
MAHARAJ : The nature of the consciousness has to be understood. This consciousness can arise only in the physical body, and the physical body is the essence of the five elements. It is because of the association with the physical body that there is suffering. Most people who come here will not be able to accept this type of knowledge, because it is on a strictly fundamental level. But some persons who apply themselves and can accept such a point of view, will really understand. They will be totally free from the impact of pain and unhappiness, if they understand that the latter can only result from the consciousness which has identified itself with the physical body and suffers as an individual. In that case, suffering must inevitably result. But, what is the individual? There is a body created out of the five elements, and in that body dwells the vital breath (prana) and the consciousness; it is a composite unity. All living forms contain the vital breath and the consciousness. And. although the forms are different, they all contain the same elements. So, I ask again: Where is the question of an individual? Basically, there is none. And this is my basic teaching which has to be grasped, but only very few will understand
VISITOR : Would you please repeat this ? There was so much disturbance that I could not follow it
M : Certainly. but not in the same words. Now what is it that we are concerned with? We are dealing with the physical form which is made up of, and fed by, the five elements. In that form are operating the life force (the vital breath) and this consciousness - that is, the knowledge “I am” or the sense of being, the sense of existence. The latter is the “sentience,” which is the gift of the consciousness. This is the total that we can perceive: the body, the vital breath and the consciousness. All forms are made of the same components. So where is the question of an individual? Throughout all this, the individual as such has never come into being. And for this reason there is no need to identify oneself with anything. Yet one does: the consciousness identifies itself with the body, and in this way the “individual” comes into being. So long as this is a fact, that individual is bound to suffer. And what I am...I am neither the body, which is merely the five elements, nor the life force (the breath) nor the consciousness which comes into the body. I must identify with the consciousness as long as the body is there, because it forms one unity with it. But in actuality. I am none of these three things. While the body exists, I am the consciousness, which merely witnesses whatever is going on. When the body dies, the life force leaves and mingles with the air, and the consciousness mingles with the universal consciousness. I am essentially nothing (identifiable) in this consciousness, being only its witness. And, what I am in the absolute sense, it is not possible to convey in any words. In that ultimate Awareness, nobody has any consciousness of being present. The presence itself is not there in the Absolute
No person not interested in the subject would want to come here. So one can only assume that those who do attend are vitally interested in the subject and have done their homework... thus, the people who come here are all jnanis. But, how many amongst us know the nature and the basis of this consciousness that I am, which exists so long as the body is there. Each of us must say “I am” and realize it. There is no “you,” and there is no “me.” as individual entities
When there is an imbalance in the body substance, illness comes about. But when that material is in perfect balance, there is no illness. Now how is that? The question was: Does the universal consciousness depend on the five elements for its existence? The answer to this question is that the universal consciousness and the total manifestation appear simultaneously. The manifestation happens because consciousness is there. Until the “I am” thought was there, there was no manifestation; both came about simultaneously. But because we identify ourselves with the body in which the individual consciousness manifests itself - and the consciousness in order to manifest itself has to have a form - the “individual” is born and that individual suffers
Earlier I had explained the question of the universal consciousness. The universal consciousness is something like a name given to a city. Now there is Bombay, for example. What do you mean by “Bombay”? Can you produce Bombay? No! The totality of a particular thing is designated...So the universal consciousness is merely a name given to that which is formless
I use the word “city,” not particularly Bombay. I mean any city or place. If I say Bombay, it means that I refer to a limited area
V : A very important point here. To my mind, a city or a nation comprises only the individuals who make it up
M : A name may have been given by individuals; but that which has been created, has man created it? Out of five elements, man is born. But has man created the five elements? The five elements have been created out of that consciousness, which is in the individual body
V : The universal consciousness and this consciousness within me, are they the same? M : The light which is perceived by your eyes and the light which is generally seen, as reflected in various manifestations, are they different? To repeat: The Whole problem lies in identification with the individual body and consequently with the individual. Therefore, the individual is ever afraid of death - death of the individual
Are there any questions on this subject? You are this consciousness. And out of this consciousness is born the entire universe. We consider ourselves as individuals; and that which is unlimited we have limited to an insignificant thing. The infinite is narrowed down to a single body. That is our whole problem
Now there is also this question: If it is the same universal consciousness that appears in millions of human beings, why do they act in such contrary manners, creating all kinds of chaos? If one woman has ten children, they are all born from the same parents, but do they not act in remarkably contrary ways? Why is that? Because, although constituted from the same basic five elements, the composition of each individual, resulting from different proportions - permutations and combinations - of these elements, is quite different. Thus, each person acts in a different way. Or. to use a different analogy, the metal may be the same but the purposes for which that metal has been converted into different instruments are widely different - each instrument may be used for a particular purpose. So the ingredients are the five elements, but the eventual object created from different combinations of those ingredients is bound to act uniquely according to its composition
V : Whose purpose is it, Maharaj? M : The purpose is the addition of all these millions of combinations. Until I know... that is why I asked earlier when do we first know the nature and basis of this composition, which we identify as ourselves... Unless I first thoroughly know its nature, how can I know the purpose and basis of the entire universe? INTERPRETER : Maharaj is asking you, have you realized the nature of the Consciousness? Now he gives an example, as is his wont, of country, homely nature. In the country they make a pancake. There is a fire, they put a pan on it, and then the dough is poured on it. Finally, the pancake comes into being and is removed
When the next one is put into the pan, when it is formed, it will generally appear like the previous one, but the number of dents and holes in the two will not be exactly the same. You may have dozens of these pancakes, but each one is bound to be different. That is the nature of creation itself, to have variety, So he says. understand the nature and basis of that which is created as the manifestation, and that is the consciousness. Unless you understand this consciousness, no other way of realizing Paramatman exists. It cannot be attained other than by understanding
M : The mystery of the hypnotic power of this maya is that one identifies oneself with the body. And the mechanism of this kind of identification does not differ in any way from identification of a chunk of stone. or something created out of stone, as God, and the wholehearted worshiping of it. So far as that goes, it is all right, and this kind of worship will have its normal effects in consciousness. But unless the nature of the consciousness is understood, one will not be able to understand one's true identity. Then. having understood the nature of the consciousness, you will also understand that you are not the consciousness. Anything that you have seen and understood, you cannot be; you, as a subject, can only understand something which is an object, and you are bound to accept it as such
If you discuss things with me. based on the traditional literature and the traditional knowledge... there will be so many pundits who are so knowledgeable, they will eat me alive. And yet, where the basic knowledge is concerned. which I deal with, why do these people remain speechless? Because it is something totally different from anything that can be understood. Whatever is understood. whatever is seen, is not true
Any questions? V : There is a Hymn to Creation; it is well known to people who have read the translations. At the end of that, the poem goes something like this (I can only vaguely reproduce it): He, the Ultimate Knower, the jnani... the question now is who said this whole thing, who caused him? It is about the jnani's origin, how did that happen? And in the last line, the poem reads: He, the jnani, he knows it
Or perhaps, he knows not. In other words. you are left in doubt at the end whether he really knows the Ultimate. Is that true? M : Would you repeat it, please
V : Well. it is difficult to do so without repeating the actual text. In other words, it is an ultimate question about so to speak the origin of the jnani. He says it in the last line..
M : But how does it start, this Hymn to Creation? V : It is a very well known Hymn. What about the origin of the jnani himself? You can imagine the jnani asking himself: How did I come to be here? The answer he gives is: He knows. Or perhaps. he does not know it either
M : He cannot be called a jnani', since the very question is not answered, the problem is still incomplete, unsolved. The mystery remains. The sick man is still a sick man. Whatever he says is an echo of illness. And the one who wrote it, is still ill
V : [Asks a question in Marathi which is not translated.] M : Consciousness itself is the screen. This is the realm of consciousness and all creations are in the consciousness
I : The question was: Could we conceive of consciousness as a screen on which the entire creation is like a moving picture? So Maharaj said initially, there is no screen, there is nothing. Whatever is, is wide open. Then. Mr. P
explained that what the lady probably intended to convey is that anything that can happen - all thoughts, all action - are only appearances in that consciousness. So Maharaj said: Undoubtedly
The session is nearly over. Are there any questions? Maharaj wants questions; he thrives on them
V : A difficulty in our understanding is that consciousness itself is the object of the Knower. right? This consciousness can eventually be understood by the jnani. Unfortunately, the opposite of consciousness is unconsciousness. So in the language, so to speak, there is an inbuilt tendency to make this division - consciousness and unconsciousness. Consciousness is being understood; and then what remains, according to the language, is unconsciousness
I : That he explained yesterday morning..
When the consciousness is not there, then obviously one is unconscious. So what are you getting at ? V : Consciousness is not true. You say that to the ordinary person, and then that seems an inferior state to him
SECOND VISITOR : It does not seem inferior to me
M : It is out of unconsciousness that consciousness is born ; unconsciousness is the source. And that is our experience also. This knowledge "I am." this consciousness, has come out of the prior state when there was no consciousness
The Consciousness is a state which is now with us and because of which we suffer; and before this consciousness came, a state prevailed when we were not conscious and which was a happy state
The session is over, but if there are any questions...? Then go ahead! [There are no further questions] *** M : [in response to a question about effort to understand] There is no question of any efforts being made by anyone. That which is is to be understood, is self-effulgent. It does not need anybody's help to exist, and is merely to be understood. And when it is understood, it will also be clear that I am the dawn, I am the afternoon. I am the evening, I am the night. I am the good, I am the bad
And what is to be understood is that if consciousness is not there. the world is not there. And I am not the consciousness; I am apart from it. Although consciousness is so very important - for if there were no consciousness there would be no World, there would be nothing - yet I am not that
V : But even coming to this insight requires effort. Why does Maharaj say there is no effort to be made? M : Now that you know that you are, you are sitting here, you know that you exist, you have that sentience. The knowledge that you are alive. that you exist, do you understand it through any effort? V : No
M : Your question is wholly correct from the point of view of this world; that is, unless you work there is no fruit, you can't eat. So from the worldly point of view, your question is correct. But I don't belong to this world! And in the world, this “I-am-ness” is just there. without any efforts on anyone's part
V : Maharaj, I am a teacher by profession. In theory, I accept this fully and even see the logic of it. The problem is that knowing this theoretically is one thing, but actually being it and feeling it is quite another. And that is where the trouble lies, and hence the need for effort
M : Yes, tremendous effort: being very, very still and not doing anything! That is effort - the effort which you made when you were in your mother's womb for eight months and in which state neither your parents nor you as such did anything. No effort was made. Whatever grew. grew by itself
V : I got my answer ! M : From the drop of semen at conception to the growing into a baby, and his further development, what is it that made possible this growth? That very same principle which from the absence of knowledge has led to the presence of knowledge, this "I-am-ness"-that is what one is and what is to be understood
V : A spontaneous occurrence without effort
M : That spontaneous happening, that consciousness which has come upon unconsciousness
V : But how can one know that conception has occurred? SECOND VISITOR : How otherwise would you know the child is born? V : Unless there is conception, he will not grow. And in the person where there is no conception, there will be no growth. Hence, an effort would also have to be made for there to be conception; then only the growth will take place
I : Maharaj is telling you exclusively about the growth part. There are no efforts. It is spontaneously happening, the growth
M : Even there, even for the conception, what effort could the parents make? And even if the parents make that effort, could they have guaranteed that conception is to take place? The conception occurs by itself of its own sweet will - not necessarily because of any efforts. In any case, the efforts which the parents made were not really efforts: they were enjoying themselves. That is not an effort as such
[To a particular visitor] Are you coming in the evening? V : These are my sisters. They are going back with me this afternoon
M : The knowledge “you are” - if you want to remember this visit - remember this also, the memory that you are is under the shade [that is, the protecting umbrella] of the guru or God, Worshiping God and guru means worshiping the knowledge "you are" only. So hold on to that principle, the knowledge "I am." the knowledge that you exist, and worship it in the name of your guru or God