What is meant by Self-Realization?

[Guest guest]

17-8-46

This morning, a number of Gujerati visitors arrived here,

evidently returning from Pondicherry, after darshan there on

the 15th. One of them asked Bhagavan, " What is meant by

Self-realization? Materialists say there is no such thing as God

or Self. " Bhagavan said, " Never mind what the materialists or

others say; and don't bother about Self or God. Do you exist or

not? What is your idea of yourself? What do you mean by `I'? "

The visitor said he did not understand by `I' his body, but

something within his body. Thereupon, Bhagavan continued,

" You concede `I' is not the body but something within it. See

then from whence the `I' arises within the body. See whether it

arises and disappears, or is always present. You will admit there

is an `I' which emerges as soon as you wake up, sees the body,

the world and all else, and ceases to exist when you sleep; and

that there is another `I' which exists apart from the body,

independently of it, and which alone is with you when the body

and the world do not exist for you, as for instance in sleep.

Then ask yourself if you are not the same `I' during sleep and

during the other states. Are there two `I's? You are the same

one person always. Now, which can be real, the `I' which comes

and goes, or the `I' which always abides? Then you will know

that you are the Self. This is called Self-realization. Self-

realization is not however a state which is foreign to you, which

is far from you, and which has to be reached by you. You are

always in that state. You forget it, and identify yourself with

the mind and its creation. To cease to identify yourself with the

mind is all that is required. We have so long identified ourselves

with the not-Self that we find it difficult to regard ourselves as

the Self. Giving up this identification with the not-Self is all

that is meant by Self-realization. How to realize, i.e., make real,

the Self? We have realized, i.e., regarded as real, what is unreal,

the not-Self. To give up such false realization is Self-realization. "