Satva Guna = "Just Be"

Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

Q: What is satva guna?

M: The quintessence of the food essence is that  "I Amness," which is satva guna. Satva guna equals beingness. The beingness is activated in the manifest world through rajas and tamas. The rajas is activity. The tamas is the pride you take in doership or authorship. Satva guna is only beingness, just to be. These three gunas have sprung out of the essence of food. If the food is not there thar  "I Amness" will go, all the qualities will vanish.

Q: That flame of " I Amness" which we see in the present condition with the help of our intellect - it seems that there is a development, a sort of evolution going on. What does Maharaj think - which way is it going?

M: Toward destruction. Whatever might be the evolution, finally it will be heading toward dissolution. 

Turning to what you were speaking about earlier: Is there something you either do or don't want to protect?

Q: I don't know.

M: All this depends on the consciousness, and you don't want to leave the consciousness.

Q: Not even the consciousness of consciousness do I want. I thought of bringing cotton to stuff in my ears when Maharaj is speaking of the Self.

M: Who says this?

Q: I don't know. Why does it have to be somebody?

M: Who says this?

Q: Words, just words.

M: What is the use of words if consciousness is not there?

Q: Consciousness is there. Why imply that consciousness does not know?

M: What is the meaning of this? Explain what you have to say.

Q: What is the need of attaching any concept to whatever there is?

M: If you feel "It should be or it should not be," what is there at the bottom if that?

Q: Whatever there is, there is.

M: It is evident that you feel that you are, and therefore it sprouts in you. When you feel that you are, all the trouble starts. If that feeling is not there, no trouble exists.

Q: Why should it give trouble? You attach names and concepts to that which is. Would you leave it alone?

M: Who says this?

Q: Understanding that appears in consciousness.

M: So who is really troublesome. Is the world troubling you, or the consciousness which appears on you?

Q: Nothing troubles me if I shut up.

M: That you are sitting there - that itself is going to be troublesome to you. This is your trouble: You are not in a position to sustain that consciousness and you cannot bear it. When the body was not there, when the consciousness was not there, what were you? You are not in a position to understand that.

Q: Before the body was and consciousness appeared, It was whatever It was.

M: Now that you are, you are conscious. Is it because you want it or did it just come automatically, spontaneously to you?

Q: It appears to be spontaneous.

M: You are conscious now, spontaneously, not because you want to be. That's a fact, isn't it?

Q: Yes. I think all this idea of spirituality - of trying to give a meaning to that consciousness - is the only trouble, when consciousness wants to extend itself and be all those things.

M: No, that is not troublesome for you. The troublesome thing is the consciousness appearing on you. It is only because of that you are giving names or not giving names, doing something or not doing something.

Q: That is the root of the trouble. If consciousness would just be itself and not try to apply concepts to everything, there would be no trouble.

M: This is all imagination.

Q: It is very simple. All the experiences that we call life happen in consciousness, and the meaning of life is just to experience consciousness everywhere. So, when the end comes, then that's it. Cannot consciousness just see and face that end?

M: Can you stay in that?

Q: But what doesn't allow me to stay in that void is looking, searching, trying to do this or that.

M: When the consciousness is there, so is the vital force; thoughts are flowing and a lot of words are coming. That is your mind. Just understand that you are not concerned with the consciousness. It will still be there, it will still continue, but you are not identifying with it, saying, "I am this or that."

There should not be any difficulty because the self-evident fact is that you are. Why don't you stop there and find out that point. See what that state is.