Who Are You: The Spiritual Awakening Self Discovery Guide for Enlightenment and Liberation

By Rohit Sahu

Have you ever wondered why achieving your goals doesn’t always bring you happiness? It’s because those goals might not have been what you truly needed in the first place.

In today’s world, a major problem is that many people search for joy in material possessions like money, fame, and respect. But here’s the truth: even the most successful and admired individuals often struggle with unhappiness. They might even seek therapy and rely on medications to maintain a sense of normalcy.

What are the fundamental problems that we all face? We often feel a sense of lack, loneliness, incompleteness, restriction, and fear, especially the fear of death. These problems can only be overcome through self-investigation. There’s no way around it.

Being happy is a natural state for human beings, just as fire is naturally hot. The mistake we make is searching for happiness externally, which is impossible to achieve. Think about it: when you finally obtain something you’ve desired for a long time, you may feel happy initially, but soon you’ll find yourself craving something else. It becomes an endless cycle.

But here’s the good news: there’s a way to experience happiness at every moment. To make it happen, you must first understand, in a peaceful state of mind, “Who Are You?” You need to engage in self-inquiry. This book is based on the renowned Indian scripture called the “Ashtavakra Gita,” which reveals the ultimate truth of humanity. It will guide you on how to attain self-knowledge and fearlessness. Your fears and doubts will vanish, not temporarily, but permanently. Internal conflicts will cease, and psychological pain will fade away.

This is not just another self-help book; it’s a spiritual workbook that can lead you to liberation and spiritual wisdom.

By Reading This Book:
✔️ You’ll attain lasting peace.
✔️ You’ll understand the true meaning of spiritual awakening.
✔️ You’ll grasp the essence of spirituality beyond religion.
✔️ You’ll find the answer to the question, “Who Are You?”
✔️ You’ll become fearless.
✔️ You’ll break free from bondage and achieve liberation.
✔️ You’ll discover the key to eternal happiness and joy.
✔️ You’ll gain deep insight into spirituality and self-awakening.
✔️ You’ll experience the bliss of self-realization.
✔️ You’ll learn how to attain spiritual enlightenment.
✔️ You’ll understand what happens after spiritual enlightenment.
✔️ You’ll find the reasons why you should embark on a spiritual awakening.

And remember, this book is not only for adults but also suitable for kids and teenagers.

So why wait? Claim your copy today and discover a profound journey toward self-discovery and enlightenment.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rohit Sahu
• Release date: Jun 3, 2020
• ISBN: 9780463710937

Rohit Sahu

We've advanced a lot. However, with this advancement, we have brought many mishaps upon ourselves as well. In today's world, our health is constantly under siege - from the pervasive influence of mobile phones to our dietary choices and overall lifestyle.In this landscape of emerging health concerns, there is a growing need for holistic healing practices that nurture the body without disrupting its natural harmony. This quest for a balanced life has led to a resurgence of interest in alternative therapies such as Ayurveda and spiritual practices. Recognizing the wisdom and effectiveness of these ancient systems, people are increasingly turning to them for a life that is not just healthy, but also happy and fulfilling.Rohit Sahu is an Indian author in the fields of Ayurveda and Spirituality. With over 8 years of experience in writing on these subjects, Rohit is deeply invested in exploring and sharing the nuances of holistic health and wellness. His passion extends to reading and writing self-help books, each of which focuses on a unique aspect of human well-being.Rohit's approach to health is distinctive. He addresses one issue at a time, offering solutions steeped in ancient wisdom yet relevant to modern lifestyles. His books are not just compilations of knowledge; they are treasures that guide readers toward a state of contentment, happiness, and comprehensive well-being, encompassing the Mind, Body, and Soul. With each page, Rohit invites his readers to embark on a journey of self-discovery and natural healing, tapping into the timeless practices that have nurtured civilizations for centuries.

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Who Are You

The Spiritual Awakening Self Discovery Guide For Enlightenment And Liberation

-Rohit Sahu

Copyright © 2019 by Rohit Sahu. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher at the email below. 

Published by:  Rohit Sahu 

Contact: [e-mail]

Published Worldwide 

Acknowledgement

I highly acknowledge The Ashtavakra Gita an Indian classical Advaita Vedanta scripture on which this book is based. It is a dialogue between the Self-realized Saint Ashtavakra and King Janak on the nature of soul, reality, and bondage.

It offers a radical version of non-dualistic philosophy. The Gita (another Indian scripture) insists on the complete unreality of the external world and the absolute oneness of existence. It does not mention any morality or duties and therefore is seen by commentators as ‘godless’. It also dismisses names and forms as unreal and a sign of ignorance. In a conversation between Janak and Ashtavakra, pertaining to the deformity of his crooked body, Ashtavakra explains that the size of a Temple is not affected by how it is shaped, and the shape of his own body does not affect himself (or Atman).

I highly acknowledge he who doesn’t have to read this book, Mr. Sandeep Maheshwari, through whom I came to realize this Ultimate Truth. Sandeep Maheshwari is a well-known name among the youth of India; he is one of the fastest growing entrepreneurs in India. Without diving too much into his professional success, what makes him a lot different from other is that he is also a motivational speaker and is known for his 'Motivational Life Changing Seminars’ to motivate and inspire the minds of the young, that too for free.

I acknowledge my wonderful family members including my father, mother, and my brother for all their support on my work.

I also acknowledge all my amazing designing & editing staff without whom this book hasn’t been possible.

Content

Introduction

Chapter 1: Instructions on Self-Realization

Chapter 2: Joy of Self-Realization

Chapter 3: You are Liberated

Chapter 4: Test of Self-Realization

Chapter 5: Glorification of Self-Realization

Chapter 6: The Higher Knowledge

Chapter 7: Nature of Self-Realization

Chapter 8: You are Pure Perspective Essence

Chapter 9: The Substratum Soul and Supreme Soul

Chapter 10: Self-Knowledge

Chapter 11: You are the Consciousness

Chapter 12: Bondage and True Liberation

Chapter 13: Wisdom

Chapter 14: Peace

Chapter 15: Detachment

Chapter 16: You are the Conscious Essence

Chapter 17: Self-Enlightenment

Chapter 18: The True Knower

Chapter 19: You are the Universal Witness

Chapter 20: Worldly Perspective

Chapter 21: The Truth About Rebirth

Chapter 22: You are the One

Chapter 23: The Ultimate Truth

Closing Words

Glossary

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Author Note

Dear Reader,

With great excitement and appreciation, I offer to you this book, the culmination of my spiritual studies. It’s been a labor of love, knitted together to impart timeless knowledge and practical insights to improve your well-being and spiritual journey. I urge you to go on a transforming journey as you read through the pages of this book. Explore the timeless wisdom and deep knowledge that you may incorporate into your everyday life. 

Your thoughts and opinions are really valuable to me. I would be grateful if you could take a few seconds to leave a review and share your ideas and experiences. Your review will not only help other readers make an informed decision, but it will also give vital insight into how this book has touched your life.

I sincerely ask you to share your thoughts, observations, and any recommendations you may have. Your thoughts will not only encourage me but will also help to evolve and refine the information and wisdom contained inside these pages.

May this book serve as a beacon of light for you on your journey to self-discovery and spiritual enlightenment. Thank you for joining me on this life-changing journey.

With the deepest gratitude,

Rohit Sahu

Preface

This book is based on Ashtavakra Geeta an Indian scripture that reveals the ultimate truth of mankind. Ashtavakra Gita is a dialogue between King Janak and his guru, sage Ashtavakra, on how we can achieve self-realization.

Ashtavakra explains in 20 chapters (This book has 23) what our true nature is and what we should do to get rid of our illusions and realize who we really are. Doing so, we’ll get the answer to every problem in our lives.

King Janak is a wise and eager student and is ready for explanations. Ashtavakra therefore provides more and more elaboration and finally provides a strong exposition on non-duality.

But before we get together on our journey of self-discovery, I would like to give an advice, together means you need to listen to what I have to say completely rather than have any preconceived notions. You’re going to have to listen putting your preconceived notions aside.

Such notions may be that somebody feels, ‘I don’t even understand things like this, it isn’t for me. It is a concept.’ Someone else might say, ‘I already know all these things, I’ve seen plenty people talk about it. I’ve read enough of that.’

They’re both trapped with these preconceived notions, it’s about seeing things as it is, sitting comfortably with an open mind and listening. Listening, too, can mean seeing because if you listen carefully and put all distractions behind, you’ll be able to see what I can see. You can then determine whether what you see is the truth for you and me, or if it is for me but not for you.

Am I talking with a motive or perhaps a hidden agenda or my own preconceived notions? Or am I talking about reality? You’re going to find that very easily. Is that a hypothetical point of view, or can anyone and everyone can confirm repeatedly the argument I make?

Gradually, all your fears and doubts will end, not temporarily but forever. All internal conflict will fall to zero, and entire psychological pain will cease to exist. Everything needs to be done on the physical level must start as it is; It has nothing to do with it.

Now, we’re getting to the question of how you’re going to listen, or how you should listen, because we don’t really understand how to listen. You will only be able to listen when you can truly understand the importance of listening to this.

Everything we find to be important we pay attention to, what we consider unnecessary our mind wanders off. So where is everybody’s attention? It’s where they think the most important things are! People, material things, money, or whatever it is. So what’s the significance of all that? What kind of question are we going to find answers to? Why go through Ashtavakra Geeta?

Basically, we all encounter two kinds of problems; the first is subjective or personal problems at a superficial level that you may have but I don’t, or I may have but you don’t. This means that one person may have a problem but another may not have that.

The other is the fundamental problems which every individual has at a deeper level, be they the poorest of the poor or the richest of the rich. Be it India, The United States, The United Kingdom, anywhere, there won’t be a single person who doesn’t suffer from these problems. These are the issues that we need to address.

In fact, all the questions you ask are from your own viewpoint, like I have this problem or I’m suffering from this or that. But we never ask if I really am or not. Who are you?

If you think of yourself as another person or entity, then the whole discussion is pointless, whatever you are questioning or thinking if ‘I’ in the first place is misplaced. Let’s say you think, ‘I’m a body,' then whatever you ask thinking you really are, a body, is wrong.

A body is being born, a body dies; different people are associated with the body, this happened to the body or that happened to the body, whatever it may be. There may be unlimited problems, but we never ask ourselves, ‘Am I really a body or not?’

Just because the entire world thinks they’re just limited to their bodies, so even I assume that I’m a body and question things based on ‘Me’ being a body. In that case, you’re even listening to me thinking you are a body. How will you understand anything then? So assume nothing, listen with an open mind.

What are all the fundamental problems that all of us face then? There is a sense of lack that exists in all of us, a sense of loneliness, a sense of incompleteness, a sense of being restricted, a sense of fear, and fear of death. Therefore, these fundamental problems can only be overcome through self-investigation; there’s no other way around.

Let’s just assume your problem is, ‘You’re restless.’ Is restlessness the issue that only one person faces, or is it something that all the humanity faces?

So there are two kinds of scripture, one of which will tell you how you can resist this restlessness for some time. Meaning, just do this and you’ll have peace of mind for a little while, do this then this will happen, or do this then that will happen. Practice what is written in these scriptures, obey it, and regulate your desires. Control your rage, control your greed, control your attachments, and your expectations; and a day will come when you'll be fully enlightened

. What’s the other way around? Whatever the truth is, whether you accept it or not, things are being declared. That’s just what the Ashtavakra Geeta is!

But in order to realize the truth, you need to put your notions aside. Any preconceived notions or opinions or feelings you might have, you need to set them behind and see things as they are. Please keep on reading, what will happen is that the truth will be revealed.

Is the desire for happiness just limited to a person or does everyone wants to be happy? Everyone wants it! The quest for happiness ends by knowing the truth. Because I’m happy, I don’t need to search for it! The search for the truth ends as you realize that I am the truth.

All this racing around the mind is what we call restlessness. The mind doesn’t seem to be still for a second. Why is that happening? This happens when you feel like, ‘I need to be somewhere’, ‘I need to get somewhere’, ‘I need to do something’, or ‘I need to be something'.

Everyone is trying to do things to put an end to the restlessness in them, to forget about the restlessness in them. The fact that they’re trying to do this is basically an issue. The moment we realize that I am absolutely complete all the restlessness dies.

What’s the root cause of all the problems? It’s because we never wonder why we keep chasing something or the other. They’re all doing it, so I do it, too. Everyone’s going in different directions, though, not all of them are going the same way. One wants this; the other one wants something different.

We idealize one of these directions and start to follow it but when we finally reach the destination, there’s actually nothing there. Then we see someone else, or we’ll get drawn to something else, and we’ll start running in that direction. And when we actually get there, there’s nothing there either.

So, what’s the solution to all this? Tell me one thing; do you think the rich people you admire so much are satisfied or happy? Of course not, otherwise they may not be taking drugs and anti-depressant to feel well. USA, which is the richest nation, has leading number of depression cases (16.2 million adults in the United States, or 6.7 percent of American adults).

Therefore, stay right where you are; Be the one you are. You don’t need to do anything! The dilemma you’re facing is that you think you have to reach somewhere. You may assume, for example, that I have to attain enlightenment. What is enlightenment now? Every concept of enlightenment will be different. Everyone has some preconceived notions, ‘If I can get this, I’ll be enlightened’, or ‘I’ll be enlightened when I see the God’, whatever.

Let’s say you got engaged to the girl you liked, is it the end of your restlessness or will there still be conflicts? So how are we going to get rid of this restlessness? There’s someone telling you, you don’t need to do something, just take a step back to relax and listen to what I’ve got to say. If you really understand that you don’t need to go anywhere you’re already there!

So do you need thoughts then, this is called the state of thoughtlessness. Many could not understand this; they believe that thoughtlessness means either a state of intense concentration or deep sleep. But that’s not the case; you’ve got to wake up after a while, right? You’re going to break the focus at some point? Is this the solution?

When does the problem exist? When you’re sleeping, when you’re in a state of intense concentration, or when you’re wide awake? It’s when you’re awake! So in that situation, the solution needs to be sorted out. We’re going to get nervous the moment we wake up. Why is this happening? This happens when we believe we need to do something, action or karma is something that needs to be understood, but not theoretically. Leave behind all the myths you’ve read about, try to understand what action really is, what thought means.

You need to plan; you need physical activity, and you need a lot of other things if you want to go from one location to another. You need a time unit, money too, you’ll have to fight. So the fight, the emotions, the action comes to an end temporarily when you reach where you want to go. But it’s only a short time, whether it’s in the material world or the spiritual world.

But then again, because of your old pattern of thinking new thoughts develop in your mind and the fight starts again. This is a cycle that never ends. It’s a loop; It’s a loop that never ends.

If I feel awful, I might find happiness in eating something. Now that I’ve had this, the thought ends temporarily, when the task is finished the thought ceases to exist, when it is taken care of we feel relaxed. Then the desire comes again, and the cycle begins again.

This is what happens: action and reaction, cause and effect, cause and effect. What will happen is that we tire out of this.

This is just one way. The other way around is that you don’t need to move at all, to move in the sense that, ‘I want to be someone or I want to do something’. You don’t need that kind of thinking because you’re already what you need to be. Just sit back and understand who you really are once you’ve fully understood the research has already been completed.

Finally, there is no need for information or words to help you see the reality. All the clutter of words, then, will cease to exist. When you travel from one place to another, is it necessary to think of reaching that place? No, the idea comes to an end!

But what’s going to happen is that another impulse emerges that I need to go somewhere or do something because the feeling of incompleteness also persists. But once you realize that I don’t need to go anywhere I don’t need to change then the feeling of incompleteness ceases to exist, not only momentarily, yet forever.

Introduction

Let’s now start with the basics of Ashtavakra Geeta. There are many stories related to this that I will not go into now. But the most important thing that needs to be understood, which is the root of all the Vedas and Upanishads (Indian Philosophical and Spiritual Scriptures) is the uniqueness of Ashtavakra Geeta. As it bypasses all the cell realization processes.

It’s not a technique to train you to become something or do something. It’s clear, and it’s going to set you free from any conflict. There are direct questions to which a direct answer is given. The stage at which Ashtavakra Geeta begins is the end of spirituality; this is the sum of it.

How am I supposed to gain self-knowledge? How am I going to achieve salvation? How is abstinence achieved? Each of these issues has to be thoroughly considered because the problem is that each of these terms has a pre-defined picture in our minds.

You would assume that salvation means that I would have gained full peace of mind and would have been sitting at a fixed place all day meditating. Someone else might think with salvation some energy will burst from within, and things will happen, whatever they are.  When I feel this is when I achieve salvation.

‘Salvation is something that only superhuman can do, and it’s not for me. I’m just too good for this; all this stuff, I don’t understand.’ There are a lot of preconceived notions about salvation in our minds, and the word salvation is such that if you hear it, it sounds like something has to be done to achieve it. It’s a restriction of words. Salvation means there is bondage so you need to break free. If there is no bondage, then what do you want salvation from?

But what is real salvation though? It will become clearer as we go forward. The realization that there is truly no bondage of any kind is salvation. Here, we’re talking about a way to gain self-knowledge and be fearless.

The goal is salvation, and abstinence is the solution. What does abstinence mean? Whatever you thought you knew, put a question mark on them and set them aside. You neither need to accept it nor classify it as incorrect. Put the question mark, and now sit back and listen, that’s abstinence.

Otherwise, how are we going to gain self-knowledge? How are you going to understand such a deep topic? When you hang on to your existing beliefs and keep them inside of you, that’s what bondage is. So just throw a question mark on them and stop right there. You don’t have to dig at your convictions. Only put a question mark on it; It might be right, it might be wrong. Just leave it.

You’re neutral now. Now, you’re neither here nor there. You’re not saying that whatever you’ve read, heard, learned before today is not true, nor you’re saying it’s true. ‘Let me know, let me see things as they are,’ this is abstinence. That’s when you’re ready to listen.

So, what’s Ashtavakra Ji’s answer here? If you want salvation, leave the sense objects as if they are poison and accept forgiveness, simplicity, kindness, contentment, and truth.

But how many people have really understood this?

They’re all in a rush. They’re all lost. Millions of people are confused after reading this. Why? Since people have a habit of listening to stories, a simple scenario is turned into a story right away.

So what’s the story in this case? ‘If you want salvation then leave the sense objects as if they were poison’, what does the word sense objects mean?

We’ve got five senses. There are five corresponding sensing objects in there. All our experiences are connected to them within our mind, known as memory. All these are sense objects, and all the sense objects are equivalent to poison, leave them.

This has to be grasped thoroughly, step by step, with no urgency. Calm and quiet. What does that mean, if you want salvation leave the sense objects like they are poison? What does this line mean? So there’s a medication here, a sense object, this isn’t poison. If you’re sick, is there any wrong with taking medicine. Is there a problem with medication? No.

So leaving the sense objects as if they were poison implies that the poison must be stored or eaten in its proper place. You don’t need more or less.

Just like if you’re sick and you’re leaving medications, you’re going to die.  Also, if you only needed a small amount of medicine but you overdosed you’ll still die.

Therefore, more or less of anything is bad. Such extremes need to be discarded, consuming too much or have nothing at all that needs to be given up. When you drink excess water, that’s wrong and when you don’t drink, that’s wrong, too. In a word, balance is what you need.

Everything needs to be done within the limits. If you can do something within limits, there was no better monk or saint than you. This is the highest form of self-discipline!

So the person who does things within limits will be peaceful. Now, he’s ready to listen, the one who’s starving and he’s listening to Ashtavakra Geeta will not be able to listen, his attention will be on his hunger. The one who has eaten more as well, even he will not be able to listen and he will feel like sleeping. But the one who has eaten no more or less beyond the limits will have no problem at all.

It’s a pleasure to eat. Can we give up on that pleasure? Is that a negative pleasure? What’s wrong with it? Okay, it’s fine that’s why you’re hungry. If there was no satisfaction in food, if there was pain, should we eat? We’d die! So don’t leave pleasure, don’t leave your food, and don’t leave people. Leave nothing!

Only offer as much importance to items as they need. You’ve got to move on happily in your life. We can call it the middle road; we can call it a happy existence. That’s what living is!

Second, at your level of understanding you’ve left this illusion that sense objects are an end in themselves. They’re all a solution, not an end goal. This means that these are the means to reach an end; it’s not the end in itself. At every stage, you need an object and you can’t leave the object behind.

You felt hungry; you picked up a knife and you chopped up some vegetables. What’s all this stuff, what’s a knife? It’s just an object. You used it to chop the vegetables and prepare them. You don’t eat in abundance or fewer, within limits. What resulted from all this? You’ve gotten good health.

Now you have to use that good health to know the truth and to understand the truth. The whole universe is puzzled between the means and the ends. Money is a means not an end! It’s important, money isn’t the issue, your thinking of money as an end goal is the problem. Or your thinking of it as the end goal, that is, whatever you want to buy with that money is an issue.

‘I need some money.’ Why do I need it? For living a comfortable life, why is there a need for a comfortable life?  

To understand in a peaceful state of mind Who I Am? and what is the root of my struggle, all the conflicts in my life.

If I sum this up, one is moderation and the other is being absolutely clear about the means and the end. If we accept this our attachments will immediately cease to exist. It’s known as abstinence.

You won’t have to be detached from anything; it’s like fuel in a car. When we believe that whatever is in this universe is equivalent to the fuel in a car, I’m on a path, a journey to understand the Self. Then for this reason whatever I collect, it’s all equivalent to the fuel the car needs to run. So I’m not really attached to the fuel, I’m just centered on the journey. It’s called abstinence!

Chapter 1: Instructions on Self-Realization

King Janak asked Ashtavakra Ji a few questions, ‘How do I gain self-knowledge, what’s the answer to that? How am I going to achieve liberation? There is a