Where to Where (Prof. Anil Kumar Satsang on June 24th, 2007

[Guest guest]

"WHERE TO WHERE?"

WHAT IS THE ANSWER?

The topic for this morning is "Where To Where?" If we ask people in general, "Why are you here?" we find many who have no answer. If we put a second question to them, "What is it you want and what did you get?" there is no reply. We don't receive any answer to the questions, "Have you any chance of getting it?What is happening within you?"

Perhaps life appears to be path-less and goal-less. That's why we our actions are often senseless. We not only torture ourselves, we torture others. Because of the terrific confusion going on within ourselves, we are restless. That shows on our faces and in our relationships also. Therefore, my friends, let's spend a couple of moments on this subject: "Where To Where?"

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE BODY

First of all, we feel and function with this body. It etablishes our identity because it has a name and a form. We cannot neglect it, we cannot ignore nor dismiss it, much less underestimate its role. The body is very important. Without this body, we cannot have any kind of expression, nor have any prospect of rendering service, much less of Self realisation. The body is the most powerful instrument to realise anything that we want to in this world.

It is clearly said, according to the Sanathana dharma (the eternal universal wisdom), that the body must go through certain experiences according to past karmas (actions, deeds). Depending upon our past lives, our actions and their consequences will result as experiences in this life. In other words, all the pleasures that the body is bound to have, it will have. All the pain that this body has to suffer will occur. So the pleasure and the pain experienced by this body will happen, irrespective of your permission, approval or degree of welcome. It is bound to happen!

This is what is called prarabdha. Prarabdha means `consequences of past actions', the results of which will be seen in our experiences today. Therefore, I suffer from certain problems. I have worries, agonising moments, or experience tension. Some may suffer from ailments. This is all due to prarabdha karma, which we cannot escape.

The second point relating to the body is this: we have certain tendencies which come with us into this life. Some people show cheap behaviour though they are placed in very high positions. Why? These are features of their past lives, called vasanas. Vasanas are the features, characteristics or traits brought forward from one's past lives to the present life.

There are those who are highly spiritual from their childhood. Other people are non-spiritual even when old enough to have one foot in the grave! So you have some who don't realise the need for God even at an advanced age, while you find tiny tots who often visit temples. Some individuals are so calm and pious; others are tense, or angry and quick to lose their temper. These are all the vasanas of past lives. Unless the vasanas are totally erased, we cannot claim to be spiritual.

THE PURPOSE OF SADHANA

The whole purpose of sadhana, or spiritual practice, is to get rid of these vasanas, these past traits. `I am so greedy', `I am full of anger', `I have a bad temper'; `I have certain weaknesses within me'. All these are vasanas, and my sadhana is to overcome these vasanas.

Unfortunately, my friends, we think spirituality means `fulfilment of desires'. Some want to obtain a visa to go abroad. Another person's desire might be that their daughter finds a suitable son-in-law—one who gets every promotion and favour possible in life! This is spirituality?

Or perhaps it is to feel that I am special, that I am great - I am in the spiritual field and I have undertaken spiritual sadhana! Well, this is all show business; this is all exhibitionism. It has nothing to do with religion and the spiritual life.

Therefore, my friends, acceptance of prarabdha—meaning, the reaction of past actions—is the first thing that we have to realise. All the pleasure and pain I have today is nothing but prarabdha—the results of past lives (from the standpoint of Sanathana dharma). The second thing that we have to realise is that we have to work for the removal of vasanas or the features of past lives. Or else, how are we to understand our lapses, our weaknesses, our strengths, our pitfalls?

Spiritual sadhana is to get rid of the vasanas. Therefore, we should have a definite idea of our vasanas. The vasanas of past lives are unnecessary complexes such as a superiority complex, or the ego, certain evil tendencies, bad habits, vices, and so on. Of course, some of us are clever enough to pick up a few more bad traits in this present life! (Laughter) Therefore, we have to face the prarabdha and see to it that at least we don't add to it. (Sanchitha is present karma; prarabdha is past karma; aagami is future karma.)

We have to make every effort to overcome the vasanas, particularly the evil vasanas or traits. Spiritual life is that effort. I will not tire of repeating that (to most of us) spirituality is `fulfilment of desires', which it is not. In actual fact, the fulfilment of desire will spoil us to a great extent. We will be spoilt or pampered children. Fulfilment of one desire will lead to another desire! Then it becomes a series of desires so that we become caught in a cobweb of desire. Just as the spider dies within the cobweb, we have to end our lives in the cobweb of desires, attachment and bondage. The fulfilment of desire and spiritual fulfilment have nothing to do with each other—satisfying desire has nothing to do with sadhana. I repeat: the purpose of sadhana is to come out of these past vasanas.

A PERSON WITH EGO IS IRRELIGIOUS

The body is a powerful vehicle and instrument not of our making or choice. It is to be used for Divine purposes, for the experience of Divinity. It is to be used for sadhana. This is the purpose of the human body. The body helps us listen to good teachings and render service. The body will help us do selfless action and also think of offering the fruits of our work to God. But we don't offer the fruits or results of our work to God. Oh, no! Most results we claim for ourselves.

If you ask anybody, "You got a gold medal? Congratulations!" the fellow will not say, "God's grace". He will respond, "You know how I worked for it? Do you know where I studied? You know how my teachers taught me and how intelligent I am? Do you know that?"

Why should I know? It's not necessary. All I know from your lofty claims is that you are ignorant and egoistic. Success makes us egoistic or sometimes pompous and a show-off. Success will make us feel superior to others. This ego, this superiority complex, is an anti-religious sentiment. A person with ego is irreligious. A person with a complex is non-spiritual. These are all vasanas.

WE ARE TIRED BECAUSE OF BOREDOM

"How do I spiritualise my life?" I get questions like these on the internet from friends all over the world.

Let this body be useful to render service to everybody selflessly, and also to offer the fruits of the action to God. Let all our actions be pleasing unto Him, as Baba says.

Some people say, "I am so busy with my office work, I am so busy with my business. I have no time to relax. I have no time to dine and sleep." When the time is over, there is enough time to rest, once and for all! (Laughter)

The man who says "No time!" must know that there is time, if he wants it. As Baba said, "You have time to watch your TV, you have time to go through the newspapers, you have time to gossip, you have time to generate and spread rumours—but you have no time for meditation!" We have no time to read the scriptures, we have no time to visit the temple, and we have no time to contemplate.

Somebody asked Baba, "Swami, do You have time?"

Swami said, "I am Time, I am Time."

"Baba, are You not tired?"

He said, "Tiredness does not come into My lifestyle."

"Don't You need rest?"

"If I take rest, what will happen to you?" asks Swami. So, Swami doesn't need any rest. He doesn't feel tired.

If you tell Him, "Swami, You are tired," He says, "Keep quiet. I am not tired!" If you persist and still say, "Swami, you look tired," He will say, "Shut your mouth!" (Laughter)

According to Baba, tiredness has nothing to do with physical exertion. Physical exertion may make you look tired, but tiredness is boredom. What is boredom? Children say, "Boring, boring." What is boring? Very simple—that which is repeated is boring. The mother will put the child to sleep in a swing or a cradle. She sings one sentence, and repeats it. The child gets bored and goes to sleep. (Laughter) The child goes to sleep, not because the music is melodious! It is boring!

Sleep can happen when you listen to the same thing over and over again. For instance, some people go to sleep while listening to manthras (mystically powerful formulae recited for spiritual uplift). It is not that they are in meditation; they listen to the same manthras day-in and day-out. So it is not samadhi but sleep! (Laughter)

We are exhausted or tired because of boredom. Therefore, a change of work is rest, as Swami says. A change of work! When you are bored with this, then go to the next activity. Don't become bored and bore others. (Some are very good at that!) (Laughter) Life is vital, energetic, fresh, and evergreen. We should be bubbling with enthusiasm. It is most unfortunate if we make it a big bore.

So, my friends, this body can be put to good use by rendering selfless service and also by offering the fruits of our action to God. I am sorry if you find one or two points are repeated in my talk. This is because of my long time in my profession as a teacher. Of course, in spite of our repetition, some students still successfully fail! (Laughter) We can't help it! We can't help it! (Laughter)

HUMAN LIFE AND THE BODY CAN NEVER BE UNDERESTIMATED

Then we come to the next aspect. The body is a boat. A boat takes you from one shore to another shore, from one end to the other end—that is its purpose. Similarly, the human body is a boat to take you from the individual soul to the cosmic soul. That is, from the individual soul, the jiva atma (that which Swami calls `conscious'), to the cosmic soul or the universal spirit (that which we call `consciousness').

The body is a boat that takes you from conscious to consciousness. Therefore, it is a precious gift of God to all of us. A long time ago, in one of His discourses, Swami said that even angels, deities (devatas) envy human beings. They are jealous of us! Why? It is because they have no body to enjoy and experience the bliss of the Self, whereas we have a body to enjoy and experience the bliss of the Self. Even deities and angels wait to be born as a human being. Therefore, the human life and the body can never be underestimated.

THE CHIEF PURPOSE OF THE BODY IS TO EXPERIENCE `BLISS OF THE SELF'

I move on to the next point. Having recognised the value of the body and knowing that the body is given to serve, what is its chief purpose? What is its main aim? It is (as Baba puts it), "Swaswarupa ananda" or the bliss of the Self. The awareness of the Self, the experience of the Self, the bliss of the Self is to be experienced while we are here in this body. The main aim is to acquire the knowledge of the Self and the bliss that arises out of that awareness.

When we don't experience this swaswarupa ananda or bliss of the Self, the body is useless. It is a garbage bin where we dump all the waste from breakfast, lunch and dinner. Garbage, a dust bin . . . just fill it up like that! No, the body is not a dust bin. The body has to be used, as clearly stated, "to experience the bliss of the Self, to acquire knowledge of the Self, to have awareness of the Self." That is swaswarupa ananda.

People ask, "Are we not doing that? Are we not experiencing the Self? Are we not blissful?" No, certainly not. How can you say that?

A fellow says to us that he is very hungry. Then we ask him, "You had lunch? How did you enjoy it?" The fellow said that he is hungry! You don't ask him when he ate and if he enjoyed it! No. The fellow who is hungry has not had his food; therefore he is hungry!

Similarly, the jealousies, hatred, rivalry, meaningless competition, unnecessary worries or anxieties, are all features of a person who has not made an attempt to know and experience the Self. The one who has experienced the Self will never be affected by these evil features. He will not compare himself with anybody because he is the Self; he is very much the same as the Self in anyone. Self is One. Self or spirit (Atma) is only One! There is no point in comparing myself with you. There is no point in feeling jealous of you. There is no point in feeling that I am superior to you; there is no point in treating you as inferior to me. This is all due to the absence of awareness of the Self.

So, the purpose of spirituality is to experience the Self, to develop awareness of the Self. I can state that the majority of us have not experienced it. There may be a few; I don't deny it. But not the majority of us. Why? We lose our balance over the slightest thing possible. If anyone asks us, "Why are you here?" our answer will be, "Why should that bother you?" Or, "Why did you come through that gate?" Our answer will be, "I am a VIP. I am not supposed to go through that other gate! I go through this gate!"

So, it is the gate that makes you a VIP; otherwise, you are not a VIP! If you think that, you are a VIP in another sense—Very Insignificant Person! (Laughter) Your greatness is not reflected in the gate through which you pass or in the line where you sit. They are not the signs of greatness. Your greatness lies in equanimity, equality, considering everybody as equal to you. As long as you do not consider everybody equal to you, you cannot claim that you have experienced the Self. Instead, it can be said that you are unfit to have knowledge of the Self.

Therefore, my friends, our anger, hatred, differences, conflict, and controversies are all because of identification with the body. This is what Swami says is dehaatmabuddhi (body identification). So long as I identify with my body, I will have all these weaknesses that will distance me from the awareness and the knowledge of the Self. That's what Bhagavan says.

HOW TO BE FREE FROM BODY IDENTIFICATION

Then our question will be this: how to get over these evil traits, these attributes or qualities? How to be free from body identification is our next immediate question.

Bhagavan gives a very good answer. One: let us try to remove all our bad habits, features and characteristics. Two: let us associate with good, pious people and keep good company. Three: let us render selfless service.

Those three points, according to Bhagavan Baba, are the only way to give up this body identification. Unless and until this body identification is given up, we cannot be anywhere near the knowledge of the Self.

However, above all, the grace of our Guru (preceptor), the grace of our God, is most important. I want to draw your attention to this: Guru is the eastern concept, where the Guru is regarded as God Himself. That's what we are going to celebrate next month—Guru Pournami or Guru Poornami.

Then what is the difference between me and the Guru? The difference is that I identify myself with the body, whereas the Guru has no such feeling. He is beyond the body. That is the difference between me and my Guru.

According to Ramana Maharshi, the Guru takes a body is only a pretence. It is only an action, but He has no body-feeling at all. To be close to you, to approach you, so as to be connected to you, the Guru is in a human form, though He is beyond the body.

BABA IS DIVINE IN HUMAN FORM

I am sure you will agree with me when I say that Baba has no body attachment at all. In the last lecture, I mentioned an experience in Kodaikanal during the Eswaramma Day celebrations. Swami got up at 4:30 AM. He went around all the lines of devotees as well as supervising the distribution of food and other gifts until 12 noon! Throughout this period, He didn't have even a sip of water! Let us try that. Impossible! We need to replenish our energy before it all goes!

Dr. Bhagavantam made some rough calculations of the calories for energy that Baba requires to discharge His daily duties and obligations. If you calculate the calories from the food that He eats, the amount is minimal, decimal and negligible. Although He needs one hundred and fifty calories or two hundred calories, He consumes food that supplies only about ten calories, or even less. A spoonful! Let us try that . . . if it were possible! We can't do it. Doctors sometimes say, "Be careful", but we will be careful to eat more!

Swami used to travel to Kodaikanal by car from Whitefield, Bangalore, starting at 5:00 or 5:30 AM and arriving at 6:00 PM. He would stop half-way there to give darshan (bless people) or take aarti (flame offering) wherever groups of devotees were seated. Believe me, He was as fresh then as at 5:00 AM! And Swami even had the same brilliant face in the evening at 6:00 PM!

Let us see our own faces after one hour! Some may say, why not before that? (Laughter) He does not sleep, He does not eat, and He does not feel tired. Well, these are some of the general things that we notice in Him, without mentioning His spiritual dimensions.

Once Baba Himself said (in mock sadness), "You wear new dresses, you have new styles—but I am in the same old dress."

In all seasons, He wears silk robes from top to bottom. You can imagine what that is like in Puttaparthi. Also, the type of food that He ate in childhood is the same, even now. It's not possible! Please try it if you can!

Baba is Divinity in human form because of the Divine features in Him such as love towards all, and treating everybody alike. These are not common features for most of us.

YOU HAVE COME HERE TO SEE SWAMI

My friends, we should acquire this knowledge of the Self by being close to our Guru and observing Him. But what we observe is something different; we observe those with whom He talks to, so we don't see Him. I see who hands over their letter to Swami, but not Swami. How can I say that is so?

Everybody talks immediately after darshan: "I saw you giving a letter to Swami."

Have you come here to see me give a letter to Swami? You have come here to see Swami--not me giving a letter to Swami! These types of observations are simple to make, but they are absolutely, totally silly. We have come here to see Him, not to see the people who give letters or roses, those who are close to Him, those who are not close to Him, those who are in power, those who are out of power. By knowing these things, we become powerless!

ENQUIRY INTO THE SELF IS THE HIGHEST OF ALL SPIRITUAL PURSUITS

It is clearly stated by Bhagavan that we should have a particular path in the spiritual field, the path of enquiry (vicharana), which is the highest of all spiritual pursuits. Atma vicharana is the highest and best path for every seeker who wants to rise above body identification, to experience the Self, who wants to remain in the Self in a blissful state. We have to take to this path of enquiry or atma vicharana.

Bhagavan puts it this way: "Ok, you can enquire; but what do you mean by `enquiry'?"

Most importantly, in many of His talks, Bhagavan says, "Instead of asking, `Who are you?' ask yourself, `Who am I? Who am I?'"

But we don't do that. We ask, "Who are you?Where do you come from?" with the result, (as Swami says), "You know everybody, but you do not know your Self."

Swami takes you to another height, where once you know your Self, everything is known to you. All that you see outside is nothing but a manifestation or reflection of the Self.

PURIFICATION OF THE MIND

It is acknowledged by every school of Vedanta (ancient Hindu Scriptures), by every school of philosophy, that enquiry is the highest and the noblest of all spiritual sadhanas. Now, the question arises, "All right, I want to know the Self. I want to experience the Self—then what am I to do?"

Swami has told us of the barrier or obstacle in the path of enquiry. Those of you who are familiar with Baba's literature will agree with me when I say that Baba has plainly said, "All your worship, pilgrimage, the holy dip in holy waters, fasting, feasting, are all non-spiritual." That's what Baba has said. "Your worship, abhishekha, all this meditation—whatever you do, they are all non-spiritual."

(I am a teacher, so I can give you the page reference numbers also. I cannot simply give my interpretation—that I have never done nor would ever do. I will never add to the confusion of interpretations. I just quote Swami, that's all.)

"Swami, if all that is non-spiritual, then what is spiritual?"

Swami said, "All these things are a kind of preparation."

Yes, we need the foundation, we need walls, a roof, flooring, electricity, power supply; but all this will not equal life. If I see a house, I don't say, "What a wonderful life!" It is only a construction. It's only a building. A building is not life. Similarly, all that we do in the name of spirituality is a kind of preparation for the purification of the mind. The mind has to be purified. It must be sanctified. We pray, worship, meditate, and so on for that purpose. But these practices are not the be-all and end-all.

So what is to be done next? After making my mind clean and pure through daily worship and scriptural readings, obeying the commands of priests and following elders in family tradition, what next? Baba says the next thing is enquiry.

Enquiry is the ultimate in spiritual sadhana. Without that enquiry, whatever you do is all secondary preparation. You are permitted into the examination hall with a hall ticket. You have your two pens and a compass box; you are well dressed. But it is not enough. You have to do the examination. Only then will you get the marks. Just like preparing for the examination at home, preparation to go to the examination hall is necessary; but even more so is your performance in the examination. So, similarly all the rituals that we observe are just preparation. The spiritual enquiry is more important, as Bhagavan has said.

THE MIND IS THE IMMEDIATE OBSTACLE IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE SELF

Swami says, "The mind is like an elephant." The elephant is so powerful and so mighty! The elephant is known for its intelligence; it can identify its master. But that mighty, highly intelligent elephant must be kept under the control of the mahout, its master, with an iron rod or ankush. The human mind is so mighty, so intelligent, so clever, manoeuvring, manipulative--any number of things can be said about this human mind. But it has to be kept under check by the use of the ankush.

First of all, as Baba says, let me know that I am not the elephant. The pity of it all is that most of us think that we are the elephant, meaning the mind. We identify ourselves with our mind. That is the tragedy!

Now, Baba explains a little more along these lines. Some people say, "My mind is confused, my mind is so calm, my mind is very happy, my mind is restless, my mind is foolish." Enough!

Swami then says, "My mind? You are not the mind."

"My pen, my dress, my car, my money, my house . . ." But you are not the house, you are not the dress. You are the owner of these things. Similarly, when you say "my mind", you are the owner of the mind but you are not the mind.

The trouble starts because we identify ourselves with the mind. The mind is the immediate obstacle to the knowledge of the Self. It is an iron curtain blocking awareness of the Self.

DOER-SHIP IS AN OBSTACLE ON THE PATH OF ENQUIRY

When somebody asked Ramana Maharshi, "Swami, what shall I do for realisation?" Ramana Maharshi said, "Don't do, don't do!"

Suppose I say, "Sir, I know that you doing good work there."

"Oh! I have done many other things; didn't you know that?"

Oho! When you say, "I have done", take it from me that you have not done anything. What you have done is develop the feeling of "I-ness". It is better then that you don't "do".

"You know, I gave a number of lectures."

"So what? From what I can see, you have not changed one little bit. Please don't waste your and others' time."

Therefore, my friends, this kind of doer-ship, "I have done" is the quality of the mind. We will never escape from this feeling as long as we lay claim to whatever we do. We grab the credit belonging to others also. This is the mischief of the mind.

I very well remember when some seva dals (service volunteers) were working the whole night at one place. This is something I witnessed. The next morning, we heard that Swami would be visiting about 9 o'clock. To our surprise, a few fellows came in at 8 o'clock and instructed us to "Clear out from this place!"

We had been there since the evening before and all night, and now we are told, "Please get out!" It was like a military take-over by Saddam Hussein! Spiritual dictators! Religiously arrogant people!

I shouted at the top of my voice, "You have no business to ask everybody to go like this! You get out! These people have worked here all night. You can't take over the place to stand in front of Swami saying, `We did all this work!' It is very bad to do that."

Therefore, my friends, the mind is an obstacle on the path of enquiry because it claims credit for all it does, even for the hard work of others. So, doer-ship is a quality of the mind that distracts our attention.

CONSCIOUSNESS IS BEYOND THE MIND

Somebody said to Ramana Maharshi, "Swami, my mind is not steady. Sometimes my mind behaves in a funny way. It acts in a way that I don't want it to." Oh! At least he is a good fellow, he accepted the truth! (Because most unsteady people don't accept it!)

Then, Ramana Maharshi answered peacefully in a very simple way, "How do you know that your mind is behaving like that? How do you know that your mind is not acting as you want it to?"

This fellow said, "Swami, I take leave of you!" (Laughter) He wanted a tranquilliser or a sleeping pill as a solution, but Ramana Maharshi was not there for that!

"How do you know?" meaning there is something beyond the mind—the Consciousness, the awareness that knows how the mind is functioning. I know what my mind is doing . . . you know what your mind is doing. Some people are seated here, but their mind may be at the bus stand thinking of when the bus leaves for Bangalore. Some others have their mind on the menu in the canteen! Others may entertain a thought in their mind of visas, passports or flights. We may even be here! So, you know how your mind is functioning.

It is the Consciousness that makes the mind work. It is the Consciousness that makes the mind functional, that makes the mind operate. Therefore, when Ramana Maharshi says, "How do you know?" he wants you to think along the lines of Consciousness . . . to think of the thinker and not the thought.

The thinker and the thought are different. The thinker is not the thought. Thoughts are many, but the thinker is one. You cannot say, "My mind of yesterday, my mind of today, my mind of tomorrow, mind of that thought, mind of another thought." Minds are not many. There is only one mind and that mind will have many thoughts. Therefore, let us understand that the thinker is more important than the thought; the experiencer is more important than the experience. Experiences are many, but the experiencer is the same.

CONSCIOUSNESS IS BEHIND ALL THE SENSES

Ramana Maharshi wants us to think along these lines: thinker, experiencer, seer, listener— all are one and the same Consciousness. When the Consciousness is thinking, you call it the thinker. When Consciousness awareness makes the eyes see, it is in the capacity of seer.

So, the same Consciousness is working through different channels just as electricity operates through different appliances. When there is no power supply, the mikes may be very good, the fans very attractive, but they cannot function. It is electricity that makes the fans rotate and the mike amplify my voice. Similarly, it is the Consciousness which is behind all the senses, making them functional.

So, as Ramana Maharshi says, understand that Consciousness, the spirit or Atmic principle is behind the whole thing. It is like a screen on which films are projected. If you think the film or the cinema story is real, naturally you cry. We know people who switch on their TV just to have a good cry! If we find them watching the TV and crying, we ask, "Why are you crying?" They say, "Oh, join us, too." (Laughter)

Therefore, my friends, understand that it is only a film on TV and it is not true at all. I am crying because I identified with the film. When I don't identify, I won't cry. The director won't cry—the actress will cry. The heroine will cry because she gets paid to cry. The more she cries, the more money she gets! Whereas I pay the money and I cry! (Laughter) So it is nothing but crying throughout by all parties! Only the tunes may differ!

So, my friends, understand that Consciousness, the main principle, is responsible for the functioning of all the senses or perceptions.

CONSCIOUSNESS IS THE WITNESS

"Where To Where?" is the theme of this morning's talk. The path of enquiry—where will it take you? It takes you to the Self, the eternal witness.

You may all think that I am a wise man—but I know it myself—I am not as wise as you think me. You may say to others that you are `this' or `that', but you know within yourself that you are not as you say. I may make the whole world believe that I am so-and-so, but within me I know the truth.

This is called witness or saakshi, the name given to Consciousness. The Consciousness is the witness or saakshi of whatever happens. I may bluff, I may pretend to be a saint; it is all the game of the mind. Pretension, action, exhibition—these are all the expressions of the mind. But the truth is known to the Consciousness.

There is little difference between the conscious and Consciousness. Consciousness is a universal, cosmic term. The conscience is individual, whereas Consciousness is universal.

The best example Baba gives is this: the air outside the tyre is Consciousness, while the air within the tyre is the conscious. We might be the car tyre, the truck tyre, the bicycle tyre—we all have air inside. The air outside is the same as the air inside the tyre in quality. The difference is only in quantity. So, the air has a name and a form when it is inside a tyre or a balloon; but the air outside has no name and form. Likewise, Consciousness is that without a name and form; conscious is that encased within a name and a form. In quality, conscious and Consciousness are one and the same, like a drop and the ocean, or a spark and the fire.

THE ULTIMATE IS TO FEEL THAT EVERYTHING IS DIVINE

Then when you reach the end or culmination of the path of enquiry, where does it leave you? It is to feel that you are the world; to feel oneness with everything; to feel that you are not different from anybody. The ultimate is to feel that everything is Divine. This is what Swami says.

Therefore, my friends, "Where To Where?" We have to start from the point of the body and go to the state of Consciousness via the mind. Body—Mind—Consciousness. The mind, the curtain, is between the body and Consciousness. Go beyond the curtain, Consciousness is already there in you.

Swami explains all these points in a beautiful style, but we are after stories. "Could you please tell us some of your experiences?Could you please tell us about the latest experience?" What are these experiences?

Most people narrate these experiences: "My aunt was on her death bed, but Baba saved her life." Oho!

Or, "I was on my cycle when a lorry hit me. I fell to the ground—but, lo and behold, Swami saved my life!"

They are all only a postponement of death, not its cancellation.

Baba may save you today, but next year? He is not going to save you permanently in this body. Impossible! It is a postponement—a difference in calendar time. That's all! Of course some get direct promotions also! (Laughter)

So my friends, these are all the miracles and stories which are necessary to experience God at the beginning of the spiritual journey. It is very important to feel encouraged and remain hopeful, but that's not the end of the story. The experiences, the miracles, the stories—all of them should take us to that final step of Self-enquiry.

Baba gave an example: You may send your shirts, pants and trousers to a dhobi or washer man. He won't clean your clothes by putting them on his head; he beats them against the stone.

"Wah! Why do you beat them like that? They are my pants!"

"So what, I will hit them harder!" (Laughter)

So, the point is that it is the job of the washer man to clean. In cleaning, he has to hit the clothes against the stone. If you want to know how this is done, you can go to the Chitravathi River and see. Of course, the washing machine can be used as an example. That's a different story (Laughter). The point is that the purpose is cleaning of the clothes, whatever are the clothes you may give.

So similarly, whatever spiritual sadhana you may follow--japa (repetition of His name), dhyanam (meditation), bhajans (singing His songs), likhita japa (writing His name a thousand times), parayana (reading the scriptures)—all these are paths for cleaning the mind. Only for purifying the mind.

TO EXPERIENCE THE BLISSFUL SELF IS CALLED THE PATH OF ENQUIRY

Our preparation to make the mind sacred is for what? For enquiry. Enquiry about what? Self-enquiry (Atma vicharana). So, Self-enquiry gives you what? Bliss. We are very business minded! What do I get by going to Puttaparthi? What do I get if I go to Tirupathi? What do I get by talking to you? I want something. So, what do I get by Self-enquiry? You get bliss. Why should I want bliss? So that you will never be grief-stricken, worried or sorrowful.

All our striving is only to be happy. You ask any man if he wants to be happy. Nobody will say, "I want to be unhappy." Did you ever meet anybody who said, "Sir, will you please tell me how to be unhappy?" (Laughter) No, no! Somebody may make us unhappy. (Some are experts in that!) (Laughter) Nobody would want to be unhappy. So everybody wants to be happy.

What sort of happiness do we have? Monday . . . happiness, Tuesday . . . sadness, Wednesday . . . happiness, Thursday . . . again crying! What happiness do we want? The happiness which is non-dual, permanent, eternal and Divine. That happiness is bliss, nectarine, immortal, endless and beginning-less. Non-dual bliss is the quality of the Self. So, by following the path of enquiry, we will certainly experience the Self and bliss.

"Sir, how does that help me in this life? How does that help me here, now?" A man who does not react to praise and blame is a blissful man.

If you say to a man of bliss, "Sir, you are very handsome", he will never order a cup of coffee for you. If you tell a blissful man, "Sir, you are ugly", he will never whip or beat you.

Please understand it. One who is not carried away by your praise, one who is not frustrated by your blame is a blissful man. Regardless of whether you curse him or praise him, sit him in the first row or kick him to the back row, he continues to smile. His smile is a challenge to you. The more you want to make him cry, the happier he will be. That's how a blissful man behaves.

That is the bliss of the Self and to experience that blissful Self is called the path of enquiry. Thank you very much. We will learn a few more points regarding the Self in the next Sunday talk. Thank you for your time and participation. May God bless you. Thank you very much.

God bless you. Thank you very much!

Jai Sairam