From Talk 25

[Guest guest]

On a former occasion B. V. Narasimha Swami, author of Self-

Realization, asked: Who am I? How is it to be found?

M.: Ask yourself the question. The body (annamaya kosa) and its

functions are not ‘I’.

Going deeper, the mind (manomaya kosa) and its functions are not

‘I’.

The next step takes on to the question. “Wherefrom do these

thoughts arise?†The thoughts are spontaneous, superficial or

analytical. They operate in intellect. Then, who is aware of them?

The existence of thoughts, their clear conceptions and their

operations become evident to the individual. The analysis leads to

the conclusion that the individuality of the person is operative as

the perceiver of the existence of thoughts and of their sequence.

This individuality is the ego, or as people say ‘I’. Vijnanamaya kosa

(intellect) is only the sheath of ‘I’ and not the ‘I’ itself.

Enquiring further the questions arise, “Who is this ‘I’? Wherefrom

does it come?†‘I’ was not aware in sleep. Simultaneously with its rise

sleep changes to dream or wakefulness. But I am not concerned with

dream just now. Who am I now, in the wakeful state? If I originated

from sleep, then the ‘I’ was covered up with ignorance. Such an

ignorant ‘I’ cannot be what the scriptures say or the wise ones affirm.

‘I’ am beyond even ‘Sleep’; ‘I’ must be now and here and what I

was all along in sleep and dreams also, without the qualities of such

states. ‘I’ must therefore be the unqualified substratum underlying

these three states (anandamaya kosa transcended).

‘I’ is, in brief, beyond the five sheaths. Next, the residuum left over

after discarding all that is not-self is the Self, Sat-Chit-Ananda.

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