‘i’ or ‘I’?🔗

There are thousands of problems that one faces in this life…each one of us faces one problem or the other. Nobody is an exception. Though problems may vary from person to person, there is one problem that is common to all of us…the ‘I’ problem…a universal problem.

Someone asked Ramana Maharishi ‘Bhagavan, I want peace.’ Bhagavan just smiled and replied, ‘Just drop the ‘I’ and the ‘want’ and what remains will be peace’.

Throughout his life, he gave only one solution to all the problems. He believed that only self-inquiry or asking oneself ‘Who am I?’, will lead to the ultimate experience. Almost all the religions and Masters have spoken at length about this universal problem. They have addressed this problem in great detail. When Jesus says, ‘Be still and know that I am God’ and Buddha says, ‘Atman is light; I is the light’, and Islam says, ‘I am the Truth’ and Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita says, ‘I am Everything’…they are all speaking from a different level of Consciousness. They are in the ecstatic state of Enlightenment.

Some ardent Krishna devotees once asked me ‘Master, do you believe in the Bhagavad Gita?’ I replied…yes, the Gita is the ultimate expression of spirituality; it is the unabridged dictionary of world philosophies. There can be no other book better than the Gita. Hearing this, they said, ‘If you think so, then Krishna is everything. Why are you then worshipping other gods? Worshipping Krishna will suffice.’ I then explained to them that when Krishna said ‘I am everything’, He was in the inspired Consciousness mood. It was not Vasudeva Krishna, the son of Devaki and Vasudeva who was speaking; it was not Krishna the man, but the energy called Krishna…Parabrahma Krishna who was speaking. It was the Divine Energy. He was in the ecstasy of the state of Enlightenment. It had nothing to do with the form.

When you are enlightened, you feel that the whole world is you and you are the whole world. The energy which moves the sun, the moon and the earth, moves your body too. When you experience the Ultimate Experience, you will understand this Truth.

When I said that Krishna was in an enlightened state when He spoke those words, they immediately asked me to give proof that he was speaking from that state and not as an ordinary man and I had to substantiate this theory with an incident from the Mahabharata.

Two to three months after the Kurukshetra war, Arjuna and Krishna met to spend some time together. Arjuna asked Krishna to deliver the Gita once again to him. He said ‘Krishna, I was so involved in the war when you delivered those beautiful truths and understandings to me. I have not been able to retain most of them. Can you please repeat them? If it could be recorded, it would be of immense value to future references.’ To this request, Krishna just smiled and said, ‘I have also forgotten. When I gave you the Gita, I was in the state of inspired Super Consciousness…the Enlightened Energy was working through me. I was Parabrahma Krishna and not Vasudeva Krishna.’ Of course, Krishna promised to remember and recollect whatever He could. Whatever he recollected was compiled as the Anu Gita. This is a much smaller book and does not have all the teachings that are in the original Bhagavad Gita.

Sometimes I say that an Enlightened Master is God. When I say that, I am not referring to this body or form but I am referring to the energy that is moving their body. So, don’t catch the form. Go beyond it; otherwise, you will get stuck. You will catch the Ego. Many devotees tell me…you are God, you have solved so many of our problems; you have healed us. Thousands of people perform arti (traditional offering of prayer lamps) to my photograph and chant my name as a mantra.

Someone asked me ‘How do you feel when they do such things? How do you feel when you are being worshipped?’ Honestly speaking, I don’t feel that this body is mine. I don’t feel that this form is me. If you feel that this body is yours, it means that you have ego. That is why when somebody worships my photograph and performs an arti, I also do a namaskar (joining of the palms in respect) to the photograph. Sometimes, when I visit a devotee’s house, I perform a puja there. My photograph is also there along with those of other deities in the puja room! So, when I perform the arti, I do it for my photograph too…I cannot ask my devotee to remove only my photograph. Understand clearly… I don’t associate myself with this six-foot body.

If the ‘I’ is understood, it becomes Divine, Bliss or God. If it is misunderstood, it creates enormous troubles. On the one hand, people are saying that it is creating trouble. On the other hand, Masters are saying, ‘I am God, I am everything.’ Most of the religions say that the Ultimate Truth is ‘You are God’. Both the statements are true. Then, what is the difference between the first and second I? The Upanishad beautifully says ‘I have known the Ultimate Truth, that you people are the embodiment of Consciousness. You are the expression of the Ultimate.’

There is a mahavakya (literally, great saying) in the Vedas “Aham brahmasmi” or ‘I am God’. There is another mahavakya in Shankara’s commentary ‘Shivoham Shivoham’ or ‘I am Shiva; I am That.’ The Devi Sutra says ‘I am the Goddess of the Whole Universe’.

What do they mean when they say I?

In the ordinary sense, it is this I which creates all the troubles, however in the Master’s life, it is treated as God. So, what is the difference? We continuously suffer with the I. In any situation or in any incident, if the I is pushed to the front, it smells foul. For example, some of the fluorescent lights in the temples have the names of the whole family that has donated it. So, when you switch on the light, you will see only the black lines created by the names! We never get to see the light. In whatever we do, we have a vested interest in it. ‘What is there for me in it?’ This question drives all that we do. Whenever we work hard to keep this I in front, we only get blows. In our life, the I creates so many problems. If this were not enough, this very I becomes a problem.

Why should we suffer because of this sense of I and Masters enjoy the bliss of I? Taitreya Upanishad which deals with the I problem in detail says, ‘Ordinary people do not use the I totally. Only the Enlightened persons use it totally. There is no difference between you and the Enlightened Masters.’

If only we know how to use the I totally, we can expand. We can do so by understanding certain methods and techniques. If the I is not used totally, there is one more trouble…it becomes the cancer in your Being. Anything which is not becoming of our Being becomes a cancerous growth. Anything which is not absorbed in our system becomes the seed of the cancerous growth. Be clear…all of us carry the cancer of the I…the unused I…which can be named as Ego.

Have you noticed how when the river is flowing, it continues to be pure and whoever comes near it is also purified. However, if the river is stopped in its flow, it forms a pool. When this happens, the water gets dirty and contaminated. Those who come near it also become dirty and contaminated. Similarly, if we use the I totally, it will expand. There will only be joy and bliss. We will be in Nithya Ananda or Eternal Bliss…making everyone around joyful and blissful. If we don’t use it totally, we become like the pool. We will be in a low mood and dull and others who come near us will also be disturbed.

How do we become the flowing river? How do we expand to become the big I? For you, it is the small i and for the Masters, it is the big I; that is the only difference. Once we start using the tremendous potential in our system, we will expand. We will reach the state of the big I.

Taitreya Upanishad gives five techniques or understandings by which we can use ourselves totally or to the maximum. Let me tell you that the Upanishads are nothing but the research reports of the great Enlightened Masters; it is the report of the scientist working on inner science.

Note that there are two types of scientists…the outer scientist and the inner scientist. Outer scientists research on the outer world on aspects such as weather, genetics, physics, chemistry etc whereas the rishis are the inner scientists who research on the inner world. When they became Enlightened, they published reports on how they traveled, how they lived, what they did, what problems they faced and finally, how they had the Ultimate Experience. These reports are called the Upanishads. For example, Buddha’s report to the world is Dhammapada. Shankara’s reports are all His commentaries.

Coming back to the Taitreya Upanishad, it gives five levels to live life to the maximum. It describes the five layers of the I and how our small i can become the big I. The first layer is called the Annamaya Kosha. It deals with the body which we use. The second layer is called the Pranamaya Kosha. It deals with the breath and air circulation system. The third level is called the Manomaya Kosha. This deals with the continuous inner chatter that happens in our system. The fourth level is the Vigyanamaya Kosha. It deals with the sleeping hours. Finally, the Anandamaya Kosha deals with Ananda or Bliss. When you reach the fifth layer, you become the big I.

When you don’t use all the five layers, you become a Buddhu (an idiot) and when you use all the layers, you become the Buddha (the wise one). This shift is available to everyone. It is entirely up to us to use it or not. It is our individual decision. Let me give you few explanations and understanding about these layers and how to use them totally. If not used totally, we run the risk of a cancerous Being.

Now, let us examine each layer one by one.

The Upanishad says, ‘Food is God. Don’t waste it.’ The actual meaning of this statement is the opposite of its literal meaning. Whenever I visit a devotee’s house, it is prestigious for them to

serve me lunch. They even advise me not to waste it! Remember when the food is wasted outside…only the food in the plate is wasted. However, when the food is wasted inside your system, the whole system gets wasted! From the moment you get up in the morning till you go to sleep, you should be alive and energetic. It is a sad fact that we have forgotten the very concept of health.

Right now recall and examine if your steps are slow when you get up in the morning and go to the toilet. Be clear your steps should be as if you are dancing. Your body language and all your movements should be joyful and ecstatic. You should be bubbling with energy…only then can you call yourself healthy. If you feel otherwise, you are ready to be diagnosed as being ill.

Look at nature and its creatures closely. Early in the morning, we can see hear birds chirping; see the cat stretching its body, the dog verifying its boundary and the calf going around the cow. Man is the only animal who wakes up in the morning, pulls the sheet over him and goes back to sleep. Man is the only animal who needs an alarm clock to wake him up! He is the only animal who has lost touch with nature. He has lost his way. Man is the only being who is obese. Have you seen any other animal that is obese?

A small story:

A man who was over 40, wanted to get rid of his wife and her cat. He could not get rid of his wife…however he thought that at least he could get rid of the cat. He took the cat along with him in his car and left it in the street next to his. Even before he came back home, the cat was back. The next day, he took the cat and left it a couple of streets away. Again, before he reached home, the cat had returned. Finally, he decided to take it to a far-off place. He put the cat inside a bag, crisscrossed the roads and left it near a forest. On his way back, he called up his wife to confirm whether the cat was at home. She replied, ‘Yes’. Sheepishly, he asked her to find out from the cat the way back to his house because he was lost! This is exactly what has happened to us. We have disconnected ourselves from Nature.

Since we are in the habit of getting disconnected from nature and getting lost I shall will now give a few tips about the food you eat to keep these koshas alive and active and remain connected to nature. There are 3 types of doshas (defects) in the food we eat. There are certain foods which by their own nature is not good for the system as they cause jaati dosha (defect based on birth). If we feel uneasiness after we eat a certain type of food, it is not good for us. All junk food and drinks containing soda belong to this category.

Have you noticed how vigilant we are…we are busy watching everybody else’s system but not ours! We keep watch over what the husband…wife or child eats but never on what we eat! All the Masters say ‘Speak to your body’. We never do so. We never relate to our body. Knowing the nature of man there is a meditation technique prescribed in tantra to relate to our body.

Be clear we are supposed to talk to our body, sense it and feel it if we want the best for it and for us.

Foods that can be avoided are meat based non-vegetarian food, onions, garlic, green chilly etc. Alcohol and smoking also come under this category. These substances make us tense. While we are eating some spicy food, our eyes may be watering; our body may be begging us to stop. Yet, for the sake of taste, we continue to eat. It is sad that we do not respond to our body’s call and ignoring it we pamper our taste buds!

Understand clearly that I am not giving you any rules or regulations…I am just giving you some understandings. Follow them and see if it makes a difference to your body. I don’t believe in morality. I believe in Consciousness and not Conscience. These understandings have come about only after practice and verification and are only the research reports of the rishis.

Interestingly…people come to me for healing and when I ask them to follow this diet (especially cancer patients) they ask for exemptions. I ask them to avoid these things so that the healing takes place faster and they reply, ‘I have to go to parties and I can’t avoid alcohol and I cannot avoid these types of food.’ What can I say? It is their choice…choice to get healed fast or suffer. If doctors ask them to give up something, they do it without questioning. But, when the Master asks them to give up something, they think…He is doing it out of morality.

Remember…if you take something as a rule, you will try to go beyond it because it is your very nature. Your instinct is asking for freedom. If you take it as an understanding, it becomes your blood and bones. If it is taken as a rule, be clear it is only skin-deep and our laziness and misunderstandings will make us shift the onus of breaking the rules to society.

The second dosha or defect is called the nimitta dosha (defect based on reason). This is all about cleanliness and hygiene. We have a proverb that says ‘Cleanliness is Godliness.’ We forget this and treat our selves most of the time as a garbage bin by dumping all sorts of things into it. Even outwardly, cleanliness and hygiene we forget unless it is forced down our throat right from our childhood and we are forced into it.

The third dosha is ashraya dosha (defect based on reality). Recently, I read a book called ‘Mind Matters’. It says that if you eat food cooked by an enemy who has continuous negative thoughts about you, your stomach will get disturbed. You will land up with ulcer within 21 days.

Be clear…when you cook, you not only put in the ingredients, you also put in your thoughts into the food. Your thoughts play a major role in all your deeds. Two physicists conducted the same experiment on a person with the same instruments at the same temperature but the reports showed different readings. It only proves that thoughts…the Being plays an important role in all deeds.

The great saint Ramanuja says, ‘Never eat the food even touched by an enemy or by the wrong person.’ Thoughts not only play a major role in your deeds but you also radiate your thoughts. That is why you feel attracted by some people and get disturbed by some. Your thoughts radiate energy around your body. This makes you feel attracted or disturbed by the person. So, don’t think that thoughts are mere dead energies. They are live energies. Remember never to disturb your cook or driver. Keep them in a good mood. Even if you cook, have the Divine name in your thoughts or at least good thoughts. Then, you will see that all the members of your family have good health. You will have no stomach problem. When you are eating outside of your house, meditate for a few minutes and send positive energy to the food before you eat it. You will have no problem…your body will feel light.

A small story:

Once a king went to an Enlightened Zen Master and asked him, ‘I heard that you are an Enlightened Man and you radiate energy around you. You are always in bliss. What do you do?’ The Zen Master replied, ‘I eat when I want to eat and sleep when I want to sleep.’

Have you noticed that in our life only at the time of eating, we bring in all our worries and all our problems? Our mind is constantly engaged in mentally planning our whole life! We shove in the

food in because we are hard-pressed for time. When we are eating, our Being never feels the

food. Be clear…if we eat without paying attention to the food, we are disrespecting the food. We are treating our stomach as we would a dust-bin.

When the Upanishad says, ‘Don’t waste food’, it only means eat food with respect. When you disrespect food, you are just wasting the food. Give at least 10 or 15 minutes for eating or drinking. You will notice that the food is tastier and you become alive.

If food is eaten with awareness, we will never feel the heaviness or nor will we overeat. Our body has its own intelligence to control it. We can very clearly find out which food suits us and which does not only if we eat with awareness. That itself is a great meditation and through this our whole body cycle will be regularized.

The Upanishad says, ‘Prana is God. Don’t waste it.’ Don’t think Prana means just air. It means Energy. The subtle energy, which is carried by the air in and out of our system, is called Prana. Though we breathe throughout the day, we are never fully aware of our breathing. Our breath is always short. Ganesha is the God of Muladhara charka (the third in the series of the 7 main energy centers of the body). He is also the God of Intelligence. If we breathe deeply, we will also become intelligent like Ganesha and our Muladhara will also be awakened. All the energy centers will be alive.

As of now, only when the Muladhara is active…that is when you are in the act of sex or fantasizing, your energy is at its peak…your whole Being is alive and active. However, through deep breathing, your body can be alive throughout the day and throughout the year. When you do the Dukkha Harana meditation technique that we teach at our ASP programs for energizing the charkas, many people experience the orgasmic experience happening in their Being.

People ask me ‘How can meditation take a person to such an experience?’ I tell them it is nothing to do with the outside system or being with a man or a woman. It has got everything to do with your energy system.

There is a book called ‘Discovering Love’. The back of the book carries a quotation ‘When I say surrender to love, I don’t mean surrender to the partner. I mean surrender to the experience which is love.’

We always feel that we derive joy because of the man or woman with whom we are. However this is not so…ecstasy is because of the inner alchemy happening in your system. Your energy is awakened and you feel ecstatic.

Ramana Maharishi relates a beautiful story of a dog where a dog gets hold of a dry bone. It bites and bites till it causes a cut in its mouth. The blood starts oozing out and the dog licks it thinking the blood is coming from the bone. Like the dog, we also think we get joy from outside.

Actually, we get joy from our own system. It is the ultimate alchemy where you can be in this orgasmic joy for 24 hours provided you are willing to choose to rise from the state of mere lust to the divine state of love.

An elderly, intellectual person asked me, ‘According to the Sastra, the first 25 years should be spent in Brahmacharya (bachelorhood), the second 25 years in Grihastha(life of a householder)

and the next 25 years in Vanaprastha(life of retirement in the forest). So, according to the rule, you should have become a Grihastha. Then why have you become a sanyasi?’

I told him…According to the rule; you should have become a sanyasi since you are above 75. Since you have not become one, I have become a sanyasi to compensate for people like you.

He pitied me by saying, ‘You are missing all the joy of enjoyment of your youth.’

I replied…Only you are missing something. You don’t know the joy, the ecstasy I am in. Don’t feel sorry for me.

You are still suffering in the world, being caught up in its bondage. An Enlightened person is in ecstasy for 24 hours…365 days. Every cell of his body emits joy. I don’t need the outer joy. This is how renunciation happens. When you are bubbling with so much joy inside your Being, you don’t need anything from the outside world. You are totally at ease with your system.

When we breathe with awareness, our muladhara chakra will awaken. If we continuously chant the beeja mantra (gam) of Ganesha, the ruling deity of the muladhara chakra, the vibration produced by the mantra will hammer the muladhara and awaken it. If we breathe deeply, our

second layer, the pranamaya kosha expands.

Whenever you are relaxing, sitting, walking or whenever you remember, breathe as deeply as possible.

As you do this, you will notice that your whole body is getting awakened and throbbing with life. Notice, how whenever you are alive, the pace of your breathing turns fast…when you are caught up in situations of anger, sex, violence, or whenever you remember someone you hate, your breathing becomes alive rather than monotonous or mechanical. Your Being is flooded with life.

If you breathe deeply throughout the day, be sure you will become more active and more alive without having to be in states of anger, violence of sex. All that is required is for you to breathe… pay more attention to how you breathe…do you have the time and the inclination?

I pray to the almighty to bless all of you…may all of you attain the Ultimate experience of Nithya Ananda. Thank you.