Swamiji's Amaram Day: The Whirl of the Mind

People came from around the world, from India, and from Kullu, to celebrate Swamiji’s Amaram Day, his eightieth birthday. As rain showered its blessings throughout the day, we gathered together in Gandharv Hall. Each of us garlanded Swamiji and were thus provided with an infinite moment to wish him a happiest Amaram Day and to receive this garland from him as a blessing in return. Mamaji had prepared us a sumptuous lunch, and a line up of cakes, each adorned with a candle, was offered to Swamiji, this becoming our sweetest prasaad. Many beautiful songs were performed in Swamiji’s honour, including a medley of favourites from the more than five thousand that our great "poet-saint" has written. Alka performed a number of recent compositions, among them one soul-stirring song with a soaring musical accompaniment, for which the audience cheered and demanded an encore. The peak of the evening came with a rousing outpouring of Adabhoot Haiⁿ Gurudev Hamaaray! (How wonderful is my Guru!), after which Swamiji gave the following talk:

… Although it is the Absolute—full of Consciousness, Existence, and Bliss—yet when it begins to move, it becomes the waking state. When it moves, this very movement, the whirl, is called the mind. Yet that very sense, or whirl, cannot be seen now, because the senses are so limited in their power that they do not see the whirl of the mind. Because it is only whirl, a human being cannot make sense or meaning out the mind. As I am speaking, the words are there. Each word is followed by another word, but you do not see what is there in between the words. That shows that the human mind, that whirl, is so limited that it only knows when it moves. When the whirl is there, then the water knows that there is a whirlpool—although the whirl cannot be a pool, the whirl cannot even be water, it cannot be any form. It appears that the moment that the whirl comes, in that very whirl, consciousness comes. So consciousness is also the whirl, it is not anything but movement. This whirl is called bhram [normally translated as "illusion," Swamiji has pointed out it also means whirl], and this is where the human body is a tool, and it moves. It is like a Ferris wheel, which has all the chairs and iron structure, but when it moves, the movement is not seen. The figures and people sitting in the chairs are seen, and maybe you can conceive of the movement, that it is whirling, but you do not see what it is—yet it appears that it is.

The mind of a human being is such that it says that the movement is there, but it does not know what it is. Still, it says that it is there. That is the state of mind which a human being calls the ego-sense. The ego is nowhere in deep sleep, but the moment the waking state comes, then the ego, the "I am," is already there—even before it says "I am the body." It is the sense of duality, because it does not say, "I am That which is in deep sleep—the Purity." It became a movement, and that movement became a human being’s I or truth; whereas this movement will stop, and then it will not be the truth. So for a human being, something is sat [true, existent] when it appears to be moving, and it is asat [untrue, non-existent] when it does not move. In this way, "sat and asat" is the functioning of the human mind. Therefore, all that which is seen and heard with these senses of a human being is truth, or sat, and That which is not seen is called formless and wordless. This is what a human mind can do. But then, what happens to a human being that anything which he attends becomes real, but he soon finds it is not there? Many persons have made a house, but then it caught fire and there was no house. When there was no house, it was all space: yet when the house had come, you had said it was the truth; and then, when it was all burnt, it was not the truth. The human mind functions like this. It is not that you have to reduce the house or take it away, or reduce the person or give him up, rather somehow that which is whirl is to be found.

What is that which is whirl, what is that which is chakr? Everyone says, "Srishti chakr chal raha hai [The wheel of the world is moving]." Srishti, the world, appears only when the chakr, the whirl, starts, so it is called srishti chakr. Whenever srishti chakr comes, the consciousness of the waking state immediately arises and movement starts. Movement starts, and then the hands, eyes, feet, and nose start—everything happens in the waking state with the presence of that. That has no name, no form, and there is nothing you can conceive of to be there. Yet still, it is a wheel, or bhram—and that is the mind, the senses, the body, and the body’s actions and experience of happiness and unhappiness. But because that got mixed in the waking state, therefore it now says, "I am awake" without ever examining what this I is—for it is the mind.

It happens like that, it is natural. So nature is so corrupt, so bad, so troublesome that it makes you forget, and you begin to call this, which is not the truth, as your I. Then there is male, female, children, and more children, and then happiness and unhappiness. When the waking state starts, what happens? The child was pure, but now he is mixed with the mind. The mind is not yet developed, but it will associate with the senses, and together the senses will unfold the mind. So the mind became the senses and the senses became the mind, and the mind and senses are one sense. Now, what does this sense do? It sees a toy with its eyes, and the child wants to have it, because it is something peculiar. The child does not know whether to take the toy or not, but he wants to play. When another toy comes, he leaves the first one and gets the next; and when he sees a third toy, he thinks the first one should also be there. Thus, slowly and slowly, "past, present, and future" is developed as a sense in the mind.

When the mind became like this, it always remains thinking and worrying about the past, knowing something in the present, and planning something for the future. So past, present, and future are three states which are already known to whom? To the mind. So the mind became the past, the mind became the present, and the mind became the future. This means that the mind became the past sense, the present sense, and the future sense—and all are abstract. Then the mind became the deep sleep state, the dream state, and the waking state—and these too are abstract. The result of the mind in the waking state is that a human being begins to say that all that which is present and which he likes should remains forever, and he thinks that that which he does not like should go. But neither can he keep the likeable things permanently, or possess them forever, nor can he remove the things which he does not like.

So things have nothing to do with the mind. A thing is not beautiful—whenever the mind, by itself, says, "I like it," then anything becomes beautiful. And I like it if the mind sees it or associates with it. This mind has the I, or ego-sense, and when the ego says, "I like it," then the mind says, "It is beautiful." When it is beautiful, then the mind says, "It should remain with me." And if the mind says, "I see it, but it is not beautiful," then somebody else can take it, or it should be removed. In this way, it is the mind which became a human being. A human being always wants to keep beautiful things together with him permanently—not only things and forms, but also songs, words, poems, music, cassettes, and CD’s. He wants everything. They are all abstract, yet he wants to possess them. For how long can he possess them? They all go away. But then the mind has the ability to say, "This is more permanent than that." So it does not like an ordinary tape recorder or camera, it goes for a digital one saying, "Your songs will remain for thousands of years." You will not be there, but your digital camera will be! [Laughter.] In this way, it says that the things which are there are "me" or "mine." So it is the mind which becomes something and then it calls it permanent—and the mind itself is not permanent, it goes away in the evening. But it has maanyata, it assumes that things, forms, the senses, and the body are "me." That is its mixture. Now, whose mixture is it? When the child was not born, there were no three states—waking, dreaming, or deep sleep. What was there? No parents, friends, leaders, or teachers can define it. When they do not define it, then this mind of a human being does not know it. There must be someone who should get the mind out of trouble. It will only be out of trouble when the mind does not make itself into things and forms. Then things and forms will not be trouble, persons will not be trouble, and the person himself will not be in trouble—if the nature of the mind and its way of functioning changes.

Its way of functioning is consciousness, or illusion. Illusion is when the mind says that that which is permanent and forever is not permanent, and even though it has seen that things are not permanent, still it wants to grab them and shape them into that which is permanent. When things do not remain permanently, then it gets disillusioned, weeps, cries, and becomes sad. But the mind does not want to have this sadness. Why? The mind’s nature is never sadness. The mind is Sat Chit Aanand, forever Truth, forever Bliss. All the songs have led you to understand That. They keep that Sat Chit Aanand. That’s why seven or eight hours have passed, yet you are still sitting here and are not bored. That Space is Sat Chit Aanand, and you are living it.

If you do not know that you are living it and that "It is Me," then somebody has to tell you, "Look, you call yourself the mind, which you say is a thing, or jarh. The mind is not chaytan [conscious] and so is asat [untrue]. And that which is Chaytan, you say is not there. So again, you have made the Sat as asat and the asat as sat." So sat-asat, truth-untruth, is the functioning of the human mind. It wants to retain with it all the things that it likes. But that is impossible. You tell the mind again and again, "Leave this habit!" [Laughter] but it does not do so. Many times it has been said, "Just leave your ego," which means leave this habit, this functioning. But this functioning is not to be left. Then, what is to be done? You should know that the seed, the mind, is there, but if its functioning of duality, desire, or illusion remains, then what will happen? It will germinate the plant or tree of the world of things, forms, relations, and the relative field.

But then, through meditation, what cleverly happens? Your mind is the same mind, but it is the Light. Before it used to become bound with the senses, body, and things, with time, space, and situations. But now, what has happened through meditation? The mind is the same, but it became free by the effect of the fire of knowledge, so that this functioning has been removed. Your seed became burnt. This seed will not be born. That’s why—watch—all of you think, act, see things, sing, and all that, but when the programme is over, it is gone and does not touch you. Everything has happened and we appreciate that this was good and that was good, but we are not attached. The moment that the next song was announced, we were ready for it. So you became a totally burnt seed—Free! … You harmonize with people, because Guruji has said to never make a mess. With a sad person, you become sad. With an unhappy person, you become unhappy. With a happy person, you become happy. With dinner people, you have dinner, and when the party is over, you get away as early as possible. When you know this secret, then you can work in a bank as Lucy does, you can work in a dental clinic as Arun does, you can work as a musician as Peeyush and Paardarshee do, and you remain free. The day your guitar is not there, you can take Dikpal’s guitar—it doesn’t matter whether it works or not. It is a very mouldy guitar [laughter], but you can have it.

Now, you have reached this state, because you have become forty or fifty years old and you know what is to be done. All of you know that you are working in this country or that, and you have a great sense of prosperity, yet you have the fear of its loss. … This means that your mind does not come to help you get the meaning of your realization. That is where Guru is needed. Guru knows this. He remains just the same. He knows that "I am Gyan, I am Knowledge, I am Love." He does not say, "I am a loving tree, a loving plant. I am a very wonderful santoor [musical instrument]."

Everybody has to now examine his own body. I can say abstract things, but this is the day when you are celebrating the day of the eightieth year. I should be truthful [applause] and give you the experience that You alone are. Whatever you are doing, even on the level of your mind, without your Presence, the mind cannot do. Therefore, who is doing? You. Now the mind has its own fashion, which is dualistic. If you know that you are not the mind and world, then you will remain settled. But if you get in the hands of the mind, or the whirl, then you will also be whirling. When waves will rise, then you will say, "I am the waves." When the whirlpool will arise, the water will say, "I am a whirlpool." In the same way, when happiness will arise because of something, then you will say, "I am enjoying," and when happiness will not arise then you will think, "There is no way that I can get that. I don’t have this and I don’t have that."

So you have to study the waking state. In the waking state, all this is happening where your emotions are there—emotions for having happiness or for not having unhappiness, yet the emotions bring them. If you are happy, treat it that unhappiness is coming. If you are unhappy, treat it that happiness is coming. If you are sick, treat it that health is coming. If you are healthy, treat it that disease is coming. That is the pattern of form, and nothing is to be blamed—unless you get mixed, which means, you take it to be "mine." … So if this "my" experience is based on ignorance, where you do not know the Self, your own Pure Being, then it is all ignorance. The experience based on ignorance will lead you towards pain, suffering, and sickness, which you do not want. Anytime you do not want it, know that that is the Self. And when pain, sickness, and suffering come and you cannot control it, treat it that you have gotten mixed with the mind. At that time, if you do not meditate, you will not be shifted from there: you will get mixed in it. That is why I have suggested for you to have Amaram Madhuram Amaram Madhuram, Hum Hum Hum Hum, and then the mind will not remain there. …

I have said that you are Jeevan Mukt [Liberated]. Jeevan Mukt means that your mind is now free and does not produce results. … So you can act as Jeevan Mukt. Now there is no trouble of any kind. I am very assured that wherever you go, I know that you are Jeevan Mukt and nothing wrong will happen to you, because your mind is burnt, yet it functions. It is a seed, it is functioning, but it is not producing ignorance or illusion. Everything is being taken care of because of the niyati [blueprint], the gati [speed], the praarabdh [destiny]. … In this way, you can understand what your praarabdh is: you have been introduced to meditation and you are doing this, so you are in line with That. Your praarabdh is made like that, that you will get it. If you have come to grasp the truth of your own Self, then you are free. You are free means that your mind is burnt—yet it functions: your eyes see that Dan and Dikpal are sitting, you are reading the Gita and everything is working, but your mind is not capable of germinating the tree of sickness, worries, and unhappiness. That is called Jeevan Mukti ….

Early in the morning, I phoned Lakshmi Narayan and told him that a bearded student was coming to his university. Then I phoned Dubey and said that in his hospital a man is born with a cataract in his left eye. To Satyam I said that a man is born with God’s DNA. To Arun I said that a man is born with only twelve teeth. What is that? It makes no sense that on such a serious occasion—according to you it’s the man’s birthday—he is talking like a mad person. Because at that time, neither his I is there, nor are his tongue, body, or mind. That is called Vidayh Mukti. Jeevan Mukti is there, and its advancement is Vidayh Mukti. You were Jeevan Mukt from the very beginning—you did not care for the concepts you were taught—and so you reached there. But you have to continue. It is not that only after death Vidayh Mukti will come, which many people have written. We have had to revise all the concepts and scriptures which contain that by which you got confused and were unable to get to the meaning of That. I have been meditating and the experience is there. I do not say that the Self is everywhere. I have seen that the Self produces everything—a grass blade, a god, an Indra, a Brahma, a Vishnu, a Jesus, a mullah, a Mohammed, a war. All that comes, again it is withdrawn, and then again it comes. It is only the Self. Where is that Self? It is Absolute: when you meditate, that is the Self. Out of That, if you continue meditating, it will automatically happen that with these closed eyes, you will see everything. …

I was saying to Hariji that if a person needs fulfilment, he has to love God and Guru at the same time. If he only loves Guru and does not have any sense of God as himself, then he will not be fulfilled—then it will be like loving a boss, or a father or mother. He has to reach that state where Love alone is: neither God remains, nor Guru remains, nor you remain. All three are not there. That has happened to you today, when you celebrated. You are that free, blissful state of Consciousness, Amaram Hum Madhuram Hum. I thank everyone who shared, participated, and cooperated. It was a big work just to have this celebration so that you could capture these many hours in that state which is all evenness, where there is neither the sense of favourable nor unfavourable. You do not have raag [attachment] nor dwaysh [hatred], it is all Pure Space. Having attained Pure Space, the only advice I have to give is that you should not forget it. That Thou Art. Thank you very much everyone. [Applause.]