3-1-46 Afternoon

When I entered the hall Bhagavan was already answering
a question which, I gathered, was to the effect "Is the theory of evolution true?" and Bhagavan said, "The trouble with all of us is that we want to know the past, what we were, and also what
Page 87
we will be in the future. We know nothing about the past or the future. We do know the present and that we exist now. Both yesterday and tomorrow are only with reference to today. Yesterday was called `today' in its time, and tomorrow will be called `today' by us tomorrow. Today is ever present. What is ever present is pure existence. It has no past or future. Why not try and find out the real nature of the present and ever-present existence?"

Another visitor asked, "The present is said to be due
to past karma. Can we transcend the past karma by our free will now?"

Bhagavan: See what the present is, as I told you. Then
you will understand what is affected by or has a past or a future and also what is ever-present and always free, unaffected by the past or future or by any past karma.

Another visitor asked, "Can one person create an urge
for anything in another. Can a Guru transform a disciple as if by magic?"

Bhagavan: What is your idea of a Guru? You think of
him in human shape as a body of certain dimensions, colours, etc. A disciple after enlightenment told his Guru, "I now realise you lived in my innermost heart as the one reality in all my countless births and have now come before me in human shape and lifted this veil of ignorance. What can I do for you in return for such great kindness?" And the Guru said, "You need not do anything. It is enough if you remain as you are in your real state" This is the truth about the Guru.

Mr. Joshi put five questions. I give below the questions
and Bhagavan's answers.

Question 1: Should I go on asking `Who am I??' without
answering? Who asks whom? Which bhavana (attitude) should be in the mind at the time of enquiry? What is `I' the Self or the ego?

Page 88
Answer: In the enquiry `Who am I?', `I' is the ego. The
question really means, what is the source or origin of this ego? You need not have any bhavana in the mind. All that is required is, you must give up the bhavana that you are the body, of such and such a description, with such and such a name, etc. There is no need to have a bhavana about your real nature. It exists as it always does; it is real and no bhavana.

Question 2: I cannot be always engaged in this enquiry,
for I have got other work to do, and when I do such work I forget this quest.

Answer: When you do other work, do you cease to exist?

You always exist, do you not?

Question 3: Without the sense of doership — the sense
`I am doing' — work cannot be done.

Answer: It can be done. Work without attachment. Work
will go on even better than when you worked with the sense that you were the doer.

Question 4: I don't understand what work I should do
and what not.

Answer: Don't bother. What is destined as work to be
done by you in this life will be done by you, whether you like it or not.

Question 5: Why should I try to realise? I will emerge
from this state, as I wake up from a dream. We do not make an attempt to get out of a dream during sleep.

Answer: In a dream, you have no inkling that it is a dream
and so you don't have the duty of trying to get out of it by your effort. But in this life you have some intuition, by your sleep experience, by reading and hearing, that this life is something like a dream, and hence the duty is cast on you to make an effort and get out of it. However, who wants you to realise the
Page 89
Self, if you don't want it? If you prefer to be in the dream, stay as you are.

With reference to question 4, Mrs. P. C. Desai quoting
the Bhagavad Gita asked Bhagavan, "If (as Arjuna was told) there is a certain work destined to be done by each and we shall eventually do it however much we do not wish to do it or refuse to do it, is there any free will?"

Bhagavan said, "It is true that the work meant to be
done by us will be done by us. But it is open to us to be free from the joys or pains, pleasant or unpleasant consequences of the work, by not identifying ourselves with the body or that which does the work. If you realise your true nature and know that it is not you that does any work, you will be unaffected by the consequences of whatever work the body may be engaged in according to destiny or past karma or divine plan, however you may call it. You are always free and there is no limitation of that freedom."