I AM THAT I AM Talks 106

[Guest guest]

Talks With Sri Ramana Maharshi

Talk No. 106

 

 

 

I AM THAT I AM

 

 

The Self is known to everyone - but not clearly.

You always exist. The Be-ing is the Self. ‘I am’ is the name of God.

 

Of all the definitions of God, none is indeed so well put as the

Biblical statement “I AM THAT I AM” in EXODUS (Chap. 3).

 

There are other statements, such as Brahmaivaham, Aham Brahmasmi

and Soham.But none is so direct as the name JEHOVAH = I AM.

 

The Absolute Being is what is —It is the Self. It is God. Knowing the

Self, God is known. In fact God is none other than the Self.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

E X O D U S

 

Chapter 3

 

 

1:

 

Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of

Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came

to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.

 

2:

 

And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of

the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with

fire, and the bush was not consumed.

 

3:

 

And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.

 

4:

 

And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him

out of the midst of the bush, and said:

 

Moses, Moses.

 

And he said, Here am I.

 

5:

 

And He said,

 

Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the

place whereon thou standest is holy ground.

 

 

6:

 

Moreover He said,

 

I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.

 

And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.

 

 

7:

 

And the LORD said,

 

I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and

have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their

sorrows;

 

 

8:

 

And I am come down to

 

deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up

out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing

with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the

Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and

the Jebusites.

 

 

9:

 

Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me:

and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.

 

10:

 

Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou

mayest bring forth my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.

 

11:

 

And Moses said unto God,

 

Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth

the children of Israel out of Egypt?

 

 

12:

 

And He said,

 

Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee:

 

When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.

 

13:

 

And Moses said unto God,

 

Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them,

 

The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you;

 

and they shall say to me, What is his name?

what shall I say unto them?

 

14:

 

And God said unto Moses,

 

 

I AM THAT I AM:

 

 

and He said,

 

Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel,

 

I AM

 

hath sent Me unto you.

 

 

15:

 

And God said moreover unto Moses,

 

Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel,

The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac,

and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you:

 

 

this is my name for ever,

 

and this is my memorial unto all generations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE MAHARSHI

 

 

SEP/OCT 2005 VOL. 15 NO. 5

 

 

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