*HEART*-
In the center of the cavity of the Heart the sole Brahman
shines by itself as the Atman(Self) in the feeling of ‘I-I’. Reach
the Heart by diving within yourself, either with control of
breath, or with thought concentrated on the quest of the Self.
You will thus get fixed in the Self.
I have been saying all along that the Heart Center is on
the right side, even when learned men differed from me. I
speak from experience. I knew it even in my home during
my trances (samadhi). Again during the incident recorded
in Self-Realization, I had a very clear vision and experience.
All of a sudden a light came from one side erasing the world vision. I felt that the heart on the left had stopped and the body
became blue and inert. Vasudeva Sastri embraced the body
and wept over my death, but I could not speak. All the time I
was feeling that the Heart Center on the right was working as
well as ever. This state lasted fifteen or twenty minutes. Then
suddenly something shot out from the right to the left like a
rocket bursting into the sky. The blood resumed circulation
and the normal condition of the body was restored.
The entire universe is condensed in the body and the entire
body in the Heart. Thus the Heart is the nucleus of the whole
universe. This world is not other than the mind, the mind is
not other than the Heart; that is the whole truth.
The source is a point without any dimensions. It expands
as the cosmos on the one hand and as Infinite bliss on the
other. That point is the pivot. From it a single vasana starts
and expands as the experiencer (‘I’), the experience and the
experienced (the world).
To Rama who questioned Vasishta: ‘Which is that big
mirror in which all these are mere reflections? What is the
heart of all souls or creatures in this universe?’ Vasishta replied:
‘All creatures in this universe have two kinds of hearts - one
to be taken note of and the other ignored. Hear their respective
traits: The one to be ignored is the physical organ called the
heart which is situated in the chest as a part of the measurable
body. The one to be taken note of is the Heart which is of the
nature of consciousness. It is both inside and outside (us) and
has neither an inside nor an outside.’
This is the really important Heart. It is the mirror which
holds all reflections. It is the basis and source of all objects and
all kinds of wealth. Therefore, it is only that Consciousness,
which is the Heart of all, not that organ - a small part of the
body, which is insentient like a stone, and perishable. So one
can achieve the eradication of all desires and control of breath,
by practice of merging the mind in the Heart, which is Pure
Consciousness.
Concentrating one’s thoughts solely on the Self will lead to
happiness or bliss. Drawing in the thoughts, restraining them
and preventing them from going outwards is called vairagya.
Fixing them in the Self is sadhana or abhyasa (practice).
Concentrating on the Heart is the same as concentrating on
the Self. The Heart is another name for the Self.
The Self is the Heart. The Heart is Self-luminous. Light
arises from the Heart and reaches the brain which is the seat
of the mind. The world is seen with the mind, that is by the
reflected light of the Self. It is perceived with the aid of the
mind. When the mind is illumined it is aware of the world.
When it is not itself so illumined, it is not aware of the world. If
the mind is turned inward towards the source of light, objective
knowledge ceases and the Self alone shines forth as the Heart.
The moon shines by the reflected light of the sun. When
the sun has set, the moon is useful for revealing objects. When
the sun has risen, no one needs the moon, although the pale
disc of the moon is still visible in the sky. So it is with the
mind and the Heart.
X
RENUNCIATION
When asked: ‘How does a grihastha(householder) fare
in the scheme of Moksha(liberation)?’ Bhagavan said, ‘Why
do you think you are a grihastha? If you go out as a sannyasi
(ascetic), a similar thought that you are a sannyasi will haunt
you. Whether you continue in the household or renounce it and
go to the forest, your mind goes with you. The ego is the source
of all thought. It creates the body and the world and makes
you think you are a grihastha. If you renounce the world it
will only substitute the thought sannyasi for grihastha, and the
environments of the forest for those of the household. But the
mental obstacles will still be there. They even increase in the
new surroundings. There is no help in a change of environment.
The obstacle is the mind. It must be got over whether at home
or in the forest. If you can do it in the forest, why not at home?
Therefore, why change your environment? Your efforts can
be made even now - in whatever environment you are now.
The environment will never change according to your desire’.
If objects have an independent existence, i.e., if they exist
anywhere apart from you, then it may be possible for you to
go away from them. But they do not exist apart from you; they
owe their existence to you, your thoughts. So where can you
go to escape them?
Where can you go, fleeing from the world or objects?
They are like the shadow of man, which the man cannot flee
from. There is a funny story of a man who wanted to bury
his shadow. He dug a deep pit, and seeing his shadow at
the bottom, was glad he could bury it so deep. He went on
filling the pit, and when he had completely filled it up, he was
surprised and disappointed to find the shadow on the top. Even
so, the objects or thoughts of them will be always with you
until you realize the Self.
Why should your occupation or duties in life interfere
with your spiritual effort? For instance, there is a difference
between your activities at home and in the office. In your office
activities you are detached, and so long as you do your duty
you do not care what happens, or whether it results in gain or
loss to the employer. But your duties at home are performed
with attachment and you are all the time anxious as to whether
they will bring advantage or disadvantage to you and your
family. It is possible to perform all the activities of life with
detachment and regard only the Self as real. It is wrong to
suppose that if one is fixed in the Self, one’s duties in life will
not be performed properly. It is like an actor. He dresses, acts
and even feels the part he is playing, but he knows that he is
really not that character but someone else in real life. In the
same way, why should the body-consciousness or the feeling
‘I am the body’ disturb you once you know for certain that
you are not the body but the Self. Nothing that the body does
should shake you from abidance in the Self. Such abidance
will never interfere with the proper and effective discharge
of whatever duties the body has, any more than the actor’s
being aware of his real status in life interferes with his acting
a part on the stage.
Renunciation is always in the mind, not in going to the
forest or solitary places, or giving up one’s duties. The main
thing is to see that the mind does not turn outward but inward. It
does not really rest with a man whether he goes to this place or
that, or whether he gives up his duties or not. All that happens
according to destiny.
All the activities that the body is to go through are
determined when it first comes into existence. It does not rest
with you to accept or reject them. The only freedom you have
is to turn your mind inward and renounce activities there.
Nobody can say why that freedom alone and no other freedom
is left to man. That is the Divine scheme.
Giving up activities means giving up attachment to
activities or the fruits thereof, giving up the notion ‘I am the
doer’. The activities which this body is destined to perform
will have to be gone through. There is no question of giving
up such activities, whether one likes it or not.
If one remains fixed in the Self, the activities will still go
on and their success will not be affected. One should not have
the idea that one is the doer. The activities will still go on. That
force, by whatever name you call it, which brought the body
into existence will see to it that the activities which this body
is meant to go through are brought about.
If the passions are something external to us, we can take
arms and ammunition and conquer them. They all come from
within us. If by looking into the source whence they come, we
prevent their coming up and we shall conquer them. It is the
world and the objects in it that arouse our passions. But the
world and these objects are only created by our mind. They
do not exist during our deep sleep.
The fact is that any amount of action can be performed,
and performed quite well by the Jnani, without His identifying
Himself with it in any way, or ever imagining that He is the
doer. Some power acts through His body and uses His body
to get the work done.
XI
FATE AND FREEWILL
Freewill and destiny are ever existent. Destiny is the result
of past action; it concerns the body. Let the body act as may suit
it. Why are you concerned about it? Why do you pay attention
to it? Freewill and destiny last as long as the body lasts. But
jnana transcends both. The Self is beyond knowledge and
ignorance. Whatever happens, happens as the result of one’s
past actions, of divine will and of other factors.
There are only two ways to conquer destiny or be
independent of it. One is to inquire for whom is this destiny,
and discover that only the ego is bound by destiny and not the
Self, and that the ego is non-existent.
The other way is to kill the ego by completely surrendering
to the Lord, by realizing one’s helplessness and saying all the
time, ‘Not I, but Thou Oh Lord’ and giving up all sense of ‘I’
and ‘mine’, and leaving it to the Lord to do what he likes with
you. Complete effacement of the ego is necessary to conquer
destiny, whether you achieve this effacement through Self inquiry or bhakti marga(path of devotion).
Everything is predetermined. But a man is always free
not to identify himself with the body, and not to be affected
by the pleasures or pains consequent on the body’s activities.
Those alone who have no knowledge of the Source whence
fate and freewill arise, will dispute which of them can conquer
the other. Those who have realized their Self, which is the
Source of both fate and freewill have left such disputes behind,
and will have nothing more to do with them.
Success and failure are due to prarabdha karma, and not
to willpower or the lack of it. One should try to gain equipoise
of mind under all circumstances. That is willpower.
XII
JNANI
A Jnani has attained Liberation even while alive, here
and now. It is immaterial to Him as to how, where and when
He leaves the body. Some Jnanis may appear to suffer, others
may be in samadhi; still others may disappear from sight
before death. But that makes no difference to their jnana.
Such suffering is only apparent, seeming real to the onlooker,
but not felt by the Jnani, for He has already transcended the
mistaken identity of the Self with the body.
The Jnani does not think He is the body. He does not even
see the body. He sees only the Self in the body. If the body is
not there, but only the Self, the question of its disappearing
in any form does not arise.
In books, it is mentioned that the greatest malady we have
is the body, the pvenay> (bhava-noy- disease of birth), and if
one takes medicine to strengthen and prolong its life, it is like
a man taking medicine to perpetuate his disease. A Sanskrit
verse in Canto XI of the Bhagavata says the body is not real
(impermanent). Whether it is at rest, or moves about, and
whether by reason of prarabdha it clings to Him or falls off
from Him, the Self-Realized Siddhais not aware of it, even as
the drunken man blinded by intoxication is unaware whether
his cloth is on his body or not.
Illustrations are given in the books as to how a Jnani who is
in the sahaja state and who always sees only the Self, can move
about and live in the world like everyone else. For instance,
you see a reflection in the mirror, you know the mirror to be
the reality and the picture in it a mere reflection. In order to
see the mirror, is it necessary that one should cease to see the
reflection in it?
Or again take the screen illustration: There is a screen.
On that screen first appears the figure of a king. He sits on
a throne. Then before him in that same screen a play begins
with various figures and objects and the king on the screen
watches the play on the same screen. The seer and the seen
are mere shadows on the screen, which is the only reality
supporting these pictures. In the world also, the seer and the
seen together constitute the mind and the mind is supported
by, or based on, the Self.
You are under the impression you are the body. So you
think the Jnani also has a body. Does the Jnani say He has a
body? He may look to you as having a body and doing things
with the body as others do. The burnt rope still looks like a
rope but it cannot serve as a rope if you try to bind anything
with it. As long as one identifies oneself with the body, all of
this is difficult to understand.
Examine all the different kinds of states. Take hold of that
State which alone is the Supreme and True One and engage
yourself in action in the world, regarding your life there as
mere sport. You have discovered That which is the Reality
inside your Heart behind all the appearances of this world. So,
without ever letting That out of your sight, disport yourself
as you like in the world. Seeming to have enthusiasm and
gratification, anxieties and aversions (but really having none
of them), seeming to begin and persevere in endeavors (but
really having no attachment to such efforts), engage yourself
*See note on page 31 for the meanings of these three karmas
in the affairs of the world without any detriment to yourself.
Freeing yourself from all sorts of bonds, maintaining the same
equanimity and doing work externally in conformity with the
environment in which you find yourself, disport yourself as
you like in the world.
He whose mind is not attached to any desires, does no
action in reality, though his body may act. He is like one who
is hearing a story with his mind elsewhere. Similarly, the man
whose mind is full of desires is really acting though his body
may be action less. A man may be sleeping here with his body
inert, and yet he may be climbing hills and falling from them
in dream at the same time.
It is all the same to one who is fast asleep in a cart, whether
the cart moves or stops, with the bulls left yoked or unyoked.
Similarly for the Jnani who has gone to sleep in the cart of
His physical body, it does not matter whether He works or is
in deep meditation (samadhi), or is asleep.
The statement that the Jnani retains prarabdha while free
from sanchita and agamya karmas* is only a formal answer
to the questions of the ignorant. Of several wives none escapes
widowhood when the husband dies; even so, when the doer
goes all three karmasvanish.
The non-action of the Sage is really unceasing activity. His
characteristic is eternal and intense activity. His stillness is like
the apparent stillness of a very fast-rotating top. Its extreme
speed cannot be followed by the eye and so it appears to be
still. This must be explained, as people generally mistake the
stillness of the Sage for inertness.
XIII
MISCELLANEOUS
No one can be out of sight of the Supreme Presence. Since
you identify one body with Bhagavan and another body with
yourself, you find two separate entities and speak of going
away from here. Wherever you may be, you cannot leave me.
Sri Ramakrishna is said to have seen life in the image of
Kali that he worshiped. That life was perceived by him, not
by all. The vital force was due to himself. It was his own vital
force which manifested as if it were outside and drew him in.
Were the image really alive it must have appeared so to all. On
the other hand, everything is full of life. That is the fact. Many
devotees have had experiences similar to Sri Ramakrishna.
Christ is the ego and the Cross, the body. When the ego is
crucified and it perishes, what survives is the Absolute Being
(God); cf.., ‘I and my Father are one.’ This glorious survival
is called the Resurrection. God the Father represents Isvara,
the Son is the Guru, and the Holy Ghost is the Atman.
The Bible says, ‘Be still and know that I am God,’ Psalm Found in the Ecclesiastics: ‘There is one alone and there
is no second’ and ‘The wise man’s heart is at the right hand
and a fool’s heart is at the left’.
No thought will go in vain. Every thought will produce its
effect sometime or other. Thought force will never go in vain.
Some have maintained that the body can be made immortal
and they give recipes, medical or other, for perfecting this body
and making it defy death. The Siddha School (as it is known
in the South) has believed in such a doctrine. Venkasami Rao
in Kumbakonam started a school which believed the same.
There is a society in Pondichery too. There is also the school
which believes in transforming men into supermen by descent
of Divine Power. But all the people, after writing long treatises
on the indestructibility of their bodies, after giving medical
and yogic recipes to perfect the body and keep it alive forever,
pass away one day.
Name of God and God are not different. The Bible also
has it: ‘In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with
God and the Word was God.’
In the name Rama, ‘Ra’ stands for the Self, and ‘ma’ for
the ego. As one goes on repeating ‘Rama’, ‘Rama’, the ‘ma’
disappears, getting merged in the ‘Ra’ and then ‘Ra’ alone
remains. In that state there is no conscious effort at dhyana,
but dhyanais always there, for dhyanais our real nature.
The yogi may be definitely aiming at rousing the Kundalini
(the Serpent-power) and sending it up the sushumna(yogic
nerve). The Jnani may not have this as His object, but both
achieve the same result, that of sending the life-force up the
sushumna and severing the chitjadagranthi(the knot binding
the sentient and the inert). Kundalini is another name for Atma
or Self, or Sakti. We talk of it as being inside the body because
we conceive ourselves as limited to the body. But it is in reality
both inside and outside, being no other than the Self, or Sakti.
In the jnana marga, when by Self-inquiry the mind is merged
in the Self, the Self, its Sakti or Kundalini rises automatically.
If peace of mind is true Mukti or Liberation, how can
those whose minds are set on siddhis(miraculous powers),
which cannot be attained except with the help and activity of
the mind, attain Mukti, where all turmoil of the mind ceases?
Avoid desire and aversion. Do not engage the mind
much in the affairs of the world. As far as possible do not get
entangled in the affairs of others. Giving to others is really
giving to oneself. If one knows this truth, would one ever
remain without giving?
If ego rises, all will rise. If the ego merges, all will merge.
The more we are humble, the better it is for us.
The best and most potent diksha(initiation) is by silence,
which was practiced by Lord Dakshinamurti. Those by touch,
look, etc. are of a lower order. Mouna can change all hearts.
Bhagavan, when asked by a devotee whether he should
continue taking the name of God as advised by his late Guru,
or change over to vichara(inquiry), referred the devotee to
an article in Vision of September 1937, on the ‘Philosophy of
the Divine Name according to Saint Nam Dev’, in which it is
explained that God and God’s Name are all the same.
The sun illumines the universe, whereas the Sun of
Arunachala is so dazzling, that in It the universe is not seen;
there remains only an unbroken brilliance.
It is not true that birth as a man is necessarily the highest,
that one must attain Self-Realization while only being a man.
Even an animal can attain Self-Realization.
There is no need for anyone to start reforming the country
or the nation before reforming himself. Each man’s first duty
is to realize his True Nature. If after doing this he feels like
reforming the country or nation, by all means let him take
up such reform. Swami Ram Tirtha advertised: ‘Wanted
Reformers - but reformers who will reform themselves first’.
No two persons in the world can be alike or can act alike.
External differences are bound to persist, however hard we
may try to eliminate them. The only solution is for each man
to realize his True Nature.
The Brihadaranyaka Upanishadsays ‘Aham’ is the first
name of God. The first letter in Sanskrit is ‘A’ and the last letter
‘Ha’ and ‘Aha’ thus includes everything from the beginning to
the end. The word Ayam means That which exists, self-shining
and self-evident. Ayam, Atma, Aham all refer to the same thing.
In the Bible also, ‘I AM’ is given as the first name of God.
If we concentrate on any thought and go to sleep in
that state, immediately on waking up the same thought will
continue in our minds. People who are given chloroform are
asked to count one, two, etc. A man who goes under after
saying six, for instance, will, when he comes round again,
start saying seven, eight, etc.
When I laid down with limbs outstretched and mentally
enacted the death scene, and realized that the body would
be taken and cremated and yet I would live, some force, call
it atmic power or anything else, rose within me and took
possession of me. With that I was reborn and I became a new
man. I became indifferent to everything afterwards, having
neither likes nor dislikes.
From silence came thought, from thought the ego, and
from ego speech. So, if speech is effective, how much more
so must be its source?
Karpura arathi(burning camphor before God) is symbolic
of burning away the mind by the light of illumination. Vibhuti
(sacred ash) is Siva (Absolute Being) and kumkum(vermillion
powder) is Sakti(consciousness) .
The puranas speak of this Hill (Arunachala) as being
hollow, with cities and streets inside it. I have also seen such
things in visions. The books speak of the Heart as a cavity.
But penetration into it proves it to be an expanse of light.
Similarly the Hill is one of light. The caves, etc. are covered
up with that light.
The means prescribed for securing the spiritual end, such
as charity, penance, sacrifice, dharma (virtuous conduct),
yoga, bhakti(devotion) and the end itself described variously
as Heaven, the Supreme Object, Peace, Truth, Grace,
the Quiescent State, Deathless Death, True Knowledge,
renunciation, Moksha(Liberation) and Bliss are all nothing
but being free from the obsession that the body is the Self.
Give up regarding yourself as this despicable body and
realize your Real Nature, which is one of Eternal Bliss. Seeking
to know thyself while still anxious about the welfare of the
body, is like attempting to cross a stream with the aid of a
crocodile for a raft.
Not desiring the non-Self is dispassion (vairagya).
Inhering in the Self is Jnana. Both are the same.
In the center of the cavity of the Heart the sole Brahman
shines by itself as the Atman(Self) in the feeling of ‘I-I’. Reach
the Heart by diving within yourself, either with control of
breath, or with thought concentrated on the quest of the Self.
You will thus get fixed in the Self.
I have been saying all along that the Heart Center is on
the right side, even when learned men differed from me. I
speak from experience. I knew it even in my home during
my trances (samadhi). Again during the incident recorded
in Self-Realization, I had a very clear vision and experience.
All of a sudden a light came from one side erasing the world vision. I felt that the heart on the left had stopped and the body
became blue and inert. Vasudeva Sastri embraced the body
and wept over my death, but I could not speak. All the time I
was feeling that the Heart Center on the right was working as
well as ever. This state lasted fifteen or twenty minutes. Then
suddenly something shot out from the right to the left like a
rocket bursting into the sky. The blood resumed circulation
and the normal condition of the body was restored.
The entire universe is condensed in the body and the entire
body in the Heart. Thus the Heart is the nucleus of the whole
universe. This world is not other than the mind, the mind is
not other than the Heart; that is the whole truth.
The source is a point without any dimensions. It expands
as the cosmos on the one hand and as Infinite bliss on the
other. That point is the pivot. From it a single vasana starts
and expands as the experiencer (‘I’), the experience and the
experienced (the world).
To Rama who questioned Vasishta: ‘Which is that big
mirror in which all these are mere reflections? What is the
heart of all souls or creatures in this universe?’ Vasishta replied:
‘All creatures in this universe have two kinds of hearts - one
to be taken note of and the other ignored. Hear their respective
traits: The one to be ignored is the physical organ called the
heart which is situated in the chest as a part of the measurable
body. The one to be taken note of is the Heart which is of the
nature of consciousness. It is both inside and outside (us) and
has neither an inside nor an outside.’
This is the really important Heart. It is the mirror which
holds all reflections. It is the basis and source of all objects and
all kinds of wealth. Therefore, it is only that Consciousness,
which is the Heart of all, not that organ - a small part of the
body, which is insentient like a stone, and perishable. So one
can achieve the eradication of all desires and control of breath,
by practice of merging the mind in the Heart, which is Pure
Consciousness.
Concentrating one’s thoughts solely on the Self will lead to
happiness or bliss. Drawing in the thoughts, restraining them
and preventing them from going outwards is called vairagya.
Fixing them in the Self is sadhana or abhyasa (practice).
Concentrating on the Heart is the same as concentrating on
the Self. The Heart is another name for the Self.
The Self is the Heart. The Heart is Self-luminous. Light
arises from the Heart and reaches the brain which is the seat
of the mind. The world is seen with the mind, that is by the
reflected light of the Self. It is perceived with the aid of the
mind. When the mind is illumined it is aware of the world.
When it is not itself so illumined, it is not aware of the world. If
the mind is turned inward towards the source of light, objective
knowledge ceases and the Self alone shines forth as the Heart.
The moon shines by the reflected light of the sun. When
the sun has set, the moon is useful for revealing objects. When
the sun has risen, no one needs the moon, although the pale
disc of the moon is still visible in the sky. So it is with the
mind and the Heart.
X
RENUNCIATION
When asked: ‘How does a grihastha(householder) fare
in the scheme of Moksha(liberation)?’ Bhagavan said, ‘Why
do you think you are a grihastha? If you go out as a sannyasi
(ascetic), a similar thought that you are a sannyasi will haunt
you. Whether you continue in the household or renounce it and
go to the forest, your mind goes with you. The ego is the source
of all thought. It creates the body and the world and makes
you think you are a grihastha. If you renounce the world it
will only substitute the thought sannyasi for grihastha, and the
environments of the forest for those of the household. But the
mental obstacles will still be there. They even increase in the
new surroundings. There is no help in a change of environment.
The obstacle is the mind. It must be got over whether at home
or in the forest. If you can do it in the forest, why not at home?
Therefore, why change your environment? Your efforts can
be made even now - in whatever environment you are now.
The environment will never change according to your desire’.
If objects have an independent existence, i.e., if they exist
anywhere apart from you, then it may be possible for you to
go away from them. But they do not exist apart from you; they
owe their existence to you, your thoughts. So where can you
go to escape them?
Where can you go, fleeing from the world or objects?
They are like the shadow of man, which the man cannot flee
from. There is a funny story of a man who wanted to bury
his shadow. He dug a deep pit, and seeing his shadow at
the bottom, was glad he could bury it so deep. He went on
filling the pit, and when he had completely filled it up, he was
surprised and disappointed to find the shadow on the top. Even
so, the objects or thoughts of them will be always with you
until you realize the Self.
Why should your occupation or duties in life interfere
with your spiritual effort? For instance, there is a difference
between your activities at home and in the office. In your office
activities you are detached, and so long as you do your duty
you do not care what happens, or whether it results in gain or
loss to the employer. But your duties at home are performed
with attachment and you are all the time anxious as to whether
they will bring advantage or disadvantage to you and your
family. It is possible to perform all the activities of life with
detachment and regard only the Self as real. It is wrong to
suppose that if one is fixed in the Self, one’s duties in life will
not be performed properly. It is like an actor. He dresses, acts
and even feels the part he is playing, but he knows that he is
really not that character but someone else in real life. In the
same way, why should the body-consciousness or the feeling
‘I am the body’ disturb you once you know for certain that
you are not the body but the Self. Nothing that the body does
should shake you from abidance in the Self. Such abidance
will never interfere with the proper and effective discharge
of whatever duties the body has, any more than the actor’s
being aware of his real status in life interferes with his acting
a part on the stage.
Renunciation is always in the mind, not in going to the
forest or solitary places, or giving up one’s duties. The main
thing is to see that the mind does not turn outward but inward. It
does not really rest with a man whether he goes to this place or
that, or whether he gives up his duties or not. All that happens
according to destiny.
All the activities that the body is to go through are
determined when it first comes into existence. It does not rest
with you to accept or reject them. The only freedom you have
is to turn your mind inward and renounce activities there.
Nobody can say why that freedom alone and no other freedom
is left to man. That is the Divine scheme.
Giving up activities means giving up attachment to
activities or the fruits thereof, giving up the notion ‘I am the
doer’. The activities which this body is destined to perform
will have to be gone through. There is no question of giving
up such activities, whether one likes it or not.
If one remains fixed in the Self, the activities will still go
on and their success will not be affected. One should not have
the idea that one is the doer. The activities will still go on. That
force, by whatever name you call it, which brought the body
into existence will see to it that the activities which this body
is meant to go through are brought about.
If the passions are something external to us, we can take
arms and ammunition and conquer them. They all come from
within us. If by looking into the source whence they come, we
prevent their coming up and we shall conquer them. It is the
world and the objects in it that arouse our passions. But the
world and these objects are only created by our mind. They
do not exist during our deep sleep.
The fact is that any amount of action can be performed,
and performed quite well by the Jnani, without His identifying
Himself with it in any way, or ever imagining that He is the
doer. Some power acts through His body and uses His body
to get the work done.
XI
FATE AND FREEWILL
Freewill and destiny are ever existent. Destiny is the result
of past action; it concerns the body. Let the body act as may suit
it. Why are you concerned about it? Why do you pay attention
to it? Freewill and destiny last as long as the body lasts. But
jnana transcends both. The Self is beyond knowledge and
ignorance. Whatever happens, happens as the result of one’s
past actions, of divine will and of other factors.
There are only two ways to conquer destiny or be
independent of it. One is to inquire for whom is this destiny,
and discover that only the ego is bound by destiny and not the
Self, and that the ego is non-existent.
The other way is to kill the ego by completely surrendering
to the Lord, by realizing one’s helplessness and saying all the
time, ‘Not I, but Thou Oh Lord’ and giving up all sense of ‘I’
and ‘mine’, and leaving it to the Lord to do what he likes with
you. Complete effacement of the ego is necessary to conquer
destiny, whether you achieve this effacement through Self inquiry or bhakti marga(path of devotion).
Everything is predetermined. But a man is always free
not to identify himself with the body, and not to be affected
by the pleasures or pains consequent on the body’s activities.
Those alone who have no knowledge of the Source whence
fate and freewill arise, will dispute which of them can conquer
the other. Those who have realized their Self, which is the
Source of both fate and freewill have left such disputes behind,
and will have nothing more to do with them.
Success and failure are due to prarabdha karma, and not
to willpower or the lack of it. One should try to gain equipoise
of mind under all circumstances. That is willpower.
XII
JNANI
A Jnani has attained Liberation even while alive, here
and now. It is immaterial to Him as to how, where and when
He leaves the body. Some Jnanis may appear to suffer, others
may be in samadhi; still others may disappear from sight
before death. But that makes no difference to their jnana.
Such suffering is only apparent, seeming real to the onlooker,
but not felt by the Jnani, for He has already transcended the
mistaken identity of the Self with the body.
The Jnani does not think He is the body. He does not even
see the body. He sees only the Self in the body. If the body is
not there, but only the Self, the question of its disappearing
in any form does not arise.
In books, it is mentioned that the greatest malady we have
is the body, the pvenay> (bhava-noy- disease of birth), and if
one takes medicine to strengthen and prolong its life, it is like
a man taking medicine to perpetuate his disease. A Sanskrit
verse in Canto XI of the Bhagavata says the body is not real
(impermanent). Whether it is at rest, or moves about, and
whether by reason of prarabdha it clings to Him or falls off
from Him, the Self-Realized Siddhais not aware of it, even as
the drunken man blinded by intoxication is unaware whether
his cloth is on his body or not.
Illustrations are given in the books as to how a Jnani who is
in the sahaja state and who always sees only the Self, can move
about and live in the world like everyone else. For instance,
you see a reflection in the mirror, you know the mirror to be
the reality and the picture in it a mere reflection. In order to
see the mirror, is it necessary that one should cease to see the
reflection in it?
Or again take the screen illustration: There is a screen.
On that screen first appears the figure of a king. He sits on
a throne. Then before him in that same screen a play begins
with various figures and objects and the king on the screen
watches the play on the same screen. The seer and the seen
are mere shadows on the screen, which is the only reality
supporting these pictures. In the world also, the seer and the
seen together constitute the mind and the mind is supported
by, or based on, the Self.
You are under the impression you are the body. So you
think the Jnani also has a body. Does the Jnani say He has a
body? He may look to you as having a body and doing things
with the body as others do. The burnt rope still looks like a
rope but it cannot serve as a rope if you try to bind anything
with it. As long as one identifies oneself with the body, all of
this is difficult to understand.
Examine all the different kinds of states. Take hold of that
State which alone is the Supreme and True One and engage
yourself in action in the world, regarding your life there as
mere sport. You have discovered That which is the Reality
inside your Heart behind all the appearances of this world. So,
without ever letting That out of your sight, disport yourself
as you like in the world. Seeming to have enthusiasm and
gratification, anxieties and aversions (but really having none
of them), seeming to begin and persevere in endeavors (but
really having no attachment to such efforts), engage yourself
*See note on page 31 for the meanings of these three karmas
in the affairs of the world without any detriment to yourself.
Freeing yourself from all sorts of bonds, maintaining the same
equanimity and doing work externally in conformity with the
environment in which you find yourself, disport yourself as
you like in the world.
He whose mind is not attached to any desires, does no
action in reality, though his body may act. He is like one who
is hearing a story with his mind elsewhere. Similarly, the man
whose mind is full of desires is really acting though his body
may be action less. A man may be sleeping here with his body
inert, and yet he may be climbing hills and falling from them
in dream at the same time.
It is all the same to one who is fast asleep in a cart, whether
the cart moves or stops, with the bulls left yoked or unyoked.
Similarly for the Jnani who has gone to sleep in the cart of
His physical body, it does not matter whether He works or is
in deep meditation (samadhi), or is asleep.
The statement that the Jnani retains prarabdha while free
from sanchita and agamya karmas* is only a formal answer
to the questions of the ignorant. Of several wives none escapes
widowhood when the husband dies; even so, when the doer
goes all three karmasvanish.
The non-action of the Sage is really unceasing activity. His
characteristic is eternal and intense activity. His stillness is like
the apparent stillness of a very fast-rotating top. Its extreme
speed cannot be followed by the eye and so it appears to be
still. This must be explained, as people generally mistake the
stillness of the Sage for inertness.
XIII
MISCELLANEOUS
No one can be out of sight of the Supreme Presence. Since
you identify one body with Bhagavan and another body with
yourself, you find two separate entities and speak of going
away from here. Wherever you may be, you cannot leave me.
Sri Ramakrishna is said to have seen life in the image of
Kali that he worshiped. That life was perceived by him, not
by all. The vital force was due to himself. It was his own vital
force which manifested as if it were outside and drew him in.
Were the image really alive it must have appeared so to all. On
the other hand, everything is full of life. That is the fact. Many
devotees have had experiences similar to Sri Ramakrishna.
Christ is the ego and the Cross, the body. When the ego is
crucified and it perishes, what survives is the Absolute Being
(God); cf.., ‘I and my Father are one.’ This glorious survival
is called the Resurrection. God the Father represents Isvara,
the Son is the Guru, and the Holy Ghost is the Atman.
The Bible says, ‘Be still and know that I am God,’ Psalm Found in the Ecclesiastics: ‘There is one alone and there
is no second’ and ‘The wise man’s heart is at the right hand
and a fool’s heart is at the left’.
No thought will go in vain. Every thought will produce its
effect sometime or other. Thought force will never go in vain.
Some have maintained that the body can be made immortal
and they give recipes, medical or other, for perfecting this body
and making it defy death. The Siddha School (as it is known
in the South) has believed in such a doctrine. Venkasami Rao
in Kumbakonam started a school which believed the same.
There is a society in Pondichery too. There is also the school
which believes in transforming men into supermen by descent
of Divine Power. But all the people, after writing long treatises
on the indestructibility of their bodies, after giving medical
and yogic recipes to perfect the body and keep it alive forever,
pass away one day.
Name of God and God are not different. The Bible also
has it: ‘In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with
God and the Word was God.’
In the name Rama, ‘Ra’ stands for the Self, and ‘ma’ for
the ego. As one goes on repeating ‘Rama’, ‘Rama’, the ‘ma’
disappears, getting merged in the ‘Ra’ and then ‘Ra’ alone
remains. In that state there is no conscious effort at dhyana,
but dhyanais always there, for dhyanais our real nature.
The yogi may be definitely aiming at rousing the Kundalini
(the Serpent-power) and sending it up the sushumna(yogic
nerve). The Jnani may not have this as His object, but both
achieve the same result, that of sending the life-force up the
sushumna and severing the chitjadagranthi(the knot binding
the sentient and the inert). Kundalini is another name for Atma
or Self, or Sakti. We talk of it as being inside the body because
we conceive ourselves as limited to the body. But it is in reality
both inside and outside, being no other than the Self, or Sakti.
In the jnana marga, when by Self-inquiry the mind is merged
in the Self, the Self, its Sakti or Kundalini rises automatically.
If peace of mind is true Mukti or Liberation, how can
those whose minds are set on siddhis(miraculous powers),
which cannot be attained except with the help and activity of
the mind, attain Mukti, where all turmoil of the mind ceases?
Avoid desire and aversion. Do not engage the mind
much in the affairs of the world. As far as possible do not get
entangled in the affairs of others. Giving to others is really
giving to oneself. If one knows this truth, would one ever
remain without giving?
If ego rises, all will rise. If the ego merges, all will merge.
The more we are humble, the better it is for us.
The best and most potent diksha(initiation) is by silence,
which was practiced by Lord Dakshinamurti. Those by touch,
look, etc. are of a lower order. Mouna can change all hearts.
Bhagavan, when asked by a devotee whether he should
continue taking the name of God as advised by his late Guru,
or change over to vichara(inquiry), referred the devotee to
an article in Vision of September 1937, on the ‘Philosophy of
the Divine Name according to Saint Nam Dev’, in which it is
explained that God and God’s Name are all the same.
The sun illumines the universe, whereas the Sun of
Arunachala is so dazzling, that in It the universe is not seen;
there remains only an unbroken brilliance.
It is not true that birth as a man is necessarily the highest,
that one must attain Self-Realization while only being a man.
Even an animal can attain Self-Realization.
There is no need for anyone to start reforming the country
or the nation before reforming himself. Each man’s first duty
is to realize his True Nature. If after doing this he feels like
reforming the country or nation, by all means let him take
up such reform. Swami Ram Tirtha advertised: ‘Wanted
Reformers - but reformers who will reform themselves first’.
No two persons in the world can be alike or can act alike.
External differences are bound to persist, however hard we
may try to eliminate them. The only solution is for each man
to realize his True Nature.
The Brihadaranyaka Upanishadsays ‘Aham’ is the first
name of God. The first letter in Sanskrit is ‘A’ and the last letter
‘Ha’ and ‘Aha’ thus includes everything from the beginning to
the end. The word Ayam means That which exists, self-shining
and self-evident. Ayam, Atma, Aham all refer to the same thing.
In the Bible also, ‘I AM’ is given as the first name of God.
If we concentrate on any thought and go to sleep in
that state, immediately on waking up the same thought will
continue in our minds. People who are given chloroform are
asked to count one, two, etc. A man who goes under after
saying six, for instance, will, when he comes round again,
start saying seven, eight, etc.
When I laid down with limbs outstretched and mentally
enacted the death scene, and realized that the body would
be taken and cremated and yet I would live, some force, call
it atmic power or anything else, rose within me and took
possession of me. With that I was reborn and I became a new
man. I became indifferent to everything afterwards, having
neither likes nor dislikes.
From silence came thought, from thought the ego, and
from ego speech. So, if speech is effective, how much more
so must be its source?
Karpura arathi(burning camphor before God) is symbolic
of burning away the mind by the light of illumination. Vibhuti
(sacred ash) is Siva (Absolute Being) and kumkum(vermillion
powder) is Sakti(consciousness) .
The puranas speak of this Hill (Arunachala) as being
hollow, with cities and streets inside it. I have also seen such
things in visions. The books speak of the Heart as a cavity.
But penetration into it proves it to be an expanse of light.
Similarly the Hill is one of light. The caves, etc. are covered
up with that light.
The means prescribed for securing the spiritual end, such
as charity, penance, sacrifice, dharma (virtuous conduct),
yoga, bhakti(devotion) and the end itself described variously
as Heaven, the Supreme Object, Peace, Truth, Grace,
the Quiescent State, Deathless Death, True Knowledge,
renunciation, Moksha(Liberation) and Bliss are all nothing
but being free from the obsession that the body is the Self.
Give up regarding yourself as this despicable body and
realize your Real Nature, which is one of Eternal Bliss. Seeking
to know thyself while still anxious about the welfare of the
body, is like attempting to cross a stream with the aid of a
crocodile for a raft.
Not desiring the non-Self is dispassion (vairagya).
Inhering in the Self is Jnana. Both are the same.
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