Bhagavan Nityananda Answers Questions

On

Realisation of the Self,

Consciousness,

Meditation

Part I

Shree Krishna and Shree Arjuna

Introduction to Questions on Self-Realisation, Consciousness, and Meditation

On the sacred occasion of Shree Datta Jayanti (04 December 2025)—a day honouring the eternal Guru principle—I take this opportunity to reflect on a few luminous teachings of Bhagavan Nityananda, preserved through the sincere efforts of His householder devotees. Many among them were educated, contemplative, and deeply earnest in their spiritual seeking. They did not merely ask casual questions; they asked from a place of genuine longing for Truth.

These devotees also performed a great service: they carefully noted the questions asked by others and faithfully recorded Bhagavan’s responses, ensuring that His wisdom would guide seekers for generations to come.

Among the many questions, in Part I of this series, I have selected six.  These do not deal with ritual, external life, or personal concerns. Instead, they touch the core of Bhagavan’s teaching:

  • the nature of the Self,

  • the workings of Consciousness,

  • the stillness beyond mind,

  • and the path of meditation that leads a seeker inward.

In these questions, householders enquire about who they truly are, the source of thought, the method of turning within, and the state of silence which Bhagavan repeatedly pointed to as the highest. Bhagavan’s replies are characteristically simple yet profound—often only a few words, but carrying the weight of direct experience. Through them, He draws the seeker away from intellectual complexity and toward the effortless awareness that is the hallmark of Self-realisation.

This small collection—just six questions—offers a clear window into Bhagavan Nityananda’s inner teaching. It is as though He gently lifts the veil, revealing the timeless truths that saints have echoed across ages:
Know the Self, abide in Consciousness, and let meditation become natural like breathing.

Q1. Bhagavan Nityananda, by His all-pervading intuition, once perceived that a devotee was travelling a long distance by prostrating at every step—a form of intense physical austerity.

On knowing this, Bhagavan exclaimed:

“What is the use of prostrating with the body?
Merge the individual soul in the universal consciousness.”

Kulloor Swami, in his pre-monastic days, was among the devoted attendants who personally served Bhagavan Nityananda. Drawn by an inner pull, he had travelled from Karnataka to Ganeshpuri with a single aspiration—to serve the Master. Once he arrived, he expressed this longing openly and was permitted to stay in Ganeshpuri. By that time, Bhagavan had shifted His residence from the old Vaikuntha to Kailash Bhuvan.

Every evening, after completing his bath in the sacred Kunda, Kulloor Swami would begin his quiet pilgrimage back to Kailash. His return was never direct; rather, it was a deeply reverential journey. At every spot where Bhagavan had once lived, rested, or spent even a short time, he would pause. Lighting a small piece of camphor, he would bow down in full prostration, offering his gratitude at each sanctified place touched by the Master’s presence.

After visiting all these holy spots, he would finally reach Kailash Bhuvan and prostrate at the Lotus Feet of Bhagavan Nityananda. This daily ritual continued for some time, carried out with genuine devotion and simplicity.

One day, Bhagavan Nityananda looked at him with compassion and offered a gentle yet profound correction:
“Why do you prostrate at various spots? The Namaskar should be Urdhva Danda Namaskar — not by rolling your body on the ground.”

In this simple statement lies a subtle teaching. Bhagavan was guiding him away from outer displays of devotion towards an inward discipline and dignified reverence—offering obeisance with a straight spine, like a staff (danda), symbolising alertness, surrender, and inner steadiness. The Master reminded him that true worship does not require elaborate external gestures; a single, sincere, and upright prostration holds the highest value.

Thus,

1. Physical austerity has value—but it is not the goal

When Bhagavan says, “What is the use of prostrating with the body?”
He is not discouraging devotion or humility. Instead, He is correcting a misdirected focus.

Body-based practices—prostrations, pilgrimages, vows—have their place, but they belong to the outer path (bahiranga sadhana). They purify the mind only up to a point.

Bhagavan is pointing out that external effort without internal transformation is incomplete.

One may prostrate a thousand times, but if the ego remains intact, if one remains separate from the Divine, then the inner journey has not even begun.

2. The real prostration is the dissolution of the ego

To Bhagavan, true pranāma is not bending the body but bending the ego.

Physical prostration says: “I bow down.”
Inner prostration says: “Only You exist.”

Thus, Bhagavan’s teaching is:

  • Don’t only bow your body—

  • Bow your sense of ‘I’.

It is the surrender of ahankara, not the strain on one’s limb, that reaches the Sadguru.

3. “Merge the individual soul in the universal consciousness.”

This is the heart of Bhagavan’s message.

The devotee travelling by prostration still perceives himself as a separate “I” trying to reach “God.” Bhagavan redirects this misunderstanding:

There is no distance between the individual soul (jīva) and the Supreme (Śiva).

The distance exists only in mistaken identity.**

By saying “merge,” Bhagavan reveals the true purpose of sadhana:

  • Dissolve the sense of separateness.

  • Realise the oneness of the inner Self with all-pervading Consciousness.

  • Become what you already are—limitless, universal, eternal.

This is not an action but a recognition:
The drop realises it is the ocean.

4. The futility of outer worship without inner realisation

The devotee’s physical effort is admirable, but Bhagavan reveals its limitation:

  • Austerity cannot replace knowledge.

  • Effort cannot replace awareness.

  • Physical worship cannot replace inner awakening.

Only when the jīva dissolves into the paramātma does true worship happen.

Thus, He redirects the devotee from ritualistic devotion to transformative devotion.

Bhagavan was redirecting:

Stop travelling outside—wake up to the Truth inside.**

Prostrating at every step symbolises a journey toward a distant God.
Bhagavan’s teaching reverses this direction:

  • God is not in a distant temple.

  • God is not at the end of a long pilgrimage.

  • God is the consciousness within you, now.

The real journey is inward, and the real prostration is the melting of individuality.

This is pure Advaita in simple words.

The Essence

  1. Physical devotion is secondary; inner surrender is primary.

  2. The real prostration is ego-dissolution.

  3. The highest worship is merging the jīva in the sea of pure Consciousness.

  4. God is not reached by distance travelled, but by identity realised.

  5. Turn your devotion inward; reach the universal by losing the small ‘I’.

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Q2. A learned lady once approached Bhagavan Nityananda with a subtle complaint born out of affection and familiarity:

“Nowadays, why does Baba not appear in my dreams?”

Bhagavan responded with characteristic simplicity and spiritual precision:

“What is in a dream?
You should go from dreams to the waking state.”

1. The devotee’s attachment to dream-visions

The lady’s question reflects a common stage in spiritual life. Initially, many devotees receive inner experiences—visions, dreams, symbolic appearances of the Guru. They bring comfort and reinforcement.

When such experiences stop, one feels as if something important is lost.

But Bhagavan corrects this misunderstanding:
Dreams are not the measure of spiritual closeness.

2. “What is in a dream?” — Do not cling to fleeting experiences

A dream, even if heavenly, is:

  • transient,

  • symbolic,

  • created by the mind,

  • and dissolves with waking.

Bhagavan is essentially saying:

  • Do not rely on subtle experiences.

  • Do not consider them proof of grace.

  • Do not base your devotion on phenomena.

Dreams belong to the realm of the mind, not the realm of Truth.

To be attached to visions is to be caught in swapna—the dream state—not just of sleep, but of imagination and subtle ego.

3. “You should go from dreams to the waking state.”

This is the core of Bhagavan’s teaching.

He is not just referring to physical waking, but to spiritual awakening:

Move from imagination to Reality.

From mind-created images to direct awareness.
From form to formlessness.
From the dream-Guru to the living, inner Guru.**

The waking state here represents jagrat–chetnā, the pure, alert consciousness untouched by mental projections.

In dreams, the Guru appears in forms.
In waking spiritual awareness, the Guru is recognised as pure Presence.

4. What Bhagavan meant:

Stop seeking God in dreams—see the Divine in Reality.**

Bhagavan’s guidance is a compassionate shift:

  • Do not depend on visions.

  • Do not measure grace through inner cinema.

  • Do not seek God in images when He is present as existence itself.

Dreams can inspire, but they cannot liberate.
Liberation comes when the seeker remains awake to the Truth in every breath.

5. The inner Guru is constant—dreams are not

Bhagavan is also reassuring her subtly:

He is always with her,
but not necessarily through dreams.

Some devotees grow dependent on dream-appearances,
and Bhagavan gently weans them away so they mature spiritually.

When dreams stop, it often means:

  • The Guru has moved you to a higher stage.

  • The mind is becoming steadier.

  • Devotion is shifting from emotional to inner, silent, constant presence.

Thus, the absence of the dream is actually progress, not loss.

The Essence 

  1. Dreams are products of the mind, not indicators of spiritual closeness.

  2. Do not cling to experiences—cling to the Truth.

  3. The highest state is awakened awareness, not dream-visions.

  4. The Guru is ever-present, even when not seen in dreams.

  5. Spiritual maturity is moving from mental images to inner stillness.

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Q3. A devotee, troubled by impatience and expectation, approached Bhagavan Nityananda with the lament:

“Why am I not experiencing enlightenment yet?”

Bhagavan replied with disarming clarity:

“What do you understand by enlightenment?
Mental satisfaction—mental peace—is enlightenment.
You don’t need anything else.”

1. The devotee’s misconception: Enlightenment as an event

The question reflects a very common misunderstanding:
People imagine enlightenment to be a spectacular explosion of light, visions, siddhis, cosmic experiences, or a dramatic inner transformation.

This imagined picture becomes a barrier, because the seeker looks for something extraordinary, overlooking the truth that is already present in the ordinary.

Bhagavan immediately cuts through this false idea.

2. “What do you understand by enlightenment?” —

Shattering the wrong definition**

By asking this counter-question, Bhagavan is gently pointing out that the devotee’s idea of enlightenment is wrong.

To the seeker, enlightenment is something in the future, something to be attained.
To Bhagavan, enlightenment is something now, something already present—but covered by restlessness, desire, and agitation.

3. “Mental satisfaction—mental peace—is enlightenment.”

This is the essence of His teaching.

Peace of mind is the natural state.

Restlessness is the unnatural, acquired state.**

When the mind becomes quiet, steady, contented—even for a moment—the Self shines naturally.

Bhagavan is saying:

  • When worries drop,

  • When desires subside,

  • When the mind becomes clear and simple,

The state you experience is enlightenment in seed form.

It is not a fireworks display—it is a quiet, complete, effortless presence.

A peaceful mind is the doorway to the Self.

4. Enlightenment is not addition—it is subtraction

People often imagine enlightenment as a gain: more bliss, more visions, more power.

Bhagavan says the opposite:

  • Less agitation

  • Less desire

  • Less mental noise

  • Less ego-demand

This reduction is enlightenment.

Just as silence appears when noises stop,
Wisdom appears when the mind becomes peaceful.

5. “You don’t need anything else.” —

The final stroke**

Bhagavan’s words dismantle the seeker’s inner craving for some “special” state.

He is saying:

  • Stop searching for the extraordinary.

  • Stop waiting for lightning from the heavens.

  • You already have the key.

  • The doorway is already open.

If mental peace is present, even momentarily, that is the taste of the real.

Nothing more needs to happen.

All spiritual practices ultimately aim at this one thing: a quiet, restful mind.

When the mind rests, the Self shines.

6. The hidden message:

You are postponing enlightenment by looking for it.**

The devotee’s question arises from impatience, comparison, and a future-oriented mind.

Bhagavan’s answer returns him to the present moment, where the Truth actually is.

By seeking a special experience, one overlooks the real experience already available—inner peace.

The Essence

  1. Enlightenment is not a dramatic event but a quiet dissolution of agitation.

  2. Peace of mind is the very form of the Self.

  3. You already touch enlightenment whenever your mind becomes still.

  4. Stop seeking a future experience; recognise the present truth.

  5. Nothing more is needed—peace is the goal and the attainment.

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Q4. “Baba, how can I have the experience of the Self?”

Bhagavan Nityananda replied:
“Listening – contemplation – uninterrupted constant study
(Shravan – Manan – Nididhyās).”

Baba’s answer sums up the entire Vedantic path in three steps, exactly as the Upanishads prescribe. Each step purifies a layer of ignorance and brings the seeker closer to experiencing the Self.

1. Shravan – Listening

Shravan means listening to the Truth from a competent Guru, repeatedly, until it becomes clear.

This is not an ordinary hearing.
It is receptive attention, free from argument, doubt, and mental noise.

Through Shravan, the seeker learns:

  • “I am not the body.”

  • “I am not the mind.”

  • “I am the changeless, eternal Self.”

  • “The Guru and the Self are one.”

This is the planting of the seed.

Without Shravan, there is no proper foundation.

2. Manan – Contemplation

After listening, Manan means reflecting deeply on the Guru’s teaching until all doubts fall away.

Here, the seeker asks:

  • “Is this true?”

  • “How do I know?”

  • “What inside me is unchanging?”

  • “What is the witness of thoughts, feelings, and experiences?”

Manan removes the veils of misunderstanding.
It turns information into conviction.

Without Manan, spiritual knowledge remains intellectual and easily shaken.

3. Nididhyās – Uninterrupted Constant Abidance

This is what Baba emphasises:

“Uninterrupted constant study.”

Nididhyās is continuous remembrance and inward absorption in the teaching—
living it, breathing it, returning to it moment by moment.

It is:

  • the mind dissolving into the Truth,

  • the ego softening,

  • the ‘I’-sense merging into the Witness,

  • The seeker and the sought become one.

It is not mere repetition;
It is the direct experiential realisation of the Self.

Nididhyās is when the knowledge “I am the Self” becomes a living fact.

Why does Baba give this 3-step formula?

Because the experience of the Self is not a miracle, not a blessing dropped from the sky, not a mystical trance.

It is the natural outcome of:

  • right understanding (Shravan)

  • clarity (Manan)

  • steady absorption (Nididhyās)

This is how saints like Shankaracharya, Jnaneshwar, Ramana Maharshi, and Bhagavan Nityananda themselves taught.

 Baba reduces the entire journey to its purest essence.

Thus,

To experience the Self:

  1. Listen to Truth from the Guru.

  2. Contemplate until doubts dissolve.

  3. Abide in that Truth constantly.

This is the path by which the seeker becomes the Self that was always shining.

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Q5. “Baba, tell us something about the Gita.”

Bhagavan Nityananda replied:
“What is there to say!
Gita is nirmohi vritti — the tendency to be free of temptation and attachment.
When that arises, all doubts vanish.
That itself is the attainment.”

In these few sentences, Baba gives a complete definition of the Gita’s message in his characteristically concise way.

1. “Gita – nirmohi vritti”

The phrase nirmohi vritti means:

  • a mind free from moha (delusion, attachment, emotional entanglement),

  • a mind not pulled by temptations, likes, dislikes, and impulses,

  • a mind that sees clearly, without distortion.

Baba is saying that if you want the essence of the Gita, it is this:

A mind that has become unattached.
A mind no longer tempted by the play of the world.

This is exactly what Krishna repeatedly teaches Arjuna:

  • Samattvam yoga ucyate — equanimity is Yoga.

  • Nirmamo nirahankarah — free from “mine-ness” and ego.

  • Vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhah — free from attachment, fear, and anger.

Thus, Baba condenses the 700 verses into one inner movement:
The shift from a grasping mind to a clear, unattached one.

2. “And then all your doubts vanish.”

Doubts are born from agitation, fear, and desire.
When moha is present, the mind questions, wavers, and gets confused.

A quiet, unattached mind is naturally free from doubt.

Just as muddy water becomes clear when undisturbed,
a nirmohi mind sees Truth directly.

3. “This is the attainment.”

Baba is saying: You do not need anything more.
You don’t need visions, miracles, or mystical experiences.

The moment the mind becomes unattached, steady, and clear—
That itself is realisation.

Because in such a mind:

  • the ego loosens,

  • desires drop,

  • Truth shines by itself,

  • peace becomes natural,

  • Guru’s presence is felt spontaneously.

Attainment is not something new added to the seeker;
It is the removal of what obscures the Self.

An nirmohi mind is already in the state that the Gita calls sthita-prajña
— steady wisdom.

Thus,

For Bhagavan Nityananda, the Gita’s heart is this:
Be free from attachment, and clarity dawns.
That clarity is liberation.

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Q6. A devotee was reading the sacred text Gurucharitra in the presence of Shri Baba. Seeing this, Shri Baba offered a profound teaching on the inner method of scriptural study.

Bhagavan Nityananda said:

“Achieve concentration.”


Reading a holy text is not merely moving the eyes over words. The scripture must be held in one hand, but the mind must be held steadily within. When attention becomes one-pointed and does not wander, the restless waves of thought begin to quiet down.

As the mind becomes still, the seeker naturally enters the aloof, witnessing state—the state where one watches thoughts instead of being carried away by them. This is the true purpose of sacred study: not intellectual accumulation, but entering the silent awareness from which all wisdom shines.

Baba further explained that:

“Concentration increases as your love for the Guru increases.”
Where there is love, the mind flows effortlessly. The heart turns toward the Guru like a river flowing toward the ocean. In such love, distractions fall away by themselves.

And therefore:

“Concentration comes through Guru-seva.”
Serving the Guru—externally or internally—purifies the mind, removes selfishness, and aligns the seeker with the Guru’s consciousness. Service dissolves the ego, and when the ego diminishes, concentration becomes natural.

In this short teaching, Baba showed the complete path:

  • Begin with attention to the sacred text.

  • Allow thought-waves to settle into silence.

  • Enter the witness state.

  • Let love for the Guru deepen.

  • Through Guru-seva, the mind becomes steady and concentrated.

Thus, reading becomes meditation, and meditation becomes communion with the Guru.

Shree Datta Jayanti is also the Jayanti of Shree Annapoorna