Attain Self-Realization

1 Simple Question You Have to Ask Yourself to Attain Self-Realization

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In the early 20th century, an enlightened Indian sage named Ramana Maharshi lived at
the base of a mountain thought to be the incarnation of Lord Shiva himself.

Ramana’s radiance attracted many disciples, including westerners like Sumerset

Maugham. When his disciples asked how to attain Self-realization, Ramana directed
them to meditate on a single question:

Who am I?

Follow the maxim to “Know Yourself,” he said, and it will lead to enlightenment.

I’ve spent years pondering this question. At first, I entertained the hope that the “big
reward” was waiting for me after just a few more hours of meditation. The deeper I
pursued it, however, the more I realized that I could not really say who I was. I couldn’t
find any solid, unshakable core of “I-ness,” since everything I thought was ‘me,’ from
habits to memories to my body, changes over time.

It took me awhile to realize that being stuck was not a sign of failure. Quite the contrary:
finding something definitive to hold on to would have indicated that my analysis hadn’t
been exhaustive. Had I thought, “I’ve done it, I’ve found my self,” Ramana might have
asked, who exactly is this self who knows? Ramana’s method is a process of negation
after negation, cutting through everything you think you know about who you are.

In a similar vein, Zen instructs us, “Do not seek enlightenment, just stop cherishing
illusions.”

That’s it. See reality for what it is instead of what you think it is. The trouble is that we
often don’t even realize our illusions as illusions. Nowhere is this truer than with the
thought that ‘I’ is a solid, substantial, independent entity. I’ve seen first hand how failing
to question this presupposition leads to suffering.

Meditation: What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when someone asks you who
you are?

I’ve struggled my whole life with what seemed to be an important aspect of identity:
nationality.

I can’t really explain it, but I sensed from a very young age that there was something
fundamentally rotten with the American way of life.
Even though everyone around me seemed to think it was the best thing in the world, I
never felt I could really take pride in having been born in this particular place. As a
teenager, I constantly fantasized about other identities that could never fully be mine. I
sported Che Guevara t-shirts and went to learn French in Paris, where I would always
introduce myself as Americain and quickly follow that with malheureusement. Whatever
it meant to be American, I knew I wasn’t that. I took pride in being ashamed of my
unchosen collective identity.

At the age of 18, I quickly ran to the place I felt was most opposite my hometown.
Colorado Springs was hyper religious, ultra-conservative, and xenophobic, but Montreal
was a haven of multicultural, liberal permissiveness.

When I traveled to Europe after my first year of university, I unabashedly introduced

myself as ‘from Montreal.’ When people would ask, ‘aren’t you just going to school
there?’ I would respond that it’s much more than that. I had cast off the old label and
adopted a new one that I felt better reflected my values, closer to the essence of who I
really was.

But the folly of thinking I could just swap ‘American’ for ‘Quebecer’ came crashing
down at 4AM one St Jean Baptiste day (Quebec’s national holiday). In a smoky tavern in
Old Quebec City, I stumbled upon a blues quartet whose music regaled me for hours. At
the end of the night, when I tried to convey my delight to a group of country Quebecers,
they ruthlessly mocked my spirited attempt to make conversation with them in their own
language. Their message was clear: just because you’ve been here for a few years and can
speak the language doesn’t entitle you to think you now belong to our group.

Even though I knew those guys were a bunch of country-bumpkins coming to the ‘big
city’ for their once a year party, I took this quite personally. I began to wonder how many
other Quebecers (both French and English) with whom I thought I had connected were
thinking the same things in the back of their minds.

My project of swapping one national identity for another was seriously thrown into
doubt. I knew deep down that I was truly a ‘world citizen,’ but for some reason, that
didn’t really satisfy my longing to belong to the ‘right’ group. Why had I invested so
much importance in being associated with other people I didn’t even know in the first
place? Did it really make that much difference in my day-to-day life?

I slowly began to see that being American or Canadian or Quebecois was just an idea.
Nations only exist in human minds, something that should have been clear to me looking
down from airplanes on a borderless earth.

I began to wonder if national identity was just an attempt to satisfy the primal need to
belong to a tribe, which had become more important in an industrial age when we live in
enormous ‘hives’ with millions of people we could never personally know. When we
identify as part of a nation, it makes us feel connected through time and space to others
who are part of this extended family. But what basis do we really have for asserting
continuity within a group of millions living across an entire continent over centuries?

None of us are born knowing who is part of ‘us’ and ‘them.’ Nobody is born knowing
how to react to previous injustices that have been inflicted upon ‘our’ group. Pride,
hatred, and all the other emotions that stem from national belonging are acquired over
time from parents, history books, and patriotic festivals.

Meditation: What other types of ideas do we acquire about our identity as we grow up?

A solution to my national identity problem now became clear: just stop caring. I had
invested this abstract idea called ‘nationality’ with such power that I didn’t even realize
that all I had to do to be free of its grip was see that it was just an idea. Because I
believed that Americanness was truly real, I had spent years of angry struggle trying to
de-tar myself from this association, when all I needed to see was how attached I had
become (even in my opposition) to a label that had been imposed on me from outside and
could never fully capture the essence of all the ‘I’s’ that composed the ‘we.’

It’s not that nationality isn’t real. It’s just not ultimately real. I overlooked the fact that
it’s a convention that facilitates relations between us, in the same way I often lose sight
that money is only paper and metal we’ve endowed with value.

Nationality is a sticker that, in some ways, diverts us from examining the vast and
unspeakable mystery that underlies our existence. Perhaps because we find it so
uncomfortable to realize just how much we don’t know about ourselves, we reach out for
certainty in knowing ‘I am American’ (or, in my case, in knowing that I am not that).
While I couldn’t possibly explain how my body spontaneously appeared all of a sudden,
billions of years into the universe’s existence, at least I know for sure that I’m an
American and everything that entails.

If I ever traveled to a different country without my passport, however, I’d find out pretty
quick that custom’s officials don’t care if I define myself as a collection of atoms that has
been swirling around in one form or another since the Big Bang and have now managed,
quite apart from my personal will, to arrange themselves in such a way as to be aware of
their arrangement. Even if that is a much more accurate description of who I am, they just
want to know what ‘team’ of humans I belong to, and whether this team constitutes a
possible threat to their own.

Likewise, if I got stopped for speeding, it probably wouldn’t be wise to mention that I am
a being who was mysteriously thrown into existence one day, who has no fixed essence
and is constantly free to recreate and reinvent myself. Police officers would likely be
uninterested in hearing how the basic fact of our existence as human beings is
unspeakably beautiful.

Meditation: How do you feel about the ‘team’ of humans you belong to?

So then, who am I?

If I am not my, nationality, body, or thoughts, then what remains?

Ramana’s question is meant to take you out of what you think you know, and bring you
face to face with the vast incomprehensibility lurking within each moment, in every cell.
Through poetry, meditation, and the enlightened gaze of people like Ramana, we sense
this inexpressible reality at the core of our being. This thunderous silence is not an object,
but rather the infinitely profound and utterly obvious awareness out of which all thoughts
arise and into which they dissolve.

It might not be very satisfying to say that this truth is inexpressible, especially for the
western mind. But there are so many essential experiences in our lives (love, intuition,
friendship, etc.) that words could never fully describe. Many times, the harder we try to
grasp these things, the more we push them away.

Perhaps the most we can do is resist attaching to easy answers and simply become aware
and fully embody the mystery that we are. As the Buddhist teacher Chogyam Trungpa
put it,

“If you ask, ‘who am I?’ – [and] don’t regard it as a question but as a statement, then that
question is the answer.”

Attain Self Realization

Path to self realization Enlightenment

Hurdles on path of self-realization - self realisation meditation

Talking of self realization... what does attain self-realization truly mean? Is it easy to
attain self realization in one's lifetime or is it really difficult... something the masses fail
to understand! Self realization is the term coined for enlightenment (kaivalya jnana) by
followers of pure spirituality! Both enlightenment and self realization mean the same!

Defining enlightenment... if we search for the definition of enlightenment on

answers.com... we do not get a satisfactory reply! If we search Wikipedia for the word
enlightenment... it is all the more confusing! Why? The ignorant editors not knowing
ABCD of enlightenment... can they be trusted to define enlightenment?

The word enlightenment can only be defined by one who has reached the stage of
enlightenment... the stage of self realization in ones lifetime! Simply existing as an editor
on Wikipedia does not mean anything on the spiritual path! For gaining enlightenment
one needs transcending the ephemeral world... emancipating forever from the cycle of
birth and death!

In simpler words we have to understand the meaning of enlightenment in terms of

spirituality! Enlightenment is only meant for travelers of spiritual path... never otherwise!
Those who wish traveling the path undertaken by Mahavira, Gautama Buddha, Jesus
Christ or Prophet Mohammed need travel the path of enlightenment... the path of self
realization!

Gaining enlightenment is liberating self from bondage of birth and death forever! As per
sacred Bhagavad Gita of Hinduism it is our soul atman the spirit within that has
manifested the human form to work out its karma... remove the dross impurities within! It
is not within the capability of the human form to manifest a soul atman!

Ever since a soul atman started its cosmic journey of 8.4 million manifestations... an
earthly life cycle of 96.4 million years... the desire of every soul atman always remains
regaining it’s lost original pure prime pristine primordial form at the earliest. When
human beings gained enlightenment... the soul atman finally liberates forever from the
bondage of death!

This liberated soul atman finally enters abode of God... the kingdom of God (termed
Vaikuntha in Hinduism). For people in West... for followers of Christianity and
Buddhism... precepts of enlightenment would always elude them! Enlightenment is never
meant for those who do not believe in the concept of spirituality as detailed in sacred
Bhagavad Gita of Hinduism.

Mahavira, Gautama Buddha, Jesus Christ and Prophet Mohammed... all reached the stage
of enlightenment following the precepts contained in Bhagavad Gita of Hinduism! For
gaining enlightenment... for attaining the stage of self realization... one needs following
the wisdom contained in sacred Bhagavad Gita of Hinduism! We truly have no other
alternative.

Self realization is a word coined by spiritualists as releasing of the self... is the ultimate
goal of life for every living being! The moment complete dross impurities within the
self... the real self of us... our inner self removed... one reached... attained the stage of self
realization! Self realization is not that easily achieved... similar as enlightenment is not
that easy to achieve!

How difficult it is to attain self realization can be gauged from the fact that; in last about
150 years amongst 7 billion people existing world over only two persons attained the
stage of self realization... Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa and Maharishi Ramana! This
statement comes from one who reached the stage of self realization in 1993 at the age of
37!
Unless one reaches the stage of self realization... none can deduce what self realization is
all about! Cutting across shackles of five senses and the mind, practicing absolute
celibacy for a minimum period of 12 years in continuation... in the process awakening
kundalini to the full results in one reaching the stage of self realization... never otherwise!

To attain self realization is reaching the end of cosmic journey... the 8.4 millionth
manifestation... the last in the cosmic life cycle! Having attained self realization one need
not manifest life further. The present bodily form becomes the last manifestation for the
soul atman... the spirit within! One finally reaches the stage of Nirvikalpa Samadhi... the
stage of absolute nothingness!

Not one... not thousands but millions of people think that Paramhansa Yogananda
reached the stage of self realization... the stage of enlightenment in his lifetime! This is
not true. When I started on the path of self realization... the first spiritual book that I
purchased from the market was, "Autobiography of a Yogi". For a spiritual seeker this
book is in fact a Bible... an eye opener!

The moment I finally reached the stage of self realization in 1993 at 37 years of age... I
could read the lines which a self realized person can never state! For one who has reached
the end of the journey... it is not difficult to differentiate between powers of candle, a
bulb from that of piercing sunlight! Paramhansa Yogananda had almost reached the stage
of self realization but did not attain self realization in his lifetime!

At no stage of life Paramhansa Yogananda himself claimed or declared that he gained

self realization in his lifetime! It is what his faithful followers believe and preach! Every
human being on mother Earth has the potential of becoming a Mahavira... an enlightened
one! Believing wrong facts of life we do not reach anywhere... why believe in something
that may not be proved true!

If we truly desire seeking God Almighty... if we truly desire reaching the portals of God
Almighty... if we truly desire gaining enlightenment... if we want to attain self realization
then we need to distinguish right from wrong... truth from falsehood! Unless we learn to
separate milk from water... we shall never reach the absolute truth of life ever!

I was born in a Jain family yet, something within me inherently told me that to reach God
one need follow the dictates contained in sacred Bhagavad Gita of Hinduism! Following
the path of Mahavira alone I could not realize God. Whatever became available to me
from Jainism, Buddhism, Islamic Dharma, I always gathered it with open hands!

But... throughout my life I believed absolutely on one thing... Bhagavad Gita of

Hinduism is the end of all! I was absolutely right. Truthfully Bhagavad Gita of Hinduism
is the end of all. Realizing the wisdom contained in sacred Bhagavad Gita of Hinduism
any human being on mother Earth belonging to any religion, faith or belief can attain self
realization in ones lifetime!

Enlightenment and self realization do not belong to any religion, belief or faith nor are
they the sole propriety of any particular scripture! Self realization can be attained by
anyone who follows the precepts of spirituality with total truthfulness! We have to
believe the fact that form of human beings is but a temporal phase in the life cycle of a
soul atman... The spirit within!

Unless we believe in this fact... we shall not reach anywhere on the path of self
realization nor gain enlightenment ever! Every soul atman in its lifetime has to pass
through a maximum of 8.4 million manifestations of which the initial 7.3 million
manifestations are in insect, plant and animal life. In the human form alone our soul
atman manifests 1.1 million types of bodies!

Does this mean from the first manifestation as a human being by our soul atman... every
human being has been mandated a journey of 1.1 million manifestations... an earthly life
cycle of 12.4 million years to reach the stage of enlightenment... termed self realization in
spirituality! Yes, the absolute truth of life is so!

Self realization is not a propriety that needs to be covered in a lifetime of 70 to 80 years!

Human beings have ample time to reach the stage of enlightenment... self realization! Yet
we do not know what form our soul atman shall manifest in the next manifestation... it is
best we travel the spiritual path now!

In the present human form... the journey of life is limited to the present body only! It is
not human beings but our soul atman that is covering the cosmic journey! After the death
of body in the human form it is our soul atman that shall manifest a form based on the
residual balance of karma of present manifestation.

Whatever be the residual balance of karma of present life at the time of death of the
body... the same becomes the opening balance for next manifestation... the new journey
of life! If the residual balance of karma of present life at the time of death of body
demands one manifesting a form in the house of a laborer... our soul atman simply cannot
manifest the form of a Prince!

In the cosmic system... in the domain of God... on the path of pure spirituality there are
no free lunches nor is the system of God disordered at any stage as stipulated by the
famous physicist Stephen Hawking in his book, "a brief history of time". The ignorant
scientist fails to understand that spirituality is beyond the purview of science.
Spirituality starts from the point where science ends. In the history of mankind... in the
entire history of science Albert Einstein was the only scientist who used his brain 4%.
Commoners... the masses use their brain 1%. Those who have reached the stage of
enlightenment... the stage of self realization used their brain hundred percent!

Albert Einstein in the last stages of his life started reading the sacred Bhagavad-Gita! He
deeply regretted that he should have read Bhagavad-Gita... fathomed the depth of
Bhagavad Gita in the early stages of his life... the prime reason why Albert Einstein failed
to understand the total precepts of spirituality contained in Bhagavad-Gita!

Science demand proofs that are never forthcoming in the domain of God... in the field of
spirituality... on the path of self realization! In the field of spirituality... to attain self
realization we need to have absolute faith in the system of God Almighty. Only then
human beings attained self realization in their lifetime... never otherwise!

Having absolute faith in God Almighty is that inherent ingredient of human life devoid
which human beings failed to scale upper regions of spirituality! Dominated by a bloated
ego... the wanton desires and greed for materialistic riches most human beings who
pursue path of spirituality fail! The reason for their failure is apparent... standing on
pedestal of earthly life they desire reaching God!

For treading into domain of God... we need to believe in God in totality! We need to have
absolute faith in God in totality! We need to understand what spirituality meant! It is by
understanding the meaning of spirituality, meditation yoga; human beings proceeded
towards the ultimate goal of life step-by-step.

In the domain of God there is no place for desires or wishes. Simply by desiring or
wishing nothing is gained! Even our prayers are not fulfilled by God Almighty. God
Almighty failed to answer all prayers that were one-sided! Seeking materialistic riches is
not what prayers are meant for! Seeking self realization in ones lifetime is what people
should ask for from God Almighty... not the materialistic riches!

If we truly desire attaining self realization in our lifetime... we need to pursue the path
undertaken by Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa or Maharishi Ramana... both of whom
attained self realization in their lifetime! Both started their journey on the spiritual path
via the path of bhakti yoga but finally switched to path of jnana yoga... the path of
absolute wisdom!

Both Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa and Maharishi Ramana were down to earth people...
always lying on a cot answering the queries of masses! For them the distinction between
a king and a cobbler never existed! All came in a queue one by one. In the domain of
God... in the house of God every single human being is judged by one's balance of
karma... not the status!
However rich or poor one is... in the house of God... in the domain of God all are equal!
On the path of enlightenment... on the path of self realization it is positive balance of
karma that matters... the virtues gained! It is the residual balance of karma that gets
transferred to next manifestation after the death of body... all materialistic riches of
present life going waste!

For a serious seeker of spirituality... for one desirous of attaining self realization in
present life time... we have to remain truthful all the time. Not a single lapse is permitted!
It is only by remaining truthful always and ever I was able to hear the sweet small inner
voice of my soul atman that seemed to come from within our heart!

Prompted by voice of my soul atman... I finally cleared all handles on path of pure
spirituality... the path of self realization! Traveling the path of spirituality has its pitfalls...
do not remember how many times I had to eat hell for breakfast... how many
contemplations of suicide yet, my goal of life was definite... I had to reach God in this
very life no matter what!

It was Bhagavad-Gita... the wisdom contained in Bhagavad Gita that came to my rescue
all the time! Having reached the stage of self realization... the contents of Bhagavad Gita
have become like ABCD to me. It is as if I had dictated the contents of sacred Bhagavad
Gita in one of my earlier manifestations!

Having reached the end of spiritual pursuit... the Mount Everest of spirituality I have
nowhere to go further! This is my last manifestation... the 8.4 millionth manifestation...
the last in the cosmic life cycle! The moment I leave my bodily frame I shall attain
moksha (salvation)... enter the portals of God (termed Vaikuntha in Hinduism)... a point
of no return!
By: Vijay Kumar "Atma Jnani"
ATTAIN SELF-REALIZATION

Liberation is freedom from all suffering: mental, physical, and from external
circumstances. The one that is bound and therefore suffers from bondage, is the one that
seeks liberation. This one is the ego. This ego is released through liberation. The true,
eternal Self (pure Soul, atma) itself is the state of liberation.

Ego is bound by ignorance. When ignorance is removed, the ego is liberated. When you
attain the Real knowledge (Gnan) through Gnan vidhi (ceremony of Self-Realization)
from the Gnani Purush, ignorance will be lifted and the ego will be liberated.

Akram Vignan is the quick elevator path to Self Realization, in which Self Realization
can be attained in one hour versus the longer kramic path to Self Realization.

One only needs to understand this world as it is and after that one do not even have to
memorize anything. Understand it just once. How has it come into existence? Who is
God? Who is running this world? What all this is about. What is our Real form? Knowing
the answers to all these, the puzzles will be solved forever.

Akram Vignan is the Science which draws an exact line of demarcation between that
which is You and that which is not yours; the Real and the relative. It clearly defines their
properties and characteristics.

As a result of this exact demarcation, the result is immediate and experiential. In the
Kramic marg, this line of demarcation is not clearly defined, and therefore, it is very
difficult to reach the goal. Once this distinction is made, the Real will never be relative
and the relative will never become Real. Unless they are separated, they cannot stay
within their own natures.

The worldly life means to go away from your Real nature. Liberation means to come to
your Real nature. Self Realization awakens you to your real, eternal Self.

During Gnan Vidhi, the Gnani severs the ropes of ignorance that have kept you bound for
infinite lives. You will then immediately realize that you are free. You should experience
the awareness that your true Self is absolutely free.

PATH TO SELF REALIZATION

There are two paths of Self realization.One is the common and the traditional path, called
the Kramik path. The Kramic path is a step-by-step path where there is a gradual spiritual
evolution. It is a very arduous and a grueling path.

The other path is the Akram path. It is an elevator (direct) path to Self-realization where
you can continue with all your daily worldly activities, fulfill all your worldly
responsibilities towards your wife and children, and still achieve liberation! This is an
exceptional path and one which comes around once every million years. In Akram path
we can get the direct experience of the Self, the pure Soul.

This Akram path of Self-realization is a shortcut path which is practical as well. Unlike
the traditional paths to Self-realization, there is no need for you to practice any rituals and
austerities. This is ‘Akram Vignan’—a direct scientific path of Self-realization.

The main path to liberation is the Kramic path .The Kramic path takes one very slowly
towards liberation, one step at a time. In this path one has to purify one’s ego through
renunciation and penance. Kramic is full of both internal and external suffering until the
very end. It is like purifying gold; you cannot do it without the heat of the fire (suffering).
Once the ego is pure, it is at the threshold of liberation. The ego has to be purified from
the weaknesses of anger, pride, illusion, lust and greed. The Kramic path is a very
difficult path.

Sometimes when confusion prevails in the traditional Kramic path, and if people are
ready for liberation, they will find salvation through a Gnani Purush.
The Kramic path is only viable when a person’s thoughts, speech and action are in unison
with each other. This means that you say exactly that which is in your mind, and your
actions are in agreement with your mind and speech. If one has unity in one’s thoughts,
speech and actions, then one can progress in the Kramic path, otherwise the Kramic path
is closed.

At the present time, there is no oneness of thought, speech and action. Therefore, the very
foundation of the Kramic path is fractured. Consequently, the Akram path has manifest.

It will take up to three thousand years for the Kramic path to repair itself. Until then, the
Akram path will exist. After the Kramic path is restored, the Akram path will no longer
be required. This Akram Vignan will not last too long. It has appeared in place of the
Kramic path.

This Akram path rarely manifests itself. In the Akram path, the Gnani Purush purifies
your ego for you. He takes away both your ego and your attachment. Then you attain the
experience of the pure Self. Only after you experience your Self, your work is done.

How to Attain Self Realization

Query: Merits of Self Realization. Importance of celibacy for Self Realization?

Vijay Kumar:
Before we discuss on God and the human form of life we need to understand the basics-
definition of God, the meaning of self realization, the Sakaar or the Nirakaar form of
God, the feminine side of God, the value of celibacy in the field of self realization and
other hidden concepts which can only become clear after having digested the pearls of
wisdom contained in the Bhagavad Gita.

We need to understand that God is not of the form of a human being... it can never be for
the body of a human being is not the real essence of life as it is our atman the soul within
that has taken the body and not vice versa. At the time of big bang (when the formation
of the cosmos starts)... all atmans (souls) in the cosmos spread all over. These pure
atmans (souls) as they proceed on their cosmic journey gain impurities similarly as the
99% dross contained in hundred KG of gold ore whereas it comprises of only one KG of
pure gold.

These pure atmans (souls) on their cosmic journey need to purify themselves and come
back to their original pristine pure form. This requires the atman soul to take a body again
and again... a total of 8.4 million manifestations and an earthly journey of 96.4 million
years. Now, if we can consider a grain of sand as an atman soul then the collective
mound of sand is known as God Almighty. In other words the definition of God is the
collective power of all purified atmans in whole cosmos at a given point of time.
The Sakaar form of God is a misnomer for it does not exist... the Sakaar form of God has
been developed by the Spiritual masters of the yester era so that it becomes easier for the
common masses to pray to god. Every normal Human being cannot concentrate on God
without the presence of an idol or a statue. We need a symbol through which we can pray
to God. The symbol can be a stone, a river or even a tree as is the case in Hinduism. In
Hinduism temples we normally find idols that are symbolic of God Almighty.

Similar is the case in Jain temples! In Christianity also every church contains images of
Jesus Christ and Mary in form of various statues. Believing in a Sakaar form of God... it
is not only easier to pray to God but this is also the simplest path of reaching God. Every
normal Human being initially starts by praying to the Sakaar form of God which also can
be known as Bhakti... subsequently as a serious seeker of Spirituality rises higher on the
Spiritual platform... one switches over to the Nirakaar form of God for one needs to
practice jnana yoga from now on.

We definitely know for sure that every atman the soul within is pure energy... how can
then it be that God has a Sakaar form. Once it becomes clear to us that the real form of
God is Nirakaar in nature then it becomes easier for a practitioner of jnana yoga to
proceed on the path of pure Spirituality. Seeing from the angle of a human being (the
physical form of life controlled by five senses and the mind) that we try to analyze the
definition of God in terms of sexuality... when God does not have form it can never be
either masculine or feminine. It can never have gender.

Now about the path to self realization... Self Realization is a process by which every
Human being can realize God within his lifetime. Having realized God one reaches the
stage of Mahavira... it is the end of the life in itself... the physical form of life! Having
gained self realization one reaches the cosmic end of life... the 8.4 millionth
manifestation... the cycle of life and death ceases to exist from now on. One can only gain
emancipation... in other words salvation (moksha in Hinduism).

Self-Realization is the end of the journey... the sooner Atman (soul within) leaves the
body... it leaves for Baikunth... the abode of God (aka the kingdom of heaven in
Christianity). Self-Realization can only be achieved by a true seeker of Spirituality who
proceeds via the path of jnana yoga alone. While proceeding on the path of jnana yoga...
one needs to proceed ahead following the path undertaken by Maharishi Ramana... the
path of practicing Neti (not this, not this) and ultimately reaching the stage of Nirvikalpa
Samadhi.

Before we reach the stage of Nirvikalpa Samadhi we also need to practice celibacy in
totality. We need to preserve our semen for a continuous period of minimum 12 years and
it is only then we can expect to gain self realization! The preservation of the semen... the
transmutation of the sexual powers is a necessity as cosmic journey of 8.4 million
manifestations is long and if we need to curtail the journey... we need to take the lift
straight up... considering the building of life to contain 8.4 million steps.
Unless we take the lift straight up... we cannot curtail the journey while proceeding
through the path of stairs. This is the normal path one undertakes but for the serious
seekers of Spirituality who desire to realize God within his lifetime... we have no other
alternative than to practice absolute celibacy.

Talking of miracles... there is no such thing as miracles in the field of Spirituality. Having
gained self realization means one has reached the status of a man god... and having
reached this level one need not or in other words one cannot take another body for... the
purpose of taking a body is already over. For a god-realized person... it is continuous
communion with God at all the time. There is no other purpose of maintaining the body
after self realization. Having gained realization any one retaining the body is doing it
only for the purpose of serving the mankind. Having realized God one can disseminate
the pearls of wisdom to the masses for one has already reached the cosmic destination of
life.

Having realized God... the senses and the mind lose their remaining... it is only after
having established absolute control over the five senses and the mind that we reach the
stage of the river call samadhi... never before! And once the bodily form carries no
meaning for us... it is just like that all become children of God for a god-realized soul.
The physical relationship like Mother, father, brother and sisters etc carry no meaning.
For any self realized soul has become totally independent of any form or body.

The stage of Nirvikalpa Samadhi is the ultimate a human being can experience... it is pure
bliss (Ananda in Hinduism)... there is nothing more beyond in the cosmos to be
experienced by a god realized soul. God Almighty has always been a Dhrishta (onlooker)
and never interferes with the creation of his. Similar is the case of a realized atman the
soul within. The moment one realizes god... one loses total interest in anything other than
the pearls of wisdom contained in the Bhagavad Gita.

Why again and again I am repeating the word Bhagavad Gita is that everything knowable
in whole cosmos is contained in Bhagavad Gita. Having understood the inner meaning of
the shlokas contained in the Bhagavad Gita... one need not read or refer any other sacred
Scripture of any religion of the World. Like milk... Bhagavad Gita is a complete food in
itself. The knower of Bhagavad Gita becomes the knower of all... one realizes God!

We also need to understand that the words coming out of our mouth... from a physical
body are the words of our atman the soul within... for it is not within the means of any
body to produce a sound. It is only as long as there is Atman soul within the body that the
body is alive... the moment a soul (Atman within) leaves the body... the body decays and
dies. Once we realize that the words coming out of our mouth are the words of our atman
the soul within... anything which is invoked by us is primarily followed by our atman the
soul within for atman the soul within cannot exercise any other option other than
whatever the Jiva (living being) bids it to do.
Aum (Omkar) is the medium of communication between our atman the soul within and
God Almighty. The World Om has a very significant role to play in the cosmic system.
Without the symbol Aum nothing in the Cosmos would work. In the mighty reservoir of
ether... the black area of the cosmos... the symbol Aum travels at a much higher
frequency than the speed of light... it is practically infinite speed at which the syllable
aum travels throughout the Cosmos. Every true seeker of Spirituality understands the
value attached to Aum. It is only through the medium of Aum that one Atman soul can
converse with another.

Regarding the creative powers of God Almighty we need to understand that every atman
the soul within is but a minuscule form of God Almighty... and most powers can also be
exercised by any Atman... the soul within! It is only when atman the soul within has
purified itself fully that the exercise of powers can be done. The exercise of powers by a
man god must always be done for the Humanity at large else one shall lose these powers
forever. So is destined by God... we cannot act otherwise!

While proceeding on the path of self realization we are offered by God many tantric
powers... if we take them then we may get diverted from our ultimate goal. This
happened in the case of Acharya Rajneesh (aka osho) and also in the case of Sage
Vishwamitra. Both fell from grace as they tried to utilize their powers for negative ends.

Sage Vashistha and Sage Vishwamitra were almost equal in powers and Spiritual status.
Most of the time Sage Vishwamitra tried to get ahead of Sage Vashistha. So was not to be
for Sage Vishwamitra had anger left in him! And to reach the highest platform of
spiritual life... we need to live by the quote "forget and forgive". One cannot do without
it! More on Forget and Forgive here

Sage Vishwamitra because of his angry posture once lost his cool. And while proceeding
through a forlorn jungle and seeing the sight of an extremely beautiful lady taking bath in
most sensual surroundings could not control his self and succumbed to the forbidden act
of love. He could not again regain the status equivalent of Sage Vashistha and had to
convince himself for redoing everything all over again... we cannot under any
circumstances stop practicing celibacy come whatever may... it is just not permitted while
proceeding on the path of pure Spirituality.

Acharya Rajneesh was on the verge of reaching the highest stage of Spirituality when he
fell from grace... he started advocating that free sex amongst his followers would lead to
communion with God... it was never to be. He was totally in the wrong... the result... he
was kicked out of United States of America and there was a stage when no country in the
World was willing to accept him. It was only his motherland... the great Bharat varsha
(India as we know it) accepted him as he was... and ultimately he died a very lonely
death! The poor man!
We always talk of a genie in our fables. Aladdin also had a Chirag by the help of which
he was able to come out of the dungeons his uncle had closed him in. And what is this
genie. Is it something unnatural for genie is supposed to be the size of a superHuman?
Whenever one realizes God and releases Atman from the bondage of manifesting body
again and again... this freed Atman soul within us is what we call as genie. For every self
realized person can directly communicate with God and everything in the cosmos is
available at his tips.

Similarly as everything is available to genie whatever is ordered by the master... similarly

after having realized God... the self realized person also can exercise this Spiritual powers
but these powers are only meant to be exercised for the benefit of mankind and never
otherwise.

For a god-realized soul... it is not two hands and two legs but four hands and four legs for
our Atman... the soul within now directly guides us. In fact the genie within us has been
released from captivity. Every god and goddess is always shown having four hands and
four legs... the prime reason being that they are all symbolic of man gods... all those who
have gained enlightenment and finally salvation (moksha in Hinduism).

Also every atman the soul within being a minuscule form of God... that part of the puzzle
which always desires unification with the larger puzzle (God Almighty) whenever it gets
a chance, bows before the grace of the Almighty God. As every atman soul is
encapsulated in a body... this body owing to inherent traits of character bows before the
image of God.

By putting a question mark on the personal life of Krisna... we fail to understand that in
times of Krisna it was a practice that whenever any king ventured into any of his domains
or areas under the kingdom... it was almost customary for the chieftain of the local
community to present his eldest daughter to the king... this resulted in the king having a
retinue of many wives. In our history of Hinduism it is a well-known fact that some kings
even had 40,000 wives. It was not so that the king married legally each one of them. No,
it was never so!

The prime reason why the main legally wedded wife in Hinduism is known as dharma
patni (the legally wedded wife) and the other as only patni (wife). It was never that the
kings had many Dharma patni's... never! Any person who has realized God is over and
above the domain of Kama. The Cupid can never affect a god-realized soul. He is free
forever from the clutches of practicing love or sex. Love and sex carry no meaning for a
self-realized person.

Lord Krisna is the only person in the whole history of Hinduism who is considered an
Avatar... a direct descendant of God Almighty! Why so? In his very young age he
demonstrated such powers that normally even a self realized person could not exercise.
He was much above the hold of senses and the mind. When a god realized person is far
above the hold of love and sex what to talk of a living Avatar practicing love and sex. It
is beyond imagination! Such things never happen in the domain of purified atmans
(souls) and avatars.

In earlier times that science had not yet evolved as it is today. Moreover... the Spiritual
masters of the yester era lived in deep jungles and in non reachable forlorn areas... and if
one had to realize god in those times it was just not possible unless one became a Shishya
of the Spiritual masters residing in secluded places. The Guru Shishya parampara
prevailed in those times. One had to present himself before the Spiritual master and it was
only dependent upon our desired Guru to accept us or not. On the contrary In present
times one need not go to secluded places for the Spiritual masters like Rama Krisna
Paramhansa and Maharishi Ramana (both of whom realized God within their life time)
lived well within the confines of the society.

With the development of the mind... the need to go to the secluded places almost
vanished. These days one can even while living in the family can realize God. I have
been able to do it... I know the price I have paid... I was prepared for everything comes
whatever may... I was offered powers beyond imagination but I had only one and only
goal of having a darshan of God within this lifetime. And God Almighty graced me with
his Darshan in the wee hours of third of August 1993. Since then it has never been
looking back... the feeling of Ananda... the desire to serve the Humanity is something that
can never be described in words.