Meditations With Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

Email

Whatsapp

Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter

Copy link

We are fortunate indeed to have what is in all likelihood a direct and accurate record of Nisargadatta Maharaj's teachings. These are presented in the form of Nirupanas – as passages for meditation. That is their purpose and that is where they lead. Maharaj's words will tear away all internal and external covers and leave your innermost core bare.

The uniqueness of these Nirupanas therefore lies in the fact that here they come to us from an enlightened master's direct experience - expressed spontaneously.

Maharaj spoke in Marathi, and Dinkar Kshirsagar, being also Maharashtrian, wrote them down verbatim. After being translated into English, they have been diligently edited by Suresh Mehta.

Maharaj spent nearly 50 years sharing his insights with all sincere seekers. People from all over the world came to his residence that was in a narrow lane of Mumbai. Their queries were answered and elaborated upon bearing in mind what was appropriate for the enquirer's state of mind.

The earliest Indian scriptures, the Vedas, are some of the oldest texts in the history of the world, mostly composed during the Bronze Age. Vedas primarily dealt with the material and non-material aspects of life. As the sages turned their attention inwards to study consciousness, the revelations that they received helped them compose the Upanishads. They are a record of their insights. The foundation of Indian spiritual thought can, largely, be traced to these compositions.

The sages realized that to understand the mind and make it steady, purity of thought and concentration were necessary. Towards this goal, they prescribed certain spiritual practices. These were broadly classified as Bhakti yoga (yoga of devotion), Karma yoga (yoga of righteous action), and Jnana yoga (yoga of self-discovery).

Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj was a jnana yogi. In 1932, his Guru Sri Siddharameshwar Maharaj explained what the true nature of man was and asked him to meditate on the same. Nisargadatta Maharaj followed this very diligently and within three years had an unshakable insight: his Self-realization.

Maharaj spent nearly 50 years sharing his insights with all sincere seekers. People from all over the world came to his residence that was in a narrow lane of Mumbai. Their queries were answered and elaborated upon, appropriate for the enquirer's state of mind. For a Self-realized sage, this process occurs without any deliberation and is spontaneous.

The nature of the human mind is to identify with the body; its name and form, consciously and unconsciously. This identification does not allow us to reach our formless, attribute-less Self – the Atman – which is pure consciousness. A jnana yogi contemplates on this after intense study, and realizes the same. This is called the ‘direct path'. It may be compared to the path of the bird that flies directly to the top. This is the first part of the spiritual search.

**Contents and Sample Pages**