The Year Of The Egoless Fire
Of Knowledge

Certainly, this is the best new year, especially when this year is The Year of the Egoless Fire of Knowledge [Applause]. In Hindi, it is Nirahankaar Gyan Agni—a very short phrase. Since everyone here, there and everywhere is aware of the fact that everybody has a body, everybody has senses, everybody has organs of action, and everybody has a mind, intellect and ego, therefore, everybody is familiar with whatever is presented to him when his eyes see. The eyes see a form, and the form is considered to be truly existing—whether a flower, a garland, a person, a chair, the ground, or the audience—for the eyes see it. They see a form, and the form is existing-form, so it exists. But the forms do not see the one who has the knowledge of the form. So the eyes are not completely perfect, for they see the form but do not see the one who has the knowledge of the form.

When we studied and were educated, our dearest teachers, parents and friends taught us that the body is; that the senses are and the mind is; that understanding, or the intellect, is; and then that the one who knows and owns the whole body, or the ego, is. So the person is. To whom does the ego belong? It belongs to the soul. Everybody knows that the jeev, or soul, exists—as a form. This form of the jeev is in relation to things, objects and persons in the world, and so it becomes worldly knowledge. But it does not know that which is hidden, which is subtler than the subtlest. Earth is gross, water is a little subtler than earth, fire is subtler than water, air is still subtler than fire, and aakaash, or the word or sound, is subtler than air. And subtler than the material of all five forms is one material that is called ahankaar, or the ego-sense.

Without the ego-sense—without the ego’s, or the ego-sense’s, knowledge—there is nobody to say, “I am.” Therefore, not only this year but in previous years, too—and in previous time also, for millennia have passed—the first form has always been the ahankaar, the ego-sense. Sense is considered to be consciousness, but this consciousness must also have something in it which is ever-the-same and which does not become anything else but That. That is Amaram Hum, that is Madhuram Hum. That is the Self. In Hindi, it is the Aatma; also Param, or Paramaatma. In English, it is the Supreme Self, or Soul, the Supreme Being—Pure Existence, Pure Consciousness, Pure Bliss.

These names are abstract for the human mind. The human mind can know mind itself, or that “I know,” so the mind makes itself “I.” Nobody says, “The mind knows this, the mind knows that.” Rather, everybody says, “I know this, I know that.” Nobody says, “The mind eats, the mind works, the mind sees.” Rather, everybody says, “I see, I work, I eat.” So the mind makes I.

This has become a years’ long ignorance, or mistake, with each human being. Why? That which is your Self, the I, has become totally opposite to I and became the form of ego—which is the ego-intellect-mind-senses-body. It is one field of existing prakriti, or nature. So the I is known by the ego as itself.

All of you have been meditating, concentrating, contemplating and knowing things and forms, so all of you are capable in the world. You, whoever is hearing me, know that you exist as the body-form, that I exist as a another body-form, then he exists as another body-form, and she exists as another body-form. Bodies are bodies—and there is no I, you, he or she. But not many people have been given to understand that they should examine where is the I that exists in the body.

The ego-sense, the body-sense, the mind-sense, the intellect-sense, the sense of the senses, and the sense of the body’s and organs’ activity—all that exists in the body. But where is that I which exists in the body? There is no example for it. So it is not the fault of a man or a child, of an educated boy or a teacher, nor of the world. We cannot blame anybody. But this has been now, in this group, at this stage. For the last forty-five years, you have been experimenting to determine the fact about where the I exists in the body. It has become very clear for many years, but this year more so, that the I does not exist as the body, does not exist in the body, does not exist only out of the body, does not exist only inside the body, and does not exist in-between the body. [Laughter]

That means the I must be free from such an addendum—from the ahankaar, from the soul, from the ego-mind-intellect-senses-body, and the connected material forms, body, bodies and the world. That Free Being is the Egoless Being. And the knowledge of that Egoless Being is the Fire of Knowledge. Why did I add “the Fire of Knowledge”? Because just as fire burns the whole forest of wood or the world, then what remains? Egolessness. So Egolessness is the Self, Pure Free Forever, Amaram Hum Madhuram Hum. If it is so, then it is the Source—the source of the ego, the source of the ego-intellect-mind, the source of the senses and organs, the source of the skin, body and blood, the source of earth, water, fire, air and sky. If it is so, then each man is capable enough when he is enlightened to know that the Source alone is. If you have realized the Source, then the world is one with the Source. Therefore, there is no division.

Then you analyze how division has taken place. You’ll find that division has taken place because of the waking state—because of the waking–state mind and the dream-state mind. So the mind, or the ego-intellect-mind, is the maker of division. People know that division is there. Why? It is as if Space is not, and in Space there is this world and this body. So Space is divided into two. And that too, the first part is missing, while man is clinging on to the second part—which is the body and the world.

This anyata, this separation, is the sense of separation, and that is the mind. But the sense of separation can be further enlightened, or given the knowledge that, “Look, the sense of separation is not such that it exists; the sense of Oneness exists.” Who made the sense of otherness, the sense of separation? That is imagination, illusion. And illusion is indescribable. Somebody says it is true; somebody says it does not exist; somebody says that because of illusion man is working; somebody says that because of illusion man has forgotten who he is; somebody says that you are God; somebody says you are Aatma, the Self; somebody says you are the Word; someone says you are Adam; somebody says you are Eve; somebody says that, no, you are the one whose forefathers were animals. Now, all these people have their ism. If a man learns an ism, then he learns individual-ism. A couple of persons getting together become a community ism, a group ism, then a village ism, then a city ism, then the country ism, then the world ism. That is where their universe is.

Whereas it has been spoken by our great elders that there was a time when the world was not. But then, after the world was not, who was there as a man to hear this? If they were real beings who spoke this, then they said, “There was the word”—not w-o-r-l-d, rather, w-o-r-d; “l” is gone. That was sound. If sound was there, then sound was not known by the ears of a human being, because a human being was not. That was only Existence, Shuddh Satta, Pure Existence. Pure Existence is Bliss Existence, because there is no division of happiness and unhappiness.

I’m speaking all these words in English, but that Bliss is called Shiv. Why? All is shav [a dead body]. Shiv is Bliss. If Bliss is not, then all is material to be changed into death in the end. There are two words: S-h-i-v and s-h-a-v, Shiv and shav. See, a little “i” makes you blissful. [Laughter] And a little “s,” rather, “a,” makes you a donkey [laughter] to die. That little “i” is not a little “i.” It is so little, it is so subtler than the subtlest, that that I is not seen by anybody. That I is Egolessness.

This year, all of you have come to know that ego does not exist: Egoless alone is. This Fire of Knowledge of Egolessness will burn all the things which have been constructed by the illusory ego-sense. Then what will happen? You will come to know that it is all one reality, Oneness. So there may be the year 2012, but it is 2-0-1-2. Remove 2, it is only 2-0-1. Remove 1, it is 2-0. Remove 0, it is 2. Remove 2, where is time? [Laughter] Your ears make time; they hear a first year, second year, third year. So ear and year go together.

That is why I had said that if at all in any way you are examining with your understanding ability and gyan—or the knowledge, the Knower—then it is the Knower that is the Egoless Being. The moment the Knower makes a wave of mind to work to protect the body, then it becomes the ego. When it is the Egoless Being, the sea of Egolessness, if a wave comes, then the wave is not away from the sea, it is not separate from the sea. But illusion arises in between, and the illusion says that the wave is separate. So a man says that ego is separate from Egolessness, that the mind is separate from the sea of Self.

In this way, in the year 2012, you—who are enlightened enough to have heard that this is the space of the Egoless Fire of Knowledge, Anahankaar Gyan Agni—are successful. Remember it, and live the whole life happily, joyfully, in the state of Oneness. Thank you. [Applause] …

This time, we have worked for all these years, again and again. In varieties of forms, we have come to know that when we use the eyes, only then form arises. When we hear sound, then sound arises. So is the case with the other elements. When the senses are functioning, then all this changing field arises. But when we meditate, then we come to know that that Being who is Egoless is the real Fire of Knowledge. For just as fire burns everything rotten, in the same way the Fire of Knowledge eliminates all the darkness of the mental thinking and brings about the light of knowledge. You are sharing with us that knowledge. It is not a new thing, all of you have it. But sometimes you forget, and there is no matchstick. So then we use a technique, saying, “Bring a matchstick, bring meditation, close your eyes and then light the lamp, the eternal flame of knowledge: Egolessness.” … [Meditation]

It is very, very simple, easy, right on and workable. Because for all other works, you have to have all kinds of limbs together. Here it becomes easy, because you sit still, just still. Being in the habit of action and the speed of the mind, you lose sight of the power which can make you still. That power which makes you still makes you united. That very power makes you free from the sense of duality, of running from one place to another, and gives you some time to be still. That stillness is of the kind that when you light the lamp, it is without flickering. Its flame burns every single moment for the whole night, for your whole life.

If there is no air of ego, then the flame of Egolessness remains lit, and that makes you one with every spirit, which everybody has. Just because of the mind and the eyes, as soon as they open, then you begin to see bodies—a body-other and a body-mine—which makes you full of struggle with each other. You rush for your desire to be satisfied and I rush for my desire to be satisfied, and since there is only one result of satisfaction, it gets divided, so worldly people with minds begin to fight. It is only the intelligent person—rather, one who is perfectly established in the intellect which is Pure Free Forever—who will be able to see the Space as the Self of Egolessness and not be pressed and become the victim of the ego, which moves every single thought here, there and everywhere, and you rush with your vritti to execute this, to execute that.

In this way, it doesn’t matter that forty-five years have taken place. God knows how many millions of years have passed and the message came to you now, just because the intellectual standard is very, very high. Everybody came to know that if we continue with this speed, or with this knowledge of the mind, it’s not going to bring about that peace, that joy, that happiness for which we were born and which is the purpose of our incarnation.

So you worked very hard and you came to know. I appreciate you very much for sharing your presence with me, and I am fortunate enough to see you, that every single day you come with that greatness of awareness that is tuned in to your Self-universal, Oneness or happiness. Today, too, in the year 2012 on the first of January, all of you have come with that very great delight, joy, harmony, happiness, and love for each other. …

In the world of people, there is no time at all. But we have gotten some time to sit and meditate, and we have found that in this Space there is no division, no sense of otherness, no sense of fear of being burned, cut, blown, or wet and so to end, or die. The result is perfect peace tuned in to that perfect Egoless Being, one without a second, Amaram Hum Madhuram Hum.

Please open your eyes and sing that shrutivaakya [Upanishadic mantra, Om Poornam Adah] which is of Perfection—wherever it is, it is Perfection. It is not that one countryman has no perfection and another countryman has no perfection. Everybody is in manifest form from Perfection. But they only came to know the manifest form, which became imperfect because of the senses and because of the mind. Then they began to evolve some sense of unity on the level of bodies. But they could not remain united, because one body slipped from somewhere and has gone somewhere.