Study Your Self

Sri Annamalai Swami

(A woman on a pilgrimage stopped off to visit Annamalai Swami and asked for his blessings and advice.)

AS: Don't forget your Self wherever you go. If you can manage this, you will not need anything else.

A student once came to Bhagavan (B) that he wanted to go for further education. 

B told him, "This education is good for you. Study more. But at the same time study the person who is studying. Study your Self."

One of the old Siddhas (Tamil poet-Saints who lived about 1000 years ago) composed a song:

'I yearned for and searched for the Truth. I ran everywhere looking for it. I wasted my life, my time and energy looking for this truth. So much time was wasted in this pursuit, I have grown old and am about to die. But finally I have understood that the true light is within myself.'

You are going to different places on a pilgrimage, but what you are really looking for is you yourself. You cannot achieve success in this by going on external searches because you yourself are the one that is being looked for. Your real nature is peace. Forgetting this, you have lost your peace and you are searching in the outside world where there is no peace to be found. 

This is the teaching of Bhagavan, my Guru. I am passing it onto you.

(To be continued)