Digital Blackboard - September 21, 2004

The path of knowledge should be understood by employing great skill. Desires may or may not be obstructive. They are not obstructions for one who gets them although they do not particularly like them or long for them. But the one who has strong likes and dislikes, and cravings, and then gets desires, gets displaced from their "True Nature" (Swaroopa), and takes oneself to be an individual (Jiva), and is thereby deprived of the bliss of their "True Nature."

Understand that everything is made up of your "True Nature" and behave accordingly. Then there remains nothing. The Ganga River is said to descend from the head of Lord Shiva because he has realized that everything is in the form of the Self, "God." Hence, he is known as Shiva. The individual consciousness (Jiva) says that the Self (Shiva) is everywhere, and yet continues to draw distinctions such as "this is my mother, this is my wife, etc." because the passionate attachment to desires has not been completely overcome.

In other words, one cannot get over worldly ties and relations. Besides this, one does not give up pride, and therefore, continues to suffer from the same old miseries and joys. Desires are related to the body, mind and wealth, and pride has to be forcibly relinquished. It does not go easily. However, once we make up our mind, we can get rid of it instantaneously. This illusion should berenounced fully, willfully resorting to any method necessary.

Objects of worldly desire, even if acquired by virtue of destiny, cease to be attractive when one is no longer passionately attached to them. Passionate attachment relegates one from the status of the Self, or God (Shiva), to the status of an individual (Jiva). This body is eventually relinquished like garbage, and whatever we do for this body is a mere addition to the garbage heap.

In this dreamy transient world, the state of highest pleasures can be reached if you take care of your "Self." As soon as you come to know that everything in this world is transient, you are called "detached." Just as the mice are not bothered about anything that may be in the house, so should it be with you.

One can be considered as endowed with the Self-knowledge when one no longer weighs the pros and cons of all actions. Even if one merely sits at a particular place for a short while, one gets flushed with sense of pride for that place. If one is stricken with the same pride for the body, it coerces us to forget the Self and destroys the inspiration of attaining the state of Paramatman. Once the individual consciousness comes to know that it is Brahman, it drinks nectar. If not, it sinks in the mire of desires.

Shri Siddharameshwar Maharaj - From a talk given June 24, 1933

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