200 Quotes Nisargadatta

The following are all quotes by

Nisargadatta Maharaj
unless the word questioner appears before the quote.
All of the quotes come from the boo
!" AM T#AT!. The quotes are presented in the order
in which they appear in the boo.
Nisargadatta said$
%. !&o deep into the sense of '" am'
and you will find.
#ow do you find a thing you ha(e mislaid or forgotton)
*ou eep it in your mind until you recall it.
The sense of being+ of '" am' is the first to emerge.
As yourself whence it comes+
or just watch it quietly.
,hen the mind stays in the '" am'+ without mo(ing+
you enter a state that cannot be (erbali-ed
but can be e.perienced.
All you need to do is to try and try again.!
2. !" see what you too could see+ here and now+
but for the wrong focus of your attention.
*ou gi(e no attention to your self.
*our mind is all with things+ people and ideas+
ne(er with your self.
/ring your self into focus+
become aware of your own e.istence.
0ee how you function+
watch the moti(es and results of your actions.
0tudy the prison you ha(e built around yourself+
by inad(ertence.!
1. !,e disco(er it by being earnest+
by searching+ inquiring+
questioning daily and hourly+
by gi(ing one's life to this disco(ery.!
2. !3oo at the net and its many contradictions.
*ou do and undo at e(ery step.
*ou want peace+ lo(e+ happiness
and wor hard to create pain+ hatred and war.
*ou want longe(ity and o(ereat+
you want friendship and e.ploit.
0ee your net as made of such contradictions
and remo(e them 44
your (ery seeing will mae them go.!
5. !#ow do you go about finding anything)
/y eeping your mind and heart on it.
"nterest there must be and steady remembrance.
To remember what needs to be remembered
is the secret of success.
*ou come to it through earnestness!
6. !,hat is supremely important is to be free
from contradictions$
the goal and the way must not be on different le(els7
life and light must not quarrel7
beha(iour must not betray belief.
8all it honesty+ integrity+ wholeness7
you must not go bac+ undo+ uproot+
abandon the conquered ground.
Tenacity of purpose and honesty in pursuit
will bring you to your goal.!
9. !Tae the first step first.
All blessings come from within. Turn within.
'" am' you now.
/e with it all the time you can spare+
until you re(ert to it spontaneously.
There is no simpler and easier way.!
:. !,e now the outer world of sensations and actions+
but of our inner world of thoughts and feelings
we now (ery little.
The primary purpose of meditation is to
become conscious of+ and familiar with+
our inner life.
The ultimate purpose is to reach the source of life
and consciousness.
"ncidentally+ practice of meditation affects
deeply our character.
,e are sla(es to what we do not now7
of what we now we are masters.
,hate(er (ice or weaness in oursel(es
we disco(er and understand its causes
and its worings+ we o(ercome it by the (ery nowing7
the unconscious dissol(es when brought into
the conscious.
The dissolution of the unconscious releases energy7
the mind feels adequate and becomes quiet.!
;. !"t is not so much the matter of le(els
as of gunas <qualities=.
Meditation is a satt(ic <pure+ true= acti(ity
and aims at complete elimination of
tamas <inertia= and rajas <moti(ity+ acti(ity=.
>ure satt(a <harmony= is perfect freedom
from sloth and restlessness.!
%0. Questioner$ !0ince " cannot impro(e satt(a+
am " to deal with tamas and rajas only)
#ow do " deal with them)!
Nisargadatta$ !/y watching their influence in you
and on you.
/e aware of them in operation+
watch their e.pression in your thoughts+
words and deeds+ and gradually their grip on you
will lessen and the clear light of satt(a will emerge.!
%%. !?efuse all thoughts e.cept one$
the thought '" am'.
The mind will rebel in the beginning+
but with patience and perser(erance
it will yield and eep quiet.!
%2. !True happiness cannot be found in things
that change and pass away.
>leasure and pain alternate ine.orably.
#appiness comes from the self
and can be found in the self only.
@ind your real self <swarupa=
and all else will come with it.!
%1. !A(ery pleasure+ physical or mental+
needs an instrument.
/oth the physical and mental instruments are material+
they get tired and worn out.
The pleasure they yield is necessarily limited
in its intensity and duration.
>ain is the bacground of all your pleasures.
*ou want them because you suffer.
Bn the other hand+ the (ery search for pleasure
is the cause of pain. "t is a (icious circle.!
%2. Questioner$ !" can see the mechanism of my
confusion+ but " do not see my way out of it.!
Nisargadatta$ !The (ery e.amination of the mechanism
shows the way.
After all+ your confusion is only in your mind+
which ne(er rebelled so far against confusion
and ne(er got to grips with it.
"t rebelled only against pain.!
%5. !/e alert. Question+ obser(e+ in(estigate+
learn all you can about confusion+
how it operates+ what it does to you and others.
/y being clear about confusion you become clear
of confusion.!
%6. !/y elminating the inter(als of inad(ertance
during the waing hours you will gradually eliminate
the long inter(al of absent4mindedness+
which you call sleep.
*ou will be aware that you are asleep.!
%9. !*ou can ha(e for the asing
all the peace you want!
Questioner$ !" am asing.!
Nisargadatta$ !*ou must as with an undi(ided heart
and li(e an integrated life.!
Questioner$ !#ow)!
Nisargadatta$ !Cetach yourself from all that maes
your mind restless.
?enounce all that disturbs its peace.
"f you want peace+ deser(e it.!
Questioner$ !0urely e(erybody deser(es peace!
Nisargadatta$ !Those only deser(e it+
who don't disturb it.!
Questioner$ !"n what way do " disturb peace)!
Nisargadatta$ !/y being a sla(e
to your desires and fears.!
Questioner$ !A(en when they are justified)!
Nisargadatta$ !Amotional reactions+
born of ignorance or inad(ertance+
are ne(er justified.
0ee a clear mind and a clean heart.
All you need is to eep quietly alert+
inquiring into the real nature of yourself.
This is the only way to peace.!
%:. !All these sufferings are man4made
and it is within man's power to put an end to them.
&od helps by facing man with the results of his
actions and demanding that the balance
should be restored.
Darma is the law that wors for righteousness7
it is the healing hand of &od.!
%;. !Ese your mind. ?emember. Bbser(e.
*ou are not different from others.
Most of their e.periences are (alid for you too.
Thin clearly and deeply+
go into the structure of your desires
and their ramifications.
They are a most important part of your mental
and emotional mae4up
and powerfully affect your actions.
?emember+ you cannot abandon what you do not now.
To go beyond yourself+ you must now yourself.!
20. !>urify yourself by a well4ordered
and useful life.
,atch o(er your thoughts+ feelings+ words
and actions.
This will clear your (ision.!
2%. Questioner$ !,ell+ you told me that
" am the 0upreme ?eality. " belie(e you.
,hat ne.t is there for me to do)!
Nisargadatta$ !" told you already.
Cisco(er all that you are not.
/ody+ feelings+ thoughts+ ideas+ time+ space+
being and not4being+ this or that 44 nothing
concrete or abstract you can point out to is you.
A mere (erbal statement will not do 44
you may repeat a formula endlessly
without any result whatsoe(er.
*ou must watch yourself continuously 44
particularly your mind 44 moment by moment+
missing nothing. This witnessing is essential
for the separation of the self from the not4self.!
22. Questioner$ !,hat about witnessing the witness!
Nisargadatta$ !>utting words together will not
tae you far. &o within and disco(er
what you are not. Nothing else matters.!
21. !0ince it is awareness that maes
consciousness possible+ there is awareness in e(ery
state of consciousness. Therefore+ the (ery
consciousness of being conscious is already a
mo(ement in awareness. "nterest in your stream
of consciousness taes you to awareness.
"t is not a new state. "t is at once recogni-ed
as the original+ basic e.istence+
which is life itself+ and also lo(e and joy.!
22. !?eali-ation is but the opposite of ignorance.
To tae the world as real
and one's self as unreal is ignorance+
the cause of sorrow. To now the self as the
only reality and all else as temporal and transient
is freedom+ peace and joy. "t is all (ery simple
instead of seeing things as imagined+ learn to see
them as they are. ,hen you can see e(erything
as it is+ you will also see yourself as you are.
"t is lie cleansing a mirror.
The same mirror that shows you the world as it is+
will also show you your own face.
The thought '" am' is the polishing cloth. Ese it.!
25. !Ce(otion to your goal maes you li(e a clean
and orderly life+ gi(en to the search for truth
and to helping people+ and reali-ation maes
noble (irtue easy and spontaneous+
by remo(ing for good the obstacles in the shape of
desires and fears and wrong ideas.!
26. !The entire purpose of a clean
and well4ordered life is to liberate man
from the thaldrom of chaos and the burden of sorrow.!
29. !in reality only the Eltimate is.
The rest is a matter of name and form.
And as long as you cling to the idea
that only what has name and shape e.ists+
the 0upreme will appear to you non4e.isting.
,hen you understand that names and shapes
are hollow shells without any content whatsoe(er+
and what is real is nameless and formless+
pure energy of life and light of consciousness+
you will be at peace 44 immersed in the deep
silence of reality.!
2:. !All will happen as you want it+
pro(ided you really want it.!
2;. !,ithin the prison of your world appears a man
who tells you that the world of
painful contradictions+ which you ha(e created+
is neither continuous nor permanent
and is based on a misaprehension.
#e pleads with you to get out of it+
by the same way by which you got into it.
*ou got into it by forgetting what you are
and you will get out of it
by nowing yourself as you are.!
10. !,hy not turn away from the e.perience
to the e.periencer and reali-e the full import
of the only true statement you can mae$ '" am')!
1%. !Fust eep in mind the feeling '" am'+
merge in it+ till your mind and feeling become one.
/y repeated attempts you will stumble on the
right balance of attention and affection
and your mind will be firmly established
in the thought4feeling '" am'. !
12. Questioner$ !Then what is needed)!
Nisargadatta$ !Cistrust your mind+ and go beyond.!
Questioner$ !,hat shall " find beyond the mind)!
Nisargadatta$ !The direct e.perience of being+
nowing and lo(ing.!
Questioner$ !#ow does one go beyond the mind)!
Nisargadatta$ !There are many starting points 4
they all lead to the same goal.
*ou may begin with selfless wor+
abandoning the fruits of action7
you may then gi(e up thining
and in the end gi(e up all desires.
#ere+ gi(ing up <tyaga= is the operational factor.
Br you may not bother about anything you want+
or thin+ or do and just stay put in the
thought and feeling '" am!+ focussing '" am! firmly
in your mind. All ind of e.perience may come to
you 44 remain unmo(ed in the nowledge that
all percei(able is transient+
and only the '" am' endures.!
11. Questioner$ !The inner teacher is not
easily reached.!
Nisargadatta$ !0ince he is in you and with you+
the difficulty cannot be serious.
3oo within and you will find him.!
Questioner$ !,hen " loo within+ " find sensations
and perceptions+ thoughts and feelings+
desires and fears+ memories and e.pectations.
" am immersed in this cloud and see nothing else.!
Nisargadatta$ !That which sees all this+
and the nothing too+ is the inner teacher.
#e alone is+ all else only appears to be.
#e is your own self <swarupa=+
your hope and assurance of freedom7
find him and cling to him
and you will be sa(ed and safe.!
12. !0eeing the false as false+
is meditation. This must go on all the time.!
15. !Celiberate daily e.ercise in discrimination
between the true and the false
and renunciation of the false is meditation.!
16. !" can tell you about myself.
" was a simple man+ but " trusted my &uru.
,hat he told me to do+ " did.
#e told me to concentrate on '" am' 4 " did.
#e told me that " am beyond all percei(ables
and concei(ables 44 " belie(ed.
" ga(e him my heart and soul+ my entire attention
and the whole of my spare time
<" had to wor to eep my family ali(e=.
As a result of faith and earnest application+
" reali-ed my self <swarupa= within three years.!
19. !Astablish yourself in the awareness of '" am'.
This is the beginning and also the end
of all endea(our.!
1:. !Meditation will help you to find your bonds+
loosen them+ untie them and cast your moorings.!
1;. !To sol(e a problem you must trace it
to its source. Bnly in the dissolution of the
problem in the uni(ersal sol(ents of
inquiry and dispassion+
can its right solution be found.!
20. !,hy don't you inquire how real
are the world and the person)!
2%. Nisargadatta$ !/ecause of you+ there is a world!
Questioner$ !To me such statement
appears meaningless.!
Nisargadatta$ !"ts meaninglessness may disappear
on in(estigation.!
22. !To now what you are+ you must first
in(estigate and now what you are not.
And to now what you are not
you must watch yourself carefully+
rejecting all that does not necessarily go with
the basic fact$ '" am'.
The ideas$ " am born at a gi(en place+
at a gi(en time+ from my parents and now
" am so4and4so+ li(ing at+ married to+ father of+
employed by+ and so on+
are not inherent in the sense '" am'.
Bur usual attitude is of '" am this'.
0eparate consistently and perser(eringly
the '" am' from 'this' or 'that'+
and try to feel what it means to be+ just to be+
without being 'this' or 'that'.
All our habits go against it and the tas of
fighting them is long and hard sometimes+
but clear understanding helps a lot.
The clearer you understand that on the le(el
of the mind you can be described in negati(e
terms only+ the quicer you will come to the end
of your search and reali-e your limitless being.!
21. !,hen things repeatedly happen together+
we tend to see a causal lin between them.
"t creates a mental habit+
but a habit is not a necessity.!
22. !@alse ideas about this '" am' lead to bondage+
right nowledge leads to freedom and happiness.!
25. !"t is solid+ steady+ changless+ beginingless
and endless+ e(er new+ e(er fresh.!
Questioner$ !#ow is it reached)!
Nisargadatta$ !Cesirelessness and fearlessness
will tae you there.!
26. !The sense '" am' is your own.
*ou cannot part with it+
but you can impart it to anything+
as in saying$ '" am young+ " am rich+ etc.'
/ut such self4identifications are patently false
and the cause of bondage.!
29. !The 0upreme is the easiest to reach
for it is your (ery being.
"t is enough to stop thining and desiring anything+
but the 0upreme.!
2:. !/y forgetting who you are and imagining
yourself a mortal creature+ you created so much
trouble for yourself that you ha(e to wae up+
lie from a bad dream.
"nquiry also waes you up.!
2;. !Truth is simple and open to all.
,hy do you complicate)
Truth is lo(ing and lo(able.
"t includes all+ accepts all+ purifies all.
"t is untruth that is difficult
and a source of trouble.
"t always wants+ e.pects+ demands.
/eing false+ it is empty+ always in search of
confirmation and reassurance.
"t is afraid of and a(oids inquiry.
"t identifies itself with any support+
howe(er wea and momentary. ,hate(er it gets+
it loses and ass for more.!
50. Questioner$ !,hat is permanent)!
Nisargadatta$ !3oo to yourself for the permanent.
Ci(e deep within and find what is real in you.!
Questioner$ !#ow to loo for myself)!
Nisargadatta$ !,hate(er happens it happens to you.
,hat you do+ the doer is in you.
@ind the subject of all that you are as a person.!
Questioner$ !,hat else can " be)!
Nisargadatta$ !@ind out. A(en if " tell you that
you are the witness+ the silent watcher+
it will mean nothing to you+ unless you find the
way to your own being.!
Questioner$ !My question is$ #ow to find the way
to one's own being)!
Nisargadatta$ !&i(e up all questions e.cept one$
',ho am ")' After all+
the only fact you are sure of is that you are.
The '" am' is certain. The '" am this' is not.
0truggle to find out what you are in reality.!
5%. !'" am' itself is &od.
The seeing itself is &od.
"n seeing you disco(er that you are neither
the body nor the mind+ and the lo(e of the self
in you is for the self in all. The two are one.
The consciousness in you and the consciousness in me+
apparently two+ really one+
see unity and that is lo(e.!
52. Questioner$ !#ow am " to find that lo(e)!
Nisargadatta$ !,hat do you lo(e now) The '" am'.
&i(e your heart and mind to it+
thin of nothing else.!
51. !All desire has its source in the self.
"t is all a matter of choosing the right desire.!
52. Nisargadatta$ !All these questions arise
from your belie(ing yourself to be a person.
&o beyond the personal and see.!
55. !" as you only to stop imagining
that you were born+ ha(e parents+ are a body+
will die and so on.
Fust try+ mae a beginning 44
it is not as hard as you thin.!
56. !,hate(er you do against your better nowledge
is sin!
59. !?emembering yourself is (irtue+
forgetting yourself is sin.!
5:. !,hen you shall begin to question your dream+
awaening will not be far away.!
5;. !0teady faith is stronger than destiny.
Cestiny is the result of causes+ mostly accidental+
and is therefore loosely wo(en.
8onfidence and good hope will o(ercome it easily.!
60. Questioner$ !"n Aurope there is no tradition of
a mantra+ e.cept in some contemplati(e orders.
Bf what use is it to a modern day young ,esterner)!
Nisargadatta$!None+ unless he is (ery much attracted
. @or him the right procedure is to adhere to the
thought that he is the ground of all nowledge+
the immutable and perennial awareness of all
that happens to the senses and mind.
"f he eeps it in mind all the time+ aware and alert+
he is bound to brea the bounds of non4awareness
and emerge into pure life+ light and lo(e.
The idea 4 '" am the witness only'
will purify the body and the mind
and open the eye of wisdom.
Then man goes beyond illusion
and his heart is free of all desires.
Fust lie ice turns to water and water to (apour+
and (apour dissol(es in air
and disappears into space+
so does the body dissol(e into pure awareness
<chidaash=+ then into pure being <paramaash=+
which is beyond all e.istence and non4e.istence.!
6%. !*ou should consider more closely
your own world+ e.amine it critically and+
suddenly+ one day you will find yourself in mine.!
62. !0ee your world as it is+
not as you imagine it to be.
Ciscrimination will lead to detachment7
detachment will ensure right action+
right action will build the inner bridge
to your real being.
Action is proof of earnestness.
Co what you are told diligently and faithfully
and all obstacles will disol(e.!
61. !"n(estigate your world+
apply your mind to it+ e.amine it critically+
scrutini-e e(ery idea about it7 that will do.!
62. !The entire uni(erse of pain
is born of desire.
&i(e up the desire for pleasure
and you will not e(en now what is pain.!
65. !/y its (ery nature pleasure is limited
and transient. But of pain desire is born+
in pain it sees fulfilment+ and it ends in
the pain of frustration and despair.
>ain is the bacground of pleasure+
all seeing of pleasure if born in pain
and ends in pain.!
66. !sorting out and discarding <(i(ea4(airagya=
are absolutely necessary.
A(erything must be scrutini-ed
and the unnecessary ruthlessly destroyed.
/elie(e me+ there cannot be too much destruction.
@or in reality nothing is of (alue.
/e passionately dispassionate 4 that is all.!
69. !,hen trough the practice of discrimination
and detachment <(i(ea4(airagya=+
you lose sight of sensory and mental states+
pure being emerges as the natural state.!
6:. Questioner$ !#ow does one bring to an end
this sense of separateness)!
Nisargadatta$ !/y focusssing the mind on '" am'+
on the sense of being. '" am so4and4so' dissol(es+
'am a witness only' remains and that too
submerges in '" am all'. Then the all becomes
the Bne and the Bne 4 yourself+
not separate from me.
Abandon the idea of a separate '"'
and the question of 'whose e.perience)'
will not arise.!
6;. !Ci(e deep within yourself
and you will find it easily and simply.
&o in the direction of '" am'.!
90. !To now the world you forget the self 4
to now the self you forget the world.
,hat is the world after all)
A collection of memories.
8ling to one thing+ that matters+
hold on to '" am' and let go all else.
This is sadhana.!
9%. Questioner$ !" do not feel the world
is the result of a mistae.!
Nisargadatta$ !*ou may say so only after a full
in(estigation+ not before. Bf course+ when you
discern and let go all that is unreal+
what remains is real.!
92. !/e fully aware of your own being
and you will be in bliss consciously.
/ecause you tae your mind off yourself and mae
it dwell on what you are not+ you lose
your sense of well4being+ of being well.!
91. Questioner$ !There are two paths before us
the path of effort <yoga marga=+
and the path of ease <bhoga marga=.
/oth lead to the same goal 4 liberation.!
Nisargadatta$ !,hy do you call bhoga a path)!
#ow can ease bring you perfection)!
Questioner$ !The perfect renouncer <yogi=
will find reality. The perfect enjoyer <bhogi=
also will come to it.!
Nisargadatta$ !#ow can it be)
Aren't they contradictory)!
92. Questioner$ !0imilarly the good news
of enlightenment will+ sooner or later+
bring about a transformation.!
Nisargadatta$ !*es+ first hearing <shra(ana=+
then remembering <smarana=+ pondering <manana=
and so on. ,e are on familiar ground.
The man who heard the news becomes a *ogi7
while the rest continue in their /hoga.!
95. !As you are now+ the personality is only
an obstacle. 0elf4identification with the body
may be good for an infant+ but true growing up
depends on getting the body out of the way.
Normally+ one should outgrow body4based desires
early in life. A(en the /hogi+ who does not
refuse enjoyments+ need not haner after
the ones he has tasted. #abit+ desire for
repetition+ frustrates both the *ogi
and the /hogi.!
96. Questioner$ !,hy do you eep on
dismissing the person <(yati=
as of no importance) >ersonality is the
primary fact of our e.istence. "t occupies
the entire stage.!
Nisargadatta$ !As long as you do not see
that it is a mere habit+ built on memory+
prompted by desire+ you will thin yourself
to be a person 4 li(ing+ feeling+ thining+
acti(e+ passi(e+ pleased or pained.
Question yourself+ as yourself$
'"s it so)'+ ',ho am ")'+
',hat is behind and beyond all this)'
And soon you will see your mistae.
And it is in the (ery nature of a mistae
to cease to be+ when seen.!
99. !There are so many who tae the dawn
for the noon+ a momentary e.perience for
full reali-ation and destroy e(en the little
they gain by e.cess of pride.
#umility and silence are essential for a
sadhaa+ howe(er ad(anced.
Bnly a fully ripened gnani can allow himself
complete spontaneity.!
9:. !>ure e.perience does not bind7
e.perience caught between desire and fear
is impure and creates arma.!
9;. !/e attenti(e+ enquire ceaselessly.
That is all.!
:0. !A spar of truth can burn up
a mountain of lies. The opposite is also true.
The sun of truth remains hidden behind
the cloud of self4identification
with the body.!
:%. Questioner$ !,hat is a fact)!
Nisargadatta$ !,hat is percei(ed in pure
awareness+ unaffected by desire and fear
is fact.!
:2. !The *ogi is narrow as the sharp edge
of the nife. #e has to be 4 to cut deep
and smoothly+ to penetrate unerringly
the many layers of the false.
The /hogi worships at many altars7
the *ogi ser(es none but his own true 0elf.!
:2. !There are no others to help!
:5. !The only thing that can help
is to wae up from the dream.!
:6. !The self by its nature nows itself only.
@or lac of e.perience whate(er it percei(es
it taes to be itself. /attered+ it learns
to loo out <(i(ea= and to li(e alone
<(airagya=. ,hen right beha(iour <uparati=+
becomes normal+ a powerful inner urge
<mumushut(a= maes it see its source.
The candle of the body is lighted and all
becomes clear and bright <atmapraash=.!
:5. Questioner$ !,hat is the real cause
of suffering)!
Nisargadatta$ !0elf4identification with the
limited. 0ensations as such+ do not cause
suffering. "t is the mind+ bewildered by
wrong ideas+ addicted to thining$
'" am this'+ '" am that'+ that fears loss
and cra(es gain and suffers when frustrated.!
:6. Questioner$ !A friend of mine used to
ha(e horrible dreams night after night.
&oing to sleep would terrorise him.
Nothing could help him.!
Nisargadatta$ !8ompany of the truly good
<satsang= would help him.!
:9. !0ee within. *our own self
is your best friend.!
::. !As long as we delude oursel(es by what
we imagine oursel(es to be+ to now+ to ha(e+
to do+ we are in a sad plight indeed.
Bnly in complete self4negation there is a
chance to disco(er our real being.!
:;. !The false self must be abandoned
before the real self can be found.!
;0. !>erceptions based on sensations and
shaped by memory imply a percei(er+
whose nature you ne(er cared to e.amine.
&i(e it your full attention+ e.amine it with
lo(ing care and you will disco(er heights and
depths of being which you did not dream of+
engrossed as you are in your puny image
of yourself.!
;%. !*ou must be serious+ intent+
truly interested. *ou must be full of
goodwill for yourself.!
;2. !/y all means be selfish 4 the right way.
,ish yourself well+ labour at what is good
for you. Cestroy all that stands betweeen you
and happiness. /e all 4 lo(e all 4 be happy 4
mae happy.!
;1. Questioner$ !,hat is the place of se.
in lo(e)!
Nisargadatta$ !3o(e is a state of being.
0e. is energy. 3o(e is wise+ se. is blind.!
;2. !,ithout lo(e all is e(il.
3ife itself without lo(e is e(il.!
;5. !*ou are lo(e itself 4
when you are not afraid.!
;6. !memory is material 4 destructible+
perishable+ transient. Bn such flimsy
foundations we build a sense of personal
e.istence 4 (ague+ intermittent+ dreamlie.
This (ague persuasion$ '" am so4and4so'
obscures the changless state of pure awareness
and maes us belie(e that we are born
to suffer and to die.!
;9. !There is progress all the time.
A(erything contributes to progress.
/ut this is the progress of ignorance.
The circles of ignorance may be e(er widening+
yet it remains a bondage all the same.
"n due course a &uru appears to teach and
inspire us to practise *oga and a ripening
taes place as a result of which the
immemorial night of ignorance dissol(es
before the rising sun of wisdom.!
;:. !,hen ignorance becomes obstinate and
hard and the character gets per(erted+
effort and the pain of it become ine(itable.!
;;. !@reedom to do what one lies
is really bondage+ while being free to do
what one must+ what is right+is real freedom.!
%00. !*ou mean to say e(erybody's life is
totally determined at his birth)
,hat a strange ideaG ,ere it so+ the power
that determines would see to it that
nobody should suffer.!
%0%. !Man alone can destroy in himself
the roots of pain!
%02. !Not to now+
and not to now that one does not now+
is the cause of endless suffering!
%01. !,hat business ha(e you with sa(ing
the world+ when all the world needs is to be
sa(ed from you) &et out of the picture and
see whether there is anything left to sa(e.!
%02. !Fust lie a deficiency disease is cured
through the supply of the missing factor+
so are the diseases of li(ing cured by a good
dose of intelligent detachment.
<(i(ea4(airagya=.!
%05. !?emo(e the sense of separateness
and there will be no conflict.!
%06. !All you ha(e to do is to see
the dream as dream.!
%09. !,hate(er name you gi(e it$ will+
or steady purpose+ or one pointedness
of mind+ you come bac to earnestness+
sincerity+ honesty. ,hen you are in dead
earnest+ you bend e(ery incident+
e(ery second of your life to your purpose.
*ou do not waste time and energy on other
things. *ou are totally dedicated+
call it will+ or lo(e+ or plain honesty.
,e are comple. beings+ at war within
and without. ,e contradict oursel(es
all the time+ undoing today the wor of
yesterday. No wonder we are stuc.
A little of integrity
would mae a lot of difference.!
%0:. !8ollect and strengthen your mind
and you will find that your
thoughts and feelings+ words and actions
will align themsel(es in the direction
of your will.!
%0;. !,ea4mindedness is due to lac of
intelligence+ of understanding+ which again
is the result of non4awareness.
/y stri(ing for awareness you bring your
mind together and strengthen it.!
%%0. !Questioner$ " may be fully aware of
what is going on+ and yet quite unable to
influence it in any way.!
Nisargadatta$ !*ou are mistaen.
,hat is going on is a projection of your
mind. A wea mind cannot control its own
projections. /e aware+ therefore+
of your mind and its projections.
*ou cannot control what you do not now.
Bn the other hand+ nowledge gi(es power.
"n practice it is (ery simple.
To control yourself 4 now yourself.!
%%%. !&o to the source of both pain and
pleasure+ of desire and fear.
Bbser(e+ in(estigate+ try to understand.!
%%2. !Bnce the illusion that the
body4mind is oneself is abandoned+
death loses its terror+
it becomes a part of li(ing.!
%%1. !@ind the permanent in the fleeting+
the one constant factor in e(ery
e.perience!
%%2. !@irst purify your (ision.
3earn to see instead of staring.
Also you must be eager to see.
*ou need to both clarity and earnestness
for self4nowledge. *ou need purity of
heart and mind+ which comes through
earnest application in daily life
of whate(er life you ha(e understood.
There is no such thing as compromise
in *oga.!
%%5. !Nothing can bloc you so
effecti(ely as compromise+
for it shows lac of earnestness+
without which nothing can be done.!
%%6. !/egin by disassociating yourself
from your mind. ?esolutely remind
yourself that you are not the mind
and that its problems are not yours.!
%%9. !&o on pondering+ wondering+
being an.ious to find a way.
/e conscious of yourself+ watch your mind+
gi(e it your full attention. Con't loo
for quic results7 there may be none
within your noticing. Enown to you+
your psyche will undergo a change+
there will be more clarity in your thining+ charity in your feeling+
purity in your beha(iour.
*ou need not aim at these 4
you will witness the change all the same.
@or+ what you are now is the result
of inattention and what you become
will be the fruit of attention.!
%%:. !Co not under(alue attention.
"t means interest and also lo(e.
To now+ to do+ to disco(er+ or to create
you must gi(e your heart to it 4
which means attention. All blessings
flow from it.!
%%;. Questioner$ !*ou ad(ise us to
concentrate on '" am'. "s this too a form
of attention)!
Nisargadatta$ !,hat else) &i(e your
undi(ided attention to the most important
in your life 4 yourself.
Bf your personal uni(erse you are the
center 4 without nowing the center
what else can you now)!
%20. Questioner$ !#ow am " to get such
stainless mirror)!
Nisargadatta$ !Bb(iously+ by remo(ing
stains. 0ee the stains and remo(e them.
The ancient teaching is fully (alid.!
%2%. !The nature of the perfect mirror is
such that you cannot see it.
,hate(er you can see is bound to be a
stain. Turn away from it+ gi(e it up+
now it as unwanted.!
Questioner$ !All percei(ables+ are they stains)!
Nisargadatta$ !All are stains!
Questioner$ !The entire world is a stain.!
Nisargadatta$ !*es+ it is.!
Questioner$ !#ow awfulG 0o+ the uni(erse
is of no (alue)!
Nisargadatta$ !"t is of tremendous (alue.
/y going beyond it you reali-e yourself.!
Questioner$ !/ut why did it come into being
in the first instance)!
Nisargadatta$ !*ou will now when it ends.!
Questioner$ !,ill it e(er end)!
Nisargadatta$ !*es+ for you.!
Questioner$ !,hen did it begin)!
Nisargadatta$ !Now.!
Questioner$ !,hen will it end)!
Nisargadatta$ !Now.!
Questioner$ !"t does not end now)!
Nisargadatta$ !*ou don't let it.!
Questioner$ !" want to let it.!
Nisargadatta$ !*ou don't. All your life
is connected with it. *our past and future+
your desires and fears+ all ha(e their roots
in the world. ,ithout the world where are you.
who are you)!
Questioner$ !/ut that is e.actly what " came
to find out.!
Nisargadatta$ !And " am telling you e.actly
this$ find a foothold in the beyond
and all will be clear and easy.!
%22. !"s not meaness also a form of madness)
And is not madness the misuse of the mind)
#umanity's problem lies in this misuse of
the mind only. All treasures of nature and
spirit are open to man who will
use his mind rightly.!
%21. !@ear and greed cause the misuse of
the mind. The right use of mind is the ser(ice
of lo(e+ life+ of truth+ of beauty.!
%22. !Attend to yourself+ set yourself right4
mentally and emotionally. 3ea(e alone the reforms
and mind the reformer.!
%25. !All you need is to stop searching outside
what can be found only within. 0et your (ision
right before you operate. *ou are suffering from
acute misapprehension. 8larify your mind+
purify your heart+ sanctify your life 4
this is the quicest way to a change of
your world.!
%26. !>roblems created by desires and fears
and wrong ideas can be sol(ed only on the le(el
of the mind. *ou must conquer your own mind and
for this you must go beyond it.!
%29. !To go beyond the mind+
you must ha(e your mind in perfect order.
*ou cannot lea(e a mess behind and go beyond.
The mess will bog you up. '>ic up your rubbish'
seems to be the Eni(ersal law. And a just law too.!
%2:. !just remember yourself. '" am'+ is enough
to heal your mind and tae you beyond.
Fust ha(e some trust. 8ommonsense too will tell
you that to fulfill a desire you must eep your
mind on it. "f you want to now your true nature+
you must ha(e yourself in mind all the time+
until the secret of your being stands re(ealed.!
%2;. !To help others+ one must be beyond
the need of help.!
%10. !"t is not the worship of the person that
is crucial+ but the steadiness and depth of
your de(otion to the tas. ?emember+ wonder+
ponder+ li(e with it+ lo(e it+ grow into it+
grow with it+ mae it your own 4
the word of your &uru+ outer or inner.
>ut in all and you will get all. " was doing it.
All my time " was gi(ing to my &uru
and to what he told me.!
%1%. !"t is easy+ if you are earnest.!
%12. !,hen you are concerned with truth+
with reality+ you must question e(ery thing+
your (ery life. /y asserting the necessity
of sensory and intellectual e.perience you narrow
down your inquiry to search for comfort.!
%11. !Question e(ery urge+ hold no desire
legitimate. Ampty of possession+ physical and
mental+ free of all self4concern+
be open for disco(ery.!
%12. !#a(e your &uru always in your heart
and remember his instructions 4 this is
real abidance with the true.!
%15. !*ou can not spea of a beginning of
consciousness. The (ery ideas of beginning and time
are within consciousness. To tal meaningfully
of the beginning of anything+ you must step out of it.
And the moment you step out+ you reali-e that there
is no such thing and ne(er was.!
%16. !The illusion of being the body4mind is there+
only because it is not in(estigated.
Non4in(estigation is the thread on which all the
states of mind are strung.
All states of mind+ all names and forms of
e.istence are rooted in non4inquiry+
non4in(estigation+ in imagination and credulity.
"t is right to say '" am'+ but to say '" am this'+
'" am that' is a sign of not inquiring+
not e.amining+ of mental weaness or lethargy.!
%19. !,hen we are absorbed in other things+
in the not4self+ we forget the self.!
%1:. !0adhana <practice= consists in reminding
oneself forcibly of one's pure 'being4ness'+
of not being anything in particular+ nor a sum of
particulars+ not e(en the totality of particulars+
which mae up a uni(erse.!
%1;. !"nquire what is permanent in the transient+
real in the unreal. This is sadhana.!
%20. !Thin of yourself by all means.
Bnly don't bring the idea of a body into the picture.!
%2%. !attachment is bondage+ detachment is freedom.
To cra(e is to sla(e.!
%22. !"nertia and restlessness <tamas and rajas=
wor together and eep clarity and harmony <satt(a=
down. Tamas and ?ajas must be conquered before
0att(a can appear.!
%21. !*ou come to it by putting an end to indolence
and using all your energy to clear the way for
clarity and charity. Con't be afraid+ don't resist+
don't delay. There is nothing to be afraid of.
Trust and try. A.periment honestly.!
%22. !That immo(able state+ which is not affected by
the birth and death of a body or a mind+
that state you must percei(e.!
%25. !"n life nothing can be had without o(ercoming
obstacles. The obstacles to the clear perception
of one's true being are desire for pleasure
and the fear of pain. "t is the pleasure4pain
moti(ation that stands in the way.!
%26. !3ea(e alone your desires and fears+
gi(e your entire attention to the subject+
to him who is behind the e.perience of desire and fear.
As$ who desires) 3et each desire bring you bac
to yourself.!
%29. !"t would be a grie(ous mistae to identify
yourself with something e.ternal.!
%2:. !The desire to find the self will surely be
fulfilled+ pro(ided you want nothing else.
/ut you must be honest with yourself
and really want nothing else.
"f in the meantime you want many other things
and are engaged in their pursuit+
your main purpose may be delayed until you grow
wiser and cease being torn between contradictory urges.
&o within+ without swer(ing+
without e(er looing outward.!
%2;. Questioner$ !/ut my desires and fears
are still there.!
Nisargadatta$ !,here are they but in your memory)
?eali-e that their root is in e.pectation
born of memory 4 and they will cease to obsess you.!
%50. !,hate(er wor you ha(e undertaen 4 complete it.
Co not tae up new tass+ unless it is called for
by a concrete situation of suffering and relief from
suffering. @ind yourself first+ and endless blessings
will follow. Nothing profits the world as much as
the abandoning of profits. A man who no longer thins
in terms of loss and gain is truly the non4(iolent man+
for he is beyond all conflict.!
%5%. !>rimarily+ ahimsa means what is says$
'don't hurt'. "t is not doing good that comes first+
but ceasing to hurt+ not adding to suffering.
>leasing others is not ahimsa.!
%52. !The only help worth gi(ing is freeing from the
need of further help. ?epeated help is no help at all.
Co not tal of helping another+ unless you can put him
beyond all need of help.!
%51. !,hen you ha(e understood that all e.istence+
in separation and limitation+ is painful+
and when you are willing and able to li(e integrally+
in oneness with all life+ as pure being+
you ha(e gone beyond the need of help.
*ou can help another by precept and e.ample and+
abo(e all+ by your being. *ou cannot gi(e what you
do not ha(e and you don't ha(e what you are not.!
%52. !*ou can only cease to be 4 as you seem to be now.
There is nothing cruel in what " say.
To wae up a man from a nightmare is compassion.
*ou came here because you are in pain+ and all " say
is$ wae up+ now yourself+ be yourself.
The end of pain lies not in pleasure.
,hen you reali-e that you are beyond both pain and
pleasure+ aloof and unassailable+ the the pursuit of
happiness ceases and the resultant sorrow too.
@or pain aims at pleasure and pleasure ends in pain+
relentlessly.!
%55. Questioner$ !"n the ultimate state there can
be no happiness)!
Nisargadatta$ !Nor sorrow. Bnly freedom.
#appiness depends on something or other
and can be lost7 freedom from e(erything depends on
nothing and cannot be lost. @reedom from sorrow has no
cause and therefore+ cannot be destroyed.
?eali-e that freedom.!
%56. !,hat is birth and death but the beginning and
the ending of a stream of e(ents in consciousness)
/ecause of the idea of separation and limitation
they are painful. Momentary relief from pain we call
pleasure 4 and we build castles in the air hoping for
endless pleasure which we call happiness.
"t is all misunderstanding and misuse.
,ae up+ go beyond+ li(e really.!
%59. !#a(e your being outside this body of birth
and death and all your problems will be sol(ed.
They e.ist because you belie(e yourself born to die.
Endecei(e yourself and be free.
*ou are not a person. !
%5:. !Fust loo and remember+ whate(er you percei(e
is not you+ nor yours. "t is there in the field of
consciousness+ but you are not the field
and its contents+ nor e(en the nower of the field.
0imply loo at whate(er happens
and now you are beyond it.!
%5;. !All you need to do is to cease taing
yourself to be within the field of consciousness.
Enless you ha(e already considered these matters
carefully+ listening to me once will not do.!
%60. !Bf all the people the nower of the self+
the liberated man+ is the most trustworthy.
/ut merely to trust is not enough.
*ou must also desire. ,ithout desire for freedom
of what use is the confidence that you can acquire
freedom) Cesire and confidence must go together.
The stronger your desire+
the easier comes the help.
The greatest &uru is helpless as long as the
disciple is not eager to learn.
Aagerness and earnestness are all4important.
8onfidence will come with e.perience.
/e de(oted to your goal and de(otion to him
who can guide you will follow.
"f your desire and confidence are strong+
they will operate and tae you to your goal+
for you will not cause delay by hesitation
and compromise.
The greates &uru is your inner self.
Truly+ he is the supreme teacher.
#e alone can tae you to your goal and he alone
meets you at the end of the road.
8onfide in him and you need no outer &uru.
/ut again you must ha(e the strong desire to find
him and do nothing that will create obstacles
and delays. And do not waste energy and time
on regrets. 3earn from your mistaes
and do not repeat them.!
%6%. !3et us wait with impro(ing others until we
ha(e seen oursel(es as we are 44 and ha(e changed.
There is no need to turn round and round in
endless questioning7 find yourself and e(erything
will fall into its proper place.!
%62. !The body e.ists in time and space+
transient and limited+
while the dweller is timeless and spaceless+
eternal and all4per(ading.
To identify the two is a grie(ous mistae
and the cause of endless suffering.!
%61. !*ou are the god of your world and you are
both stupid and cruel. 3et &od be a concept 4
your own creation. @ind out who you are+
how did you come to li(e+ longing for truth+
goodness and beauty in a world full of e(il.
Bf what use is your arguing for or against &od+
when you just do not now who is &od
and what you are taling about.
The &od born of fear and hope+
shaped by desire and imagination+
cannot be the >ower That is+
the Mind and #eart of the uni(erse.!
%62. !There are two le(els to consider 4
the physical 4 of facts+ and mental of ideas.
" am beyond both. Neither your facts+
nor ideas are mine. ,hat " see is beyond.
8ross4o(er to my side and see with me.!
%65. !*ou are not here. " am here. 8ome inG
/ut you don't. *ou want me to li(e your life+
feel your way+ use your language.
" cannot+ and it will not help you.
*ou must come to me. ,ords are of the mind
and the mind obscures and distorts.
#ence the absolute need to go beyond words and
mo(e o(er to my side.!
Questioner$ !Tae me o(er.!
Nisargadatta$ !" am doing it+ but you resist.
*ou gi(e reality to concepts+
while concepts are distortions of reality.
Abandon all conceptuali-ation
and stay silent and attenti(e.
/e earnest about it
and all will be well with you.!
%66. !,hy play with ideas)
/e content with what you are sure of.
And the only thing you can be sure of is '" am'.
0tay with it+ and reject e(erything else.
This is *oga.!
%69. Questioner$ !" can reject only (erbally.
At best remember to repeat the formula$
'This is not me+ this is not mine.
" am beyond all this.'!
Nisargadatta$ !&ood enough. @irst Herbally+
then mentally and emotionally+ then in action.
&i(e attention to the reality within you
and it will come to light.
"t is lie churning butter.
Co it correctly and assidiously and the result
is sure to come.!
%6:. Questioner$ !#ow can the absolute be
the result of a process)!
Nisargadatta$ !*ou are right+ the relati(e
cannot result in the absolute.
/ut the relati(e can bloc the absolute+
just as the non4churning of the cream
may pre(ent butter from separating.
"t is the real that creates the urge7
the inner prompts the outer
and the outer responds in interest and effort.!
%6;. !Con't identify yourself with the world
and you will not suffer.!
%90. !,hat is the root of pain)
"gnorance of yourself.
,hat is the root of desire)
The urge to find yourself.
All creation toils for its self
and will not rest until it returns to it.!
Questioner$ !,hen will it return)!
Nisargadatta$ !"t can return
whene(er you want it.!
%9%. !&i(e up the idea of being
what you thin yourself to be!
%92. !,hat matters is the idea you ha(e
of yourself+ for it blocs you. &i(e it up.!
%91. !Aasier to change+ than to suffer.
&row out of your childishness+ that is all.!
%92. !This is childishness+
clinging to the toys+ to your desires
and fears+ opinions and ideas.
&i(e it all up and be ready for the real to
assert itself. This self4assertion is best
e.pressed in the words$ '" am'.!
%95. !0o far you too yourself to be
the mo(able and o(erlooed the immo(able.
Turn your mind inside out. B(erloo the mo(able
and you will find yourself to be
the e(er4present+ changeless reality+
ine.pressible+ but solid lie a roc.!
%96. !*ou are conscious. #old on to it.!
%99. !"n witnessing+ in awareness+
self4consciousness+
the sense of being this or that+ is not.
Enidentified being remains.!
%9:. !,ho are you+ who is unsatisfied)!
%9;. Questioner$ !All " now is desire for
pleasure and fear of pain.!
Nisargadatta$ !That is what you thin
about yourself. 0top it.
"f you cannot brea a habit all at once+
consider the familiar way of thining
and see its falseness.
Questioning the habitual
is the duty of the mind.
,hat the mind created+
the mind must destroy.
Br reali-e that there is no desire
outside the mind and stay out.!
%:0. !,hat " say is true+ but to you
it is only a theory. #ow will you come to
now that it is true)
3isten+ remember+ ponder+ (isuali-e+
e.perience. Also apply it in your daily life.
#a(e patience with me and abo(e all
ha(e patience with yourself+
for you are your only obstacle.!
%:%. !To recie(e communication+
you must be recepti(e.!
%:2. !All " can tell you
is the way " tra(eled
and in(ite you to tae it.!
%:1. !As far as " am concerned+
my teaching is simple$ trust me for a while
and do what " tell you.
"f you perse(ere+
you will find that your trust was justified.!
%:2. Questioner$ !And what to do with people
who are interested+ but cannot trust)!
Nisargadatta$ !"f they could stay with me+
they would come to trust me.
Bnce they trust me+
they will follow my ad(ice
and disco(er for themsel(es.!
%:5. !*ou seem to want instant insight+
forgetting that the instant is always preceded
by a long preparation.
The fruit falls suddenly+
but the ripening taes time.!
%:6. !After all+ what " am offering you
is the operational approach+
so current in ,estern science.
,hen a scientist describes an e.periment
and its results+
usally you accept his statements on trust
and repeat his e.periment as he describes it.!
%:9. !To ha(e the direct e.perience
of a country one must go and li(e there!
%::. !the scientific approach is for all.
Trust4test4taste.!
%:;. !&i(ers there are many7
where are the taers)!
%;0. !,ho is willing to tae
what " am willing to gi(e)!
%;%. !what can " do beyond showing you
the way to impro(e your (ision)!
%;2. !/ut while you repeat (erbally$
'gi(e+ gi(e'+ you do nothing to tae what is
offered. " am showing you a short and easy
way to being able to see what " see+
but you cling to your old habits of thought+
feeling and action
and put all the blame on me.!
%;1. !,hate(er he does+
if he does it for the sae of finding
his own real self+
will surely bring him to himself.!
%;2. !No need of faith
which is but e.pectation of results.
#ere the action only counts.
,hate(er you do for the sae of truth+
will tae you to truth.
Bnly be earnest and honest.
The shape it taes hardly matters.!
%;5. !The (ery facts of repetiton+
of struggling on and on
and of endurance and perse(erance+
in spite of boredom and despair
and complete lac of con(iction
are really crucial.!
%;6. !there is a connection between the word
and its meaning+
between action and its moti(e.
0piritual practice is will asserted
and re4asserted.!
%;9. !Meet your own self.
/e with your own self+ listen to it+ obey it+
cherish it+ eep it in mind endlessly.
*ou need no other guide.
As long as your urge for truth
affects your daily life+ all is well with you.
3i(e your life without hurting anybody.
#armlessness is a most powerful form of *oga
and it will tae you speedily to your goal.
This is what " call nisarga yoga+
the Natural yoga.
"t is the art of li(ing in peace and harmony+
in friendliness and lo(e.
The fruit of it is happiness+
uncaused and endless.!
%;:. !Turn within
and you will come to trust yourself.!
%;;. !,hat pre(ents you from nowing is not
the lac of opportunity+
but the lac of ability to focus in your mind
what you want to understand.
"f you could but eep in mind
what you do not now+
it would re(eal to you its secrets.
/ut if you are shallow and impatient+
not earnest enough to loo and wait+
you are lie a child crying for the moon.!
200. !There is nothing wrong in repeating
the same truth again and again
until it becomes reality.
>eople need hearing words+
until facts spea to them louder than words!
To continue reading quotes by
0ri Nisargadatta Maharaj
on the importance of practice+ earnestness.