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Near Apana 90, Thursday, February 1st. Nine 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, then 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 and mind will not affect you. To whom has this 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, Paramatma, 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. 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 worthy 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. Do what you experience. The world is not everlasting. Actually, nothing has really been 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 to 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 country. Yes, it is the primordial Maya. It is not the permanent state. If one has the understanding of time, there will go away permanently. To eradicate miseries, embrace that through which you know everything. That 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 conductors 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.
Near Apana 91, Thursday, February 8, 1979. The nature of this 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, which is 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.
Near Apana 92, Sunday, February 11th, 1979. You are prior to thought. How can thoughts arise if you are not there prior to them? You are prior to the wakefulness that 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? But 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, 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 and thinks of that consciousness. Consciousness is called Chaitanya Kasha. The knowledge of the world is not outside of consciousness. Sleep, trance, and death imply forgetting 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?
Near Apana 93, Sunday, February 18th, 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, that 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 Paramatma has no wants. When there is no experience of the mind, one is truly silent, happy. Who takes a bow? 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.
Near Apana 94, Thursday, February 22nd, 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 either comes or 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? Jnani knows the answer. The Jeevanmukta also knows this, yet he is caught up in the concept that he has to undergo more suffering than the Jnani. He 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. Concepts of birth and rebirth, therefore, 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 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. Maya can never say anything new or original. It can only repeat what it has learned. You have put the noose of mind around your neck. Then the 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.
Near Apana 95, Thursday, March 1st, 1979. As a matter of fact, prana is the upholder of the Sant's beingness quality. Food is necessary for a beingness to keep the plane going. The light of this flame is our consciousness. In meditation, a point of Satchit 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 have a policy: "Be 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 mind arise simultaneously. The Atman reveals itself when the body is forgotten. Man becomes free by removing body consciousness. Whether sattvic quality is impure, body consciousness must be there. Body consciousness goes when the sattva is purified.
Near Apana 96, Sunday, March 4th, 1979. Mind depends on thoughts. Consciousness is beyond thought. Consciousness arises out of ignorance, the primordial state. Ignorance becomes knowledge when one leaves the body. The knowledge received into ignorance. One who recognizes this is a Siddha. Here, the word "knowledge" means consciousness, and the word "ignorant" 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. 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. Brahman, Atman, is not of the nature of consciousness. It is the perfect, pure vision, 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.
Near Apana 97, Thursday, March 8th, 1979. Jiva means consciousness. One is 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, that 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 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.
Near Apana 98, Sunday, March 11th, 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 Santa, the "I am-ness" 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. The senses. As long as you think 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 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 the 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. But a Brahman either comes or 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 pervades inside, outside, and everywhere. As an example, vessels may be big or small, but the space in them is the same thing. Ponder properly about this while prana is still in the body. As long as the body and prana are united, there is experience. The Jnani knows that he is not what can be known; he is the knower. Jnani knows that you are not consciousness. Know 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. Para Brahman 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.
Near Apana 99, Sunday, March 18th, 1979. You have accepted bondage of the body, and hence you are bound by its actions. Para Brahman is without bondage. You have accepted concepts since the birth of the body. You are holding on to 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 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 Para Brahman 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. Para Brahman cannot do good or bad. In my true nature, there is nothing that can be changed. But a madman is neither knowingness nor non-knowingness. It does not have an iota of information. One who practices devotion is of the eternal nature of Para Brahman. If there is some light, there is no need to look for the Sun. Sunlight is not separate from the Sun. Similarly, everything comes into my being from consciousness. I myself am Para Brahman, the perfect one. All things happen in the space of consciousness. Expectation, desire, fear, birth, death exist along with the mind. They arise, but the sense "I am" wants to continue. Consciousness creates the great sky that we see. The space of consciousness has come by itself. However, I am Para Brahman. I am complete. Think about your body. Worship your consciousness. Imperfections are bound 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 in the world, are one and the same. Ruminate on the fact that our consciousness is seen as the world. Importance 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 lifespan, 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 that.
Near Apana 100, Thursday, March 22nd, 1979. One who has unshakeable conviction that the Guru is the Paramatma realizes his eternal nature without any effort. Humility and surrender make you realize your inner nature. When your attention is diverted toward your true nature, the mind disappears. You may bow down, but remember that you are that which is prior to the act. The 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 Satguru. He is prior to consciousness. He is all-pervading. Without him, who will know consciousness? When body consciousness goes, individuality goes. Under the 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 a fear of death as long as there is the connection to the body-mind. Really, there 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 yourself. 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, it is the body, not a corpse. All activity belongs to consciousness, and not to me, the knower. The world 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.
Near Apana 101, Sunday, March 25th, 1979. We are meeting here because of the blessings of the Satguru. 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 Sant Guru. 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 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.
Near Apana 102, Wednesday, March 28th, 1979. Judy Padma, 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 that 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 existence of beingness is trivial, yet it is responsible for rebirth. Then 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. There, 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, then 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 Satguru gives birth to consciousness. He sows the great seed in the heart of the disciple. One who perceives the Guru word becomes God. Your 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.
Near Apana 103, Thursday, March 29th, 1979. The nature of the Sun Guru 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 Para Brahman. After understanding this, one holds unto it within himself and becomes of the nature of the Guru. Once the subtle body is erased, there is no longer any concept of death. Then what remains is the birthless principle. Body consciousness and the sense of doership vanished by the grace of the Guru. Once understood and imbibed, one never loses it. The grace of the Guru 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 Para Brahman and the grace of the Satguru 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 Satguru will descend. You are nothing else than the nature of the Satguru. Consciousness in the body is moving about, accepting various concepts in the world. One who has kept his attention on the word of the Satguru will surely get his grace. The Sun Guru'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 takes 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 long as there is a slight trace of individuality. Individuality depends on time. The knower of time is the Sant Guru. 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 a timeless, true nature. Your experience of time is between the dawn of consciousness and its setting. The Satguru is one's own true nature. What a person 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.
Near Apana 82, Thursday, December 21st, 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. 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's really no such thing as death. When one forgets he is so-and-so, there is liberation. What is that whose characteristics are wakefulness and sleep? This will lead to 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 of the form of prana, the vital force. The knower of this doesn't 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, is 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 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. Jnani is even beyond all this, as only the witness. One who is eternally peaceful while living is 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 self, 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.
Near Apana 83, Sunday, December 24th, 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. 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 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 unto consciousness. There is no God other than that. Knowledge is of yourself. It is best perceived 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. Since "I am" comes when you wake up, consciousness arises. God manifests as your sense "I am." You have put him in trouble by believing he is the body. Your consciousness is your true nature. Surrender yourself to consciousness. This is non-dual devotion. It is to 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? My end, God exists. They are not separate. In yoga, they take prana to be 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 proud. You are shapeless, formless, dear consciousness. The five elements are clean and pure. Atman is a result of the unity of the five elements. Get merged in the blue shade of the absolute. You can call it a Nile or an ocean, whatever you choose, it would be that. In Samadhi, there is no sense of bliss. The joy is spelled 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. 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 than following the Guru's words, all difficulties are resolved. Keep hold of the words "I am pure Brahman" with persistent devotion. That will become Para Brahman.
Near Apana 84, Thursday, December 28th, 1978. The root Maya is love itself. 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. 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 own 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 yourself. 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. Christmas. 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 can eyes 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 on to consciousness. The light of the self precedes other lights. It has no form and is neither big nor small. Therefore, it is all-pervading. This love is formless. It has no body. So long as there is prema, the self resides within the seer. It neither snows 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" 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.
Near Apana 85, Thursday, January 4th, 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 do 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, 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 unto. It is you. If everything is yourself, what do you throw away and what do you keep? So who will hold on to whom? Para Brahman is beyond illusion. 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. Para Brahman 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 atmosphere. The conviction that you are the perfect Uttaman. 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 on to 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 was nothing? The knower of the nothing was Para my friend. 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 "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 the jewel in the poem. After dismissing all words, the two nature which is formless and nameless will become silent. When the mind is purified, consciousness is seen clearly. Consciousness means sattva-guna, which is sensing the qualities that sport in the five elements. Flows the mind through your pure consciousness. All human actions are through the five elements. Earth, this the storehouse of the five elements. Hence life sprouts from her. The essence of the earth is this subtle body, which is your sense "I am." Without food, there is neither prana nor consciousness. Serve your body to see your true identity. The knower of the five elements is Para Brahman. 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 be reduced 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 ten your 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. Near to Apana 86, Sunday, January 7th, 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 less and 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?
In the mind, do the thoughts belong to you or to your mind? They are not your thoughts. When you quarrel, is it not the mind that quarrels? If you do not identify with the quarrel, 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 dies 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 self-love. Out of this has created the world with its five elements. Then we can say we are. Truth is beyond consciousness. 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 becomes as large as the universe. The world arises with don't us. A rare one thinks about how consciousness has arisen. A true devotee sees this beingness. As long as you have not become quiet, there is no experience of the mindless state. I'm 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 unknown. 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. Sirs, 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.
Apana 87, Thursday, January 11th, 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 ego is separate from consciousness. You know an ego 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. Consciousness considers itself as the body. This is a sin. The body has 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, 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. Desires, the root of bondage. After realization, one goes beyond needs. Carry out 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. Yes, 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.
Nehru Panna 88, Friday, January 26th, 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 cognize 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 is stopped? It just means the 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.
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 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 Satguru 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 Satguru. Atman is awareness, 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 thank only of consciousness. Where you yourself have no existence, can say that the world exists? Do you know that your consciousness is continually 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 ownership.
Noodle Panna 89, Sunday, January 28th, 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 myself 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 has created from the material of the devotee. How does he incarnate? He takes us warm 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 yourself 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, then conduct worldly business, is rajo-guna. To register it as done by me is tamo-guna. The movement of the universal 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. Its vital energy protects the body. It does everything for love of the self. It is the source of light. It is consciousness. Take it as the guru and worship it. You will not be able to worship yourself because of your conditioning. Therefore, worship the guru. Faith in yourself is the faith in Paramatma. 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 yourself. Love worship that love. That love is 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, the word becomes silent. This is 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 for the state of wakefulness that has come over you. Worship the knowledge that listens to the word of the guru and surrendered to him.