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Some
people ask me, "When will we understand Reality?
How will it happen?" It happens if your mind
desires it very strongly. So, since I met him that
day, I forgot all the words. I realised that the
master is the only person in the world from whom
you can get something. His knowledge was so great
and simple. He never used big, complicated words
and he was a believer that the Vedas –
the highest sacred books in India – should be
taught to women and children too. He was so sure of
his own realisation of Reality and he felt that it
was everybody's birthright to understand. Only in a
human body can you achieve this. Otherwise, animals
and birds for example, have no discrimination
power, no intellect. Their life force is the same,
but the contrivance of discrimination is not there.
Only the human body has got the contrivance to
discriminate between good and bad, between what is
Reality and what is unreal, between what is
illusion and what is God.
Question: When you first met your master,
did you reject everything all at once?
Ranjit: Yes. "Rejected" means that I left
what my life was then; worshipping was my life. So
I rejected that first. Then, what else is there to
reject? After that, nothing needs to be rejected.
But my family members were against me. My mother
was coming to hear him, but still she and my family
were against me. I never cared for them. I said to
them all, "I don't care for you!" I was a very
strong minded man, I tell you. [laughs]
Question: You have to be, no?
Ranjit: One should be. Unless you become
strong minded you can't accept the Reality. It
counts upon your death. One side is death and one
side is Reality. I accept death. "You are not going
to die because you are the Reality." That much
willpower one must have. My family members were
very much against me, my brothers and many people.
I said, "I don't care for anybody." So, one should
have that great understanding. Understanding makes
you stronger. Nothing else. If you call a doctor,
he will say to you, "I will cure you, don't worry."
He then gives you the medicine. You should accept
it because he has got that understanding. Other
doctors say that you will die. So, no, don't worry
about it. Have faith in your Self. If you loose
your faith in your Self, then you are lost. You
become the smallest creature in the world. What is
there [shows with his hand the space between
thumb and index finger]? There are so many
people in the world. What is the meaning of one
person? He may be the greatest of the greatest, but
what is there? Unless you know that everybody is He
[Reality], then you can understand the real
greatest of the great. Then everybody is He. People
don't understand this. What to do? They don't take
it to heart. They say, "What will happen if I do
this then?" That doubt always comes in the mind.
Mind is always doubtful. So one should not worry
about the mind. Throw away your mind, throw away
your ego. Have the understanding of Reality in your
Self. That was his mission and he gave that
mission. Today I dare say to anybody, "Why worry,
you are He." There must be some power in your mind,
otherwise how could you even say anything? Some
people may say, "OK we'll kill you, because you are
He." So, kill me! I say that I never cared for
anybody. You have to understand. Discrimination
power [intellect] should be used,
discrimination of the mind. There, mind helps you.
Mind is there to help you to understand Reality,
and if you want the Reality, mind can do anything
for that.
There are so many examples in Indian mythology
about this. There was a devotee of Lord Krishna, as
well as some Narana. The word Narana means "mind".
So, some Narana dressed up as a saint and said to a
Krishna devotee, "Cut your child up, and while
doing so you should not cry. You must sing nice
bhajans during this, and finally you must cook your
child." She did it. Her husband was also devoted to
Krishna. They cut the boy up – they took him
from his school and they cut the boy up. She didn't
cry. She then cooked him and gave it to Narana, who
was dressed as a saint. Narana said, " You have no
child now, you are a barren woman." She was so
strong and replied to him, "Forget that! I've had a
child in my stomach before and now I am carrying a
second child." And then what did Narana say? He had
understood – she had the greatest devotion for
the Reality. He called that second boy, "Come Raul"
– his name was Raul – "Raul come!" He
came then. Narana then understood that the boy had
never died. Nobody dies. These are the examples
given in mythological books. One should understand
that. People say, "How can we do it? We are such a
small creature." Why? Have the courage to do
anything to achieve the Reality. Nothing else.
If your body goes, let it go! Siddharameshwar
Maharaj always said, "I will leave my body, I don't
care, but I will achieve the Reality." He was a
very strong person. He was going to the gymnasium
and at that time he was doing one thousand
push-ups! One thousand at a stretch he was doing.
He was so strong! But five or six years after his
master, Bausaheb Maharaj, died he realised that
understanding in the mind. So he said to his
co-disciples who were travelling with him, that
they should go ahead, go further. He said,
"Meditation is not the last point. One should go
further ahead." But they said to him, "But our
master has not told us that!" He replied, "Let
master not say, but can you still not go?" He was
so strong in the mind. Then he left their company.
They were three or four co-disciples, and they were
moving around, giving that understanding to people.
He said, "No, I don't go." At first, for nine
months he sat on one peak, a hillside in Bijapur
and he achieved the Reality. Then he left. All this
is so miraculous, I tell you. If you have got faith
in the master, then everything becomes a miracle I
tell you! And he achieved the Reality. To achieve
the Reality, one should not care for the body.
Don't care for the body. Don't care for the self.
Then you can become He. Forget everything, then you
can achieve It, why not? One can achieve It. It's
very easy to know one's Self. What is there? But
the problem is that you don't loose the love for
the illusion. What to do? That illusion always
keeps you attracted to it. Forget that illusion!
When he was still alive he gave that understanding
to many people in this way.
All are equal, but it depends upon the acceptor,
how much he accepts. Teachers or professors in the
school or college, they teach everybody the same
thing. The one who has got more caliber or more
accepting power, he comes first in the class. So,
there is no discrimination with the teaching. All
are equal, anybody can come. Siddharameshwar
Maharaj never believed in any religion. He was
giving his own sermons without any distinction, and
it was open to anybody, even if they belonged to a
religion. He taught in such a nice way.
Question: How exactly did he teach this
knowledge to people?
Ranjit: He was giving daily sermons for one
hour. He was not going to many places, because he
never wanted fame. So, he was coming to Bombay,
going to Bijapur and Sholapur, and nearby there is
another place called Bagewadi. In these four places
he was giving his sermon from the books of
Knowledge. In Marathi, there is Dasbodh,
written 400 years ago by Ramdas Maharaj. That is a
book in our lineage and on that book he was giving
lectures when he was in Bombay, for one and a half
months or two months of the year. The sermons were
everyday in the evening, from quarter to seven to
quarter to eight. And then, the bhajans followed,
which we did at night. After singing bhajans, we
returned home. So, for about one and a half months,
or two months he was staying in Bombay. He was also
spending the same amount of time in Sholapur. The
same knowledge was taught everywhere. He was
speaking in a very simple Marathi language. His
motto was, "Complicated words are not required, as
it is beyond the reach of the human mind." So, he
was giving very simple examples of daily life so
that we could easily understand.
He used four books to teach us. One book was
Dasbodh, another was Yoga Vasishtha,
another was Ecknath's Bhagavad
[Gita] and the fourth was
Saachara, written by Shankaracharya. He
began with the knowledge from Ramdas Swami's book,
Dasbodh. Then, for renunciation, he used
the Yoga Vasishtha, in which Rama was in a
state of humiliation and then his master, Vasishtha
gave him knowledge so that he became Lord Rama.
Otherwise, he was a son of a king. Then, he used
the Gita, which describes the whole life of
Krishna and what he taught to his disciples. That
was written by Ecknath Swami, who was a great
realised person. "Ecknath" means "Lord is One
only". So, Eckhart is the master who is One. He has
written many historic stories about Krishna, and
there are so many fights,as well. Siddharameshwar
Maharaj told us to try and understand the deeper
meaning of fighting. What is fighting? What is the
meaning of fighting? What is karma? What are
reactions? All this is contained in the Bhagavad
Gita. And, finally he used Shankaracharya's
book. It describes how a person stays in his life
after understanding and renouncing,. He has so
nicely used Shankaracharya's Saachara, which
shows how a realised person lives, how he takes his
life and how he understands what Final Reality is,
what thoughtless Reality is. All these topics are
covered.
He first gave us knowledge. He told us that people
say that renunciation should come first, but he
didn't agree with them. If you renounce after you
have acquired true knowledge, then you can easily
understand. Otherwise, if you renounce without any
knowledge, things may change at any moment. Mind
changes at any moment, no? For example, a nice meal
is prepared, or biryani rice is prepared. A sweet
smell is coming and everybody wants to eat. If you
say, "Don't eat." He'll say, "Why not, this is
mine?" Then he asks, "Why are you telling me not to
eat?" You then say, "I'm sorry but there is poison
in it." Once he has got the knowledge of poison, he
renounces without delay. So, if knowledge is there
first, renunciation automatically follows. Will you
still like to eat it? Nobody likes it. So, if
knowledge comes, then you don't like it. Mind may
go a thousand times there. A young chap goes near
the candle, he wants to hold it. Mother, father
what do they say? "Don't hold it!" They refrain him
for what reason? He should not be burnt, nothing
else. In the same way, if you understand the
knowledge, then you can renounce very easily. It's
an illusion, everything is zero. If that
understanding comes in the mind, then how much time
does it take to renounce? Just when that man said,
"Poison is there", then nobody will eat, no? Once
you understand that the meal is poisonous, you
never think of eating it, even though you may be
hungry. Stay in that way. After understanding, all
doubts doesn't vanish and then you can very easily
renounce.
Many people dressed up as saints and went out, for
four months, six months, eight months – as
they liked. After some time Siddharameshwar told
them, "Now take off those saffron clothes and be a
simple man as you were before." Nobody will say all
these things. Many masters are there, but they
never say, "Take off those saffron clothes." He
said, "Be a simple person. Understanding has come
to you, right over you now. Why should this show be
there?" So if you understand that way, then you can
easily throw off the clothes also. People want
saffron clothes so then they can say, "Oh, they bow
down at my feet at once!" Ego remains always in the
mind. So, he said, "Renounce the renunciation now."
And then he gave that final understanding of
Reality. So, he was the greatest of the greatest of
that time. An unknown saint of that time, what to
do? He never wanted fame, never wanted to say
anything in public. He was giving lectures to those
who came to him. For twelve years he gave the
lectures, his full understanding. And then, what
did he tell us? He said, "I never asked anything
from you. Today I say, you have realised, you have
understood, now don't forget my master's bhajans."
And that was his greatness, I tell you! Now I feel
this. At that time I may not be feeling, I don't
know, I can't say anything. One who is now
realised, what is the meaning of that, once you
have understood this Reality? But that ego is
always there, it comes in the way and takes you to
the wrong path. So, forget that ego! Forget it,
there's no harm.
Question: After you met your master, how did
you live your everyday life?
Ranjit: A very simple life I was living. I
was taking education at a school at that time. I
was just twelve years old. My mind was not there.
Though I went up to matriculation, and then failed
there, and finally I said I would no longer learn
any more required knowledge. My mother was very
kind to me, so she never forced me in any way. My
father died when I was at the age of six, so there
is no question of father coming there. But my
mother could have forced me to get married and all
those things, but she never forced me. All this is
by his Grace [looking at his master's
picture].
Illusion always fights with the realised persons.
In our language, we say "maya". "Maya" is a
Sanskrit word – "ma" means "not" and "ya"
means "which". "Which is not" is an illusion, or
"maya". So, that illusion always fights. One should
be stubborn in his life – "Let come what may,
but I will never submit to you." In this way, after
twelve years of being with my master, he left his
body in 1936 at the age of forty-eight, after
giving us a complete and thorough understanding of
what final realisation is and what thoughtless
Reality is. All these things, he so nicely
explained to us so that we could easily achieve It.
It is by his Grace that I speak today. Once, one
person asked the question here, "Are you also an
illusion, or not?" As long as there is "I", there
is illusion, and therefore many questions. But when
the "I" disappears, or "ego" vanishes, then how can
any illusion remain? Then, there is no one left to
ask any more questions. Where there is light,
darkness can never remain. So, one should listen to
the master with full faith in him, that's enough.
There's no harm in asking questions about your
doubts, but you should take to heart what he tells
you. Everything is possible, there's nothing to
worry about. Then man becomes Reality. In 1936,
when he passed away, I was living my simple life
because I never wanted to become a master
[laughs]. I started to teach in 1983
because my master's granddaughter-in-law wanted me
to give her a mantra. She said to me, "I want a
mantra from you." If I didn't give her a mantra,
then I'd be faithless to Siddharameshwar Maharaj.
So by my master's order and Grace I started to
teach, and at this moment I teach you.
[laughs]
Question: So this is how you started
teaching?
Ranjit: Yes, yes, I started like that only.
One should not be faithless to him because he has
given us such a right thing. Nobody can give that
which he has given. Nobody in the world, I tell
you. He had so much courage. All honour goes to
him! There was so much strength and conviction is
his words that it was not difficult for us to
understand. Mind should be changed, nothing else.
When I say that he conquered me, it means that he
changed my mind, my way of thinking. He didn't do
anything, or perform any miracle, but only said,
"You can see many gods if you want, but they are
unreal, so there is no need to be concerned about
them." He had to say that much to me. At that time
I was not ready because I didn't even know about
Brahman [Reality] or maya. My idea was that
God was only an idol. He told me to forget all
ideas. You can write very many words on a blank
sheet of paper, but if the sheet has already been
written on, then you can't write anything. You have
to make many scratches over it. So, there was
nothing for him to say. He taught me for twelve
years in such a nice way.
Ramdas Maharaj has written a whole chapter on
worship. His disciples asked him, "What is the
necessity of worshipping after realisation? What
you have understood is that nirguna – Reality
is already here. Then why do you continue to
perform worship?" He replied, "You already do
everything or not? You eat, you sleep, you go to
the toilet. If anybody knocks at the door you say,
"Come in." You say, "It is mine, it is yours." In
this way, the understanding remains as long as the
body is there. Then why do you want to forget the
master?" In our lineage, there have always been
bhajans, and Siddharameshwar was also singing
bhajans. He sang them up to his last moment, you
follow. Then, what happens? Nothing remains for
you. So, you no longer want anything from him. He
never wanted anything from his master, but still
why did he worship him? To honour him! To do
service in honour of his master, in honour of
Reality. Only a brave man can do service. He wanted
nothing. He taught us the Truth and we accepted
what he taught because it is absolutely true. So
the only thing that one can do after understanding
is to honour Him. What else is worthwhile? Tell me!
You are He. Now, what to do?
It is only the ego that wants to stop singing the
bhajans. It says, "Now I am a realised person, so
why should I continue to worship? No need!"
Siddharameshwar told us to have some faith in the
master, in your Self. You should at least have
faith in the One. So, have faith in your Self. But
still, sometimes, the mind takes you down the wrong
path, and the ego returns. So he always told us,
"Do what I have told you, don't do what I am
doing." He was always saying this. I may do
anything, according to the body. For example, he
had diabetes, so he could not eat sugar. So does
this mean that his disciples should also not eat
sugar? That's nonsense, no? So he said, "Everything
that I do, don't do it, but what I say, do it
– preserve That in your mind, that Power which
I have revealed to you. Preserve That nicely, so
that you can do anything and everything in the
world." The world is "not" , it doesn't exist, so
what is there to do in the "not" and what is there
not to do in the "not", tell me?
Many disciples may come today but may not come
tomorrow, why should He worry? Water never worries
for anybody. If you are thirsty, then you go to the
river. The river provides water and your thirst is
quenched. So I had to start like this. His
granddaughter-in-law asked me. Because, I never
wanted to be a master, I tell you. It was his wish
now, because everybody is He. After leaving the
body you are everywhere. So I said to her, "After
two hours I will give you the mantra, but let me
first think it over." I had to think and ponder
over it and then I started. And today sixteen years
have passed now, since 1983, when I started. Don't
worry! If a child cries for milk, it's mother says,
"Wait." She makes the milk hot, and then waits for
it to cool down, and then gives it to her child. It
should be digestible. So, the master is just like a
protector. He always protects you everywhere.
Whatever you say is true, no matter what it is.
There is no harm in words, because they are
nothing. After the death of the body, where does
your knowledge go? It returns to zero. So, you have
got the capacity to attain the Truth, because It is
already here.
Suppose somebody's child says something unclear,
and then its mother or father says it clearer: "He
wanted to say this, he wanted to say that." So, the
master is a protector. One should have the greatest
faith, faith beyond your life for the master! Then,
it is very easy. What harms you? Your Self is He!
In this way, I was lucky enough to get that real
master. So I never saw anybody else. There were
many others, like Ramana Maharshi and Rajneesh.
Many people went to see them, but I never wanted to
go to them. What need? When your belly is full you
don't need to go to a restaurant. What is the
meaning in it? If somebody offers you nice
biscuits, you say "Oh, I am sorry, I'm full, I
can't eat them." Brahmins are known for their
ladoos [sweets]. So many Brahmins were
called together, and they were eating ladoos and
then after eating, rice was served. You know, this
is an Indian custom. One of them said, "If I would
still have place for rice I would have taken more
ladoos instead. I would have not left any ladoos."
[laughs] There is no place for it.
So, he has given us so much knowledge that we
didn't need to go anywhere else. "You are
everywhere, everywhere you are He." By his Grace he
gave me that understanding. And I can dare say
today to anybody: "You are He, now go! Don't
worry." Now it is upon you how to accept it! If you
accept it fully, then, what remains? You are also
one of the saints, why not? Do anything, no harm,
but still have the courage to understand. Tell your
mind, "Go away, I don't want you because you always
take the objection." In a race, objection is taken
by the person who finishes second, not the winner.
Sometimes it is overruled and sometimes they have
to submit. So don't take any objection in the mind.
Be frank enough and say to yourself that,"I am
always He." So I always say, "If you are in heaven
or hell, you are still He. Don't worry about it."
Body affairs don't mean anything, so why worry
about it? Have complete understanding, and that the
master gives you, nothing else. Nobody can give you
that understanding. He gives this understanding in
that way. So I dare say now, "If you want to kill,
kill somebody. Don't worry if you go to the
gallows. Body is going to the gallows, I never go
to the gallows." So I go to the extreme sometimes
when I tell you. I like to use extreme examples. No
need to kill anybody. Whom to kill? When everybody
is He, what to kill? But still, mind should be so
strong enough that it doesn't worry for anything,
because you never do anything. In a dream, what
have you done? Nothing! What you have done in the
dream is not true, take it for granted. One should
have that much understanding and that much power to
accept it.
Question: In Reality, there are no objects,
no experience, no experiencing and no experiencer,
like you told us before.
Ranjit: Yes, there is no experience.
Question: If you are Reality then how can
you understand, because understanding requires an
object?
Ranjit: Yes, OK.
Question: Do you see what I mean?
Ranjit: Yes, I understood. Forget everybody,
then you are He or not?
Question: So you have to forget
everything?
Ranjit: Yes. Forget all and then you are He.
As you don't forget all these things – mind,
body, human soul, the idea of Reality – you
have to forget everything and go beyond. Leave
everything and then you are He. He's One only. Who
will experience Him? When there is a oneness, then
there is no question of experience. He is already
here. Forget everything and You are always here. So
I give the example: you go into a room to find
someone, but it is empty. Everybody has gone. But
He [Reality] is there without telling. So,
without saying anything, you are He. There's no
need to say, "I am here."
There's another example I often use: ten men swim
across a river. When they arrive on the other bank,
one of them decides to count to see if all ten have
arrived safely. He only counts nine. So, another
tries and he also counts only nine. They all try
and they all arrive at nine. So they begin to cry
because one has not made it across. Then someone
watching them comes over and tells one of them to
recount. When he arrives at nine, he slaps him and
says, "Tenth is found!" He got the slap and he
said, "Oh, I understood, tenth is here." Each one
forgot to count himself. In the same way, you
remain your Self. Whom to experience now, who will
experience Him? Duality always brings trouble, but
there is no duality at all. When you acquire
knowledge, the trinity – knower, knowing and
knowledge – comes with the knowledge. If you
know anything, then does this trinity remain or
not? You, the observer, are observing something and
there is the observing process – all three
remain. Shankaracharya says, "If the trinity
doesn't remain then you are He. Whom to
experience?" How can you experience your Self? Even
to see your face, you have to use a looking glass.
You cannot see your face without a looking glass.
You can see your whole body, but you cannot see
your own face. So, when you are He, what is there
to experience? The one who says, "I experienced",
he has not experienced, I tell you!
The second day of the moon comes, and it appears as
a very thin line. To help you see it for yourself,
somebody points his finger towards the sky and
says, "Look, there's a cloud and there is a tree,
and nearby there is a very thin line [the
moon]." If you don't experience it or see it
for yourself, then you are lost. The one who has
seen and understood, he gives you that same
understanding. Only the one who has seen can help
you to have the same understanding. "The moon is
there, like a very small thin line." But what do
people do? They go to see the trees, the branches
of the trees or even the cloud and say, "Oh, we
have understood." They have not seen That! The one
who has seen, he will never ask for anything
because he is He. He has understood. If nobody is
there, then are you there or not? So you are always
proving your Self by negation. You can't say, "I am
this." Say, "I am not this!" Somebody knocks on the
door and you say, "Come in, there is nobody." But
you are there, without telling. So, Reality is like
that. No experience is required, but if you go
towards any experience, then you create the trinity
again. But if nobody is there, then you are there.
So I always say, "Close your eyes and then you are
here. What is there to experience? You will always
remain here. In That, there is no "you", no self,
no knowledge, no ignorance and no knowing either."
Then the understanding automatically comes and
there is nothing to worry about. He teaches you in
that way.
Suppose you put both your legs outside, so you are
not in the room. You are outside. Otherwise, if you
put one leg inside, then you are a trespasser. So,
if you do anything to try to understand Him, then
you forget Him. So, do everything but understand
that "I don't exist and I do nothing." The one who
is real [jnani] has no ego. He does
everything and anything, yet he says, "I don't
exist and I do nothing." What remains for him who
doesn't exist? All knowledge is false, it is an
illusion. You are not doing anything! A cinema
screen doesn't do anything but only shows
everything. In the same way, you do nothing but you
show everything. You show the whole world. So the
one who understands the screen, then he never says
what is not true. If someone dies in a film which
is showing on the screen, the ladies cry, at least
in India they cry. [laughs] They say,"Oh,
he is gone!", and they cry. But one who understands
that it is only a film, does he cry? He says, "Oh,
it was only a picture on the screen. Nothing has
happened." In the same way, one should understand
that nothing is happening. Everything is zero.
Whatever happens in zero, how can it be true? In
your dreams you do many things. Can you say it's
true when you wake up? Awakening should come here
and ignorance should go off. When awakening comes,
then you forget everything that has happened in the
dream. You say, "The dream was false." In the same
way here also, say, "This dream is a false dream,
nothing else." The next day when you sleep,
everything goes off, disappears. Where is the
world? You don't even remain yourself. You don't
even know your name. Then you dream, and in the
dream you take another name. You may be a poor
chap, or you might even become a king in the dream.
So, there is no need to worry about anything. The
one who says, "I have understood", he has not
understood, I can say that! There is nothing to
understand. Who is there to understand anything? If
you say, "I know my Self", then what is the meaning
of it, tell me? One automatically knows the Self.
You take the body as the Self, so you are mistaken,
and this is due to ignorance. The Power which works
in you is there or not? When that Power is
disconnected from the body, where does the Power
go? Power remains as nothing, It is null and void.
It is only knowledge that disappears when the body
dies. So forget everything.
What happens when you die? You forget everything.
Then who takes the birth? If the last wish of a
dying man is, "I must have a body", then that makes
him take birth again. Nobody puts you in birth and
nobody makes you die, I tell you. When the
disconnection comes, then automatically one dies,
what to do? He may be ten years old, twenty years
old or even a hundred years old. When he dies, all
knowledge goes away and the five elements return to
zero. The five elements are zero. Knowledge becomes
zero. What remains? The wish which you had of the
body, that makes you take the birth. So, rebirth is
always there. If you understand that I am not this
[pointing to his body], I am something else
other than this, then you will never think that "I
must have a body." There is always a problem with
the body. Whoever he may be – a very strong
man, but still he has some problems in life. So
birth is a problem and death is also a problem. In
between, all problems come and go. You carry on
with the problems only. Happiness is this much
[shows a very little space between his thumb
and index finger] and trouble is this much
[shows large span with his arms]. You go on
working for thirty days, and then you get the
salary, no? [laughs] You have to work.
Nobody gives you your salary in advance. You have
to toil! So you have to toil here also. To be rich
is not easy. You have to do and make many things.
And often, there are many wrong things you have to
do. Then you may become rich. One hundred people
become poor and you become rich. What is there?
Money is not coming only to you, it is always in
circulation. Forget the idea that,"I am rich or I
am poor." It's nothing! If you understand the
Reality, then you are neither poor nor rich. All
are equal. Then nothing remains. That is his
teaching.
Question: So that discriminating power which
reflects on the Truth and enquires into what is
Real and what is unreal, it becomes stronger and
stronger through the enquiry?
Ranjit: Yes, exactly.
Question: So it is a process?
Ranjit: Yes, it's a process, but one can
also do it in one moment. The mind is a process. If
the mind doesn't agree, then you have to make it a
process. But if the mind agrees, then? Take water,
for example. If you don't understand how water is
formed, then you do many things to try and
understand. You wonder how could two parts of
hydrogen and one part of oxygen form water? You
first need to know many things and only then you
can say why it is so. In the same way, a process is
required to strengthen your mind, nothing else. If
the mind turns to the side of Reality, then
everything is lost, but don't worry bacause you are
not the loser. You have got that power to prove
anything you like. Understand that, "If I do
something, it will only bring me trouble, nothing
else." When you take yourself to be "I", you will
be troubled. So there is a saying: "An uneasy life
lies ahead for the one that wears the crown." But
this is not true. Most people feel that the king is
very happy because he has got everything, but in
fact he worries for everybody. In the night, if
something bad happens, people go to the king for
his advice: "This has happened, so what should we
do now? Give your orders!" He is responsible for
all the affairs within his kingom and it is his
duty to solve any problem that may arise. So, to be
free from troubles and worries, understand that "I
don't exist."
All this, even the greatness of the world, is
nothing but a zero. You feel, "I am so great, I am
the greatest of the greatest!" No, the greatest is
He! He is in everybody and does everything. So why
to worry? If you want to do anything, do it! One
should not worry about it. If you worry, then you
are lost and problems come to you. For example,
somebody kills someone, and if you say, "Oh, I have
seen him commit the murder", then, you have to go
to the court again and again to give your account
as a witness. If one says, "I don't know what has
happened?", what has he to do? Nothing! Because
nothing has happened, what to do? Killer is He and
the one who is killed is also He. Who kills whom?
In that way, who am I to be a witness? Witness is
nothing but the loss of your Self. Don't be a
witness. Don't do anything because you are always
He. But you always want to do something, so what to
do? Mind always wants to do something to get
involved. The mind is the greatest mischief monger.
It always makes mischief. Many people come to me
and tell me all their worldly problems, and I laugh
in my mind. [laughs] What to do? It is all
due to the mind's mischief.
Question: They probably still feel that they
can get something from the illusion.
Ranjit: They wish, but if I tell them that
nothing is there, then? Then, they make a face like
this [makes a sad face]. What to do? Master
says it's nothing, everything is nothing. What to
do? But one who has got some understanding and who
wants the Reality, he accepts what the master says.
So one should try to accept that, nothing else.
Mind should be taken to the side of Reality. Turn
your mind, nothing else. One should turn the mind.
Mind is the greatest thing, it makes all the
differences. Good man, bad man, worst man –
mind makes all these differences. People say, "From
day to day, it's going from bad to worse." Nothing
is "bad" and nothing is "worse". It's only
according to your mind that it seems to happen. In
our time, we were getting twelve kilos of rice for
four rupees. Now, one kilo costs between fifty-two
and sixty rupees! Time changes, so why to worry?
The world is going ahead and ahead. So,
Siddharameshwar Maharaj has written in 1926 that,
"The world is galloping towards hell." One finally
goes where? One dies and everything ends. Nothing
remains for him. So, you are always free.
There were freedom fighters fighting for the
independence of India. Once Siddharameshwar Maharaj
said, "Don't think that after gaining independence
from the British it will rain gold! Rain of water
is sure to come. After independence, you will have
to toil even more." For example, if you are under
the protection of your father, then do you have to
worry more? No. He looks after everything. But when
you become independent, then you have to worry
about everything: "What to do, how to do it, how to
earn money?" All these questions come in the mind.
The mind is like this. You may become independent,
but you don't see that now you have even more
troubles to deal with. Forget the independence!
Reality is always there and everything that is
happening is okay. Nothing is bad and nothing is
good. Accept this in your mind. If anything goes
against your wish, say " It is for my own good,
because I am the creator. I have created this!"
That should be the understanding. Why to worry
about anything? If death comes to the body, then
say, "It's okay, I am prepared to die, because I am
not that." Who dies? Nobody dies. Death has no
value because everything is already zero.
Everything comes from zero and returns to zero, and
even now it is zero. So what is death, tell me?
What is here [pointing to a cupboard]?
Light a fire in it and then it becomes zero. It's
the same for everything. What is here? Let
everything be here, but understand that it is
nothing.
Question: So in a sense, should we stop
creating things?
Ranjit: Don't create anything! Create your
Self. Find the Reality, create your Reality more
and more. Then, automatically you will understand
that it's nothing, just a play! Suppose a small boy
is playing cards with you. He puts an eight down,
but he says, "King!". "I am the winner", he then
says. Your love is there. You say, "Yes, yes, you
win". Same thing, nothing else. So everybody says,
"I am the winner"! "Yes, yes, you are the winner, I
am defeated." Take it for granted because I don't
exist. Who is defeated? When I don't exist, then
who is defeated? Nobody is defeated. You take it as
true and then defeat comes to you. So forget
everything and you are He without doing anything
now. Your eyes see everything. Close your eyes then
you are He. How much time does it take? But you
don't accept that, so what to do? When you close
your eyes, you are there or not? You without you,
Self without self is there. Why to worry? If
everything becomes zero, you are not going to be
zero. Screen remains always the same. Many pictures
come and go. When the end of the film comes, then
all the people go. You pay money, sit for three
hours and still you have to go home without getting
anything [laughs]. So this is the fancy of
the mind. Mind always fancies things. What fancy
will come to him, one cannot say. Understanding
should come, nothing else. Siddharameshwar Maharaj
gave that understanding, so, I am still living at
87, take it for granted [laughs]. Otherwise
I would have died and gone at any time. My body was
always weak. Now I am stronger, I tell you!
[laughs] When I was at school I had
permission to not go to the gymnasium and play
sports with the other children. I couldn't do it.
Weak body was there, what to do? Permission was
taken from the headmaster. I would sit and watch
the others play sports.
Question: Maharaj, what is awakening?
Ranjit: Awakening is nothing but a complete
and thorough understanding. A clear cut
understanding of a thing is awakening.
Question: And it's a mental
understanding?
Ranjit: First a mental understanding is
required, and then a practical understanding is
required. Talent is the greatest thing,
intellectual talent. Without the intellect one
cannot understand. So, you have to understand with
the full intellect and then, that knowledge, or
that understanding should submerge, because
knowledge is only a thought. A good thought or a
bad thought, both are thoughts. So, knowledge is a
golden thorn and ignorance is an ordinary thorn,
and both are bondage. Suppose your hands have been
put in cuffs. Maybe they are iron cuffs or maybe
they are golden cuffs, but your hands are still
bound. So, both are thorns. One should understand
and then throw them both away. It is very difficult
to rject all knowledge because ego remains up to
knowledge. Knowledge is ego, nothing else. To erase
that knowledge, one should say, "I know nothing."
As Socrates said, "I know that I don't know." In
this way I understood that even after
understanding, one should always think of his mind,
thoughts, knowledge and ego. It could come in any
time, any moment, you can't say. One should always
be on the alert, because ego is such a thing, it
can erupt at any moment.
Question: This discrimination between the
Real and unreal, does it just come to the person or
do you have to achieve it?
Ranjit: One has to achieve it. Mind is just
like a knife and should be sharpened at every
moment. If the master is there, he sharpens your
mind. When he's not there, you have to sharpen your
own mind. Because the illusion is such, one can be
thrown off from any place. Illusion wants that the
person be under "my" control. He opposes illusion,
so the illusion doesn't like him and tries in any
way to take him down, or attract him in anyway. So,
it is said, "You have to walk on a sword. Any
little mistake, and you will get cut." In this way,
one should go, one can go. Reality is not to be
achieved, It is already there. The farmer works,
plants seeds and finally the corn grows, but still
he has to work and harvest it. In the same way here
too. After receiving or understanding the Final
Reality, one should be on his guard. After a
thorough understanding, then nothing is
required.
Question: So, is that the advice you give to
your disciples?
Ranjit: I teach them that when doubts come,
I have to solve their doubts.
Question: You have to solve them?
Ranjit: I must. I always give sermons every
Sunday in Bombay, and for the majority, their
doubts are automatically cleared in the next
sermon. One who has got more doubts, he can come
and ask anything, and I give them my full
co-operation. I don't believe in these big fuss's
– that one should take an appointment, and one
should do this. It's all nonsense. Why? When you
say it is all an illusion, then why add to it by
making a fuss? [laughs] Ego only wants
that, no? "I am a great saint and they should ask
me", and all these kinds of behaviour. It's all
nothing! One should put his own self at the feet of
the master and fully trust in the teaching of the
master. If one can do that, then I can take him up
to the door of the Reality, and after that, he has
to experience It. There, I am not, because the
master and the experience are both one. There is no
duality, there is no duality. Is there anything
more?
Question: Yes, I have a few more questions.
One is: can the individual all of a sudden choose
to wake up, or does the awakening happen only when
the time is right?
Ranjit: What the master teaches, if you have
got full faith in it, why then can one not learn?
It's not so that it will take time, or suddenly it
will come. I don't believe in that. You must have
the faith.
Question: And if you don't have that
faith?
Ranjit: Then it's useless. Faith is required
up to understanding only. Afterwards, "no faith" is
also required. Suppose you have got sixty lakhs
[six million] francs in the bank, and I
say, "Keep faith." Is there any meaning in it? You
say, "No, I know I have got it." Once you
understand, when a clear cut understanding comes,
then even faith is not required. There are many
steps here. Step by step you have to go up.
"Suddenly", I don't believe in "suddenly". Many
people say this and many saints even say it.
"Suddenly", I don't believe. When you've got sixty
lakhs in the bank, why talk of "suddenly"? You
know! If you've forgotten then it's my duty to make
you understand.
Question: Would you say that the faith comes
when there is surrender?
Ranjit: Ego should be surrendered.
Question: So, as long as there is "someone"
who thinks he is other than That, then it cannot
work?
Ranjit: Yes. The small baby has so much
faith in the mother, so the mother does everything
for him. Before he cries, she gives milk, and
everything. In the same way, the master is also
like that. If you've got faith, then nothing is
impossible. Suppose a women falls with a child.
When she gets up, she first sees that the child is
not hurt. In the same way, the master also knows.
When one has got the faith, He knows, so all his
misunderstandings and doubts are cleared by Him.
Otherwise, how can "suddenly" or "abruptly" come
up? How can it come up? You have to know your Self
only. You only represent or misrepresent your Self.
If that understanding doesn't come then the ego
will remain.
Question: So, once you know, or once you've
tasted, then how can any doubts arise. Is that what
you're saying?
Ranjit: Yes, you become doubtless. Once you
know, "I am not this", then? My master told me,
"After understanding, if you want to stay, stay.
Stay in the jail if you like, but take it in your
mind that "I am not a victim"". One cannot not
afford to leave the illusory so fast, so live
there, but understand that much, "I'm not the
victim." So, stay in the jail but take it for
granted, or in the mind, that "I am not a victim."
Ego is such – in very many ways it remains, in
different shapes, in different ways, it remains.
So, one should always really be aware of the
understanding, and then, once you are complete,
there is nothing to worry about. What you see is
illusion. If you understand "myself" is illusion,
then where does everything remain? People don't
understand that an illusion is nothing, so how can
it block you? How can nothing block you?
Question: For you it's an illusion, but for
most people it's so real.
Ranjit: When the master teaches you, you can
get the experience. Experience brings everything.
The boy is an ignorant boy, then he goes to school.
Finally, he graduates from the college as a doctor,
or a barrister, or an engineer. He gets the
knowledge. In the same way here, also. Nothing is
impossible in the world, bas. But everything has
become impossible in the world, because people are
stealing for this. You are He, so what is
impossible? You don't understand, you don't take it
to heart. That is the impossibility.
Many people come and ask me, "Where's the master,
and what to do?" Their master is not living at the
moment and still they ask the question, "What can
we do?" Somebody said to me, "I have got three
masters – Nisargadatta, Siddharameshwar and
you." This is a wrong thing of the mind. Only one
sword can stay in one sheath. Two cannot stay. You
must leave either that master and forget him. That
is the main point, nothing else. So I was loving
Lord Krishna like anything, but still I left him
because I saw Siddharameshwar Maharaj. So I always
say, "I saw him and he conquered me." That is the
main point in it. One should have great love for
the master, and great devotion also. What he says
is correct, if you understand that. At that time,
he taught meditation. He also told us, "You can see
many gods also. No harm – one can see, but
there's no need for all this nonsense, this is also
a trial." I was very young and so he had to tell me
that. I never minded because I knew what he said
was correct. I can say now myself, that "I am He."
Very strongly I can say that "I am He". I don't
exist myself. I don't exist as a master either, not
anything. I am He. Master is also ego. To be a
master is also ego. Forget that!
Question: Yesterday, you also mentioned the
saying, "This is not me, this is not me". I find
that this is also a beautiful way.
Ranjit: Yes, exactly. "I am not", you have
to say that. "I am" is very thorny. "I" never
exists. In a dream you become something, you become
"I". When you wake up, you say, "Oh it was wrong."
So this waking state is a very long dream. Seeing
the master is required, so that then after you
yourself have the same understanding and will say,
"Oh, this is all illusion, so no need to worry!" It
is very easy and also very hard, both ways. If the
mind accepts, then it is very easy. Thinking should
be changed, nothing else! Change the track of the
mind. The mind is derailed, like a train. Put it on
the right track, and then it goes!
Question: Could you explain to us what the
significance of the pilgrimage is for you?
Ranjit: The significance is that
Siddharameshwar Maharaj's last remains are kept
there in Bagewadi. Then, what to do now? He has
left his body many years ago. So we go there and
worship for sometime. He is everywhere, so there is
nothing to worry about. You yourself is He. Still,
you have to make the duality to understand, to
realise or cherish something. You follow me?
Question: So, it helps to make the
understanding stronger?
Ranjit: Yes, yes, yes, understanding. It
helps you more. When you go on the pilgrimage, all
your thoughts go away. Worldly thoughts also go
away. On the pilgrimage, all are the birds of the
same feather. During that time, you worship and do
many things which helps you. That's the meaning of
the pilgrimage. We first visit Chimmud, where you
can see a funeral pyre which was built there. After
preparing his own pyre, this man slept over it and
said, "When my breathing leaves me, light the
fire." And still it stands today. It's about
eighteen feet high. It was built over a hundred
years ago. A hundred years have passed away. So,
your mind takes you, drags you there and you forget
all worldly affairs. This is the main meaning,
nothing else. After understanding, why does a
realised being go on a pilgrimage? Where to go and
where not to go? So he goes there to keep the mind
on Reality. If you go to the cinema then all
troubles come, no? Money is required, first of all.
[laughs] But nothing is required to be with
Him. That's the pilgrimage. So, we also visit my
master's birthplace, Pathri, where he took the
birth and achieved such Reality, which most people
cannot understand.
Many saints also don't understand, I dare say now!
Ramakrishna Parmahansa was there and some realised
person met him. Ramakrishna told him that he was
only worshipping Kali Kamata. Kali is a power
goddess. That person told Ramakrishna, " Take that
photo and spit on it, then only can you realise."
These are all worldly affairs. Worshipping is also
a worldly affair. All of these things, forget them,
and then you can understand your Self, "Who am I?".
Otherwise you can't understand. So, my master said,
"Forget everybody and everything, including idols."
When you go to church, Christ's body is not there,
only the emblem is there. If you only worship the
emblem, then you will become the emblem only. You
won't be He. But if you worship the Reality, then
you become the Reality. Christ said, "I am God",
and then his own disciples killed him. At that time
people didn't have a very high intellectual
capacity. Their caliber was very poor and so they
could not accept what Christ said. So they killed
him. "How can he be God?" Understanding should
come. So, Christ taught with understanding. He said
at the end, "Oh my Father, forgive them, for they
do not know what they are doing. They kill my body,
but they cannot kill me." That's the meaning in it.
In the same way, if anybody comes to you and says,
"I'm going to kill you", you say, "Kill me! It is
very good for me not to remain in the body because
I am He". [laughs] As I have taken the
birth I must remain in the body for a certain
time.
So never worry. Siddharameshwar Maharaj was the
right person and he has given this understanding.
So we go on the pilgrimage, we go there and pray.
What we pray here in Bombay, we pray there as well.
We are doing nothing more. It's just a different
way. We all go there at the same time. Then your
mind can be dragged to that side [Reality],
nothing else. So, for that purpose all these things
are required.
The saint Tukaram, after he had understood the
Reality, met together with some people who were
going to Pandharpur, which is a pilgrimage place
for Lord Krishna. One of them said to him, "Come
Tukaram Maharaj, you have to come with us to
Pandharpur." He replied, "My Pandharpur is here
now, not there." In this way, the understanding
comes and after there is nothing to do. No need.
But what should one do as long as the body is
there, or many people are there? Many people cannot
understand this. It is very difficult for them to
understand. It is very easy, but people don't want
easy things. They prefer the hard things. For
example, you ask someone, "Where is your left ear?"
He says, "It's here" [Maharaj reaches with his
right arm over his head to touch his left ear].
But if they do it this way, then it's so much
easier [Maharaj reaches with his left hand up
to his left ear]. The the indirect approach is
called "Dravidian Pranayam". Wrong things! Do it
the easier way and say, "It is here!" In the same
way, say "He is always here!" So Vitthoba, Lord
Krishna and Siddharameshwar Maharaj are all here.
Know that everybody is He. When that understanding
comes, then there is no need to do anything. But
still, the realised person does it to help the
disciples, to give them some satisfaction and
understanding so that one day they too can
understand.
All that is the meaning of the pilgrimage, nothing
else. Otherwise, the pilgrimage has no meaning. He
is everywhere, no? But his last bodily remains are
kept there, so we go there and pray. Nothing else.
But he has said, "Nothing is required." Okay, but
still people cannot understand, so in order to give
them some understanding, he goes with them and does
everything. Nothing to worry. He does everything.
Our master has told us, "You have to sing bhajans."
I have sung four bhajans up to now. For the past
seventy-five years, since I was twelve years old, I
am doing that. What else is there to do? And in
that I relish! Nothing remains and no trouble comes
to me. If I only had a few hours to live, I'll do
it! At night, any time – no harm. No bondage
of time. If you feel trouble, for example, a fever
is coming, then sleep. But don't forget Him, the
Reality. Get up afterwards when you feel better and
sing the bhajans, and then afterwards sleep again.
Everything will go away, so there is nothing to
worry about. That is his power. "Your" power means
"His" power. There is only One and you are He.
That's the main point in it, nothing else. Be He
and do anything.
After understanding one still says, "This is my
share, this is your share". When we talk, we use
the words "mine", "yours", "his" and "hers". You
still have to use the same words. Also, you still
have eat, drink, sleep go to the toilet. So, when
you know that eveything is unreal, why should you
stop worshipping Him? It is the ego that says, "Now
that I have understood I will stop worshipping my
Guru." Ego can easily return, so to destroy it
forever you have to perform worship in honour of
Him. You can do it! When you worship, your mind
becomes stronger and stronger and moves over to
that side [of Reality]. Then finally, you
become the Reality. Today you are He, but you don't
know it. Your mind makes some objection. Mind
doesn't allow you to go to the Reality because it
knows that its death is there. So, it objects in
order to make some point and drags you back into
the illusion. One should overcome the mind, that's
all. Forget your mind and make His mind your mind.
Make the master's mind your mind. Then you can be
He in a fraction of a second, why not? If
acceptance comes, then what remains? But you don't
accept it because your love for the illusion is
still strong and won't leave you. So, that is why
we take people on the pilgrimage and get them to do
this and that, so that they can easily come
round.
For example, if a boy doesn't do his homework,
sometimes you have to punish him and sometimes you
have to say to him, "We won't give you your lunch
or dinner unless you do your homework." When he
doesn't get lunch or dinner he says, "Oh, I have to
do it!". In the same way here, we have to do
something. Nothing is required only if you
understand that. But still, what the master says,
do it so that the ego never returns. If you keep
the door open, a thief must enter, but if you lock
it, then nobody can come in. So when you sleep, you
have to lock everything before you sleep. The thief
sees that nothing is kept open so he can not come
in. The thief is ego, and is full of nonsense. Even
after realising, it can come in the mind. As long
as the body is there, mind will be there. When it
troubles you, stop it by crushing it. Forget
anything that troubles you. Crush it within a
fraction of a second. Don't have any mercy for it.
One should forget the ego. Forgetting ego means
forgetting the wrong self. Then Reality opens and
remains forever here. If you go out of this
building into the street, you can easily encounter
troublesome situations. All this is ego. A realised
is always free. The mind should always be kept
free. Keep your mind so strong so that nothing can
come in it. When that understanding comes then you
are He, and then there is nothing to worry about.
Wherever you go, whatever you do, you are free.
That is the main purpose of the pilgrimage. People
can enjoy and at the same time understand, that's
the main point. Enjoying and understanding come
more and more together. That is good, no?
[laughs].
Question: Maharaj, how do you see the
world?
Ranjit: [laughs] How do you see a
ghost? There's nothing there, so what is there to
say? As long as the body is there, he acts, no
doubt. He calls his mother "mother", and his wife
"wife", but still he knows. If somebody asks him,
"What is your name?", he gives his name, but he
knows, "I am not this." That clear cut
understanding is required. Complete understanding
is called "That". Be in That. Yesterday, I said,
"Be like a lotus leaf. You are produced in water,
you live in water, but you are not touched by
water." So stay in that way, nothing else. Nothing
needs to be demolished. Why demolish anything? What
are they? Why are they there, troubling you? In
fact, they don't trouble you. You go in and get
into trouble. This chair never says, "I am yours."
You say, "It is my chair." So, who is at fault? Not
the chair, but yourself. The chair says nothing.
So, in that way you can see the world. After
realising you can stay in the world like a child,
without any interest. So, Shankaracharya has given
very nice words for this: "He stays in thoughtless
Reality and in the thought He remains, but He knows
he is a thought." In short, he plays with the
illusion.
For example, if you play with a serpent, first take
out his poisonous tooth and then play. Poisonous
tooth is the only troubling point, no? So, it is
all illusion and not true, and if you understand
that it's all nothing, then you can play in it!
What harms you? There is nothing! What will harm
you? So, be just like a lotus leaf while you live
life. A realised person does not fear death, he
does not care for anything more, and he does not
want anything. When he does not want anything,
people bring things and put them before him, He
says "No, I don't want this." They insist and say,
"No, you must take it!". Suppose you return home
and you say to your mother or wife, "I don't want
to eat anything." They will ask, "What happened,
why are you not eating?" They will ask you many
questions. But suppose, instead you say, "Is my
meal ready or not!?" They will respond,"Wait
awhile, it will be ready soon." She responds very
politely but inwardly she thinks, "It will be ready
soon, and if you want it, you can have some, and if
you don't want it then..." So, in the world, one
should not expect anything. You must first know
your Self in your heart. Otherwise, you will be a
slave to the illusion. Want nothing, understand
that, because there is nothing. It's not true!
Question: Maharaj, if it's all a dream, an
illusion, then I am a dream figure in this
illusion, is that correct ? If I am part of the
dream do I have any control over what happens in
the dream ?
Ranjit: If you do not sleep, then how can
you dream? If you go to sleep, and take the dream
to be true then you feel that you do everything in
the dream. Same way here, if you take this waking
state as a dream, then why worry about it? You
always worry for the dream. You say, "The dream
should be like this, or it should go this way or
that way". A river does not worry about its
destination, it just flows. In the same way, after
understanding, stay like this, never worrying.
Whatever happens is okay. If bad things happen
against him, he says, "It's okay because it is my
wish!" It is your dream, no? You have taken birth
in the dream, so you are bound in the dream. In a
dream there is no law. For example, in a dream a
plane can land in your bedroom! You can do
anything, so your power is very strong. A plane
instantly lands in the room and you can experience
this.
Another example is, here [in the waking
state] if you want money, you first have to
earn it and only then you can deposit it in the
bank. But in a dream, if you want money, you can
get the money immediately. Also, you have to wait
nine months here for a child, but in the dream, in
the spur of the moment you can have a child. No
need to wait nine months. All you have to do is
say, "I want a child" and the child is there. The
power is so strong. As you have become a body, your
power has become so weak that you cannot do
anything. Now we have to awaken your power, nothing
else. What does the realised person do? He awakens
your power which is sleeping. He wakes you up, and
when you are awake the world becomes as small as a
sesame seed. The whole world, which was such a big
world previously, is now nothing but a sesame seed.
In other words, it is nothing. When understanding
comes, then nothing remains.
Question: Does the individual have his own
discriminating power, or does it come from the
master?
Ranjit: From the master. He teaches you
because you do not know that one plus two is three.
When you go to school, you understand. Now you can
say that one plus two is three. An enlightened
person says at once, "One plus two is three! I
know!" He says it so strongly. Understanding should
come. Master awakens your understanding. When you
are sleeping, he gives you a force that wakes you
up. If you are in a dream, or if you are in
trouble, somebody wakes you up and says, "Get up!
What happened? You were crying." You say, "No, no I
did not know, I was not crying !" He was crying,
but he did not know. Then he wakes up and sees that
nothing is there. All the time we are saying wrong
things. Understanding should come in the mind. Mind
should be awakened, nothing else. Mind is sleeping
in ignorance and takes everything to be true. It
acts in such a way that more ignorance comes to
him.
In the same way, the master wakes you up. He
awakens your understanding and then you yourself
can say "I am He" , because everybody is He. There
is nobody or nothing in the world apart from
Reality. The world is full of Him. Nothing is there
except Him. What you see is Him. It does not exist,
but due to the body you feel the hardness of this
chair [taps the chair]. For example, when
you sleep you dream, and in the dream somebody
gives you a slap on the face. You feel the slap and
immediately you you wake up to find only pillows.
You then realise, "Oh, it was nothing ! Nobody
slapped me." In the dream, somebody kills you,
"Ahhh, I am killed!" Then you wake up. "All is
false, nobody was there to kill me." Then your fear
goes away. Awakening brings makes you fearless. One
should realise that by nature you are fearless.
Being fearless, the mind becomes completely naked
and you know that nothing is true. Even God will
say, "Oh, now he knows that he is Reality. There is
nothing left that I can do for him." That is the
power that comes in the mind, nothing else.
Everything that happens is done by Him. The power
of Reality is so strong. And the ego, the self, has
never done anything because nothing ever existed.
The "I" doesn't exist and nothing happens in Him.
That is Reality. For example, you go to a cinema to
watch a three hour film. When the film ends, the
screen becomes blank. The screen never screams,
laughs or sings, but during the film everything
appears on it. In the same way, here we experience
many things due to the objectivity of the mind. You
see all the objects and immediately believe that
they are real. At the moment you realise who you
are, you see that everything is nothing. That is
the main point. Mind should accept that everything
is zero.
Once the
mind accepts that everything is nothing, then
nothing remains and my Self is Truth.
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