A very devoted and simple disciple had lost his only son, a child of three years. The next day, he arrived at the Asramam with his family. The Master spoke with reference to them:

Training of mind helps one to bear sorrows and bereavements with courage. But the loss of one's offspring is said to be the worst of all griefs. Grief exists only so long as one considers oneself to be of a definite form. If the form is transcended, one will know that the one Self is eternal. There is no death nor birth. That which is born is only the body. The body is the creation of the ego. But the ego is not ordinarily perceived without the body. It is always identified with the body. It is the thought which matters. Let the sensible man consider if he knew the body in deep sleep. Why does he feel it in the waking state? But, although the body is not felt in sleep, did not the Self exist then? Hoe was he in deep sleep? How is he when awake? What is the difference? Ego rises up and that is waking. Simultaneously, thoughts arise. Let him find out to whom are the thoughts. Wherefrom do they arise? They must spring up from the conscious Self. Apprehending it even vaguely facilitates the extinction of the ego. Thereafter, the realization of the one Infinite Existence becomes possible. In that state, there are no individuals other than the Eternal Existence. Hence there is no thought or wailing. If a man considers he is born, he cannot avoid the fear of death. Let him find out if he has been born or if the Self has any birth. He will discover that the Self always exists, that the body which is born resolves itself into thought and that the emergence of thought is the root of all mischief. Find wherefrom thoughts emerge. Then you will abide in the ever-present, inmost Self and be free from the idea of birth or the fear of death.
(p. 62)

November 28, 1935

Mr. Kishorilal, an officer of the Railway Board, Government of India, hails from Delhi. He looks simple, gentle, and dignified in behaviour. He has a gastric ulcer and has arranged for his board and lodging in the town. Five years ago, he took up the study of devotional literature. He is a bhakta of Sri Krishna. He could feel Krishna in all that he saw. Krishna often appeared to him and made him happy. His work was going on without any effort on his part. Everything seemd to be done for him by Krishna himself.

Later he came in contact with a Mahatma who advised him to study Vedanta and take to nirakara upasana, i.e., devotion to formless Being. He has since read about seven hundred books of philosophy and Vedanta, including the Upanishads, Ashtavakra, Avadhuta, and Srimad Bhagavad Gita. He has also studied Sri Bhagavan's works in English and is much impressed by them.

Once when he was in the jaws of death, no other thought haunted him but that he had not yet visited Sri Bhagavan in his life. So he has come here on a short visit. He prays only for Sri Bhagavan's touch and his Grace. The Master said to him: Atmaivaham gudakesa, i.e., I am Atman; Atman is the Guru; and Atman is Grace, also. No one remains without the Atman. He is always in contact. No external touch is necessary.

D. I understand. I do not mean external touch.

M. Nothing is more intimate than the Atman.

D. Again Sri Krishna appeared to me three months back and said, "Why do you ask me for nirakara upasana? It is only sarva bhutesu cha atmanam sarva bhutani cha atmani. ( The Self in all and all in the Self.)

M.That contains the whole truth. Even this is oupacharika ( indirect). There is in fact nothing but the Atman. The world is only a projection of the mind. The mind originates from the Atman. So Atman alone is the One Being.

D. yet it is difficult to realize.

M. There is nothing to realize. It is nitya suddha buddha mukta ( the Eternal, pure, aware and liberated state). It is natural and eternal. There is nothing new to gain. On the other hand, a man must lose his ignorance. That is all. This ignorance must be traced to its origin. To whom is this ignorance? Of what is one ignorant? There are the subject and the object. Such duality is characteristic of the mind. The mind is from the Atman.

D. Yes, ignorance itself cannot exist.

He finally surrendered, saying: Just as a doctor learns what is wrong with the patient and treats him accordingly, so may Sri Bhagavan do with me.

( He also said that he had lost all his inclination to study books and learn from them.)
(pp. 74-75)

December 25, 1935

....................

Talk between the Master and two Moslems , on a previous occasion.

D. Has God a form ?

Maharshi: Who says so ?

D. Well , if God has no form , is it proper to worship idols ?

M. Leave God alone because He is unknown . What about you ? Have you a form ?

D. I am this and so and so.

M. So then , you are a man with limbs, about three and a half cubits high,with beard , etc. Is that so ?

D. Certainly .

M.Then do you find yourself so in deep sleep ?

D. After waking , I perceive that I was asleep. Therefore , by inference I remained thus in deep sleep, also.

M. If you are the body , why do they bury the corpse after death ? The body must refuse to be buried.

D. No, I am the subtle jiva within the gross body .

M. So you see you are really formless; but you are at present identifying yourself with the body . So long as you are formful , why should you not worship the formless God as being formful ?

( The questioner was perplexed.)
(p. 83)

January 19, 1936

Mr. Ellappa Chettiar, a Member of the Legislative Council from Salem, asked : Is it enough to introvert the mind or should we medidate on "I am Brahman"?

Maharshi: To introvert the mind is the important thing. Buddhists consider the flow of "I"-thought to be Liberation, whereas we say that such flow proceeds from its underlying substratum - the only Reality. Why should one be meditating the "I am Brahman"? Only the annihilation of "I" is liberation. But it can be gained only be keeping the "I-I" always in view. Hence, the need for investigation of the "I"-thought. If the "I" is not let go, no blank can result to the seeker [the seeker cannot be grounded in reality]. Otherwise, medidation will end in sleep. There has been only one "I" all along, but what arises from time to time is the false "I"-thought; whereas the intuitive "I" always remains Self-shining, i.e., even before it becomes manifest. The birth of the gross body does not amount to one's own birth; on the other hand, the birth of the ego is one's own birth. For liberation, nothing new remains to be gained. It is the original state and this continues unchanged.
............

D. What is reality?

M. Reality must be always real. It is not entangled with forms and names, but is That which underlies these. It underlies limitations, being itself limitless. It is not bound. It underlies unrealities, itself being real. Reality is that which is. It is as it is. It transcends speech and lies beyond such expressions as existence, non-existence, etc.