Beauty ＆ Pure 110

" It is true Wisdom
For the 'mind' to turn away
From outer objects and behold
Its own effulgent form.
When unceasingly the 'mind'
Scans its own form
There is nothing of the kind.
'Thoughts' alone make up the 'mind'.
What is called 'mind' is but the notion 'I'.
When one turns within and searches
Whence this 'I'-thought arises,
The shamed 'I' vanishes --
And, Wisdom's quest begins.
Where this 'I'-notion faded
Now there as "I"-"I" arises
The ONE, the very SELF,
The Infinite. "

Beauty ＆ Pure 109

Question: Who am I?


Bhagavan: The gross body which is composed of the seven humours (dhatus), I am not; the five cognitive sense organs, viz., the senses of hearing, touch, sight, taste, and smell, which apprehend their respective objects, viz., sound, touch, colour, taste, and odour, I am not; the five conative sense organs, viz., the organs of speech, locomotion, grasping, excretion and procreation, which have as their respective functions, speaking, moving, grasping, excreting and enjoying, I am not; the five vital airs, prana, etc., which perform respectively the five functions of inbreathing, etc., I am not; even the mind which thinks, I am not; the nescience too, which is endowed only with the residual impressions of objects, and in which there are no objects and no functionings, I am not.

Question: If I am none of these, then Who am I?

Bhagavan: After negating all of the above mentioned as ‘not this’, ‘not this’, that Awareness which alone remains — that I am.

Question: What is the nature of Awareness?

Bhagavan: The nature of Awareness is Existence-Consciousness-Bliss

.

Beauty ＆ Pure 108

Question: Who am I?

Bhagavan: The gross body which is composed of the seven humours (dhatus), I am not; the five cognitive sense organs, viz., the senses of hearing, touch, sight, taste, and smell, which apprehend their respective objects, viz., sound, touch, colour, taste, and odour, I am not; the five conative sense organs, viz., the organs of speech, locomotion, grasping, excretion and procreation, which have as their respective functions, speaking, moving, grasping, excreting and enjoying, I am not; the five vital airs, prana, etc., which perform respectively the five functions of inbreathing, etc., I am not; even the mind which thinks, I am not; the nescience too, which is endowed only with the residual impressions of objects, and in which there are no objects and no functionings, I am not.

Question: If I am none of these, then Who am I?

Bhagavan: After negating all of the above mentioned as ‘not this’, ‘not this’, that Awareness which alone remains — that I am.

Question: What is the nature of Awareness?

Bhagavan: The nature of Awareness is Existence-Consciousness-Bliss.

Beauty ＆ Pure 107

SILENCE and SOLITUDE **

Devotee : Is a vow of silence useful ?

Sri Bhagavan : The inner silence is self-surrender. And, that is living without the sense of ego
.
D.: Is solitude necessary for a sannyasi ?

Sri Bhagavan : Solitude is in the mind of a man. One might be in the thick of the world and yet maintain perfect serenity of mind ; such a person is always in solitude. Another may stay in theforest, but still be unable to control his mind. He cannot be said to be in solitude. Solitude is an attitude of the mind ; a man attached to the things of life cannot get solitude, wherever he may be. A detached man is always in solitude.

D.: What is mauna (silence) ?

Sri Bhagavan : That state which transcends speech and thought, is mauna (silence), it is meditation without mental activity. Subjugation of the mind is meditation ; deep meditation is eternal speech. Silence is ever-speaking ; it is the perennial flow of 'language'. It is interrupted by speaking ; for words obstruct this mute 'laugage'. Lectures may entertain individuals for hours without improving them. Silence, on the other hand, is permanent and benefits the whole of humanity....By silence, eloquence is meant. Oral lectures are not so eloquent as silence. Silence is unceasing eloquence...It is the best language.

Beauty ＆ Pure 106

The three states come and go, but you are always there. It is like a cinema. The screen is always there but several types of pictures appear on the screen and then disappear. Nothing sticks to the screen, it remains a screen. Similarly, you remain your own Self in all the three states. If you know that, the three states will not trouble you, just as the pictures which appear on the screen do not stick to it. On the screen, you sometimes see a huge ocean with endless waves; that disappears. Another time, you see fire spreading all around; that too disappears. The screen is there on both occasions. Did the screen get wet with the water or did it get burned by the fire? Nothing affected the screen. In the same way, the things that happen during the wakeful, dream and sleep states do not affect you at all; you remain your own Self.

Beauty ＆ Pure 105

Since reality shines radiantly within oneself as the Self, only that Self deserves to be known. For enquiry into one's real nature as it actually is in the Heart, the best guide is the unrejectable true light of the Self ['I am"]

That consciousness [chit], which is one's own being [sat], is that bliss [ananda] within the Heart, without beginning and end

Beauty ＆ Pure 104

Mr. P. Brunton asked Sri Bhagavan if the Hill here is hollow. 

M.: The puranas say so. When it is said that the Heart is a cavity , penetration into it proves it to be an expanse of light. Similarly the Hill is one of light. The caves, etc., are covered up by the Light.

D.: Are there caves inside?

M.: In visions I have seen caves, cities with streets, etc., and a whole world in it.

D.: Are there Siddhas too in it?

M.: All the Siddhas are reputed to be there.

D.: Are there only Siddhas or others also?

M.: Just like this world. 

Beauty ＆ Pure 103

"What is Karma ?" asked someone.

Sri Bhagavan : That which has already begun to bear fruit is classified as Prarabdha Karma (past action). That which is in the store and will later bear fruit is classified as Sachita Karma (accumulated action). That is multifarious like the grain obtained by villagers as barter for cress (greens). Such bartered grain consists of rice, ragi, barley, etc., some floating on, others sinking in water. Some of it may be good, bad or indifferent. When the most potent of the multifarious accumulated Karma begins to bear fruit in the next birth, it is called the 'Prarabdha' of that birth.

Beauty ＆ Pure 102

Call it by any name, God, Self, the Heart or the seat of consciousness, it is all the same. The point to be grasped is this, that Heart means the very core of one's being, the centre, without which there is nothing whatever. The Heart is not physical, it is spiritual. Hridayam equals hrit plus ayam; it means `this is the centre'. It is that from which thoughts arise, on which they subsist and where they are resolved. The thoughts are the content of the mind and they shape the
universe. The Heart is the centre of all. That from which beings come into existence is said to be Brahman in the Upanishads. That is the Heart. Brahman is the Heart.

Beauty ＆ Pure 101

This morning after reading an article in the newspaper about paths beyond the sun and the higher worlds, Bhagavan said, 

“They write a lot about the paths beyond the sun and other planets, and the blissful worlds above them. All those worlds also are like this world. There is nothing specially great about them. Here, a song is being transmitted over the radio. Last time, it was from Madras. Now it is from Tiruchirapalli. If you tune again it will be from Mysore. All these places are in Tiruvannamalai, within this short time. It is the same way with the other worlds. You have only to turn your minds to them. You can see them all in one moment. But what is the use? You merely go about from place to place get tired and disgusted. Where is shanti (peace)? If you want it, you must know the eternal truth. If you cannot know that, the mind will not get absorbed in shanti.”

Similarly someone enquired of Bhagavan some time back, “People talk of Vaikunta, Kailasa, Indraloka, Chandraloka, etc. Do they really exist?” Bhagavan replied, “Certainly. You can rest assured that they all exist. There also a Swami like me will be found seated on a couch and disciples will also be seated around him. They will ask something and he will say something in reply. Everything will be more or less like this. What of that? If one sees Chandraloka, he will ask for Indraloka, and after Indraloka, Vaikunta and after Vaikunta, Kailasa, and so on, and the mind goes on wandering. Where is shanti? If shanti is required, the only correct method of securing it is by Self-enquiry. Through Self-enquiry Self- realisation is possible. If one realises the Self, one can see all these worlds within one’s self. The source of everything is one’s own Self, and if one realises the Self, one will not find anything different from the Self. Then these questions will not arise. There may or may not be a Vaikunta or a Kailasa but it is a fact that you are here, isn’t it? How are you here? Where are you? After you know about these things, you can think of all those worlds.