Foreword

“The greatest men in the world have passed away

unknown. Silently they live and silently they pass
away and in time their thoughts find expression in
Buddhas or Christs, and it is the latter that become
known to us.” Swami Vivekananda
Shri Sadguru Siddharameshwara Maharaj was surely one of those saints. He was born in
1888 in the village of Pathri in southern Maharashtra. He had a formal education of merely two
years but this was no reflection on his acumen, which would later shine so brightly. He became a
disciple of Shri Bhausaheb Maharaj from Hinchgiri, North Karnataka. Shri Bhausaheb was an
exponent of tradition meditation and his disciples were expected to follow a strict regime of daily
and long practice. Shri Siddharameshwara Maharaj proved to be exceedingly determined and
devoted, and rose up to be one of his foremost disciples.
After his Master’s passing away, Shri Siddharameshwara Maharaj renounced his family
duties and dedicated himself to a spiritual life. Some two to three years later and after very
arduous practice he attained Final Liberation. Later he began teaching but his “way” was
different from the tradition of his Master. However, when once asked if his Master had this
understanding, he admonished the questioner and replied, “If the well had not been full of water,
the field would not have been watered.”
He believed that the goal of meditation could be easier attained if the mind was
understood. This is the path of Knowledge. Rather than force the mind to be quiet, if the mind is
taught the reasons for its restlessness then it will itself become still. By the path of Knowledge
the mind of the seeker is taught the true nature of the world and of thought. Shri Krishna had
said, “Mind is your bondage and mind is your liberation.”
This book contains a collection of some of the teachings of Shri Siddharameshwara
Maharaja’s way of Knowledge. This way of Knowledge is not new and indeed numerous
scriptures of Knowledge exist. The Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Yoga Vasisthta and a Marathi
text, the Dasbodha are but examples. These scriptures answer the questions that have dogged
man from the beginning of time, questions like, “Who am I? Who is God? What is the meaning
of this life?”
But it is Shri Siddhareshwara Maharaja’s ability to convey these sublime, profound and
often hidden answers of non-duality in a fashion that all could grasp, that is unique. His lectures
are full of clarity, courage, outspoken-ness and most important of all, the stamp of Self
Experience.
By carefully reading this book it will become clear just what the difference is between the
traditional path of meditation and this path of Knowledge. Shri Siddharameshwara Maharaj
teaches the importance of proper thinking, for such thinking induces the mind to be quiet. It is
said that the main requisites for the goal of Liberation are devotion/bhakti, renunciation/vairagya
and knowledge/gnyan. In the teachings of Maharaj, the true and essential meanings of these are
explained. For example, real renunciation is in fact the renunciation of the thought of sense
objects and without this, the external renunciation of sense objects is very difficult.
The first part of this book is a translation of a Marathi book of Maharaj’s teachings that
was compiled and edited by Shri Sadguru Ganapatrao Maharaj who was one of his disciples. And
the second part is the translations of a collection of lectures given in 1928. It is said that the first
sadhana/practice of Knowledge is shravan, which means, to listen - to listen to the words of the
Master and delve into and extract the meaning that they convey. The words of the Master are
therefore priceless and the meaning within is Liberation, the end of the endless cycle of births
and deaths.
Shri Siddharameshwara’s gratitude for that Grace bestowed upon him was evident by his
devotion to his Master and the devotion he had for his own disciples. That he left behind such an
unusually large number of Self Realized disciples, is a testimony to his greatness. Liberation is
the Sadguru’s Blessing and it is gained by understanding and it is the Ultimate Accomplishment.

“By giving the explanation of this subject, the disciple’s mind no longer moves.
One accomplishes the meaning of one’s existence when that Kingdom beyond the
workings of imagination is gained. The guru takes his disciples to the abode of
their own Bliss and sets them free. This is the guru’s blessing.” -Shri Sadguru
Siddharameshwara Maharaj

Jai Guru! / Victory to You!

The
Ultimate
Accomplishment
The Teaching of
Shri Sadguru Siddharameshwar Maharaj

Part One
 “Before the world, there is brahman.” This means that before
the thought of the world comes in our minds there is the
thoughtless natural state. Therefore, the world and brahman
are not to be looked for anywhere outside; they are only
within yourself. The thought within us is the world and
before our thought or after our thought there is brahman.

Chapter One

The Importance of this Human Body

This human body body has been gained after so much hardship. Only after having endured
84 lakh1 births and being in the service of mankind have you got this birth. The mango grows on
the tree and is offered to man. The shade provided by the tree is useful to people and so too is the
wood it provides. In many ways, trees and all kinds of living beings strive to serve mankind, for
they all regard man as God.
This hard-earned human body has been achieved and now for this body there are two
paths that can be taken. One is the path of liberation (ie. Self-realization) and the other path leads
that Supreme Self through this endless cycle of births and deaths. If liberation is achieved then,
one becomes the God of gods. But if this is neglected then that Supreme Self/paramatma falls
again into this cycle of worldly existence where it has had to endure birth after birth of being a
horse, a donkey, a dog, a pig, etc.
Having acquired this human body, the only duty remaining for you now is to become God
and thereby obtain Supreme Bliss. Eating and sleeping are common to both beasts and humans,
but Self-knowledge is only possible in this human birth. Thus it is only Self-knowledge that will
set you apart from the rest of the animal kingdom and therefore it should be gained. Otherwise it
will be simply a case of, “He came as he went” and this human birth will be wasted. So ask
yourself, “Who am I? Where have I come from? Why have I come here and where am I
going?” If you come to know the answer to all these questions, then only you can be called a
human being. Do not waste this precious human body without knowing these things. If once you
do not get something to fill the belly it is no loss; for animal births were passed in eating only.
Now that you have got this body, use it for more than just eating and achieve this knowledge of
the Self.
Perform your worldly affairs but utilize this life to gain Self-knowledge. You are that
Supreme Self so do not devote this life only to worldly affairs. That thoughtless Self has taken
itself to be a body and has become no better than a horse. But don’t use this horse just to gain
worldly objects; be its rider and attain Self-knowledge. Otherwise, you will become just like a
horse and you will get beaten. Mankind will sit upon you and when you are thirsty they will give
you grass to eat and when you want to eat they will place water before you. Previously that Self

1
One lakh- 100,000
did not heed the Saints and therefore, it has become a jiva2 and has had to endure so much
beating. What have you to learn from all this? Look around and see this condition of remaining
as a jiva; listen to what the Saints are saying and use this body to become wise. In this world,
misery has been kept before you so that you may become wise. Therefore at this very moment
awaken. Awaken!
But if you are too lazy to acquire this knowledge then, what will happen tell me? Well, one
day you will yawn and with your mouth wide open you will pass away. Your millions are not
useful to you when you are dying. And neither your loved ones nor relations, nobody will be able
to save you. The only use your wife, brothers and others will be then is, to weep for you.
Understand now this world is only interested in the taking and giving of pleasures and nothing
else.
You make so much effort to eat and drink well but you do nothing for this Ultimate
Accomplishment3/paramarth. On account of your laziness, you become bored with these
discourses and bhajan4 and then after, when you return home, what do you do? Only eat and
sleep and snore – anything else? Here we are speaking of the knowledge that will liberate you
from this cycle of birth and death, but you cry like a child that has to take bitter medicine from
its mother. I am speaking of something that will rid you of this disease called worldly existence
and though you are standing on the gallows of time still you can’t stop looking at your watch.
The value of this human lifetime and of the spoken word is simply not understood. Only at
the time of death will you come to understood. If a very rich man is dying and there is a doctor
available who can make him live fifteen minutes more and make him speak a little, then his
relatives are ready to spend tens of thousands of rupees for those fifteen minutes and two to four
words. Now just calculate from this just how valuable is this life that you are letting pass by in
useless hopes and schemes and empty talk. Then you may realize that this precious life is just
being thrown away, if you make no effort to know your Self!

Live to become immortal

This human birth is not to be spent in just worldly matters, going round and round like a
bullock yoked to the oil-mill.5 This human body is to be used to achieve that your immortal Self.
So do not pass your life, just for death. On the funeral pyre, the bones burn like a stack of
wood and the hair burns like a bundle of straw. Do not live for this death. Learn how to die
and attain that immortal state.
One day you will have to die but tell me, what will you get in return for such a death? Well,
the jiva gets born again as a jiva and gets 8.4 million births in return! If you take yourself to be
this body then, no one can release you from that. Therefore, instead of living just to die, live and
be that immortal Self. “Who am I and why have I taken this birth?” Always think about this.
Otherwise, it will just be another case of, He came from the womb and went to the tomb.
Every human being disregards their only real duty that is, to make the man/ nara into

2
jiva- Individual body consciousness; shiva- Universal body consciousness.
3
To know the ultimate meaning of life: paramarth: param-ultimate, artha-meaning, wealth, accomplishment.
4
bhajan- devotional singing/worship, however Shri Siddhrameshwar Maharaj explains in Pt.2 Lecture10, that real
bhajan means to know your own true form/swarup in every action.
5
Generally they also had their eyes blindfolded.
God/narayana.6 And by engaging in countless troublesome affairs, they waste this human body
that is more precious than gold. Everybody should take the solace of their own original ‘speech’. 7
This is said to be the ultimate objective of a human birth.
Listen carefully to this story of a drunk and awaken yourself from your ignorance. Once
some men had their half-witted friend drink liquor to his heart’s content and when they saw that
he was completely drunk, they all pretended to cry. Then they said to their drunk friend, “Oh
what to do! Seeing your terrible plight we are choked with grief. We have just been to your house
and learnt that your wife has become a widow.” On hearing this, the drunk started crying loudly
and lamented to everyone, “My wife has become a widow. Oh! A mountain of miseries has
befallen me.”
One should realize that this rather ridiculous story does not apply to this drunkard only.
Every human being is reeling around in a drunken stupor. Though we are ourselves of the nature
of satchidananda,8 still we continuously whine, “How will I find happiness?” Believing that we
have fallen into great difficulties, we beg to God in a pitiable voice, “Please God, show me some
mercy.” That Self has come to believe that it is a small helpless creature, but its own true state is
not at all like this. Due to the intoxication of this wine of ignorance, it says, “I am a mortal.” This
mistaken concept that has been accepted by you has to be totally cast off from your mind and
you must have unflinching faith that you are the Self. Do not harbor any fear about any matter
what-so-ever. Have the unwavering conviction, I am the Self, pure, never-changing, eternal and
the Light of all lights.
It has been said, “In this world, this ‘I am’ has to wander around as an ignorant jiva with a
dead body.” And this truly cannot be denied because living in ignorance is the same as being
dead. Who is eating, drinking etc. and who is serving who? Neither that Supreme Self or even
this ‘I am’ have been understood and so that thoughtless Self that is hidden within this body
made up of the five elements,9 has to serve this gross body and carry a bundle of accumulated
sins and virtues around with it. On account of a lack of proper thought this Supreme Self has
become an ignorant jiva living a mundane existence.
Only the one who gives up this body consciousness and realizes their own Self makes life
meaningful. Then the ancestors of seventy-two generations 10 are filled with happiness, for they
have all been watching and waiting for such a one to come and uplift them. This is the only
reason why in India, sweets are given out when a son is born. 11 The glory of Self-knowledge is
immeasurable and that shines like the full moon amongst the hundred thousand stars.
Whoever gains that Supreme Knowledge of brahman is truly blessed. Their mother and
father are also blessed because someone who will uplift the family has been born. Otherwise,

6
Shri Ranjit Maharaj – The man/nara enjoys the woman/nari; narayana is nari/prakruti and ayana/to enjoy;
narayana is the only one who enjoys the whole creation/prakruti.
7
The para speech is the first of the four forms of speech ie. ‘I am’. Afterwards words and thoughts start to take form
until finally they get blurted out in idle gossip.
8
Existence, Knowledge and Bliss.
9
The body and the whole creation are said to be made up of five elements: earth, water, fire, wind and space. That
Supreme Self/paramatma is beyond all this.
10
According to the scriptures, thirty-six on the maternal side and thirty-six on the paternal side are uplifted. Shri
Ranjit Maharaj said with regards to this, “A little incentive is required, no!”
11
In India so much importance is put on having a male child and Shri SiddhareshwarMaharaj will explain in Lecture
Eleven the reason for this. But a son/putra in vedantic terms means one who has come to the sadguru and through
his teachings is ‘born’, not of the body but of the Self/atma.
there will be a hundred brats like the kauravas.12 And of what use are they? Or there may be
those who attain the so-called higher studies like B.A., M.A., etc., but all these degrees are only
for filling their bellies. But those who acquire the Knowledge of brahman have not only liberated
themselves, they have uplifted their ancestors and they have shown the way to the coming
generations. They truly are the blessed!

Chapter Two

Worldly Existence versus that Ultimate Accomplishment

Worldly Existence

Every individual/jiva comes into this world crying and leaves this world crying. The jiva
lifts up and sets down objects made of the five elements; that is what it does in this worldly
existence; it lifts and sets down, lifts and sets down. The sadhu/Saint having understood the
nature of these five elements and the Supreme Self remains forever detached.
There is a large rodent called a gusha and it spends all night scratching and digging holes.
It is as if it sees gold very close by and keeps trying to reach it. But then, as soon as the sun rises
it stops digging and keeps quiet. The ignorant jivas are nothing other than the relatives of these
gushas because they also, in the darkness of ignorance, are just digging holes.
That Self is completely independent. It is not possible that anything or anyone belongs to it.
But as a husband, it says, “My wife” and as a wife, it says, “My husband” and then, does he
belong to her or she to him? It is not possible for one object to belong to another. Oh fool!
Though you say that they are all mine, have they become yours? Only as long as there is this
need to be doing something, will there be this pretence of relationships and relations. But those
whom you believe belong to you and whom you are serving, can only go up to your grave side
when you die and then they can only proclaim that you have died. If you take yourself to be a
body then, you take friends and family as your own and then, you place that Self in so many
troubles and strife!
One ‘wine-devotee’ sincerely believed that wine was the best reliever of hardship and it
could eradicate all suffering and so to free all from suffering, he opened a wine bar and gave
away wine free of charge. His sincere goal was to free the whole world from its suffering by
getting everybody drunk like himself. Now, if his action is considered benevolent, then the
actions of mothers, fathers, teachers and masters etc., who are all blind-drunk on the wine of
ignorance, can also be said to be benevolent. They tell their children and those who want to
escape from the bondages of this worldly life, “Oh dear ones! Behave as your elders have
behaved; take a wife and rear children; undertake back-breaking toil for them and thus live a
‘happy’ material life. That is the only true accomplishment in life. That other way called
paramarth/Ultimate Accomplishment, is nothing but lies.”
However, the Saints are the only true benefactors to the people of this world, for they
remove the intoxication of ignorance by carefully administering this balm of knowledge upon the
eyes of the blind. Yet, those who slam a pair of handcuffs upon someone who was happy and free

12
The kauravas are mythological characters in the epic mahabharata and represent the countless objects of desire.
by forcing them to marry and thus help yoke them to the grinding stone of worldly life are
considered as benefactors. That is why the Saint who gives understanding and says, “Break this
noose of illusion/maya and be free,” is considered dangerous.
Sometimes by chance, a sacred basil plant/tulsi is found in a field full of marijuana or a
diamond is found in a coal-mine. It is rather similar to a child born from the womb of a thief who
grows up good and honest or a girl, born to a dancing girl, who grows up virtuous and chaste;
their mothers will think that they have begotten a brat who will be a blot on the family name.
Such was the case for the demon king, hiranya-kashyapu. He was deeply saddened when in his
God-despising family a son called prahlad,13 a great devotee of God, was born. Almost
everybody amongst us belong to this family of hiranya-kashyapu.

The Ultimate Accomplishment

The jiva’s turning from this worldly life and towards paramarth/Supreme Accomplishment
is unavoidable. maya beats us, over and over, for she is always trying to lead us towards the Self.
On receiving a slap or two from maya the wise and right thinking individual turns to Self-
knowledge but, other stubborn unthinking jivas have to get so many slaps, birth after birth. Still
in the end, we all ultimately return to our own original form/swarup14 and even after terrible
suffering, still it cannot be avoided. So is it not wiser, today itself, to joyfully admit and accept
this?
There is great meaning in the marathi saying, “The one who becomes tired of doing this and
doing that, starts worshipping God ie. puja.” jivas make so much effort and endeavours in this
world but still in the end, they get totally exhausted. Unless they seek the shelter of their own
original form, they can never get complete rest. Taking the shelter of your formless swarup is the
real worship of God ie. puja.
The question was asked, “Is this worldly life an obstacle to that Ultimate Accomplishment?”
The reply to those who have gained knowledge 15 is; their Ultimate Accomplishment/paramarth
cannot be hindered by this worldly life; they will find worldly life easy to perform and while
doing that, they will be doing paramarth. But, if this cannot be done then promptly say, goodbye,
to your worldly duties and accomplish your spiritual duties. That is more beneficial but you have
to decide for yourself. Only you know your own capability.

Chapter Three

Devotion to sadguru

Only the child of the guru escapes from this ever-turning wheel of worldly existence: One

13
vishnu himself incarnated to protect prahlad from his father when he tried to kill him.
14
swarup: swa-own, rupa- form. In dasbodh it says, your own form means that formless that remains after the
elements have been cast off.
15
Knowledge is the understanding of that original inspiration ‘I am’. On that ‘I am’ feeling or existence, the whole
world has appeared.
day while they were walking along a road, Ramananda Swami, the guru and Kabir, his disciple,
saw a woman grinding wheat on the verandah of a house. Seeing this sight, Kabir began to cry
and when Ramananda Swami asked him why, Kabir replied;
Kabir weeps at the sight of the two grinding stones turning round and round;
caught between these two great stones, no one can escape.16
When this ‘I am’ gets caught in these ever turning wheels of this worldly existence then,
the jiva gets crushed like the flour of the wheat grain and nobody can escape. On hearing this,
Ramananda Swami led Kabir to the house of the woman and asked her to lift up the upper
grinding-stone. And there, close to the axis, five or six grains were seen. Then Kabir understood;
just like those few grains, the ones who take refuge in sadguru’s form17 are not crushed by these
turning wheels of this worldly existence. However if one does not surrender to sadguru and
keeps away from Him because of pride then, one will surely be destroyed…. “She had a quarrel
with the oil merchant and as a result, she had to sit in darkness.” Will it not be something like
this?
It is said that the craftsman, mason, carpenter etc. can make the temple and the idol of
God, but that the consecration of the idol cannot be done without the brahmin priest. In just the
same way, the caretakers of this body, like your mother, father, relatives, friends, teachers etc. are
the craftsmen but truly, the only real brahmin is sadguru and only He can establish the Self/atma
in this temple we call a body. The guru gives you your real name when He shows you, ‘You are
He’. He gives you a ‘second birth’ and you become ‘twice-born’. By giving the understanding,
‘You are the brahman’, the guru bestows the sacred thread18 of knowledge on you.

Complete surrender to sadguru

Your father and mother involve you in this worldly life. Only the son 19 of the guru who
surrenders to the Master is freed from this bondage. A true disciple serves Him by understanding
‘I belong to sadguru’ and maintains the conviction, ‘The guru is my mother, father, family,
friends, wealth, etc. – everything I possess.’ Only the one who has given up the pride of the body
is to be considered the son of the guru and only the one who comes in total surrender, rises to the
stateless state of brahman. “This ‘I’ is a servant of the servant of the guru.” The one who has
such unwavering faith is the only true devotee to that Ultimate Accomplishment. It is only in this
field of devotion to your guru will there will be this harvest of knowledge. Otherwise you say, “I
am somebody, this is my wifee, I have a family life etc.” and then your ego remains and as long
as this remains, you can never be free.
Only after you have acquired this power of ‘I am’ can there be that desireless devotion to
the guru, but those caught in illusion/maya cannot understand that thoughtless Self. How can a
slave to maya understand such faith? On the other hand, with faith, even the dog in the house of

16
Kabir is a very popular Saint and his verses are well known. This is one of these verses.
17
sadguru’s manifest form is the feeling, ‘I am everything, everywhere’ ie. knowledge.
18
There are four castes in the vedantic culture. Now-a-days only brahmin boys get initiated by the guru and are
given the gayatri mantra. At that time also they are given the ‘thread of knowledge’ to wear over their shoulder and
this ceremony is called, their second birth. However, the deeper meaning of this ritual has nothing to do with this
caste system and it should be understood.
19
Ie. one who understands, ‘I am that purush, I am the witness and untouched by all this.’
the master is respected by all. 20 Therefore do not give up your devotion/bhajan21 to sadguru. By
this desireless devotion/bhajan, God is attained. By the power and authority of that Supreme
Self, you will become immortal, omnipresent, imperishable and beyond knowledge/niranjan.22
The six glories of knowledge are also gained 23 and finally the one who renders desireless
devotion to the guru becomes one with the guru.
It is the nature of the intellect to become one with the surroundings it is kept in. If kept in
the field of sadguru’s worship/upasana24 and thereby in the company of detachment and Self-
knowledge, then it becomes like that only. Therefore, do not give up sadguru’s worship (ie. make
your mind, His mind) and perform His puja25 by offering everything to Him. For this, undivided
faith (ie. no-otherness) is required. The guru is that Supreme Self and only the one who has faith
in this ‘I am’ can achieve that Self. Just as it is not possible to get pearls from a cob of maize, so
too, without full faith in the guru, nirguna26 Knowledge will not be achieved.

If devotion/bhajan to the manifest/saguna is given up, then that Knower will meet with
failure – dasbodha. This means you must worship the guru after acquiring this knowledge ‘I
am’. By His grace the jiva has gone and shiva27 has been established. Therefore now, as an act of
gratitude, be devoted to the guru. Only the one who has love, faith and respect for the guru, has
love for the Self. And only the one who values this knowledge, will value his Self and have
boundless love for the Master. Their love will be apparent in their conduct; for devotion is the
‘thermometer’ of one’s love.
The sadguru imparts the knowledge which gods like indra, chandra and kings are not able
to give. Effortless ‘knowing’ is this great favour that He gives to you and this understanding
brings great love for Him. The value that you give to this knowledge (knowing) is an indication
of your devotion for your Master. Therefore have faith in your Self by surrendering all at the feet
of your Master. The one who worships sadguru after having acquired this Self-knowledge will
become the greatest of the great!28
Do not break your faith in the guru. Otherwise you may start to think, “I am brahman, so
now what is the need to maintain devotion/bhajan?” If such faithlessness arises, then the guru’s
orders are being disregarded and then this knowledge will surely be lost. Let this body live just to
worship the guru. One should hold such dedication. If given one cup of tea you say, “Thank
you,” then, for sadguru who takes you beyond birth and death, how much gratefulness should

20
The dog is the body and the master is sadguru.
21
bhajan- to remember your own true form in every action is bhajan. See Part Two, Lecture 10
22
Shri Ranjit Maharaj- anjana is the balm applied to the eyes that brings this ‘vision of knowledge’; but this is
beyond knowledge even.
23
Authority, capability, pervasiveness, wealth, knowledge and detachment, are all qualities of knowledge.
24
upasana: upa-near, asana- to sit. When the mind that is seated with the objects is lifted and placed near God; Ref.
Pt. Two, Lecture 4.
25
See previous chapter; to seek shelter in your swarup. See chapter 13; puja means, to effortlessly know.
26
nirguna\ saguna, purush\ prakruti, brahman\ maya etc. The unmanifest is present within the manifest. The
nirguna is formless and devoid of the gunas and upon that, creation has appeared. Creation is saguna and it has form
and the attributes/gunas. The gunas are knowing/sattwa, the mix of knowing and not-knowing/rago, and not-
knowing/tamo. To use Shri Ranjit Maharaj’s terms, saguna knowledge is the understanding ‘I am He’ and the nirgun
Knowledge is the understanding ‘I do not exist.’
27
The ‘I am a body’ thought becomes the ‘I am’ thought of shiva\shakti. This is witnessing.
28
This is called mukti varila bhakti (devotion after liberation). It is mentioned in the Shri Ranjit Maharaj arati. It
means, I do not exist.
 you have? No, how much surrender should there be? Give a thought to this.
Then if someone gives any respect to you, understand, he gives it to sadguru. A diamond
will be set in gold, no one will set it in brass or iron. In the same way, it is only through devotion
to the guru that Self-knowledge is established. If there is no devotion, then this knowledge
cannot stay and the ego will force its way in between. Without the support of this worship ‘I
am’/upasana, that Ultimate Accomplishment has no foundation. By devotion to sadguru one
lives free of all pride. To be desireless devoted to this manifest ‘I am’ is your eternal ‘food’;
without this you could not live for even a moment and this is called knowledge. And the one who
embodies both this desireless devotion/bhajan and that Knowledge of brahman is the Master.

Chapter Four

Discrimination between Self and non-Self

Through careful investigation into the difference between the Self and non-self, we come
to understand, who I am and who I am not. This body of bones, flesh, blood etc., is made up of
the five elements – but I am not that. Then, ‘I am the Knower of all, the witness – I am the Self .’
One should keep this understanding. This means, the doer and enjoyer is that Self/atma and
whatever is seen and perceived is non-Self. Now after this, give the same thought to the universe.
Whatever is in this universe is made up of these five elements and I am not that. That Self is
within every creature and He is within this whole creation pervading as this ‘knowing’. In one
body He is called the Inner-Self/antar-atma and in His universal form, He gets called ishwara.29

The life-principle residing in all is the Inner-Self

A husband calls his spouse, his wife, but he is actually addressing this living presence
residing within his wife. A wife, because of this ‘I am’ residing in her husband, calls him her
husband. The mother and father say, ‘Child,’ to their child and the child says, ‘Mother’ and
‘Father,’ to them but they are all addressing that living presence residing within each.
Just remove that life or ‘I am’ and it will be immediately understood that, the husband, the
wife and the mother, father and child were all in the care of this inner living presence. Then you
will at once understand to whom you are giving your love.
Though you may say the parent’s love the body of the child still, if the child is without
this ‘I am’ then, the mother and father will not let the body stay for more than several hours in the
house. From this, is it not understood that the ‘I am’ is the mother, that the ‘I am’ is the father, that
the ‘I am’ is the husband and wife and the ‘I am’ is the relatives, kith and kin and everything?

29
ie. God, purush etc. There is but the one Self or atma and it is forever free and unattached. However through the
power of maya, He appears as many and gets called by different names due to His association with maya’s different
limiting concepts.
 The play and the disguises of the Self

Due to the presence of that one Self within the body the child says, “Daddy” and that Self
replys “Yes.” But when it sees an enemy, it becomes like an incarnation of narasimha.30 On
seeing his wife it becomes her husband and becomes uncle to a nephew. If called “Dear Sir” by a
neighbour, it assumes the air of a “Dear Sir.” When in its home, it lovingly enjoys a child’s
pulling of its mustache and the same Self-principle seated in a court and taking up the important
role of a judge becomes merciless in handing out the punishment of hanging, to the accused.
Only one single Self-principle is assuming many roles and is performing the various acts suitable
to its different roles. This Self only is play-acting in many different guises and after all the
limiting concepts31 are set aside then that pure Knowledge32 remains and that is the Supreme Self.

This Inner-Self is the real God

He sits within and protects every beast, bird, god, devil and human being etc., by
becoming this life-principle ‘I am’ within them. If that Self was not there then, every jivas would
be like a lump of dead wood. If He is there then there is the glory of this ‘I am’ and on account of
our union with this ‘I am’, there is this worldly existence (when you look outwards) and there is
that Ultimate Accomplishment (when you look inwards). As long as He is there, then there are
gods and man, and purity and impurity etc. etc. and it is this Inner-Self that also grants Godliness
to God (‘I am the witness’). But as long as this Self continues to think of worldly matters then,
He is a jiva; and if He understands knowledge then, He is shiva. And when both jiva and shiva
are no more then, there is parabrahman. When that one Self assumes the role of a man and
performs some lowly job then, He is a jiva and when the one Self gives out justice like a judge
then He is shiva (ie. remains the aloof witness) and when He retires from all this and abides in
His original state then, He is parabrahman.

Children are amused playing games with stones

A child takes a stone and that Self says, “This is a cup.” Taking a second stone, that Self
says, “This is a plate” and taking a third stone, it says, “This is God.” The ignorant man worships
God in a similar fashion by making a stone image of Him. He has not understood this living-
principle ‘I am’ and this knowingness that are the real image within that real God. A stone image
is inanimate and that is why it is said that idol worship is for the foolish only. So be it. Still, how
much better it would be if, that One purush whose images are being worshipped, was
recognized?
How to describe this amusing play of the Inner-Self?
First you place some food on the altar before a god and then due to this living-principle
and knowing, that offering gets eaten by you, the real God. And just as the installed image
requires the support of that Supreme Self throughout its life, so too, this Inner-Self of ‘I am’ and

30
An incarnation taken by vishnu to destroy the wicked demon king and protect prahlad.
31
upadhi eg. the understanding ‘I am jiva’ and ‘I am shiva’ are both limiting concepts.
32
Shri Ranjit Maharaj- Pure Knowledge means no knowledge.
knowing, requires the support of that Supreme Self throughout its life also. 33 First, this God takes
a bath and gets dressed and then that god (ie. the idol) is washed and dressed later. In truth, every
creature, either knowingly or unknowingly, is devoted to this Inner-Self, however when that
Inner-Self worships without understanding it is a jiva and only when it worships with
understanding does it become shiva. Shri Ramdas Swami calls this Inner-Self, the fourth body. 34
This Inner-Self or ishwara is constantly moving, but parabrahman is totally steady and to
understand that formless swarup of both is called pure Knowledge.

‘I am the universal Self’

Cultivate this divine vision of knowledge. Everywhere I look and everything I perceive
is pervaded by that Supreme Self. That endless Self is this ‘I am’ and these many eyes, hands,
legs etc. All the faces, the hands and the feet of the elephants, monkeys, gods and demons etc.
are within this divine vision of knowledge. When you feel ‘I am that universal Self’ then, you are
seeing with knowledge; then you are seeing with understanding. When you do not see the many
differences and distinctions then, everywhere is your own form. When that One swarup is
understood then, duality is gone and there is no sin and no virtue. You never object to your own
spit in your mouth, do you? In the same way, you never object when, ‘I am in my own Self
everywhere.’

Chapter Five

The Conviction that brahman is in All

God is the doer, dedicate everything to Him

“Only you Janardana35 are in my body. Ekanath has ran away and now you function
through this body. It is you, shri guru Janardana who abides here now. Whatever actions are
done, are due to you. Whatever objects the vision sees are understood by your eyes. You are the
eye of the eyes. Because of your hearing, the ears hear. The tongue tastes due to union with you.
The intellect knows by its union with you. Whatever the mind may say is said due to your power.
In wakefulness, I am awake due to union with you. Dreams are because of you and sleep is
because of you. Whatever sensual enjoyments I enjoy are yours only. It is due to you that people
recognize me as Ekanath. They do not say Janardana, they say, Ekanath. But by assuming the
name Ekanath, only you are.”
paramatma is within every body, He is this ‘I am’ body and He is the doer-enjoyer and He
is that non-doer and non-enjoyer also. He is the one saying, “I” but, in fact, this one given a
separate name, does not exist. This Truth had been realized by Shri Eknatha Maharaj.
33
ie. before, during and after the gross appearances of this world and the appearance of this ‘I am’, you are there.
34
There are four bodies or covering on you, the Self: gross made of blood, flesh, bones, etc.; subtle made of mind,
intellect etc.; causal which is ignorance; supra causal which is knowledge.
35
Shri Janardhana is the name of the guru of Shri Ekanath.
 As long as the son accepts his father’s authority, he may spend his father’s money anyway
he likes and still his father says, “It is all his only. Let him do with it whatever he pleases.”
However, if the same son defies his father’s authority and with his inflated ego announces, “I am
the owner” then, due to the father’s displeasure, the son will lose the property that he would have
naturally acquired as his inheritance. In the same way, as long as you respect the authority of
God/vishnu36 then, you can behave in whatever manner you please in this world. For the one who
loves God is loved by God. But not respecting God’s authority brings the ego and then the jiva
says “I am doing everything.” This makes God angry and then, that Self will have to suffer many
miseries and be deprived of its own natural Bliss.
All the great efforts made in this worldly life, even the ones that met with failure, should
be dedicated to krishna (vishnu). During the holi37 festival, no matter how one may play, that
should also be offered to krishna. Once upon a time, a man ran into the forest to hide from a
band of robbers and unwittingly he discovered a buried treasure. Your offering of everything to
krishna is like this; for though your actions had been improper (ie. “I am doing everything’) still,
when you offer them with this knowingness then, He is doing. If your husband beats you, offer it
to krishna. If your wife slaps you in the face, offer it to krishna. Putting on a coat and shirt or
dressing in a traditional dhoti, offer all that to krishna. Even a dish prepared from bitter-gourd
(which can be very unpalatable) should also be offered to krishna. If the flour is spilled, offer it
to krishna. To offer everything to krishna means to offer everything to this knowledge. Such an
offering brings no suffering to your mind. This effortless action of simply knowing is the same as
that living-principle38 and this has appeared upon that Supreme Self. And this knowledge will
also get dissolved in that formless swarup when, with firm conviction, you offer everything to
krishna.
If five rupees gets taken from your pocket then say, “It was taken by the Self” and do not
say, “I have been robbed.” If you understand that everyone is the Self then you will be full of joy
and there will be the attainment of that unattainable. Understand, whatever has to go will go.
Now whether it should be given up willingly or given up painfully, that you should think about.
Whatever is to happen will happen but you, for no reason, take that upon yourself again and
again. Therefore practice vivek39 and with the conviction that everything is the Self, live in Bliss.

Practice and gain the understanding, ‘God is in everything’

A devotee of God triumphs by losing. However, it is the nature of the jiva to think, “I
should always win and at no time whatsoever should I have to face disgrace. Whatever I say
must happen and anything like retreat or defeat, in any matter, should never happen to me.” And
because of this stubborn insistence the jiva losses that Perfect Contentment. On the other hand, if
one learns to accept defeat and give up this insistence that, “It must happen the way I say,” then
there will be no disturbance in that Perfect Contentment.
The one who refuses to lose thinks he is the victor. However, this means that he will not
let go of being a jiva. Only the blessed have learned to accept defeat and have the good fortune

36
vishnu means to know. Therefore the one who has respect for this knowing has respect for God. Therefore, only
the one who forgets everything and remains in this effortless knowing is showing respect for God.
37
The holi festival is a day of uninhibited childish fun.
38
chaitanya: Then one ‘sees’ this one living moving principle.
39
vivek- To discriminate between the true brahman and the false maya.
of becoming shiva and they only are the real devotees of God/vishnu.
If you have a feeling of hostility towards someone then, make them your friend by
looking upon them with the conviction that, they are the Self. We say that somebody is bad but
there are those who say that that person is good. So they are not bad and such hostility really just
means that we have not been able to get along with them.
Nobody is good and nobody is bad. Each one behaves in a way that is agreeable to them.
We should not impose our ego upon another. One likes this and another likes that but why should
you care and judge unnecessarily?
If your mind should think ill of someone then, strive over and over to cultivate good
thoughts towards that person. And in the mind, even an enemy should be praised. The one who
knows that for them, this earth is enemy-less has become the Lord of the world (ie. witnessing
purush).
When one understands that within this whole creation made up of the five elements, He
(Lord of the world) is there, then that is making the bhajan of God. Then even if you see some
behaviour that is contrary to your thinking still, in your mind, you should not feel that it is
wrong. Even if your mind feels someone is wicked still, you should understand that he is God’s
form. The devotee who makes God’s bhajan in this way, will not reply with harsh words and will
forgive the ones who has been hurtful. The one who is devoted to this knowing (ie. bhajan)
will not encounter obstacles of any type; on the contrary, the entire world assists them. 40

Have the conviction that you are that Inner-Self 41

That witness is within the five elements. Hold firmly to the understanding that, I am
the witness of this ‘meeting place.’ 42 Keep this one thought in your mind, ‘I am the Knower, I
am the Self/brahman.’ If you know that brahman is within this knowledge as the witness
then, you must behave accordingly. If someone spoils something then say, “He is the Self”
and forgive them. Maintain this understanding that the Self/ brahman is within these small
children. The nature of a jiva is to think, what others do is wrong and to feel, what I do is
right. But the gnyani understands that, even this ‘I am’ is false. Up until this day you have
felt, “I am right,” and still you are unhappy. Therefore, from now onwards think like this:
“What I think is wrong and what you think is right.”
Being egoless has first to be practiced in the house. But it is far easier to exorcise a
ghost from the house than it is to get rid of these family connections. “This is my mother, this
is my father, uncle, wife, son etc.”; all these connections are not being broken. If you talk to
your uncle taking him as your uncle, then this connection will not be loosened and the
intoxication of ignorance will never leave. However, once there is the conviction that all your
relations in the house are the Self then, this feeling will spread outside. In this way, first
conquer your house then, conquer the world!
The one you regard as the servant is also God and the one whom you regard as your
wife is also that Supreme Self. There must be a change in your way of ‘seeing’ 43 for there

40
Shri Ranjit Maharaj- When you do not care for yourself then the Self takes care of you; for the Self is
everywhere.
41
‘I am the witness’.
42
Where all names and forms disappear and everything is seen as one moving form or knowledge.
43
See with the ‘eyes of knowledge’.
cannot be any change made in the forms. Therefore, ‘Whatever is seen right now, in that very
shape, at this very moment and in this very situation, is brahman.’ Then here, there,
everywhere, ‘All is truly brahman.’
First behave with your loved ones with the understanding that they are brahman, then
understand that others are brahman, then your enemy is brahman and finally, ‘All is truly
brahman’. And if it is understood that this entire world is knowledge and that this knowledge is
brahman, then by the same rule, you also are only brahman (ie. first understand ‘I am’ and then
understand, I do not exist)
Leaving off every thought, you understand ‘I am everywhere.’ Once this feeling that
everything is brahman is imbibed then, you should also surrender this ‘I am’. 44 One should crush
the shame of public opinion45 and do that prostration. All these imaginings of the mind and even
this knowledge beyond these imaginations are that One Supreme Self and the one who sets aside
their creative cleverness and who naturally maintains the conviction of being the Self/brahman,
is the only one whose bhajan is true.
First there is this assertion, ‘I am that Supreme Self who is seeing this whole creation’ and
afterwards, this thought also goes away when you realize that this ‘I’ is the cause of separateness.
It has to be imprinted upon the mind that this ‘I am’ is that Supreme Self and this will remain
only as long as it believed to be true and that, in truth, from the beginning there has only been
that One Supreme Self. This knowledge that comes with the feeling ‘I am’ 46 is, in truth, that
parabrahman and it is within that parabrahman that this original ‘I am’ thought has appeared.
Afterwards, this ‘I am’ thought is completely destroyed when it enters into that
thoughtless Self/brahman. This knowledge is brahman and this ‘I’ is also that brahman. In that
thoughtless Self even this subtle inspiration does not remain and without this other of ‘I am’,
how can anything else be created? Our-ness and other-ness are absorbed when this ‘I am’ gets
absorbed and then in brahman, desire, purpose, achievement and the ‘end of the seeing’ become
that One swarup.
Question – At times, you say that Supreme Self is the non-doer and non-enjoyer and at
other times you say He is the doer of all and enjoyer of all. How can these two statements be in
concord?
Answer – These are two aspects of that One Self. The first is that complete Supreme
Self/paramatma and the other is called the conditioned Self. When the Supreme Self is hidden
within this mula-maya,47 then it gets called knowledge. This conditioned knowledge is manifest
and at that time there is the appearance of this ‘I am’ thought. The whole worldly existence is
contained48 within this thought and the action of doership-enjoyership is here in this knowledge.
This is the limited and conditioned aspect of that Supreme Self and this can be called that
Supreme Self with gunas.(ie.saguna)49
44
sashtanga- eight bodies, namaskar- to bow down ; I surrender all eight bodies. There are the four bodies of the
jiva/individual and four of the shiva/universal.
45
Shri Ranjit Maharaj- You care for what the people will say!
46
This is the birth of maya. This original thought has three aspects of sat/‘I’, chid/knowledge and ananda/bliss, but
it is one only. Like the light, heat and roundness of the one sun.
47
This original illusion/maya is the subtle creation of duality or knowledge. This knowledge is the seed of infinite
potential from which a gross world of imagined names and forms can appear.
48
mula maya and it is the triad of witness, witnessing and witnessed. From this saguna brahman of existence and
knowledge there comes many names and forms when this triad is forgotten.
49
No one English word can convey the meaning of guna. These gunas are responsible for the creation of this world
and the world beyond ie. knowledge. In this world, the three gunas are in constant flux. They mix together to create
 When this original ‘I am’ feeling gets dissolved, then this knowing 50 also gets destroyed.
Then there is only that natural thoughtless Self and there doership and enjoyership are also not
possible. This is the complete aspect of the Self and that is called the Supreme Self without
gunas/nirguna.

Chapter Six

maya

To take only that which is seen as true, is the sign of an ignorant jiva and to think carefully
about what is seen and decide what is true and what is false, is the sign of a gnyani. For example,
on seeing a mirage, a deer understands it to be water. This is its ignorance. A right thinking
person, while seeing the mirage, thinks and concludes that there is no water but merely the
appearance of water. In the same way, to see the world and believe it to be true is ignorance and
searching the root of this world and knowing its true nature is knowledge.
A hypnotist puts on a magic 51 show and makes something which is not at all there, appear.
He can create the delusion that a mere piece of wood is, for example, a horse. In the same way,
our calling a particular object in the world by a particular name is our ‘show of magic’ or
restricted vision. In wood there is no object known by the name of pillar but it gets called a pillar
when the intellect’s vision is restricted and then, a non-existent pillar stands before that Self. This
false notion of a world is imposed upon that true Self, due to this restricted vision of the intellect.
But by the grace of the guru, correct ‘seeing’ is acquired and this magic is destroyed and then it
is only the Self which sees.
In past time and future time, this world cannot be seen and therefore does not exist. But in
this present time is this world that is seen, true or not? The answer is; if this world in the present
time is believed to be true, then at the time of a dream, when the dream-world is also in the
present, it should also be taken as true. But just as the dream is proved to be false upon
awakening, so too, when the aspirant perceives this knowledge then, all the activities of this
world will appear as false as the dream. When the world appears false to that purush then, all
thoughts of the world dissolve in that thoughtless swarup. And when the concern for the world
disappears only then does thinking cease. For that aspirant who has tasted this kingdom of his
own Bliss, what care is there for the world? For that one, all the pleasures of the mind have as
much worth of a door-mat!
Everything/sagale is perishable. The Marathi word sagale reveals this. See how! saha
means, in the company of and gale means, that which goes away. Therefore everything is in the
company of that which goes away. Here is another example. You may ask, what is the cause of
dukha/misery? Well, if we break this word dukha we can understand. dusare means, another and
khane means, to eat or experience. So the word dukha means to take the experience of another. In
other words it is this experience of duality that is the cause of misery.

an objective, imagined world ie. you see something and that is knowledge, but you don’t know what it is and that is
ignorance. Then the mind gives it a name. And if we stop objectifying then, there is this pure sattwa guna and on
account of this effortless knowing, the world of ‘I am’ appears.
50
Ie. both knowledge and existence are destroyed simultaneously.
51
Hypnotism : drusti-seeing, bandha-restricted
 brahman

Where (space), when (time), what (object) – these are very much on this side of
brahman’s formless swarup. But in that parabrahman there is no distinction of space, time and
object and therefore, there can never be even the slightest of appearances of that parabrahman.
Letters have no support without the paper. Without the letters however, the paper is not
diminished, for it can remain in its own pristine, original form. The paper containing the letters
can be read but when there is the paper without letters then, the speech stops. In the same way,
on that Supreme Self, the world appeared just like the letters on the spotless paper. The objects
and concepts of this world are like these letters on the paper and in this place of the letters, all the
ranting and raving goes on. But if the letters are erased, the paper is not erased and in the same
way, even if the world goes off, still that inexpressible, clear and pristine Supreme Self remains
just as it is. Except there, all talk has ceased.
Inside the space of the theater and on a small corner of the stage, a scene of a play is
being watched. That spacious theatre is also clearly visible but, the audience who are watching
the drama, are oblivious to the theatre; which indeed is a wonder! In the same way, why does that
Supreme Self disappear from view when the countless worlds appear? And even when you
understand that this visible world is only knowledge still, this knowledge is seen only on a
minute part of the Supreme Self. And it is indeed a wonder that our attention does not go to such
a vast ever-arisen Supreme Self.
Has the reflection in the mirror split the mirror and entered inside it and occupied some
space there or placed its weight on the mirror? Nothing like this ever happens. Many reflections
may appear but still the mirror is totally unaltered. parabrahman52 is like this. Countless
universes may come and go but in that parabrahman there is nothing happening and that is
forever pure.
The eyes can see colourful objects but it is not possible to see a colourless object. So the
one who wants to see with these eyes, that Supreme Self, that has no colour and no shape, must
be a really wise person or not?
Question – You say that parabrahman is beyond name and beyond form. But is He the
name, parabrahman, that has been given to Him? Also, those who have given Him this name,
would they not be prior to parabrahman?
Answer – The child may call his father, “baba” but the father (ie. who is prior) is not this
name “baba” that he has been given. In the same way, that parabrahman is not the name but for
identifying that formless swarup, you and I say, parabrahman, just as the child for its own
cognition calls his father “baba”.

maya – brahman

Whatever can be spoken by words is maya and after leaving aside the words, that which
remains is brahman. Whatever can be conceived in mind and be meditated upon is maya and
after setting aside the mental retention of meditation, that which remains is brahman. The
52
atma, ishwara, brahman and purush are different names for the same thing. So too, paramatma, parameshwara
and parabrahman are all different names for the same thing.
experience53 that can be spoken of is maya and that which is hidden within this experience but
cannot be told is brahman.
That which is first understood (ie. knowledge) and then seen by the eyes (ie. gross)54 and
that which is known when one tries to know or is remembered when one tries to remember, is
maya. That which becomes known without trying to know and that which is there before
remembering is brahman. If a thing can be remembered by remembering then, it can also be
forgotten by forgetting, but if that does not need remembering, it is Self-existent and there is not
the fear of it being forgotten.
In this act of our knowing there is the feeling, ‘something is there’ and the feeling,
‘nothing is there.’55 These feelings of ‘is’ and ‘is not’ is all maya. And after removing the
understanding of ‘is’ and ‘is not’ then what remains is brahman. maya and brahman are like our
own front and back. If we look in front then it is maya and if we leave off looking then what
remains is brahman.
He says with his mouth, “I am sorting the rice.” But actually he is picking out the stones
with his hands.56 Now once the stones have been discarded, the rice need not be sorted out at all.
In this very same way, to select that brahman, only the illusory objects need be sorted out and
when those are discarded then what remains in your possession is that Self.

Chapter Seven

Destruction of the Four Bodies

The ‘art’ of Listening

Though they have come to this discourse, many listeners forget to bring their ears and
heads with them or before sitting down to listen to the discourse they take these off and leave
them aside. That is why they cannot listen or understand properly!
What reward should the guru give to the disciple who pays no attention to the
instructions in the sadguru’s discourse and fails to act accordingly? Instead, the disciple simply
recites “guru brahma, guru vishnu…”57 and does puja58 with frankincense, lamp and food-
offerings. Suppose a master orders a servant, “Bring some water,” but the servant neglects to do
this and instead starts dancing around the master saying “Oh master, how handsome you are,
what a fine body you have. Master, you are wonderful.” If the servant should act like this then,
what reward will he get from his master? In the same way, if the disciple only makes the
sadguru’s puja with sweet words then, how can the sadguru be blamed?
53
anubhava is the experience or understanding ‘I am’.
54
Shri Ranjit Maharaj- When you awake you say, “Oh!” and that is satchidananda, then thoughts of the world
come.
55
They are like the two sides of the one coin. When ‘no things’ are there then, one thing (knowledge) is there. And
when many things are seen then, this one thing (knowledge) is not percieved.
56
Shri Ranjit Maharaj- You say, “I have killed him,” but it was the hand that held the gun.
57
Obeisance to guru
58
puja- The ritual of worshipping idols and images of gods and of the guru, performed with many articles. But Shri
Siddharameshwar Maharaj has explained earlier in Chpt. 2 that real worship/puja is taking shelter in that swarup.
 When you eat a banana, you are not eating the letters ba, na and na but you are accepting
the thing that is indicated by the word, banana. In this same way, leaving aside the words of the
discourse, the inner meaning that the words convey should be accepted.
To know is one thing and to understand is another thing. Knowing is the appearance of
something once it has been seen. Understanding comes after the known thing is thoughtfully
examined. For example, a house becomes known at once, but only by thinking is the house
realized to be merely dust. And that is what is meant by understanding.
It is said that shankasura stole the vedas. If you break the name shankasura and you will
see it means the ‘demon of doubt’. It means, doubts steal away this knowledge ‘I am’ that is
imparted by the vedas.59 And it is said that God incarnates in the form of the guru and then kills
shankasura. This means, the guru is the only one who has dispelled the doubt, “How can I be
God?” and He is the only one capable of showing His disciples that doubtless Self.

An investigation of the gross and subtle bodies

Everybody’s condition is like the fools in the story of the ten travellers. One traveller
forgot to count himself after crossing the river and only counted the other nine travellers. Then
they all started crying because they were sure one of them had been drowned. In the same way,
we say, “This is mind, this is intellect/buddhi and this is life-energy/prana.” But the one who
counts all these, is the Self and he neglects to count his own Self. “I have been lost” he says,
“Where and how can I find myself?” With this hope he goes off on various pilgrimages, observes
many vows and strictly performs many religious duties and continues the cycle of 8.4 million
forms of births. Still, after all that searching, he could not find this ‘I’ and once again arrives in a
human body. Here, by his good fortune he meets the guru and He tells him, “You are the Self that
you have been searching for.” Only this understanding appeases that ever restless jiva.
A potter riding home upon his donkey was drinking and he began to feel that he himself
was the donkey. In the same way, the jiva, having drunk the wine of ignorance and due to the
company of the body, starts to say “I am the body.”
Ahi-ravana means, “I am the ego ravana and my faces are the ten senses” and mahi-
ravana means, “I am the great ego ravana and even this knowledge is mine.” It is said that ahi-
ravana and mahi-ravana60 kidnapped rama and his brother, lakshman61 so that they could
sacrifice them to the goddess. The meaning is very profound. ‘I and mine’ takes the knowing Self
and this attentive mind and sacrifices them in front of the goddess maya.
sadesati means seven and a half. According to Hindu astrology it is a period of
misfortune or Saturn’s return which lasts for seven and a half years. However the real misfortune
is the human body that measures seven and a half vita (the distance from the thumb-tip to the tip
of the little finger when the hand if fully extended).
Childhood, youth etc. are states of the body. These states appear on account of the life-
force or prana,62 but this life-force/prana is neither young nor old. Then tell me, how can that
Self, the force of all life-force/prana, be these states?

59
Finally the scriptures could only say, neti, neti. Ie. when nothing remains then, knowing is there.
60
They are the two guards of ravana’s palace doors
61
lakshman: laksha- concentrate, attention, mana- mind; attentive mind
62
prana is life-energy and it makes the body move and is the cause of breathing. Outside of the body it is known as
the wind element/vayu.
 The mind is the doer. Whatever has been done with the mind can be said to have been
performed. What is done only by the body is as if not done. For example, if someone trips on the
carpet and falls in front of a god, has a prostration before that god been made? No, because it
was not done by the mind.
Before the world, there is brahman. This means that before the thought of the world
comes in our minds we are in that thoughtless natural state. Therefore, the world and brahman
are not to be looked for anywhere outside; for they are within yourself. The thought within us is
the world and before our thought or after our thought there is brahman.
The intellect 63 is the seed of the world. From this seed, a tree in the form of the world has
spread all over. That which is not in the intellect is not in the world and whatever is in the
intellect becomes a conviction and only that much is the world. If the intellect has the conviction
that brahman is this gross world then, it appears like that.64
In order to kill the mind, the authors of the scriptures wield many weapons in the form of
various spiritual practices. But still they have said things like, “The mind is a terrible demon” or
“The wind may be tied up or the sky may be folded, but the work of killing the mind is an
impossible task.” In this way, they have painted a formidable image of the mind and scared the
seeker half out of his wits. But mind simply means, to say something. The one who understands
the significance of this point will not fear the mind, nor will he make any effort to kill it either.
Because he understands, killing the mind means to just remain still and silent.
vritti 65means to rise up. And after you have arisen from your state of equilibrium, then
this arisen thought takes the form of either a pleasure or a pain. But these both are boils that have
appeared on your formless swarup. ‘I am not the pleasure form and neither am I the painful
form. I am this bliss form/ananda and the support of the thought of happiness or suffering.’
The eyes, nose and ears are the tools of this knowing. And through this knowing that
purush knows (ie. triad of Knower, knowing and known). And like these sense-organs, the
intellect is also a tool of this knowing and therefore, like the inner sense-organs, the intellect is
also to be considered as gross and inanimate.

Rejection of this Causal body ie. Ignorance

All activity takes place on the support of this bliss of ‘I am’ and unknowingly all jivas
dine on the nourishing food of this bliss during deep sleep. That is why in the morning they are
refreshed and again are able to perform their activities with renewed vigour.
By saying “I am not,” you do not prove your non-existence. On the contrary, by saying
“I am not” the meaning “I am” is conveyed. A thief was hiding in the darkness and when the
householder came searching for him, the thief said, “There is nobody here. Why are you
unnecessarily taking the trouble of looking?” However, these very words of the thief, “There is
nobody,” gave the understanding that “Somebody is” and the thief was caught straight away. To
say, “I am not” is like someone saying “I have no tongue, I cannot speak” or it is like the student
who wrote a note, “Our child is sick and bed-ridden” and then went to the school himself to

63
The intellect/buddhi is the mind when it has a conviction. Once made, the work of the intellect is finished and the
mind holds that conviction until the intellect changes. See Pt.2. Lecture16.
64
If the intellect says “It is this and it is that,” then, a gross world of names and forms appear. And if the intellect
understands it is the Self and keeps quiet then, it is the Self.
65
Knowing; the original intent. From out of brahman there arose a desire to know.
deliver the note.
A wife asks her husband “Is there anybody in the room?” The husband replies,
“Nobody is here. Come in.” Someone inside says, “Nobody is here.” The reason he said this is
that, our own being-ness is self-proven and there is no need to again say to that being-ness, “I
am”.
All the differences of pleasure and pain etc. are only in the gross and subtle bodies. The
states of the causal and the supra-causal bodies are without such differences and divisions. So if
there is no trace of place, time and object in the causal body, then how can these possibly be
found in the supra-causal body and in that formless swarupa, beyond knowledge?

Rejection of the Supracausal body: The understanding of that swarup, beyond these four
bodies.

The meaning of aum is this ‘I’. When someone calls you, this initial inspiration aum
appears as “Oh”. In the body of every creature this proclamation ‘I am’ is going on day and night
and when every moment one is aware of this ‘I am’ then, that Reality can be understood. In every
jiva there is that ever-arisen Self and this ‘song of being-ness’ going on. First there was a jiva,
then that became shiva and afterwards when the feeling of being a jiva and of being shiva both
go away then, that original state remains. But the experience of not being can never be there, at
any time.
In this original inspiration or supra-causal body there are the unmanifested five basic
elements (space, wind, fire, water and earth) and three gunas. This is called the eight-fold
creation or prakruti and being an unmanifested potential, it is just like a seed. This has been
given the names like, the original illusion/mulamaya or the illusion of knowledge/vidya-maya. In
this state, the three gunas are in equilibrium and therefore it is called prakruti with the gunas in
balance (ie. potential). Due to the agitation of these gunas, a sprout bursts out66 of this seed state
and the five elements and three gunas become clearly manifest. Then the three bodies of the jiva
are created (ie. causal,67 subtle, gross). This is called amongst other things, the illusion of
ignorance/avidya-maya and the ‘agitation of the gunas’.
It is said that while praising parabrahman, even Lord shesha68 became speechless. Lord
shesha is the one who remains hidden within the supra-causal body of knowledge when the
gross, subtle and causal bodies have been forsaken. He is the one we call God. There Lord
shesha is knowing Himself but His knowingness does not work in the realm of parabrahman.
There even shesha’s understanding fades away (ie. the triad of Witness, witnessing and witnessed
does not remain) and in that formless swarup, both knowingness and ignorance do not exist.
Observe how there are four bodies in a peanut. The outer shell is the equivalent of the
gross body. The thin red skin on the nut is like the subtle body. The peanut kernel is like the
causal body and in between the parted kernel is the small sprout which is the equivalent of the
supra-causal body. As long as the sprout is there then, even if the shell, skin and kernel are
66
Shri Ranjit Maharaj- In a sprout of knowledge, the whole world is there.
67
The causal body is the forgetting of the supra-causal body or knowledge and the cause of objectification ie. a
world and a jiva etc.
68
shesha means that which remains. He is symbolized as a serpent with 1000 heads and He is the couch and canopy
on which vishnu ie. knowledge reclines. He is said to be the upholder of this gross world, which sits on one of his
heads. shesha is the witnessing purush and upon Him, knowledge spreads its legs and with a small part of this
knowledge the objective world has been created.
destroyed, still the peanut will surely grow. In the same way, as long as the seed, that is the
original word ‘I am brahman’ in the supra-causal body is there then, rebirth cannot be avoided!
Understand the meaning that is hidden within this story of gopichanda69- In order to
understand life’s purpose, King gopichanda’s mother sent him to the foundry fire pit. His mother
was very wise and so she had four statues made of gopichanda and had them placed above the
fire pit: the first of iron, then one of copper, then of silver and the last of gold. Each time a statue
got placed in the fire-pit the question arose “Who are you?” And each time when gopichanda
answered “I am gopichanda,’ the reply came, “You will be burnt to ashes.” One by one the four
statues got burnt until finally King gopichanda himself stood on top of the fire-pit. This time
when his sadguru asked “Who are you?” he replied “I am gopichanda,” and this time from
within the fire a blessing came “Son, you will be immortal.” What is the meaning of this story?
The four statues from iron to gold represent the gross, subtle, causal and supra-causal bodies and
they have increasing importance, like the four statues. In these bodies, King gopichanda said “I
am gopichanda.” This means he had taken pride in each of the bodies and at that time his
sadguru reprimanded him saying “Let your pride for this body be burnt to ashes.” After all the
four bodies were destroyed, gopichanda understood his real Self and at that time he received a
blessing from His guru: “Son, you are beyond the four bodies and are the immortal Self!”
The supra-causal body is the pure sattwa guna. This is also known as the power, the
witnessing, the life principle/chaitanya, the original inspiration and knowingness etc. Then
within this there comes the mixing of the three gunas and that brings the many shapes and forms.
This supra-causal body is of the nature of knowledge and is also known as saguna brahman. And
where there is not even an iota of any one of these gunas, that is the nirguna paramatma, beyond
all these four bodies.
When this knowledge of objects ends then, the knowledge ‘I am’ remains. In this original
thought ‘I am’ there is the feeling ‘Nothing is there’ and at that time, only you alone are. But
because you cannot have knowledge of your own form/swarup, you are saying to your swarup,
‘Nothing is there’ and so at that time, when you are knowing this feeling ‘nothing is’, you have
become knowledge. But when there is neither the knowing of ‘nothing is’ or ‘something is’ then
that still and silent swarup remains. That is beyond knowledge and ignorance and that
thoughtless Lord is your true Self.
To kill the feeling of “I am a body” the feeling of ‘I am brahman’ though useful, is still a
feeling. In the realm of parabrahman, beyond all feelings, it is also an impurity.
This satchidananda (existence, knowledge, bliss) experience comes due to the original
thought. This satchidananda is the experience of knowledge in the supra-causal body. The
thoughtless Lord however has neither existence nor bliss.
There can be a quarrel between one brother and another brother but has anyone known of
a quarrel between the fathers? No! Because there is only one father and so there can be no
quarrel. The Marathi word bhava means brother, but it also means, a state. Thus within the fourth
body (ie. pure sattwa) there is the state of ignorance (tama), the state of false knowledge (raja),
the state of knowledge (sattwa) and these states bring so the many different names and forms.
These states are just like brothers quarrelling with each other and it goes so far until one brother
climbs upon another brother’s chest and kills him. But in that Supreme Self, the father of these
four bodies, there are no quarrels, for He is beyond states and He is the abode of complete rest.

69
According to the story, an astrologer warned that if gopichanda ever met his guru then, he would die. Fearing
this, his mother had his guru buried in a pit for many years. But her son insisted on meeting him and so she first had
4 statues made in gopichanda’s likeness.
 A sculptor working on a square block of stone with his chisel easily shapes it into an
idol of god. This is because the chips removed by chiseling do not return and stick to the stone
again. But in this human ‘block’ there are four bodies and really a stone is easier to work on than
these. The sculptor, in the form of sadguru, uses his chisel of instructions and removes one by
one the chippings of these four bodies. But these removed chips return and stick again to this
‘block’ and because it keeps going on in this manner, this ‘human-stone’ does not become God
very easily at all.
Space is not the fifth element, it is knowledge. The supra-causal and causal bodies are
also not bodies but they are this knowledge. Thus there is actually only the four elements of
earth, water, fire and wind and the two bodies, the gross and subtle. The concept of space is
relative to the other four elements and the concepts of causal and supra-causal bodies are relative
to the other two bodies. These concepts are only meant to make understanding easier.

Chapter Eight

The Unreality of the world

First understand that this worldly existence is false

Taking this world true you carry out all these worldly activities. But you should feel that
this is unreal. That, which has become unreal, is your real swarup and it should be understood.
When your innermost being understands that this world is totally false then, that thoughtless
swarup will appear. Here, only the truth and falsity of this original thought has to be changed.
This original thought or knowledge that you had taken as true now has to be taken as untrue.
That is all! But to live in this worldly life with the understanding that it is false, is truly an act of
great courage. Still once you start practicing the renunciation of the false then, this experience ‘I
am’ will come.
The mind is a promise,70 but it will not keep that promise. Therefore, in whatever
condition you may be in, start this practice of renunciation. With the conviction that the objects
of the world are false, remove your thoughts from those objects and fill the mind with the
thought of the Self. Outwardly, you may do any work but, you must have the firm conviction,
‘Everything, even this knowledge, is false.’
If a human being is to become God then, let there be no longing for objects in the mind.
This means, ‘I am the Truth, the Supreme Self and all these objects are completely false.
Whether they come or go, it is all the same to me.’ There should be this conviction, ‘I am
brahman’ and this yearning should be there day and night. If you do not give up this begging
from maya then, tell me, what have you achieved? When knowledge asks for anything then it
becomes a low caste beggar (ie. body consciousness).
That Ultimate Accomplishment is very easy. The attention which is focused on this side
is to be turned to that side. That is all! You worship ganesha, you present flowers and offer
sweets to him. You do everything but you do not pay any attention to what he is telling by the
small gesture of one of his hands. He is saying, “Your mistake is really this small. Just change

70
ie. “not now, later.” Shri Ranjit Maharaj- tomorrow never comes.
your attention!”71
The real Self has been forgotten. Now place your attention there and let this maya be
forgotten. Understand this world is completely unreal. Not only is this world false; only
brahman is true! This must be indelibly stamped upon your mind. Once the attraction for the
objects has gone from the mind then you are that self-existent brahman. Then liberation, peace
and repose stand at your door with folded hands just waiting to serve.
Either God becomes yours or this worldly existence becomes yours. shri krishna said, “I
am on one side and my army is on the other side; you take whichever you want.” The kauravas
took the army and that means they chose the worldly existence and the pandavas, they choose
God. This worldly existence is false; that must be impressed on your mind. However, without the
company of a Saint/Truth (satsang), this does not sink in.

One should leave the longing for objects

This love in your heart for objects is maya. The hope in your hearts is maya; know
this, oh beloved of God! (from eknath bhagawatam). And for the one who feels, ‘Of this world,
I want nothing at all,’ his maya has gone.
After hope has departed for the ‘unattached’ swarup then, the world is like a blade of
grass. It would be like handing out elegantly waxed mustaches to women; they would be valued
as much as a piece of straw. In the same way, the one who feels that these objects of the world
are as worthless as a piece of straw has destroyed maya.
To be in your formless swarup, even this longing to know should be given up.
Understand that without your swarup this ‘I am’ could not be spoken and therefore even this
speech ‘I am’ should be made silent. But first leaving aside the vedas and other scriptures,
scholarly pride, arguments and counter arguments, this conviction, ‘I am the Supreme Self’
should be held firmly in the mind. And by continually increasing this understanding of being that
Supreme Self, this root of mind’s longings and hopes is destroyed.
The happiness of worldly life is like the happiness of a dream. There is always a tinge of
sorrow in it, for the wealth of these objects of this world is no wealth at all. The glories
connected with the Self like tranquility and independence are real wealth and a disciple should
concentrate on achieving only this wealth.
The objects themselves are not of the nature of bliss and it is only when there is a deep
desire for an object that there is bliss on acquiring it. And if you do not have a longing or
attraction for the object then, even if someone was to give it to you, still there is no bliss on
acquiring it. But the Self is not like that. It is the bliss that naturally exists when the thought of
and the desire for objects disappears. The Self is the very nature of bliss and so the need for
desires does not arise there.
The one who gives up the fond dwelling on these objects is truly powerful and brave.
This worldly life can never be made straight and the one who says they will make it straight is a
fool. However much one may try to make it straight, it remains bent, just like the tail of the dog.
If you address a tiger72 respectfully, still that tiger will eat you and if you were to insult it, still

71
In reference to the hand gesture/mudra, where the hand is open but the tip of thumb and tip of first finger touch.
This gesture could mean a very small amount, a pinch.
72
maya is depicted as riding on a tiger. Shri Nisargadatta Maharaj- my guru told me that I am timeless, spaceless,
without attributes. Why should I have anymore fear? Suppose you meet a tiger; the tiger is going to eat you in any
the tiger will eat you. What then is to be gained by showing her respect? Be indifferent and
abandon her.
You can pretend to be a rich person. However you cannot bring prosperity in the home by
merely making a show. It’s the same with giving a loud lecture on renunciation. It may appear as
if the speaker is endowed with renunciation, but to create even a drop of dispassion in the mind
is difficult.
Just as in a game of chess the king should not be checkmated, so too, the Self should not
be checkmated by anything. Therefore leave aside your worries, hopes, friendships and enmities
and attain peace/shanti (shaha- checkmate, anti- end of). Saying “The miseries of the world
should not come to me” is one checkmate. “Happiness should come to me” is another
checkmate. All the objects in the world are like the pawns on the chessboard. They appear
harmless enough but they are very dangerous and you should never be checkmated by these or
by the rook or castle of respect and disrespect etc.

The secret of abandoning maya- Be the non-doer

Because you always want to be doing something, you become miserable and it is only
when you have no duties that you are happy. As long as one has work to do, he is a labourer,
even if he is the King. But within every action there is the Self and He is the non-doer. In this
world, you cannot escape doing something but if you extract that essence through vivek (proper
thinking) then, you become the non-doer. Remove all the thoughts of this world and fix them on
the Self. Always remember, the objects are false and brahman is true. Do this much only and
then be in any way you choose! However, for the one who does not want to dance, the floor is
always uneven.
But the one who is determined will acquire this Knowledge of brahman, somehow or
another. The demon king told his son, prahlad, “Do not utter the name of God.” prahlad replied,
“Your control is only on this body, you have no rights to my mind!” Like this, though actions are
unavoidable still, keeping your thoughts on brahman, do the work just for its own sake. ‘I am the
Self, the non-doer.’ Say this and the work itself becomes the Self.
Acquiring supernatural powers and performing extra-ordinary miracles is just like
creating another dream within this already completely destructible and strange dream called the
world. These ‘miracles’ can only take place if one has become separate from their swarup.
Therefore, the aspirant who seeks the Self should not fall into the madness of supernatural
powers.
People attempt to master maya and destroy her. However maya is full of many tricks. She
is riding upon those who say “I have defeated her.” She arranges it so well that they dance to her
tune. You will ask, “What should one do after realization?” The answer to that is, “After
realizing, there is no duty.” Let the body, the house and the worldly life be as they are. If you do
something then that is maya. If you say that “I will put everything in order and then become a
sadhu (Saint)” then, until the day you die, my child, you will be putting things in order. Look! In
a dream, you encountered a bear; you knocked it down, sat on its chest and killed it. And just at
that moment, you awoke, morning dawned and there was no bear; there was nothing at all. It was
all delusion only!

case, therefore there is some chance that if you attack the tiger it may run away, so why not take the chance?...Death
is inevitable, so why don’t you accept what the guru has told you? Death cannot affect That which you are.
 Sometimes you throw down this bear called maya and sometimes she throws you down.
This has been going on for so long. Then you meet sadguru and he says to you, “Dear child!
Why are you remaining in this madness? Even this knowledge is the doer-ship of maya. Be
brahman and stay as the non-doer.” But however much they get taught the seekers think only of
that which is illusory and ask, “What should I do now, maharaj?” It is like the guru telling the
disciple not to sniff snuff and the disciple going and sticking his whole nose in the snuff-box. It
is something the same when a disciple, having been told that everything is false, asks, “What
should I do now?”
When the mind places its attention on the numerous different forms (ie. gross objects)
within this limiting concept ‘I am’, that is called the maya of ignorance. And when it places its
attention on this ‘I am’ then, the objects are left aside and this is the maya of knowledge. God
does not have to do anything. He is within the temple and outside there are stones, but when this
God goes out and sits within one of the stones then, He becomes a jiva. The one who understands
that ancient, non-doing God who is residing within this body, is the Knower. Who is the true son
of the guru? The answer is the one who has come to understand the tenet, “There is absolutely no
thing like maya.” And no matter how long this wrestling with the bear called maya continues
still, the tenet is, “It is completely false!”
As has been explained, the one who undertakes all the troubles and strife of maya is a
jiva. Therefore do not try to do anything. It is maya that makes you into a seeker and then she
makes you do something. Really, she is an expert at such harassment. maya has two arms-
length horns on its head. Go in front and she strikes with the horns. Go behind and she
kicks you. Therefore to do nothing at all, of any kind, is the only means to destroy maya.
Understand, there is nothing to do and there is nothing to leave. But those who have not
understood this maya involve themselves in a riotous clamour of doing many practices/sadhanas.
The jiva has the habit of doing something. “What should I do and where should I go?” He
is never happy. There is a saying, “Having done everything again and again and having become
exhausted, one starts to worship God.” That is really the only truth and it is only when all doing
is left off that there is the real worship of God. Otherwise, I must do this, must do that, arrange
for this and arrange for that etc. To make one do something is the ‘attention’ of maya. You
always feel that, “I must do something and only then will life be fulfilled!” But this is the
greatest obstruction to being complete. Everything is false, so drop all interfering. Whatever is
your state, remain like that only. It is said, “Remain quiet, just like God.” When you understand
with your innermost being that, nothing is being done then, you will be just like God.
A business-minded person will ask, “How much will you take to do this particular job?”
But the sadhu will ask, “How much will you take to sit quietly?” That is because the sadhu
knows that doing nothing is ‘being God’. In your swarup there is no action, no cause and no
doership. You and I and good and bad are of the nature of maya. Knowledge and ignorance, jiva
and shiva, appear within doership. Methods/sadhana, practice and study etc. are all maya’s
beguilements. When one has gone beyond maya there is freedom from all duties and then the
practice/sadhana of being that original thought (‘I am’ or ‘He is’) does not remain.

Chapter Nine

The falsity of ‘I’-ness

 Standing in the court witness box every witness says, “I swear before God to tell the
truth, the whole truth and tell no lies.” Taking such an oath, one man swears that “My name is
Dhondopant, my father’s name is Dagadopant, my age is this, my caste is that, my address is
such and such.” However, even after taking this oath to tell the truth, he still tells nothing other
than lies. But he knows no better, so what testimony can he give other than this? In court there
was no mention of any punishment for all these lies that the witness told. But he will surely
receive his punishment in the form of this endless cycle of birth and death.
He has no name and has no father; He is birthless and therefore His age cannot be told;
He has no caste, creed nor occupation and because of His omni-presence, he cannot say, “I am
from such and such place.” That this Supreme purush, devoid of any distinction of place, time
and object, should give such false witness. Well! Such is the great power of maya.
There is only brahman and on that, ‘I and mine’ have attached themselves and therefore a
jiva appeared. Of all the letters of the Marathi alphabet there are no letters more twisted than “a”
and “ha”73 which combine to make aham/‘I am’. To achieve that ever-existent brahman, the only
requirement is that this ‘I am’ feeling should subside. Lord shankara had given a boon to the
great demon ravana on account of his devotion. He promised him that he could only meet his
death at the hands of a human being and that neither gods nor animals could kill him. 74 The
meaning of this is that only in this human birth, if there is vivek, is the destruction of the ego
called ravana possible. ravana was said to have a kingdom of fourteen provinces. This refers to
the 10 organs, (5 action organs + 5 sense organs) and the mind/mana, intellect/buddhi,
reasoning/chitta and ego/ahankara.
Truly only this ‘I’ must go away. This means that first this “I am Mr. So and so” should
be put an end to. All the pains taken by vedanta are for this only. “I” is this demon rahu75 and he
has swallowed that Self that shines like the sun. But the wonder of it all is that, this “I” is only an
appearance! Everything everywhere gets done with the authority of the Self but this ego says, “I
did it.” Who is this “I” who has appeared on that Self? His name is gomaji ganesha.76 He is a
jiva and imposter; he is a thief who has gained entry into the King’s court. This “I” was given a
post and then he conspired to dethrone the King or Self. However, when the scriptures initiated
an inquiry into his whereabouts then, he disappeared without a trace and the royal seal of the Self
has re-established.
That Self has accepted hundreds of demeaning concepts like, “I am small, a sinner, in
bondage, a woman, a man, etc.” That Sun of knowledge has been totally eclipsed and
everywhere has been plunged in darkness and all these concepts conceal our real nature. It is
customary here in India, at the time of the eclipse, to give away something in alms as this act is
said to dispel the eclipse. The real meaning is that by giving away all these accepted concepts,
the shining Self will again be revealed.
At the many sacred places, devotees plunge beneath the waters of the river for their
atonement and a brahmin priest loudly calls out to them, “Cast off your concepts.” But these jiva
73
The first and third last letter; a + ha= aham ie. ‘I’-ness/ego. In Amrut Laya, Shri Siddharameshwar explains, the
second to the last letter is ksha, a+ksha= the eye; whatever the eye sees falls within the range of these two letters.
And the last letter is gnya, ie. knowledge; that which cannot be seen by these eyes.
74
To such a great being as ravana, the human beings were insignificant; therefore this boon from Lord shankara
would appear as the gift of immortality
75
rahu is said to be the demon that swallows the sun during the eclipse.
76
Due to a bureaucratic hoop-hole this shrewd fellow made a fraudulent stamp by the name, Gomaji Ganesha and in
time it acquired more authority than the King’s seal.
instead do the opposite and hold on tighter to concepts like, “I am sinful” and “My nature is
sinful” etc.

The practice for casting off the ego

For the ego of the body to go, you have to do practice. Therefore do not assign greatness
to the body. Give it as little importance as possible and expel this body-ego. Only the purush
who acts courageously can destroy this ego of the body (ie. purush means witnessing; I am not
anything that I can see or perceive).
In the temple, there is a tortoise of brass or stone embedded in the floor, at the entrance to
the god’s sanctum. This is symbolic and it means that, like the tortoise which contracts its limbs,
one who approaches God should reduce this body-sense because without doing that, one cannot
enter the place of God.
What is the indication that brahman has been reached? There is complete destruction of
the feeling “I am somebody.” But the ego does not go because it does not listen to what the guru
has instructed and continues to behave in a contrary manner. The guru tells you to throw off this
ego but you say, “I am like this and I am like that” and in this manner, you attempt to increase
this body ego. The more you use your intellect, the more you increase your ego. But if you give
up your meddling in this world and act in accordance with the guru’s instructions, then only will
the ego be destroyed. Therefore, leave your ways and live according to sadguru’s teachings. For
if your ego has not gone and you say ‘I am brahman’ then, understand clearly, you are calling
your ego, brahman.
Understand that this worldly existence is illusory and give up any respect for it. I am not
the body and this is not mine, for I am brahman. Therefore what do I want from this
world? Due to the feeling that you are the body you say, “I want this, I want that.” But, the
feeling should arise that, “If I am brahman then, what need do I have for these things? Why
should I want a house, property and wealth?” This understanding should be firmly established.
If someone says, “You are great etc.”; understand such praise is of the body and thus you
are being demeaned. And if someone tries to belittle and says, “Hey you, God!”; understand that
there is only God and therefore He is being praised. In this way, when the mind turns towards the
swarup then, that steady state devoid of any disturbances and full of bliss is attained.
If you are abused then understand that it is the body that is abused. If, due to someone’s
anger, you don’t get your lunch then consider fasting as beneficial for spiritual upliftment and
make this day your ekadashi.77 If someone is beating the body but you understand that, it is only
by the beating of this body that one turns to the Self then, why not endure that beating? Thinking
in this way, the poison becomes the cure. Then you will endure suffering with joy and understand
that this suffering has come only to strengthen my practice.

The great blessing of seeing your own death, while living

‘I’-ness should be left but it is not being left. If however an enquiry is made then, we
discover that this ego is merely a concept and the scriptures have shown us many different tricks
on how to leave it. The one who has seen his own death is truly blessed. However, every jiva is
77
Considered as an auspicious day for performing penance.
striving to increase its ego. “I should be wealthy, I should be an officer, I should be famous” or “I
am a seeker, I am realized” and “I am like this” and “I am like that.” In this way, you end up
increasing that which should be stamped out.
yogis and sages take pride in saying, “I am a yogi,” “I am a sage.” Even krishna told them
that their status was great because he knew that they were not at all willing to leave their body-
consciousness. maya says, “I nurture big, big animals in my circus. Those who say, I am a Saint,
I am a yogi, I am a sage, are all my pets.”
Seeing one’s own death is achieved only by those who are very fortunate. One’s own
death means the ego’s death. The death that brings merely a change of body or a change of form
cannot be truly said to be death. One should die such a death that there should be no more
coming back. Such a ‘great death’ comes to the virtuous purush who possesses knowledge. That
‘great death’ will not even glance at a sinful man. Why is death such a calamity for the ignorant
sinners anyway? For they only take birth to die and die for to take birth. This unbroken cycle of
death and birth is going on for that unbroken Supreme Self and it is only the one who gains Self-
knowledge who kills this ego and remains beyond the ‘end of thoughts’.

Understand the Implied Meaning

shukracharya was the guru of the demons. This means, he is one who has expert
knowledge of this body that is born of seminal fluid/shukra. The real pindadana78 means to
sacrifice your body consciousness and by this offering of your body, you are lifted out of this
ancestral lineage.79 However, this worldly pindadana is of no benefit other than giving the crows
a feast.
It is said that when you die, the world is drowned. This means that when the body-ego
dies, then the feeling of a world is automatically destroyed.
It is said that you can never see heaven without first dying and this means that after
killing your ego, you will attain Self-bliss (heaven).
It is said that Tukaram Maharaj went to heaven with his body. How is this possible? It
means that by means of this body and through understanding, he achieved that Supreme Self and
became free from the sense of being a body (ie. jivanmukta). Then the jiva dies and the one who
remains is shiva (ie. Knower and known, purush and prakruti).

Chapter Ten

The practice of being brahman

You are brahman, so be brahman and stay

Shri Samartha Ramdas Swami said, Realize God by being one with Him. That is
78
pindadana: pinda-body, dana-offering; traditionally, it is a ritual wherein there is the offering of this rice cake
pindadana, made for the liberation of a recently departed soul.
79
Shri Ranjit Maharaj- yes arjuna had a duty to kill his relatives. But how to kill them? Say they are the relatives of
the body and not my relatives. Then they are killed or not?
devotion. Due to this devotion, His glory and power is ‘at that time’ 80 accepted. God should
understand Himself by being a devotee.81 This means that it is God who has become the devotee
and thus the devotee is indeed God. When this is understood then, Godliness is attained. One
should understand, ‘I am God.’ The jiva and shiva are not separate but, if you say “I am a jiva”
then there is a jiva and if you say, ‘I am shiva’ then, shiva appears. If the King says, “I am a
soldier,” then he becomes a soldier and starts doing parades and drill. For the one who has
become a jiva, the first wretchedness is birth and death, the second wretchedness is happiness
and misery, the thirst wretchedness is hunger and thirst, etc.
In this world, there is no guardian other than sadguru. The disciple should render
service82 to the guru and have that pride, ‘I belong to the guru.’ In this way achieve the state of
immortality. But if one forgets that one has taken refuge in the guru for the great purpose of
becoming immortal, then what is the benefit of being a guru’s son83 in name only? One should
remain always as brahman and have the glory of being the guru’s son. To remain continuously
seated in the kingdom of your own bliss is your greatest wealth. For such an ever-contended son
of the guru, the riches and objects of the world have no worth whatsoever. Of what use are gold,
silver, diamonds, pearls and rubies when one is always absorbed in that formless swarup.

Disciple: I have come, Maharaj.

Guru: Who are you?
Disciple: brahman.
Guru: So be brahman and stay.

Then the glories of brahman are imbibed and one is eternal, pure, awakened, liberated,
nirguna, formless and omnipresent.
Don’t just simply say, “I am brahman.” Be brahman and stay in the glory of your
swarup. We are God, but if we do not behave like God then we are God in name only. Therefore
like God one should be nirguna, desireless, free of the bondage of this worldly life and void of
any anxiety. Merely by saying “I am brahman,” the deed is not achieved. Therefore be brahman
and remain as brahman. ‘I am all-pervading, without any gunas and without any blemish.’ If
your thought becomes like that then, you go on acquiring the Self’s glory and from that you get
so much joy. The more time spent with one’s attention fixed on your formless swarup, the better
that day. The vedas and scriptures sing the praises of that swarup. If the glory of brahman is the
cause of happiness then, why do you not stay in brahman and why do you hold on so adamantly
to body-consciousness?
When Kabir was asked, “Where are you from and where do you live?” He gave the
answer, “I dwell in that country where nobody can reach. I was a crow and it become a swan by
losing caste, family and race.” But we say, “We are from Mumbai.” However the cause of your
being able to say, “I am from Mumbai” is that you are always residing in this ‘I am’ and truly
80
The significance of this word tatkala ‘at that time’ should be understood. Shri Siddharameshwar Maharaj explains
in Pt. 2. Chpt.10, that though the Knowledge of brahman may have come ‘at that time’, still if it is not maintained
then body consciousness will return. Thus without steadfast conviction, Final Liberation, like the salt dissolved in
the ocean, is not insured.
81
Devotee/bhakta: to be one with, or not separate from.
82
Service means, to follow the guru’s instructions/teaching and get one’s own direct experience.
83
Please understand this term putra/son from vedanta’s point of view. Like the term purush, they are not referring to
man or male. It means one who understands knowledge. ‘I am the witness’ and it is this understanding that brings
one near to the guru.
you never cease being the Self. Therefore, in the aspirant’s living, talking etc., the Self/brahman
should be clearly discerned.
“Who am I?” When that is known then, you must behave in a manner worthy of that. If
this thought, ‘I do not exist,’ is to be established then your behaviour has to be in accordance
with that. Every morning on waking up, bring your awareness to your formless swarup. ‘I am
brahman.’ Therefore should you not live your life with His glory and majesty? Being brahman,
‘I am desireless, I am nirguna, I am without shape and I am the highest form of bliss.’ To live
with this majesty is your duty. Therefore, being among the people, do not become like the people
and sit idling in the body like them. One should not pay any attention to the people’s talk and by
remaining separate from the people always fix your attention on your swarup.

Break the habit of being a jiva and remain with the understanding of brahman

“God himself has become the devotee” or “The devotee has become God.” Tell me is
there any difference in these two statements? Though it is true there is no difference between the
devotee and God, still by saying, “God has become the devotee,” the ego is destroyed, but by
saying “The devotee has become God,” then the pride of the ego arises. After the jiva has
disappeared and God remains then His glories are imbibed. This brings assurance, unselfishness,
triumph and pervasiveness along with freedom from care and boundless joy.
But the one who lives as a body has to endure the body’s miseries and this body is but a
house of worries. This being so, if the aspirant covers himself with jiva-hood then it is indeed
strange. For though you are the King still, you want to remain the master of a gutter! What is the
meaning in that? Therefore, breaking down the old habit of saying, “I am a jiva,” remain always
with the understanding of brahman. After having acquired knowledge, do not obstinately hold on
to the ego of the body. brahman you are, so enjoy the glory of brahman.

The practice of ‘I am brahman’/aham brahmasmi

Be God and revel in His Godliness. To say “God is somebody else,” is wrong. Do not
ever think that somebody else will make you brahman. If God was given His Godliness by
someone else, then the giver of that Godliness would have been greater. One has become a jiva
by one’s own wish, and by one’s own wish only, one has to become shiva. In short, the matter of
you becoming God is in your own hands.
In truth, you are God experiencing through the sensory organs. And when you truly
become God, then you will feel ashamed to call yourself the body. If you are a man and if
someone offers you fancy bangles for your arms then, how will you feel? Embarrassed, no? The
same principle is applicable here also. You are that purush and should be embarrassed to wear
this body. The one who has achieved Godliness, will feel, “This worldly living, this wife, this
husband, this property and money, what is it for?” To feel ashamed of being a jiva, is itself the
sign of having attained brahman. One will say, “I am ever-happy; for me what is the need of the
objects of sense-pleasure?”
Day and night the aspirant has to examine the type of thoughts that arise in the mind. Do
thoughts of this material world occur or thoughts of the world of brahman? This should be
observed and examined. I will tell you the nature of the thoughts of the Self state – ‘I am all-
pervading, completely perfect/paripurna, present in the inner heart of the all, I am ever-free and
completely full of bliss.’
With regards to others, the aspirant should think, “What have I to do with the affairs of
the world?” By wise council, we alone should set ourselves free. One should not speak about
others’ affairs. One should not indulge in such detrimental thoughts like, how much has
renouncement and knowledge been imbibed by other aspirants? Towards somebody who is being
egoistic think, “Let them show off their talent for these four days.” 84 Once and for all get yourself
freed from this world and this ghost in the form of body ego and pride. Discard all these objects
from your mind and by the mantra, ‘I am brahman,’ exorcise this ghost of “I”.

Imbibe the conviction of your own Natural State

In the Self there is no sleep, no awakening, no sitting, no time, not even a moment. So if
the thought comes, “I was late in getting up today” then, immediately reply to that by saying,
“But how could I sleep in the first place? I am there in all the three states.” 85 Whenever such
situations arise, you should immediate reply from that state of the Self. If someone tells you to
wash your feet then, think at least in your mind, “Where have I got feet to wash?” When you
remember the Self then there is only the Self. Therefore, always have that Self conviction.
“I am not the body. I am the Self. But…” maya has so much love for this “but”. This ‘I
am’ is an attention in that attentionless Self, 86 still, one should stay there only. “But”, creates
form and this worldly existence and when they have been destroyed then only, you are a true
gnyani. “Why, oh why have I got involved in this worldly life?” One must feel like this.

Destroy the thought of sense objects and have the thought of brahman

There is a saying that you should arise only after having seen a beautiful face. What this
actually means is you should get up with the conviction, ‘I am the Supreme Self.’ Do not arise
with the thoughts of a beggar, “I want this and I want that.” You yourself have to decide who you
are. It is a matter of your own choice. “Am I the King?” or “Am I a guard?” Once the Self
becomes a jiva then it lives in the body and takes satwai87 as its wife. And she makes incessant
demands like, “Bring me this and bring me that” and will not allow her husband to have any
peace at all. Alternatively, there is goddess lakshmi.88 She is ready to offer you the Knowledge of
brahman and that Ultimate Bliss. Whom you marry is up to you.
If we harbour any feeling of being a jiva then, there is the making of endless worries in
unending births. Otherwise you can say, ‘I am that nirgun brahman.’ If you teach your mind the
habit of that brahman-thought then, you can attain complete freedom from all worries.
Understand that one does not become a jiva by the mere experience of the sense objects. It is due
to the attachment to and the contemplation on these sense objects that one becomes a jiva.
Therefore, destroy the object-thoughts and maintain the practice of that brahman-thought. The
84
This is like saying one’s life is so short or our whole life is spent it thoughts of our yesterdays and tomorrows.
85
Three states: waking, dream and deep sleep
86
The Self is attentionless; maya means to have attention.
87
This goddess is said to visit the house of a new-born child, to write its destiny on its forehead.
88
Lord narayan’s spouse
tree has to be watered until it takes root. In the same way, practice until you are established in
that place of brahman.
Those cow-dung cakes89 from which the sound ‘vitthala’ emanated were Muktabai’s90
cow-dung cakes and the rest were just cow-dung. In the same way, the one from whose mind
there comes the sound ‘I am He/soham,’ is liberated; and the rest are motivated by the impulse of
a body ego and are bound (“I am Mr. so and so”).

The establishment of nididhyasa91 – Be connected to the Self

“Maharaj has come. Two matters need to be discussed.” Therefore you come here and
those two matters are not idle chitchat; they are ‘I am not the body’ and ‘I am the Self.’
The sadguru’s teaches you that you should keep your mind always engrossed in your
formless swarup. ‘I am the Self. I am nirguna, completely perfect, ever-free and the nature of
Supreme Bliss.’ Such a connection should always be there. This is the attention of a true
aspirant/sadhak . Be in the home92 but be separate from the home. Be with people but be separate
from the people. Once you start getting this experience then, maintain that understanding and
detachment will be imbibed. It has been due to your constant contemplation and connection to
this false story of the world that the false seems to be real; so if the aspirant contemplates on the
real, which is one’s own Self then, what is the wonder if one becomes That?
So much change comes about in your mind when pride is taken in a cricket team, so how
great will be that change when you take pride in being brahman? But this conviction needs to be
thoroughly accepted. The jewel in the crown of practice is when the saguna thought ceases in
the nirguna. – dasbodha.
The greatest practice of all practices is when this ‘I am’ thought ceases in that nirguna
swarup. But for that to happen, the very last remnant of worldly life must be left. Without giving
up your human-ness, one can never become God. The mind should be indelibly stamped with, ‘I
am brahman. Even if two hundred thousand rupees are offered to me still, I will not hold the
body conviction.’
How much time have you served the guru? And how much time have you spent serving
these sheep? How much has brahman been established? Keep an account. In a day, how many
hours is the brahman-thought there? Maintain a diary of this.

Cast off the attraction of the world, and keep your connection with the Self

Once the jiva leaves its body-ego then that jiva becomes shiva; then the man/nara
becomes narayana. If you say that this stone has become God, then why cannot a man become
God? Truly you are parabrahman but then this infatuation with prakruti93 took place. You

89
Patties made from cow-dung and used like firewood
90
Gnyaneshwar Maharaj’s Self-realized sister. Once there was a dispute in the village over the ownership of the cow
patties. This was settled, for when Muktabai’s patties were brought close to the ear, one could hear ‘vitthala’.
91
Shri Ranjit Maharaj had said this is natural meditation.
92
Home means, the body.
93
prakruti is the original maya. These two of purush and prakruti are inseparable; that purush is hidden within the
other and when He no longer cares for her then she will disappear and then, He will also stop being her witness and
became her husband and hankered after her so much that you came tumbling down into this body
and ended up as a distressed jiva. The purush who takes vitthal’s94 medicine must observe the
proper regimen and this means He must discard the company of prakruti. Therefore be detached
from the objects of the world and be always established in that Self connection. Where the
world is awake, there the sadhu is asleep and where the world is sleeping, there the sadhu is
awake. The sadhu is asleep to maya and to the formless swarup he is awake. The one who with
full determination forgets the world and says, ‘I want no respect, no honour, not even the king’s
throne,’ is the accomplished sadhu. Who are truly wealthy? Those who say, ‘I want nothing from
this world.’ They only have truly renounced and they are truly wealthy. The worldly wealths and
even this glory of knowledge are for the beggar.
ekadashi is said to be an auspicious day for fasting. ekadashi95means protecting that one
state, ‘I am brahman.’ On that day it is said, one should eat only fruit. This means that the fruit
(ie. ‘I am’) that was been given by the guru should be swallowed up and one should be like
brahman. It is said someone observing the ekadashi fast should not touch anyone. This means
that there should be the experience, ‘I am one without a second, free of any company.’ That
Ultimate Accomplishment cannot be bestowed upon you by another; one has to accept one’s own
title. ‘We are not worldly people; we are gnyanis, we are sadhus/Saints.’ Have this unwavering
conviction. That Supreme Self meets anyone who wants to meet it; however maya meets
everyone, even if one does not want to meet her.

Be fearless in this worldly life

Though he was the King, he believed he was happy in a prison. In the same way, you are
that Supreme Self confined to the body and you believe that there is happiness in it. And
however much you are told, “You are the King” still you are not listening. You, who are
pervading the whole universe, beyond happiness and sadness and are the nature of pure Bliss,
have become full of misery, full of thinking and full of anxieties. And staying like this, you are
not ready to give up your pride for the body.
But my dear seeker, don’t do like this. Establish that connection with the Self and stand
fearlessly before this worldly life. What is its value after-all? This worldly existence is nothing
but the childish imaginings of four days. Act according to what you have been taught and if you
start doing that, then you will rise above this worldly existence and then you will sit upon it as its
King. But if you feel “This worldly existence is too over-powering, how is it possible to be the
King? Then, what can I do?” Then it becomes the rider and you become the horse. So be it.
Whatever you see and perceive is false and you are brahman and that is the only Truth.
Therefore hold the sword of ‘I am brahman’ and the shield of ‘The world is false.’
The word, jagat/world is a combination of the two words jaga, creation and gata, gone.
See how the word itself indicates the destructible nature of this world we see before our eyes.
And the word, nasha/destroyed is a combination of na, not and asha, to be and it shows us that
something gets destroyed because, in truth, it is not there (ie. only an imagined concept). Now if

then, only One will remain. But should He pamper His infatuation with her then, sooner or later, He will seek the
pleasure of the objects of this world and take body consciousness.
94
Another name for that witnessing purush, atma, ishwara etc. His medicine is, ‘Nothing is true.’ It will only be
effective if we follow the instructions of the doctor/guru.
95
eka-one, dashi-state.
one was to say of such a destructible, non-existent world, “I will protect it” then, is he not a fool?
How can this foolish “I” who will protect this false world be that eternal Self? Therefore, the
understanding of the aspirant should be, ‘Whatever is going to be destroyed, then with my
blessings, let it be destroyed.’ Then that still and silent Self need not be involved in the vain and
empty discussions of this world.
Just like the purush in deep sleep; be brahman and stay. What have you to worry for
now? Should you worry for this body? No! Why would you worry for how this material life will
pass by? Having a wish to enjoy the Bliss of brahman and entertaining worries of worldly life is
like one who has the wish to be the King but behaves like a beggar.
It is said that, “As long as the butcher keeps pulling; the goat is getting dragged to its
slaughter.” maya is just like this; and she keeps pulling the jiva towards endless miseries.
Therefore one should lovingly remember God’s name. 96 Leave aside the pull of this worldly
existence and stay always in brahman. Calm the racing of the thoughts. Think of all the reasons
why you are running around: someone has died, someone has gone away, the monsoon has left,
the train has gone etc. – all meaningless running. Don’t be pulled and then you are brahman.

Worshipping God (ie. bhajan) means to have that connection with the Self

By this worship/bhajan of God, maya is kept away. Worshipping God means

understanding, with full conviction, ‘I am the Self’ and then to live accordingly. “What is going
to happen?” If this worry comes then, ask yourself, ‘Who am I; am I a body? No! I am brahman.
Then why should brahman worry for the body?’ The one who has such vivek, day and night,
stays as brahman. This is what is called conviction.

The power of conviction

If a money-lender has twenty thousand rupees he remains in the exhilaration of that.

Anywhere he goes he thinks “Where should I sit?” and then he sits with the air of twenty
thousand rupees. While walking, he walks with that swagger and even when he goes to the toilet
he goes with the importance of twenty thousand rupees. Since you are brahman, the greatest of
all, then be brahman and exist in that exalted state. Why do you behave as if you are an
insignificant body?
Seeing an image of God before him, the devotee is filled with love and feels, “Let this
body be offered to God and caste off.” But it is not possible to wave this body before God, in the
same way one waves an arati flame in front of an image; so then what should one do? If such
doubt exists then, the offering of this body is not being accomplished. It is only that purush who
has attained unity with God who understands very clearly just how the body is to be offered to
God and caste off.

Final Liberation

The attainment of that Supreme Self is greater than knowledge. You are that Supreme
96
Shri Ranjit Maharaj- nam:na-not, aham- I am; I am not.
Self and You have become a body that sees through the senses only. Therefore enjoy your
grandeur (ie. knowledge). It is indeed great to know, ‘I am brahman,’ but to enjoy that Reality is
even greater. The vedas are singing Your praise. The whole world worships only You. mahadev
and vishnu come together (ie. when nothing is there, He is there) and merge in knowledge and
this knowledge takes complete rest in Your swarup. Lord brahma and the other gods are the
minstrels of knowledge and this prakruti/maya is a servant of that God and she labours hard to
please Him. Pervasiveness, glory and majesty belong to knowledge. If You speak this ‘I am’ then
that Reality can be understood. Anyone who sees You (that Reality) will be purified. Therefore
you should taste only the grandeur (‘I am’) of Your swarup. Then you are not a human being;
then You are that most blessed purush. What then remains as Your duty? You have to lift out
those who are entangled in maya.

Chapter Eleven

Dissolution of Knowledge

To climb up the tree is easy but to climb down is difficult. In the same way, being a
Knower is to go up and it is easy, but dissolving this ego of knowledge and to become that which
is beyond knowledge97 is very difficult. But it is both the invocation and the relinquishment of
god98 that makes the worship/puja complete. In the same way, without the relinquishment of
knowledge in beyond knowledge, there is no Complete Contentment.
The one who has been in prison has the joy of release. However, one who does not know
prison, for him, how can there be any thought of getting release or any joy of release? 99 That is
why bondage and liberation are twins which take birth together and die together.
Where there is unity there is division; where there is nirguna then there is saguna; where
there is non-duality then there is duality; and when there is non-activity then there is activity.
Such mutual pairings come together when there is this power (ie. knowledge/prakruti) and that
purush. And when that purush always remembers this power then, there will be the dissolution of
this knowledge also; because such remembrance can only be done by forgetting everything.

That imagined purush must be destroyed

‘I am’ is an understanding and that purush has to leave this understanding. Then, be just
as you are and stay. Do not fall into any doubt. “Have I left my swarup or not?”100 Leave such
delusion. The Supreme Self has never been spoiled and by effort, it does not become new. When
that imagined purush101 is gone then there is only that One Supreme Self at the root.
97
When knowledge/gnyana is dissolved then there is that beyond knowledge/vignyan.
98
Traditionally, at the beginning of the worship/puja, a priest will request or invoke the god into the idol and after
the worship, the god is asked to leave.
99
Shri Ranjit Maharaj- when the cloud moves away and no longer shades the sun then, you feel happy. But why
should the sun feel happiness. He had never left Himself.
100
Shri Ranjit Maharaj- ….the mind will ask, “Am I there or not?” Forget it!
101
The imagined purush is the Knower of this ‘I am’ understanding. When the witnessed is gone then, where is the
need for a witness?
 You are; that is your experience. How can another give you the assurance that you are?
So when there is only beingness, what practice is required? And if you try to meet that then, there
is separation created. And if the Self tries to achieve its Self then it will never be achieved or if
you try to lose it still, it cannot be lost. That cannot be dropped and even if discarded, still That
has not been discarded. That only is and has always been.
‘Knowledge is brahman.’ Such is the last of the four great statements of vedanta. It
means that this ‘knowing’ of that witnessing purush is indeed the thoughtless brahman only. But
this knowing within that place of brahman has brought a holder of this ‘I’ (imagined ego) and
then, that Self does not appear to be there. However once this ‘I am’ is gone then, the work of
witnessing is not required and only that Supreme Self remains.
If the ego is completely destroyed then the jiva becomes brahman. However as it is the
very nature of the aspirant to expand himself (‘I am everything, everywhere’), this ego is not
destroyed. But it one serves the sadguru with the conviction of ‘no-otherness’ then, this ego will
be destroyed.102 Then you are that parabrahman. Therefore always keep the ego on zero (I do not
exist)!

The experience of ‘I am brahman’ is also incomplete

When the aspirant starts the practice ‘I am brahman,’ then the “I” which was on the body,
that much gets up and sits on the brahman. The small “I” has become a big ‘I’. Only this much is
the change. Just as a tomcat after eating the small kittens swells with audacity, in the same way
the jiva swallows the kittens in the form of gross, subtle and causal bodies and leaves the “I”-
ness that was on them and starts saying ‘I am’ to the supra-causal body. Therefore not only does
that ego not die but it starts roaring, ‘I am brahman.’ Without killing this ‘I’, the ego is not
destroyed. Though we may kill everything else, the killing of own self still remains to be done
and that task is very difficult without sadguru.
By the grace of sadguru the aspirant drops all the four bodies and when even ‘I am
brahman’ has been left behind then, that natural state remains. There is no understanding
whatsoever there, for it is beyond understanding. It is said, ‘God is hungry for understanding.’
However such understanding is within this original thought ‘I am”. In the natural state there is no
God and no man or anything.
Once the sadguru has given the understanding of that ‘concealed’ purush then, you want to
meditate upon that natural state. But when you understand the Truth then, there is nothing to do
whatsoever. Still we have to use the word, do/kara, but this doing is derived from the word
kahara and it means to cause distress. In that natural state, not to speak this ‘I am’ even, is His
praise and not to do anything, is His worship/puja!
The pride of an ignorant jiva is towards the external objects, while the pride of the
Knower/gnyani is within. But both are prides and both have ‘fallen’ from their natural state
because activity has not ceased. Non-activity is beyond these and there cannot be even a touch of
pride there. Then only has the blessing of the Saint borne its fruit.
The guru tells the aspirant, “Dear one, do not look within and do not look outside either.”
By looking outside, this original thought ‘I am’ becomes like the many objects and by looking
within, that thought is the Self seeing its Self as its own object. While seeing outside the objects
are the seen and you are the seer and while looking inside, you are seeing yourself and this also
102
Shri Ranjit Maharaj- To go beyond knowledge the Master is required…You cannot kill yourself!
brings duality. Therefore it is the act of seeing that creates this duality and so if seeing is given
up then, that natural state of non-duality remains.

Beyond Knowledge is that Supreme Abode

A rubber band gets stretched by stretching. But when stretching is stopped then the rubber
band naturally returns to its previous state. Nothing is required to be done to bring it to its
previous state. On the contrary, by doing something, its earlier state is altered. The state of total
non-activity is inherently natural and therefore nothing is required to be done to come to this
state. If one tries to do something then this original thought will arise and the natural state will be
spoiled.
“I am someone” or ‘I am not someone.’ The limit of words and experience are only up to
this “is” and ‘is not’. When “is” and ‘is not’ are gone then whatever remains has no words nor
experience.
The meaning of experience 103 is that which has appeared afterwards. Now, whatever
appears afterwards will be smaller and so it follows, that without becoming small, experience
cannot happen. It is to be clearly understood then, that as long as experience is there then, the
one who pervades the experience has not been understood.
samadhi means adhi-in the beginning and sama-to be the same. To become the same as
one was in the beginning is samadhi.
‘I am’ is this perceptible saguna experience. Still, from the beginning you are that
unattached, self-existent Supreme Self/paramatma. You are the ever-present, ever-shining shiva.
You are the ancient and original brahman; therefore what practices do you have to do? Becoming
brahman by practicing! How is that possible? Therefore do not bake again the baked bread and
do not cook the cooked rice more.
Ignorance and knowledge, bondage and liberation, the gunas of the jiva (raja, tama,
sattwa) and the guna of shiva (pure sattwa), pleasure and pain; all these pairs will be there as
long as mind is there. These pairs can be understood as the right and left sides of the mind. If the
mind is turned away from the Self then there is ignorance, bondage, being a jiva, the three gunas
and misery. This is the left side of the mind. When the same mind is turned towards the Self, then
in that there is knowledge, liberation, being shiva, the guna of pure sattwa and happiness. This is
the right side of the mind. That place where both these sides are not is the Supreme Abode.

Chapter Twelve

Conduct after Self-realization

After acquiring knowledge, one does not become still like a log. On the contrary, now all
activity is accomplished with the support of that brahman state. Some may say, “This sankalpa104
should not arise in you,” but that is the understanding of a lifeless stone. What does it know?

103
anubhava: anu-afterwards or very small, bhava- to be. It is the ‘I am’ thought.
104
san- with, kalpa- thought: The original ‘I am’ inspiration/thought.
Sadguru Shri Hansaraja Swami105 has summed it up by stating, “As long as the mind is there,
then this sankalpa will be there.”
Saints want that this sankalpa should arise and that the jiva should abide in this pleasure of
knowledge and therefore they make only this demand to God, “Let there not be any obstruction
of this sankalpa at anytime, by anything. In this arisen sankalpa, let there be hundreds of poor
and foolish thoughts, but they should not obstruct this sankalpa.” Now, this sankalpa is the
original inspiration and it is the form or manifestation of that Self. It is the Self remembering its
Self, free of obstruction. Just like the waves on the water can only be water, so too, on this
knowledge there has appeared the arising waves of imagination but, they are only knowledge.
When one cannot see the gold without melting the ornaments into a mould and making
them into a lump or when one does not accept the understanding of that thoughtless state without
killing these thoughts that appear from knowledge, then that Self has become blind. That one
who can see the gold in the ornaments and the thoughtless in the thought has the divine vision of
the purush. This is explained in this dialogue.
Knower – Without opposing the senses, prana, mind and speech, I am in the thoughtless state for
twenty-four hours of the day.
An enquirer who obstinately asserts a log-like samadhi – If the sensory experiences have
appeared upon that ‘I am’ thought then, how can you be thoughtless?
Knower – Let’s imagine the gold to be the place of that thoughtless and the ornaments to be the
thoughts and upon that thoughtless there has appeared the ornament of a thought. Now tell me,
how much time does the gold remain as gold in the ornaments?
Enquirer – What is difficult about that? The gold remains continuously in the ornaments, by its
being gold.
Knower– So then tell me, for how much time does the actionless remain in the action and that
thoughtless remain in the thought? That you should understand without having to be told.

The activity of the Knower is without the jiva-feeling

It is a real, poisonous snake but the snake-charmer, having removed its poisonous teeth,
uses that deadly snake as a means for his livelihood. This worldly life is like that also. Though it
is a giver of pain still, after the poisonous teeth of ‘I’ and ‘mine’ have been removed from it, this
life becomes joyful.
You undertake all these worldly activities to get contentment. You have done all this
willingly and now you say that these actions you’ve undertaken are troublesome and spoil your
own contentment. So you need to find some remedy. By holding on to this limiting concept of
your being a jiva, this worldly life becomes destructive and by holding the limiting concept of
being brahman, the worldly life becomes joyful. Therefore hold on to the concept that is free of
the jiva-feeling.
“I am somebody” is your stubbornness and “I will not do this” is only your obstinacy.
When you think, “This particular thing is good but that particular thing is not acceptable” or “If it
is like this, then I will be happy but if it is not like this then I will be unhappy” then, you live and
behave with stubbornness and obstinacy and that Supreme Self has become the understanding of
someone in bondage. But if you give up this stubbornness and obstinacy then, your actions
become the action of the Self and if you remain in this natural state then, there is the
105
He is the author of the marathi commentary on the sanskrit work by shri adi shankaracharya, the sadachara.
understanding of the siddha (The accomplished One).

The Knower functions with an unreal ego

From time to time guests visit and go from your house. As guests, it is not possible for
them to become the master of your house but for the purpose of showing respect to them, you
cordially tell the guests, “This house is yours.” However your inner understanding is quite
different. In the same way, from within that natural state there is the coming and going of this
thought ‘I am’ and though you behave by identifying with this, still there is no break in that
natural state. This is the experience of the ever-liberated.
The actor, who is in the guise of a woman, knows surely, “I am not a woman.” Still at the
time of the drama, if he does not act suitable to the woman’s role then the drama will be
uninteresting. In the same way, the Knower has the perfect understanding that, ‘I, not being a
body, am that Self,’ but nevertheless conducts the worldly activities with a pretense of body-
attachment. Yet while performing these actions, that Self-connection is never spoiled.

‘Having left here, one cannot return. That is my Ultimate Abode.’

Having gone to that Ultimate Abode one should not presume that the Knower does not
return again upon the thought ‘I am’ or does not take a birth again. Once a girl gets married and
goes to her father-in-laws house then, her home is now the house of her father-in-law. Still, it is
not that she does not visit her parent’s house. After the marriage she goes to their house but she
goes with a different demeanour. The place where she is now entitled to dwell is at her father-in-
laws house. Having perfectly understood, with every fiber of her being, where her place is, the
girl then comes to the parent’s house with the assertion that her place is the father-in-law’s house.
Therefore this going from the place of the father-in-law to the place of her parents is not anymore
a return. In the same way, the Knower understands ‘I am the ageless, deathless Supreme Self.’ If
He starts dealing in worldly life or if after the end of his body, He takes another birth by His own
volition, still His every action and also His birth have the stamp of immortality. His action is
never an action and His birth is never a birth.
Then the Knower of brahman whose mind has the absolute conviction, ‘I am the ever-free
Self,’ may at the time of death, because of feverish delirium, be babbling anything; but still He is
ever free. Whatever has been His understanding during His life will be His understanding at the
end and therefore He will remain in His royal state. Then at the time of death, it is only this
knowledge that is babbling.

Chapter Thirteen

The establishing of That State after acquiring knowledge

When one tries to hold it, one cannot hold it;
When one tries to leave it, one cannot leave it;
 Here and there, it only is; That is parabrahman - dasbodha
brahman; what is that Supreme Self? If you try to hold it then you miss it, because the
one you are trying to hold is your Self. Everyone has their own uninterrupted union with
brahman; therefore being brahman ourselves, how can we meet Him? If our Self sets out to meet
our own Self, then during that whole lifetime, where and how can that meeting ever take place?
Have you ever lost yourself? No! Only when money is gone and the house is lost, do you make a
complaint. But have you ever registered a complaint in any court saying, “I am lost?”
In truth, without meeting there is that meeting with our own swarup, all of the time. If
one tries to meet it then, there is a passing by of each other. If there can be no forgetting of your
Self within your Self then, what is there to be remembered? And if you try to get an experience
of your swarup then you become small.106 You are that natural God and if you try to do
something then you spoil it.107
brahman cannot be throw away, forgotten or left the way the elements can and yet the
more you can forget these elements, the more apparent brahman will become. If you give up
trying to understand Him, He is understood and if you attempt to understand Him then, He
disappears because He cannot be perceived by the mind or the intellect. The one who says he has
known Him, has never been to that place because there is no knowing nor not knowing of
brahman. There is you and only you.

This wondrous action of knowledge

The nirguna has made the nirguna; this is the accomplishment of all accomplishments -
dasbodha
When the one who is without gunas/nirguna knows that, ‘I am nirguna, I am not a jiva nor
saguna’ then, there is the attainment of your own formless swarup. For so many days, you have
been taking this outward disguise as ‘I’ and thus, by trying to derive joy from this body, that
Supreme Self has been made to suffer countless bondages and undergo so many miseries. Being
yourself the King you became engrossed in serving others and though you believed you were
experiencing yourself, you actually were experiencing a stranger. But after a very long time, you
found your Self and that earlier jiva was reduced to nothing.
To the one who is devoted to the guru, this world appears as their own swarup. But if one
starts seeing with the eyes of the jiva then, many forms appear. This world is really a reflection
of the one who is seeing it. If you are good then, the world is good and if you become brahman
then even this knowledge will become brahman. But if you become a jiva then, there are the
many appearances due to the many imagined divisions. So be it! The sadguru gives the third eye,
this ‘eye of the knowledge’ to those who are devoted to Him and because of that, this veil of
maya is moved aside and their vision becomes undivided.
Then the five elements run away and the sufferings they had caused vanish. Then the nine
planets have gone and what is more, Mr. So and so, has fled. The monkey in the jungle had been
eating only bitter and sour fruits, leaves and flowers 108 but when he met rama, his sadguru, he

106
anubhava means to become small (anu- small, bhava- to be) and this is knowledge.
107
bighadate means something else happens (bi- another, ghadate-happens).
108
The monkey is the mind and fruits are pleasures and pains of past actions and the leaves are the many animate
and inanimate bodies/objects and the flowers are sensory experience. And the jungle is this worldly existence where
even ram ie. Self had went wandering and had gotten lost. He sought help from this monkey maruti or hanuman
became maruti. As maruti he was so powerful that he could lift up a whole mountain and toss it
far away. That meant that after learning from his Master how to think properly, his mind
(monkey) destroyed its ignorance and tossed away all the concepts that had become as big and
gross as mountains and then what remained was this knowledge ‘I am’. When this knowledge is
acquired then, the sins and virtues accumulated by endless rounds of births are destroyed. When
it becomes known that all the evidence being used in the courtroom was taken from a dream
then, the judge had to release the accused. In the same way, after realization, chitra-gupta109 and
yama had to declare that, “The sins committed and the one who committed them had only been
imagined. He and the Knower of this knowledge (ie. gnyani) have no connection what-so-ever!”
Once this gnyani awakes from this illusory dream, He is freed from the bondage of karma and
naturally He becomes the God of gods. Then, who knows who this body belongs to?

The gnyani is not affected by karma

Once Self-Knowledge, the fruit of this fruit ‘I am’, is obtained then, one is whole and
complete. Now there is no need to be involved in karma. But if after becoming a barrister, one
once again sits in school with a slate and pencil then, he is but a fool! In the same way, after
acquiring knowledge, who will make puja to who? Why will the real God go on a pilgrimage to
bow down to a stone idol? He is Completely Perfect and Whole/paripurna, for the egos, “I am
the body” and ‘I am brahman’ are both gone.
When there are the thoughts of the dream within the dream then, know that you, the
thoughtless Self, is lost in this worldly existence - dasbodha. Being unborn and immortal, you
fell asleep and dreamed. And in that dream you had another dream. That dream is this dream of a
worldly existence. But then you went to the guru and discriminated between what is the essence
and what is the non-essence. Truly, to be motivated to think about what is true and what is false
in this long dream, is a matter of great fortune.
Then upon listening to the guru’s teachings, you got the experience aham brahmasmi (‘I
am brahman’) and having awakened from this second dream, only your first dream remained.
How to understand that One swarup? If you say, “This experience has come to me” then, you
have become someone. Whereas the Self’s own unique understanding is, ‘In the Self, there is no
being the Self.’ For example, if a mango says, “I taste sweet” then, it is not a mango. Similarly,
the thought ‘I am brahman’ is also a subtle ego and that formless swarup is completely natural
and any type of ‘I’ is a thorn there and must be removed. When limitedness and differentiation
are removed, then you become that all-pervading Self. In short, the ego ‘I am brahman’ has come
due to knowledge and due to beyond knowledge/vignyan this goes away and then you are
completely awakened even from your first dream.
Take your own experience of this subject I am speaking on. Be that pure Knowledge and
not merely a phonograph. If you have been listening to this ‘I am’ then, investigate further and
take out that pure Knowledge. Those who recite the puranas110announce beforehand that, “While
this purana is being told, do not ask any questions.” This is not the case here; for here deep
thinking is required. I am expounding the ancient ‘story of the Self’; this purana makes a jiva

who was devoted to Him

109
He is the god who keeps the accounts of everybody’s sins and virtues. yama is the god of death.
110
purana- mythological stories of the gods.
into brahman, which even harihara111 is not able to explain and only a Knower of brahman can
explain this Supreme Truth.

When there is the conviction that you are that Self then, as you move along this path
of knowledge your divine power will keep increasing. You are the One within everyone and
your ‘aloneness’ should never be broken - dasbodha
When there is the totally firm resolve, ‘I am brahman’ then, two kinds of glories come.
One is the glories of that swarup and the other is the glories of this limited or conditioned state.
Now, the glory of that Self is to be everlasting/nitya, completely perfect/paripurna, beyond
knowledge, immortal etc. This is the acquisition of that ‘spiritual power’ that is beyond all
limiting concepts. That Knower of brahman remains immortal by placing His foot on the head of
Time. Then there are the glories of this conditioned state of knowledge and they include success,
fame (ie. pervasiveness) and authoritativeness. At the same time, many other ‘spiritual powers’
are also effortlessly acquired. Due to this knowledge of ‘I am’, power will come; but do not go
and see whether it has come or not. “If you don’t beg, you will get pearls but if you beg then, you
may not even get alms.”
‘I am as big as the world (saguna) and I am the Lord of the world (nirguna).’ This
should be your over-riding conviction. Then the spiritual powers will come of their own accord.
But do not wait expectantly saying, “The power should come, let that power come.” An
impatient bridegroom will wear the bashing (the ceremonial head-dress for marriage) to his
knees.112 Let not any such condition arise. ‘I am the King. For what should I ask?’ Have no desire
for anything; this much is all that is required. Therefore one should remain with this
understanding that, ‘I am that completely perfect Supreme Self.’

Conclusion of the discourse and blessings

Knowledge is brahman and that only is your formless swarup. Why are rama and krishna
Gods? Because having understood, ‘There is nothing other than the Self in the world and so
everything is my own swarup,’ they stayed and behaved with that understanding. That only was
their capital and that only was the reason for their Godliness. If you purchase a cow the milk also
comes with it. In the same way, by understanding that ‘I am everywhere’ then the glories such as
success, pervasiveness and authoritativeness come automatically. That purush who has the
understanding, ‘All is the Self,’ is an incarnation of God. Knowledge of brahman makes the
servant into Lord shankara. Then that which was in the prana113 and got born in hell, becomes
the Lord.
In the end, this complete teaching has been told to you. Now remain with the
understanding that ‘I am the spontaneous natural Supreme Self.’ If one is given a mango, but
says, “It pains my tongue when I eat it,” then what can be done? When this ‘I am’ understanding
has come then, there is no need for practices like japa (mantra repetition) and tapa (austerities).
When the cloth is clean, there no need to wash it again. When there is that Self-existent God

111
harihara – vishnu/knowing and mahesha/not-knowing come together to form one God. This God is knowledge
(Forget everything and He is there)
112
Because the young man who is impatient to get married is so young, the long head-dress which normally falls to
his shoulders, would fall to his knees.
113
That unattached Self takes the prana/ breath as itself and then holds body consciousness.
then, why does that need to be to purified? ‘I am the ever-open and ever-arisen.’ 114 To effortlessly
‘know’ is the worship/puja of that swarup and when you become that Lord then, your account of
sins and virtues do not remain. When everywhere is that God of the gods then, how can
auspicious or inauspicious remain? And even when the King goes out hunting still, He is the only
King and for Him there are no laws. There is only, total freedom!
Happiness is for shiva and suffering is for the jiva. Saturn115 distresses only those who are
ignorant, but no one can look towards that Lord with an ‘evil eye’. Wherever that Lord goes,
there will be only Bliss and more Bliss and there, success and pervasiveness overflow their
limits. Then all the deities of the world are at His service. There is one truly unavoidable
principle and that is, you become whatever you believe you are.
Therefore, do not forget your own Self. ‘I am that Supreme Self and everything takes place
by my authority.’ Increase this Self-conviction and do not descend from the King’s throne. When
the King sits upon the throne then, effortlessly His sovereign authority is carried out. That
means, whatever you say will happen and the eight spiritual powers will roll at your feet.
My instructions will prove useful to the one who follows them for they will lead you to the
divine wish-fulfilling tree (ie. knowledge ‘I am’). The devotee of the guru is the one who churns
this ocean of worldly living until this nectar ‘I am’ comes out and then drinks only of that. Now,
if you act according to what I have said then, my blessings will always be with you. And just as
infant does not need to ask its mother for feeding, so too, the devotee will not need to ask for the
blessings of the guru. But if you should transgress these orders, then you curse yourself. So be it!
The grace of the guru is dependent on you cherishing your duty. Does the student who carefully
studies at school, have to plead to pass the examination? No!
Whatever was needed to be told has been told, now the light of your intellect will surely
guide your ship to its destination. Then you will reap the fruit of your devotion and acquire that
Knowledge of brahman.

rajadhiraj sadgurunath shri siddharmeshwar maharaj

rajadhiraj sadgurunath shri ranjit maharaj

114
sadodita: sada-always, udita-risen.
115
Believed to herald coming misfortune.