Translator’S Note
I remembered Maharaj’s words, ‘You are never the doer. Things happen and you just become instrumental to the happening of these events.’
Sadguru means the whole essence…the Self in all…all as Self only! Nisargadatta is that Self in all…our true Self. It is the unstained…the timeless…free…Self. Nisargadatta means the infinite, whole, real Self…which is mine, yours and everyone’s eternal nature. Does the river get thirsty any time?! Does it want to stop somewhere?! The river does not even know how, where and why it flows. This indescribable state is something similar, in which there is neither knowingness nor non-knowingness.
The real happiness is not external to oneself, but comes essentially from within oneself. But those who identify themselves with the impermanent superimposition of individuality, miss the inherent happiness and get entangled in the duality of pleasure and pain. And this comes from the misconception about one’s real nature. The second reason is the notion that one is incomplete. The third is to believe oneself as different from existence. The fourth is a continuation of the same thought, that is, to believe that something has to be done to achieve fullness or unity.
‘Think only about what you are really. Forget the rest. Think about how you came to know your existence and when?’ ‘One with a sharp intellect becomes free in a short time, just by listening.’ ‘There is no doer or arranger of any of our experiences, including that of the world. It is all a spontaneous happening. The fact is that, in reality, there is nothing. Where is the middle, when there is neither the beginning nor the end? Even then, people get busy with their practices as per their concepts. It is difficult to remain quiet; hence, it is natural and convenient to get involved in activities.’ ‘After coming here, if someone really remembers only a few sentences, there will be no need for any more spirituality.’ ‘You have already read a lot and heard a lot. Now, get acquainted with the reader and listener truly and everlastingly.’
(The knower behind all known things)
We know that we are not the known, but only the Knower. We are That, which is aware of the consciousness and is eternal, unchanging witness to its coming and going. All the known is going to vanish along with the consciousness, but not so its Knower.
Our real understanding is the true knowledge of the Self, which is infinite and self-supporting. This Self-knowledge is like a column of the multiplication table for zero. Is it necessary to commit it to memory? This realization is blissful without a cause and there is true natural rest.
In reality…you are full of bliss. Pain has a cause, so does pleasure, fear and worry. Only the bliss is causeless, which you are yourself. While searching for pain and pleasure, the fear and worry were found. Only the bliss is causeless, which you are yourself. It is because you have not found, not realized yourself. Only the bliss is causeless, which you are yourself. Bliss is your form, bliss is your colour. Bliss is your shape, bliss is your nature. Only bliss is causeless, which you are yourself.
(Causeless bliss as the nature of self)
Liberation is to be free – to be free of concepts. It is freedom from the idea that there was or is any bondage. It is freedom from our mind, intellect and concepts. The Self is free of any expectations to exist. Hence, It doesn’t need any liberation. The knower of the centre of mind-intellect is not troubled by them. The mind-intellect only affects the body-identity.
Whether you are aware or not, your consciousness is ever present. Without consciousness there is no time and no world. With dream consciousness, there is a dream world. The one who is sleeping witnesses this dream. In this dream, even dissolutions of many Universes were witnessed and reported. When your mind becomes silent, you will find time for spirituality. For that, let the mind concentrate on the goal. Krishna says, ‘I am That because of which the world is known. And you are also That.’
The waking and sleep states happen spontaneously. Any effort to change them can cause problems. A Sage is unconcerned with these states. Just as the sun knows no darkness, Paramatman knows no sleep.
Just as there is sweetness in sugar, self-love is the quality of food-essence. This quality is time-bound. In order to realize your Self with ease, call your consciousness as God, Brahman, etc. and increase your courage and devotion. Your consciousness is the seed of infinite universes. Make friendship with this sattva quality, so that it gets subdued to tell its whole story.
Why to slog in this world for momentary gains? It is foolish to go after something which does not last. You cannot expect anything from anybody, as all are helpless. It is the passing time which controls all happenings, of which all are only victims. What you like most receives power only from you, to dominate you.
have not changed, but there is only the appearance of ‘I am’, which was absent when the body was not. This love of ‘I am’ is the fundamental concept and the primary illusion.
The knowledge of Brahman can only happen to Brahman and not to a human being. It is beyond human capacity. With your oneness with Brahman, the speech ceases. Without separation, the speech cannot start. This separation itself is the mental modification. A man caught in a vortex gets drowned. Only a rare one dives deeper and swims sideways to come out of the vortex. You have also been caught in a vortex of body-mind. You have to dive deeper into the Guru’s teachings and free yourself. Now, consider the words ‘beingness’, ‘mental modifications’ and ‘free of ideation’. The ‘beingness’ is Brahman, the ‘mental modifications’ are maya and ‘free of ideation’ is Parabrahman. The beingness means consciousness, mental modifications means mind and free of ideation means no witnessing at all.
Meditation means stabilizing in consciousness. It means to be in the present moment precisely. Your own worries torture you. Being with consciousness is to be free of thoughts. At the end, this consciousness sets wherever it had risen from. It does not go anywhere, as it is already present everywhere in the vast expanse.
In reality, there is pure consciousness in the body and the same is self-luminous and always free. Prior to saying ‘I am’, there is That which is formless, changeless and without a tinge. The effect of maya begins with the arrival of our beingness. The consciousness is all-pervading, in which the world is seen. Atma sees everything, but is itself invisible. Atma is not the mind but its Knower.
(Consciousness meditating on itself)
This fall is not real but only your imagination. Your consciousness indicates existence of Brahman, and identification with the body amounts to increasing your sin. As a result, your craving for sense enjoyment is increasing. This is the reason why you are not in the bliss of Atma. The more you enjoy the sense objects, your craving to enjoy increases. When your mind and intellect get absorbed in your consciousness, there will be complete contentment. With the Guru’s grace, your consciousness will succeed in meditating on itself.
While listening to this talk, give attention to That which is aware of the listening. Then, you will be free of all your needs. Only a rare one relies totally on Atma. All living beings have faith only in their body. The fear that develops inside, exhibits outside in different forms. Be free of even the memory of being the body.
One who is thus absorbed in consciousness, is in bliss, with no desires. Others are full of unsatisfied desires, and you can see the dejection on their faces.
We are prior to consciousness, and after consciousness there is everything. You come to know you are and you want it; that itself is devotion and love.
(Prior to “I am”: the Parabrahman state)
Lord Brahma’s nature is to create, and He is always busy in that activity. It is the nature of consciousness to appear in different forms. Our consciousness is God Hari. When the body falls, there is the Nirguna state. Always be aware of and be devoted to your consciousness. Our confidence in Self is Lord Vishnu. In the eternal state called Parabrahman, we are neither aware of our being nor of non-being. It is a state in which ‘I am’ is absent. Atman means what we are ourselves. That is our consciousness, due to which we know we are. One who becomes vigilant by the Guru’s grace has no experience of unhappiness of existence. The knowledge of your total freedom is full of love and bliss.
In reality, Atman is untouched by joy and sorrow. All those qualities which you see in the world are a part of the sattva made of the five elements. Your body itself is made of this sattva. This sattva gives inspiration to all living beings to act in this world. There is experience of happiness and unhappiness in consciousness, but not in its absence, as in deep sleep or samadhi. These pains and pleasures ultimately stop in Atman, which is their resting place. All our experiences are illusory, together with pain and pleasure. A Sage, who sees things as they are, is unaffected by these experiences. All our worldly activities are remedies which help us to tolerate our beingness. What we can afford and like is pleasure; otherwise, the same is pain. What is intolerable pain for one can be most pleasurable for another.
The Guru’s words are, ‘You are not the body, but pure consciousness and you are like space.’