April 4, 1981
Questioner: Is a Self-realized person always in a state of bliss?
Maharaj: One who has transcended the body idea does not need the ananda (bliss). When you didn't have experience of the body, you were in that blissful state. That state which is prior to your birth cannot be described as deep sleep, it is beyond that. The experience of the jnani is the same as your state prior to birth, it is a complete state.
Q. How can 1 be That?
M. You are in that state all the time, prior to having the body, but you are confused because of the body consciousness.
Q: The body is there.
M. Don't ask questions, just listen. You need the company of the Sages to understand what I am saying. This knowledge cannot be understood by the intellect.
Q: Is there sat-chit-ananda in the eternal state?
M. The food essence is sattwa, and the quality of that is consciousness, and inside that is the sat-chit-ananda (being-consciousness-bliss). The eternal state is prior to that.
Q: I have read in the books that the main reason to be born is your own desire to be born; how can it fit in with the state before birth?
M:. Your birth is the result of the desire of your parents.
Q: How can I be released from bondage?
M. There is no bondage at all, bondage is imaginary. If you are oriented towards the consciousness all your questions will be dissolved by your Self.
Q: What is the obstacle to my realizing this?
M. The only bondage is your constant memory that you are the body.
Q: Without understanding fully what Maharaj is, still people come here. Why is that?
M. That is the union of knowledge and that principle which transcends knowledge. There is attraction between these two. That is why people from all over the world come here.
I am intangible, you cannot add to me or take away from me. I am full, complete in all respects. Whatever you do, to me, you will have to suffer yourself. If you are angry with me, you have to suffer. If you do anything to me, it will rebound upon you. If you spit at the sky, the spit will fall on you only.
Q: What is the material world created from?
M. Out of the manifest consciousness, the material world is created - the eternal Parabrahman, the eternal Brahman, in which this play is always going on. In that play you are the total, no separate identity arises. In the body is the taste of "I Am," - when the body is gone, the taste is gone. When you have some problem you refer to a book. Why don't you investigate yourself - find out what you are.
In this play of the five elements, whatever is seen or experienced is merely enjoyment, and for this enjoyment, or entertainment, mind is very necessary.
Q. What are Brahma, Vishnu, and the other Gods?
M: They are merely appearances in consciousness. Each appearance has its own duration. That duration may be for millions of years, but they are all appearances and have an alloted span of existence.
The knower of the knowledge is not affected in any way by the individual hopes, fears, etc.
April 10, 1981
Maharaj: The Unmanifest ever exists but this manifest knowingness arises and departs. Presently I do not have any individuality - what is available is only the consciousness for the expression of which this material instrument is available. This consciousness is not a very desirable thing, it is an imperfect state.
There is no reason or law of cause and effect for the functioning of this universal consciousness. Why something happens at a particular time cannot be explained in this dualistic state. We can only watch the functioning and cannot ask for any reason for any functioning which takes place. If we had the choice of taking on this bodycumconsciousness, who would be foolish enough to accept it? It is only because there has been no choice, everything has been spontaneous. The suffering also has to be taken on because it is part of the total functioning, and there is no entity who can pick and choose.
There is no individuality left; nevertheless, so long as this body is part of the total functioning, whatever comes in the total functioning has to be suffered. There is any amount of suffering in the total functioning - this body is one of the millions of forms and the share of this body from the total suffering has to be experienced.
Questioner: I am trying to understand this.
M. You are hanging onto an entity that is trying to understand. All of this is simply for the sake of communication. Who is an entity trying to understand what? You are carrying on a lot of activities because of certain concepts you entertain, to satisfy the concepts that have arisen spontaneously in you. All this process of communication, expounding, etc., will go on so long as this conscious presence is available, and all this merely to satify the concept "I Am," and you, the Absolute, are not the primary concept "I Am."
I am telling you all this and probably you like it, you enjoy it - but it is almost impossible for you to assimilate or perceive what I am saying. I am sure you have not understood exactly what I am saying. These are two great personalities, legal pundits. By coming here and listening to my talks how can they put to use their legal knowledge?
April 13, 1981
Questioner: The disciple is devoted to the Guru; is this not duality?
Maharaj: In the world duality always exists. Manifestation can only take place in duality because of the identification with the body-mind. If the Guru and the disciple are not identified with the body, where does the question of duality arise? The pupil and the Guru are only knowledge and there is no form or design to knowledge.
Q. We have accepted that we are not the body, that we were never born and cannot die, but it seems that something is missing; what is it?
M: Give me a sample of the one who has heard and accepted. I assume that those who listen to me are knowledge.
An animal exists only to appease the hunger; is that all you are here for? There must be a change in you after listening to me all these days.
One has to know that one is not the form but the consciousness which gives sentience to the form. Has this change really occurred?
Q. The Guru explains that the attachment to the Guru is also a concept; how to get rid of it? The sadhaka wants to pay his respects to the Guru all the time.
M: This is initial stage talk - duality is there. The sadhaka considers Guru as something other than himself, so he wants to pay his respects. The sadhaka is also a Guru, ajnani, there is no difference.
I am still doing this puja for my Guru. It has to be maintained for the guidance of others; unless you have respect and love for a Guru the process of your becoming concept-free will not be hastened. If you understand what I say, only then do you come here. If nobody comes, I will not be unhappy; whatever must happen has already happened.
April 15, 1981
Questioner: Would realization be possible by hearing the truth from the Guru or is there any other way?
Maharaj: No, only with the Grace and guidance of the Guru. The Guru is the one who knows totally what is qualitative Brahman and nonqualitative, what is mundane matter and what is spiritual matter. You are holding on to all these things you have heard here as concepts. You don't try to be that. You like knowledge as a concept.
Q: Maharaj has said that the inner Guru is more important than the outer Guru.
M: In the initial stages you must have an external Guru. That Guru initiates you with the inner Guru.
Q: What are mantras for?
M. A mantra is indicative of the aim or object in you.
Q: I am a physician and I sometimes get attached to my patients and involved in their problems. Sometimes I can be detached and not feel involved, but my patients are like warriors with their problems and try to get me involved. Sometimes I feel like running away.
M: This is the knowledge of your concepts, this is not your knowledge. To feel that you are involved in the world is a concept, to feel like running away is a concept.
Q. If a person is very sincere and wants Self-realization more than anything else in the world, is it easier for him if he goes away by himself and thinks of nothing but that?
M. Not at all. It is not that you are going to acquire something externally, the knowledge that you are is already there, only understand that. This is all the play of concepts. Even to think that I am going to get the knowledge, or I have got the knowledge, is still a concept. Prior to getting the knowledge, whatever Is, That is the truth.
Q. When someone asks Maharaj a very difficult question, where does the answer come from?
M: Out of the question the answer comes; with every question the replies are attached.