Who Are You?

Most people today have no real idea of what is devotion and what is spiritual discipline. Different forms of worship, pilgrimages, meditation, and the like are equated with devotion. These are not the indices of bhakti (devotion). They are all actions that can confer some mental satisfaction. To realize your inner nature, your efforts must be directed internally. As long as you think God is somewhere outside you, you cannot qualify for Divine grace. The true mark of devotion is to recognize that God is within you and around you, everywhere. You must develop the faith that you are a manifestation of God. The scriptures call upon everyone to find out, “Who are you?”

~Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 24, P. 244

Today we are forgetting the truth of the Spirit. We are immersed in things unspiritual. What is the sadhana (spiritual discipline) that men have to practice? Is it dhyana, japa, yoga, yaga [meditation, chanting the name, union of the body & mind, and ritualistic sacrifice], or rituals? None of these.

… All these exercises are performed through the mind. How can such exercises control the mind? Can a thief catch himself? Likewise the mind cannot undertake to control itself. The mind has to be negated (amanaske). Amanaska means freedom from thoughts. As thoughts are minimized, the mind loses its power.

 ~Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 24, P. 96-97

Man should endeavor to know that by knowing which everything else is known…

Every man has to understand the inner significance of the “I”. He uses the expressions: “This is my body; this is my house,” and so on. But who are you? Without knowing who you are, how have these relationships arisen? When you say, “My body,” the body must be different from you. It follows that you are not the body. The body is drishya (an object of perception). The senses, the mind, the chitta [will], and the antahkarana [the inner motivator] are all the drishya (the seen). The “I” is the seer. This is the truth proclaimed by Vedanta [scriptures].

Recognize the fact you are the seer. This drishta (seer) is known by many names. In the waking state, he is the cognizer in all beings, and hence is called Viraata Swaroopa (the cosmic Person). As he is engaged in a variety of activities, he is also termed vyavahaarika. On account of the attachment to every object in the world, he is also called Vishwam.In the dream state also, the “I” is known by different names. He is known as the creator of dreams. As the mind alone functions in this state, he is known as Pratyagatma [the knower of body, world, and mind]. Moreover, as he is seeking to attain a higher state by a process of enquiry and questioning, he is also known as chitta-ekagratah (the one-pointed enquirer).

In the deep sleep state, because of the potency of the antahkarana the “I” is liable to comprehend everything and therefore is called taijasah or prajna [higher wisdom]. Although the universe is filled with innumerable objects, with different forms and names, the one thing that is present in all of them is the “I.” The “I” principle is omnipresent.

Vedanta has declared that constant integrated awareness in all the states is realization of the Self. The wisdom that “I am the atma [soul]” should blossom in every human being. It is only when this wisdom dawns that man can have direct experience of the Divine. Therefore, everyone should try to manifest the divinity within him.

~Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 24, P. 232-234