Discourse-5

Self-Consciousness

By approaching Sadguru, this knowledge can be acquired. In other words, the disciple gets Guru's blessings. Guru gives Ishta Mantra. That means, by Guru's Grace, we shall attain Self. Those who have taken Dikshaa, have got Ishta Mantra as well as Guru. Those, who hesitate to surrender themselves to knowledge, also become unwilling to take Dikshaa. They are not ready to receive knowledge. They are not ready to welcome knowledge. They indirectly prefer to grope in the darkness of ignorance. Knowledge paves the way to peace, happiness, bliss, freedom and immortality. Ignorance is the cause of sufferings. Ignorance causes bondage that amounts to death. That means, not welcoming knowledge is suicidal.

The more one gains knowledge on consciousness, the more one becomes vibrant and blooms with consciousness. Chit Shakti is Bhava, which is the causal factor. Bhava remains as knowledge and also this creation.

The Brahman expresses Himself as Conscious Energy (Chit Shakti). To revert back to the original position (from outer forms and qualities) is also His manifestation. Any negation like- "He is not there or He does not manifest"- presupposes His position. That means, He remains at the background of this statement. He forms the very basis of this statement.

Who has created the food? Who has given us the sight power? When we fall asleep, by whom, are we able to breathe in and breathe out? Before you understood anything, you had your body. Before your body, there was nature. Before nature, there was consciousness. From the very birth, the instinct for survival is seen in every one. An infant does not learn from any one. Yet he takes food. The plant sucks its food from the soil. It does not learn from any one.

After elevating yourself to divine stage, you can know Atman. In other words, human qualities have to go and one has to acquire divine virtues. Thereafter only, one can know the self. As long as you do not know the personal Godheads, you cannot know the Atman. Atman has become personal Godheads. The personal Godheads have become myriads of jiva and all other gross forms. Inside the gross forms, there remain the personal Godheads. Inside the Personal Godheads, there remains Atman. That means, at a time there are Atman, personal Godheads and the gross creation. They are called causal body, subtle body and gross body.

By consciousness, when we are able to understand, that is called knowledge. The stage of understanding and explaining is known as knowledge (jnana), which becomes possible only due to the presence of consciousness. Be it the dust or diamond, every thing is understood by knowledge. Without knowledge, how can we know God? No one can disown or refute consciousness. To refute consciousness, consciousness is required. That consciousness is God. Different aspects of consciousness are called Atman, Brahman, God, man, animal, plant, stone, Sun, Moon, Guru and disciple etc. Consciousness expresses itself as strength, intelligence, forms and qualities.

There are changes everywhere, within and without. That is due to Consciousness. Wherever there is Consciousness, there is change. Without the presence of Consciousness, there cannot be any change. Consciousness remains in subtle form everywhere. When Consciousness assumes forms, we see the Consciousness as various forms. He, who sees beyond the forms and perceives the subtle, can ultimately realise Chit Shakti or God. Chit Shakti causes all changes. The creation is the outcome of changes. Creation is there. This indicates that the creator is there. He is gross as well as subtle. He is Consciousness or Awareness. He manifests as our realisation or experience. Chit Shakti is here and there too. That is why, man can experience other things. He has become many by His Will. Every thing is possible by dint of changes caused by Chit Shakti. Changes create illusory effects or Maya. Maya comes within the ambit of change. Change has neither any beginning nor any end. Not understanding change is Maya. By change, we could experience and realise every thing. By change, we could say that He is infinite. We evolved as more and more conscious beings due to change. By Consciousness, we could realise that He is there. Change is the greatest proof of God's existence.

Liberation or Supreme Bliss does not come from worshipping any personal Godhead. Personal Godheads may help in creating favourable situations. They may provide certain relief. But bliss and freedom are the highest state of mind. Bliss and freedom come only from self-reallisation. Therefore, every one should acquire self-knowledge. Self-knowledge comes from listening and reading scriptures, meditation, repeated contemplation, satsang and surrendering to Sadguru.

To try to know the self also amounts to worshipping the Self. It is the best kind of worship. By practising this type of worship, the Self can be attained quickly. Other worships are secondary. Inquisitiveness is the most important pre-requisite of self-worship. Other pre-requisites are divine virtues, such as- renunciation, restraint, spiritual practice, service, truth, love and forgiveness. He, who uses these divine virtues more and more, his worship becomes more and more effective.

Self is Sat-Chit-Anand, Bliss-Absolute, Peace-Absolute. He, who knows Him as such, gets peace and bliss. He who knows 'that' becomes 'that'. Man wants peace, happiness and bliss. But does not want to know his own self. Then how can he get peace and bliss? Not to try to know the Self is suicidal.

There is nothing more valuable than self- knowledge. He who has acquired self-knowledge is great indeed. The word 'great' is also an under-statement. He is infinite. He has attained every thing. But many do not recognize such persons. What does an ordinary man know except being engrossed in mundane matters of samsar?

One may be a great scholar, one may amass huge riches and happen to occupy high position in the society, one may even become an emperor of a vast empire but every thing is ultimately meaningless without attainment of self-knowledge. Acquisition of self-knowledge is the highest achievement. Self-knowledge comes from Sadguru or by surrendering to Self (Atman).

The animals have some common instincts, such as - urge for food, feeling of fear, impulse for sleep, passion for copulation. Thus the animals also eat and survive. But man is supposed to be different from animals in the sense that he has to not only survive but he has to realise his True-Self also. That is why, he has got this rare and fair form which, even the Godheads hanker after.

It is quite natural that man should, at a minimum, possess human qualities. Basing on that, he is supposed to advance. A suitable form is given to him with that purpose. If he does not behave like a man but be more like an animal, then what to speak of him? It is to be understood that his human birth has become only a fiasco.

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