Worship is only self-enquiry

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Worship is only self-enquiry

The purpose of worshipping the Impersonal Supreme Being is the

incessant remembrance of the truth that you are Brahman, because the

meditation 'I am Brahman' comprises sacrifice, gifts, penance,

ritual, prayer, yoga, and worship. The only way to overcome

obstructions to your meditation is to forbid the mind to dwell on

them and to introvert it into the Self and there witness

unconcernedly all that happens; there is no other method. Do not even

for a moment lose sight of the Self. Fixing the mind on the Self or

the 'I' abiding in the Heart is the perfection of yoga, meditation,

wisdom, devotion, and worship. Since the Supreme Being abides as the

Self, constant surrender of the mind by absorption in the Self is

said to comprise all forms of worship. Mind controlled, all else is

controlled. The mind is itself the life-current; the ignorant say

that in form it looks

like a coiled serpent. The six subtle centers (chakras) are merely

mental pictures and are meant for beginners in yoga. We project

ourselves into the idols and worship them, because we do not

understand true inward worship. Knowledge of the Self, which knows

all, is Knowledge in perfection.

Distracted as we are by various thoughts, if we would continually

contemplate the Self, which is Itself God, this single thought would

in due course replace all distraction and would itself ultimately

vanish; the pure Consciousness that alone finally remains is God.

This is Liberation. Never to be heedless of one's own all-perfect

pure Self is the acme of yoga, wisdom, and all other forms of

spiritual practice. Even though the mind wanders restlessly, involved

in external matters, and so is forgetful of its own Self, one should

remain alert and remember: 'The body is not I. Who am I?' Enquire in

this way, turning the mind backward to its primal state. The enquiry

'Who am I?' is the only method of putting an end to all misery and

ushering in supreme Beatitude. Whatever may be said and however

phrased, this is the whole truth in a nutshell.

- From Collected Works, "Self-Enquiry"

THE MAHARSHI

May/June 1999Vol. 9 - No. 3

Produced & Edited byDennis HartelDr. Anil K. Sharma

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