousness came over

you? The more you reduce your hopes and desires, the happier you will be.

The guna means the consciousness that has suddenly come over you. An

infinite number of universes are sporting in consciousness. Who is the

knower of this? Who is prior to consciousness? Is it the seer or that which is

seen? If there is no seer, can there be the seen? By the grace of the Guru, the

idea that ‘time is my great death’ goes away. When prana leaves the body

do not say, ‘I am dying’. Otherwise, you will have to take a new form again.

Bhausaheb Maharaj (Maharaj’s Guru’s Guru) clapped when his prana left

the body. Did he not mean to say that, ‘I am Atman, I am indestructible’?

Liberation is attainable while the body is there. Can animals achieve it?

When does another birth take place? After one dream, a second dream may

immediately follow if it has to come. Remember that the one who is not

afraid of death lives for many years.

Nirupana 44

Sunday, July 16, 1978

The true essence of spirituality is to understand life properly. At first, we

felt a need for ourselves. Because of that, many needs have arisen. The goal

is to find out where exactly we stand in all this, whether there is any

everlasting Truth in it.

The stages of life are subject to change. They were not there before

birth. Even the state of being a woman or a man does not last. Religion,

God, etc., are medicinal doses for these stages. You know that no state of

being is permanent. Yet due to delusion, you take them to be true. A rare

one knows these stages. The fundamental state is that you know ‘you are’.

This is the root stage and it is miserable.

One must know for oneself what is changeless in this. It is not found in

wakefulness, in sleep, or in samadhi. Our consciousness itself is not

permanent. When it ends, we say one is dead. One no longer knows that ‘he

is’. Realize that no memory lasts forever, and be free. The feeling ‘I am’

will not last forever in any form or by any name. What was created will

surely end.

The life force has no consciousness by itself. When it gets a form,

beingness is created. The form is beingness. For the one who knows his true

nature, this puzzle will be solved. The rest of them talk by inference. The

main attachment is your beingness.

Have you not got the knowledge of your beingness now? And is it not a

fact that you did not have that knowledge before? It is said that the world is

an illusion. Why is it so? The reason is that your beingness does not last.

Consciousness is the seed of the world. When it sprouts and expands it

becomes space. Seed means, ‘What was not seen before, is now being

seen’. The light of consciousness means the light of the sun and the moon.

It is like a dream of daylight in the middle of the night. Wakefulness is like

that dream. The seed means duality. The seed quality of God’s

consciousness is present in all beings.

One who knows himself perfectly is called Sadguru. He also knows how

and why this imperfect consciousness is created. Krishna said: ‘Whatever

is, is Myself only. Yet I am different from all this’. Krishna’s discourse in

the Gita is truly unique. It is a great fortune to be able to hear it. It is a

greater fortune to be able to contemplate on it.

The greatest secret is consciousness. Put your faith in only that. One

who understands this will not have rebirth. People worship deities for their

personal satisfaction. However, the lasting satisfaction is one’s own true

nature. You alone can achieve that. One who takes himself as the body is

never satisfied.

Always contemplate on what you have heard. That is the most important

worship. If there is no listener, what will be the need for God? Worship

consciousness in your heart. When you are successful in your

contemplation, your worthiness will show. In the waking state, to remain

without thought is the greatest worship. You should not feel ‘I am so-and-

so’ while carrying out your activities. Put aside your knowingness and

worship your true nature.

The Ganges flowing from the head of Lord Shiva symbolizes spiritual

knowledge. As long as you believe that you are not everlasting, the eternal

will elude you. You cannot ever forget the eternal. Endless rituals are not

able to uncover the truth. They may wrap you up even more. Whatever you

see and sense will not last. When you have the awareness that you are

neither a man nor a woman, you will be beyond consciousness. Once the

Self is realized, everything becomes sacred. Bathing in holy rivers will not

remove your ignorance, nor will mantra, nor spiritual penance. Association

with one who abides by the Guru-word is enough. That is the knowledge

through which sleep and wakefulness are known. It is the light that

illuminates the sun and the moon. This light is yours only, but not as a

human being. It belongs to consciousness. It exists in the heart of every

being. It is the self-sensing consciousness in the body. There is nothing

more glorious than this knowledge. To be exactly like the meaning of these

words, full faith in the Guru is needed. His word has to be taken as the

authority. One who abides by that, acquires the bodiless knowledge.

Krishna says: ‘This is my true nature’. It is behind your memory. Neither

the body nor the ears have the power to hear. It is the true nature that listens

through the ears. It knows samadhi, yet samadhi does not know it. To

achieve that with conviction is all that is needed.

No ritual can ever reveal one’s true nature. All methods are of bodily

nature. Without the existence of this atomic consciousness, there is no

support at all for any being, the world, or Brahman. The essence of all

knowledge is the Self. When falling asleep say, ‘I am only the pure

consciousness’. By following various methods, you will not find that which

is already and naturally there.

Who recognizes consciousness? Is it not the one who knows time?

Krishna says that consciousness, which knows all this, is My true nature.

When there is the conviction that this birth is not true, the various concepts

will not arise. One who knows the transient is eternal – perfect Brahman. A

true devotee is not bound by anyone. He may perform rituals, but he is

beyond them. To worship God means to be convinced that God is none

other than ourselves. If there is no saguna (manifest), how could a mention

be made of nirguna (unmanifest)? Hence, both are not there.

Nirupana 45

Thursday, July 20, 1978

When you take refuge in the Guru-word, birth and death will come to an

end. Your consciousness is the Guru. If you identify yourself with the Guru

it will be seen that there is no maya, but the manifest Brahman pervades

everywhere. The Guru-word is, ‘You are without body-form, without

karma, without birth and death’. You will realize that maya does not give

miseries, instead she serves spiritual effort. When you get identified with

the word of the Guru, you will spontaneously realize what maya and the

Self are. It is the idol of the Guru. This identification will create knowledge

of the Self and understanding of maya. Remain with that, always. Deep

sleep will be the only break. Love of the Self in the body is self-luminous.

All the names belong to Self-love. You should meditate. However,

consciousness itself is the meditator and also the listener. Meditate with

love and devotion. Then you will understand all this through your

consciousness. It is the essence of the body with its sweet flavor and is the

most important. Who does not love his beingness – the sense ‘I am’?

Without consciousness, who will practice devotion? By nature, we are

consciousness, love and joy. Surrender to consciousness without duality.

The ever-luminous consciousness shines as the sun of your own true nature.

When properly understood, the mire of body-consciousness will be

removed.

Non-dual devotion is devotion to our own Self. Pay attention to That

which is continuously with you. You must feel its necessity. Your

consciousness has gone through millions of incarnations. It knows its

greatness as given by the Guru. It is the knower of time. It is your true

nature. The great sages became like that by worshipping their

consciousness.

The Guru-word is that ‘you are the subtle consciousness that has become

the world’. The world can be known only if consciousness is there. It is also

called Brahman. The Self is immortal. It is the Peace Eternal, an ocean of

bliss. Without this knowledge there is no day or night. This knowledge does

not forget you even if you go about in body-consciousness. One who

realizes himself becomes Brahman. His word uplifts humanity.

Your consciousness is the idol of the Guru. It is the Love of your love

(as ‘I am’). You have loved many things. Have you loved the one who

motivates you to love? Become worthy of the faith of consciousness. It will

provide you with everything.

One who knows prana cannot be seen. Prana is ever awake, even in deep

sleep. One who knows that all worldly dealings are untrue is indestructible.

Remember that.

Nirupana 46

Sunday, July 23, 1978

As long as prana and the body are together, there is consciousness.

When prana leaves the body, consciousness disappears. What does one have

to lose (by dying)? First there is consciousness, and then the body is sensed.

One who knows consciousness is called a jnani. Your consciousness is the

seed of the universe.

To be without words is to be in samadhi. You will not meet Parabrahman

through intellect. What did you have before you were taught anything?

Only wakefulness and sleep. The rest (all concepts) is based upon what you

have heard. Even the pride, ‘I am the seeker of Truth, I shall renounce’, etc.,

has to go. One who manages worldly activities is of universal nature.

The only purpose of the human body is to realize Brahman. That is the

reason why all the idols we worship have a human form. The word and the

existence of the word can be sensed only through the human body. Word

means Brahman (the manifest principle), existence means consciousness

and, therefore, Brahman is sensed through the human body. But due to

body-consciousness a man remains a man. If ‘I’ is taken aside from the

body, it contains pure Brahman only. Brahman is consciousness and vice

versa. The irony is that the ego that takes the body as itself is trying to know

IT. Body-consciousness has to be dismissed. Nothing else has to be done.

Does your body know your consciousness? The body is a material

object. Without prana, it is a corpse. Consciousness in the Brahma-randhra

knows pleasure and pain. Who is aware of consciousness? When this is

clearly understood, the pleasure and the pain will go and there will be

peace. In the body there is nothing else but pure Brahman. The one who

knows consciousness, the feeling ‘I am’, is the knower. The knower cannot

be described. Consciousness in the body is itself God. It naturally knows

Brahman. It has the form of space, water, fire-luster, air, and earth; yet it is

consciousness only. It is our consciousness that is acting through the five

elements. It has no identification as a man or a woman.

The purpose of the body is to know Brahman. The mistake is that the

same Brahman identifies itself with the body. It cannot know itself without

the human body. However, it has accepted itself as body-consciousness. The

five characteristics of the body are based upon word (hearing), form

(seeing), touch, taste and smell. The vibration of Brahman in your body

senses them. Therefore the human body has great importance. Do not waste

a single moment without paying attention to your true nature.

The awakened consciousness is the image of Param-atman. It is easy for

the one who recognizes it as God and becomes one with it. Catch hold of

that Truth. Continuously remember that consciousness is your true nature

(the manifest Brahman). It has been praised with a million names.

When consciousness sprouted, it took the form of a child. What do you

possess except for consciousness? It is the light. Always remember that this

is your true nature. One who has this knowledge is Paramatman. It is the

evidence that He is. If you understand this there is no need for austerities.

Identification with the body is the cause of turmoil. When there is no

experience of a single word, while awake, it is your true nature. Your

consciousness is the golden womb through which the world has been

created. Through conception the unmanifest becomes manifest. Your

everyday life, wife, children are nothing but entertainment. The various

spiritual methods are also entertainment.

Can anyone feel that his body is sacred? If you do not feel sacred about

yourself, then how can others feel it? When you are convinced that you are

pure ‘I am-ness’, people will come to have your holy sight. When you

become convinced by the Guru-word that you are pure Brahman, pure

consciousness, you will feel that your body has become sacred. When you

get realization, people will naturally want to have your darshan. One who is

the ‘soul of death’ itself, how can he die?

The greatest negation of religion, the greatest sin, is to believe that the

body is your true nature. Your religion is to remain as the Self. You must

have the conviction of your true identity. You must recognize your

relationship with your own Self. The mind gets modified and behavior

changes with repetition of the mantra. The body serves as the food for this

consciousness. The mind flows from prana, the vital force. When you

realize all this, at the last moment you will clearly witness that you do not

die but prana leaves the body. The enlightened person has no hopes, no

desires and no passions. Therefore he has no death. It is the most

indescribable event when the manifest becomes unmanifest (at the time of

so-called death). But the ignorant one says, ‘I am dying’, even before prana

leaves the body. This is because he has not known his true nature.

The time of death of a sage is very sacred. It is more sacred than sunrise.

This is the reason why their death anniversary is celebrated. Decide now

who you are going to die as. The thought at the time of dying will decide

the future. There should be no other thought except ‘I am perfect bliss’.

Your state will be in accordance with what you take yourself to be. This is

true now and it will be true then.

Nirupana 47

Sunday, July 30, 1978

From birth to death, all actions are performed in order to pass the time.

The greatest good in life is to know who we are. It is impossible to establish

order in the world. Meanwhile, those who teach and those who learn, all

pass away. Religion is formed by the concepts of its followers, nothing else.

Our consciousness is the base for all worldly dealings. However, there is

no base for consciousness. It has come uninvited. It rises and then passes

away. There was no memory of ‘I am’ before, and now it is there. Except

for this, what do you possess as your own? One who has realized himself

has no concern about his well-being.

Wakefulness, sleep and hunger have no substitute. No law applies to

them. Without these, nobody would do anything. Realized men are silent in

spite of the knowledge they have. They know the secret of birth and why it

has arrived. How was this consciousness imposed on you and since when?

This must be understood. To get into samadhi means to let go of the mind

with its memory.

Your breathing is proof of the existence of the breathless One. The word

comes upon waking up, therefore you are prior to the word. The wordless

meaning of our consciousness is the sense ‘I am’. If you remain completely

silent, you experience the Self. There is only one Self for all. Prana works

also in sleep. It has no meaning then, as it has no knowledge of its

vibration. Waking up is to feel ‘I am’ without pronouncing the words.

The three gunas are the names given to three types of behavior. They

function in all living beings. We should not judge anyone’s behavior. One

who understands gunas will understand this. People with Rajo guna and

Tamo guna will meddle with others’ affairs instead of working on

themselves. The bodies may be different, but consciousness is the same in

all. It is formless. You might say that it has a flavor, a quality, which is love.

The knowledge ‘I am’ loves itself and, hence, we can distinguish between

good and bad. One who understands its greatness finds it all-pervading.

Such a person does not criticize others. All things are being done for the

sake of the love of Self. One who has devotion to all beings, as if they are

God, cannot hate anyone. He sees clearly that he is not the doer.

Hold onto the fact that you are Brahman. First you know that ‘you are’

and then the words follow. Whose information is it? It is the information of

the one who feels ‘he is’. Consciousness is knowingness; a sense of being.

All the activity of Purusha (supreme Self) and prakriti (creation) is based

upon this. One who reaches this stage keeps quiet. He knows that in its

absence there is no happiness or sorrow. Can you recede back to this stage?

So as to know who you are, understand consciousness with

determination. What is more important than consciousness in the whole

world? When you reach that point, you will not utter a single word about

others. Without consciousness, there is no word. Pay attention to

consciousness and nothing else. The one who does not recognize this has to

suffer many miseries.

The world is a fun-game created out of one’s own existence. No one can

stop the process of creation, maintenance and dissolution of the world. This

is because there is no creator. With a slight illumination of consciousness,

the universe with its infinite space is created. It is the wonder of the subtle

consciousness.

What came first, the body of the world or our body? Your true nature is

formless, yet it identifies with the body. In the same way, the world looks

real through the senses! Who is prior: the world or the one who sees the

world? Your wakefulness is the same as the world.

First comes consciousness, and then the world is seen in it.

Consciousness is unstable. It likes to be. However, when ‘I am-ness’ goes

so does the world. You have to see this with a very subtle inner

discrimination. This vast panoramic world is the reflection of your

consciousness. As such it is nameless; yet name gives it support and

transactions are made possible. All names are concepts. When Parabrahman

remains in the unmanifest state, can He have a name?

Krishna says He is all-pervading. Because of the sense of duality people

differentiate. They either praise or censure. The concept ‘I am like this’ is

the basic reason of misery or happiness. If you stay with the feeling ‘I am’,

the basic vibration of ‘I am’, you will digest miseries as easily as happiness.

Whatever is visible, whatever appears, has not happened at all!

Do not indulge in flattery or censure, even if it costs you your life, as

there is no other. Unless the sense ‘I am like this’ goes, the duality will not

go. You must understand the ultimate meaning of your Self, by yourself.

Then nothing can harm you. One in a million tries to know it. One who

realizes it, his consciousness merges peacefully within his own Self.

Consciousness disappears into the knower. That is called Parabrahman.

You know what you are before you know anything else. Convince

yourself that you are pure consciousness. All worldly dealings will be

carried out spontaneously. It is the only way. The notion that you do

something is utterly false.

Nirupana 48

Thursday, August 3, 1978

The unmanifest is motionless. Where can it be? Deliberate on this point.

With a slight stirring of the unmanifest a little maya is created. If there was

no sense of selfhood, one would be beyond maya. You are eternally

unmanifest by nature. Consciousness implies an individual and the knower

of consciousness is the unmanifest. When suddenly you know that ‘you

are’, it fascinates you. It is the same as love. Your consciousness has been

created through ignorance. This is the primordial maya.

The vital force permeates every cell of the body. The center of

knowingness in the body is the cerebral cortex. Without consciousness, it

has no knowing faculty. Do not ever say you are the body. You are only the

knowingness. You are consciousness. It is like light. It is the sense ‘I am’. It

paints all the pictures. Worship it as the Guru, infinite and boundless. You

expect the fruits of the actions of the three gunas, because you think you are

the body. Doership depends upon the presence of God, so He is called the

doer. The consciousness in us is God. Every living being wishes to be

immortal. That is the greatest desire. The flame which is lit up inside, with

the body as oil, is called the universal flame. The sense ‘I am’ caught fire

and became visible as the world. At the base of consciousness is the

unmanifest, the supreme Self.

People think that the world is old. Actually, the world rises with your

consciousness. This is called maya. There is nothing there and yet it plays

so much havoc! As the memory of ‘I am’ changes, everything changes. If

the memory of ‘I am’ vanishes, then what? Does anyone have a memory of

his death? So what happens? The memory of ‘I am’ forgets itself, that is all!

What is your state when you do not know that ‘you are’? There is no

delusion such as ‘I am’ or ‘I am not’. Such a state is called Parabrahman.

Memory or ego-sense is time-bound. It is of the nature of time. When this is

understood, an ordinary person becomes a jnani. One says, ‘I did this, I

behaved that way’. When memory goes, what happens to action and

behavior? All the names are given to the word, by the word. The Source of

the word has no form. While awake, when there is no self-memory, one is

in a state of the Absolute. All titles are acquired. They are not natural. If

you take a single sentence from this and put it to use, it is enough.

Nirupana 49

Sunday, August 6, 1978

Be free of the need for consciousness while it is still in the body. It is

because of the grace of the inner Self that one is inspired with devotion and

pursues a spiritual path. One becomes silent and holy. With this awareness,

you do nothing that ought not to be done.

Desire to find Self-realization leads to the Guru. It becomes easy in the

company of his word and with constant attention to the meaning of the

word. The supreme Self, which is unattainable, is naturally there. It is

perfect, whole and unchanging. The Truth, thus achieved, cannot be

analyzed by the mind. The nature of the sage cannot be seen with the

intellect. The knowledge achieved with this association is constantly being

trampled on by people. Hence, how can there be any pride in the company

of a sage? The world appears all right, as it is. There remains no

differentiation of good and bad. For me, life has no gain or loss. Life and

death are individual concepts. An individual becomes what he takes himself

to be.

The world moves on the strength of the word, but the word cannot point

out the Truth. Within the unmanifest principle arises the feeling of

beingness. Within that the word is created. There is chaos in the world.

Who is prior to that? Is He not always there, the One who knows it? The

knower of the word is prior to the word. That which is prior to the word is

the blessing of the Sadguru. The disciple surrenders his beingness to the

Sadguru and He returns the same as blessings. He gives the eternal peaceful

nature that is inherently yours. After investigating the Self one becomes

silent, while the rest are busy fulfilling their needs.

The scriptures say that abuse of the everlasting Paramatman leads to

death, leading to another birth. The jiva lives in order to die. What is death?

You know that the vital force leaves the body. Does that mean that ‘you’

die? What you experience now will not last as it depends upon the breath.

When faith in the Guru is established, you will know what death is. Do not

use devotion to God, chanting or austerities for returns. Know that you are

prior to the first day you witnessed. Wakefulness comes in the morning

from the east, so to speak. One who wakes up is prior to that. Truth is not

achieved without the grace of the Guru.

Your sense ‘I am’ is prior to words. Speech means mind, which means

prana. The sense ‘I am a man’ or ‘I am a woman’ comes only after the word

appears. We are prior to speech, wakefulness and sleep. That which is prior

to sleep, prior to wakefulness, and prior to speech is your true nature. You

learn this Truth in the company of a sage. After God forgets His Godhead,

what remains is the nature of the sage (your true nature). The real rest

comes when the memory ‘I am so-and-so’ comes to an end. The true nature

prevails, which is prior to memory. Recognize what is different (from true

nature) based upon this.

Nirupana 50

Thursday, August 10, 1978

You have problems because you see yourself as a body. All worldly

species are of the nature of the body, not the Self. If there was no body,

what would you look like? You want to enter into heaven, taking yourself as

the body. This is not possible.

Consciousness witnesses everything. Who witnesses consciousness? Is it

not true that you are the witness of consciousness? Does mind or prana have

any form? Is there a form for consciousness? So long as the oil is there, the

wick burns. Consciousness is there as long as the body is there.

Wakefulness that comes in the morning is the pure sense ‘I am’. It stays

with you until you sleep. It is of the nature of space. It is called Brahman or

God. Immediately thereafter the thought process starts; body-consciousness

takes over and all actions take place. Unless you get appropriate worthiness

you will not understand what I am saying.

Where are mind, intellect or consciousness? When are they present? Are

they not there only when prana is there? Can you eat when there is no

prana? Do not forget that you are the Witness of all this. If the body and

prana separate, what will be your position? If you recognize prana, how can

you be prana? So long as there is unity of prana and the body, you feel ‘you

are’. In fact, when you talk it is prana that does the talking.

At the time of death, prana goes into space, the body mingles with the

five elements, but nothing happens to the knower. He was never born,

therefore he has no death.

One cannot listen to this and like it unless one is worthy. The rest will

leave. Basically, without the grace of the inner Self one would not like to

listen to this. For some the worthiness is created at birth, for others it comes

with time.

When you get up in the morning, before the thought process starts, you

are pure Brahman. Once the mind comes into action, you see yourself as

male or female. It sees itself as the body and acts according to its

impressions. Otherwise, you cannot do anything. The knowledge ‘I am’ that

wakes up in the morning is formless consciousness and is your true nature.

Do take care of your body, but do not say you are the body. Even your

memory does not have a form. Then how can your self-luminous

consciousness have a form?

The memory of a thing is not the thing itself. Similarly, the memory of

your form is not your true nature. The various deities are adornments of

your sense ‘I am’. If one ponders over the same, it becomes all-pervading.

Meditate on the meditator. It is not possible without consciousness. It is the

feet of the Guru. The flame of consciousness is lit because the essence of

the body is burning.

First there is food, then the living beings come into existence. (First

there is a body-form, and then consciousness arises in it.) In the body of any

living being, the vital force and consciousness arise simultaneously. No

activity is possible without consciousness.

Catch hold of the feet of your own consciousness, treating it as God.

Recite its name. It is your true nature. Have your own holy sight rather than

going to a temple. Can God have any importance without your knowledge

‘I am’? So far you have only heard about this. Now you have to reach it.

If you are unable to do anything else, at least salute the wakefulness that

comes in the morning. Similarly, at bedtime, salute the sleep and surrender

to it. Keep in mind that your consciousness is God. At least remember what

you have heard. By practicing this, your circumstances will change; you

will avoid difficulties.

By worshipping God, one becomes God and is free of sorrow. Day by

day, difficulties are reduced. No joy is lasting, but the happiness of Self-

realization is everlasting. The consciousness within you knows everything.

Your intellect is of no use.

Your consciousness is spontaneously taking photographs of everything

you do and see. The minutest details are recorded. Until this is realized,

their effects have to be faced. By practicing devotion to God, bad things are

avoided. In association with a sage all miseries end and one day you realize

that you are of the nature of God. Meditate in solitude on ‘I am formless,

luminous, pure knowingness’.

The vital force acts through the body. Consciousness witnesses. It is

Bhagavan, the Luminous One. It does not act. Do not identify it with the

body. That would be a sin. Wakefulness spontaneously rises in the morning.

You are miserable because you treat your wakefulness as the body. The

lump of dirt (the body) looks beautiful because of the light of God within.

The light has no color. It is your Self-love. It is of the form of God.

God helps one who says he is not the body. As there is no reason for

your experience of beingness, can there be any reason for death? The body

will not last. Hence, understand this now: my Guru is always with me as my

consciousness. There is no speech, no movement without him. Though he

has a thousand names, he is my true nature.

Your consciousness is the source of devotion. Who worships whom?

You worship your consciousness while taking yourself as the body. It has

caused duality and with that there is death. Without pronouncing words,

say, ‘I am formless, desireless and pure as space. My sense ‘I am’ is of the

nature of God’. The smallest presence of God is the size of the whole

universe. Worship your sense ‘I am’ as the Guru.

Nirupana 51

Tuesday, August 15, 1978

Names are mere letters, whether it is your name or God’s name. As God

has been given names, similarly, you have been given names for practical

use. It is like a village having a name. God is of the nature of the word, He

is of the nature of space because the word has the quality of space. You may

call your concept God. The basic concept is your consciousness, ‘you are’,

but you have taken it to be of the nature of the body.

You say you do spiritual activity but have you ever thought of what it is?

What is the evidence that ‘you are’? The love for your beingness is the only

evidence. It comes up spontaneously just as grass shoots up from the earth.

It is prior to the heart, mind and intellect. The Source lies prior to the

sensation ‘I am’. It has no form. It is like space. Nothing can be said about

the Self. One who knows consciousness is only a witness. He is a non-doer.

One who has realized the Truth is not required to do anything special for the

benefit of the world.

Mind is the language of prana. It speaks according to the impressions

that it has collected. Mind means the impressions recorded in prana. Your

behavior is the result. Mind is created if you accept the meaning of words.

Your silence must be led to the extreme. After becoming a jnani, you will

know that the thoughts that are in your mind are not worth two paise

(cents). ‘You are possessed’ means the mind itself is possessed by the mind.

Who, or what, is ever going to possess ‘you’? Are you in any way

concerned with that? Who is it that is concerned about your children and the

household? Is it you or your mind? Does the mind recognize you, or is it

you who recognizes the mind? Why do you accept what your mind tells you

as your past or your future? What is your true identity within the body?

You are void just like space. Just as space is unbroken, so are you. You

are neither small, nor big. You have filled each and every void, and still you

are. (You are all-pervading.) Space that is prior to the word is called

consciousness. It is of the nature of Self-love. It is prior to the word and,

therefore, it has no meaning. Can it be experienced?

Who is the source of this fraud? Is it not consciousness by which we feel

‘we are’? Why is this consciousness untrue? Because it is an experience

that has come upon you accidentally. It came in unasked for.

Each one of you is a master of doubts. Is your behavior ever bereft of

doubt? The universally acclaimed ‘intellect’ has possessed you. It is your

front. Is the intellect prior to you or are you prior to the intellect? Without

intellect, would you be happy or unhappy? You are suffering from the fever

of your consciousness. You may feel good for a while, the rest is all

unhappiness. Is there any suffering during deep sleep? It is a state of

ignorance. What would make you completely blissful?

A teacher can impart all the practical knowledge in the world. However,

only the Sadguru gives the knowledge of beingness. Every living being has

consciousness. One who introduces this is the Sadguru. You have been told

that there is someone who sustains the world. Who is this someone? Is it not

the consciousness in the body? The Sadguru introduces you to

consciousness. He is the Witness of consciousness. He is prior to

consciousness. This consciousness has no information regarding how and

from where it was created. If you want to realize this, keep on chanting

‘Guru, Guru’ without pronouncing the words. If you have faith in the Guru,

his word should be taken as authority. You have a strong desire to live. It

will last until you know your true nature. (This desire goes after

realization.)

When consciousness is pleased, God is pleased. Meditate on

consciousness. This is as easy as it is difficult. If your faith in the Guru is

unshakable, it is easy. Consciousness, through which you get the experience

of good and bad things, is complete in itself. In deep sleep you take rest in

your own being, you require no outside help. The sense of duality is the

cause of sorrow. If you take the Guru-word as authority, you will not

experience sorrow. You will know that you are bliss yourself.

Your consciousness is more expansive than space. Though it is void, it is

compact and impenetrable. Keep faith in your own consciousness. Heart,

mind and intellect are the operational channels of consciousness. So long as

there is consciousness, there is no rest. You will realize that everything is

created through consciousness. Hence, there is no need to ask for anything.

Everything is moving through consciousness only. Yet its hunger is never

satisfied. Surrender without duality to consciousness. Then it will also

surrender to you. You will be like the river that becomes the sea, when it

meets the sea.

To meditate on consciousness with consciousness is maha-yoga (the

great union). Then there is bliss. On the ocean of bliss, the waves are also

bliss. If one wants to worship God, one must worship the Guru. That means

one must surrender to the consciousness that listens to the Guru-word. To

follow what you have heard is the ultimate devotion.

Nirupana 52

Thursday, August 17, 1978

If you are convinced that there is no future, you will have no fear of any

kind. It is true that you are the world, but the world will not provide an

answer to your questions. You have to provide it yourself. Find out for

yourself what it is that is changeless. Do not take anything for granted.

Witnessing is of two kinds. First, our consciousness witnesses, and the

second is the Witness who witnesses our consciousness. He clearly knows

that the word and its meaning have no value at all. He is found sitting

silently without words. Words make it possible to listen to the knowledge.

One gets boundless peace in the company of a sage, which is prior to

words. Wrong thinking drops off.

There are many kinds of learning in the world. Real learning is

knowledge of the Self. Knowledge means recognition of God. Before

knowing God, we have to recognize ourselves. ‘We’ means the

consciousness in body-form. One must see what ‘I am’ is. Knowledge of

the world also depends on our consciousness, ‘I am’. What gives you

existence? Is it not consciousness? To know it and to know our true nature

is called realization.

To have direct, correct knowledge one must worship one’s

consciousness. Treat it as Brahman. The opposites of ‘I’ as transient and ‘I’

as everlasting eternal have to be recognized and understood. Devotion to

the Guru gives you courage for achieving this. To make this happen, you

should surrender to your consciousness as your Guru. One who has

surrendered to the Guru in order to seek the Self will get the same status as

that of the Guru.

If you follow these words of the Guru: ‘The body is not your nature; the

priceless consciousness in the body is your true nature’, you will become a

realized person. Chanting the mantra, meditation and bhajans (singing

devotional songs) bring worthiness beyond imagination. If a great difficulty

arises, worship the Guru with devotional songs and surely it will be warded

off. Due to devotion to the Guru, one gets limitless power. The seed sown

by the Sadguru has sprouted; it is the vital force, chaitanya incarnate.

Remembering the mantra constantly is meditation. Due to temptation of

relationships with the world, despite the fact that they are devoted to the

Guru, people do not rise to the stage of the Guru.

Consciousness is the God of knowledge – the greatest God. Do not treat

it as the body. You will understand that your consciousness moves all the

bodies in the world. Atman means our consciousness. The Guru has given

you the nature of Paramatman. Worship him in order to become

Paramatman; not to get food, clothing or happiness. Only a rare one

maintains the conviction that he wants to be God.

Your consciousness is God. The picture gallery of His light is the world.

God is your inner Self. It is not necessary to recite it with beads in your

hand. You have to pay attention to the Source. With the expansion of the

seed consciousness, you will spontaneously know what is everlasting and

what is transient. Pray to your consciousness as ‘Guru, Guru’, then you will

be worthy of Him. The body is the means for devotion. Understand that it is

not your true nature.

While remembering the Guru’s words, run your household happily.

Contemplate constantly on your consciousness. Nothing else sustains the

world except for your consciousness. You do not exist without God, and

God does not exist without you. Do not get confused by attachments to the

household. Do not deviate from your own nature. God has no form other

than consciousness. Always remember this. Such matters cannot be casually

talked about with common people. If you take only one sentence out of this

as your own, you will be easily redeemed.

Nirupana 53

Saturday, August 19, 1978

Just meditate on the fact that you know ‘you are’. Your consciousness

has to be realized. It is worth all the effort and penance. You have to

practice this meditation for a long time in order to get stabilized in this

consciousness. Remember that you have no form. Your form is all-manifest

and all-pervading. It is called Brahman. Once this understanding is

stabilized, then nothing else has to be done. Then That which never dies,

has no qualities and is without illusion, will be free. It is called

Parabrahman.

One must have devotion for the Guru. Bhajan and aarti (singing

devotional songs) are a symbol of your love towards the Guru. In order to

be stabilized, practice meditation; you will naturally get the knowledge of

your Self. Lots of hard work went in enabling us to flick a switch and light

up the room. In the same way, those who achieved the Truth performed a lot

of penance in the old days. Now it is open for us. If you have imbibed what

you have heard from me will there be any question left unanswered? The

only instrument for liberation is your own consciousness. Realize it and

offer it to Brahman.

So long as you are entangled in any other kind of memory, you cannot

progress. Continuously think of what ‘you are’ and not in what you know.

Do not delve into money, wealth, glory, loved ones, etc. Hold onto your

own Self. The center of all things in the world is your consciousness. In

spite of the fact that It (the supreme Self) has millions of names, It is not

tainted by a single name. Yet, without giving it a name, you cannot trace It.

You identify with the name given to you and that is why you have to

bear abuses. If you let go of pride in that name, you will not suffer from

them. Liberation means there is no longer the feeling of beingness. The

ultimate Truth is that I am neither the name nor the form. Consciousness is

the same, whether it is an insect or the highest deity. When consciousness is

pleased with you, Brahman is pleased with you. The rest of the wordy

knowledge is of no use whatsoever. Up till now, you have used your

consciousness to remember other things. Now use it to remember

consciousness itself.

Having heard all this, what kinds of sadhana are you going to do and

how? When consciousness is understood, you will see that it is the support

of all there is. It will also be known what is good and what is bad.

Consciousness is the source of all there is. Without it, there is nothing. It is

infinite and limitless. When you are pleased with someone, you will give

everything to him or her. If you are pleased with your Self, what will be the

result? You are no longer an individual with mind and intellect. You are the

totality. Maya has manifested as existence and energy. She is intimidating

you and threatening you. As such, she does not have an iota of truth. In

order to acquired such knowledge, you have to practice devotion. The

infinite universe exists because of consciousness.

Nirupana 54

Wednesday, August 23, 1978

All emotional states eventually come to pass. They are transient.

Childhood automatically goes away. Does anyone feel bad about it? In the

same way, you will also pass away and God will pass away. Nothing will

remain.

When you ripen with the mantra that has been given to you, spiritual

knowledge will start expressing itself. Such is its power. You will do

nothing. The realization will talk through you. The power of the mantra will

increase and it will be understood that the Guru-state is within you. People

have devotion, they love the Guru, but they have no inclination for Self-

realization. Devotion to God is there, but a strong desire for knowing the

Truth is not there.

An individual thinks he is a small entity in the world. The fact is that the

experience of the world is dependent on us. However, we cannot be an

object of senses, as by nature we cannot be known by the senses. Our true

nature is unmanifest. The first experience one gets is that of God (‘I am’).

In the manifest world, when we search for ourselves, we find God; because

God is using our body and our name. After discovering God, the eternal is

discovered. You are eternal. Do not say you are the body. Consciousness

lasts for a duration. It is called the tenure of life. Go back to the state when

you had no experience of anything.

People are devoted to God, but to find one in search of true Self-

knowledge is rare. God (seed-consciousness) is the center point. He

spontaneously takes the form of the universe. With body-consciousness, we

will not be able to discover that we are eternal. What is the use of making

the mind blank? In deep sleep or while intoxicated, the mind is blank. Who

is the knower of this?

Samadhi brings in various miracles. The experience of the awakening of

Kundalini is like that also. That will not give you the experience of Truth.

Love, joy, gain, loss – are all one and that is consciousness. As you go

further, you will understand how the concept of beingness arises and where

it goes. This gives rise to Nirvikalpa samadhi – one without any concepts.

The sense whether ‘we are’ or ‘we are not’ is not there. Rest of the

samadhis are Savikalpa (with concept). In Nirvikalpa samadhi there is no

witnessing.

From now on do not consider yourself a human being. You are immortal,

eternal and perfect Parabrahman. This understanding does not come from

outside. It is known because it IS. It is our true nature. It cannot be made

new, it cannot be invited, and you need not go to meet it. Remain as you are

in the natural state of being. Do not imitate the Guru; catch hold of his true

nature. You should not act through intellect, but act through natural instinct.

Nirupana 55

Thursday, August 24, 1978

Religions are created by and followed by human beings. How is one

prior to the accusation that he is a Hindu or a Muslim? We are all bound by

traditions in the world. They do not last, just as flowers do not last. In a

village where Muslims live, is the land Muslim? The elements e.g. fire, air,

space and water have no false pride of belonging to a creed.

Consciousness is the essence of the five elements. We call it the sun. The

sun means the light of our own beingness. In that light there are an infinite

number of images in time, and of infinite worlds.

I hope you do not have any pride of the body. Why not look at the

Source? One did not have the memory of his consciousness. It has come

now. How long has it been since you got this memory? As many years as

your present age is. This memory is maya; it is a delusion, the mother of

ignorance.

It is said that we are eternal and infinite. It is said through the

consciousness. How can this be true if consciousness itself is unreal? Would

this question arise if there were no consciousness?

Life-tenure means that there is consciousness and memory for that

period. Whatever is said and whoever says it is quite right, but only at that

time. Your sense ‘I am’ is a precious jewel. If you hold onto something in

your meditation, it will manifest through your consciousness. If you

meditate on Krishna, it will manifest in the form of Krishna. However, all

that is transient.

When someone says that he has become a perfect jnani, how could it be

when the knowledge itself is imperfect?

Will Vishnu come here and ask me what I am prattling about? He will

not. He may have been here at one time, but He is not here now.

When Brahman is dismissed through right discrimination, it is called

Parabrahman. Space is everywhere, it does not go from place to place.

Space, prana and luster are everywhere. Only human beings identify

themselves as bodies and behave in various ways. The knower must be

identified no matter what it takes. This may happen in a moment or not

even in a lifetime.

You are the consciousness in which all kinds of knowledge are

consolidated. It is not necessary to go all over the world in order to

recognize the Self. Your consciousness has no form. It is neither small nor

big. It is as good as nothing. What is the reason? It is because, so long as

you know that ‘you are’, it exists. You have the need for the Self, but It is

prior to the need. If you recognize it, you will understand that all needs

have their source in consciousness and they all merge into the same. It has

no beginning. It is atomic. If you go to look for it in the world, it will not be

found because it is the One through whom you know ‘you are’. It is the

Lord through whom you see the world. It is the knowledge that ‘you are’,

without saying it. As consciousness, It is also the Lord of the qualities. All

names, male and female, belong to It. The Atman and the Paramatman are

names given through words for the sake of understanding.

Till such time that this knowledge is consciously known, we need

ourselves. Consciousness is there as long as one exists. He is the Witness of

consciousness without the act of witnessing. Your awareness itself is the

eight-handed goddess Mahakali (the great divine mother). If you are

convinced that you are immortal, imperishable and indestructible, she is

pleased. If she is pleased she will fulfill your needs. If you call her mortal,

she will be displeased. She provides when the devotee becomes one with

the consciousness ‘I am’.

There is not a single living being that does not worship Atman. The

insects also worship Him, as they look after themselves. All human bodies

are temples of God. Unless there is duality, there cannot be identification

e.g. Brahman and maya, God and devotee. At first it has to be divided like

that, and then united. When you recognize yourself, you will know that

there is no being on earth to whom you are not of any use. God is

omnipresent. He has pervaded everything, everywhere. This is the view of

your own consciousness. If you understand this, not even a trace of

selfishness will remain in you. Whatever you do will be worship of the

inner Self only.

In order to realize, you have to meditate on consciousness through which

you know ‘you are’. Call It the Guru. Hold Its feet tightly. From It you are

getting the experience of the physical body and the world. It is your own

nature. Remember It well. Worship It constantly by remembering it. It is the

image of your true nature. Remember that and no concept will trouble you.

Nirupana 56

Sunday, August 27, 1978

Parabrahman conveys His own knowledge to Brahman – the

manifestation as ‘I am’. He is there from where the sound emanates. The

‘word’ is the assurance of Brahman (consciousness). It is the life force.

Your sense ‘I am’ is the same as Brahman. The act of seeing is empty. Yet

the very sight of the seer is the creation.

False identification with the body is the reason for all joys and sorrows.

Remember that you are the offspring of your Guru. Therefore his word is

your authority. What is his dictum? It is ‘Whatever IS, that you are. There is

nothing else’. There is no other method for the aspirant. Without faith in the

Guru-word, people grope for other methods.

When prana leaves the body, what happens to the Self? It pervades

everywhere. Its symbol is space. You are that. Space is purer than the four

grosser elements. Your consciousness is purer than space. When a jnani

leaves the body, he experiences bliss. When you realize the Self, you will

know that there is bliss at the time of death. It will be the experience of one

who knows that whatever is created is Brahman – the consciousness. There

is no other except you. Even though a jnani may worship the qualitative

Brahman, he has no delusion.

The impressions stamped in the body from childhood are flowing

through prana. This is called mind-flow.

Can you put a stain on space? Then how would the light permeating

space be? Your knowingness is the light of the Self. The purpose of your

spiritual activity as a seeker is to know who you are. Your association with

all other information will vanish. Wake up and be aware this very moment.

Worship the Self, the king of knowledge. He resides in the body. To follow

the word of the Sadguru is the most worthy effort. He is beyond the five

elements.

Before you fall asleep, remind yourself that you are not the body. Slowly

the Guru-word will bring joy. As it eradicates harmful things, it also

removes the obstacles to your spiritual growth. The belief that you are the

body is the obstacle. The Sadguru’s message is ‘I am all’. With implicit

faith in the Sadguru, one becomes perfect Brahman.

Nirupana 57

Thursday, August 31, 1978

I know that ‘I am’ and, hence, I know that the world is. Both happen

spontaneously. The world comes into existence along with my birth. Our

true nature is the Self. It appears to me as ‘I am’, and the world follows.

This will be understood when you know with certainty that the body is not

your true nature. Out of a million, a rare one will say, ‘The world is because

‘I am’’. All others will say that the world existed previously, I came into it. I

am the world and the world is I. This information pertains to the manifested

consciousness.

Where there is the word, there is a guarantee of beingness. When the

word permeates all around, it becomes of the nature of space. Our talk is

stored in space. The quality of knowingness which is within, is called

chidakash. The light of the space of consciousness has blazed into such a

dazzling conflagration, that it is called the great space (maha-akash). The

space of consciousness is subtler than the subtlest. What happens in the

chidakash is absorbed and its pictures are taken immediately. These are the

impressions you store. Unless you know your eternal nature, it will go on

the same way. The wish that one’s consciousness should last forever is the

root-maya. It is the source of devotion and love. That is called chidakash.

The universe is created in that. The original nature of it is not to be, not to

exist. If you know this well, will there be any loss if the visible comes to an

end? Will there be any grieving if someone dies? Instead of saying, ‘I am

that’ say, ‘I am always and forever’.

Many people learn from the Guru and stop there. Nobody pays attention

to the fact that ‘I am’ is different from the teacher and the taught. Even if

you take to heart the fact that ‘I am’ is the cause of what has to be learned,

and it is also the instrument for learning it, it is enough. Then you are

already redeemed. Before learning something your natural state of being is

in perfect condition. If you limit yourself to the one who has learned when

instructed, how will you get out of it? (It will be an endless process.)

Krishna said: ‘The ignorant jiva does not understand what is eternal and

free; therefore I had to take this body’.

Witnessing the last moment of death is a festival of happiness. Time

comes to an end but not I. I have no rising, nor setting. Carry on with your

worldly duties. However, keep to your true nature. In your spiritual

endeavors, you claim ‘I let go of this, I renounced this, etc.’ How are you

going to renounce that which was never there? Consciousness is the root-

maya – the goddess of knowledge. The jnani is the Witness, he is not

consciousness. The time of death is the end of time. You are the Witness of

this. Then have you ended there? We feel the existence of body and prana,

but the body and prana do not know us. You should reason until you come

to this definite analysis. As the salt crystal melts, prana becomes fainter and

fainter at the time of leaving the body. The bliss of the knower goes on

increasing in the same proportion. This is the moment of great happiness.

The end of time means the end of prana. The fact that you are listening

is the result of the ‘chemical’ consciousness. Teaching is imparted to this

body-consciousness. When consciousness goes, the teaching fades away.

You are beyond this. Who is learning? Is it not the body-consciousness? All

dealings are done by time. Think of how you are different from what you

were before this learning. Those who call themselves enlightened are

wrapped up in concepts of their choice. They have not gone beyond

concepts.

Why do you enjoy finding fault with others? Is there not a better way to

feel good? Such is the characteristic of the jiva. Saint Tukaram used to call

common people as saints. Do you see saintliness in every human being?

There is one in a thousand who really profits by what is heard here.

What is recognized as a mold or a pattern is not the Self. The Self cannot be

known. The body is an instrument. The One on whose strength the senses

work is called God. He is not the supreme Self. (God, Brahman is the

manifest principle; Paramatman, the supreme Self is the unmanifest.) Prana

is also not the Self. Prana carries out all actions. Mind, intellect and

consciousness are forms of prana. The one who has realized the Self,

following the Guru’s word, experiences total bliss at the time of physical

death.

Keep to the state that you had before you were taught anything. Does

anyone pay attention to how this occasion for learning and teaching has

occurred? We are not what we recognize or are taught. You cannot

contemplate on the Atman. What is known to us is not our true nature. The

Self cannot be contemplated upon. That which is not known through the

senses must be you. ‘You’ cannot be understood or recognized. One who

understands is not the object of knowledge. The fear is due to ignorance in

thinking of a rope being a snake. Nothing is to be done. Contemplate on

what you have heard. Ruminate over it with determination.

Nirupana 58

Sunday, September 3, 1978

Why do they call a devotee, a devotee? It is because he cares for God, he

contemplates on God. The rest are anxious about their households. All are

concerned about what happens in their practical dealings. A rare one has a

true desire about knowing God. For one who gets the supreme knowledge,

there is no other thought except God. Then God has to bear the

responsibility for the devotee’s worldly needs.

Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva cannot stay eternally in their present forms.

Therefore they are illusory. The experience that is known through the senses

is illusory. The one who knows this is eternal.

The Guru illuminates one’s true nature. One who considers the body as

his true nature cannot do this. What is the instrument for devotion or

worship? It is consciousness that is present in the body. It has to be called

God or Guru and honored. Consciousness is Brahman. Meditating on it is

all that needs to be done. (No other ritual is required.) Contemplate and

meditate on the Guru. There is no other God. This is non-dualistic worship.

In this kind of devotion, God who is qualitative or non-qualitative, with all

His names, is of the nature of the devotee. Where there is God, there is

devotee; where there is devotee, there is God. There is no duality. Unless

you accept this and merge into it, you will not understand. Unless a man

jumps into the water, he cannot swim. Devotion fills one with the nature of

God. Actually, both natures are one and the same. When there is no

consciousness, who is to say, ‘it is’ or ‘it is not’?

How many serious seekers are there who will utilize this transient life to

search for God? Meditate on the One who notices the transient and

phenomenal world. When the devotee has become of the nature of God, he

surrenders to Him. God takes care of him. His needs are provided. Who

nourishes the fetus? Who generates milk in the mother’s breast? When the

teeth appear, will the food not be provided? This is the kind of faith needed

in the true devotee. He lives with unshakable conviction. It is a pure

position like that of a child. Will such a devotee ever beg for fulfilling

wishes? He peacefully says, ‘I am That’. He is blessed with the experience

of a child. He has no fear. How can he ever worry?

When things become unbearable, repeat the word ‘Guru, Guru’. He will

show you both the form and the formless nature. By devotion to the Guru,

God becomes eager to manifest Himself. Even after listening to all this, if

one does not worship God, what can be done? Your consciousness is the

image of God. With devotion it becomes the infinite Brahman.

Nirupana 59

Sunday, September 10, 1978

Various incense sticks give out different fragrances. Similarly, the body

contains different ingredients. A person’s behavior is the result of the three

gunas. These are Sattva – knowingness, Rajas – motivity, and Tamas –

consolidation and inertia. Behavior gives rise to good or bad results. That is

called destiny.

You know that ‘you are’. Contemplate on it. Do not meditate on any

object. Penance is a sort of meditation. The jnani’s destiny is the whole

universe. You will know this through meditation. Once you know

consciousness, you will never identify with the body again. I know that I

have a body, but the body is not ‘I’. One remembers his childhood, but will

he become a child again? Only the memory is there. Similarly, after

realization you will know that you are not the body, even while the body is

still there. You will be beyond beingness. The concept ‘I am’ has been

created due to God. I know that God will eventually leave the body. That

implies that I existed prior to God. God means prana. This is opposite to

what people who identify with the body think. They think God existed prior

to them, they came later. Pure consciousness is called God. How can God

kill me? He only departs from the body. (Maharaj says that the

consciousness in the body is God – Iswara – the manifest Brahman. It is the

same as prana – the life force. However, I as the Absolute – Parabrahman

am beyond it.)

When one realizes that one is liberated, no worldly dealings are left for

him. This is the true situation. Those who got liberated but did not continue

with devotion to the Guru were not useful to common people. They are not

known to common people. Those who continued devotional practices after

liberation, their presence is always there even if they no longer physically

exist. After Self-realization when body-consciousness is gone, one does not

require anything else for comfort; he becomes a ‘nobody’ and by being that

he becomes extinct. There is no use of the Guru unless there is complete

faith and devotion. Are seekers who go to the Himalayas and find salvation

of any use to other people?

Many a great king has come and gone; people do not remember him any

longer. Those who practiced devotion to the Guru benefited the people, and

people are devoted to such sages even now. There is no greater charity than

offering of Self-knowledge. One who receives it becomes like the one who

gives it. This is not true for other worldly gifts. There should be devotion

towards the one who gives knowledge.

Even if the Guru is worshipped in stone or clay, it bears fruit. Never let

go of devotion to the Guru. His creed will manifest through us. Such is the

greatness of devotion to the Guru. Those who were devoted to liberation

became immortal in the minds of the people. One should never forget to

worship the Guru (consciousness).

Obligations to the one who gives Self-knowledge can never be paid off.

One can only offer continued worship and share his teaching with others.

Where there are no instruments, do mental worship and sing devotional

songs. Why is Guru-bhajan performed? It is for uplifting the world. By

doing this one becomes as worthy as the Guru. (After Self-realization, the

teaching process should continue for the benefit of others.) God is the same

as Self-knowledge, do not use other concepts. Never let go of devotion to

the Guru.

Nirupana 60

Thursday, September 14, 1978

Your previous identity will go and you will speak with a new identity,

but without taking yourself as ‘so-and-so’. You will know nothing about the

new identity as it will talk spontaneously.

Here is a beautiful flower; who is responsible for its growth? As it has

life force, it has movement. That which exists beautifully and tenderly in

the flower, also speaks through this body. In the case of the flower, It does

not speak, but It shows ‘It is’. It is both manifest and unmanifest, and It

pervades everywhere. There is a minute sample of the infinite life force

within you. You will merge into That. You will not be able to see It.

Merging does not mean dying.

The mind is occupied by thoughts based upon its predominant concept.

Each being identifies itself with its physical body. A rare human being, one

in a million, identifies himself with God. Prana derives its support from

food and all speak through the power of prana. Consciousness arises where

prana and the essence of food are joined together. It is the source of the

inspiration ‘I am Brahman’. Atman or ‘I’ has no form. The tree grows tall

because of the power of prana. Without the combination of food and prana,

there is no consciousness. I am neither food, nor prana; I am there only

when they are united.

People talk about God and Brahman (the manifest principle). I do not. I

talk about my own realization. This knowledge comes from the meeting

place of the world and That which is beyond the world. It is the meeting

place of the manifest and the unmanifest. This must be thought through

carefully. Those who feel they have understood have not understood

anything. (It cannot be conceptualized.)

Thoughts come to your mind uncalled for. They come and go.

Somewhere a person dies. People gather. What thoughts prevail in people’s

minds? The silence of the man who is dead has entered the minds of those

present.

When performing any action through the body-form, the sense of

doership is ignorance. You behave according to the image you have of

yourself. It is not true. Consciousness lasts for a certain period. It is called

the tenure of life, also known as time. Eventually all this will disappear.

Consciousness in the body is the experience of ‘I am’. This experience

does not belong to the body. It belongs only to the knowing faculty. The

body does not experience anything. Consciousness in the body is your true

nature. It has no form. A person identifies with his body and goes about.

‘Nothing really happens’ – this will be understood if you remain in the

company of consciousness. In good company (satsang) bad thoughts are

replaced by good thoughts. The jiva becomes pure by realizing its true

nature. Till then, the dirt in the form of the body is its only domain. In good

company, impure thoughts get destroyed just as the sun cleanses the world.

Bhagavan means the Luminous One. It is the consciousness that makes

us feel ‘we are’. Where there is devotion, there is consciousness. Where

there is consciousness, there is devotion. Does the body have love for itself,

or is it consciousness in the body that has love for itself? Love means

devotion and devotion means consciousness, and the same is God. When

ignorance is destroyed and consciousness is freed, the devotee becomes

God. One must contemplate on what one has heard. One who loves the

Guru, loves himself. Remember what you have heard. The Guru keeps

repeating so many things, but do they stay with you?

Consciousness in the body is the image of God. If consciousness is not

sensed in the morning, you will not be able to carry out any actions. The

sense ‘you are’ that you get when you wake up is the holy sight of God.

Consciousness was tiny when it woke up, but how far has its light spread? It

takes account of all things, real and unreal. If you welcome this

consciousness, you will know that you are infinite. It is the Guru. It is your

true nature.

Worship consciousness that is prior to everything. Put your faith in it.

Until then you will be dissatisfied and unhappy. Have the conviction that

you are God. Do not prattle about it to others. It is not necessary to

announce your awakening. People will know that you have attained Self-

knowledge.

Nirupana 61

Sunday, September 17, 1978

Manifestation implies consciousness. It has no form. Mind has no form.

When there is no body, there is no form. Presently, you are pure

consciousness in the body. It is the sense of your own beingness. It is

subtler than space.

Even in the case of great incarnations, there was no sensation of ‘I am’

prior to the incarnation. Parabrahman in His true state has no knowledge of

His beingness. Sri Rama was Parabrahman, yet his Guru had to impart Self-

knowledge to him. What does it mean when someone claims to have chosen

his parents, claiming himself to be an incarnation? What evidence do they

give? Such people are ignorant. When there is no body, there is no

knowledge.

The word implies prana, the vital force. The food for prana is the body,

and consciousness is the knowingness. It is the assurance of our existence.

It is Brahman. It is the word. It is the vibration of manifestation.

One who punishes and the one who suffers from punishment have the

same consciousness. One who punishes is the same as the one who

undergoes punishment. To say this openly, it is necessary to be convinced of

one’s true nature. The root of sorrow is the very company of prana. It is

difficult to bear your sense of ‘I am’. Your existence, the presence of God

Itself, is sorrow. All worldly activities are undertaken to bear this sorrow. If

there is a disturbance in the body, have the courage to say, ‘God

(consciousness), now go away’.

It is only after birth that some become engineers, scientists or doctors

and, similarly, some become sadhus, jnanis and yogis. However, what

happens if there is no birth at all? What is called birth is filled with an

infinite number of universes. You can meditate on anything and it will

manifest before you. In whom is the dream world created? Is it not in you?

You are not yet free of the concept that you will get great good in the

body-form. The vital force in the body is consciousness – the Atman. The

pure nature of Sri Krishna is the same as your own nature. The One that

makes the body move cannot be perceived.

You must listen without the body-sense. The real nature of the listener is

of the nature of the Self. It is your true nature. Use your consciousness for

worship. Rituals are for the satisfaction of the mind. There is no experience

of the mind in the worship of the Self.

Much is seen with the eyes open. However, with closed eyes what is

seen is the place where all the yogis have gone. Perfect sight is the one

without ‘seeing’. So long as you wish to get success in life for comfort of

the body, nothing can be accomplished. All seekers have ultimately merged

into the life force. The movement of the vital force is given names such as

Brahman. One particle of consciousness is also the ocean of consciousness.

The state of the Self has no duality. My speaking and your listening do not

imply two Gods. It means I am speaking to myself. God does not have to

enjoy the fruits of virtue or suffer from the results of sin. One who does not

treat himself as God has to experience the same.

Till such time as your consciousness is properly satisfied, it must be

worshipped with the mind and then with no-mind. (Worship with no-mind

means to remain thoughtless as pure consciousness.) How does the Guru

offer his grace? When he talks about his experience, know that it is your

own. This should be understood with the fullest conviction. Repeated

contemplation is like churning. It creates a poison along with the nectar of

knowledge. The poison is the ego. It has to be swallowed up by right

thinking.

One who is unsure about direct knowledge should practice devotion. It is

the purpose of life. It is also the remembrance of the Guru-word. Keep

repeating that you have neither birth nor death, neither sin nor virtue, you

are not the body, you are eternal. Do mental worship. Wherever the mind

goes, the Sadguru is there. Have faith in His word.

Nirupana 62

Thursday, September 21, 1978

People practice devotion with bodily identification and, therefore, they

do not reach the Paramatman state. When you continue to listen, by virtue

of your devotion, you will go beyond no-thing-ness. You cannot even carry

out worldly dealings well by identifying with the body, let alone making

spiritual efforts. The body moves because of prana, which depends upon

food. You are not the body, you are in the body. With body-consciousness,

your well-being, your hopes, desires and expectations are seldom fulfilled.

What you continuously meditate on, its vision must come to you. By

pleasing that deity, you acquire the same status. However, you do not get

the Truth. Anything you contemplate on can result in visions. This is the

result of excessive love or fear. What is the source of these visions? Is it not

consciousness? If you live with the conviction that you are the life force in

the body, the universe will manifest itself to you through the tiny vital force,

just as a big tree grows from a seed. A rare one worships the consciousness,

with consciousness. Most worship with bodily identification. With that

stance one does not go beyond the five elements. Due to consciousness in

the body, the world is sensed. It is the result of the life force. Consciousness

is the Guru. One must live with that conviction; mere listening will not

create that in you.

All the impressions received from birth are flowing through prana. They

constitute the mind. Prana, mind, intellect and intuition are formless. Does

the Atman, who is the knower of all this, have a shape? Identification with

the body is ignorance, illusion and delusion. Consciousness knows the body,

outer and inner mind, sleep, wakefulness, etc. Can consciousness be

identified with a person? It is naturally there in a human body. Animals do

not have this understanding. It has no form. It is the self-luminous God.

Carry out all your activities while keeping this in mind. If you have contact

with pure consciousness even for a moment, you are liberated.

Actions through the four elements (earth, water, fire, wind) do not affect

the fifth, i.e. space. How can it defile the light of space? I am pure

consciousness, pure life force. I have no shape, no form. Therefore I have

no birth, no death and no karma. The impurity of the karma cannot defile

the formless, changeless Self that is the life force, the consciousness. If you

try to put a stain in space, it will only stain your finger.

You should worship the word of sages. People go through life with the

name given by their parents. Actually, is there a connection between you

and that name? Can the knower of the name be identified with the name?

Who is the one whom you call Brahman or the Guru, because of whom you

wake up in the morning? Before waking up you were neither a man nor a

woman. Had you not awakened, you would not have remembered. To say, ‘I

am a man’ or ‘I am a woman’ is to identify oneself as a body-form. The

knower of this body-form is silent. It is consciousness.

All your actions in the world will not fulfill your expectations. Your

consciousness is riding on your prana. It goes when prana goes. The Atman

does not go, because He never came. Are you prana? What are you when

prana leaves the body? To understand that, you have to make the Guru-

word your own. You are the formless Atman, you have no form. It is a

simple thing but if not observed, it becomes troublesome. Otherwise you

will have to undergo birth and death according to your concept.

Get a clear idea of Atman beyond words and categories. Do not leave

the feet of consciousness that is listening now. You cannot hold these feet

with your hands. They are to be held with the conviction of your own nature

(by saying, ‘I am the Self’). One who drinks the holy water of the

Sadguru’s feet, his body and self are purified. He does not need to visit holy

places. Wherever he goes, it becomes a holy place. Do not forget the

Atman, repeat His name silently.

With devotion to the guru, birth and death vanish. It is difficult to get

this knowledge, but once you have it everything is possible. All happenings

are transient. They do not bind Atman. Keep firmly in your mind that

consciousness in the body is your true nature. When prana goes, does the

body have any pain? It could be used as food.

Bliss is the fire of that knowledge. Fire does not burn itself. It burns the

wood. Similarly, the Atman does not come and go. By sticking to the guru’s

word, the perverse intellect will stop its mischief.

Nirupana 63

Sunday, September 24, 1978

‘I am-ness’ is a dream. When we sense ‘we are’, space gets created

along with the world. You say the world is much older than we are.

However, it is not older than our consciousness.

Meditate on your own consciousness. Be aware of that. Remember that

the memory of your beingness has come to you suddenly, without asking.

To meditate on That means to be one with That. To dwell on thoughts of

your well-being is a misconception. To think that you are awakened is also

a misconception. All these concepts are present only when you ‘are’.

The experience of God comes in a state of sickness. The picturesque

world has appeared in a state of sickness. It will not last. There is no Truth

in it. Only ‘you’ are true when you recognize the state of sickness. One who

is aware of this Truth is perfect. One who understands this naked Truth goes

beyond the known. The last word of the scriptures is silent. Then there is no

awareness of whether ‘I am’ or ‘I am not’. (Maharaj says that the manifest

principle ‘I am’ is a sickness. The unmanifest, without qualities, is beyond

it.)

When water evaporates or when fire is extinguished, does it mean that it

is dead? Whatever is visible has disappeared. Can it have any Truth? Drop

all insane concepts and just be quiet.

When you are convinced that you have gone beyond the need of your

consciousness, you need not come here. There is neither creation nor

dissolution without the Sadguru. One who knows this reaches the same

state. The Guru-word is our true nature. This japa is to be repeated without

words. The word of the Sadguru is your true identity. What remains after

everything is extinguished, is your true nature.

Those who worship the Sadguru as a human being are doing so for

worldly achievements. It is not devotion for knowledge. The five elements

and the rest i.e. name, form, etc., will disappear. What remains has no sense

of duality such as ‘This is my Sadguru, and this is I’. There is no other

support for the manifestation and dissolution of the world, except for the

Sadguru.

That which is prior to the word has no identity. It neither ‘Is’ nor ‘Is

not’. Your consciousness is the light of the Guru, the holy feet of Sri Guru.

It is your true nature. Even if you are a beggar, remember well that the

Guru-word and you are the same. The eyes see, but the true seer is the

Sadguru within. It is consciousness. It is the perfect Self.

The body is subject to death. The one who knows the body, is he known

by the body and prana? Consciousness that illuminates is the knower. It is

the perfect Brahman, the perfect bliss, the love-devotion, and your true

nature. Do service to this consciousness, but do not take it to be the body.

Do not neglect the body either. It contains pure consciousness – the

Sadguru. It is Self-love. It is the nectar of the holy feet of the Sadguru.

One’s true nature, the uninterrupted bliss, has to be discovered. Obeisance

to the Sadguru is the same as the obeisance to our consciousness. Is it not

so? That by which you feel ‘you are’ is the same through which the world

with its five elements and the living beings is created.

The holy feet of the Sadguru are the same as your consciousness. It is

the same as the sensation you have that ‘you are’. You must realize their

pure movement. Then whatever appears to you will be pure and sanctified.

To remove ignorance, catch hold of the holy feet of the Sadguru without

duality. Remain in your natural state without doing anything. Worship that

which is in the body and that which gives you the sensation of your

beingness. Due to your devotion, the world gets uplifted.

Why do people suffer all kinds of miseries? Is it not for the sake of

consciousness? Is it not the one that is dearest to us? Whatever you do is

because of the love for consciousness. It comes to the Paramatman with

great difficulty. It takes ages before He senses that ‘He is’. Do not forego

this opportunity as a human being. Do not leave the feet of the Sadguru. It

is rare to find a jnani who is eager for the experience of the ending of time.

Nirupana 64

Sunday, October 8, 1978

To be aware of our beingness is meditation. We have understood what

we are; keep that in mind. Unless the intellect understands it, the heart will

not accept it. Always be aware that you are not the body, you have no form.

Do you know how you were before acquiring the body? This knowledge is

conveyed to you to remove body-consciousness. Your body is not the form

of the Self. To think that the body is one’s form is ego. One who

understands this becomes Brahman.

The Guru-mantra should be continuously repeated at all times. With

practice, even poison can be digested. Try to form the habit of sitting down

in meditation. Increase it by a minute every day. There is nothing

impossible in the world if you are determined. The world-phenomenon is

made of our own vital force. Nothing is impossible for it. Rituals continue

so long as you do not know who you are. It is easy to be someone different,

but to be of the nature of Paramatman is very difficult.

It is ignorance to think that you are a human being subject to karmic

laws. Consciousness is covered by the body. It is so because of ignorance. It

is that by which we know ‘we are’. Since you are not the form of the body,

it is a delusion to think that you will die. Our true nature is of One who

knows consciousness in the body. We are the knower of consciousness,

without words.

Many actions take place after acquiring worldly knowledge. Yet that is

not the knowledge of one’s own nature. One should understand that our true

nature is without activities, beyond birth and death. That which knows

consciousness is changeless. What we know through our consciousness is

not our true nature. It keeps changing. What is known without knowing

never changes. That which is true is eternal. That which is eternal is the

Truth.

Consciousness is God. Consciousness, world and God are time-bound

and, hence, temporary. It can be said that God is of the nature of the

universe. However, what is seen or felt will come to an end someday. Your

true nature is neither seen nor felt. Hence, it is not time-bound. A rare one

out of millions may know this.

Consciousness that has taken itself as the body is ignorance. The knower

of this is eternal. It has no tenure of life. It is pure non-duality. After having

heard this, see where you stand. Your true nature has no experience of

wakefulness or sleep. In the beginning you have to realize that you are

consciousness. In the end you are not that either. Our talk is material

knowledge. The characteristic of the material (food essence) is

consciousness. The effect of the food essence is beingness. The body is an

object. You are not that.

One who is purified is God. The jiva is the essence of food. The

realization ‘I am not the body’ is the end of objective knowledge i.e. ‘I am

like this’, etc. What is important is the discrimination between eternal and

transitory. Do not run after concepts. Do not try to be what you are not.

Otherwise, you will again be wrapped up in concepts. Do not accept any

worthiness. Do not qualify yourself. Your actions and their results are

neither true nor everlasting. A rare one who is not deluded by the body-

form will understand this. He knows that the world is born within his

consciousness.

Do not be despondent. Take courage. Recognize all this and go about

your daily living. You will understand that sorrow is like a child’s

plaything. The first thing each being feels is that ‘it is’. It is time-bound.

One who gets this knowingness is eternal. What rises, also sets. The

knowingness quietly ends and all is peace. You are the knower of That

which transcends time.

That which is timeless is surely known to you, but you do not have time

to discriminate. That which is unknown to the mind exists prior to the

feeling ‘I am’. The birth of mind can be called the birth of God or Brahman

– the manifest. The influence of Brahman – the creation, is very tortuous.

Only the Sadguru can remove it. Therefore, keep the Guru’s word. Then

you will not be harmed by this influence. Insist that you are God. Through

Him, go beyond Him. All this is material knowledge. Remember that you

are not an object. One who is beyond any qualities, beyond the feeling ‘I

am’, is timeless. Time comes and goes, but the eternal Truth is as it is. It has

no color, no design. It is timeless. It is neither small nor big. One who

understands this gives up all ideas of worthiness and becomes the smallest

of the small. Body-consciousness is a misery. One who entertains doubts

about the Guru will not get peace anywhere.

Nirupana 65

Thursday, October 12, 1978

You are accustomed to a body-form. If you experience formlessness

during meditation, it causes fear.

The subtle body is spontaneously created. You experience your

beingness through it. Five kinds of knowing (touch, hearing, sight, taste,

and smell) are created through the same. The little child slowly grows and,

if inspired, reaches Godhood. To acquire basic worthiness, a proper

background has to be created within. The scriptures have prescribed rituals

for that purpose.

By reciting the mantra you reach the subtle body. Space is created

through the subtle body. The rest of the scene follows. There is no space

before you are born. Space contains the world. The Absolute is beyond

space. The characteristic of the subtle body is pure consciousness, your

beingness. One must hold onto it.

Worshipping means pleasing your true nature. It takes out the impurities.

Through that, God meets the devotee. As a result one realizes that he is not

the body. As there is sweetness in sugar, as there is saltiness in the sea,

likewise there is Self-love in the body. The panorama of the world is filled

inside your subtle body.

The belief that God is greater than the Guru is a mistake. The holy sight

of sages is of greater value than seeing idols in the temple. One who is

soaked with devotion is holy. One who goes beyond body-consciousness

and becomes one with the Self is a sage.

The word is the basic instrument we have. The name of God, the word

itself, becomes of the nature of God. The name of a holy place itself

becomes of the nature of the holy place. Your word is of the nature of God.

Your speech will sprout with repetition of the mantra and your word will

become God’s word. The Guru’s word is final. It does not change. This

must be your conviction. It should be remembered constantly. As your

behavior changes according to your word, it gives value to your word. Your

word becomes the word of God. Never use it to hurt anyone. As your word

becomes pure, knowledge will flow through it. The words flow out of your

mind according to your worthiness. When you chant the mantra, the vital

force takes shape according to the meaning of the mantra. Visions are

created. The pure word flows like the Ganges, washing away the miseries

of others.

To impart the understanding to a mortal jiva that he is immortal is like

transmuting clay into gold. This is the purpose of spiritual efforts. One must

be aware and vigilant. To live according to accepted advice is awareness.

You will act, but do not behave in an unworthy manner. Do not identify

yourself with the body. Identify with the formless and surrender to it.

Offer your food to God and eat it as His gift to you. You will become

holy. Where there is no food, there is no vital force (prana), no mind, no

intellect, and no consciousness. You can speak only if there is prana.

Without prana, how is the Atman? Atman is the knower of the occasion

when prana leaves the body.

One who lives according to the Guru-word does not experience death.

Only prana comes and goes. One who practices devotion, becomes of the

nature of the Atman. He never comes and goes. Atman has pervaded space.

If there is no Atman, who will recognize space? A rare one thinks like this.

If you take someone’s advice, you should follow it properly. When Atman

Himself has become all this, why expect the fruit of your actions? God is

worshipping Himself. Once your word becomes pure, never use it to harm

someone as it has a lot of power. Chant the mantra all the time without any

desires. You will understand that everything is happening spontaneously.

Hence, there is no reason for pride as everything is naturally there.

Nirupana 66

Sunday, October 15, 1978

Do not do anything to the one within us who is listening. Leave him as

he is. The idea that ‘I am the body’ is ignorance. As a child, many

expensive clothes were bought for you, but they were of no use when you

grew up. The enjoyments of the body have no use when you transcend the

body. Your true nature is consciousness. Treat consciousness as the Guru

and worship it. Do what has to be done without expectation. Say, ‘I am

pure, luminous consciousness’ and get absorbed into it. You are of the

nature of God. All entertainment is supplied to you e.g. work, family, etc.,

for passing the time.

Be friends with your own consciousness. It will fulfill all your needs.

Your existence is like a dream of daylight during sleep. In your dream, the

mind creates a world. The world is false, yet it appears to be very true. It is

seen within ignorance. Recede back to the point you arise from.

Religion implies a code of behavior in everyday life. The true religion

explains the nature of that behavior. It is the religion of the Self. If you

acquire wealth, utilize it for spiritual purposes. No one wants to know who

he truly is. If you think you are the body, you suffer the consequences. After

establishing yourself in your nature, you may carry on with worldly life. As

long as the body lasts, there is time for spiritual activities. After the fall of

the body, this cannot be done. The highest religion is searching for one’s

nature and stabilizing there. Whatever is done through body-consciousness

is imperfect. What will be the form of your consciousness after the body

falls? No one thinks of that. All collective phenomena are called maya.

Truly speaking, no one has any form that he can call his own. If this is

understood, one gains the eternal state of Paramatman.

Night implies ignorance and darkness. Yet in deep sleep, the sensation ‘I

am’ is present. It is called God. It is created during ignorance. Wakefulness

is the awakening of ignorance. Whatever transpires will pass away. One

who senses this is motionless. There is no darkness, no light, and no

direction in it. It just IS. Surrender to the consciousness through which you

know ‘you are’. Please the consciousness. Worship it. Keeping faith in it is

meditation. Do not look here and there. Consciousness is formless and

luminous. It is of the nature of love. Are you listening to this as a body? Or

is it pure consciousness that is listening? God is pleased with the one who

lives in that meditation. Then the devotee and God are not different. Stay

with the feeling ‘I am perfect, I want nothing’. With non-dual worship, one

pleases the God-principle and achieves perfection.

Ignorance and knowledge both disappear into the Absolute. The Witness

remains. That is called vijnana – direct knowledge. As long as there is

consciousness, various sensations are there. All attachments pertain to it.

When there is no consciousness, everything is all right. True nature is all-

pervading and, therefore, has no movement. True nature cannot be known;

everything is known through it. A rare one can see (realize) That through

which everything is seen.

Nirupana 67

Thursday, October 19, 1978

The seed sown by the Guru will sprout. The tree that will grow is the

same as the world. In the end it will disappear. It is of no use to you.

Whatever you gain will ultimately be useless, as there will be no form to

enjoy it. The memory ‘I am’ will not remain. When there is no

consciousness, there is no need to be happy nor is there any experience of

misery. As childhood did not last, our individuality will also not last.

Whatever you are not will also end, whether you like it or not. The desire to

‘be’ leads to humiliating conditions e.g. the need to eat, sleep, and wake up,

etc., over and over again. In truth, your true nature has no measure. It has

no color. You will never know that you have died. How can death be

experienced when there is no death? Consciousness will not last whether

you like it or not. Whatever you feel about the body will not last. When you

realize in meditation that there is nothing, who knows about it? When the

knowingness ends, is it death?

Many names have been given to consciousness in the human body. It is

not found in the objective world. It is not known to anyone. It is

transcendental. One in a million realizes it. He realizes his own birth. He

knows that where there is consciousness in the body, there is also the world.

They go together. Pure consciousness by which we know we are is the

Sadguru. It cannot be experienced objectively.

All beings have a need to continue their beingness. It is nourished

through the five senses. In order to continue it, various activities are

undertaken. Devotion to consciousness is its nourishment. That is our first

love. It is the only thing that is worthy of love. It is of the nature of the Self.

One must perceive it directly. Keep repeating ‘Guru, Guru’ silently. Finally,

consciousness gets dissolved into itself. You may lose your prana or the

body, but not this Self-knowledge.

Deep sleep is restful because the knowingness is not there. The memory

of being a man or a woman belongs to the body. There is no need of

anything, once the body is forgotten. Unless you understand your present

state of being, you will not understand your true nature. When you let go

the sense of being a body, your individuality will become the totality. Once

the subtle body (seed consciousness) is realized, it becomes universal. All

the names are given to the manifest. The world and Brahman are not

separate. The light of consciousness is called the world. It is the manifest

consciousness that knows the world through itself. It is called the feet of the

Guru, and is to be worshipped.

In the first phase, one should sit in solitude and go inwards by paying

attention to one’s own consciousness – the Guru. It is self-sensing and

luminous. It is knowingness and love. To assimilate this knowledge is very

difficult. For that, be one with the Guru. While being awake, do not forget

that you are pure consciousness. It must be firmly established that ‘I am’ is

prior to whatever i have seen. What is there where we are not? With the

grace of the Guru, you become of the nature of the Guru and see this. You

will realize that you have not done anything at all, nor will you ever do

anything.

When emotions become quiet, there is no need to go anywhere. The

mischievous intellect will never give you any satisfaction. Right

discrimination and faith are essential. The whole existence of the world is

within you. As a spider forms a web from its saliva, the universe is formed

from your own light. It is bondage to think that you live in the light of the

world. It is the other way around.

All activities take place on the basis of the word (mind-concepts). One

who is in the void of the subtle body becomes awake if invoked through

words. What is the subtle body and when does it come into existence? It is

That by which we feel ‘we are’.

There is no God other than the devotee. As God, he is consciousness.

You take him to be of the nature of the body and are convinced that there

will be death. The universe is fabricated by your unique consciousness. Pay

constant attention to your own true nature. If you feel uneasy, recite ‘Guru,

Guru’. One who has no fear has no death.

Nirupana 68

Sunday, October 22, 1978

Your beliefs will give you relevant experiences. Keep reciting your

mantra. It will enable you to understand your true identity. You will come to

know that you are not the body. For Self-realization it is necessary that

consciousness and the vital force be united. This happens by reciting the

mantra. It has to be done with love and a sense of urgency. In fact it is the

vital force that recites the mantra. A persistent commitment is needed.

There is no part-time spiritual effort.

The body is created out of food. The hum of consciousness comes

through the essence of the body. That is the same as ‘I am’. There is no true

sense of individuality, right from an insect to God. There is manifestation

for a duration of time. Maya means ignorance, which means fear. Under her

influence, the jiva takes on an identity and accordingly gets experiences.

The basis of your life is consciousness. It depends upon food.

What is said will not be understood until the ‘sins’ are eradicated.

Concepts are the sins. Beingness has no meaning. It is just a movement

(activity because of Gunas), but the resulting nuisance has to be suffered.

The body is a form of food. In that food-object there is a taste of ‘I am’. It is

gone when the food material is exhausted.

Talk about this only if you understand it. Your thoughts and your words

are bubbles in consciousness. When understood, the jnani is not bothered by

thought. When the vital force is present in the body, there are an infinite

variety of thoughts and actions. None of these is everlasting. Consciousness

is of the essence of food. When it is finished, it disappears. Then who dies,

a man or a woman? Root-consciousness is created out of the essence

(Sattva) and it is felt as the sensation ‘I am’.

The name of God is your own word. Your faith in your word will

manifest as God. The devotional word (bhajan) has great importance. With

time, this word has greater meaning. Your conviction also grows. Atman

can take any form. Words reside in the heart and emerge as thoughts. The

idea of the ‘wishing tree’ implies that your concepts will materialize. With

fear in your heart, your actions will be fearful.

Krishna says: ‘My devotees are the manifestation of My true nature’. It

is love, the Self, the knowingness or the knowledge that ‘you are’. This

knowledge is formless. The nature of time is tied to the body. Your life

span, place, activities, etc., are included in time. The realization of Self is

bliss. It brings true happiness. The true devotee knows this. If we do not

sense ourselves like this, then what is meditation? There is no other God

except consciousness. It is the feet of the Guru. One deals with others

knowing that there is no difference between him and other beings. They

have the same consciousness. As God lives in all beings, he treats them all

as God. When it is understood that God and I are the same, all actions

become an offering to Him.

Consciousness that has come over you unknowingly has awakened as

the ‘I’. It carries out all the actions. One who knows that he is not the body,

remains in constant self-attentiveness. The ego that says, ‘I am so-and-so’ is

the doer of actions. Pay attention to the seed consciousness, the atomic

wakefulness that arises at dawn. After listening to the Guru, what change

has come over you? Has one sentence created a conviction in you? All

creeds imply concepts that are agreeable to them. You should know that the

one who knows is in the present. Then everything will be revealed.

All the incarnations have had different kinds of behavior. Each sage

presents a different concept. Why is it so? If you want to know this, you

must merge into your true nature. From the point of view of a true devotee

there is nothing bad in the world. One who understands this has no value for

his person. He does not have a single concept left with him. The state of

being in which one does not know whether one ‘is’ or ‘is not’ is called the

Absolute.

Your thinking creates your destiny. Your concept of yourself creates

your circumstances accordingly. Therefore, see that you become nothing.

When you see your true identity, it is called Self-realization. The knowledge

‘I am’ is the supreme God. Surrender to it without duality. You are not

different from consciousness. It is your true nature.

Nirupana 69

Thursday, October 26, 1978

The experience of the world is through the body. The experience of God

also comes through the body. He resides in your heart. He can be reached

only through the human form. When the jiva reaches Godhood, there

remain no karmic debts.

All actions happen on the strength of the word. That through which the

world is created is in your body. One who realizes this becomes a sage. He

is not disturbed by desires. One who is not troubled by his word (mind),

will not get trouble from the world. One whose inner storms (thoughts)

have become silent is a realized sage. By reciting the mantra, God is

pleased. The sense ‘I am’ comes from food. It is God.

One should never think that he will die. Only the body dies. And you are

not the body. It is inborn nature of consciousness to have self-love. It wants

to continue. You live in the house, but the house is not you. There is

recognition of ‘I am’ in the body; the body is not you. It is a natural instinct

for the life force to safeguard itself. The body is food for prana ( life force).

One who gets this knowledge becomes deathless. To get that worthiness,

follow the word of the Guru.

Good spiritual efforts can be carried out while running a household. As

soon as you realize that you are not the body, you will not be affected by

your concepts. Therefore, keep continuous awareness of the Self. Our vital

force is called consciousness. The whole worldly phenomenon is made up

of consciousness. Whatever you are now, is of the nature of time. One who

understands this transcends time. As a result of the three gunas we feel ‘we

are’. The jnani is the Witness of consciousness.

Prana goes into space and the body merges into the five elements. Where

does the Atman go? Know that you are not the body, you are consciousness.

The sensation of knowingness is the quality of the essence of food. When

the essence of food goes, so does consciousness. One who knows the

consciousness is a sage. Orange robes do not make you a sage. Such a one

is not free from fear. A sage is not bound by traditions.

If you take one sentence of what you have heard and make it your own,

you will be liberated. At least, be quietly aware of the fact that you are not

the body.

Nirupana 70

Thursday, November 2, 1978

One who has merged into his true nature is a yogi. Prosperity or poverty

does not affect him. Do you take yourself to be different from your name?

The name is only the letters. Are you those letters? The name has been

given to the body. At present, the body has become your identity and the

name has become yourself. It has become a habit. That is the influence of

maya. Can you tell me about yourself when you are not the body nor the

name given to the body?

How would you look if you say, ‘I am not the name, nor am I the body’?

Then what name can be given to you? And after all, what is consciousness?

Is it not love, or taste, or flavor, that remains after leaving out the body and

the name? What would one want when he is like this? Consciousness is

love itself. That is the bliss unasked for in the feeling ‘I am’. It transcends

the body. It is not of the form of the body. Without consciousness is there

God, or the world? How do we look at ourselves while in the body? It is

pure luminosity. Its symbol is light. The light of consciousness means the

light of Atman. It has no form. It has no divisions. It is without the body

and the name. It is like space.

What comes first, space or your consciousness? When there is no

consciousness, there is no world. How long does the world last? As long as

one is awake. One who has realized the Self is a great yogi. God, Guru and

consciousness are the same for him.

The sensation ‘I am’ is the beginning of time. First of all, consciousness

arose and then the world was seen in it. Did anyone do anything to create

it? When consciousness disappears, the world disappears at that very

moment. What happened to the big mountains? Who swallowed them? No

one, because the world was false, an illusion. With the birth of the

knowledge ‘I am’, the world comes into existence. Both happen

simultaneously.

Do not say you have understood. Be aware of what you have

continuously heard. The use of the body is for consciousness through which

we know ‘we are’. It is the essence of food. One who sees the dream has to

be the originator of the dream. Is it not so? To use consciousness means to

convince us of this and behave accordingly.

Only a Guru can give true advice. The rest give consolation with false

concepts. Consciousness is universal. God, Guru and ‘I’ are all its names.

The common name is Brahman. It is there as long as there is the word

(manifestation). Its characteristic is knowingness. This manifested, all-

pervading Brahman merges into the Absolute. It has no identity of its own.

It is timeless.

The foundation of our way of spirituality is self-attentiveness. The

Sadguru is beyond time. He has no coming and going. Is it not so that one

knows the Absolute and, also, is it not so that one does not know it? (It is

our true nature, but it has no duality.) The body is the food for

consciousness. Prana eats that food, not the Self. Prana carries out all

actions. One who clearly knows that he is not the body does not suffer from

worldly gain or loss, pleasure or pain. The knower of prana is

consciousness. It only witnesses.

Can you take a fistful of Bombay to your village? The same is true of

God. From the point of view of the Paramatman, you are prior to the world.

From the point of view of the jiva, the world is first and then you. The jnani

does not require any outside glory. Identification with the body and its name

is ego. As long as the fear of death is there, you have not realized yourself.

Dwell only on what you know before experiencing the world. Think on the

metaphor of the dream i mentioned earlier.

For a man the company of a woman means desire. Where there is desire,

there is expectation. Where there is expectation, there is hope. Where there

is hope, there is bondage. The cause of bondage is desire. Where there is ‘I’

and ‘you’, there is pure delusion. Where there is no ‘I’ and ‘you’, there is

pure Brahman.

Nirupana 71

Sunday, November 5, 1978

The true meaning of ahimsa (non-violence) is to not hurt anyone’s

feelings. One ought to develop such an attitude of mind in order to purify it.

Our behavior gradually changes accordingly.

At the time of Sri Krishna there was no other method (for spiritual

pursuit) than having a Guru. The Guru’s word was the Truth. Hence, the

Guru was treated as God. The knowledge of the Self cannot be achieved

without the grace of the Sadguru. One is not really awake, but feels he is

awake because of ignorance. The Sadguru gives the knowledge about how

the wakeful dream has come about. A little light of the jiva has brought

about the view of the universe! The Sadguru shows clearly how the

wakefulness and dream world are of the same category. He introduces us to

Self-knowledge. He is the knower of consciousness, the sense ‘I am’ and,

hence, He is beyond it.

In ancient times it was difficult for people to avail of the teaching.

Therefore they had to have the fullest faith in the Sadguru. Today, people do

not have such faith. If anyone does keep such faith, he will be liberated. The

Sadguru is of the nature of the Absolute. He is our perfect Self. He is our

eternal true nature. A rare one follows this type of devotion (non-dual

devotion). The Sadguru and your pure consciousness are one and the same.

We know that ‘we are’. It is the same as love (consciousness). Love itself is

faith. Consciousness, through which all this is seen and felt, merges into

universal consciousness at the end of life. What was already there but has

now become manifest is Self-knowledge. What undergoes change is not

eternal, hence it is not true.

Night and day are created by consciousness. Our true nature is not

dependent on the five elements. One who wants it intensely will realize his

own true nature instantly, provided he gets rid of body-consciousness.

Observe yourself, keeping aside the name and the form. Now, how do you

see yourself? Is this not enough in order to realize? Remember that you are

not the body. No other effort is necessary. Consciousness is the pure essence

of the body. Accept the Guru-word in order to understand your true nature.

Identify with the Guru-word. When you remember a person, you remember

his behavior pattern. The Guru is remembered by his word. The meaning of

his word is: ‘you are’.

Nirupana 72

Thursday, November 9, 1978

It is true that words can be deceptive. But who is the knower of the

words? (Who is prior to the words?) What value can the words have if there

is no knower? You say that in meditation the knower gets lost, but who

knows this fact? When consciousness disappears, can anything further be

known? Things are known only through consciousness. If there is no

consciousness, what can be known?

Does the experience of the body or the world come about by any effort?

Wakefulness comes and goes automatically. So long as there is

consciousness, there is the individual. If there is no consciousness, can one

be called an individual? Can this consciousness be driven away? In

meditation you may see innumerable colors but what is the color of

consciousness, the knowledge ‘I am’? It is only love. It is non-dual. Your

consciousness is the self-love. For the sake of this love, you have need of

other things.

The puzzle of the five elements will be solved when you hold onto your

consciousness. The five elements are within your consciousness. Truth is at

the core. The root-maya, your consciousness, is sporting on the Truth.

Those who have realized the Truth will not perform miracles. The knower

of consciousness is beyond time and beyond beingness. He is without

movement.

Your knowledge is limited to what you have learnt through your

consciousness. Gradually you will know that the world is within your

consciousness. The world is vast, but you will realize through meditation

that it dwells inside your atomic consciousness. It is love. If you want to go

back to the Source, stop wandering and go on meditating. Nothing is to be

given up. Just realize that whatever you know is different from you. There

is a place from where nothing is seen and there is also a place from where

everything is seen. This should be properly understood. I am giving you this

readymade knowledge. Just listen and absorb. You must reach the point that

you (as consciousness) are the Self of the world. This gurgling stream of the

world is flowing out of the love ‘I am’.

To know and understand that the world is untrue is detachment. Giving

up something is not true detachment. How can you hold onto

consciousness, as that is what you are? The source, the seed of the world, is

the knowledge that ‘you are’. A rare one out of millions reaches this point.

That which is eternal is the Truth. There is not a trace of beingness in it.

There is neither light nor darkness in it. Your consciousness is called God or

Brahman. It is not eternal; it is not the Truth. Whatever is seen in the world

is God. That by which it is seen is also God. One who recognizes God is

beyond everything.

Our prime worldly activity is feeding ourselves. Consciousness is

nourished with food. The qualities of the five elements are sporting in the

food. As they come together, you know that ‘you are’. The birth of a body

comes out of the sour food. The body is the food of consciousness. The life

force is the same in all living beings. The vital force moves with greater and

greater speed. It cannot remain steady. It acts through the five senses,

namely: touch, hearing, seeing, taste and smell. They determine the

behavior of the individual. One feels he has understood but does not feel

contented, as it goes away.

God means light, which is the sight of our consciousness. It is created

out of the essence of food. There is a connection between prana (vital

breath) and knowingness. Without food, there is not even the strength to

speak. The light is that of food. It is because of the juices of food that we

have our consciousness.

Truth is eternal. There is no sense of ‘I-ness’ there. There is no ‘I’ and

‘you’ there. The eternal is beyond. The rest comes from the five elements.

There is duality when one says, ‘I know something’. There is no duality

when i do not even know myself. All this together is One, and we are That.

This is the goal to be accomplished. In order to achieve that, one must go on

observing one’s own Self as taught by the Guru. While doing that, one may

see visions of various kinds. But we are not that. We are the knower of that.

The seer is one, but the things seen are many. Is it not true that the seer

has only one sight? Is not the light of the seer only one? How can it be

made steady? The seer should only observe himself. (He should stay with

the ‘do nothing’ state of mind.) All that is seen and felt keeps on changing

and ultimately goes away. No need to feel sorry for that. Whatever is seen,

that we are not. We are That to whom seeing happens.

The shape of food is the body of the living being. Prana and

consciousness arise simultaneously and disappear simultaneously. They are

necessarily born out of the sour food. Consciousness is the same, right from

that of an insect to that of a human being. It is the same as the vital force.

Suppose a worm dries up in the hot sun, what does it mean? The food in the

form of a body has dried up. The movement vanished along with that.

Please discriminate as to what or how we are.

All books are true as long as there is ignorance of the Self. Once the Self

is realized, they are all useless. The meaning of the great mantra is the

certitude that ‘I am’. The qualities of the deity you worship will descend on

you. After that you have its vision. It arises from your own consciousness.

From where have you come and to where will you go? You never came

from anywhere, then where could you go? Consciousness was created from

food, and then it got extinguished. Atman means ‘I’, but from what point to

what point? It is there as long as we consciously know ourselves.

With steadfast devotion to the Sadguru, one recognizes that the devotion

is to his own Self. Knowledge is of no use until one becomes devoted to the

Self. The great mantra is ‘I am Brahman’. If you have no devotion to the

feeling that ‘you are’, is there any world or God? With devotion to the Self,

you will spontaneously recognize all deities. The meaning of the mantra

will be revealed through you. It will be clear to you why it is that you ‘are’,

and why you were ‘not’. Without the devotion of ‘I am’, would we have

any needs? Has anyone pondered over this devotion? Our sense of ‘I am’ is

the Godhood of God. We love others because we love ourselves. If we do

not get food or water, the love of ‘I am’ will get extinguished. When the

food is exhausted, its characteristic (consciousness) comes to an end. The

quality of food had appeared; now it has disappeared.

Your consciousness is itself the primordial maya. She behaves as she

pleases. Surrender to that consciousness. She will reveal herself to you.

Then you will be Brahman. That is the knowledge that makes us feel that

‘we are’. Devote yourself to that knowledge. Perform your household duties

to perfection. However, do not forget the Guru’s word. It is your own true

nature. Carry on a constant incantation without words. The extent of the

incantation will bring corresponding change within you.

Nirupana 73

Sunday, November 12, 1978

Whatever is visible is within the purview of the senses. It is visible to

the One who cannot be seen by the senses. (The unmanifest Absolute is

prior to the manifest world; the unknown is prior to the known.) Sometimes

it is said that it is all void, but one who understands the void, is he void?

Meditate in such a way that you even forget that you are meditating. Truth

will reveal itself when one forgets oneself. We are not what we know. We

are prior to knowing. One who has understood this has no need to sit in

meditation. Continue repeating the mantra. Even without repeating, one

must know that it is going on within. Ever since the body was born, this

incantation has been going on. This incantation stops only when a person

dies.

We all have a strong desire to assure that our beingness is safe. When

this is in doubt, there is fear. Hold onto the feet of the One whose presence

removes fear. Hold onto the feet of consciousness. It is continuously with

you. Guru means consciousness.

Do not consider yourself as an individual. It is the root cause of fear.

Forget what you have read. All the hatha yogis and those who awaken the

Kundalini have disappeared within consciousness. Bodies can be strong and

weak, but the holder of the body is the same One. To achieve samadhi

through sex is a foolish idea. Self-realization has nothing to do with it

All religions have their traditions full of concepts. They are ritualistic.

There is silence when concepts are retired. Ignorance is failure to realize the

Self. Conflict of opinions starts with the body sense. People believe what

they hear. No one thinks about his inner Self. How trustworthy is the

experience of the world that has come with the breath? What happens when

the breath stops? You are proud of your religion, but how long are you

going to stay in your own company?

The one who experiences day and night is within us. If he had been

aware of his beingness before birth, he would not have wanted to be born.

He would not take a shape anymore. He would not want to steam in the

womb for nine months. One tolerates the dirt in the womb because

consciousness has not become manifest.

One trusts what one hears or sees. With the resulting attachment, there is

an urge to act according to the inclination of the mind. If one gets disgusted

with that, it is called detachment – turning back. It brings perfection. There

is no sense of beingness, hence happiness and sorrow become meaningless.

Misery is what one does not like. Happiness is what one likes. They depend

on the nature of time. You will understand the meaning of this when you

will realize that things happen according to the nature of time and you are

not affected by it.

The highest spiritual achievement is the art of right discrimination. That

is the Sadguru. It makes everything easy. Without hurting anybody, look

minutely at yourself. With this, joy wells up within you. It is very fortunate

when this happens. It pleases the Atman. Hold onto the feet of That by

which you know ‘you are’ and the ‘world is’. Your consciousness has

qualities. The sum total of worldly phenomena is God. Consciousness is

prior to the world. The knower is prior to consciousness. This is the order.

You behave as a body. When prana is ready to leave, you feel you will die.

Therefore you experience fear.

God is knowingness. Surrender to Him. He is also the Atman; He is the

world. No evidence is necessary for this. Do you require any proof that you

have awakened in the morning? Do not treat consciousness as the body. It is

an unholy act. Knowledge is power. It is the same as Purusha. So long as

you have not awakened to the word of the Guru, the fear of death will not

go. You never die; only the body is forgotten. Whose light makes the body

so pure? Is it not the light of the Atman, your true nature? The knower of

consciousness is infinite and eternal. One who is prior to the body is the

knower.

There must be a conviction that one is consciousness, the knowledge ‘I

am’ as taught by the Guru. After getting Self-knowledge, you will live as a

timeless entity. Then time will have no measure. If you have faith in the

Guru, then have faith in the knowledge of your beingness. With faith in Sri

Krishna, Arjuna became liberated while listening to His words.

Consciousness that is of the size of a sesame seed has pervaded the whole

cosmos. Do not lose your divine faith in consciousness. That is the highest

God. The jnani’s advice is not an act of his pride. The meaning of the Guru-

word is our true nature. Due to such meditation, the mind becomes silent.

That results in detachment. Do not talk about this to others indiscriminately.

Nirupana 74

Thursday, November 16, 1978

At the core of all living things is the eternal. A fault has occurred in the

eternal Truth. As a result, we have come to know that ‘we are’. A pimple

has appeared on the Truth. The pain caused by it is felt as ‘I am’. The light

that comes through a hole in the pimple is called the world. In spiritual

language you may call this pimple an atom (manifest). The coming to

awareness of the pimple is the same as the consciousness ‘I am’. God who

pervades the universe now dwells in a house of the size of a sesame seed!

Consciousness is hard to bear and that is why people get involved in

worldly activities. A rare one out of millions remains in silence.

Consciousness is not our true nature. Experience speaks a lot, but is there an

experience of the experiencer? The sight of the world is the sight of your

own consciousness. You take the scriptures as authority, but the one who

knows them is you. You are the knower. The treasure of all the books in the

world is in your consciousness.

The fact that you are alive and awake is the original delusion.

Intellectual perception is superfluous; it is dry. Self-realization is like a cup

of nectar (it will make you immortal). Why was your beingness not known

previously and why is it known now? Real satisfaction will come when this

is understood. God is contained in the knowledge ‘I am’. When time ends,

God also ends. You are primordial. The Atman is eternal. You say you were

not there before a hundred years, but today you know ‘you are’. One who

was ‘not’, will he come to know that ‘he is’? Only the one who has been in

existence will come to know that ‘he is’. The knowingness will go, but the

knower will not. You think that you are consciousness. However, the

knower is witnessing consciousness. Consciousness is not eternal, the

knower is. The world is within consciousness. When consciousness goes,

the world goes. Then what does the Witness have to lose?

During the dream of wakefulness you may see Rama and Krishna.

However, the concept that ‘I am awake’ itself is false. Saint Tukaram said

when there was no space, no water, I still existed as the Absolute. What is it

that has pervaded everywhere? It is the love as ‘you are’. If you keep

witnessing your consciousness, there is no need for any ritual. We have no

control over our dreams, similarly, during wakefulness everything happens

automatically. You only do the witnessing. So long as you say, ‘I am the

doer’, you cannot become a Witness. This dream of wakefulness itself is

false. The seeing and the seen are both untrue.

The inner being of the aspirant is not yet mature. That is why he is

wandering in the world with his verbal understanding. He has to understand

clearly that his wakefulness itself is false. That should be the conviction.

You like to consider yourself as a human form. How did it come about? You

have the company of your consciousness and, therefore, the world. In my

eternal nature, there is no company of any kind. You take support of God as

you go about in the world. Otherwise, it is unbearable. It is no different

from taking a stick while going through a forest to get some courage.

One who does not know that ‘he is’, will he ever take birth? He is prior

to birth. All actions are useless when there is no Self-knowledge. After

realization all actions are still useless. What is understood through words is

false. That which moves is false. Either you follow what you have heard, or

drop it altogether. Do not mention this to anyone. You will be laughed at.

The one who knows he was never born can only say, ‘I am not the doer’.

The feeling that you know (the Truth) is untrue. Have I done anything for

the fact that you have come here? Only witnessing has happened. The

Witness is subtler than space. Consciousness behaves as it will. It has come

unknowingly. It is spontaneous. You are not consciousness. You are beyond

that. The knower cannot be mentioned through words.

Truth cannot be seen. It does not know whether ‘It is’ or ‘It is not’. One

who knows, cannot be known. Your sense that ‘you are’ will also go away.

With body-consciousness, the experience of being and the world has come

to you. You have forgotten that you are consciousness that knows the body.

You consider the body as ‘I’. This causes attachment to material things. You

are the Atman, the Witness.

You have not forgotten the Truth and, therefore, you cannot remember it

either. How can you remember that which is not forgotten? It is like the

lamp being the witness. In its light you do anything; fight or quarrel. The

lamp is not concerned with that. Similarly, the Absolute is not concerned

with consciousness and the resulting behavior. The one who knows this is a

sage. Spirituality is to realize the absolute meaning of your beingness, not

the meaning of what is seen or felt.

Wakefulness and sleep come and go automatically. You cannot change

that. The knower has no connection with these stages. He is not awake and,

therefore, he never sleeps. Wakefulness is a microscopic form of

consciousness. Even that is difficult to bear. The one who has no experience

of wakefulness and sleep is the all-witnessing principle. You may call it the

knowledge of Brahman. It is your own knowledge. Happiness and sorrow

are parts of your consciousness. The jnani has a silent sense of being. He

does not know that he is a jnani.

As there is sweetness in sugar, so there is self-love in consciousness.

This association with consciousness is transitory. To make it bearable, one

has to treat it as God or Brahman. Consciousness is the seed that can create

an infinite number of universes. Be friends with consciousness. When it is

pleased, it will reveal itself to you.

Nirupana 75

Saturday, November 18, 1978

You are prior to any thought you get. Always be aware of this. You are

prior to any experience you have. When you recede, what is then seen and

felt will become empty. The experience of ‘I am’ is not that of an

individual. It is the totality. It cannot be changed. There can be a remedy for

an individual, but is it possible in case of the totality? The experience of ‘I

am’ will go away in the same way it arrived.

I know that the experience of ‘I am’ was not with me. I also know that

the experience will go away. I am not That which will go away. God

(consciousness) cannot remain in my company forever.

Why do you wish for things to get better in your worldly affairs? That is

foolishness. Is anything in this world going to remain with you? Do not find

fault with any individual. Whatever happens, happens due to the nature of

time. An individual is powerless. As time passes, the individual goes on

changing. You cannot change the situation.

The experience that I have undergone is available to all. My identity is

not based upon anyone’s imagination, it exists naturally.

The nature of the mind is to think. It cannot stop. In fact it is due to

prana. You say that mind is due to the result of impressions. However, in

reality it is the flow of prana. Language (word) is created through prana.

Prana is movement; it is the vital force (chaitanya). Mind is the flow of

language; it must not be accepted. Awakening of Kundalini through the six

centers is the action of prana. Amongst all these, who are you? Is there

anything which can be claimed as your own right?

Is there a need to think when there is no longer any individuality? You

are the same today as you were before your birth. The love that everyone

has as ‘I am’ is the primordial maya – the root concept.

Birth is the worst bondage. I have swallowed this knot of birth itself.

With divine understanding, it will all go.

Nirupana 76

Thursday, November 23, 1978

There have been many great sages. However, they could not make any

changes in consciousness because they became one with the universal

consciousness. This consciousness is not in anyone’s control as it was not

created by anyone. It was created spontaneously and all else followed. It is

said that God incarnates and destroys evil, but it does not happen

knowingly. It happens spontaneously, as summer follows winter. When evil

abounds, good comes spontaneously into being. Self-knowledge is a matter

of experience. What is the totality? Until it is understood that we are the

same, we will not get ultimate satisfaction.

The feeling ‘I am’ is Shiva and Vishnu. Everything is created through

consciousness. Without your consciousness, there are no deities. The sun is

the same every day, yet there are names for different days. Really speaking,

all days are Sundays; concepts have divided them.

Dwell on why and how this consciousness has come over you. The rest

is meaningless. When there is consciousness in the body, there is the world.

Consciousness is God. That through which everything is known is God-

consciousness. It is the sensation ‘you are’. Through its light everything is

seen. The world is the result of the sensation ‘you are’.

Parabrahman – the Absolute, is not pleased by worldly efforts. To reach

that state, no method is of any use. Such means are nothing but

multiplication of concepts. You revel in concepts until you understand

yourself. What you believe or what you know is a type of entertainment.

Even in this, there are waves of miseries and dislikes. You behave

according to what you have heard as it suits you, but that is entirely false.

Your image of yourself, whether in worldly matters or in spirituality, is not

you at any time. This is true whether you perform mundane or spiritual

activities. There is not a single experience in the world that is true and

honest. Whatever image you have in your mind is not true. You cannot be

like that forever. Your self-image and actions are dishonest. Neither

childhood nor youth remain with us. The knowledge ‘I am a man’ or ‘I am

a woman’ is untrue. Memory depends on a body, but is the body an honest

fact? Is there anything everlasting in the world? Is there anything honest in

this world that can be proven by evidence? Does honorability in this world

have a proven standard?

The experience of our consciousness itself is untrue and dishonest. How

can the world that is vitalized by it be honest? All spiritual methods are

untrue. And yet consciousness has been given a divine status. Does

consciousness by which you know ‘you are’ last forever? No. Hence, the

sages have asked the question ‘Who am I?’

One remembers the charities and the rituals one performs. Does one

remember how many times one urinated? With that difference, the Self

would never come in sight.

Krishna says: ‘You cannot come to Me unless you seek the company of

a sage’. With that the concepts slowly melt away. When the seeker reaches

his true nature, there is not the slightest idea such as ‘I am Brahman’.

To meet a Sadguru is great fortune. (Three things are most important: the

human body, desire for Self-realization, meeting the Sadguru.) Keep saying,

‘Jai Guru, Jai Guru’ within yourself. You will understand and the inner

whisper will come out. You will see your true nature. There is no

modification like ‘I am’ or ‘I am not’ within your true nature (the

Absolute). Such is the condition of a sage. You must clearly understand

what is in you that gives the experience of happiness and misery. You have

your worries, but that through which the worries are experienced is not

eternal. The eternal Truth cannot be forgotten and, hence, the jnani sits

silently. He cares for no publicity.

Let all this cause no fear in you. Have faith in the Guru. Then That

which cannot be described will be pleased. Do not call temporary disgust as

detachment. You are fortunate as you have the opportunity to listen to this.

God is like a stick made out of faith, like the stick you carry for safety while

going through the forest. When you recognize God, He will serve you.

Continue reciting the mantra. Do not be impatient. Consciousness is the feet

of the Guru. It is a great friend. Be aware of this and keep quiet. Non-

duality means whosoever is, is myself only. One who lives like this is

protected from everything.

Nirupana 77

Thursday, November 30, 1978

Self-realization is a state of perfect contentment, both worldly as well as

spiritual. After this the seeker does not require even his true nature. You

have become a seeker because you are hungry for realizing your true nature.

The goal (pure consciousness) has three stages i.e. wakefulness, sleep and

dream. The one who knows the goal is beyond all the stages. The goal has

three gunas – Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. When you have realization, you will

know that you are prior to wakefulness and sleep. The alternating stages of

wakefulness and sleep will not be there permanently. As you are beyond

these stages, can you tell me what uniform you have?

Practice meditation. One should live with the conviction that one is not

the body, but the pure consciousness within the body. The spring of Self-

realization will flow from within. ‘What God has created is given back to

God. I do nothing.’ This is the sign of a sincere devotee. That which is

motivating the body is the true devotee. He has a pure heart. He himself is

God. In the beginning, he offers his body and awareness to God and then he

remains as pure consciousness.

Meditation means holding onto consciousness. The consciousness that

appears in the morning is the holy sight of God. Everything is known

through consciousness. When the heart is pure, one says, ‘The Guru is the

Self, He is everything’. The true devotee has no sense of doership.

Consciousness is the vital energy of the whole world. If you are unable to

do spiritual practices, at least maintain the pure feeling in your heart: ‘There

is no other God except my consciousness’. It will benefit you and others.

Pay no attention to honor and recognition. There should be no pride such as

‘I am a knowledgeable devotee’. Never publicize your charities or good

deeds. Use the body happily, but never identify with it.

Keep this awareness: ‘I am the seer, never the enjoyer’. Then the bad

qualities will drop off. The pure feeling in the heart should never be lost

sight of, even at the cost of your life. It is the inspiration of God that brings

us here. Go on meditating. Then you will become convinced that whatever

is, is not separate from yourself.

Nirupana 78

Thursday, December 7, 1978

God is pure consciousness that dwells in the body. When the body dies,

prana leaves. However, the Atman does not go anywhere. Does space go

from this room to the other room? No, because everything is contained in

that. When consciousness and prana come together, pain and pleasure are

felt. When prana separates from consciousness, there is no longer any

experience of pain and pleasure. The body is made out of food. Are you of

the nature of food?

When you remember that you are consciousness, the Guru is with you.

The belief that you are a human being is a sin. You have no beginning. God

comes later. God has His source in the primordial maya. This source has no

cause. (God – the manifest, is created from Absolute – the unmanifest.)

Your desire to continue with consciousness is the root-maya.

When there is no body, there is no word. When there is no word, there is

no sense of whether ‘I am’ or ‘I am not’. There is a verse: ‘Prior to

everything there is a seed, the feeling ‘I am”. True religion is to live as the

Self. You may do what you like, but do not ever identify your consciousness

with the body. Consciousness is the Sadguru. Remember, wakefulness that

comes in the morning is the holy sight of God. Keep that in mind as you do

your daily work. The holy feet of the Guru are the movement of the Guru. It

is your true nature.

In the essence of things, there is a quality e.g. sweetness or bitterness.

Your experience of the seed consciousness is your beingness. The essence

of the body is the feeling ‘I am’. Your body is the food for your

consciousness. Your destiny is the result of impressions that are embossed

in you. These are all concepts. Atman is pure, but He is bound by concepts.

Consciousness is attached to its qualities. It is the result of maya. It is the

love for beingness. The epithet guna-maya is given to the Self in the body;

the consciousness in the body. It is the same as God. We know that the

primordial illusion is that ‘we are’. It is the quality of Sattva. Because of the

root-maya, one wants his beingness to continue. It is self-love.

Paramatman, our true nature, has no such qualities. Maya is the name

given to manifestation of consciousness. Paramatman is prior to these

qualities; He is beyond time, beyond the feeling of existence or absence of

existence. (Pure consciousness is called God. After Self-realization, the

same is called maya.)

There is no difference between the speaker and the listener. (The same

consciousness works in both.) When consciousness becomes pure, it reveals

itself.

Incantation purifies prana. Prana purifies the mind. When consciousness

becomes very pure, as the result of a pure mind, it reveals itself. Such a

person is called a jnani. Consciousness, the sense ‘I am’, is the Guru. Do

not identify it with the body. It can see space, but space cannot see

consciousness, as it comes later.

The one who acts is prana. When prana is in the body, there is the

quality of knowingness. Once out of the body, it becomes universal. As you

hear this, you will understand that death is a false concept. The five-

elemental body is produced out of the primordial maya. However, we are

not the body. Sit silently for a while and meditate on the knower. The

mantra is given to make the mind quiet.

Nirupana 79

Sunday, December 10, 1978

One’s greatest need is one’s own beingness. It is the consciousness

created through the five elements. In itself it is false. Once you know that

everything is untrue, then whatever you do will be untrue. This is because

you have no existence in your own right. The fact that all is void is also

dependent on ‘you’. Without you who will say it is void? You may do

whatever you want but it is false.

You can hear this kind of talk only here. The rest of them (spiritual

teachers) will get you involved in some kind of a ritual.

Many great people were famous in their own time. Do they still exist?

Can they be sought out today? All that has been created is false. All that

was not becomes that which is not again. This knowledge is not useful to

those who want to live and want to gain something for themselves. It is for

those who want to realize their true nature. You know ‘you are’ and as a

result you have needs and wants. It is the reason you want a wife, children

and many other things. (Pure consciousness is void and it is not easy to

come face to face with it. To escape from this void, people fill up their life

with things to entertain themselves.) If you leave all desires, passions and

fears you will clearly see yourself. Then you will lay prostrate.

Your love for yourself happens spontaneously. (Your consciousness is of

the nature of love.) You want this consciousness, but at the same time you

cannot bear it. To make it bearable you do so many things. If you realize

your true nature, what can you do for yourself? It is Brahman that comes

into existence of its own and disappears on its own. It is everything.

Meanwhile, you feel you are the doer. The fact that you know ‘you are’ is

the root cause of trouble. In order to realize consciousness, prana has to be

purified with worship or incantation. After purification we realize

ourselves. Then we do not have a need for ourselves. All actions happen

spontaneously. The greatest of all things, visible or invisible, is

consciousness.

For anything to happen in the world is it not necessary that ‘I’ should be

there? The world will be there only if my presence is there. Your first act is

to protect your consciousness. The whole universe is contained in

consciousness. The source of consciousness is in the five elements. Your

need for God is to protect the knowledge ‘you are’. Death is the cessation of

knowingness, nothing else. In fact, there is no death or birth. Only the

knowingness becomes non-knowingness and that is all.

You search by asking ‘Who am I?’, but if there is no questioner to put

this question, who is going to investigate whom? At the Absolute level such

a question is meaningless. It is enough to remember daily that the evidence

of Paramatman is your consciousness. It is the original love, the original

devotion. Love it and you will be free from the experience of happiness and

unhappiness. You have identified yourself with a form; however, your

consciousness is formless.

There is no other attachment like self-love. It is the root-maya. Because

of it the world comes into existence. When the ‘I am-ness’ is forgotten, the

world disappears. Nobody dies. It is said that after death, a virtuous man

goes to heaven. Then where does a donkey or a rat go? After the fall of the

five-elemental body, all beings go to the same stage.

Nirupana 80

Thursday, December 14, 1978

The primary concept is the sense ‘I am’. It is consciousness. Hold onto

the basic concept ‘I am alive’. Your sensation ‘I am’ is God. Do not forget

this all your life. It is the same as maya. She signifies the power of God.

One must be convinced that he is not the body; he is consciousness. All the

names of God belong to consciousness.

A seeker has no form. One who still identifies with the body is an

aspirant. The conviction that ‘I am not the body’ must be there. It must be

firmly established that ‘I am consciousness only’. This is the goal of every

seeker: ‘I have no shape. I am in the house but I am not the house’. You say,

‘I am’, but can you give me some information about yourself while keeping

aside the word ‘I’? The one who is before the words ‘I am’, is he a human

being? Does he have a form? That knowledge does not have a body. There

is no question of its being either a man or a woman. Yet it has a flavor.

Consciousness is prior to everything. It is consciousness that remembers the

Guru. A seeker has no form, just as thirst and hunger have no form. Have I

not told you that you are not the body (even before the body dies)?

(In answer to someone’s question regarding astrology, Maharaj said that

its effects were true because we believed it to be true and as a result

suffered from its consequences. If we take ourselves to be as pure, formless

consciousness, how can the movement of planets affect us? The universe

with its planetary system is within our consciousness.)

One who has no notion of devotion or God is truly bound. One who

looks for Him desires liberation. One who follows a method is a seeker. He

becomes the siddha, the liberated one.

When you see misery in the world, you feel pain because you consider

yourself an individual. The individual is bothered by the sense of ‘I’ or

‘mine’. The totality has no such botheration. If you meditate on ‘I am the

whole world along with its pleasure and pain’, your personal sense of

misery will go.

Consciousness with its three gunas is the same in all animals. It is the

beingness. The subtle feeling of being awake is the manifest identity of

maya. In her womb are the three gunas. Nobody wants death. That means

the consciousness ‘I am’ wants to continue. Such is the power of maya. To

see the subtle consciousness is to see the world with its innumerable beings.

There is no one who can be called a doer or a creator or a destroyer. The

feeling ‘I am’ is the highest devotion.

So long as friction between prana and the essence of food is there, one

feels ‘he is’. When prana leaves, beingness comes to an end. In the body,

the friction between pure Sattva (quality of knowingness) and prana is

continuing. This creates the knowledge ‘I am’. When prana gets separated,

beingness disappears. No one can be rescued from the jaws of death unless

all this is understood.

Tamas and Rajas are involved in everyday activity. Rajas is the worker

and Tamas is the one that takes pride in the work. Sattva is the onlooker.

Consciousness is the characteristic of the essence of the food-body. Once

prana leaves the body, you will not remember that ‘you were’. The world

and the wakefulness are not different. Follow the words of the Guru to

understand this. Your manifest consciousness has to become unmanifest

again.

Hold onto consciousness at least before you go to sleep. When you wake

up, hold onto knowingness in the same way. You are pure consciousness for

a few seconds after awakening, and then the person becomes wakeful. The

most sacred thing in the world is consciousness. Without doing anything

else, meditate on consciousness. You feel you are the body, but you are only

consciousness.

Nirupana 81

Sunday, December 17, 1978

What use are those seekers whose minds are not steady? One who has

the most sincere desire in his heart finds his fulfillment sooner or later.

I feel I have been unknowingly caught in the trap of maya. Is it not due

to my parents who have claimed birth of the one who has no birth? That I

am born and i have parents is my defamation. Why should I take as true that

which has happened without my knowing it?

The thought ‘I am’ is an ailment that has come spontaneously. The

manifestation of consciousness means that all of a sudden we feel ‘we are’.

Because of this ailment one says, ‘I am the body’. The Atman is the

manifestation. However, there is identification with the body with its

collection of desires and passions. Listen to all this. Liberation does not

come as a result of any action. Whatever you know is not you.

Discrimination with open eyes is necessary. Mere blind faith does not do it.

With our beingness comes the world, with the living and the non-living.

Beingness is identified with the body. The root desire is to continue with the

ego. It is the result of turbulence in the gunas. The rest follows. When

beingness is gone, nothing remains. One who knows he is not the body is

the enlightened one. There is no pain for him due to hopes, desires,

passions, etc.

Did you notice becoming an adult from a child? Without knowing, your

body grows. Your state before the turbulence of the gunas is not traceable

by the senses. All is created due to the turbulence of the gunas. Understand

this and keep quiet. It is not necessary to talk about this. As you know it,

you will know that the universe is untrue – just an appearance. This

understanding should be firmly established in the mind.

‘I am-ness’ means turbulence of the three gunas. Whatever is seen

through it is a dream. It is called the world. It has come without any effort.

What part do you play in all this? The easy remedy to know all this is to

catch hold of what consciousness is. (‘I am consciousness, I am God. The

world is within me. I am prior to everything. I am the knower of it’: this is

Jnana yoga.) To believe that consciousness is the Guru and to catch hold of

his feet is the yoga of devotion.

This ‘I am-ness’ has come spontaneously and uninvited. It was not there

before. When it goes, the universe merges into the five elements. The ‘I am-

ness’ has been given names like maya, the root principle, the golden womb,

etc. One must know who and how he is and to whom everything is known.

Our mundane existence is to satisfy our hunger in the form of hopes,

desires and passions. The turbulence of the gunas augments this transient

life and the population increases.

Even with all your wealth, there will be no peace. Rest comes only after

forgetting yourself in deep sleep. You forget that ‘you are’. For whom do

you sing devotional songs? Meditate on That by virtue of which you know

the world. You will get peace in the form of samadhi. This peace does not

come through the five senses. When you will understand your

consciousness, you will come to know that you are the deep ocean of peace.

Nirupana 82

Thursday, December 21, 1978

You may say God is, or is not. The fact will not change. Who is saying

this? Who says God is, or God is not? (It is our consciousness that is the

real God.)

To be realized means to be perfectly silent. In deep sleep there is no

pleasure or pain. One feels good when sleep comes. In the same way when

you know who you are, death becomes an occasion of great joy. There

really is no such thing as death. When one forgets that he is so-and-so, there

is liberation. What is That whose characteristics are wakefulness and sleep?

This will lead to the state of the Absolute. You will find that the knower of

consciousness is a rare one amongst millions.

Have you understood your own true nature? The body is made of food

material. Mind, intellect, ego and consciousness are the form of prana – the

vital force. The knower of this does not do anything. As long as the incense

burns, there is a pleasant smell. When the ingredients burn out, the smell

goes. Similarly, as long as the essence in the body is burning, consciousness

is there. It is a flavor, it is self-love. The knower of this cannot be pointed

at. ‘I am’ is the direct knowledge. It is also the result of the three gunas.

One who understands this is the knower of the gunas. The feeling ‘I am’ is

the result of the gunas. When one praises God as someone different from

himself, it is indirect knowledge. When he realizes that whatever is, is

himself only, it is direct knowledge. The first phase has objective

knowledge. Later, there is no object.

One who concentrates on his Self, having faith in the Guru, becomes

free of all concerns. What is, is you. No other remedy is required. The need

for a remedy implies that consciousness is not purified. One becomes happy

when one forgets oneself. No outside object can make him happy. The

meaning of these words is understood through the grace of the Guru.

In sleep one forgets oneself. The waking up follows automatically.

Similarly, everything happens spontaneously. The only uplifting thing is

faith in the Guru. It is in one’s own nature. Do not look for greatness and its

associated pain. Do not accept concepts like ‘I am so-and-so’. After

listening to this, if one still suffers the pain of body-identification, how can

the Guru help? That sound with which you took cognizance of yourself is

the first wordless state. The meanings brought later by the mind mostly

cause pain. A jnani is even beyond all this as only the Witness.

One who is eternally peaceful while living is a jnani. He is pure

Brahman. The world has been created from your ‘I am-ness’. This fact is

known through the absence of thought. It is perfect. Keep silent. When the

mind recognizes itself, you will come to know that it is the operational

power of God. Do not be tempted by honors when people might take you as

the Guru. If a so-called jnani underrates others, you will know that he lacks

knowledge.

Nirupana 83

Sunday, December 24, 1978

In my (approach to) spirituality there is nothing to gain and nothing to

lose; there is only to know. Benefits have no use, as you have no form.

Throw away whatever you have understood. For knowledge of the Self, just

keep silent and discriminate. You are not the body; you are not the

consciousness. One who says, ‘I am not the consciousness’ must be you

only. All we need to know is that consciousness comes with the body and in

the end it forgets that ‘it is’. There is no such thing as death. How can you

be the transient consciousness?

Krishna says: ‘I am the knowingness in all manifestations. I am

everywhere. All the manifestations are My manifestations’. It is a river of

consciousness. The sages talk about how the One who speaks is.

When you wake up in the morning, the holy sight of God comes to you

unexpectedly. When you realize your manifestation, you will understand

that what happens is so by the virtue of That only. Hold onto consciousness.

There is no God other than that. The knowledge is of your Self. It is best

received by listening. It is of the greatest importance. The Lord in you is

trapped by concepts. He becomes free through listening. This removes all

obstructions. One is bound by body-consciousness. Listening cuts off

identification with the body.

Be convinced that the consciousness in you is the movement of the

Guru. The sense ‘I am’ comes when you wake up. Consciousness arises.

God manifests as your sense ‘I am’. You have put Him in trouble by

believing that He is the body. Your consciousness is your true nature.

Surrender yourself to consciousness. (This is non-dual devotion. It is true

meditation. Sit comfortably with eyes closed and without movement.

Observe your beingness with a passive mind until you forget your body-

consciousness.)

The myriad existences are nothing but the manifestation of your

consciousness. You take yourself to be of the nature of the body. Is it the

power of consciousness that makes you believe so? Maya and God exist

together. They are not separate.

In yoga, they take prana to the cerebral cortex (by breathing exercises).

However, the greatest yoga is the knowledge of the Self. The word of the

Guru is the perfect manifestation of God. Only the enlightened one can talk

about Self-realization. It is only possible when the Guru’s words are

followed: ‘you are shapeless, formless, pure consciousness’. The five

elements are clean and pure. Atman is a result of the unity of the five

elements. Get merged into the blue shade of the Absolute. You can call it an

idol or an ocean; whatever you choose it would be that. In samadhi there is

no sense of bliss. The joy is felt after the samadhi ends. You should reach

the point where the Guru-word is never forgotten.

Different foods, because of different qualities, have different effects on

the mind. The aspirant is advised to take simple food in the initial stage.

Ultimately, you should realize that your true nature is untouched by the

quality of food.

The steady state is without birth. One who is born has movement. Go on

remembering the Self, then all conflicts will vanish and result in silence.

That is the greatest worship. No experience will stain you. All I see and

sense is myself only. It is the knowledge ‘I am’. The Self is beyond thought.

The first dawning of wakefulness in the morning is without word. We are

prior to any word. The power of prana is the primordial maya.

When one is diligent in following the Guru’s words, all difficulties are

resolved. Keep hold of the words ‘I am pure Brahman’. With persistent

devotion that will become Parabrahman.

Nirupana 84

Thursday, December 28, 1978

The root-maya is love herself. It is the love to ‘be’. One wants his

beingness to continue. It has been spontaneously created. The process goes

on. The love is being created through love. The reason we are meeting each

other is this love for the self. This entire crowd has come out of that love.

The primordial maya is the ocean of love. All actions are based upon self-

love. If you realize this love, your attachments for worldly things will come

to an end. There will be no difference between you and the world. The

world has been created within the light of your consciousness. You will not

come across many people who will say this so openly. I do not call myself a

yogi or a sage. Therefore I can talk like this.

When you do not have Self-knowledge, you may go to the temple and

worship. It becomes unnecessary when you know your Self. There should

be no desires except for Self-knowledge. It takes strong dedication to

achieve this. All desire for worldly learning will fade away. Then you will

reach your true nature. One can get happily involved in what one likes. But

this does not lead to the discovery of your true nature. If your attitude is

fixed on external things, you will not have this knowledge.

Krishna says: ‘Forgetting everything, you should just worship Me’. Be

steady within your own Self. Presently, you are only listening. When you

get the experience, you will know. Where there is devotion, there is love.

Where there is love, there is devotion. As long as we take ourselves as the

body, the difference like ‘me and mine’ will remain. I cognize that ‘I am’.

That is consciousness. Worship consciousness with non-dual devotion. It is

cognized in the body and its movement is due to prana.

The ears do not listen. The one who listens through the ears is not a

human being. Really speaking, that which is listening is of the nature of

God. It is self-luminous. You believe otherwise because of the body. One

should continuously hold onto consciousness. The light of the Self precedes

other lights. It has no form, hence it is neither big nor small. Therefore it is

all-pervading. This love is formless. It has no body.

So long as there is prana, the Self resides as the seer. It neither comes

nor goes. You are in the body but you are not the body. You are pure

consciousness, pure vital force. The world is only the light of

consciousness. The original state is ‘Oneness’. That only has to be properly

understood. ‘I am consciousness’: this should be the conviction. All names

are my names. The best devotee is unwavering in the conviction that he is

not the body. All your needs will come to an end with Self-realization.

Otherwise, you will not be satisfied even if you were the emperor of the

whole universe.

Nirupana 85

Thursday, January 4, 1979

Observe how consciousness is working on its own. Do not interfere in

its working with your intellect. Keep watching. You think you know, but

you are not what you know. You are That to whom knowingness happens.

That alone IS. It is the beingness. Whatever happens is to the beingness

only. First there must be a conviction that you are not a human being.

There is no such thing as time. It is your concept of time. If this is

understood, body-consciousness will not affect you.

Consciousness is the seed. It has sprouted and grown. It has become the

world. In the beginning the devotee worships God. Later he lets Him go.

Consciousness cannot be thrown away, nor can it be held onto. It is ‘you’. If

everything is your Self, what do you throw away and what do you keep? So

who will hold onto whom? Parabrahman is beyond delusion. It is the secret

among secrets. It is known through a thought-free state. If one thinks about

Him, one gets wrapped up in concepts. One wants one’s consciousness to

be satisfied and happy. However, one’s true nature is obscured due to body-

consciousness. Perfection comes only with Self-realization. Body-

consciousness brings death closer day by day. Human beings suffer from

the false concept of birth and rebirth. Once Truth is understood, there is no

need of concepts.

Atman resides in the body. He is beyond concepts. (Paramatman does

not know whether He is or He is not.) A person has only to understand that

he is not of the nature of a human being. He is only consciousness that lives

in the body. The picture of the universe is painted out of the light of

consciousness. It is our true nature. It does not need any rituals. We must

behave in a dignified manner after knowing our worthiness. Actions,

however carefully executed, are imperfect as long as they are based on

body-consciousness. They are based upon the desire of having a better life.

All that is, is the nature of the Atman in the body. It is beyond memory,

beyond words. Forget that you are a human being. If you consider yourself

a human being, all the laws of mankind will apply to you. Have the

conviction that you are the perfect Atman.

Devotion is naturally there. It is original and self-luminous. It is

consciousness. It is the love to be. Do not identify with the body. Do not

say, ‘I am like this’, etc. It can never be compared to any objective

knowledge. Hold onto the Guru-word. There is no need of light and

darkness, wakefulness and sleep, accompanied by thirst and hunger. This

should be absolutely clear. You have depended on these things since the

concept arose in your mind that ‘I am a person’.

When there was nothing, the knower of the nothing was Paramatman.

He never had any desire. Why then is there a need of something? Is it not

for the protection of the body? By all means protect the body. But it is a

great sin to consider yourself to be the body. That sin will be washed out

only if you believe you are not the body. The knower is not created. The

conviction that you have no death is the experience of immortality. One

who has not cognized the Guru in the body will have a miserable death.

Conviction must come without uttering a word. The time of death is the

time of immortality for the one who follows the word of the Guru. That

occasion can never be described in words.

Keep on with rituals that keep the mind of the common man happy.

Otherwise, they may excommunicate you. Yet, do not allow the impression

on the heart to be effaced. Think of that aloneness without using a word.

The idea of body-consciousness is that ‘one who is born will go’. Even

while fighting a war, Arjuna did not lose his state of samadhi.

Remembering the mantra is necessary to destroy wrong thinking in the

mind. After impurity drops off, consciousness will be clear like a jewel in

the palm. After dismissing all words, the true nature, which is formless and

nameless, will become silent. When the mind is purified, consciousness is

seen clearly. Consciousness means Sattva guna, which is self-sensing.

The qualities that sport in the five elements flow as the mind through

your pure consciousness. All human actions are through the five elements.

Earth is the storehouse of the five elements and, hence, life sprouts from

her. The essence of the earth is the subtle body, which is your sense ‘I am’.

Without food there is neither prana nor consciousness. Observe your body

to see your true identity. The knower of the five elements is Paramatman.

He is beyond the five elements. He is beyond thought. He has no needs.

When you see yourself as the supreme Self, the colossal creation with

the five elements will reduce to the size of an atom. Meditate on how you

were before the body-form. As long as what you see and feel affects you,

you have not achieved knowledge of the supreme Self. To be perfectly free

means not to have any desire and expectation for one’s betterment. The

supreme Self is not the consciousness, but the knower of consciousness.

One who understands this secret becomes the supreme Self. The body will

fall. Then why lose our perfection by identifying with it? The tenure of life

is limited. The season will end along with life. This experience will go.

What is known must go. The knower cannot be known. ‘You are not that’

must be the conviction. Keep firmly in mind that what is forgotten is not

you.

Nirupana 86

Sunday, January 7, 1979

If you feel you have understood what has been said here, what do you

think about yourself? This body is made of the five elements. The word

associated with the body is of the nature of space. If you understand this,

your misery and happiness will come to an end. But every habit dies hard.

The habit of body-consciousness is like that. Once it is given up, the work

is done.

The picture appears and then disappears. Nothing lasts, hence it is called

maya. Your consciousness is a flame that depends upon food. It is like

burning incense that depends upon its ingredients. The incense gets

extinguished after the ingredients are burnt out. The fire dies. Did it go to

heaven or to hell? Your present condition is due to body-consciousness.

This must be understood. Whatever comes to you is through the five

elements, and it will merge into the five elements.

Can there be questions when one is beyond the body and the mind? Do

the thoughts belong to you or to your mind? They are not ‘your’ thoughts.

When you quarrel with somebody, is it not the mind that quarrels? If you do

not identify with the quarrel of the mind, it means the quarrel never

happened.

Brahman realizes Brahman. The human being cannot realize Brahman.

When you become one with Brahman, you will not be able to talk. For its

sake, at least some duality is required. This separateness is the mind and its

modifications. A person caught in a whirlpool suffocates and drowns. One

who dives to the bottom of the vortex gets out. We are caught in the

whirlpool of the body-mind. Dive deep into the mind to get out of it.

All the metaphors and classifications are for convincing the mind. They

belong to the five elements. Truth is beyond metaphors. First comes maya

or the self-love. Out of this is created the world with its five elements. Then

we can say, ‘we are’. Truth is beyond. Consciousness is spontaneously

created. It is not to be identified with a particular person. It needs support of

the body. Consciousness is self-love. It is atomic and yet it becomes as large

as the universe. The world arises with consciousness. A rare one thinks

about how consciousness has arisen. A true devotee sees through his

beingness.

As long as you have not become quiet, there is no experience of the

mindless state. On realizing it, even a fool becomes a great sage and is

worshipped by people. You become attached with the known and, hence,

you do not notice the knower. He is beyond consciousness. He is revealed

by the recitation of the Guru-mantra. When you realize consciousness, you

will know that you are beyond it. Mind is maya and mind is thoughts. The

samsara (daily duties and activities) that is so fearful for common people,

serves the true devotee. Where there is consciousness, there is energy. It

serves the seeker. The body is the food for consciousness. Make it happy

with unwavering devotion and you will realize your true nature. Then there

will be eternal peace.

Your worries harass you. If you want to end that, worship your

consciousness. It sets at the same point where it arises. When you repeat

‘Guru, Guru’, the Guru-hood inside will be pleased and reveal itself.

Nirupana 87

Thursday, January 11, 1979

We are all born into the same species, but our characteristics at birth are

different. It is because of the combination of the five elements. Therefore

the style of language for each one is different. We suffer the programs of the

five elements as destiny.

The goal for each one is the same, yet there are different opinions. In

deep sleep we are all the same. As soon as we wake up the differentiation

starts. The feeling ‘I am’ is the characteristic of consciousness. When the

shape comes into being, the essence of the five elements is prepared in it. It

means consciousness is generated. It becomes extinguished when the end

comes. It is not our end. The jnani is separate from consciousness. You

know a jnani by his name, his body and what he tells you. But to know him

directly, you have to go beyond your consciousness. So long as the mind

with its modifications keeps wandering, you are not ready for Self-

realization.

To believe that the body is myself is ignorance. Our identity that we are

without the body is boundless. Consciousness considers itself as the body.

This is the sin. The body has prana and there is consciousness as a

characteristic of prana. When prana leaves the body, consciousness

disappears. The ignorant one says that a person is dead. The body is the

food that supports prana and consciousness. Consciousness is the Guru.

Prana implies the word, the speech. They depend upon each other. Together,

they are called prakriti (creation) and Purusha (the observer) respectively.

The Guru’s word itself is prana. Consciousness is the Guru. Having

understood this, how do you see yourself? You think you are the body, don’t

you? Your conduct is the result of the five elements. The behavior of the

five elements is called your destiny.

Whatever happens is like a dream. There are desires until consciousness

and prana are realized. Desire is the root of bondage. After realization, one

goes beyond needs. Carry out your worldly dealings in the best possible

manner. Serve your family members by treating them as God. Expect no

benefit out of it. You have to realize prana and guna very clearly. Then you

will immediately transcend consciousness with its qualities. You will be

truly content. The greatest desire is the desire to live. Consciousness in the

body is the king – the Self. The vital breath or prana is the servant. Practice

makes anything possible. Make a habit of saying, ‘I am not the body’. This

will not happen suddenly.

Nirupana 88

Friday, January 26, 1979

In the incense stick there is fire, there is smoke and there is fragrance. It

is the same with the body. The body is the stick, prana is the fire, and

consciousness is the fragrance. Prana is the vibration of the essence of the

body, which is the essence of food.

Because of body-consciousness, a wife requires a husband and vice-

versa. The body is temporal. The knower is not. You may give them names

like Purusha and prakriti. The goal is the same. It is the feeling ‘I am’. What

actions did you perform before you cognized your body or your mother?

What conscious actions did you perform to become the way you are? What

sort of sadhana are you going to perform? What is your personal identity?

For which identity of yours should God offer His blessings? Is there a form

that you can strictly call your own? You will go back the way you came.

Remain as you are. Just observe what has been accumulated.

Does anyone lament over a clock that has stopped? It just means that

time has stopped. Should the ending of this time make you miserable?

When a person dies, time comes to an end. Should you grieve over this?

What gives you beingness is with you right here. Then what is the use of

wandering about? Is there a special place in the world where it can be

found? Stop here and think about this.

Krishna says: ‘With the rise of the feeling ‘I am’, I saw that I was all’.

Without consciousness, there is nothing. An infinite number of universes

dwell in consciousness. However, even one cell of it is not true and eternal.

By identifying with the body, do you expect to get the knowledge of

Brahman? You quarrel with the words you hear. Your true body is the all-

manifest subtle body of your microscopic consciousness. The world will

cease to exist when your consciousness comes to an end.

To continuously observe this consciousness is to surrender to the Guru.

It means to focus one’s energy. To surrender to the Sadguru is to give up

body-consciousness, to let go of individuality. Remembering our

consciousness is meditation. It is the same as the feet of the Guru. It leads to

Self-realization. That which realizes is the same as the holy feet of the

Sadguru.

Atman is awareness, self-luminosity. The light appears and then

disappears. Is there truly any birth or death? You say you know yourself. Is

it not because you already know ‘you are’? So think only of consciousness.

Where you, yourself, have no existence, who can say that the world exists?

Do you know that your consciousness is continuously taking pictures

through word, touch, form, taste and smell? It is automatic. You do not

know how this happens, therefore you take false pride in your actions.

Everything is happening spontaneously, so do not take any pride of

doership.

Nirupana 89

Sunday, January 28, 1979

No knowledge in this world is honest, because it is ever-changing. The

whole worldly experience is dishonest (transient). You may have taken

yourself up as so-and-so, but that identity will not remain the same. I know

myself through my Self only. That which is known is not honest (lasting).

Even that, by virtue of which it is known, is not honest. You will understand

this as time goes on. The knower was never born. God is created from the

material of the devotee. How does He incarnate? He takes His form through

the consciousness of the devotee. No one will tell you this. Do not get

entangled in the modifications of your mind. Just be in the company of your

consciousness, the feeling ‘I am’. It has come over us unexpectedly. It

nourishes your Self, as well as the world. Are you still wandering about

after listening to this?

Once faith becomes firm with one-pointed conviction, then all miseries

become tolerable. Consciousness in the body is the Guru. Non-dual

devotion is very difficult for a common man. Hence, consciousness has to

be worshipped as the Guru. No other Guru is necessary. It is of the nature of

love. It has come without asking. First I know ‘I am’ and then everything

else comes to be known. All dealings in the world are conducted for the

love of the Self. To act and conduct worldly business is Rajo guna. To

Self is playing as maya. The Guru is consciousness which has come to you

unknowingly. You have not cognized the Guru, so you love your body. His

vital energy protects the body. It does everything for love of the Self. It is

the source of the light. It is consciousness. Take it as the Guru and worship

it. You will not be able to worship your Self because of your conditioning.

Therefore, worship the Guru. Faith in your Self is the faith in Paramatman.

That is non-duality.

It is only through practice that one can stay without the chattering of the

mind. When a thing is seen, its photograph is taken automatically. That is

the skill of maya. Pure consciousness is the passive witness. Everything is

known to it. It is your Self-love. Worship that love as the Guru. Then the

realization will sprout in you just as a bud sprouts and becomes a flower.

You cannot follow the Guru-word because you are the slave of your mind.

It is possible to be silent without words, slowly through practice. When the

word becomes silent, it is the Sahaja (natural) samadhi.

Your nature is that of the Self in all beings. They are all your

manifestations. At first the dream space emanates from you, then you move

about in it as an individual. All this happens spontaneously. The Self of the

universe is the ‘I am-ness’ or the state of wakefulness that has come over

you. Worship the knowledge that listens to the word of the Guru and

surrender to him.

Nirupana 90

Thursday, February 1, 1979

People repeat God’s name in various ways, as they are taught.

According to my experience if the mantra is recited with proper breathing,

the mind becomes silent and samadhi ensues.

Even when Arjuna was fighting a war, his peace was not shaken.

Without peace there is no samadhi. The peace that results from Self-

realization is the real samadhi. The rest are mental constructs. Know that

you are not the body or the mind or prana, and be quiet. Then the actions

performed by the body-mind will not affect you. To whom has birth

happened? To whom does old age come? Think about that. All good and

bad habits come with the body, and go with the body. But you are not the

body. As long as you take yourself as the body, there will be a sense of

being a man or a woman with the accompanying pains and pleasures. All

attributes depend upon body-consciousness. Our true nature has no

attributes.

The ultimate Truth, Paramatman, has no caste or creed. The one who is

the knower recognizes this and keeps silent. If I tell you to do some ritual

you will do it, but it will not be of any use to you. Your miseries are because

of your consciousness, not because of the world. Knowledge that can be

spoken is of the nature of ignorance. Any action in the world is just

entertainment. Unless you forget this entertainment, there will be no peace.

The real jnani does not see the world as true at all. A jnani has no problem

of whether to act or not to act. Hence, nothing can be said about his

household. Just saying, ‘I am not the body, I am not the mind’, is not

sufficient. It should be known whose attributes are the body and the mind.

Only wordy knowledge will not do.

Consciousness in the body is the characteristic of the essence of food. It

will last as long as the essence is there. All things are contained in

consciousness. Prana and consciousness arise out of the food essence. How

long will they last? Consciousness through which you experience the world

is not everlasting. Actually, nothing is really created!

Break away from the concept that you are the doer, and then do what

you please. As a diamond cuts diamond, similarly, one has to use

consciousness to go beyond consciousness. No other instrument will serve

the purpose. Hold on tightly to that through which you experience fear.

(Consciousness creates duality, which causes fear. To get rid of duality, one

has to be one with consciousness, resulting in Self-realization. Then who is

there to experience fear?)

After listening to this, perhaps you will not see my face again. However,

if it gives you realization, you will come running from afar and prostrate.

You may wander all your life in search of Truth, but only your

consciousness will liberate you. It will free you from all your needs.

Afterwards, there will be no need for God.

You have to be free of consciousness. It is the primordial maya. It is not

the permanent state. If one has the understanding of time, fear will go away

permanently. To eradicate miseries, embrace That through which miseries

are known. That through which you know everything is the feet of the

Guru. Meditate on that. The three gunas are working, but you as an

individual claim doership. This individuality must be dropped. You think

you are acting, but it happens automatically. You will know that everything

happens by itself. You do nothing. It only appears that way to you. What is

not accomplished through meditation will be known through discrimination.

One who has created the body knows the remedy. What can doctors do?

Without taking any support of the name or the form, just be one with your

consciousness. In fact, nothing has happened and yet you see the world-

phenomenon. It is a characteristic of your consciousness. Be aware of that.

Nirupana 91

Thursday, February 8, 1979

The nature of the Self cannot be thought of. We can never contemplate

on ourselves. A simple remedy for this is to treat your consciousness as the

Guru. It is pleased when it is worshipped this way. Convince yourself by

saying that you are Brahman. Follow that as the Guru’s word. There is

nothing as perfect as Self-realization. There is nothing as imperfect as

body-consciousness. The Guru’s word is ‘I am formless, sinless, pure

consciousness’. A true devotee should never give importance to what

people say. He should be firmly rooted in his Self-realization.

Nirupana 92

Sunday, February 11, 1979

You are prior to thought. How can thoughts arise if you are not there

prior to them? You are prior to the wakefulness. It comes over you in the

morning, works through the day and sleeps at night. One day that

wakefulness will sleep forever.

My teaching is unique. It is of no use to the one who treats himself as

the body. What you are listening to is the highest type of meditation.

What is the meaning of life? It has none. It is there without any reason.

It is like urinating. Just witness. Even if life is understood as knowledge of

the Self, the knowledge gained is untrue. There will not be a vestige of it

left. As soon as prana leaves, you will be as if you never existed.

The Absolute is there forever. The knowledge ‘I am’ comes over the

Absolute. It is the source of misery. This ‘I am’ itself is the knowledge.

Your beingness is untrue. This is the essence of spirituality. Most people are

interested in the affairs of others. No one thinks about himself. One is

searching for God who is limitless. However, the seed of the world is

contained in the tiny consciousness. No one thinks of that.

Consciousness is called chidakash (the space within). The knowledge of

the world is not outside of consciousness. Sleep, trance, and death imply

forgetting our consciousness. Death is dreaded. Forgetting is the nature of

consciousness. The source of both the worlds of wakefulness and dream is

your beingness. Yet your consciousness is seasonal. What is beyond it is

true and eternal. Do not hurt anyone by your words. Do not slight anyone.

When it is all untrue, what expectation can one have from it? Or for that

matter, why should it be neglected?

Nirupana 93

Sunday, February 18, 1979

Because of the influence of maya one says, ‘I am the body’. In fact there

is no such thing as maya (it is illusory). It makes an individual take pride in

the body. Both the body and its actions are transient. Because the mind

takes responsibility, this worldly life has to be suffered. The company of the

body and the mind was not there before, and will not be there in the future.

The body contains pure, self-luminous consciousness. It has no bondage.

Under the influence of maya, consciousness has identified with the body.

Prior to such a belief, it is formless, thought-free Absolute. After believing

otherwise, whatever happens is delusive. Consciousness is the

undifferentiated Absolute. A slight modification in it creates the world. The

Self sees everything, senses everything; yet it cannot be seen or sensed. It

knows the actions of the mind, but it is not the mind.

If there is conviction that you are not the body, you will understand that

the whole world is motivated by your own knowingness. A concept arose in

the Absolute and that is maya. If there is an experience of misery, there is

also a need for happiness. With the conviction that you are not the body,

there is no experience of misery or happiness. As long as the mind is there,

the need is there. The Paramatman has no wants. When there is no

experience of the mind, one is truly silent. Are people who take a vow of

silence truly silent?

Remember in your heart that there is no other God except for your

consciousness. Then externally, you may behave as you like.

Nirupana 94

Thursday, February 22, 1979

Consciousness is in bondage so long as it is identified with the body-

mind and prana. When it realizes itself, it is no longer in bondage. The one

who says, ‘I am not the body, I am not the mind, I am not prana’, is not

bound by the same. One who knows prana feels very joyful at the time of

death. Whatever is known goes away. The one to whom it is known neither

comes nor goes.

One who understands this knows what ‘birth’ means. One who has

rightfully discriminated the concept of birth does not suffer from it. Now

tell me who is born, whether it is you or the desires? A jnani knows the

answer. The jiva in bondage also knows this; yet he is caught up in the

concept that he has to undergo more suffering. The jnani cannot be

described through words. He is neither a man nor a woman. He has no

form. The one who knows this cannot be comprehended.

The concepts of birth and rebirth are for ignorant people. Desire is of the

nature of space. Then who is born? Prana comes from space, mind arises

from prana, and you identify with the mind. When it is understood that ‘I’

am not an object, one knows that whatever is seen is not ‘I’. Everything is

in space. It will take the shape of concepts that you give to it.

The primordial maya is of the nature of space. Therefore what I tell you

is all ignorance. You may still say that it is of the nature of true knowledge.

(That means ultimately it is beyond words.)

During sleep there is no mind. There is only prana. When mind arises

and becomes visible, you call it a dream. The mind can never say anything

new or original. It can only repeat what it has learnt. You have put the noose

of the mind around your neck. A jnani does not do that.

We have to find out who creates concepts. Give up all loose talk and

chant ‘Jai Guru, Jai Guru’. There is no knowing what He will grant you.

Nirupana 95

Thursday, March 1, 1979

As a matter of fact, prana is the upholder of the Sattva (beingness)

quality. Food is necessary for our beingness to keep the flame going. The

light of this flame is our consciousness.

In meditation, a point of Sattva becomes visible. Once it is seen, all sins

come to an end. That is the sign of Self-realization. When it is seen, all the

impurities (sins) are washed away. So long as there is the union of food,

water and vital breath, you feel ‘you are’. It will not do if one of them is

missing. To understand all this, it is of no use just to have a philosopher as a

Guru. It is necessary to have a Guru who understands the nature of the Self.

Mind cannot reach the Atman. Mind is limited to the body. Experience

of the body and the mind arise simultaneously. The Atman reveals Itself

when the body is forgotten. Man becomes free by removing body-

consciousness.

Where the Sattva quality is impure, body-consciousness must be there.

Body-consciousness goes when the Sattva is purified.

Nirupana 96

Sunday, March 4, 1979

Mind depends on thoughts. Consciousness is beyond thought.

Consciousness arises out of ignorance (the primordial state – the Absolute).

Ignorance becomes knowledge. When one leaves the body, the knowledge

recedes into ignorance. One who recognizes this is a siddha. (Here, the

word ‘knowledge’ means consciousness and the word ‘ignorance’ means

the Absolute – prior to manifestation.)

Due to contact with maya, this delusion is called God. He too is maya.

There is not an iota of truth in this world. Many people study yoga, which is

the joining of knowledge and ignorance. In the end, all is ignorance. It has

to be realized that consciousness itself is ignorance.

When there is no consciousness there is no time, and vice versa. What is

the meaning of time? If there is no consciousness, can one recognize time?

You are the power that takes continuous photographs of the five

elements. You do not make any effort there. Therefore there is no doer. You

may say that you own nothing, but do you even own yourself? Knowledge

is the source of ignorance, and vice versa. The recorded tape repeats itself.

Does it have any intelligence? Exactly like that, the impressions that have

been recorded in your consciousness since childhood do the talking. Is this

understood? The tape and your consciousness are of the same category.

The fact that we remember ourselves is the main ailment. It results in

thought and carries out all mundane dealings. Time, maya and Brahman

(the manifestation) are the same. Paramatman is not of the nature of

consciousness. It is the perfect, pure vijnana, prior to consciousness. It is

not born out of a womb. The experience of the imperfect state has needs

like hunger, thirst, etc. That is how it is recognized. Enjoyments are there so

long as there is maya of the form of consciousness.

Nirupana 97

Thursday, March 8, 1979

Jiva means consciousness. One is restless because one believes one is of

the nature of the body. The body is a doll made up of food. The mind has

taken to the belief that one is of the nature of the body. As a result, it has to

suffer all kinds of miseries. Really speaking, the mind has no individual

existence. By taking yourself as the body, you are retrograding yourself day

by day. Even that deterioration is not real. All this is called maya. The fact

that you experience fear should make you find out who you are in all this.

There is no person in the body, as such. There is prana in it, there is

consciousness in it. Your true nature is the Self, not the body.

The Guru is not an individual, he is the manifested all-pervading

consciousness. Take up the identity as formless consciousness and carry on

your activities. The reason why devotion to the Guru gives liberation is that

one comes to know that he is free. The mind can never cognize the Self.

When the mind steadily attempts to find the Self, it disappears in the

process. Maya has compounded the body with consciousness. What is

visible has form and color, but the seer has neither form nor color.

Why does memory fail in old age? It is because consciousness, one’s

quality of Sattva, starts dissolving. We must have the knowledge of what we

were before we hear about how we are now. Our behavior is the result of

characteristics of the essence of food. Please remember that the mind flows

according to the quality of food. You have a great attachment to your

consciousness. Worldly activities are carried out in order to tolerate our

beingness. The one who has the conviction that he is the Atman will never

feel anything, even if a thousand miseries are heaped upon him.

Nirupana 98

Sunday, March 11, 1979

The jnani knows what is eternal and what is not. It is to be understood

by discrimination. What is understood by the mind has to be further

discriminated. In this process one understands the gross body and the subtle

body. The jnani thinks of the Sattva, the ‘I am-ness’ or consciousness with

discrimination. He then becomes stabilized in his true nature. The gross

body is made up of food. Consciousness flows from the essence of food and

the feeling ‘I am’ arises from consciousness. It is the instrument for right

discrimination. The jnani knows that it too is transient.

One who discriminates about time is not bound by time. He is the

knower of time. He is prior to what he knows or senses. As long as you

think that death is real, you have not come out of the cocoon of

consciousness. The seeker has to convince himself first that he is not the

body. Until then he cannot discriminate.

How can he, who is not the body, ever be stained? With body-

consciousness, one suffers misery even if there is apparent happiness.

Without body-consciousness, one is happy even in misery. He is liberated.

Ego means identification with the body. As space does not go from here to

there, the Self does not go places. It is everywhere. Where there is no

discrimination, death is real. It is not real for a jnani. It is the ego that

performs actions taking the body as its nature.

If a man is told that he will deliver a child in two days, he will not be

affected (as he knows it is not possible). Similarly, one who knows that he

is not the body is never afraid of death. Parabrahman neither comes nor

goes. He is infinite. Brahman (with qualities) has to come and go through it

all. The jnani discriminates as to what it is all about. His being in the body

is incidental. As the Self, he pervades inside, outside, and everywhere. As

an example, the vessels may be big or small but the space in them is the

same. Think properly about this while prana is still in the body. As long as

the body and prana are united, there is experience. A jnani knows that he is

not what can be known. He is the knower. A jnani knows that. You are not

consciousness, nor what is experienced through consciousness.

Discriminate properly to understand this.

One who identifies with what the mind says is a sinner. He is in

bondage. Parabrahman has no identity. He is beyond everything. The

company of consciousness will end just as the sun sets, just as childhood

ends. Observe consciousness. Worship it with love and give it the status of

God. In the end you will be convinced that you are the Self. This only is the

spiritual path, the ultimate Truth.

Nirupana 99

Sunday, March 18, 1979

You have accepted bondage of the body and, hence, you are bound by its

actions. Paramatman is without bondage. You have accepted concepts since

the birth of the body. You are holding onto these concepts very tightly. The

original concept is ‘I am’ or ‘I am awake’. Because of this concept there is

a sense of time. Once the original concept ‘I am’ is proved to be untrue, you

will realize that you are birthless and deathless. There are millions of

incarnations of consciousness every moment (what we see, visualize and

imagine are the incarnations of our consciousness). It is said that the

thoughts at the last moment decide the future of the one who is dying. This

is true for an ignorant person who believes he is the body.

What is a jiva? What is a person? It is the beingness. It is formless.

Consciousness is born; it has the characteristic of matter. It is the essence of

food. It is pure as such. Because of the body, it seems to be polluted. The

simple meaning of Parabrahman is That which is beyond everything seen or

felt. He is eternal and true. Is there any experience of His association? He is

beyond space. He is changeless. Does one experience space in deep sleep?

The one that changes is the one consumed by time. Whatever happens is

due to the quality of consciousness. Paramatman cannot do good or bad. In

my true nature, there is nothing that can be changed. Paramatman is neither

knowingness, nor non-knowingness. He does not have an iota of

information. One who practices devotion is of the eternal nature of

Parabrahman.

If there is sunlight, there is no need to look for the sun. Sunlight is not

separate from the sun. Similarly, everything comes into being from my

consciousness. I, myself, am Parabrahman, the Perfect One. All things

happen in the space of consciousness. Expectation, desire, fear, birth, death

exist along with the mind. They arise with the sense ‘I am’. It wants to

continue. Consciousness creates the great sky that we see. The space of

consciousness has come by itself. However, I am Parabrahman. I am

complete.

You think about your body. Worship your consciousness. Imperfections

abound when you worship the body. One who becomes one with his

consciousness must get an experience of the all-witnessing state of being

(the fourth state). The world and your consciousness are not separate. Your

wakefulness and the nature of the world are the same. Remember well that

the Atman, knowingness, and the world are one and the same. Ruminate on

the fact that our consciousness is seen as the world.

Importance is given to the birth of the body you call yours. Does anyone

have the courage to say, ‘the whole world is my own form, my nature’? Due

to the quality of Sattva (consciousness), wakefulness comes as ‘I am’. Due

to the fact that it is seen for a long time (one’s life span), one gets

intoxicated. Eventually, wakefulness becomes difficult to tolerate. To know

the secret of consciousness, one has to become very familiar with it.

Consciousness during dream and wakefulness is the same. It is a material

process. After properly knowing all the three states i.e. wakefulness, dream

and sleep, one who lives in the fourth state is pure Brahman. It takes total

dedication to realize it.

Nirupana 100

Thursday, March 22, 1979

One who has the unshakable conviction that the Guru is the Paramatman

realizes his eternal nature without any effort. Humility and surrender make

you realize your inner nature. When your attention is diverted towards your

true nature, the mind disappears. You may bow down, but remember that

you are That which is prior to the act. Your sense ‘I am’ is prior to that. The

sense of individuality will vanish; the pure sense of beingness will remain.

You may be practicing devotion, but it should be directed to the One who is

the knower of consciousness. When our mind disappears, while awake, the

knower of consciousness is revealed. Thousands practice devotion. One

who reaches the target has a single-pointed aim.

When there is no knower, how can knowingness work? You are

consciousness. Its support is the Sadguru. He is prior to consciousness. He

is all-pervading. Without Him, who will know consciousness? When body-

consciousness goes, individuality goes. Under guidance of the Guru the

devotee realizes that he is not the mind or the body. He is the knower of the

body-mind. He attains Godhood. The Guru may worship like a common

person, but he is free of delusion. He sees no difference between himself

and God.

There is fear of death as long as there is the connection to the body-

mind. There really is no death for you. Then why should there be any fear?

The highest form of devotion is to remember what one hears from the Guru.

One who loses the nature of his jiva gains the nature of Shiva. Even if he

leads a worldly life, it is in his Guru’s service.

It is a sickness to call your body as your Self. Your entire worldly life:

children, wealth and desires are mere entertainment where there is nothing

to gain and nothing to lose. If you are a true devotee, maya will take

different forms and serve you. With devotion, doubts are eliminated.

Without consciousness in it, is the body not a corpse? All the activity

belongs to consciousness and not to Me (the knower).

The word is there because of the sense ‘I am’. The tongue has a power to

taste because of consciousness. Be a devotee of the nature of knowledge of

the Self. What meditation are you going to do? The meditator and the One

who is meditated upon are the same. Listen properly, keep it in mind and

ruminate over it. Understand your attachment to worldly things.

Nirupana 101

Sunday, March 25, 1979

We are meeting here because of the blessings of the Sadguru. This

cannot be understood with body-consciousness. To serve at the Guru’s feet

(one’s own consciousness), the aspirant has to be holy and purified. One

who lives in body-consciousness will not get to drink the nectar of the

Guru’s feet. (He will not realize his own consciousness.) The aspirant has

no form. Yet, because of his light the world becomes visible. When you see

a dream, which light do you see it by? The seeker’s consciousness is the

same as the holy feet of the Sadguru.

Your consciousness does not have a birth. Your existence as pure

consciousness is the state of the Guru. When the disciple accepts it, he is

born as God. Prior to that it is a birth of the body. When the Guru initiated

you and told you, ‘you are not the body’, at that very moment you left off

your human nature. Now, you will have no birth. Everything is known

through your consciousness. It is the center of the universe. Without the

Guru, consciousness cannot realize itself. If you have no time, remember

the Guru-word at least while going to sleep. You should worship

consciousness as the feet of the Guru. All things in the world are created for

the love of the Self.

Nirupana 102

Wednesday, March 28, 1979

Gudi Padva, Maharashtra New Year’s Day

We are aware today that ‘we are’, but what happens to that awareness in

the future? Those who die while identifying themselves with the body have

to take another birth (according to the scriptures). Whatever concept there is

at the time of death, it happens accordingly. This is not the case for one who

is enlightened. It is not my experience, so I do not talk of rebirth. One who

has realized the totality does not have individual birth or death. As totality,

the Atman does not have beingness. The beingness comes with the body,

which is food. The cause of the existence of beingness is trivial. Yet it is

responsible for rebirth. The jnani knows this.

One does not have the experience of one’s own birth. If he speaks about

another person’s birth, will it be true? This knowledge is to explain how the

bubble is formed. All other acquired knowledge is false.

Maya arises out of body-consciousness. The love ‘I am’ is the maya.

Some people find it difficult to listen to this type of knowledge. It requires a

great deal of inner strength.

Pure consciousness is everywhere. When it is not in the body, it has no

knowledge of its existence. Can space have the experience of breathing?

Words and their meanings create a variety of desires. Instead of looking

outside if one looks within, one will be freed quickly. Do not ask others

about it. One has to discriminate. When there is discrimination, there is

detachment.

You work hard for a living. What is living? Is it not an attempt to

continue the beingness? Why does man suffer so many hardships? Is it not

to perpetuate his beingness?

Consciousness is unbearable. With that comes the fear of losing it.

Therefore there is both misery and fear. All worldly things are created in

order to make consciousness bearable. There is a need to have a husband, a

wife, a child, food, etc. Hence, the love for our beingness itself is improper.

The love for the self wants to continue. That is the great illusion – the love

for the self has become the cause of creation of the universe. When life

comes to an end, will we care about what happens to the world? If you feel

the urge to understand this, you will definitely understand.

Basic spiritual knowledge is simple, but people unnecessarily get

involved in painful rituals. When there is no beingness, the body is a mere

corpse. Your true nature is beyond description. It cannot be known, yet it

does exist. It is the Source of everything. Consciousness has appeared, and

it will disappear. That is all. What else do you want to know?

If you stabilize yourself in your true nature, the basic needs will

automatically be provided for you. You will have to make no effort for

them. The Guru reveals to the disciple his own worthiness. He initiates the

one who has surrendered. The meaning of the mantra is ‘I am Atman, I am

not the body’. This is like the name-giving ceremony for the newborn.

Parents give birth to the body. The Sadguru gives birth to consciousness. He

sows the great seed into the heart of the disciple. One who perceives the

Guru-word becomes God.

Your tongue does not have a taste of its own. Hence, it can recognize

other tastes. Similarly, consciousness is without concepts. It is simply an

illumination. The only honest thing in the world is the Guru-word: ‘I am

Brahman’. There is something in the body by which you know ‘you are’.

This cannot be understood without the grace of the Guru. You strive to

comfort the body. When you redirect your efforts to realize the Self, you

will become immortal and imperishable.

Nirupana 103

Thursday, March 29, 1979

The nature of the Sadguru is eternal and infinite. Rama, Krishna, Hari,

etc., are all His ornamental names (these names belong to consciousness in

their body-forms).

When the concept of birth is proved to be untrue, everything that comes

with it is also proved to be untrue. The Guru is Parabrahman. After

understanding this, one holds onto it within himself and becomes of the

nature of the Guru. Once the subtle body is effaced, there is no longer any

concept of death. Then what remains is the birthless principle. Body-

consciousness and the sense of doership vanish by the grace of the Guru.

Once understood and imbibed, one never loses it.

The grace of the Sadguru means the manifestation of His consciousness.

Consciousness has a sense of individuality because of the body. This sense

goes away and what remains is the totality.

The nature of Brahman is consciousness. As long as there is a subtle

body, there is ego. When that is wiped out, there is no birth. Body-

consciousness is replaced by the universal Infinite. The state of

Parabrahman and the grace of the Sadguru are one and the same. It means

realizing one’s own nature. You become That according to what you have

heard. Then the grace of the Sadguru will descend. We are nothing else than

the nature of the Sadguru. Consciousness in the body is moving about

accepting various concepts in the world. One who has kept his attention on

the word of the Sadguru will surely get His grace. The Sadguru’s nature

will become open and clear. You will know that you and the Guru are the

same.

The experience of the world and the dream come through the body.

What is there, after all, in the body? With that knowledge, one’s subtle body

drops off and what remains is true nature. Now the seeker has no

individuality, no birth concept. One who has not realized this has to behave

in accordance with the nature of time. The life-term from birth to death is a

passing season; it is time. All your experiences depend on time. So

understand this once and for all before your life comes to an end. The jnani

takess the day as only a moment. All things are being done by the

measurement of moments.

In what form do you want to preserve yourself? What you are now is

only seasonal and, therefore, temporary. If you understand the nature of

time, you will transcend time. All this will be clarified through the Guru-

word. The continuous whirring of consciousness is going on within you.

Just observe it.

During the period of ignorance, liberation was necessary. After one gets

knowledge of the Self, that liberation serves you. This is so as long as there

is a slight trace of individuality. Individuality depends on time. The knower

of time is the Sadguru. One who depends on time does not ever become free

of worry. The knower of time does not need a term of life. Bliss means the

realization of our timeless true nature. Your experience of time is between

the dawn of consciousness and its setting.

The Sadguru is one’s own true nature. What a person takes himself to be

is of the nature of time. It is the sense of you and yours, and nothing else.

And yet there is no such thing. Be very quiet. Do not take the trouble to

acquire or renounce anything. Only the mind is born, not you.

Nirupana 104

Sunday, April 1, 1979

Ordinary people cannot get Self-realization. They see themselves as

bodies. Unless body-consciousness is eradicated, Self-consciousness cannot

arise. The fact is that impurity of the gross body cannot affect

consciousness in the body. Yet the same consciousness is moving about in

the form of the body. Whatever apparent happiness one enjoys also

becomes the source of misery.

The Self identifies with the body and loses its perfection. So long as

there is a concept of birth, there is misery. Consciousness is formless, pure

and holy, but it is laden with the concepts of ego and birth. One who is

disgusted with worldly affairs becomes detached. Because of body-

identification, it has got mixed up with the five elements. The knowledge in

the body is the holy sight of God. It is He who makes one understand that

the idea of birth is false. He crushes the sense of individuality.

Consciousness is busy with many thoughts. With the Guru’s guidance,

you have to turn it back onto itself. One who understands that there is no

difference between his consciousness and the Guru, becomes enlightened.

When one believes that he is not the body, he gets the grace of the Guru.

Consciousness is infinite and unlimited. Then how can it have death? By

the Guru’s grace, the birth of the body becomes the birth of Brahman. Then

the seeker forgets that he is a particular individual.

Even when the jnani is all-pervading, he still has one desire. Knowledge

should continue to progress. He keeps looking out for someone worthy of

receiving the knowledge and to pass it on. As such, all are devotees of God.

Devotion to God is devotion to the Self. Everything is done to perpetuate

the sense ‘I am’. According to the Guru-word, if you worship the formless

consciousness, you will be immortal and indestructible. You will understand

that your true nature is Parabrahman.

Does the Self have needs such as food and wife and children, or are they

for the devotee? The Self is mistaken for the form of the body. Those who

have knowledge of the Self have pervaded the manifestation and

transcended it. They are Parabrahman – beyond form and qualities. If you

have realized the Self, rituals, religions, black or white magic, curses or

ghosts, are of no consequence to you. Instead they turn back and strike

those that direct them upon you. One who plays with a jnani brings misery

to himself. If you believe the fortuneteller, you have not acquired

knowledge of the Self.

In the dream, the world was seen. In the dream there also appeared your

own body. The dream eventually ended and the world disappeared. Then

what happened to the One who saw the dream? Did He see His corpse lying

there? He never came and never left. Atman is not prana. Recognize this

fact. It will not be enough if you just memorize it. What is there in the body

due to which we know ‘we are’?

You must practice devotion to the Guru (non-dual devotion). Be vigilant.

Prepare yourself to see the bliss of the last moment. For others it is a

dreadful event.

Nirupana 105

Thursday, April 5, 1979

Birthday of Lord Rama

When Rama was born, he had no knowledge of Parabrahman. His Guru

Vashistha taught him that he was Parabrahman, without beginning and end,

and he was not the body. You must cognize Rama’s birth through direct

devotion. Your beingness is the incarnation of Rama. All living beings have

beingness. All worldly activities are for passing the time. They are of no use

to you. The one who says, ‘I am dying’ is making a great mistake. The one

who talks about Rama is your own consciousness. The one who realizes the

birth of Rama is not stricken by death.

That which is prior to any memory, That which is Self-sensing, is the

true nature of Sri Rama. Your feeling that ‘you are’ is the holy sight of Sri

Rama. That due to which we know ‘we are’ is the yoga (union) of Sri

Rama. Parabrahman had forgotten Himself, but by the grace of the Guru,

He realized Himself. The holy feet of the Sadguru are the same as Sri

Rama. Atman, the Self, is not pleased without contemplation and devotion

to the Guru. Rama, whom Sri Vashistha taught, was the Rama whose

physical presence was acting in the world. The one who made him cognize

Parabrahman was his own Self. Your consciousness is the Guru’s feet.

Please remember this. If you are fearful, just repeat ‘Guru, Guru’.

Prana provides consciousness with everything and nourishes it. Prana is

Maruti (Hanuman, a devotee of Rama) and consciousness is Sri Rama. If

you want to see Rama, please your prana. For that, keep on repeating the

mantra constantly. The source of mind is prana. The source of prana is

consciousness. The fact that you know ‘you are’ is Rama Himself. Prana

provides it with everything.

Your beingness has suddenly come to your awareness – that is the birth

of Rama. For understanding this, discrimination is necessary. It might be

that one is polluted by many sins. Even then, if one’s faith in the Guru is

strong and one has been initiated by the Guru, his sins are absolved and

reduced to ashes. You must be anxious about contemplation of the Guru. To

remember the birth of Rama, treat your consciousness as the holy Rama.

There is no metaphor for the Guru because there is nothing that can be

relatively compared to him. The cognition of Rama is the recognition of

your pure consciousness. It is praised with an infinite number of names.

They are the names of our own Self. This conviction is necessary.

Parabrahman is absolutely open and clear. See that with determination.

If you have seen the state of deathlessness, you will always be at peace,

even when others criticize you. Do not tell others but repeat mentally, ‘Am I

not Rama Himself ?’ You are experiencing this tape (of consciousness) for a

few days. It will go away. Whether the body goes or stays, do not let go of

the Guru’s feet. There is no effort for that. A rare one gives his

consciousness the status of the Guru. It is a great fortune. Keep yourself in

awareness but not as the body, or as the mind. One who gets the Guru’s

grace requires nothing else to meditate upon. What is required is faith and

trust. With that you become immortal. This will not be understood without

devotion.

The Guru is prior to words. The one who speaks the word is prana.

Without concepts, just see what you naturally are. Then all that you have

believed so far will spontaneously go away.

Since birth, there have been desires. They are pacified only through

knowledge of the Self. Those who prattle about Self-realization are making

themselves cheap. Remember this well: going around naked is not

detachment. It is detachment when one becomes aware of the fact that

everything is transient and is going to perish.

Nirupana 106

Thursday, April 12, 1979

Maharaj’s Birthday (Hindu calendar – Hanuman Jayanti)

When consciousness realizes consciousness, it is called Self-realization.

Consciousness has no form, then how is one to recognize it? How does

consciousness know itself? Consciousness identifies itself with the body,

which has been changing since childhood. Consciousness is aware of itself,

but it has not recognized itself. Consciousness should keep the body aside

and look at itself for a moment, then its knowingness disappears.

Consciousness forgets itself and samadhi ensues.

Consciousness is by nature universal. The body may pertain to a worm,

but its consciousness contains the universe. This will be understood when

consciousness realizes itself. All the names pertain to consciousness. The

worthiness of consciousness differs according to the different types of

bodies.

You experience time. It means you are the witness of time. It also means

you are not time. The luminous, all-powerful consciousness has taken itself

up as the body. It has become weak. The body is only the food for

consciousness. Consciousness is a non-doer. It only witnesses. It has taken

up names like Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. It has no birth or death. If there

were birth and death, it would have told you stories of thousands of births.

But does it remember even a single birth?

You cannot hold onto consciousness as it is free and all-pervading. Be

true to your consciousness. In the beginning you may feel restless, but it

will not fail you. Surrender to it, as it is God.

Our true nature does not know that ‘it is’. Out of this, the feeling ‘I am’

developed, followed by the world. When one is in a state of everlasting

Truth, one is beyond experiences. In this state nothing is known; we do not

know ourselves.

In the state of ignorance, one gets involved in worldly activities. They

will not last. You have nothing of your own that can be protected. What is

the sum total of our spirituality? It is to find the truth and untruth about us.

All that can be found is the untruth.

It is due to the quality of Sattva (the knowing faculty) that one

experiences beingness. As sweetness manifests itself in sugar, like that the

knowing faculty, Sattva, manifests as the mind. And you are not the mind.

Consciousness may expand itself to any extent but it has to become

unmanifest again. That is its true nature. You want your beingness. But how

are you going to fulfill that need? That which is prior to knowingness

knows that the quality of Sattva will not last. Then who will inherit what the

knowingness does?

Nirupana 107

Thursday, May 3, 1979

Krishna says: ‘That which is in the heart of a human being prior to any

experience, is My true nature’. The world is known through it. The

knowingness has been created unknowingly, as our consciousness has come

over us unexpectedly.

Witness the consciousness. It is self-luminous. It is the seed of the world

– the same as Hiranya Garbha – the golden womb mentioned in the

scriptures. Everything is hidden in it. Krishna says: ‘Jiva implies

consciousness. The totality of consciousness is My true nature’. Focus your

attention on That by which you know ‘you are’. Whatever is, is

consciousness. It has forgotten its true identity. Therefore it believes itself

to be the small body. Do not ill-treat the body but observe consciousness

that is in the body. ‘That is the holy sight of Me, the supreme Self’, so says

Krishna. This is His true experience.

There are many Gurus in the world. A rare one tells you to pay attention

to the consciousness in the human body. Meditate on your consciousness.

Do not pay attention to things known through consciousness. Your in-built

love for yourself is the highest devotion. Be devoted to the love (‘I am’)

which is now listening. It will bring you contentment. The body is just a

happening – a condition. The experience of immortality means there will

never thereafter be the experience of death. Worship your consciousness as

God. Rituals are only for passing the time.

Devotion of this kind is prescribed for steadying the consciousness. Do

not entertain any idea of your gender, whether male or female. That is only

an incidental condition, a temporary phase. The body may go on or come to

an end, but you are the luminous consciousness. According to the Guru-

word, one who merges with his true nature is a yogi. It means that

consciousness has realized itself. Worship consciousness with

consciousness. One who sees his consciousness as all-pervading, his every

action is an offering to Brahman. The self-sensation ‘I am awake’ is the

holy sight of God. Everything is seen through Him, but He is not seen. Who

is He? He is your own pure consciousness. All the fourteen types of

learning and the eight spiritual powers belong to Him. The body is the food

for consciousness (God), it is not His nature.

You may be working, you may be young or old, but you never forget

whether you are a woman or a man. The unbroken contemplation of one’s

own nature should be like that.

The devotee’s consciousness is the same as the Lord’s feet. By its virtue,

the whole world moves. Krishna says: ‘I am the consciousness in the heart

of each human being. My incarnations mean the incarnations of

consciousness’.

Nirupana 108

Sunday, May 13, 1979

As water is the support for moisture, so Shiva is the support of the jiva –

the individual being. Shiva is consciousness. Because of delusion, your

consciousness has identified with the body. Therefore you die in the end. I

am not talking to the body, but to consciousness, which hears through the

ears. Consciousness that goes about as the body, with its name, is called an

aspirant; one who is desirous of liberation. Almost all devotees in the world

are aspirants (mumukshus). The devotee who has given up bodily

identification is called a seeker (sadhaka). Aspirants may be great scholars,

but they are not seekers. Once convinced of his true nature, beyond any

doubt, one becomes a siddha – the liberated one. An aspirant is male or

female because of identification with the body. The seeker is neither male

nor female. The listener is formless. That which acts and carries on worldly

affairs has a form. But if the energy that is without body is not there, does

the form have any value? The consciousness that listens is God. This fact

should be imbibed thoroughly.

If you do not understand your worthiness, you will have a fear of death.

You have given a life-sentence with hard labor to the One who is free by

nature. The nature of the Self is consciousness – not that of a person. The

jiva has a sense of duality – separateness. Just through concepts, visions

arise without any substance. Whether there is form or formlessness,

consciousness is infinite and unlimited. It is both manifest and unmanifest.

Only to give it meaning, it is expressed in words in this way.

Unknowingly, you came to know ‘you are’. This understanding has no

form. Things are seen only when the mind gives them a shape. There is no

difference between the speaker and the listener. The nature of mind-flow is

according to the worthiness of one’s form. For one who believes himself as

formless, the mind will flow accordingly (he will be thought-free).

To carry out action is Rajo guna (the quality which makes a person

restless and forces him to act). Tamo guna (ego) takes the credit of it and

says, ‘I did a good or bad thing’. Consciousness is pleased with its own

quality (Sattva guna). All activities arise in the manifest. It is transient.

There is no such evidence in the unmanifest.

Because of the vibrations of prana, the basic consciousness has become

vast. It is transient, so it is called illusory. When it goes beyond

consciousness, it becomes unmanifest even when there is a body. So how

can there be death? It is like the heat, which is manifest and yet unmanifest.

The heat in hot water disappears when cooled. In the same way, the knower

of the Self disappears at the end. When prana leaves, so does the heat-fire.

The jnani neither comes nor goes. He is, by nature, unmanifest. The

thoughts of worldly affairs keep flowing in the mind of a householder.

Similarly, the seeker always thinks of Self-realization. Make friends with

your consciousness as if it is God. Worshipping it will make you happy.

Nirupana 109

Sunday, May 20, 1979

One says that he was not there prior to birth. Consciousness now says

that it was not there. That is the puzzle. The one who knows he was not

there, says it. Who was there as a Witness prior to consciousness?

Where there is no experience of the body, there is everlasting Truth. It is.

One who experiences is transient. Have you understood your present

identity? You worry for yourself, you look after yourself, you are anxious

about yourself. Yet, do you know for whom it is? We do everything for the

‘I’ that we try to protect – what and who is that ‘I’? You are worried. But

for whom are you worried? This experience has come unexpectedly. Do you

understand it? Consciousness is an illumination due to the experience of the

Self. Please understand that the one who speaks is the knower of

consciousness.

You consider yourself as the body, hence you believe in parents. But you

are self-luminous; you have no parents. Your sense ‘I am’ that has the

memory of meeting me is the Guru. Do not treat it as the body.

Whatever knowledge you are hearing is all a modification of the mind. It

is a tool, a device. It is only an aid. The temples, devotion, etc., are devices,

ways of thinking (aids to realization). In order to live happily, one should

use such devices together with right discrimination. This is the meaning of

spiritual science. Using such devices and rituals, one has to untangle the

knot of maya. The cause of this is consciousness (as gunas). The body is a

doll of food. The essence of the body is consciousness. It is created along

with prana, which carries out all the worldly action. Consciousness stays as

the witness. It is the knower. Yet, consciousness is of the category of maya.

Because of consciousness, we know ‘we are’. Due to maya, it considers

itself as the body. This misidentification is removed by the grace of the

Guru. The one who knows that consciousness was not originally there is

eternal. Consciousness has no support, hence it takes itself as the body.

Maya is a covering that has come over the true nature of Paramatman,

the Absolute. First comes consciousness and then the body is known

through it. To feel that we are the body is maya. This itself is the delusion.

The Absolute says (as if), ‘I have been covered all over by maya and I do

not know Myself’. This is the guna-maya (delusion due to consciousness).

The Self has no wishes or desires. Under the influence of maya, the self

says, ‘I am sinful’. Most importantly, one must know that the body is not

one’s identity.

When there is no experience of the mind, consciousness becomes

luminous. The One who is prior to consciousness observes this. The One

who knows guna is prior to guna. Guna (consciousness) means maya. The

knower has no connection with consciousness. When a person says, ‘I am

the doer’, he is influenced by maya in the form of his consciousness. No

desire in the world is satisfied completely. Because of guna-maya

(manifested consciousness), our wants never end. When one understands

maya, desires and expectations go away. What is the sign of Self-

realization? There is no fear of death. To achieve this, one has to follow the

Guru-word: ‘I am formless, without body and of the nature of pure

consciousness’. This cannot come through rituals. Such means are of the

nature of maya. Hold onto the Guru-word, change your false understanding

and the blessings you look for will come through.

Many highly learned people come to see me. They can recite all the

scriptures from memory. However, they do not say a word. They wonder

why they never get such an experience. Their capital is what they know

after the rise of consciousness. They are knowledgeable about many things,

but there is still something lacking. They do not know their own Self. They

call themselves knowledgeable based upon the strength of the information

they have gathered. Without the Guru’s grace, the Self cannot be known.

What has happened and due to what – the scholars do not undertake this

search. (They do not inquire why they know ‘they are’.)

So long as there is consciousness, there will be memories. But when

consciousness itself is rooted in ignorance, is the world true or false? The

ignorance was transformed into knowledge. Still is it not ignorance that is at

the root?

The Sadguru is the Witness of both the manifest and the unmanifest. He

is perfect Brahman. He is ever present. You will be perfect Brahman by

following His word. Water, fire, air, space – do they ever die? They only

appear and disappear – similarly, can there be any death for you?

All the worthiness, all the importance, is present in wakefulness. Once

wakefulness turns into deep sleep, knowingness becomes zero. Jiva, jagat

and Brahman are forms of your consciousness. Wakefulness and deep sleep

are two stages. The jnani knows that one is converted into another. He is the

Witness of the two stages.

Nirupana 110

Wednesday, May 30, 1979

The jnani cannot be recognized by bodily appearance. The image created

by your intellect is absolutely of no use. The reason is that the Self is prior

to the intellect. Then how can the intellect assess It? If you do not know

yourself, then how can you ever know other people? Words have no impact

on the jnani. Mind has all the experiences. Therefore the various states of

being do not transcend the mind.

Can another person have a dream that is exactly like mine? Each one’s

experience is different. Does even the best of men enjoy his knowingness?

Everyone is valued according to his body and his behavior. The dreams that

people dream, can they ever be the same? Similarly, everyone’s knowledge

is different. The experience of beingness is the same, but can the behavior

of the mind be the same in all?

I would prefer an atheist than a spiritual seeker who is unsteady. You

may reject God claiming that you have no direct knowledge of Him. But do

you not have the awareness that ‘you are’? What about that?

The Self is of the nature of the Self. It cannot be defined. It is not of the

nature of the body. You take responsibility of all your actions because of

your body-consciousness. First investigate as to how you came to know

‘you are’. Nothing can be avoided; however, it can be understood. If it

could have been avoided, one would not have taken the form of the body.

When a concept arises, how to avoid it? Be free by saying to yourself, ‘I am

not the concept’. When the food is bad, does anyone need to be told that it

should not be eaten?

The knower of the Self has got only one posture i.e. knowledge of the

Self. The rest are traditional concepts. When and how did you get the

thought that ‘you are’? Follow this thought assiduously. In order to

eradicate the concept ‘I am the body’, bring in the concept ‘I am Brahman’.

It is like cutting a diamond with a diamond.

Consciousness has to be realized. One has to understand who he is, what

the world is, and where their joining point is. What does it mean when we

get the information that ‘we are’? It means we love ourselves and, hence,

we are compelled to love others. If you have no need of yourself, there will

be no need for others. The real meaning of ‘I am That’ is ‘I am everything’.

Do not dwell on the memory of others. It is the source of bondage. You

worry with the memory of your children, etc., but when they were not there,

did you have their memory? As relations grow, misery also increases.

Therefore you are miserable due to the memory of your bonds with others.

You are a jiva because of your attachments.

Shiva is manifest and all-pervading. He dwells even in insects. You are

bothered by the memory of ‘me and mine’. If your prana leaves you just

now, what connection shall you have with these memories? Why shouldn’t

we be as we are after prana leaves us, this very moment? Why should we go

on worrying unnecessarily? There are infinite number of memories. Which

of them shall I hold onto and experience misery with? After death, all

relations come to an end. Then why not experience the same condition right

now?

You believe you have parents, but they are not separate from you. What

they call chit-ananda – ‘bliss of consciousness’ – is only an entertainment

for humoring the Self. I have no memories. I have roasted myself without

fire and have eaten myself up.

Nirupana 111

Thursday, May 31, 1979

Krishna says: ‘I reside in the hearts of all beings, but I am especially

manifest in the heart of a human being. I am directly present there.

Bhagavan means the Luminous One. Therefore consciousness, which is

also luminous, is My manifestation. The love, which has come without

asking, is also My manifestation. One who realizes it becomes like Me. I

am the beingness in all living things. My manifestation means My own true

nature. A particle of gold and a heap of gold, both are gold. My special

manifestation is the consciousness in humans and the one who realizes it

becomes Me. Then he understands what this movable and immovable world

is, through his own consciousness. I am prior to intellect and those who are

trying to search for Me through intellect will not find Me’.

One that is prior to memory cannot be remembered. Nirguna is prior to

consciousness. That which acts is the mind. When the sages talk, it is the

knowledge of their minds. Consciousness cannot be shown, but it acts

through the mind. The body is the food for beingness as consciousness.

As there is warmth in hot water, so is the Atman in the body. When hot

water cools, does it mean that warmth is dead? Did it get extinguished?

After prana leaves, its characteristic disappears. That which never came,

never went away. Consciousness is knowledge. The knower of

consciousness is called Parabrahman. He is beyond self-sensation. It is

because of the memory of your relations that you have forgotten your true

nature.

The One without a second became aware of His beingness and that gave

rise to so many bodies. Which particular body should He accept as His

own? Is any single body comparable to Him? People give great importance

to Self-realization, but Paramatman is beyond it. One who is proud of his

realization has not yet ripened. Nothing can be done; just observe. Actions

bring misery because one accepts doership. God nourishes us all, but not

through intellect. Just see. His five limbs: earth, water, air, fire (heat or

luster) and space have no need of any intellect. The sixth is consciousness.

It also has no need of intellect. The jnani may appear to be a doer, but that

does not affect his bliss.

Do not do anything. Understand what you have heard and then give that

up also. Do not take yourself as someone special. If you realize your

consciousness, you will not be affected by your thoughts. Then the body

may behave in any way it pleases.

There is none other than God, so whom does He oblige? Is He not

experiencing only Himself? Once you reach the point prior to

consciousness, you become all. Remember this simple thing. Consciousness

is the thief. The same is God. It is the donor and also the beggar. It came

unasked for. When God showers his Grace upon you, is it for Him or for

you? If you are not, is God there? Means or methods will never help

achieve Parabrahman, the Absolute.

Nirupana 112

Sunday, June 3, 1979

Millions of gods have come and gone. You are the root of them all. You

want to go beyond, but you are at the root. Be one with It. You know the

word, and not the other way around. So why do you want to be free of the

word? (You already are beyond words.)

When there is no sense of ‘I am’, is there any God? He is the luminous

form of my consciousness. You will only behave according to your likes

and dislikes. After leaving this place, if you go on ruminating over what

you have heard here, your likes and dislikes will vanish. So long as I am

drinking the juice of the body, the breath continues. You worry for yourself,

but before your parents saw you, who gave you air, water and food? Who

made the body grow? The body is the food for consciousness.

Spiritual rituals are given as a punishment of hard labor.

There are no intentions in the mind of a jnani. We say that you must get

knowledge. Then what should happen to you? Just know that animals,

birds, insects, have all been created out of you. If you understand this, then

is there a need to love the whole world? (Maharaj says, ‘you are the

world’.)

That which was not known has become known. The root duality is that

you sensed your own beingness. Are you free from your desire to live? That

is the real bondage. The very experience of your beingness is untrue.

You say the words, you hear them and you give a meaning to them. The

word and its meaning may be called the jiva. The knower of them is called

Shiva. Jiva and Shiva are the names of one and the same entity. As Shiva, it

is pure knowingness. Prana is energy. When that power leaves the body,

Shiva does not complain.

Jiva and Shiva are names. Jiva and Shiva are due to Shiva alone. The

true nature is prior to names. Shiva has no identity other than your pure

consciousness. He has no sense of ‘I-am-ness’. To have relationships is the

sign of being in the jiva state. Shiva is prior to understanding. Before

knowing, one says, ‘I am the body’. After knowing, you will know that as

many millions of bodies as there are, they are all yours. The one who is

listening has no bondage. Recognize it. No need to try and free it.

Nirupana 113

Thursday, June 7, 1979

Sat-chit-ananda is experienced when there is consciousness. The bliss is

felt by consciousness. It is qualitative and, hence, it is not the eternal Truth.

One talks about Parabrahman, but the Absolute does not know Itself. For

the sake of Parabrahman, you have to sacrifice Brahman, the manifest. Is

time known through consciousness or is consciousness known through

time? As long as there is consciousness, there is time. There is nothing

outside the Brahma-randhra in the crown of your head. Whatever is seen

and sensed exists in that aperture.

The name (mantra) given by the Guru is proof in itself of the Guru’s

word. The name given by parents is a proof of death. How do you get Self-

realization? Do we make an effort for waking up? The one who follows the

Guru’s word does not have to make special effort. One who has accepted

the Guru’s word will not be controlled by time. Jiva means consciousness,

whereas the Atman exists in the Sattva quality but is not affected by the

quality. Because of Sattva, all our experiences are coming to us. They say

prana left the body, but Atman neither comes nor goes. It is not bound by

prana. The knowledge of the Self must be known by the Self.

There is no greater devotion than devotion to the Guru (non-dual

devotion). It transcends the Vedas. There should be the conviction that the

Guru’s word itself is ‘I’. When you go about as a body, it is like stirring up

the reflection of something in the water. Use the body but do not allow

body-consciousness to stick to you.

Nirupana 114

Thursday, June 14, 1979

Rarely does anyone deliberate on why consciousness has been created in

us. One amongst a million might ponder on it. Consciousness means our

sense of ‘I am’. Only a rare one holds onto consciousness as taught by the

Guru. During the practice of meditation, many experiences come. Seekers

get stuck when they get spiritual powers and people honor them. Only the

one who continuously discriminates is able to progress.

As a spark is emitted from an electrical short circuit, similarly,

consciousness has also come out of a short circuit. We have heard words

like jiva, Paramatman, etc., but what was there before these words were

heard? How was the listening created and from what? Do we have any

identity apart from consciousness? The period for which consciousness

remains is called the span of life. The one who becomes one with his true

nature is a jnani. He observes how consciousness has come over his true

nature. He is One without a second. He is not his knowledge, ‘I am’. He is

the knower of the source of consciousness. It would seem that the jnani also

goes about doing worldly activities just as anyone else. But he is completely

free within. He knows that no quality of any of the five elements can be

used to describe his true nature.

Everything is created out of nothingness. There is no creator. Everything

is happening spontaneously. There is no design with which to identify a

jnani. Through meditation, merge consciousness into consciousness. The

Guru-word is your true identity. You are pure consciousness. Everyone

knows this truth. Yet one identifies with the body. When the essence of food

dries up, consciousness disappears. Go to the subtle. Unless you realize the

subtle, you will not realize the gross.

When prana leaves the body, consciousness disappears. It does not die.

When consciousness (guna) forgets itself, it is called nirguna. What you

have heard and believed to be true has to be suffered or enjoyed. Therefore

believe everything as untrue. The knower, in spite of having consciousness,

having a body and a view of the world, is still nirguna – without quality.

The reason is that He is the knower of all of these. The whole world got

created in the void of the subtle consciousness. Then it was felt that we are

in the world and the misery started. But when this ‘I am-ness’ goes, we are

free. It is all enacted in the cerebral aperture. One feels one is awake in that

aperture, and the vast world is created. When there is a change in that

aperture, the world also changes. Therefore give up body-consciousness,

your ego. The attachment to the body is the impediment.

The root of the five elements is atomic consciousness. The whole world

is contained in it. How can the jnani take the world to be true? The ignorant

one believes it to be true, therefore he experiences misery. One who

identifies with the body is the sufferer and the enjoyer, not the jnani.

Recognize the Truth. Leave aside all concepts. Recognize the creation of

your consciousness. One who recognizes it goes beyond birth and death. He

never comes or goes.

It takes time to accomplish good work. Bad work can be performed

immediately. Good work brings well-being.

Nirupana 115

Thursday, June 28, 1979

It is not possible to keep your identity permanently. What is your true

situation? Before all this became visible, you were in existence and will

always be so. However, the identity taken up by you that ‘I am so-and-so’

will pass away. All your associations will not remain with you. You did not

have any experience of the two states of wakefulness and sleep before. Now

you are experiencing yourself and the world during these two states. When

these states were not present, the five elements (the visible universe) were

not there. You did not have knowledge of your beingness. Then what was

there? There was only perfection without any need of your beingness.

Wakefulness itself is the universe. Sleep gives rest. That means there is

comfort and rest for the being. Any state of being is transient and, therefore,

imperfect. The whole experience is imperfect. Yet you stick to it. You have

no experience of wakefulness in your sleep. There is no experience of sleep

during wakefulness. The dream experience is in between. The experience of

beingness is only in these stages. The seer who knows that all experience is

untrue is immortal. When you were without the two stages of wakefulness

and sleep, did you ever feel the need of your beingness?

The phenomenal world spread out of the primordial illusion, ‘mul-

maya’. No one created it. It has no creator nor destroyer. Only wakefulness

has come over you. Our consciousness automatically takes the form of the

universe. Where is the seed of the universe? The feeling that ‘I am awake’,

accompanied with the expectation to continue, is the seed. This itself is the

dream. One sees the dream world, but how many recognize the seer?

You have constant worry and fear. The beingness has come over you

without your asking. When it vanishes, where does the world go? When

awake, wakefulness is infinite; in sleep it rests in the seer. It does not go

anywhere. The two stages (sleep and wakefulness) were not there, so how

can they die?

With good fortune, one meets a ‘Perfect Man’ and he clears your vision.

With his blessing one may get the experience of immortality. Those who

practice devotion to the Guru (non-dual devotion) become immortal.

Presently, the beingness has no peace. Deep sleep is the only experience of

peace. Wakefulness and sleep are a puzzle through which you realize your

Self. But you have no connection with this puzzle. You go about with a

name and a body-form, and say that you are alive. You earn and accumulate

– only to die in the end. There is the illusion of grief, misery and fear. But

you have accepted it as true! The scriptures say that you had an infinite

number of deaths and births. These are only concepts. Have you had an

experience of at least a single birth? When will you ever realize this

mistake? Only when you live with the conviction that ‘I am the self-

luminous consciousness’, as the Guru has unequivocally stated.

With the Guru’s word you will see that you are immortal. Then you will

understand that you are a distant seer of sleep and wakefulness. You have

taken up the false appearance as true, hence you have to take birth again

and again. This is what the scriptures say. That is the cause of suffering.

Meditate on the Guru that is within. Then He will show you what is death

and what is deathlessness. Whatever appears and is sensed is unreal. The

entire five elemental world is unreal. One says for the sake of saying it that

someone is realized and the other is not. One has to understand this. Do not

curtail your worldly activities as a sign of detachment. If there is a perfect

Self in this world, then see for yourself and recognize that it is You – your

own Self.

Nirupana 116

Sunday, July 1, 1979

Why is this word Atman mentioned at all? Prana carries out all actions.

Even samadhi is of the nature of prana. Atman is simply the onlooker.

Atman or Self-knowledge means consciousness. It has no bondage. The

only bondage is that our minds identify us with the body. When prana is

separated from the body, consciousness vanishes but it does not die. This is

death from the point of view of the ignorant. For the jnani, it is nothing.

The world is in your mind. ‘We are not the body’ means we are not the

food; the food for prana. Consciousness is generated from the essence of

food and the universe is created from consciousness. The action goes on. It

is false when viewed as maya, yet it is true when viewed as Brahman. Both

are superimpositions on consciousness. All your dealings are done on the

strength of the word. The first word was taught by the mother. All worldly

experience has a limited duration. After life ends, is there any

consciousness? Remain silent without uttering a single word. It may seem

impossible, but make it possible.

One who transcends beingness is in a state of indescribable bliss. Maya

goes about in many uniforms but not a single one is true.

Do not believe in any god or deity except your own consciousness.

Though in the beginning, an aspirant may need to do this. The meaning of

words lasts so long as the words last. Once the words go, the meaning also

goes. When you achieve samadhi, you will know the secret of maya. The

fear of death remains because we believe ourselves to be within the world.

The fact is the opposite; the world is projected through us. Man’s

consciousness is vaster than the world. Maya is a tragic comedy. All these

are concepts of consciousness. The knowledge ‘I am’ is proof of the

Absolute. One who realizes it becomes one with the whole world. Perfect

happiness is not possible at the level of consciousness. All this is imperfect.

You have to know what is imperfect in order to get perfect bliss. It cannot

be witnessed. When your time is coming to an end, do not forget to see how

maya is ending. Then your true, eternal nature will be revealed.

Nirupana 117

Thursday, July 5, 1979

You want a lot of things but with what identity that you can call your

own? Your present identity is of the nature of food. The body is the food for

your consciousness. It is because of your consciousness that you experience

the vast world. How long will it be with you? Why do you have it now, and

why was it not there before? You achieve a lot of things because of the

body. However, the body will not last.

It is a fact that you are going to die. Then what use is there of the world,

the transient mundane household life, God and religion to you? People do

all sorts of things to make the consciousness bearable. Yet, whatever is

going to happen will happen. People feel that difficulties could be avoided

if you perform penance or chant God’s name. The only benefit is that the

fear becomes less. Why are you anxious? It is to endure consciousness. If

we keep ourselves occupied, we can bear with ourselves. When we are

tired, we fall asleep. The fact that you know ‘you are’ is your

consciousness. Because of it, you can know. You may call consciousness as

Guru or God. Meditate on it and leave the rest aside. Do not ever equate

consciousness with the body.

You do not get privacy because you are busy during the day, but who

sleeps at night? Is it not your consciousness? Then at that time, at least,

meditate on it. Your thoughts at the time of going to sleep continue to work.

It is like when a seed is covered, it sprouts and becomes a tree. Surrender to

your consciousness. Keep up the vow of surrender to the Guru’s word.

On my path of spirituality, effort is of no use. Consciousness has arisen

spontaneously. It is self-luminous. If you try to remedy it, it will only get

worse. Whatever effort you do is through your identification with the body.

What do you do with That which cognizes the body?

Does the faith that ‘you are’ come before or after you believe it to be so?

Consciousness is prior to everything. Worship this fact. Was consciousness

brought from somewhere else? It is self-luminous. You depend upon your

intellect only. Do not get caught up in the cage of your intellect.

The easy remedy is to continue saying, ‘Jai Guru, Jai Guru’ (Glory to

the Guru) without words until you sleep. Then it will continue during sleep.

If you become a real devotee, you will transform from devotee to God.

Saint Tukaram says, “I do not want the Atman. It is better that you are God

and I am the devotee.” But he said that after Self-realization.

A rare one takes himself up as consciousness. The rest worship it as

Brahman or God. As long as memories are playing havoc, how can there be

Self-realization? Someday you will realize your Self. Then you will

understand that the world is a play of consciousness. The Self is your

formless, blissful and true nature. It is neither male nor female. Body-

consciousness is denial of the Self. Is not consciousness prior to words?

Forget the mind, think of the Self. When there is a meaning to the word,

the mind is present. But if there is no meaning to the word, then where is

the mind? If the mantra ‘Jai Guru’ is constantly on, the devotee is happier

than when he is asleep. Then there will be success in everything. If

someone achieves Self-realization, then wherever he is will be a holy place.

Even for gods a human body is rarely available. Who has created this

beautiful world? Is it not consciousness in the human body? Do as much

worldly activities as you like but do not betray the faith in your Self.

After Self-realization it becomes clear that one is without any birth. The

stars have an effect on the human body. As soon as the entity that is born

from the parents gets separated, a picture of the sky gets stored inside the

entity. The one who has taken birth has no intellect, yet an image of the

parents is already captured. Whatever is recorded in that first picture is the

destiny. After that it may be a boy or a girl. There are so many discoveries

in the world, but no one knows how the images were taken in

consciousness. Then the act of continuous recording of the word, touch,

form, taste and smell continues. This fact is not easily noticed, but those

who know its secret transcend birth.

All those who are worshipped as incarnations of God had a Guru. No

one has become a mahatma without a Guru. He is convinced that he is the

same as the Guru-word. It will happen only if consciousness gets inspired

and has the desire, is it not? That is why I do not insist on anything for

anybody. When it arises from within, after hearing it, one gets the

worthiness of the One without birth. Will you say with confidence that you

were never born?

The sight of the seer is not a physical sight. The whole creation is in his

sight, but he is beyond the creation. Out of delusion, he believes that he is

in the creation. The dream arises out of you, yet you say that you were

going about in a dream. The influence of maya is such that a man desires to

achieve perfect well-being, and yet he believes that he was born.

Consciousness is created out of Sattva and is of the nature of Sattva

(vital life force). But the jnani realizes that he is not the Sattva. Out of

millions, a rare one is not affected by all the action that happens in the

world. Please be respectful to these words that you are listening to. It is

your good fortune. Then your present will be happy. It will serve you and

lead you to the Supreme.

Nirupana 118

Monday, July 9, 1979

Guru Purnima

Guru Purnima is believed to be the day of achieving perfection of one’s

own true nature. After Self-realization, the devotional activities continue

indirectly. The Sadguru cannot be cognized through consciousness. The

Sadguru cannot be known. With sincere faith, one holds onto the Guru-

word and consciousness becomes free. Consciousness cannot describe the

Sadguru. The Sadguru is eternal, perfect and free from desire. One should

contemplate on Him.

In what do you keep faith as you deal with the world? Is it not in your

consciousness? Yet it is not everlasting. What is understood by your mind is

unreliable. The Sadguru cannot be comprehended by you, yet He will grant

you the treasure of His true and eternal nature as it is. One who is beyond

description, beyond quality, is the Sadguru. The rest who just talk are not of

the nature of the Sadguru. Recognize what is untrue. In this untruth, you

will not find your true nature. Keep meditating. To understand what is the

consciousness that meditates, and how it has become luminous, you have to

hold onto the Guru-word. The idea of death will be destroyed only through

Nirvikalpa samadhi (without any mental construct). It cannot be done

through concepts. Be loyal to the faith in yourself. There should be no

anxiety such as ‘what will happen to me?’ The whole world has arisen

spontaneously. Go to the Source from where it has arisen. To understand

this, devotion to the Guru without any duality is necessary.

Nirupana 119

Thursday, July 12, 1979

You can easily get wrapped up in rituals. That is bondage. What is your

greatest concern? Is it not your body? So long as you make spiritual effort

with body-consciousness, you will not get peace. You cannot put on an act

for Truth.

There is no God other than That by virtue of which you know ‘you are’.

But even this will not give you lasting peace. When you understand its

Source, you will become an ocean of peace. You do not have a shape or

form. When you become convinced of this, you will become formless.

When thoughts disappear, pure consciousness remains. Then right thinking

arises in pure consciousness. Through right discrimination, concepts are

destroyed.

You have to meditate on your consciousness without punishing the body

and the mind. From the meditation, various discriminatory thoughts arise.

There is not a single thought without ego in it. By creating a thought to

understand another thought, purify your selfish intellect. Where there is

ego, there is bondage. Consciousness is pure love. Continue chanting ‘Jai

Guru, Jai Guru’, even if it is done silently. By doing this we awaken

ourselves. Guru means consciousness. To remember the Guru is a sign of

great fortune. Your consciousness is the all-pervading Guru. The guna

(consciousness) does so many things, but after Self-realization it becomes

without quality (unmanifest). Consciousness becomes pure and holy by

chanting ‘Jai Guru’. Then it becomes without quality.

Krishna did a lot of dealings in the world, but no quality ever touched

Him. While dealing with life’s affairs, who can claim to be quality-less?

(Only a jnani can.) All chaos is due to a concept (‘I am the body’). The

affairs of the world are going on by the strength of a concept. Do not

renounce anything. You have only to understand.

Rajo guna will not work without expecting the fruit of action. What is

painful? Is it your desire to continue your beingness? Rajo guna is involved

with identification with the memories.

Consciousness, the knowledge ‘I am’, is the vision of Narayana – God.

In Narayana, there is both male as well as female. Pure consciousness is

called Narayana. Beings do not know it, hence they suffer misery. Those

who have recognized that consciousness is without quality (guna) get tired

of staying on in the world. They go to a lonely place like the Himalayas.

The universal consciousness is very vast, but it is unmanifest by nature.

You should be close to the Guru so that you feel that your consciousness

and the Guru’s manifestation as ‘I am’ are the same. Is any action possible

without prana? Is the One who knows prana affected by it? Simply

remember that your form is like space.

Nirupana 120

Thursday, July 19, 1979

Our behavior through body-consciousness is like the condition of a

patient in a hospital. During sickness one feels the need for oneself. So long

as there is sickness, one has to look after oneself very carefully. (Sickness

means our beingness.) You might not understand this, but it is important to

understand the same.

Identification with the body is like a sickness. Therefore it needs to be

taken care of throughout the day. Why? It is because we do not want to lose

ourselves. Consciousness is doing all this to protect itself. Yet it eventually

has to go. You look after yourself so that this experience of sickness should

not pass away. Since the experience itself is that of sickness, it will come to

an end. The Absolute is the true state and it cannot be known. The known

cannot affect the unknown.

Why do we do japa and meditation? Is it not in order to protect the

consciousness? However, this quality itself is of material origin (it is

created through the essence of the body, essence of food). Because of body-

consciousness it has expectations, desires and passions.

The parents are dead. What use are they now? Then what is the use of

even the knowledge that they are gone? Like that, the jnani has also no use

of his Self-realization. With such discrimination, one goes beyond

consciousness.

Every being is protecting that which can never be protected in spite of

all efforts. All that is desirous of protection will not last. What will you call

Him in whose association nothing remains? He cannot be given any

description at all. How many loaves of bread of the knowledge of

spirituality can one bake after all? Can the Self be identified with any

characteristics? You aspire to get physical and spiritual well-being through

your body-consciousness. But the body is not your true nature. The One

that makes the body function has never been seen dying by anyone. Body-

consciousness takes all the responsibility and pride. As a result, it becomes

a source of misery.

The One who is forever awake is the Sadguru. He gives you

wakefulness. Take that wakefulness and be awakened. Then you will get the

true nature of the Sadguru. One who follows the Guru-word does not have

to make much effort. Atman means ‘I am – I exist’. When prana separates

from the body, the Atman vanishes. Where there is consciousness, there is

also time.

There is no other. Whatever is, is you alone. Yet you create duality and

expect well-being with the support of that duality.

Nirupana 121

Thursday, July 26, 1979

Millions of Krishnas and Ramas have come and gone. Has any one of

them made any change in the nature of consciousness? Consciousness is a

quality that arises with the combination of the essence of the five elements

and prana. It is said that some people can recall up to 10 or 12 past lives.

But why do you not understand that all the births have come out of your

consciousness? You say you have had many births but why and how were

you accused of your first birth? When you were not aware of any

individuality, did you remember yourself? In order that the manifest should

appear, support of an object (matter) is necessary. How is the manifestation

of an individual made up? Who was there prior to manifestation and where

does he want to go by making some effort? After listening to this, you will

understand that your consciousness is the quality of the vital life force; it is

not you. Only see how consciousness has come over you. Leave off the rest.

All complications have started with consciousness.

That which has to experience consciousness has no name or form.

Hence, It has identified Itself with the body. Consciousness depends upon

food. You have to find out the ultimate meaning of spirituality. You have to

see how the knowingness of your consciousness has arisen. Why does the

jnani become free? Because he has understood how consciousness arises

and undergoes dissolution. You meditate, but what do you have in your

meditation except your body? If you give up your body-consciousness, then

what will you identify with?

How and through what has the birth taken place? You are the quality of

the essence of the body. Then how will you go to heaven? Until you get the

full understanding, observe how consciousness has arisen. In this five-

elemental vision, have you got a particular identity? When this becomes

clear to you, you will understand that you yourself are moving in the form

of the whole world. That child of a cowherd (Krishna) said: ‘I am All’.

Q. Maharaj, it is said that Parabrahman has no movement. Then why

does He create consciousness and through it the rest of the world?

A. This is all your concept. Parabrahman does nothing.

Q. Maharaj, how long will it take for us to get our realization?

A. Until such time when your concepts come to an end.

Wakefulness is the primordial illusion, the root-maya. God is also born

of maya. All this trouble is due to consciousness. There is deep peace at the

bottom of consciousness. There are millions of states of the mind. Pay

attention only to the Source. Once the marriage (union) has been celebrated,

you can do what you like. Does anyone need to be taught further? Like that,

find out how and why consciousness has arisen. Then you will solve the

riddle. If there is no memory, there is no question of forgetting anything.

Therefore, there is neither memory nor forgetting – neither exists. There is

no jnani of the Self; there is only Self-realization.

Your bondage consists of your concept. Therefore, liberation from the

concept is required. There is no source for any experience. Everything is

perfect and filled to the brim, which means there is nothing. This is the

realization of the jnani. The Absolute has no sight of its own.

Nirupana 122

Thursday, August 2, 1979

What is thought? It is something that is sensed and can be acted upon.

The Sadguru is beyond thought. He is the eternal-Absolute. Body-

consciousness has concepts like big and small. The devotional songs we

sing are not dedicated to any outside entity. They are for the Self, our true

nature.

A man’s behavior depends upon the faith he has accepted. The word of

the Sadguru is as easy as it is difficult. The problem is that you cannot

analyze the meaning of it by comparing it to something. The true nature of

the Sadguru has no beginning, middle, or end. His existence is true and

everlasting. It cannot be experienced through practice.

The body is the root cause of everything. People practice devotion

because they want comforts. It is not because they want God. The nature of

Brahman is such that it cannot create any obstacles in anyone’s path. Hence,

you get it if you wish for it. When you become like the meaning of the

Guru-mantra, you will know what the Guru is. No one can achieve perfect

yoga (union) through body-consciousness. Nobody creates obstacles in

others’ paths. Everyone creates an obstacle for himself through his own

concepts.

First there is consciousness. Then comes the sound followed by the word

(manifestation). That union is called Brahman. It means our sense of ‘I am’.

Every human being behaves according to the meanings of words. This is

called the mind. Because of your mind and words, you say, ‘There is

Brahman’. When consciousness is stabilized at the Source, the word

dissolves. Consciousness is prior to what is seen and felt.

Consciousness in the body is the characteristic of Sattva (vital life

force). The body may be male or female, but prana and consciousness are

neither male nor female. The jnani has no death. Time has an end, not the

jnani. When prana goes, consciousness disappears. So, who comes and who

goes?

You practice, but do you become like the word of the Guru? Your faith

depends on identification with your body and the mind. They may call him

a sage who claims, ‘Today I am going, or I shall leave (die) after ten days’.

But where is he going? To say such a thing is also ignorance. Only an

ignorant one projects a future in his mind. The jnani has no future; he is

neither the body, nor prana or consciousness; he has no enlightenment. I

have no name, no form, no color, and no design. This is the result of the

grace of the Sadguru.

Nirupana 123

Sunday, August 5, 1979

That which knows is formless. It is simply the knowingness. Having no

form, It performs no actions. It is the seer. It sees everything. If one is

convinced of this, there will no longer be any desire.

You see the sky. It has limits. However, you are unlimited. You must be

convinced of this. So long as you consider yourself as a visible form, you

will have to face death. You wander all over the world because you consider

yourself to be a visible form. Until this ends, there will be no peace for you.

If you like to listen to this, pay attention. By listening to this, the visible

form will disappear. You will not disappear. Do not try to search for the

nature of Truth (your Self) – only be aware of the fact that you are taking

the untruth as truth.

It is a fact that ultimately consciousness is of no use to you. In the

company of the Sadguru it gets purified. When that happens, people will

come for your darshan. Even if you know that you are not consciousness,

people will still come for the holy sight of your consciousness. You may

become extremely learned, yet your body-consciousness does not go. It

must go. The house is mine, but I am not the house. Similarly,

consciousness is mine but I am not consciousness. Each visible form has a

time limit. You say it died. As long as you use that word ‘I’, body-

consciousness has not left you.

Maya is the combination of name, form and consciousness. But you are

the knower of these. The knower is there, but he has no sense of being a

knower. Find out what that means. One who has knowingness also has an

end. One is called the knower because One cognizes the knowingness. He is

not known to consciousness. He feels ‘He is’, but He is not that feeling. He

is the knower of That.

A mother feels sad when she sees the pain of her child. She understands

the pain of the child, but she is not the child. Similarly, the knower is

unmoved. He is not the vital energy, hence he cannot interfere with

consciousness. You want knowledge that would fit into your consciousness,

but consciousness is the essence of the five elements. Knowledge does not

remain when consciousness goes. You say the knower does not remain, but

who is the Witness of that? You say that nothing remains after

consciousness leaves, then who is asking the question? If you deny all this,

what will you gain? The fear of death will still be there.

You go on living, accepting a personality – ego – ’I am this’, ‘I am like

that’. Without that you are not comfortable. It is very rare that someone

lives without an ego. When you are nothing, you will still be able to say, ‘I

am Brahman’. When I say, ‘I am the knower’, it is only for your

understanding. Consciousness is the root-maya. She is the mother of the

world. She stays with the knower as his shadow.

Once one gives up body-consciousness, who is the husband and how is

he related to the wife? Consciousness is very cunning. There is no telling

what it will do and how it will act. But with a jnani it is like his shadow.

Wakefulness, sleep, pain and pleasure are due to consciousness. The one

who has realized that he is not consciousness, can pain and pleasure affect

him? I have nothing to do with consciousness itself, then what can be said

about the things known through it? If I accuse someone of being a fool, it is

accusing my own consciousness, as there is only one consciousness.

By listening to this, you are going to be empty. If you want to keep your

consciousness intact, do not come here. Is that not bondage? That which

sees the body is within the body. It is consciousness. The knower does not

take any visible thing to be true. The world is known through ignorance.

Nobody understands this fact. The birthplace of consciousness is ignorance.

First ignorance got created. It was confined for nine months. Then it came

into the world. When ignorance goes, knowingness disappears. (The

ignorance implies unmanifest.)

Only through meditation will you realize how exactly you are. When

consciousness becomes pure ignorance, it is called samadhi. Even great

sages have not thought about the one who was closed in for nine months.

Who sees? Consciousness sees, but its behavior depends on the vital life

force. That which takes the picture as true is also the ignorance (the

ultimate Source).

Guru is the most important word of all words. He is not an individual – a

personality. That through which the manifestation has arisen is the Guru. In

the beginning, take yourself as ‘I am not the body, but I am consciousness

in the body’. It is difficult to stay like that. Therefore they identify it as

Rama or Krishna or Brahman. The best way to worship consciousness is by

treating it as the Guru. That is how it is pleased. Then devotion and the

devotee become one, and his knowledge becomes of the nature of God.

Consciousness is the knowingness. One who is the knower of consciousness

does not have a sense of being the knower. Consciousness is many-faced. It

has been created. Its Source is ignorance. One who has recognized this has

no sense of being the knower. Everyone is convinced that whatever he

knows is quite correct. How peculiar it is!

In prison for nine months, along with ignorance, were also created

wakefulness and sleep, as well as thirst and hunger. Consciousness in the

body is the main hindrance. To tolerate it, one has to do so many things. In

order to understand it, devotion to the Sadguru is necessary.

The world is created through pure ignorance. The feeling ‘I am’ is also

untrue. Because of it, you suffer. This knowledge is actually easy and open,

therefore there are not many takers for it. People are attracted to what is

difficult and complicated.

As a deer has a fragrant substance in the navel, similarly, you recognize

a fragrance within your heart. Consciousness in the body is the essence of

food. It is the fragrance. That fragrance starts diminishing if the movement

of prana starts fading by reason of absence of food and water.

Pay attention to the listener. Whose information is he listening to? Then

the Sadguru’s grace will descend upon you.

Nirupana 124

Thursday, August 9, 1979

Chit means consciousness. It is known to us and that is the chidananda –

the joy of knowingness. Does the joy come from outside or is it there

spontaneously? Then why are we looking for it out there? The source

behind all this is our consciousness. It is perfect and has no beginning. It

has come unasked for. You are listening to this as if it is someone else’s

information. But I tell you that it is your own information, and that means

my information as well.

Q. Maharaj, does consciousness have a beginning? If it is there then

does consciousness know it?

A. When you are stabilized in consciousness, you will come to know

this.

There is only the One without a second, then how can It get realization?

(The word Self-realization is also incorrect.) Our consciousness needs a

means of entertainment, otherwise it is unbearable. When can it be

bearable? It is when you perfectly realize the same. Get merged into your

consciousness. Then you will understand how it rises and how it dissolves,

and you will be at peace.

The root of the mind is prana. The source of beingness is also prana.

How can you go beyond the mind? You believe yourself to be the body,

therefore you wish to go here and there. The Absolute is prior to everything.

Consciousness is within the Absolute and everything is contained in

consciousness. It is a big mistake to think that one has to go beyond

something.

The body is food, which is perishable. One likes the love

(consciousness) in the body. Therefore it is chidananda – the joy of

consciousness. Yet it is perishable. The Absolute that is the prior-most is

called Parabrahman. Consciousness is called Brahman. It encompasses

everything. While you live, what do you live as? And with which identity

are you going die? Our nature is in the form of chidananda. It is not

something that comes through effort. It is the spontaneous bliss.

What is it that gives worthiness and beauty to the body? It is

consciousness. If it were not there, the body will decay! What is the

important factor? You are alive because of the essence of the body. You

have been created out of that essence. Have you come from heaven? What

do you wish to gain by practicing spirituality? That which is the root of all,

is true and everlasting. If you have realized this fact, then what is the need

for spiritual practice? Is it not entertainment? You learn arts and sciences,

that is also entertainment. What is your motive for coming here? Is it not to

understand that all this is ‘I’? (Non-duality).

You ask questions due to the influence of body-consciousness.

Otherwise, what is the necessity for talking? Your every word is a means of

passing the time. The words are means of entertainment, but they can also

bring us trouble. There is no danger to the One who is prior to the word.

You might say, ‘Then what is the use of listening to this?’ That which

expects benefits is short-lived. Anything you honestly believe in will not

remain with you forever. If someone lives longer than others, what special

benefit does he derive? That which is created out of the essence of food and

which lives on food, how lasting can it be? Understand all this and love all.

Do not think that such talks encourage you to give up your worldly life.

Just remember that nothing of this will last. Male or female is the name of

the shape made of food. Hence, it is false to say that one is a woman or a

man. Listen to this and keep it in mind. Understand that the one that

comprehends will also not last.

Whatever is happening spontaneously is all right, as it should happen.

Out of mercy, if you interfere in the situation it will be troublesome. If you

increase the life span of people, the population will grow limitlessly and

food will become scarce. Does mercy make anyone happy? Suppose you

show mercy to someone and make him a king, does he really become

happy? How much fear does the king have? The greater the prominence, the

more trouble it brings. Hence, Saint Tukaram wished to be the smallest of

small. Some devotee may ask for the ultimate poverty of Parabrahman – the

Absolute. It has nothing; yet there is no one as full and prosperous as the

Absolute.

With the grace of the Guru, name and form are transcended. The

Sadguru means the Absolute. People name it such. However, at the level of

the Absolute, there is no such concept. What will happen to the self which

you protect so carefully? It will surely go away. Therefore, love each other

sincerely. After Self-realization, the five elements and three gunas become

quiet and the mind retires. The support of all things is Parabrahman. Yet He

does not do anything. The universe was created and dissolved thousands of

times. The Absolute had no part in it.

The negation of consciousness is vijnana – where jnana and ajnana

(ignorance) both disappear. In every word in Guru Ramdas’s writings

(Dasabodh), there is the affirmation of Brahman, and in every word there is

also the negation of Brahman. Nourishment and rituals are there only when

there is consciousness. If one makes efforts for the well-being of

consciousness, taking it to be the form of the body, it is in vain. The

beingness has to become non-beingness in the end. There can be no

witnessing of what does not move. Witnessing can be done only of that

which moves.

Your consciousness has come uninvited. You feel you are awake as you

sense light and space with the other four elements. There is no creator of the

universe. Only some wakefulness has come over you. That is all.

Space means time, and time signifies the life span. This cannot be

understood merely by listening. We know that ‘we are’; was any effort

required for that? Think very deeply about the state of wakefulness.

Whatever is seen or felt is due to that. Find out what it is and you will be

free from the trouble of birth and death. There is no such thing as liberation.

You felt that ‘you are’. Did you do anything for it? No. This is because it is

self-luminous. You cannot recognize your wakefulness without the grace of

the Sadguru. It comes to the one who is searching for it.

You may enjoy great pleasures, but only for a while. Afterwards, what

remains out of that joy? You may do japa and penance, but what makes you

free of all experiences is your consciousness. When meditating on the idol,

you project your consciousness on it indirectly. Then the image of the idol

descends into the one who meditates. Then it takes the form of the deity. It

is created in the consciousness. One has a vision. The Source of

consciousness has to be found. It must be known while there is a body and

prana. In order to understand consciousness, devotion to the Guru is

required.

How much does a man have to do for satisfying his thirst? What is born

is wakefulness, sleep, hunger, thirst; not the Atman. Nothing is true. From

beginning to end it is all a play. Discriminate. Do not fall into delusion. You

are true, eternal, and beyond all states of being.

Nirupana 125

Sunday, August 12, 1979

When witnessing of consciousness happens for all twenty-four hours,

one is called a jnani. He is not visible. He is unknown and unmanifested.

The unknown cannot be understood by the known. When the known

(consciousness) becomes unknown, the ignorant says it is death. Time is

created along with the known. It is the life span.

The known can be described in infinite ways. The knower cannot be

described in words.

When someone says that he knows the Truth, it means he does not know

it. The Truth is silent. How can one know That which is prior to

wakefulness and sleep? Being born implies wakefulness and sleep. What

you are experiencing presently is consciousness that has come over you. Is

it dark or fair? Is it male or female? How can it be stopped? How can you

catch it knowingly when it has come over you unknowingly? All the names

of beings – right from insects up to the highest deities – are the names of

consciousness.

From consciousness, the five elements, three gunas, etc., are created.

When consciousness goes, everything goes. Nobody dies. You may say that

witnessing happens to the knower, but He does not say it! It is said that

consciousness has arisen out of the body and prana, but this is not

completely true. They were formed after consciousness arose. If there is no

consciousness, what can be said? All experience that comes through

consciousness is temporary. Truth cannot be realized through

consciousness. Consciousness is only momentary. Yet it may experience a

life of thousands of years. A little knowingness has come and it exists for

some time and goes away. That duration is called time. It is neither male

nor female, nor Brahman – it is nothing. But, because there is

consciousness, all this is.

Why are people going from place to place (searching)? Because they

cannot bear the bite of consciousness. It is compared to the bite of a

scorpion. In order to negate all the experiences, just observe the

consciousness.

Where is the Truth? It’s all in a manner of speaking. You may say that

someone is a great sage. I would say that he is much greater than what you

understand him to be. This is because I know that he was never born. All

this has come to be created just as entertainment. It has no rules. After

listening to this you will say, ‘We went about all over this vast world, but

we have never met a fool like him!’ But no one will give me a status which

is between a fool and a realized person.

From the moment of waking up until sleep comes, there is continuous

self-awareness. But is one aware of this fact? Because you have taken

yourself as the body, you are not aware of consciousness.

There are so many religions. Even if people lose their lives, they will not

accept anyone else’s religion. The basis of it is loyalty to a concept.

Consensus means identification with concepts. But are wakefulness, sleep,

hunger and thirst different for different religions?

The mother and father created the body of the child and gave the body a

name. You should understand your true nature and give it whatever name

you choose. Jiva means consciousness; the name given to consciousness

because of its worthiness is God.

The body is an idol of accumulated food. The mind is the same as the

qualities and characteristics of the food. Consciousness within the body is

unbroken like space.

‘Atman should be in communion with Atman’ means one should watch

consciousness with consciousness. Only the needy will have a rebirth – not

the one who is satisfied. A body can be called a human body, but not

consciousness in the body. When one understands and recognizes the

consciousness as consciousness, one becomes liberated while still in the

body. Atman is the non-doer; prana does all the work under Its presence.

One should observe what it is that gives experience and who it is that gets

experience.

All sufferings come to an end to the one who has forgotten himself by

observing his consciousness. One becomes holy with the holy sight of his

own true nature. He naturally becomes helpful to others. He knows that he

is no different from others. The holy sight of the Self is the manifestation of

the Self. Who will have ill will and for whom? One who is the devotee of

his own Self becomes the soul of all. Live as consciousness. Do not look at

others as individuals. With whatever worthiness you look at your Self, will

be your true worthiness. Look at others with the worthiness of the Self.

One who comes here, has come here because he was inspired by the

inner God. Only the one whose birth is the last one comes here (no rebirth

for him). Look at all beings as if they are your own Self. Do not accept the

concept that there is some deity other than the Self. Leave aside your

beggarliness and worship your true nature by saying, ‘I am Atman’.

Nirupana 126

Saturday, August 18, 1979

When one contemplates on Parabrahman, one merges into his blissful

true nature. Before he reaches the Absolute, there is bliss. When he reaches

that point all feelings get dissolved. The attainment of the Absolute is

perfect bliss. It cannot even be described as a state of bliss.

Q. Maharaj, is there a way to reach Parabrahman?

A. Yes. With complete love, become one with your consciousness.

I do not talk in the traditional language. I only ask you to observe

yourself. Being human indicates having a body. It is not the form of the

Self. When you sit alone and observe your consciousness, you will come to

know that consciousness is the world. It is the feeling ‘I am’. For one who

knows that, his form is the universe. However, you identify yourself only as

one limited to the body. The universe has blossomed in your consciousness.

You know your consciousness, but you have taken it up as something

different from you. Therefore you have not achieved Self-realization.

You must see what the relationship is between you and the world. So

long as you have the concept that you are an individual, you will not get

perfect bliss. You are not created by anyone. You have no parents. You are

self-luminous. The entire panorama, which is the cosmos, is your own

visible form. Concepts like ‘I will die’, ‘I practiced devotion’, ‘I am going

to heaven’, etc., are all false concepts. How can one whose form consists of

the universe have parents? Your very life is keeping the cosmos alive. You

have no responsibilities either as an individual or as the totality. You

mistake your ego as your Self. That is the reason for delusion. You create

responsibility with your own concept. Actually, you have no responsibility.

Your body-consciousness creates the sense of responsibility. One who has

realized himself need not come here. People should go to him!

Concept is like an ornament. The one who wears the ornament is not the

ornament. The feeling ‘I am’ is root duality. The correct state is prior to

that. Consciousness is a quality. Does the One who knows consciousness

have quality? You speak words like Brahman, God, etc., but what meaning

do you draw from them? Your words may mislead you. Mere intellectual

understanding is not enough.

Just listen. If you take yourself as a jnani, you will definitely suffer. Do

not take any stance.

Nirupana 127

Thursday, August 23, 1979

Birth implies the states of wakefulness and sleep. They are states of

being. Am I these states? Is the Atman born? One who understands this is

without birth. The universal phenomenon is full of life, but nothing is

everlasting. When one dies, the body decays into countless organisms. How

many lives are created out of one life? That shows that life is continuous.

How long is the Atman (consciousness) there? So long as the vital force is

there, the Atman is there. The name given by the word to the word,

vanishes along with the word. You dwell on what others say. Do you think

about your Self? You cannot think about your true nature. How to search for

consciousness? Is it not the medium through which the search is made?

Consciousness cannot search for itself because it is ever-present.

Poets and writers write intellectually about the joy of consciousness. The

universal consciousness sprouts within your heart. The knower of that is

Parabrahman, but He has no knowingness. All this is the sport of self-

luminous consciousness. It has come unasked for. It is neither male nor

female. They are concepts. The world lives in a nest of words. Is there no

attachment, greed, or love at all? Yes they are there, but all are untrue – just

an appearance. They are true only for that moment. They are thoughts

hanging in the sky. They act through the vital force of beings created from

earth. They are not your thoughts. Where science ends, spiritual meaning –

the deepest meaning of what IS – begins. Words coming out of

consciousness may seem to contradict each other. Feel free to still ask

questions, otherwise there is no dialog. How will you recognize the

enlightened person? He has no form. Even the word of a baby in the cradle

achieves some mission, then why not the word of a sage? But what is there

ultimately? Void? No, not even that.

Where there is no delusion of beingness or non-beingness, there is

Parabrahman – the Absolute. It is not a void. It is beyond qualities.

Brahmananda – the bliss of being Brahman (the manifest) – is also

temporary. We give so much importance to the world. It is for our own

beingness. Things you like in your ignorance will be disliked by you after

Self-realization.

Truth must be properly understood. Whatever is done through the mind

becomes untrue. The knower of the mind here, is called discrimination. The

concept that the mind takes care of our affairs is wrong. The beingness is

prior to the mind. The mind has separated itself from its true nature. Is pain

known through the mind, or is mind itself the pain? There is no pain when

the mind is dissolved. So long as you understand the mind as a form of the

body, it is misery.

You worry whether you can function without the mind. Until you were

three years old, did the mind give you the sense of having a form? Did you

have an experience of the mind during the nine months inside the womb?

Who nourished you there? One who has recognized the mind is not

concerned about how to deal with the world without the mind. The mind

has great importance because you have not gone beyond it. When you

become the knower of the mind through discrimination, you will understand

this. Where there is mind, there is a lot of misery and occasionally a little

pleasure. Sorrow does not require a major cause. A little sorrow can last a

lifetime!

The mind must be controlled with right discrimination. When you

recognize that you are not even the vital force in the body, you will be

deathless. It is possible only when you meet the Sadguru and hold onto His

words. The names of Brahman are innumerable. You are Brahman! Just

take the word of the Guru.

Where you are, God is. The universe is His visible form. Where there is

God, there is the Self. Where there is no Atman, there is no Brahman, maya,

jiva, or God. There is nothing. Your ‘livingness’ is without name or form.

But the impressions collected by the mind take it as the body. Your

consciousness is the experience of the existence of God. You are first and

then comes God. The word ‘God’ has no individual form. The whole

universe is God. You may have a long life. At the end of that tenure,

absolutely nothing will remain. If you live for a hundred and twenty-five

years, you may suffer the misery of a year-old infant! Without knowing,

you will wet and dirty the bed! Would you not become the subject of

ridicule? The whole world was saluting you, but now how terrible is your

worn out condition! They will all praise you in high terms – but only if your

life term is limited! If this is the situation, then how should we die?

Maya means something that never really happens. It is a delusion of

existence, but not true existence. This is the story of the mind. Where there

is no mind, there are no needs. So long as you think that you are the doer,

the mind will not spare you.

Consciousness is not limited to an individual. It is the knowingness,

which is the totality of manifestation. Does the ‘I’ in the body have any

shape? When did you first feel that ‘you are’? Will you learn that by

reading books? What is our true nature? Is it the feeling ‘I am’ or is it prior

to ‘I am’? The knower is beyond knowingness. If you listen to this and

imbibe it, you will get your perfection that is already there.

Nirupana 128

Thursday, August 30, 1979

The jnani has consciousness, but it is not of an individual nature. It is

universal. You may give a name to what is all-pervading, but actually it has

no name. The unmanifest principle became manifest as your consciousness.

Whether you practice spirituality or not, it makes no difference to the

Absolute. You have created a sense of duality by separating yourself from

the totality.

What is seen, felt, or known has been created through consciousness. It

is created from the knower. Once the universal consciousness is realized,

there is no need of liberation. From the point of view of a jnani, no one is

ignorant. He is not separate from the totality.

Whatever name you take, you will be that. The universal consciousness

can never be caught. The names of the various deities are the names of the

all-manifest, universal consciousness. What is the indication that someone

is a jnani ? Each one recognizes the jnani according to the worthiness of his

mind, intellect and feeling. Scientists will discover what is created out of

what already exists, but they can never invent That which is spontaneously

there without having been created. They may have discovered many things

but they will not be able to discover consciousness. If they realize

consciousness, at that very moment they will lose their hopes, desires and

passions, and they will do nothing. They will have no expectation at all for

themselves. All this knowledge is quite ancient. You are just learning about

it, therefore you feel it is new.

Someday you are going to die, are you not? Then why do you not finish

it right now? Only then will you know the Truth. (Here, Maharaj is not

asking us to die physically. He is asking us to get rid of the attachment to

the world and remain in a thought-free state.)

One understands love or kindness particularly when he begets offspring.

Then such feelings come spontaneously. It is the same with Self-realization.

It will free you when you realize that you understand nothing. But if you

feel that you have understood, it is only an itch. One who gets Self-

realization has no use for himself. Words cannot describe that unmanifest

stage. Scientists may create beings, but they will not be able to

conceptualize the Atman.

When the concept ‘I am the body’ goes, the ego also goes. Then

whatever remains is pure consciousness. You have your knowingness with

you; you cannot stop it or throw it away. One who has devotion to the Guru

will soon get liberation. Everyone has a strong desire to live. When one

discovers his own nature the desire goes away. You cannot pass a single

moment without thinking. It is the nature of the mind. Therefore think of

your existence without the body. So long as the form is there, the ego is

there.

Continue with daily bhajans because the meaning of those bhajans will

manifest through you. Bhajans remove the impurities in one’s own nature,

transforming the impurity into Brahman. Those who are realized remain in

its worthiness, but the ensuing devotion uplifts people. When you sing

bhajans, say every word. Each word has its own importance. The whole

meaning of bhajans descends into your true nature.

Each being has got a destiny. From where has it arisen? From thereon,

you have buried yourself in relationship with others. It is dependent upon

prana. Think of how honest this prana is. Without taking any support from

anywhere, dwell upon your determination for realization of the Self.

Nirupana 129

Sunday, September 9, 1979

The experience of the world has come to you uninvited. Our speech

happens in the consciousness. The knower is beyond it. He is beyond the

individual consciousness. The world is in space, but you are prior to space.

The source of your existence is the essence of food, without your knowing

it. (As pure consciousness, you are the characteristic of the vital life force of

the body, which is nourished by the food.) You will enjoy hearing this (type

of talk), only if you have gained worthiness from the past. Otherwise, you

will go mad. It could cause fear because it will kill your individuality. It is a

sign of good fortune if you like to hear such talk.

A tree is also Brahman. It has no speech. It has consciousness but it has

no sense of individuality (body-consciousness).

Brahman is acting through all the five elements. You are aware of this

due to your sense ‘I am’. Therefore meditate only on your consciousness. It

is universal. Who witnesses it? Consciousness means love. Love means

expectation. The knower looks with the help of consciousness. Witnessing

by consciousness contains expectation. It is the very nature of

consciousness. (Without consciousness, the knower cannot be mentioned.

Once consciousness arises, it wants to continue. That is its nature.)

I will never feel angry at what you tell me, because I know (though you

do not) that it is a tape recorder talking. Does it have any intelligence? That

tape is the root-maya. I do not take part in its function. There is a sense of

individuality in your consciousness. My consciousness is all-pervading. The

three worlds are contained in it.

Consciousness is the essence of the five elements. First the food is

absorbed, then consciousness arises. It is of the nature of love. It is the need

to be and all that is required to fulfill the need. It is like the taste of

sweetness. What happens to consciousness in the end? Will it go to heaven

or somewhere else? The ignorant are reborn according to their concepts.

The jnani knows that when prana leaves the body, consciousness

disappears. No one has come, no one has gone. He knows that. The one

who is basically unknown returns to the unknown.

The One who knows that ‘He is’ has neither name nor form.

Consciousness and the feeling ‘I am’ are not different. What do you take

yourself to be? You are consciousness only. Because it is in the body, you

take it to be yours. Otherwise, it is universal. You take a pot full of water

from the ocean and call it yours!

That which is known is untruth, and that which is unknown is the Truth.

What sort of an explanation do you need? Only when you know what you

are, the work is done. A poor coolie found a wallet of a rich man. It meant

great wealth to him; he could use it for a lifetime. For the rich man it was

his weekly spending money. Like that, a single moment of root-maya

corresponds to infinite cycles of cosmic manifestations. Once maya is

realized, are you going to hold onto it? Do not do anything. Just understand.

Maya is the name you have given to phenomena. When a child is born, you

can give it any name you like. Actually, it has no name. All experiences are

temporary. No one can experience the Truth. Can you ever become the

Truth? Can one put on an act of Truth?

We did not have consciousness earlier. It has now become luminous in

us. It is the same as Sri Krishna. He told us how and why we experience

ourselves. Just listen. Do not interfere with your mind. Do not do anything

else. Do not lose sight of the feet of the Guru. (The feet of the Guru means

your own consciousness.) It is a foot without a shape. It is the manifested

consciousness, which is movement in itself. When you came to the stage of

body-consciousness, did you come walking? When there was no walking

done, was any information there of the path? Therefore there is no path that

I can point to.

Maya means a flood of experiences on a stage of experience. The

knower is the Absolute. He is not an individual. Maya is consciousness, the

knowingness. It is there in all living beings. Your true nature and your

consciousness are not the same. It acts during the waking stage and acts

during sleep as well. This experience is called maya. Maya treats the

ignorant jiva as if he is a slave. Consciousness is never steady. It is steady

only when it forgets itself.

In spite of being gross, worldly experiences are subtle. The mind may

appear to be subtle, yet it is gross. One understands that he knows but can

he demonstrate that knowledge? It is subtle. Every being is enjoying the

behavior of the five elements. The highest courage is to have the conviction

that you are not the body. Catch hold of the feet of your consciousness and

then act.

Nirupana 130

Thursday, September 13, 1979

Learn to forgive and forget. This is not possible without devotion to the

Guru (non-dual devotion). Consciousness is love. The experience of

beingness is the same as love for our beingness. They are not separate. The

primordial sound ‘Om’ is the continuous expression of this courtship. It is

nothing but love. Do not confuse attachment with love.

The fact that you know ‘you are’ is evidence of Brahman. Paramatman

is at the root of your consciousness. You must remember this till you die.

You are not the body. You are the one who is in the body. You degrade

yourself because you take yourself as the body. In fact you are of a higher

status. The indication of Brahman is consciousness. Yet, by believing it to

be like the body, sinful behavior increases. The desires for objective

pleasures grow. You will not get the bliss of the Self if you are busy

fulfilling your desires and passions. The more you indulge in them, the

more you will feed the fire. When your mind and intellect get dissolved into

your consciousness, all desires will be fulfilled. Your consciousness has

become hungry for the pleasures of the five elements. It has degraded itself.

When your mind is steady on the knowledge of your beingness, all your

desires will be fulfilled. You can meditate on consciousness only by the

grace of the Guru.

Knowledge does not have any form. The good and bad experiences that

come with the form will cease when you realize that you are formless. So

long as you have plans and dreams, you have no time to meditate on your

true nature. The duality will continue. One has to endure what comes out of

such plans. Therefore do not make projections. You struggle hard with all

your intelligence, yet your needs remain unfulfilled. They will be taken care

of when you realize the Self. You will be convinced that the body is not

your true nature. You will understand how the five elements were created

and how the body was formed. Things happen by themselves but they are

accepted through the intellect. While you are listening to this, keep your

attention on That who is listening. With that, all your desires will be

fulfilled. Fear arises within but manifests outside. A rare one lives with the

conviction that he is the Paramatman. All others identify with the body.

When the visible becomes invisible, it does not mean that it is dead.

When it becomes visible again, they call it rebirth. That is the nature of

consciousness. Rebirth is not the result of someone’s effort. This rising and

setting does not affect consciousness. Create the simple faith in yourself: ‘I

am immortal, imperishable, I am neither visible nor invisible. It is because

of me that this phenomenon becomes visible’. Give this understanding to

your consciousness, with consciousness. Do not try rituals. We make plans

to get happiness. What appears pleasing turns out to be painful in the end.

True happiness is spontaneous bliss. It is different from pleasure.

Childhood and youth do not come from outside. They come with the body.

In the same way, the joy of consciousness arises out of itself. Our

consciousness is the joy of our being. Detachment implies that one has no

expectations. It does not imply sitting down with a weary face.

Nirupana 131

Thursday, September 20, 1979

You have awareness and its witnessing happens to you. The five

elements are contained in consciousness. Have you not taken yourself as

something or somebody? What do you have to identify with except for your

body? Happiness and misery, Brahman and maya are nothing but your

consciousness. Your problems will come to an end when your body-

consciousness goes. In the end, nothing will remain including the ‘I’. When

you understand this, I will bow to you! But the understanding has to be

steadfast.

Your worldly dealings depend upon the meaning of words. Where the

word does not convey any meaning, what would you understand? At this

moment, what is your identity? You think you are very learned in wordy

knowledge, that is why you use words. When you have no wordy self-

image, you become of the nature of God.

Prior to each problem, an answer is always ready. If there is no answer,

the problem will not arise. No attention is paid to the true state. Did you

come to the world knowingly? Then how will you witness your departure?

That is delusion. While coming, there was no step taken. Then what would

your steps be like while leaving? (Your consciousness came spontaneously

and will leave in the same way it came.)

It will be clear to you later that what you have heard today is going to be

of no use to you. Is the consciousness that you are experiencing at all

honest? As a stick becomes a support to a blind man, the same way God

with His many names have been given as a support. If you have achieved

Self-realization, then all the names are of your own Self.

As long as you think that you are going to die, and believe that you are

going to suffer after death, there will be talk of morality. Does the sun see

darkness? A jnani sees no difference between a seeker and a sinner. The

religions of the world are the games of the ignorant. You have a sense of

self-identity that makes you anxious. You are creating pains while looking

for pleasures. You may take it with any meaning.

You have to realize that your awareness and the world are one and the

same. Then you will also understand that you have no use for the world, nor

are you of any use to the world.

How is the duality between the knower and the knowingness? it is like

duality between the sun and its light. The manifestation of consciousness is

itself duality. If there is no knowingness, there is no duality. Wakefulness is

the duality and vice-versa. If the sun goes to take a tour of its own light,

will it ever be complete? Like that, if you go to see the end of the world

with your consciousness, will it be ever found? Your knowingness is not an

insignificant thing. It is the whole universe. But you are not that. You are

the knower of that.

Devotion, consciousness and Brahman are one and the same. Someone

worships it directly whereas the other may worship it indirectly. Krishna

says: ‘I see My own form. That form is the world. Therefore whatever is in

the world, it is My own Self. One who sees and senses is not separate from

what is seen. Those who know this and worship Me are the best seekers’.

You have heard enough, but what are you going to carry with you (at

death)? The body has also come over you, but what is actually yours is

consciousness. This knowledge is infinite. This means it cannot be

categorized.

Who understands that the body is female or male? It is consciousness.

Great aspirants such as Rama, Krishna, etc., worship consciousness by

taking it up as ‘I am That’. The rest of them, using the same knowingness,

make their idols and worship them and hold onto them in meditation. You

may perform enough worldly activities, but follow your Guru’s word as if

you have taken a vow. It is the same promise: ‘I am Brahman’.

Consciousness is the entertainment. It needs no other means to entertain

itself. Before death one ought to know that there is no going and coming for

him. If the mirror is clean, it reflects all things. Like that, when

consciousness becomes pure, the whole world is clearly seen sporting in it.

One who practices devotion does not ever risk a downfall.

Nirupana 132

Thursday, September 27, 1979

When the quality of Sattva (the vital force) starts deteriorating and the

intellect gets weaker, memory fades. Therefore one does not remember

things in old age. So long as we do not realize who we are, all

superimposition will have to be accepted. But what will happen when we

realize that we are neither the Sattva nor its quality of knowingness. The

body is a collection of the essence of food. The quality which is present in

the food juice says, ‘I am the body. I am male or female’. As there is

fragrance in a flower, the body has consciousness. It is called Sattva. The

source of that quality is food. There is also no prana without food. Can you

catch hold of prana and consciousness?

Nirvana is where there is nothing left at the end. Some of your actions

may leave an impression on space, but not to the One who is nirguna

(without quality). The sense ‘I am’ is no longer there. The guna has birth or

rise, tenure and setting or dissolution. One who knows this remains

speechless.

In Nirvikalpa samadhi – without any mental construct – consciousness

disappears. It is samadhi when there is no physical or mental pain. The

gunas are on hold.

If there is no support of the body, who can know? Then they give It

names like Brahma, Vishnu, etc. That is consciousness.

The body is not our true nature. In our true nature there is not even a

trace of any characteristics. It has no concepts. One who realizes his true

nature becomes Godlike. One who knows the Self is the jnani. He is the

Guru. Those who dwell in rituals have no knowledge of the nature of Self.

To realize the true nature and live as the Self is the Self-religion. Our

consciousness is spontaneously there. What is known is through the mind.

Consciousness exists prior to the mind. The one who lives by the nature of

the Self does not suffer the pangs of birth and death. He has no self-interest

as he has no form. So long as there is body-consciousness, desires arise

naturally. Whatever has to be looked after, is not of the nature of a jnani.

True listening is not done by the ears. It is done through consciousness.

When there is no body, consciousness cannot be mentioned. To say, ‘I am

dying now’, or ‘I am going now’ is an illusory concept. Even the concept

‘there will be Self-realization’ is wrong. If you go to meet the Self, it

separates. It meets you without your trying to meet It.

To hold onto the word of the Guru is great service to the Guru. For this

purpose, you have to give full attention to your true nature all the time.

Nirupana 133

Sunday, September 30, 1979

Can anything be known without the mind? Where there is

consciousness, the mind must be there. It is the language of consciousness.

However, the understanding that ‘I am not the body’ is within

consciousness. It is prior to the mind. The feeling ‘I am’ is called

consciousness. Hold onto that. The mind will not go away. Just keep on

observing what you are. Do not consult the mind. The mind continues – let

it be. You have to convince yourself that you are not the mind. You say you

flow along with the mind, but have you ever seen consciousness flowing?

When in difficulty, if the incantation of the Guru-mantra is practiced, the

difficulty passes away. But there should be the conviction that my Self is

my closest friend, my Guru. Engage your mind in devotion to the Self. Let

it be friends with the Self. The mind runs from here to there. In order to

direct it towards the Self, the incantation of the mantra is prescribed. Only

when the mind and the Self mingle into one does samadhi ensue.

Mind is the language for worldly dealings. Mind is action. The more we

seek Self-knowledge, the purer the mind will be. One should forget body-

consciousness and keep the mind busy with the mantra. Focus attention on

your true nature. So long as the mind recognizes you as a body, it will not

be controlled.

Your sense ‘I am’ is the Self that you have. Who tells the mind what to

do? It is the Self. Slowly you will realize that you have no form, no shape.

Only then the mind will come under control. While meditating, a shining

white light like a diamond may be seen. In the scriptures it is called the

subtle body. Only the fortunate have a vision of it. It is a sign of Self-

realization. It is with the power of this light that the body operates. To

remain without body-consciousness is the greatest fortune. If you are

sleepless, as long as you are thought-free you will get the same rest.

Contemplation of the Self is exclusion of any other activity. You may not be

able to contemplate on the Self while doing your daily work. When

working, pay attention to the work. As soon as you get a free moment,

embrace your Self. When you are quiet, do not give attention to other

thoughts; just to your Self. Consciousness has to concentrate on

consciousness. While meditating, if you come to know someone’s past,

present or future, do not talk about it. When the knowledge of the Self is

established, It will know how to conduct Itself in the world.

One has to be anxious about Self-realization just as one is with regards

to the wife, children or occupation. The seeker of the Self has no rule, no

law. Rules are for those who are anxious for objective pleasures. The mind

is difficult to control. Therefore do not give attention to the mind. Give

attention to your true nature.

Leave aside the name given to you by your parents. Now tell me your

name! Can you say something now about your own Self? There is no

answer to this question. There is only silence. This state is prior to

consciousness. While meditating, do not project any form or an idol. Do not

take support of any form at all.

If you watch your body, you will find that it is a machine that

manufactures dirt. Yet the sages say: ‘The human body is the best of all.

Without a human body no one has achieved the Parabrahman state, nor can

it be achieved’. Having forgotten the self-luminous God, you say, ‘I am like

the body’. Therefore you are marked for death. Carry on with your various

dealings, but do not forget your true nature. Body-consciousness gives no

time for recitation of the mantra or meditation. While forgetting the most

beloved Paramatman, you are busy entertaining yourself. But whatever you

entertain passes away. Give up identification with the body. Then, verily,

you will see that you are the Paramatman. Out of millions how many have

got the eagerness for finding the Truth?

To remember the Self without words is to mingle the self with the Self.

There should only be the conviction that you are not the body. Then body-

consciousness (ego-self) will go away. Can the Self, which operates with

the vital life force of all the five elements, ever be destroyed? The power of

Self-realization is such that millions of people fall at the feet of a jnani.

As far as possible do not commit suicide. Consciousness in the human

body is very difficult to get – extremely rare. There is no knowing when the

Inner Self will be pleased. One who gets knowledge is forever aware that ‘I

am not the body, I am of the form of light’. If this is recognized, your body-

consciousness becomes like that of Brahman. Your conviction should be for

attaining your true nature. There is only the Self. Because He is, we are the

shining light. After getting Self-realization, there will not remain even an

idea of death. Be aware of this before the body falls.

Nirupana 134

Saturday, October 6, 1979

When one becomes free of body-consciousness, the affection of

relations becomes immaterial. Once you realize your own identity, you can

love everyone. The whole world is your form, your manifestation. As long

as you do not give up body-consciousness, there will be no progress. One

must meditate like this: ‘That which (eventually) leaves the body and is

invisible, is my true nature. The body is not my identity’.

After transcending body-consciousness, one does not neglect his

nourishment. However, one does not have desires and passions. A sense of

detachment is created. One is content. A man goes on entertaining various

concepts during the whole day. The rest of the beings (animals) use their

mind for survival. Attention, when diverted from other objects, comes back

to one’s own Self. When the mind detaches itself from other things, it

establishes in the Self.

Is there really any duality? You believe in it so it is there. Does the sun

consider its rays separate from it? In order to become a jnani, become pure

awareness. Then maya, Brahman, God, etc., will prove to be untrue. Only a

jnani can recognize a jnani. Where there is consciousness, there is sorrow.

Is there any difference between consciousness and sorrow? Is there any pain

to the body at all? The pain lasts only as long as there is consciousness. One

must realize that consciousness with its pain is not one’s true nature.

Birth means wakefulness and sleep. These are the two states. A jnani

knows this. Consciousness cannot be understood objectively. In samadhi

there is unity of sleep and wakefulness. There is no samadhi for the nature

of the Self. Intellect is the play of the concept, ‘I am’. It is the string that

flies the kite. The jnani notices how consciousness gets extinguished (at the

last moment). He is not affected. He has seen God, whose voice this is. He

also sees that God vanishes – He is also transient. Other people, however,

worship God so that their well-being is achieved. This is the difference. It is

only a rare jnani that knows that the incarnation of God is finished, but he is

not finished. The rest entertain the concept of heaven and hell.

The Guru always asks the Self from you as his sacred fees; some may

offer the body, but not the Self. If you want to become a jnani you will have

to give your Self to the Guru. A jnani is not consciousness. He is never

born. Whatever is, is consciousness. The jnani as the Absolute is not even a

witness. You will know in time when and how the manifestation takes

place. For the present, just introduce consciousness to consciousness. It is

not necessary to bring Paramatman into the picture. Once this marriage is

consummated you may do what you like. Once you know consciousness,

you will not have any anxiety.

Think only of how, why and when you came to know that ‘you are’.

Leave aside all the rest. What is unsteady may become steady. As the

Absolute, you are already steady.

Nirupana 135

Sunday, October 7, 1979

I do not talk on the basis of scriptures. I only talk about the one who is

listening. I do not talk about managing your life as a householder. Only see

who you are. If you understand this, the pains and pleasures of household

life will not affect you.

Any work you undertake will always be imperfect, because your

beingness itself is imperfect. One who has realized Himself knows that the

joys and sorrows of life are of the nature of the mind. They happen

spontaneously.

Birth is a nuisance. When there is no birth, nothing at all matters. Birth

means the manifestation of consciousness – the Sattva. That itself is the

nuisance. Even if one increases the duration of consciousness, it still has to

be cast off one day. Even a person like Krishna had to leave consciousness.

Jnaneshwar left this nuisance at the age of twenty-one. (He wrote the

commentary on Gita in verse form. He also wrote ‘The Experience of

Immortality’. He took samadhi. He closeted himself in a cellar and asked

his elder brother and Guru to put a slab over the opening of the cellar.)

Consciousness is felt and even cherished, but it cannot be tolerated. In

order to bear it, various activities have to be undertaken. Whatever you

compare consciousness to, and whichever way you worship it, will manifest

itself in the same form. Yet it does not last. Krishna said: ‘All this indeed I

am’. Many a sage used to lay prostrate before Him. Yet, He also had to

leave His consciousness.

The self-sensation that was felt unknowingly, is it a joy or a nuisance?

Man is suffering anxiety throughout his life, such as anxiety for children,

anxiety for grandchildren, or the anxiety that each one should keep well.

The calf is the reason for the cow’s oozing milk from its udders.

Similarly, the sage is inspired to talk about Self-knowledge when he meets

the devotee. You may know how to recognize the quality of gems, but you

will not be able to recognize the root-maya. That only comes from a Guru

who is very rare.

Is consciousness without pain even for a single day? Does this nuisance

arise from outside, or is consciousness itself the nuisance? There were

fewer anxieties when people were ignorant. There are more anxieties when

they are more knowledgeable. The reason for this is that they have not

understood the root of sorrow. You had no knowledge whatsoever until such

time as you came to know the body.

You were told that there is fear, there is death, there is time, and there is

God. They are there if you believe in them. What if you do not believe? If

you deny all of it, there is nothing. Is there any design to the Absolute?

Even great people have been puzzled by it. Some people have passed away

after saying, ‘I shall come after so many years’. Is this realization? As long

as maya is there as the subtle consciousness, there is no Self-realization.

There is no darkness at all from the point of view of the sun. So from the

jnani’s point of view, no one has any birth. Whatever appears or is sensed is

a staged drama.

Find out the cause of birth. Does anyone think of the nature of

consciousness? What is it made of? People do penance for hundreds of

years. Only understand your true nature. You have no identity, ‘I am like

this’, etc. Just recognize this fact. This talk is not for the common people.

The way consciousness makes them behave is correct. One does not have to

cast off consciousness, but it has to be properly understood. Your true

nature is beyond consciousness.

Consciousness is going to go away. The jnani understands this.

Therefore the jnani has no fear. The sense ‘I am’ is called Brahman. After

realizing Brahman, one goes beyond destiny. The name Brahman is given

for practical purposes. From pure knowingness, the mind, intellect and

consciousness have arisen. When there is no consciousness, the need for

happiness is not felt. Why is it felt when consciousness is there? The reason

is that consciousness itself is a nuisance. If you call it happiness, it is

happiness; if you call it misery, it is misery. It is whatever you call it. Just

see what you are at this moment. You are different from whatever is known

to you. Consciousness is by nature fickle. Its movement causes fear. In

order to make consciousness steady, faith in the Guru is necessary.

If your devotion to the Guru is firm, you will enjoy liberation while you

are alive. What is known creates fear. What transcends fear is everlasting.

You do not pay attention to your perfection. That is why you are afraid.

Have full faith in the Guru, and then the fear will be completely uprooted.

Nirupana 136

Thursday, October 11, 1979

Everyone wants liberation. It is because no one can bear this

consciousness. It has no identity.

Whatever exists in the world is only the tradition of words. All religions

are mere concepts. Traditions of words are based upon these concepts.

The knowingness in the body is unique. It has no shape, no form. No

one can tell when liberation will come to you. Therefore you should never

commit suicide, no matter what the situation is. The human body is difficult

to get, even for gods.

The jnani is stabilized in his true nature. He does not need God. The

jnani does not suffer from his memory, whatever it may be. The ignorant

one suffers due to the pain of attachment. If you do not feed them, will all

your relations die? Is it not that the body has taken its shape automatically?

Had you not come to this ashram (residence of the Guru and spiritual

community), you would have eventually died hoping, expecting something.

As you have come here, your hopes will disappear. If you have understood

me thoroughly and have embraced that understanding, you can go wherever

you want. If you remember my word, that word will do everything that I

would do for you. Then you will have nothing left to be done.

Once you know a person, only then can you either be a friend to him or

an enemy. But if you do not know the person at all, then all is Brahman.

First, the aspirant has to be a seeker. He becomes of the nature of God.

Then he has to let go of his godliness. It happens spontaneously. Whatever

is seen without effort is true Brahman. That is the natural state of a jnani.

He has no use of words for his own Self.

The other day a western lady came here. A yogi from the Himalayas

who is ten thousand years old had given her a vision and asked her to see

me. He told her that she should meet him after she meets Maharaj. Babaji

Yogi is like space. I accuse him like this: ‘You have sustained your form,

but can you interfere in the affairs of the world? Then why are you sucking

on your consciousness as a child would on a candy? Do you not know how

the life-tenure takes place? Then why would you keep guarding it?’

Great incarnations have come and gone. Could they affect creation,

sustenance and dissolution? where were they when the great calamities and

tyrannies took place?

One who has stabilized in the Brahma-randhra (cerebral aperture) can

say, ‘the world is unreal’. The one who has put an end to himself (his body-

consciousness) will understand it. Everyone is identified with concepts,

traditions of words, and flow of feelings. One in a million will think about

it. Only a rare one will pay attention to his Self and go to the Source.

Is there a greater light than the one by which you know ‘you are’? You

blindly identify with the body, but you are self-luminous. Who knows the

mind, whether it is quiet or restless? Catch hold of the knower. If you

believe in your thoughts you will be disappointed. Become the witness of

thoughts. That ‘principle’ is observing all. No one can look at that

‘principle’. Remain as the seer. The sense of doership is false. You are a

witness, so stay like that only. That is the only penance you should perform.

Consciousness has come unknowingly. It is called birth. The experiences

you are getting now are coming from the stage of sleep (ignorance, which is

body-consciousness). In deep sleep, a king dreams that he is a beggar and

so he goes about begging. The dream state makes him beg even though he

is a king. When the false wakefulness goes, he is again the king. Then what

is true in all this? You have no body. You are not consciousness. You are

only a witness. Just hold on only to that. Then it is not even necessary to

meditate.

Just remember That by which you know that ‘you are’ is the

manifestation of God. Then you need not go to the temple. The spiritual

seeker should not disclose this secret in his heart to anyone. Be a loyal

friend to God with the conviction that He is the One who hears, and He is

the One who talks. It is not your ego. Make it a habit.

The moon, the sun, the stars are millions of miles away. They are seen

through the light of your own consciousness. It shows how far the light of

your consciousness has spread. The light belongs to the Self who is in your

heart. Can consciousness belong to an individual (who through ignorance

considers himself as the body)? It only belongs to God who is Infinite. So it

is best to keep quiet.

Bliss is of the nature of God. One who has no trust will not get

happiness with all his wealth. As a disciple of the Guru, do not speak of this

secret in your heart to anyone. One who is the offspring of the Guru, tells

him whatever he wants from within. As a disciple, do not believe what

people say. They will make you wallow in their own concepts. This secret

remains between you and the Guru (this implies the mantra at the time of

initiation).

God says to the devotee, ‘You will not die, as your death would bring on

My death. I am immortal and imperishable Atman’. Your problems will be

the problems of God. If there are troubles, just recite ‘Jai Guru’.

Paramatman, the Absolute, holds the banner of your consciousness. Who

can snatch it away? Remember that He is present; therefore you are present.

Consciousness is your beingness, ‘I am’. That is God. That is the Guru,

purest of the pure. This should be the simple pure faith. You should first

speak to the God within. If you tell people, they will destroy it with their

concepts. Your conviction should be pure and clean. This is the secret

essence of all this.

Nirupana 137

Thursday, October 25, 1979

Ordinary men do not understand this subject. Still they come here and

listen. They think that the world is real. As a result they feel they have some

duty to perform. They wish for the life-experience to continue. For me the

world is untrue and there is nothing to be done. I have no desire to live

longer. Consciousness is very small, but the manifestation is so vast! The

human body is very precious, hard to get and rare. Take full advantage of

the same. Do not commit suicide.

The intellect created by maya is selfish, but there is no selfishness in

God. Consciousness that has come without asking cannot be eradicated.

Just witness it.

When someone talks about the greatness of a sage, I say it is truly

because he was never born. Prior to any other concepts, what is the primary

concept? It is the feeling ‘I am’. To whom did this concept come? Since you

cannot label That, you give it the name – God. It is like naming a newborn

child. These questions and answers are a conversation between God and

maya for putting it to practical use. The true position remains as it is. Some

devotees get various visions, etc., in dreams. But who understands them?

And through what medium?

How can the transient experience be the eternal? You know ‘you are’,

and it is a transient experience. The knower is eternal. Consciousness

becomes bearable because it remains busy. It is true that the world is a

visible evidence of love. However, it is also a conflagration of three kinds

of miseries i.e. body, mind and spirit. What is the use of love? Is it not for

the removal of misery? The true meaning is beyond the understanding

based upon the word. The sense ‘I am’ itself, is a falsehood. Then how can

one talk about the ego, etc.?

We do not show any path or give any discipline here. If you like the talk,

you can call it a following of the path. Who knows the Truth? Does any

single one claim that he knows the Truth? Who has any power that he can

call his own? In fact, it was only after the rise of consciousness that you

came to know ‘you are’. Prior to what your parents taught you, what did

you know about yourself? Tell us from where have you come without

mentioning your parents. Childhood means ignorance. The same ignorance

shows often as knowledge in youth and old age. That means, is it not

ignorance that is showing off as knowledge today, after all?

Nirupana 138

Thursday, November 1, 1979

The concept ‘I am the body’ must go. Then your condition will be like

that of mine. In order to let go of body-consciousness, hold on tight to That

by virtue of which you know. When you are not there, the mind is absent.

When there is consciousness, there is everything. If there is no

consciousness, there is nothing. There is nothing prior to consciousness and

there is nothing beyond consciousness. Consciousness is eternal and

infinite. But it has no individuality, no personality. It may appear as God,

Brahman, or even as an insect or a worm. The world shines in the light of

consciousness. The creations of the vital force are moving about. Do not

identify them as individuals. The knowingness and the knower arise

simultaneously. One is not created without the other. No one has an

individual form as his own property.

Even the greatest deities do not have an existence of their own. So with

which particular identity do you see yourself? All identities will vanish.

No one can claim that he, by performing some actions, has earned this

form. All rituals are for the sake of those who believe that the body is their

form. No one desires to realize his true nature directly. This is the power of

maya. Suddenly, a stirring happened in the original state. It is the

consciousness of living beings. You have taken yourself as the body. It is a

delusion. When there is no such belief, it is the true state. When we are all

and everything, will there be any sorrow?

Nirupana 139

Thursday, November 8, 1979

The body is made of matter, hence the consciousness in it is a material

thing. Consciousness takes itself up as the body and entertains various

concepts and experiences, pain and pleasure. Therefore understand that the

body is not your true nature, it is not your form. Keep this in mind and

meditate upon it.

Actually, no one was born. Why is it so? To understand that, you must

meditate. Meditation means holding onto the knowledge ‘I am’. To think

that the birth of the body is ‘my’ birth or the death of the body is ‘my’ death

is an illusion. That which is in the body is a reflection and proof of the

Atman. As a matter of fact, the Atman or the Self is never born. Only

consciousness in the form of the vital life force is created. The collected

bulk of the essence of food has turned into a form that is the body.

Believing ‘the body is me’ gives rise to all misery through hopes, desires

and passions.

No one has an experience of birth. Deliberate on this point: ‘my birth

has not taken place in my presence’. If you identify with the body, you see

yourself as male or female. When there is no body, there is no such

experience. When there is no body, there is no Sattva (vital life force) and

when there is no Sattva, its characteristic – consciousness – is not there.

When someone starts his search according to the Guru-word, all the

identities taken up by him will prove to be untrue. Further, it will be clear

that he is not of the nature of the vital force in the body (Sattva). After

realizing that he is not even the consciousness in the body, he will be

detached from the body. He will be liberated. He will understand in an

instant that he was never born.

Liberation means to be constantly aware that you are consciousness and

not the body. This is the sagehood of sages. It is the liberation of the

liberated. Actions of the mind are not the actions of the knower of the mind.

Birth is the pain you feel as a result of a dream. Teach this to the mind. All

your understanding is through the mind. However, you are not the mind.

Continue the chanting of the mantra. It brings purity to the mind. Then

whatever you tell the mind, it will obey. Become the Guru of your mind,

and as you have heard, gently lead it to the nature of Self.

Nirupana 140

Sunday, November 11, 1979

A sage, when he is alive, has to undergo suffering. When he dies,

memorials are built in his honor. People express great devotion to him. Why

is it so? It is because people worship fame.

After Self-realization, there remains no individuality with the

consciousness. Prior to birth, and after death, the jnani’s real state remains

as it always is. The true nature stays the same. What has arisen will surely

end. The knower does not have any use of it, whether good or bad. Whether

you like it or not, whatever is going to happen, you will have to experience

it. Yet, a being desires everlasting happiness.

If an important person were introduced to an ordinary man, the latter

would have some expectations of him. A jnani has no such desire for

anything from anyone. What is a jnani? He is nothingness. He has no name,

no form, nothing at all.

Consciousness is the characteristic of the five elements. Hence, it is

intimately related to them. Consciousness has a need for itself, but a jnani

has no use of it.

Someone earns a lot of money (in the city), goes back to his village and

builds a house. He dies after the ritual of entering the new house. He has no

heir, so it goes to the Government. Maya is like that. It does not mean that

one should not act at all. But what is the future of that action, and what is

the future of such a person? This has to be understood properly. We cannot

be of any use to ourselves. The jnani knows this.

This is your natural state – rarely will anyone tell you about this. Most

teachers will ask you to do something. They will not tell you that whatever

effort one makes is meaningless. In the physical world if there is

competition, a man gets some inspiration to live by. With this kind of talk,

there will be no charm in living. A jnani does not usually talk because he

takes away people’s ambitions. Detachment means understanding that

everything is in vain. Charity and love are naturally there. It is the nature of

consciousness. It is not that you do it.

Glossary

Many Sanskrit words have multiple meanings. Here, we have attempted to

provide the pertinent meaning in the context of the dialog.

aarti: Ritual of worship accompanied with singing of devotional songs

ahimsa: Non-violence, principle of not hurting other living beings

ajnana: Ignorance

ananda: Joy, bliss

ashram: Residence of a Guru and his disciples; where spiritual association

and teaching takes place

Atman: The Self, the pure being

avatars: Divine incarnations

Bhagavan: God, the Luminous One

bhajans: Devotional songs sung during worship

Bhakti yoga: Yoga of devotion

Brahma: Brahman — the manifest reality. Also when pronounced as

Brahmaa, it means God as creator

Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva: God as creator, sustainer and destroyer

Brahman: The manifest reality, also called Brahma

Brahmananda: Bliss of pure consciousness

Brahma-randhra: Cerebral aperture, the yogic energy center at the crown of

the head

Brahmastra: The legendary ultimate weapon

brahmin: One belonging to the priestly caste

chaitanya: Consciousness

chidakash: The space of consciousness

chidananda: Bliss of pure consciousness

chit: Consciousness

chit-ananda: Bliss of consciousness

chitta: Inner mind

darshan: The holy sight

dharma: Code of conduct, to hold or sustain the original

guna-maya: Delusion due to attributes of consciousness

gunas: Quality, characteristics, attributes of nature. The three gunas are

Sattva, Rajas, Tamas

hatha yogis: Practitioners of yogic exercises

Hiranya Garbha: The golden womb, the Source (singularity) where the

unmanifest Absolute becomes manifest

Iswara: God

jagat: World

Jai Ganga: Glory to Ganges

Jai Guru: Glory to the Guru

japa: Incantation, repetition of the holy name

jiva: Individual self

Jnana yoga: Yoga of spiritual realization

jnana: Knowledge, spiritual awareness

jnani: Knower

Karma yoga: Yoga of righteous action

karma: In Hindu philosophy, karma refers to action and the fruits thereof

Kundalini: The primordial energy at the base of the spine

madhyama: Word unspoken

maha-akash: The great space (of the universe)

Mahakali: The great mother Kali — God in the form of the divine mother,

destroyer of evil

maha-maya: The grand illusion

mahatma: Great soul

maha-yoga: The great union

mantra: Secret set of words given by a Guru; a sacred aphorism

Maruti: Hanuman, the monkey god of Hindu mythology

maya: Illusive and projecting power of Brahman, the manifestation, the

‘reality’ as we know it

mul-maya: The root-maya

mumukshus: Aspirant

Narayana: God, Lord

nirguna: Unmanifest

Nirupana: Stating, searching, investigation, examination, defining

nirvana: The great death (when a realized Self exits the body)

Nirvikalpa samadhi: Silent state of awareness without any thoughts, a state

of pure being

Om: The primordial sound, one may call it the first vibration when the

unmanifested Absolute becomes manifested

para: Intuition

Parabrahman: The Absolute, the unmanifest

Paramatman: The Supreme, beyond manifestation

pashyanti: Thought-form

prakriti: The phenomenal existence, nature

prana: The vital force, the life force

pranava: The primodial sound Om; the root of prana, the life force

Purusha: The Self

Rajas: The aspect of rajas, manifests as endless craving, passion for life,

thirst for action, restlessness, lust, haste, impatience, anger

Rajo guna: Activity, passion; one of the aspects of nature

Sadguru: The Self as the Guru

sadhaka: Spiritual practitioner, a seeker

sadhana: Spiritual practice

sadhus: Mendicants, monks

saguna: That which has qualities — characteristics

Sahaja samadhi: Effortless state of samadhi

samadhi: A state of awareness where the mind is silent; oneness with pure

being

samsara: The worldly life

Sat: That which exists forever

Sat-chit-ananda: Existence-consciousness-bliss

satsang: Association with the holy

Sattva guna: Pure being; existence as one of the three qualities

Savikalpa samadhi: The state of a realized being who is in samadhi — a

state of Oneness — while he may have the necessary thoughts needed for

the moment

shakti: Vital energy

Shiva: God in the aspect of the destroyer (also called Mahesh)

siddha: Realized person

Sri Hari: God

Tamas: The aspect of tamas, manifests as inertia, darkness of ignorance,

sleep, slow motion, indolence, immobility, resistance to change, decay,

dullness, stupidity, and stagnation

Tamo guna: Inertia, darkness; the negative aspect of nature

vaikari: Word spoken

vijnana: Pure knowledge or spiritual awareness

Vishnu: God as sustainer of the universe

vrutta: Knowingness

yoga: Union; processes and practices for spiritual search (in the applicable

context); also a unique set of physical exercises

yogi: One who practices yoga

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Cuffe Parade, Mumbai 400 005, India.

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