Abide in the State of I AM

Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

V: I have been to Tiruvannamalai quite a number of times, in Ramana Maharshi's ashram. A German lady there showed me a book on the teachings of Maharshi and told me a similar teaching and philosophy existed  - that given by Maharaj.

M: How long have you been going to Ramanashramam?

V: Only for the past five years.

I: Did you read his (Nisargadatta's) book, I am That?

V: I only read one or two questions on the subject of death.

M: You have been reading Ramana Maharshi's book and found it interesting. In what way did you find it so with reference to yourself?

V: My orientation has been basically 'advaita vedanta', so that I have been reading in his book.

I: Having read those books, would you like to ask any questions?

V: I am feeling happy in trying to follow this philosophy. Is there a necessity to meet a living guru or is it sufficient to have faith in a guru who has left this body?

M: The aim is to awaken yourself to the faith in the self I AM. That is the entire purpose. So whatever is conducive to that development you may accept. Supposing you have faith in a living guru, then accept a living guru. If you have faith in a guru who has left his body, accept that guru.

V: But is there more benefit to one type over the other?

M: When you were not knowing anything, what was the first thing you came to know in your whole span of life?

V: The self. And then came other things.

M: You started with knowing nothing, including you did not know yourself. So what is it that you started knowing first?

V: I started reading the Gita, reading Krishna.

M: You did not know anything. You did not know yourself either! So where is the scope for Gita? 

At this time of your life, when you were not knowing yourself what was the first thing you came to know about? You started knowing so many things, after you started knowing yourself. You came to know "I am," and then you came to know other things. How did that happen?

V: It happened probably because of my previous karma, my prarabdha karma.

M: These are all stories you have heard. After you came to know yourself, you started knowing so many things. But what knowledge did you have before even you came to know yourself?

V: One comes to know all kinds of worldly things, but the world does not bring me any happiness or pleasure. But reading these books..

M: Please reply to the question.

V: I have probably not understood properly .. the question.

M: How did you come to know your own self? Afterwards, you can do so many things. How did that happen?

V: The self came to know this body.

M: First of all, this knowingness appeared, the knowingness I AM; later on you embraced the body.

V: Correct.

M: Hold on to this only, and don't ask any questions. I am addressing the consciousness, am expounding consciousness in terms of the same consciousness. You came to know yourself, I AM. To abide in that is itself bhakti, the devotion. Before the appearance of I AMness, where is the devotion?