Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj Life and Teachings

When Disciples asked Nisargadatta Maharaj about his birth date, Nisargadatta Maharaj replied that he was never born.
The Dream or Illusory life of Nisargadatta Maharaj which never exist in reality is as follows:
Facts about early life of Nisargadatta Maharaj is not certain. It is believed that Nisargadatta Maharaj was born in a March 1897 on full moon day which coincided with the festival of Lord Hanuman Jayanti, when Hindus pay their homage to Lord Hanuman, also named Maruti. To associate Nisargadatta Maharaj birth with this auspicious day his parents named him Maruti.

Among many special traits of Lord Hanumana, one was his exemplary devotion to His Master Lord Rama and the same devotion and trust we see in Nisargadatta Maharaj’s life. Nisargadatta Maharaj says “When I met my Guru, he told me: “You are not what you take yourself to be. Find out what you are. Watch the sense 'I am', find your real Self." I obeyed him, because I trusted him. I did as he told me. All my spare time I would spend looking at myself in silence. And what a difference it made, and how soon!”

It very rarely happens that the disciple has trust on his Master’s words. Nisargadatta Maharaj says “Most of the bhaktas trust their Guru only as long as all is well with them. When troubles come, they feel let down and go out in search of another Guru”. Souls like Bulle Shah, King Janak, Lord Hanuman, Nisargadatta Maharaj are very rare.

From the childhood Maruti had interest in spirituality and he used to discuss spiritual matters with one Pious Brahmin named Vishnu Haribhau Gore, who was his father’s friend also. At the age of 18 his father Died and Maruti took the job of a Clerk for few months and after that he started his own shop of selling children’s clothes, tobacco and hand-made country cigarettes. This business gave him a financial security and during this period Maruti had a son and three daughters.



Consciousness in Maruti played the usual role of child, youth, marriage, progeny, business etc, until one day of his friend Yashwantrao Baagkar took him to his guru Siddharameshwar Maharaj. When the disciple is ready the Master Appears. Siddharameshwar Maharaj who is one of Greatest Unknown Master of last century was a spiritual teacher of the Navnath Sampradaya. Siddharameshwar Maharaj Gave Maruti a mantra to chant and instructions in meditation.

During a short period of Meditation Practice Maruti started having visions and occasionally even fell into trances. Old was dying and new Man was taking birth in him. In Ancient Hindu tradition we call it ‘Brahman’ which literally means “twice Born”. Jesus Christ has said “to enter the kingdom of God one has to die”. With in a period of 3 Years Maruti’s Consciousness was transformed in Cosmic Consciousness, Seekers know as ‘Nisargadatta Maharaj’.

Nisargadatta Maharaj said once “I simply followed (my teacher's) instruction which was to focus the mind on pure being 'I am', and stay in it. I used to sit for hours together, with nothing but the 'I am' in my mind and soon peace and joy and a deep all-embracing love became my normal state. In it all disappeared -- myself, my Guru, the life I lived, the world around me. Only peace remained and unfathomable silence”.

After His realization for some period, Nisargadatta Maharaj took the path of a mendicant and walked barefoot to Himalayas, where he planned to live the rest of this eternal life. But then millions of seekers would have missed his Grace. Fortunately in short period of time Nisargadatta Maharaj retraced his steps back to his small home in Mumbai where Seekers from all part of world came to receive his Grace.

After returning from Himalayas, Nisargadatta Maharaj stayed in the world, yet he was always untouched from this mundane world like a Lotus Flower. Nisargadatta Maharaj continued to discharge the worldly duties of looking after his family affairs and simultaneously guiding seekers on the path.

Nisargadatta Maharaj says “You cannot renounce. You may leave your home and give trouble to your family, but attachments are in the mind and will not leave you until you know your mind in and out. First thing first -- know yourself, all else will come with it”. Through Maharaj’s Grace many seekers got guidance and many realized their true nature like Ramesh Balsekar, Rudy, 'Sailor' Bob Adamson etc.

Ramesh Balsekar says "The core of Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj's teaching is the knowledge of one's own true identity. This knowledge is indeed the pivotal point around which moves everything." Nisargadatta's Maharaj gave direct teachings in Advaita Vedanta interpretation of the Hindu idea Tat Tvam Asi, which literally means ‘You are one with Divinity’. Nisargadatta Maharaj teachings emphasis that there is no Doer and our True nature is of pure awareness.



Nisargadatta Maharaj Quotes:

• The seeker is he who is in search of himself.
• “Give up all questions except one: ‘Who am I?’ After all, the only fact you are sure of is that you are. The ‘I am’ is certain. The ‘I am this’ is not. Struggle to find out what you are in reality.
• To know what you are, you must first investigate and know what you are not.
• Discover all that you are not -- body, feelings thoughts, time, space, this or that -- nothing, concrete or abstract, which you perceive can be you. The very act of perceiving shows that you are not what you perceive.
• The clearer you understand on the level of mind you can be described in negative terms only, the quicker will you come to the end of your search and realise that you are the limitless being.

Nisargadatta Maharaj left the body on 1981 and his teachings are preserved in a series of Dialogues collected into books. Maharaj talks direct and his words hits the ego like a thunderbolt in sky.

Some selected quotes from Nisargadatta Maharaj books are
1. "You cannot transcend what you do not know. To go beyond yourself, you must know yourself."
2. "Give up the desire for pleasure and you will not even know what is pain."
3. "There is no chaos in the world, except the chaos which your mind creates."
4. "Absolute perfection is here and now, not in some future, near or far. The secret is in action - here and now. It is your behavior that blinds you to yourself. Disregard whatever you think yourself to be and act as if you were absolutely perfect - whatever your idea of perfection may be. All you need is courage."
5. "For me the moment of death will be a moment of jubilation, not of fear. I cried when I was born and I shall die laughing."

Recommended Books of Nisargadatta Maharaj are “I am That”, “Prior to Consciousness” ,” Seeds of Consciousness”, The Ultimate Medicine       

Related Article: "Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj Quotes"
                      "Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj on Need of Master"
                      "Question on Meditation Answered by Nisargadatta Maharaj"
                           "Ramesh balsekar - Disciple of Nisargadatta Maharaj"

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