Swami-ji's Birthday Celebration

Space never speaks

"Being on this earth, your knowledge confirms that you—as body—exist, but as Space, you do not. But in seeing you, I get completely ousted from the idea that I am separate from you.
    "It is really one vast ocean. There remains no more drop. In the same way, this individual awareness appears very significant—as the drop of beautiful dew on the grass. So I am that—this beautiful earth-life.
    "'But Shyam', you say, 'when I look at you, my bound concept of my existence on this earth gets released. When I come back, my body appears to be real, but I remember that state. Please tell me what that is.'
    "All you meditators have gained that state. You are aware of that state. But because of your age and crystallized nature, you are compelled to do so many things. And you get cemented in the idea: I am this body. 

   "When you meditate you transcend all this. And you want to ask what that state is. But that Space never speaks, so it doesn’t answer your query on the relative level. The same thing happens to Shyam."

 After the langar, the 6-hour celebration continued indoors with songs, poetry, and musical performances presented by many of his devotees.  

After the performances, Swami-ji said, "With the expression of your heart and mind, my speech stopped. Just as your instruments can’t speak by themselves, my mouth can’t speak by itself, being the same type of instrument as that in the hands of the musicians. If the musicians leave the instruments at home, the instrument can’t start playing. So with speech.

    "On this occasion, when all are fully alive and participating in the game of the manifestation of the senses, the senses are kept intact, and mind functions for the sake of the play.
    "I too associate with the whole galaxy of instruments in the hands of God and pray to the Almighty that he may fill the instruments with chaytan (consciousness) so they may not compare themselves with jhar (insentience) and may remain tuned in to that which is unchanging.
    "He Himself likes to hear the speech of someone who has never spoken. Then he chooses to speak and give thanks to all who have participated."

Pointing to one of the many flower bouquets decorating the hall, Swami-ji said, "All of you are flowers like the flowers in this bouquet. And I am speaking from the side of the pot [that contains them].
    "All objects which are obvious, they say—from the Self right down to the grass blade—are human awareness. Yet a human being can see there must be the infinite Self. If there is manifest existence, then it must have a pot that contains it, and it doesn't just contain flowers, but all of existence—tiger, moose, and so on. So the container can’t be small. 
    "So what does ‘pot’ or 'basis' or source mean? When you look in the mirror and see your forms, what is the container? 
    "You!
    "Being You, you can’t grasp You. So we have to have constant celebration of the manifest formation. But there is something at the back of very thing, every breath, every thought. There must be a source. If this has become your method of checking, then we have to be very grateful for this human form that allows us to see so many forms, each of which attracts us.
    "So where is a being trapped? As a body form. All are wanting to get out of the body. But they feel they are caught in the house, or in the office, or in someone’s embrace. See? A human being wanting to get freedom, what does he do? He gets in the trap. Everyone wants freedom, but no one can get out of it. And a human being is the only incarnation where one can get the information on how to get out of it.
    "So many messiahs came to give the message: 'You do this.' As a result, all the boys and girls are being pressed and suppressed in the schools.
    "Human beings want to be free. But what do they get? Bondage. By the time a person is 25 or 30 he is crystallized, localized, a personality.
    "No one tells you what is missing—that you are the Space. So if you don’t know this, you’ll pick up music or some such thing and the whole life will pass.
    "You have never been the instrument. You have always been chaytan. The chaytan is guru-consciousness. And when you come in touch with it, what happens? You become free. Those who have meditated and have now come to know, realize they have done everything in freedom. Out of freedom, all of you have come to realize that all your conditions have been dissolved and dismantled and have became the Space.
    "What happens when you are the Space? You are the container. And then, once we are convinced of what we have learnt, we inform with the words: 'Space you are.'
    "All the things and forms are bound. Why? Because the drop feels separate from the ocean. You as a drop-human-being: be informed that you have never been bound, you never were small. You have total power to go beyond all that appears to be necessary.
    "What are 76 years? They can’t be weighed. Age or time or all that is qualified is not. When you are beyond time and space you are pure consciousness."

1 February 2000