
MAHARAJ: Where consciousness is not? Only in sleep, the consciousness is not. From the moment of waking to the moment of sleeping, the consciousness is there. Whenever you observe an object, the mind has to be there to interpret it. With consciousness the mind is there to perceive.
V: Whenever an object is seen, witnessing happens. I do not know what I should call this witnessing.
M: Without mind, there cannot be any witnessing. It can happen only when the objects of mind exist, which is predicated upon the presence of the consciousness. Primarily witnessing happens to the consciousness, in the realm of the mind. All the activities occur to the mind and intellect, and witnessing of that happens to the Self.
If the consciousness holds on to the body as its identity, then true knowledge will never dawn on you. The Self is given the guise of the body—hence the trouble.
V: There are many gurus and many paths. How do we select a right guru and a correct path?
M: Many visitors come here. And many of them are mainly interested in subjects connected with body and mind, but I am not interested in these topics. Rarely someone wants knowledge of the Self. My present subject matter is: Whatever is gone, does not vanish and die, but disperses and manifests into multiplicity. While the consciousness leaves the body, it remains ample, widespread and manifest.
In the manifest world, avatars and social workers have for thousands of years been trying to bring about a change. But in spite of their collective efforts, there has been no improvement at all. Human beings all have the same type of mind and intellect in which they are embroiled and caught up. But no improvement is possible in that state. I always go by the basic principle in the background. Unknowingly, everything is happening against that background, from that principle. A person is normally engaged in activities that may be considered good or bad, but are actually just mental occupation.
Everybody is trying to protect and preserve the time factor—that is, the consciousness. So long as time is there, consciousness is there; and time is there so long as the body is present.
When the life span is over, time has gone. When time has gone, consciousness is gone. As long as the beingness is there, activities proceed. Once you realize that you are not the body, then there is no more attraction for the manifestation.
When a firm conviction is established that one is not the body, one’s behavior has become just like that of the five elements, claiming no credit as things are merely happening by themselves. Such a one can have no needs and demands.
Many people clothed in spiritual attitudes are not inclined to give up their bodily identity. In the name of spirituality, they go on pursuing creeds, faiths and disciplines. But they do not relinquish their cherished identity, nor do they proceed inwards towards their Self. All the diverse guises that are adopted are the characteristics of the mind—its various inclinations, latencies—and not those of the Self. Many people change creeds as some change wives when dictated by their mind.
When a butcher attains the realized state, he continues his vocation of slaughtering animals, because he knows that it is only the function of the body but that he is not the body and mind. He does not even need a God nor the knowledge of the Brahman.
Once you realize that you are not the body and the mind, you have no needs and demands; then you are one with the manifest consciousness. In due course you are not even the consciousness, when you dwell in the Highest, thus ultimately also transcending the consciousness. Manifest conscious- ness is the Brahman.
Once stabilized in the Brahman, there is no longer any use for knowledge of the Brahman—that is, knowledge of the Self. What can be the use of Brahman to the Brahman? Therefore, I, the Brahman, do nothing and need nothing, at this stage of videhisthiti, the body-free state. There is no high nor low; no real nor unreal; no inside nor outside and no dimension of any kind in that state.
In the name of spirituality, people adopt as their religion certain creeds and concepts and develop pride. Later, they give up all that and accept another creed, and so on. Finally, they will never know when their bodies “kick-off.”
At present, you put your faith in the body. Once you give up that faith, you are the Brahman—the manifest principle. Bhagavan Krishna said, “Remember me, I am always there.” What is that state of Krishna? He is beyond the body-mind state; that means, he is the consciousness. Further, Krishna as the Absolute is the witness of consciousness also; so whenever anybody thinks of him, it is of eternity only. In thinking thusly, a devotee himself dwells in eternity. Therefore Krishna says, “Remember me, memorize me.” Do not use your identi- ty with the body, but by all means use the body.
Although “I-am-ness” dwells in the body, it rejects the body as “I am not it.” I, in the Krishna state, do not belong to the Hindu, Christian, or Muslim faith. Why? Because I am not the body and therefore I prevail in a Hindu, Christian, Muslim—in everyone and everything. Bring me a Muslim or a Christian without a body. Can you bring anyone like that? All religions and creeds are at the body-mind level. Is there any indwelling principle, such as Hindu, Christian, or Muslim, in the food we cultivate and consume? Thus, food does not provide any religious nourishment to indicate the religion of the person. A child of a Muslim food-body is considered a Muslim conventionally. This applies similarly to a child of a Hindu. Because the parents call themselves Hindu or Muslim, they impose their particular religion on their offspring. Could there be any religion, creed or faith in the food—a product of the five elements?
From the same eating place, people of different faiths consume a common food. But the moment the food is con- sumed by their body, it is given the religious status of that food-body. How strange!
In food, innately and dormantly, the sense of “I-am-ness” is already present. Once the food is consumed and assimilated in the body, the “I-am-ness” manifests itself.
With the appearance of a body, the necessity to assign a name is felt. We impose a name to identify that body, and then the very name is taken as the person. With the body, a form appears and with the form, a name to identify it. But how strange, the name is considered as the very person!
The world is full of children. Actually, they are products of food, and children yet to be born are already extant in the food essence though in a dormant state. When the food essence takes a form, it manifests a body, and the body provides sustenance to the indwelling “I am” principle. Just as milk is sucked by a child from a feeding bottle, so the food essence is consumed by the “I-am-ness” from the body. It is eaten and digested by the “I-am-ness” the whole day. With this understanding we should realize that we are not the body. This is liberation, and realization.
All of you are quiet now. Why? Because you are being cleared of your present identity, of your conviction that you are a body and mind. Therefore, you are unable to ask any questions.
To me, witnessing of the body-mind and beingness just happens. Now suppose some pain is felt due to some cause. Who understands it? It is the consciousness, which is sustained by the food-essence body. By “consciousness” I mean the universal consciousness only. But the witness of the consciousness is the highest principle—the Absolute.
The fragrance or sweetness of the food-essence body is the knowledge “I am.” It has no name and form. It is the “I love” state, the “I’-taste. But from your body-mind state you will go to pilgrimages and various gurus. So long as the consciousness is there, that humming goes on, and who does the humming? The principle which is humming, and saying “I am, I am” is itself your guru.
If you imbibe what I say and understand this guru, the consciousness, and dwell there, you will be self-realized. Then no more rituals, disciplines and spirituality are necessary. Is it clear now to you what is termed “guru”? It is the sense of “I-am-ness.”
In the devotional approach, worship is prescribed. In the ritual, prasada is prepared first, which is a food offering to the deity being worshipped. Before invoking the deity by ringing a bell, the prasada must be kept ready because God is sustained on food and the God is no one else but the consciousness, which depends on food.
Once a disciple, who had learned the art of bringing back to life the dead, saw a bone lying on his path while going through a forest. He felt like testing his skill on the bone, which happened to be that of a lion. So he began chanting mantras and performing the appropriate rituals. But he forgot to provide any offering. The bone materialized into a lion, who appeared quite hungry. So the animal looked all around for food and not finding any in its vicinity, roared ferociously and pounced upon the very disciple and gobbled him up.
Whenever food of the right quality and in the proper form is available and when the vital breath functions in it, the “I-am-ness” principle manifests itself through it. This “I-am- ness” is the Bhagavan—the godly principle.
During my wanderings, after meeting my guru, I once visited a holy place known as Pandharpur. This place is famous for the temple of God, Vithoba. I used to carry a staff, and to cover myself I only had a piece of loin cloth. On this occasion I stumbled upon a cremation ground. I was not interested in visiting temples, but I liked to see the temple architecture rather than the idols inside. Within the confines of that cremation ground, a skinny man was sitting in a corner. Out of curiosity, I approached him and queried, “Oh sir, why do you sit in this godforsaken place?” He replied, “Why do I sit here? I really do not know.”
“Don’t you visit the temple of Lord Vithoba?” I asked him further.
“No, why should I?” was his short reply.
“But, how do you manage for food?” I asked.
“Well, that is no problem. I eat the balls of food kept as offering for the dead bodies. And I use the cloth in which the bodies are wrapped to cover myself.” He said this while I stood quite astonished at his naive replies, and continued:
“Why should I go anywhere for my needs? Wherever is food, therein dwells That.”
These words carried a profound meaning, and I felt that he was spiritually quite an advanced soul.
Why should we go anywhere? Wherever there is food- form together with the vital breath, therein dwells the “Godly Principle.” Therefore, I do not go anywhere. This Godly Principle is also called Bhagavan, the consciousness, the “I-am-ness” etc. and is praised by many names and titles.
After self-realization, any behavior or actions expressed through the body of a sage are spontaneous and totally unconditioned. They cannot be bound to any disciplines. A realized sage may be discovered in an unkempt person reclining in the ashes of a cremation ground, or on the cushioned bed in a palace as a king. He may be a butcher by vocation or a successful businessman. Nevertheless, a realized one, having transcended the realm of beingness, ever abides in the Eternal Absolute.
February 4th 1980