Excerpts from THE POWER OF THE PRESENCE Part Three

February 7, 2003

Edited by David Godman

Life with Bhagavan in the 1930s: He would talk quite freely with us every night after food. The people present would ply him with questions on philosophy and metaphysics. In the evening he would sit on a wooden cot near the well and gaze at Arunachala in deep silence. His face would glow with an inner radiance that would appear to increase with the deepening darkness. We were sitting all around him, either silently, or singing some song. Alamelu Amma would sometimes sing from Tiruppugazh. The silence and peace at those hours was quite remarkable. At night, after dinner was finished, all inmates of the ashram would collect around Bhagavan. At this hour he was our own. He would tell stories, answer questions, dispel doubts, laughing and joking all the while. We never knew how late it was until Madhava Swami would go behind Bhagavan's back and give us signs that it was time to allow Bhagavan some rest. (P.68)

On Self-Enquiry: "Sooner or later the question 'Who am I?' will have to be faced. All that leads to this question is good. By itself nothing else is fully effective, for Self-knowledge comes only through self-enquiry. Other methods purify the mind and help it to see its own limits. When the mind comes to the end of its resources and stands baffled before the unanswerable question, then a higher power takes charge of the mind and the Self stands revealed as the real, the wonderful." (P. 79)

On why we seek peace and are unhappy when we don’t have it: "A man suffering from a headache will not rest quietly until he has taken the right medicine and got rid of the ailment. For health is our nature and not illness. Likewise peace is our nature. Indeed we are peace. But forgetting that, we seek peace from external sources. It is an impossible quest and causes all this trouble. The moment you withdraw your mind from external objects and turn inward, you taste real peace and feel happy." (P. 120)

On how many times to repeat a mantra: "You must go on repeating until the consciousness that you are doing it disappears. Then you realise that you are not repeating the mantra. In that state the mantra repeats itself without your effort. That is sahaja sthiti [the natural state]. That is siddhi. In fact, the 'I' sense is the greatest mantra. Even pranava [the sound of Aum or Om] requires some explanation as the combination of A, U and M, etc, but the 'I' sense is self-evident and automatic." (P.125)

On visions: Yes, such visions do occur. To know how you look you must look into a mirror, but don't take that reflection to be yourself. What is perceived by our senses and the mind is never the truth. All visions are mere mental creations, and if you believe in them, your progress ceases. Enquire to whom the visions occur. Find out who is their witness. Stay in pure awareness, free from all thoughts. Don't move out of that state. (P.249)

On humility: Only humility can destroy the ego. The ego keeps you far away from God. The door to God is open, but the lintel is very low. To enter one has to bend. (P.252)

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