Nov 2019

Vol. 87 No.
NOVEMBER 2019 02
anandashram, PO anandashramA 671531, india
2 THE VISION Nov 2019

Pujya Swami Satchidananda (1919-2008)

Nov 2019 3

Vol. 87 NOVEMBER 2019 No. 02

SOURCE
ife flows from an ancient Source.
The Source is sweetness — bliss eternal.
All life is the expression of this bliss.
Ignorance of the Source is the bitterness of the life,
Know the root is the free, immortal joy:
Then life is a stream teeming with pure delight.
Now, it glides in rhythm of harmony and peace.
Life marches, informed with a subtle, Divine energy
‘Tis not daunted by obstacles and onward goes,
Conquering and surrendering and creating in its
course,
The fragrant flowers of love and service.
Blissful itself and yielding peace to all —
Life knows its Source.
— Swami Ramdas
4 THE VISION Nov 2019

Vol. 87 November 2019 No. 02

CONTENTS
From The Editor - 5
Know The Source - Swami Ramdas 7
Beloved Papa Answers - 10
With The Divine Mother - Swami Shuddhananda 12
Sole Aim Is To Reach The Source - Swami Satchidananda 15
Points To Ponder - 18
Finding The Source - Bhagawan Ramana 21
Journey Back To The Source - Swami Chidananda 23
Enquiring Into The Source - 26
Understanding The Source - Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj 31
Dear Children - 33
Epistles Of Swami Ramdas - 34
Anandashram News - 34

THE VISION
A Monthly Magazine
Published by

Anandashram
PO Anandashrama 671531, Kanhangad, Kerala, India
Phone: (0467) 2203036, 2970160, 2207403
Web: www.anandashram.org
Email: [email protected]
For free edition of “The Vision” on the web,
please visit: www.anandashram.org
Nov 2019 5

FROM THE EDITOR

he purpose of celebrating or observing
important days connected with the lives of
Mahatmas is to remind us of the exemplary
values they epitomised, and thus hasten our efforts to
perseveringly try to live up to these values.
Param Pujya Swami Satchidanandaji’s birth
centenary will be celebrated on the 12th of November
2019.
Pujya Swamiji was a personification of humility,
simplicity, self-effacement, love for all, equanimity
in all situations and dexterity in every action that he
performed.
Devotees or Sadhakas who were blessed with the
opportunity of interacting with Pujya Swamiji even
for a short time would remember how meticulous
Pujya Swamiji was in attending to each and
everyone’s needs. To him nobody was unimportant
or insignificant. Swamiji thus taught us, not through
words, but by his very inspiring life, that our spiritual
values and disciplines should ultimately be reflected
in our lives.
After the Mahasamadhi of Pujya Mataji, Pujya
6 THE VISION Nov 2019

Swamiji used to share his thoughts on important

occasions. These talks were replete with sublime
points to ponder. Some of these pearls of wisdom
have been brought out in this issue of THE VISION.
On this auspicious occasion, going through these
points will help us fathom how far we have been able
to live-up to Pujya Swamiji’s teachings.
May Pujya Swamiji, who is now in the form of
remembrance, help us in raising ourselves to higher
levels in our spiritual evolution.
When our prayers come from the bottom of the
hearts (not just lip-service), Pujya Swamiji, who is
love-incarnate, will surely extend his hand of support
to lift us up.
Our Shatakoti Pranams at the holy feet of Param
Pujya Swamiji.
Pujya Swamiji used to mention that our thrust
in Sadhana should be to move towards the Source
of all sources. Therefore, this month’s issue of THE
VISION carries articles on this subject authored by
various Mahatmas.
— Editor
Nov 2019 7

KNOW THE SOURCE

By Swami Ramdas
hen we recede into the depths
of silence within us, we arrive
at the true basis of our life. We
discover that from this Source all life and
manifestation have come forth in their
amazing variety and multiplicity. It is at this Source
that we discover the eternal fountain of peace and joy.
Until an individual gets the vision of this fundamental
existence, he will be simply groping on the surface and
therefore in the dark, in pursuit of vain and evanescent
things, believing that these can yield him the true
peace and happiness which his soul hungers for.
By the mere acceptance of a cult or creed a man
cannot progress on the path of Truth. By merely
becoming a member of a society or institution or
by assuming the position of a disciple of any great
and Self-realized personality, can he hope to attain
to spiritual perfection? What is needed is that, by
coming into close grips with the varied experiences
of life and by constant touch with the inner Reality of
his life, he should cut out his path so that his march
towards the Truth may be steady and uninterrupted.
8 THE VISION Nov 2019

What is principally required is the withdrawal of his

mind from without to within, which means that the
restless and roaming nature of the mind must be
totally arrested by right thought, right contemplation
and right meditation. The mind has to settle down
and the uncontrolled dynamics of it must be brought
under subjection. Perseverance and an unflagging
endeavour are the qualities of a true aspirant or seeker
of Truth. Lassitude, idleness and heedlessness are the
enemies of spiritual progress. Awareness, watchfulness
and effort are the true qualities of a Sadhaka.
It is true that the ego has to be subdued before
Self-illumination can come. It is not an easy thing to
put down the ego. A lukewarm attempt and emotional
outbursts cannot wipe it out. Self-surrender is not so
easy of attainment as many would think. The individual
sense is one great obstacle in the way of the mind’s
journey to its Source. To quell the ego-sense is to
rise above the body-consciousness to dwell in an all-
pervading universal consciousness. It is like transporting
oneself from the realms of darkness into the kingdom
of light. It is to be free from the clutches of death by
realizing one’s immortality. It is union of the soul with
the Oversoul. It is the infinite expansion of a narrow life
and outlook into infinite existence and vision.
Nov 2019 KNOW THE SOURCE 9

When the Source is known and seen, we

understand the true meaning of this life. Bereft of
this knowledge mankind is caught in the wilderness
of discontent, hate and misery. The realization of
immortal peace and freedom is at once individual
and universal because the freedom of the individual
makes for the freedom of the universal. Life’s values
therefore are not to be set by mere external rules and
regulations, conditions and circumstances, but by
an all comprehensive knowledge of the great Power
which lies at its inception. What one should do or
should not do is not what a true spiritual life dictates.
It is from what vision and from what knowledge the
life is regulated that matters. So, the first and foremost
thing for everyone to do is to find out the immortal
Root of his being, and look upon the external life
from the consciousness of this Root. Then life will
adjust itself most harmoniously with the lives of all
beings and creatures in this world. Even in external
clashes there will ring out the music of a subtle
universal harmony. Therefore, seek the Truth within
yourself, stop not until you have reached it, until you
have attained to the full knowledge of it, until you
have made it one permanent basis for all your life’s
activities. Know this Source and be free.
10 THE VISION Nov 2019

BELOVED PAPA
SWAMI RAMDAS ANSWERS
evotee: People are prepared
to fight all over the world, and
there is no good preaching.
Papa: The solution rests in our
perfectly loving everybody. If we set the
example, we will make others also free from hatred.
There can be peace in the world only if we love one
another. By so doing we get peace for ourselves and
share it with others. We have to eradicate ill will and
hatred from our hearts. Then only we can love others
in the true sense of the term and by such love develop
harmony in our hearts and harmony outside us.
There are many people who want to love, but
they do not know how to do it. If they are told that if
we learn to love one another we will be really happy
and that our unhappiness or discontent is due to our
lack of love for our fellow-beings, they cannot easily
understand. Love is the only remedy for doing away
with all thoughts about war, discord and strife. At
present our mind is not full of love, but of confusion.
If we concentrate on love, we will gradually create an
Nov 2019 BELOVED PAPA ANSWERS 11

atmosphere of love around us and those who come

in contact with us will also learn to love, and there
will be waves of love spreading harmony and peace
in the world.
How To Cultivate Love
How to cultivate this love is the question. We must
seek the Source of life by attaining which we can really
love one another. That Source is God or the great
Reality within us. A man who has found God within,
truly loves all because he sees in all the same God.
There is a saying in the Bible. ‘Love thy neighbour as
thyself’. On what basis can you love another unless
you have dived deep into yourself and found that
you and he are one? The same Spirit that dwells in
you dwells also in him. And this oneness of the Spirit
makes you automatically love another as yourself. If
you want to love another as yourself, then you must
see something common in both of you. Intellectually
and physically you are different from others. But still
there is something common between you and them,
and that is the Universal Spirit which we call God.
Truly, we are all manifestations or forms of the one
Divine Spirit, and in the light of this knowledge alone
we can truly love one another, giving up our petty
spirit of exploitation, ill will and hate.
12 THE VISION Nov 2019

WITH THE DIVINE MOTHER

By Swami Shuddhananda
Maharastrian scholar had come
to the Ashram with his wife on
a visit. He wanted to record a
message from Mataji. However, when
the recorder was switched on, Mataji
could speak only in Marathi. In her talk, Mataji said:
In the beginning, there was only my Infinite
Beginningless and Endless Papa. Then, in order to
enjoy His own bliss, He projected forth as this vast
universe and all the things in it.
In the Creation, man alone is endowed with all
such qualities as would help him to return eventually
to his Source — Infinite Papa Himself. To help him in
his spiritual progress, Papa created the Rishis, Vedas,
Mantras and other religious practices as would help
man to take his mind within. This Infinite, Eternal
Papa also came in the form of “Ramdas” to teach
the world how to attain His own Supreme Being.
When Papa first gave me the Ram Mantra, he
told me to practise Bhakti Yoga, Karma Yoga and
Nov 2019 WITH THE DIVINE MOTHER 13

Jnana Yoga simultaneously in order to attain His

Supreme Being. Papa asked me to repeat the Name
constantly — that became Bhakti Yoga; to bring
to mind all the universal attributes of Papa such as
‘Papa, Thou art infinite; Papa, Thou art eternal;
Thou art manifest and unmanifest and beyond both’
and so on. That became Jnana Yoga. And, Papa
told me that whatever work I did with my hands I
should regard as His service and this became Karma
Yoga. By doing all these three simultaneously, Papa
granted me 3 of the 4 Sakshatkars.
Before I got the final experience, the 4th
Sakshatkar, I had to leave the place for another
town. There, bereft of Papa’s company, I was afraid I
might lose whatever I had gained till then. So, I came
back to Papa, and then Papa granted me the 4th and
ultimate Sakshatkar. Till that moment, the Kundalini
had come up to Bhrukuti or the point between the
eye-brows. Papa told me that upto that point, he
would guide me from outside. Thereafter, in the final
journey of Kundalini from Bhrukuti to Sahasrara,
only the “Ramdas who was within me” would take
me upward. By His grace, in fact whatever I had
achieved was only by His Grace — for, I had neither
14 THE VISION Nov 2019

the strength nor the capacity to go so fast on my

own — a flame of indescribable lustre shot past the
Bhrukuti to Sahasrara and I got lost in that Ananda
or Bliss Divine. The experience that I had at that time
cannot be described because, in that supreme state,
there was only one Void, none to experience and
no state to be experienced. Everything was absolute
stillness and vacant, like the empty space between
the earth and sky. When Papa brought me back to
the plane of relativity, it was with the consciousness
that I was eternal and this perishable universe was
itself my body. Before I attained the final realization,
my body-consciousness might have been like a whiff
of breeze but, in that brilliant flame, even this faint
body-idea was burnt to ashes. After bringing me to
the relative plane, Papa made me a child. And, it is
now in the spirit of a child that I live and work in the
world. So, as a child, my Namaskar to all of you who
are but Papa’s forms.”

T urn inwards and seek the Source. Then

and there, the same Peace is available
to all, as one’s own ‘Inner Silence.
— Bhagawan Ramana Maharshi
Nov 2019 15

SOLE AIM OF HUMAN LIFE IS

TO REACH THE SOURCE
By Swami Satchidananda
eloved Papa, Mataji and all the
saints we have met so far have
been telling us that human life is
given to us so graciously by God only
for the purpose of going back to our
Source, that is, dedicating our life for the realization
of God within us or in other words, to realize our
oneness with God seated in our hearts. All of us know
this very well, and want to practise also the Sadhana
prescribed by them.
Some have doubts whether it is possible to lead
a spiritual life and at the same time, have success
in material life. When such questions arise, it is very
clear that he or she gives more importance to the
material life and spiritual life is given only secondary
importance. Such people, naturally, try to lead their
lives as successfully as possible and may even pray
to God to bring in more success. Ultimately, they
will come to know that it was futile to have asked
for more and more prosperity as, when leaving this
16 THE VISION Nov 2019

world, they cannot carry anything with them. All the

attainments in the worldly life are left behind. Only
whatever Sadhana we do, will go with us and can
be made use of in our future life. So, we have been
actually ignoring the teachings of our Beloved Papa,
Mataji and all saints that our life must be devoted
only for God-realization and we should not hanker
after material prosperity. They do not say we must
give up everything. They only say we should live in
the world and at the same time be devoted to God.
Our primary aim should be to reach God. Those
who have taken to serious Sadhana should realize
that their Goal is the realization of God and the
attainment of Eternal peace and bliss. As long as we
have a body, we have to be doing something, but not
necessarily with the idea of hoarding money, earning
name and fame etc. The main purpose should be to
realize God. If we are thus deeply devoted to God,
sincere in our aspiration to realize Him, and earnest
in our Sadhana to reach the Goal, we can be sure
that God will take care of our material needs. He will
look after us like a mother looking after her child.
Any effort on our part must be only to think of Him
constantly, to dedicate all our activities to Him and
Nov 2019 SOLE AIM IS TO REACH THE SOURCE 17

aspire only to realize Him. Given this, everything else

will be taken care of. We must have complete faith
in God. It has been told repeatedly by our Gurudev,
our Mother and all the Mahatmas that we should
entirely depend upon God and there is no need
to worry about our material needs. In spite of such
assurances, we do not have faith in their words. If we
leave ourselves in the hands of God and aspire only
for God-realization, we can be sure that we will be
looked after very tenderly by Him. At the same time,
we must be prepared for the highest sacrifice and also
lead an austere life. If we are devoted to God, we will
not aspire for material comforts and prosperity. We
will be satisfied with whatever position God chooses
to place us in, as by God-remembrance alone, we
will enjoy the peace and bliss of the Eternal which
the world cannot give us. So, we should properly
understand the teachings of our Master, our Mother
and all the Mahatmas and let our purpose in life be
only to realize God.
May all Mahatmas, may our Beloved Papa and
Mataji inspire us from within to live only for God.
May their blessings be upon all of us so that we may
reach the Supreme Goal soon.
18 THE VISION Nov 2019

POINTS TO PONDER
ujya Swami Satchidanandaji, while paying
homage to Beloved Papa and Pujya Mataji on
occasions like their Jayanti and Mahasamadhi
days etc., always took the opportunity to highlight
their illuminating and inspiring lives and teachings.
Pujya Swmaiji also used such occasions to lay stress
on the salient points about Sadhana.
Some of the points from Pujya Swamiji’s talks
are reproduced below for all of us to ponder over.
As the word ponder indicates, these points are to be
seriously reflected upon. It will then help the aspirant
understand how far he or she has progressed on
the spiritual path, how to overcome the lethargic or
rather lukewarm attitude towards Sadhana, and by
what means one’s speedy spiritual progress can be
ensured.
1. Ashram — a sacred place to love and serve.
Daily examine your failings and correct yourself.
2. All devotees should live in harmony with those
around and be a model to others.
3. Hold fast to the high ideals set by Beloved Papa
and Pujya Mataji and thus, make the Ashram a
haven of peace and bliss.
Nov 2019 POINTS TO PONDER 19

4. Give up petty likes and dislikes, jealousy and

hatred. Live in love and harmony
5. Keep watch over all your thoughts lest you
should stray from the spiritual path.
6. Introspect if spiritual progress is slow.
7. Love purifies the mind and makes one dwell on
God-thought constantly.
8. Introduce universal prayer from childhood itself.
9. Guru Seva, not to be limited to a particular form
of the Guru.
10. Pure Love makes one see purity in others.
11. Renunciation is perfect detachment from
possessions.
12. Devoted service to Guru and love for all is the
key to Divinity.
13. Sadhaka should respect all.
14. Resist the attack of down-pulling forces.
15. Beloved Papa is in all forms and beyond.
16. Let us become serious seekers.
17. To be always in love and joy, depend on God’s
Name
18. Think, talk and do only that which takes you to
the Goal.
20 THE VISION Nov 2019

19. Chanting should be backed by intense devotion.

20. Sadhana not to be limited to specific hours/place.
21. Lack of intensity retards progress.
22. Guru Seva — a must for Sadhaka.
23. Love expansively and enjoy eternal happiness.
24. See the finger of God in all events and individuals.
25. Surrender to Guru, He takes care of you.
26. Celebrations are exclusively for God-
remembrance
27. Erase the little ‘i’.
28. Sole aim is to reach the Source.
29. Depend upon inner Satsang.
30. Gita — a barometer of progress.

F or light I go directly to the Source of

light, not to any of the reflections. Also
I make it possible for more light to come to
me by living up to the highest light I have.
You cannot mistake light coming from
the Source, for it comes with complete
understanding so that you can explain it
and discuss it.
— Peace Pilgrim
Nov 2019 21

FINDING THE SOURCE

Bhagawan Ramana Answers
young man, Mr. Knowles, came
for Darshan. He had read Paul
Brunton’s two books. He asked:
“The Buddhists say that ‘I’ is unreal,
whereas Paul Brunton in the Secret
Path tells us to get over the ‘I-thought’ and reach the
state of ‘I’. Which is true?”
Bhagawan: There are supposed to be two ‘I’s;
the one is lower and unreal, of which all are aware;
and the other, the higher and the real, which is to be
realised.
You are not aware of yourself while asleep, you
are aware in wakefulness; waking, you say that you
were asleep; you did not know it in the deep sleep
state. So then, the idea of diversity has arisen along
with the body-consciousness; this body-consciousness
arose at some particular moment; it has an origin and
an end. What originates must be something. What is
that something? It is the ‘I’-consciousness. Who am I?
Whence am I? On finding the Source, you realise the
state of Absolute Consciousness.
Devotee: Who is this ‘I’? It seems to be only a
22 THE VISION Nov 2019

continuum of sense-impression. The Buddhist idea

seems to be so too.
Bhagawan: The world is not external. The
impressions cannot have an outer origin. Because the
world can be cognised only by Consciousness. The
world does not say that it exists. It is your impression.
Even so this impression is not consistent and not
unbroken. In deep sleep the world is not cognised;
and so, it exists not for a sleeping man. Therefore,
the world is the sequence of the ego. Find out the
ego. The finding of its Source is the final goal.
Source: Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi

H e is Truth and Life. He is the everlasting

Principle — the basis of all manifestation,
nay, manifestation itself. Because of Him
everything exists. He is infinite love and
immortal joy. He is the very source of our
existence. It is by His will that we move and
act. Know God as such and you will find that
you as an individual, separate from your fellow
beings, from the world and from the great
Spirit that permeates all things, are unreal.
You will then feel one with the ocean of Divine
existence — God, in all His aspects.
— Swami Ramdas
Nov 2019 23

JOURNEY BACK TO THE SOURCE

By Swami Chidananda
e all know that when we take
birth in this world, we have
a situation where we find
ourselves in link with two universes.
One is the invisible inner universe of
the Spirit from which you have come into a material
physical universe, assuming a gross material physical
body to function in this universe. But prior to your
advent into your gross physical material universe,
you did not have this material body, you were not
part of this phenomenal material universe. You were
in a different state, in a different dimension, subtle,
invisible, unmanifest, and naturally, therefore, you
are related to it.
Your present state of being conditioned by a
name and a form, this body-bound state, is only for
a little while, some years only. There is no definite
guarantee of its duration. It varies from individual to
individual and any moment there can be an abrupt
conclusion of this present state and therefore, soon
after this episode, once again you will find yourself in
that same unmanifest dimension.
24 THE VISION Nov 2019

Our relationship to the invisible inner universe of

the Spirit seems to be of a greater importance, more
essential and vital than this temporary relationship
with this outer material universe. This comes and
goes. This has a beginning and an end. Yet, as long
as we are in this embodied condition, we are related
to this universe and to everything in it. It is a constant
continuous involvement with this outer universe.
That is within our knowledge. We are more aware of
‘This’ than of ‘That’.
Our ancients brought home the fact that you are
only a passing Pilgrim here. Your permanent abode
is not This but That — whence you have come and
whither you are bound and therefore, for the inner
life also there are these twin-relationships. The
relationship with this outer universe, whether you
wish it or not, is there. It is inevitable. You have to
face it and do whatever it demands…
The ancients said that you must exert to fulfil
them also but then, they said, that your ultimate goal
is to once again go back to the very Source of your
being from whence you came. They experienced this
during the greatest heights of their transcendental
experience that all life streams forth from one Cosmic
Source of Eternal Existence. That is the source, that
Nov 2019 JOURNEY BACK TO THE SOURCE 25

is the root, that is the fountainhead, the origin of all

that is and what all that Is, is something beyond our
comprehension. Those who realised its magnitude,
its infinity, were aghast. They said: “That Being is
the Supreme Lord of infinite crores of universes…”
There are infinite crores of such universes in this
incomprehensible magnitude of the infinitude of that
Reality, and therefore, the source of all that exists,
that is your original abode, that is your home. From
That all beings have come into being and in That
only all beings exist. It is the invisible support of your
very existence. If it did not exist, you could not exist.
It is That which supports you and unto That all beings
are moving, unto That all beings are going forth.”
This transcendental experience is what the sages
perceived. They said: “You all have come from That;
you exist in That and towards That you are moving.
That is your be-all and end-all.”
This process of coming into this earth existence
is a journey back home to your eternal abode. So,
make your life a conscious effort of this glorious
journey back into the Divine. This is the goal which is
to be attained. Life is a means to its attainment.
Source: Bliss Is Within
26 THE VISION Nov 2019

ENQUIRING INTO THE SOURCE

(Gurus and the scriptures exhort that we are
not what we assume ourselves to be. We are not
individuals who are finite. We are the Infinite, Eternal
Truth. There is a very illuminating dialogue between
an aspirant and a realised saint on this subject. A
sincere study of this dialogue will help us to convert
this knowledge of the Source into experience.)
spirant: Sir, have you seen God?
Saint: Yes. Even now I am seeing Him.
Aspirant: Can I also see Him?
Saint: Why not? He is sitting inside us. Give me
your ‘visiting card’ (telling me as to who you are) so
that I can send it inside.
Aspirant: Tell Him I am so–and–so (mentions his
name).
Saint: That is not correct. You are bluffing.
Aspirant: No sir, I am not bluffing. I am known
as so–and–so. When I sit, people say so–and–so is
sitting, when I walk, people say so–and–so is walking,
when I work, people say so–and–so is working. So, I
am not bluffing.
Saint: If you are really Mr. So–and–so, you
would have declared so, when you came out of your
mother’s womb. Did you do that?
Nov 2019 ENQUIRING INTO THE SOURCE 27

Aspirant: No. How is it possible? Moreover, I

was told that the naming ceremony was done after a
couple of months.
Saint: So, the name was given to you after
you were born and it was purely to distinguish you
from others. It is something like a label pasted on a
container. Are you the label?
Aspirant: No.
Saint: So, you are not Mr. So–and–so. You are
yet to send your visiting card.
Aspirant: Yes, I agree that I am not so–and–so.
Now I know that I am this body. I say so because I do
not exist beyond the boundaries of this body.
Saint: Again, you are bluffing. Let me ask you,
are you the shirt you are wearing?
Aspirant: No, No. I am not the shirt because I
am different from the shirt. I can see the shirt and
therefore the wearer of this shirt ‘I’ is different from
the shirt — the thing worn.
Saint: Good. Think well now. Are you the face?
Are you the hands? Are you the stomach? Are you
the legs?
Aspirant: No. They are mine; but I am not them.
Saint: Now listen carefully. What is the body
constituted of? Is it not the organs I have just mentioned?
If that is agreed, you are saying that you are not the
28 THE VISION Nov 2019

body because you can see your body, you can feel the
body. The seeing entity or the feeling entity is different
from the seen or felt object — the body. How can you
be the body then? What do you say now?
Aspirant: Yes Sir, I agree that I am not the body
but the body is mine.
Saint: Now that you know that you are not the
body, send your ‘visiting card’ with the correct identity.
Aspirant: Sir, this time I cannot go wrong. I am
the mind.
Saint: Sorry friend, this time also you are bluffing.
Analyse as to what is the mind? The mind is nothing
but a flow of thoughts. Where your thoughts are,
there your mind is. If you are the mind, you should
have been dead when the mind is not functioning.
But during your deep sleep state, your mind is not
working. If it is active, you cannot experience the
deep sleep state which is free from dream and waking
states. So, it shows that even in the absence of your
mind, you continue to exist and on waking up, you
say that you enjoyed the sleep. Tell me friend, who
was it that enjoyed the sleep? Was it the mind or
something other than the mind?
Aspirant: Yes Sir, I agree that I am not the mind
though the thoughts arise in me which means the
mind exists in me. I have been so far thinking that
Nov 2019 ENQUIRING INTO THE SOURCE 29

I am either the name or the body or the mind. But

it has been conclusively proved that they are mine
but not me. But the phenomenon called ‘I’ exists,
though based upon the discussions we had so far, I
am unable to figure it out. Now tell me Sir, who really
am I? This time I don’t want to go wrong before I
send my ‘visiting card’ to God’s chamber.
Saint: I am glad you have asked me this question.
But please note that it cannot be directly answered.
Now listen. We went up to the thought level. Beyond
that we could not go because the Reality behind
the mind, body and name is beyond the purview of
thoughts. As you know, expressions are nothing but
the manifested part of the thoughts. So that which is
beyond the realm of thoughts cannot be expressed with
the vehicle of thoughts but can only be experienced.
No matter how much we try to explain that state, it
will not go near the truth. However, by inference we
can peep into the real realm for a short time. Now be
attentive. You are able to see the picture in motion
in a movie because there is a changeless substratum
called the screen. You either walk or travel by a
vehicle which means movement. That movement is
possible because there is the motionless substratum
called the road. You normally switch on the light when
there is no light. That means light can exist only on a
30 THE VISION Nov 2019

light-less substratum. If you apply the same theory to

thoughts, we can safely infer that thoughts can exist
only on a thought-less substratum. Absence of thought
or stilling of thoughts mean silence. So, the real nature
— the Source — is Silence. The sense of division,
duality, attributes, names, forms etc., arise only with
the advent of thoughts. That is why the Reality is
Nirguna, Nirakara, Nirvikara etc. (Beloved Papa has
said: “Mouna is Brahman.”) That Source is called
God, Atman, Brahman etc. You started this dialogue
with a request to meet God. That God is the reality
sitting at the core of your heart. Unless you remove all
your assumed roles, you cannot meet Him. In other
words when you start probing into the Source, you
start uncovering those sheaths that are covering the
Reality and in the end the object sought and the very
subject get fused into one.
Aspirant: Am I to conclude that what I experience
during the deep sleep state is my reality?
Saint: No. There you do not know who you are. But
when you are in the state of realisation, you know who
you are. At the same time, thoughts are also not there.
You then become the Source — Sat-Chit-Ananda,
meaning Absolute Existence, Consciousness and Bliss.
Your quest ends here. You become Poornam.
Source: THE VISION (Papa — The Guiding Star)
Nov 2019 31

UNDERSTANDING THE SOURCE

By Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
evotee: I have cut my hand. It healed. By
what power did it heal?
Maharaj: By the power of life.
Devotee: What is that power?
Maharaj: It is Consciousness. AII is Consciousness.
Devotee: What is the source of Consciousness?
Maharaj: Consciousness itself is the source of
everything.
Devotee: Can there be life without Consciousness?
Maharaj: No, nor Consciousness without life.
They are both one. But in reality, only the Ultimate
is. The rest is a matter of name and form. And as
long as you cling to the idea that only what has
name and shape exists, the Supreme will appear to
you non-existing. When you understand that names
and shapes are hollow shells without any content
whatsoever, and what is real is nameless and formless,
pure energy of life and light of Consciousness, you
will be immersed in the deep silence of reality.

Devotee: I can now understand that I am not the

person, but that which, when reflected in the person,
gives it a sense of being. Now, about the Supreme?
In what way do I know myself as the Supreme?
32 THE VISION Nov 2019

Maharaj: The Source of Consciousness cannot

be an object in Consciousness. To know the Source
is to be the Source. When you realise that you are not
the person, but the pure and calm Witness, and that
fearless Awareness is your very being, you are the
Being. It is the Source, the Inexhaustible Possibility.

Devotee: How can I see the world as God? What

does it mean to see the world as God?
Maharaj: It is like entering a dark room. You see
nothing — you may touch, but you do not see — no
colours, no outlines. The window opens and the room
is flooded with light. Colours and shapes come into
being. The window is the giver of light, but not the
source of it. The sun is the source. Similarly, matter is
like the dark room; Consciousness — the window —
flooding matter with sensations and perceptions, and
the Supreme is the sun, the Source both of matter and
of light. The window may be closed, or open, the sun
shines all the time. It makes all the difference to the
room, but none to the sun. Yet all this is secondary
to the tiny little thing which is the ‘I am’. Without the
‘I am’ there is nothing. All knowledge is about the ‘I
am’. False ideas about this ‘I am’ lead to bondage,
right knowledge leads to freedom and happiness.
Source: I Am That
Nov 2019 33

­DEAR CHILDREN
Pleasure Goes With Pain
man was passing on the road when he saw a
blind man. He wanted to take the blind man
to his house for dinner. But as he had to go in
a hurry, he told the blind man to come to his house
and have dinner with him. He went to his wife and
asked her to have one more meal prepared as he had
invited a blind man for dinner. His wife replied she
would prepare two extra meals. When asked why she
was preparing meals for two instead of one, she said,
“The blind man cannot come alone, he will be led by
another.”
This illustration is to show that worldly happiness
does not come to us alone but is always accompanied
by sorrow. Pleasure born of material things is always
mixed with sorrow. The objects of the senses cannot
give us unmixed happiness; this is the experience of
every one of us. We must, therefore, rise above the
pairs of opposites and, going deep into the heart,
discover the Eternal Source of joy within and behold
the whole universe as Divine, ever filled with light,
joy and peace.
Source: Stories As Told By Swami Ramdas
34 THE VISION Nov 2019

EPISTLES OF SWAMI RAMDAS

eloved Ram,
…Question yourself as to who you are and the
immediate response that comes from within
is, “I am the eternal, perfect Truth and Life”. This is
the essential characteristic of all beings and creatures.
Life is a simple stream starting from the Eternal Source
and flowing towards the same end. So, it is essentially
Divine – both at its Source and in its flow.

ANANDASHRAM NEWS
15,500-CRORE NAMA JAPA YAGNA
FOR WORLD PEACE: The total Japa received
in the third round of the 15500-Crore Nama Japa
Yagna For World Peace in the month of September
is 180 crores. The grand total of the Japa done so far
in this round now stands at 6356 crores.

PUJYA SWAMI MUKTANANDAJI’S VISIT

TO SOUTH AFRICA: As willed by Beloved Papa,
Pujya Swamiji visited South Africa for a month from
the 26th of August. A report about the Yatra will
appear in the next issue.
Nov 2019 35

100th Jayanti
Of Pujya Swami
Satchidanandaji
ujya Swamiji’s birth

P
2019.
centenary will be celebrated
on the 12th of November

Pujya Swamiji was the

personification of humility,
forbearance and Guru-Seva.
May this day be instrumental in
reminding us of these noble ideals
that he epitomised, and may he
bless us to live up to the teachings
of our Guru.
36 THE VISION Nov 2019

R.N.: 3047/57 || Registered: KL/KSZ/8/2018-20

License to post without prepayment of postage
Lic. No. KL/PMG/NR/WPP/1-1/KSZ/2018-20
Date of Publication: 01/11/2019

THOUGHT FOR
THE MONTH

T o know the secret of life

is to go to the very source
of it and see from there all
things as the emanations of
that Source. That Source is
pure and everlasting bliss. So,
all the ray-like manifestations
of that bliss must be only
waves of bliss. Thus, life is, in
all its aspects, internally and
externally, entirely Divine.
– Swami Ramdas

Edited and published by: Swami Muktananda on behalf of

Anandashram Trust, Kanhangad.
and printed by him through: Latha Unlimited, Mangalore.