One must find out the real I

[Guest guest]

Day by Day with Bhagavan________19462-1-46 AfternoonMr. Joshi has submitted what Bhagavan calls a questionpaper, and Bhagavan answers the same.First about the jnani's doing work, without the mind: "Youimagine one cannot do work if the mind is killed. Why do yousuppose that it is the mind alone that can make one do work.There may be other causes which can also produce activity.Look at this clock, for instance. It is working without a mind.Again suppose we say the jnani has a mind. His mind is verydifferent from the ordinary man's mind. He is like the manwho is hearing a story told with his mind all on some distantobject. The mind rid of vasanas, though doing work, is notdoing work. On the other hand, if the mind is full of vasanas, itis doing work even if the body is not active or moving."Question 2: Is soham the same as `Who am I?'Answer: Aham alone is common to them. One is soham.The other is koham. They are different. Why should we go onsaying soham? One must find out the real `I'. In the question`Who am I?', by `I' is meant the ego. Trying to trace it and findits source, we see it has no separate existence but merges in thereal `I'.Question 3: I find surrender is easier. I want to adoptthat path.Answer: By whatever path you go, you will have to loseyourself in the One. Surrender is complete only when youreach the stage `Thou art all' and `Thy will be done'.The state is not different from jnana. In soham there isdvaita. In surrender there is advaita. In the Reality there is neitherdvaita nor advaita, but That which is, is. Surrender appears easybecause people imagine that, once they say with their lips `Isurrender' and put their burdens on their Lord, they can be freeand do what they like. But the fact is that you can have no likesor dislikes after your surrender and that your will should becomecompletely non-existent, the Lord's Will taking its place. Suchdeath of the ego is nothing different from jnana. So by whateverpath you may go, you must come to jnana or oneness.(to be continued)