Nisargadatta Maharaj: The Earliest Discourses

By Mohan Gaitonde

Nisargadatta Maharaj started speaking sometime in the early 1950s. Initially he would speak on popular scriptures like Sage Eknath’s Bhagwat and Sage Ramdas’ Dasbodh. A few years later the subject matter of his talks spontaneously broadened up and by mid-1950s Maharaj was speaking less about the scriptures and more from his direct experience. Maharaj used to say, ‘I am not speaking these words; they are coming from the Absolute. Just as you hear them, I too am their witness.’

In 1954 Shankarrao Bajirao Dhaygude, one of Maharaj’s senior disciples, started noting down Maharaj’s discourses in their original language, Marathi. His jottings filled up five notebooks. He later shared these 45 discourses with his friend and Guru Bandhu Shri Dinkar Kshirsagar who edited them slightly, taking great care “not to add our own concepts to the text.”

These talks were first published in Marathi as ‘Sadguru Nisargadatta Maharaj Yanchi Durmil Nirupane’. These were then translated into English by Shri Mohan Gaitonde, Maharaj’s ‘evening’ translator, into the present work.

These earliest discourses of Nisargadatta Maharaj are noteworthy because they reveal a new facet of his teaching, including a deeper flavour of bhakti. They are also remarkable because they indicate how his Teaching intuitively evolved over the years. Since the Source spoke through Maharaj, his talks were Self-tuned to the need and capacity of his listeners. As a sidelight, these early talks are an interesting indication of the nature of Maharaj’s audience in the 1950s.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mohan Gaitonde
• Release date: May 17, 2019
• ISBN: 9789387242401

Book preview

26 SEPTEMBER 1954

Nivruttinath is eternal Sadguru

Sage Nivruttinath, the Guru of Sage Jnaneshwar, instructed him to translate Bhagavad Gita, the dialogue in Sanskrit between Shrikrishna and Arjuna, into Marathi language. With his Guru’s grace Jnaneshwar completed this work, which is a profound commentary on Self-knowledge. Nivruttinath was Paramatma itself for him. When one experiences the complete state of full bliss, one also gets conviction about the Self. Thereafter the Universal Atman blesses the atman or consciousness to have contentment with this spiritual knowledge and to pass this on to the individual souls for their benefit.

In Nivruttinath is the eternal state of Sadguru. When you trust It, it becomes your own direct experience. This rich wealth of the Self is always full with nectar and it is without any ‘I’ and ‘mine’. Here the example of the earth is given. She is always ready to give more and more. From earth you get flowers, fruits and varieties of grains. What the earth returns after sowing the seeds, that becomes your food. When consumed, that becomes a part of you. It is the nature of the earth to return to you many times more than what you sow. Mantra has the same quality as the seed. Irrespective of the caste or religion of the receiver of the mantra, there is transformation in him, and he himself becomes the giver of mantra to others.

The seed is responsible for becoming many, and the earth is not its cause but it gives it the taste. This is the quality of the seed and there is no question of any desire. A Sadguru is not a separate entity but He is always one with the entire existence. Sages say that actions happen as per one’s nature. One’s experiences seem as facts as per one’s trust.

Just as it is the nature of earth to sustain all living beings, it is the nature of a jnani to reduce suffering and to show all people the true way of getting full contentment. You can benefit by it as per your need or capacity to receive. Your direct experience unifies you with Truth and your company changes others favourably.

Now, what does Jnaneshwar request His Sadguru to give? He says the differences with others and the feeling of hatred should vanish from our nature. As long as the Self has a covering of sins, the seeker will not be free of faults.

The Self is what we are in reality and it has no desire to see the change from unmanifested to manifested. That is called as Parabrahman. One might have earned very great religious merit, but identification with the body keeps the Self away. As we have universal nature, we see the world, which is a part of that. The sun of the Self has risen and there is its light. The appearance of light is an indication of the rising sun. The Self is aware due to the manifestation.

The Sages are very generous because they have no pride, no ego and no demands for any recognition. Hence, they are always in bliss. This world is the light of the sun of the Self.

29 MAY 1954

Your faith should be firm!

When Uddhava saw the full form of Krishna, He had already accomplished the end and he said to Krishna, ‘It is very difficult even for the great yogis and ascetics to know you. Then how will it be possible for the ordinary unintelligent people?’ Krishna said, ‘The ordinary should begin humbly by not hurting anybody either by action or by word. They should show humility even to other animals. One who sees Me in all living beings equally, can attain Me.’

‘Consciousness is present in every living form and that is responsible for troubles of various kinds. Along with this trouble, the jeevas also have the joy of existence. My true devotees who repeat My name, should hurt none. Only human beings can worship Me. Devotion to Me is like handling a sharp-edged sword. My devotees should take due care. You should not hurt even the worst enemy. You should have faith in God that He will compensate you for all damages.’ It was Tukaram who practised this method. You should take care that none receives any injustice. You should have full control over you, mind, intellect, ego and sense organs. If people give you any trouble, you should consider it as God testing your fitness. It you believe that God is everywhere, you will see Him even in these letters, while reading.

The name Tukaram was selected by the intellect, but in reality it was only Lord Panduranga. It was God who was acting as Tukaram. Only those who have endurance can experience real joy.

Bhagwan says, ‘I am myself appearing in various forms, but they imagine their existence as separate from me. My devotees should get rid of all their concepts so that they can attain me as I am. The consciousness of every living being is my real form. I have provided ample space for the activities of all beings. But I am prior to all that. My true form has no touch of ‘I am’.’

Your capital for existence is your consciousness. In order to know it as your real form, you must be full of devotion and you must do bhajan, worship, chanting mantra and meditation. Once you begin all that, it must be continued regularly. The real enjoyment, which is beyond the five senses, will be experienced by the Self. The joy of Atman is a great wealth. You already know that your deep sleep is far better than the other pleasures experienced by you. God is appearing in many incarnations to tell you that His company is more blissful than your other pleasures, which are negligible in comparison.

One who really loves God, cannot accept anything else as a substitute. Even if there is fear of dying, one will not leave God. Your own true form is called Purna-Brahman. For practical purposes, we call it Brahman. What is occupying the whole existence is in your heart. Yet you fail to recognize Him. Since you take yourself to be somebody other than Him, you are unhappy.

Bhagwan says, ‘One who merges into Me, really meets Me.’

Now, we should do such work that the hug of Self should never relax. As told by my Guru, My God, the Atman, is in My heart and He loves me. This hug of love should always be. The God in heart should be hugged with love.

The real devotee wants only God and he doesn’t worship demanding more pleasures. The fifth principal object of human life is the real love and devotion to all the four kinds of liberation. It is the devotion in non-duality. The devotee loves unity with God and doesn’t like to imagine any separation from Him. Whatever he eats and drinks is automatically turned into an offering to God. Such a devotee says, ‘God is my closest beloved and because of Him I come to know my existence. In the light of my Atman, I experience this world.’

Your faith should be firm! Atman is happy as He has no need to eat, drink, wake up or sleep. It is to help the real devotee that God appears or incarnates in various forms.

For the gopis (the female cowherds), their meditation itself was Shrikrishna. They worshipped God in non-duality. For them Shrikrishna was their life. Hence, He had to hasten to help them, when needed. He was bound to respond when called. For Radha, Her own Self was the complete Shrikrishna Paramatman.

It is only God who works through all bodies. For a devotee and his devotion God does everything that is necessary.

5 OCTOBER 1954

The highest object of human life

A true devotee wants only God; nothing less, nothing more. The highest object of human existence is total liberation from all ignorance. His devotion to God is of the non-dual type, and he never tolerates any separation from God. What he eats and drinks is first an offering to God. Such a devotee says, ‘I come to know my existence because of God. Hence, He is my very life. I experience my world in the light of Atman.’

What is needed is firm faith and changeless conviction. Atman doesn’t sleep, eat or drink and there is no question of the waking state. It is ever in bliss. God always helps his devotees by taking various forms, which are called incarnations.

For the gopis, Krishna was their consciousness and inseparable. That is non-dual worship. He was their very life. He was at their service without any break. For Radha, her Self was Krishna or Paramatman.

It is God who works in various bodies and helps his devotees in need. Their devotion controls him.

9 JANUARY 1955

Our ego is imaginary!

When devotion is fulfilled with the realization of Paramatman, one loses one’s form. With the blessings of Sadguru, all ignorance and memories thereof are freed. Paramatman does not belong to any religion, caste or creed. His nature is free of all disorders. On the other hand, all human qualities are full of ego and the people live in this world with that. Only a Sage lives as the Self. One whose ego becomes calm attains tranquility. Becoming free of ego means becoming free of all concepts about one’s nature. This happens by God’s divine vision. One who recognizes the body-world as an illusion has steady consciousness.

When all our inner concepts about ourselves go, the ego is destroyed. It is a mental modification to consider oneself to be a man or a woman. All our activities happen accordingly. This modification should be utilized for repeating the mantra and doing penance. When we cease to be in one way or another, we become what we really are. With devotion to God, our imaginations and concepts are replaced by God’s form. With the dissolution of the devotee, there is vision of God. It is realization of God or Self-realization.

When Uddhava had a vision of God, it was seeing His own Self. He started seeing God in everything. Watching Bhagwan Shrikrishna was akin to watching His own Self. Krishna says, ‘I have narrated various devices and skills in order to help my devotees develop conviction about the Self.’

Even the most powerful get tired and need rest. The deep sleep is rest and it is ignorance. During ignorance, whatever is at the bottom is complete in all respects and quiet. That is Paramatman. We can never find That. By nature it is complete rest. Bhagwan says, ‘See Me clearly at least once. It is possible only in a human body. My desireless devotion is the key to It. In the forms of all Sages, I have myself given the world spiritual advice.’

You should call your waking state as God. As you are God, you cannot be without Him. Develop this conviction. Krishna’s gopikas had done it. All activities are of God itself. Have conviction that you are not the doer of these activities. The nature of Atmarama is such that it cannot be realized independently. What are needed are devotion and the company of a Sage. A devotee who is full of devotion can do anything. He will create a beautiful village where there was only a mountain.