WHO IS A SADGURU?
Here are the words of Truth spoken by Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, Poorna Avatar, and by the Sage Sri Ramana Maharishi of Tiruvannamalai.
SAI:
There are people even today who have the genuine experience of divine vision and Self-realization. But they do not travel here and there in the world, building up a following of disciples. They stay very quietly away from public view and do sadhana. If you were to find such a one and ask for guidance, he would not be interested in you.
If the life of a 'guru' who is out in the world is closely examined, it will be found that he has desires and problems. His knowledge is from books and other persons and he has no full and real experience of the divine of whom he speaks. Such persons are caught in the bog of samsara, just as you are. How can they pull you to firm ground?
Nowadays, God is the only genuine guru. Call on Him and He will guide you. He is in your heart, ever ready to help, Protect and guide you.
Conversations with Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, p.111, http://media.radiosai.org/journals/Vol_04/01AUG06/conversation.htm
There are people even today who have the genuine experience of divine vision and Self-realization. But they do not travel here and there in the world, building up a following of disciples. They stay very quietly away from public view and do sadhana. If you were to find such a one and ask for guidance, he would not be interested in you.
If the life of a 'guru' who is out in the world is closely examined, it will be found that he has desires and problems. His knowledge is from books and other persons and he has no full and real experience of the divine of whom he speaks. Such persons are caught in the bog of samsara, just as you are. How can they pull you to firm ground?
Nowadays, God is the only genuine guru. Call on Him and He will guide you. He is in your heart, ever ready to help, Protect and guide you.
Conversations with Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, p.111, http://media.radiosai.org/journals/Vol_04/01AUG06/conversation.htm
Ramana Maharshi:
The Self is ever-present. Each one wants to know the Self. What kind of help does one require to know oneself? People want to see the Self as something new. But it is eternal and remains the same all along. They desire to see it as a blazing light etc. How can it be so? It is not light, not darkness. It is only as it is. It cannot be defined. The best definition is ‘I am that I am’. The srutis [scriptures] speak of the Self as being the size of one’s thumb, the tip of the hair, an electric spark, vast, subtler than the subtlest, etc. They have no foundation in fact. It is only being, but different from the real and the unreal; it is knowledge, but different from knowledge and ignorance. How can it be defined at all? It is simply being.
There is no seeing. Seeing is only being. The state of Self-realisation, as we call it, is not attaining something new or reaching some goal which is far away, but simply being that which you always are and which you always have been. All that is needed is that you give up your realisation of the not-true as true. All of us are regarding as real that which is not real. We have only to give up this practice on our part. Then we shall realise the Self as the Self; in other words, ‘Be the Self.
At one stage you will laugh at yourself for trying to discover the Self which is so self-evident. So,what can we say to this question? That stage transcends the seer and the seen. There is no seer there to see anything. The seer who is seeing all this now ceases to exist and the Self alone remains.
Be as you Are – the Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi, p. 9
The Self is ever-present. Each one wants to know the Self. What kind of help does one require to know oneself? People want to see the Self as something new. But it is eternal and remains the same all along. They desire to see it as a blazing light etc. How can it be so? It is not light, not darkness. It is only as it is. It cannot be defined. The best definition is ‘I am that I am’. The srutis [scriptures] speak of the Self as being the size of one’s thumb, the tip of the hair, an electric spark, vast, subtler than the subtlest, etc. They have no foundation in fact. It is only being, but different from the real and the unreal; it is knowledge, but different from knowledge and ignorance. How can it be defined at all? It is simply being.
There is no seeing. Seeing is only being. The state of Self-realisation, as we call it, is not attaining something new or reaching some goal which is far away, but simply being that which you always are and which you always have been. All that is needed is that you give up your realisation of the not-true as true. All of us are regarding as real that which is not real. We have only to give up this practice on our part. Then we shall realise the Self as the Self; in other words, ‘Be the Self.
At one stage you will laugh at yourself for trying to discover the Self which is so self-evident. So,what can we say to this question? That stage transcends the seer and the seen. There is no seer there to see anything. The seer who is seeing all this now ceases to exist and the Self alone remains.
Be as you Are – the Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi, p. 9
IN STRONG CONTRAST ... MADHUSUDAN
Madhusudan’s virtually immediate proclamation of his Realisation from the stage is as ridiculous as the idea of someone like Sri Ramana Maharshi achieving Self-Realisation and then getting up immediately and looking for a stage on which to publicly announcing ‘Hey everyone, I’m Self-Realised now!’ The fact that Madhusudan has immediately proclaimed to his followers that he is Realised, shows us exactly what his priorities are. He still has the desire for publicity and adulation, the desire to be known as a Self-Realised person. Since he has that desire, what he has described in his experience (loss of control, numbness on one side, inability to move on one’s own, disorientation, loss of identity) may actually be symptomatic of a minor stroke brought on by stress, however it is not Self-Realisation.
Genuine Self Realisation vs Genuine Self-Promotion
Swami said that 'Silence is the only language of the Realised' (SSS 1.10). The obverse of this truth is that Self-promotion is the only language of those who merely claim to have attained Self-Realisation.
Madhusudan Naidu has now announced that he attained complete and final Self-Realisation and merged in Swami. Where did this happen? Did it happen while he was meditating on Swami alone in his room during a period of intense sadhana? Did it happen while he was engaged in intense Self-enquiry into his own true nature?
No, of course not. This is Madhusudan Naidu.
It happened while he was sitting in a silver throne up on a stage in front of a crowd of his followers in Muddenahalli. It happened while he was listening to Narasimhamurthy, his real guru, announcing the next phase in the deception they began together in 2011. This was apparently a blissful enough experience to grant him final Realisation, although the experience reads more like Madhusudan experiencing a minor stroke.
Madhusudan’s virtually immediate proclamation of his Realisation from the stage is as ridiculous as the idea of a Realised sage like Sri Ramana Maharshi achieving Self-Realisation and then getting up immediately and looking for a stage on which to publicly announce ‘Hey everyone, I’m Self-Realised now!’ The fact that Madhusudan’s top priority was to immediately proclaim to his followers that he is Realised, shows us exactly where his priorities lie. He still has the desire for publicity and adulation, the desire to be famed as a Self-Realised person. Since he still has desires, what he has described in his experience (loss of control, numbness on one side of his body, inability to move on one’s own, disorientation, loss of identity) may actually be symptomatic of a minor stroke (brought on by the fear and stress which always shows on his face when he is in public), but it is not Self-Realisation. (For further information on this, look at the similarities between Madhusudan’s experience and the experience of stroke victim Dr Jill Bolte Taylor: https://www.ted.com/talks/jill_bolte_taylor_s_powerful_stroke_of_insight?utm_source=tedcomshare&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=tedspread#t-1103120).
By contrast, in His discourses, Bhagawan Baba used to often speak of Sri Ramana Maharshi, a Self-Realised saint (https://sathyasaiwithstudents.blogspot.com/2019/04/sri-sathya-sai-on-message-of-ramana.html#.XTw04HsRWUk). Baba also once gave darshan to Swami Abhedananda as both Sri Ramana Maharshi and as Sathya Sai Baba. This is recorded in Sathyam Sivam Sundaram Part 3, in the chapter, The Constant Presence (http://www.vahini.org/sss/ii/presence.html).
While announcing that he is now Self Realised, Madhusudan talks about ‘the bright spiritual illumination of a million suns that shone from within.’ However Sri Ramana Maharshi, who was actually Self-Realised, said that such descriptions of Self-Realisation have no foundation in fact:
Maharshi: The Self is ever-present. Each one wants to know the Self. What kind of help does one require to know oneself? People want to see the Self as something new. But it is eternal and remains the same all along. They desire to see it as a blazing light etc. How can it be so? It is not light, not darkness. It is only as it is. It cannot be defined. The best definition is ‘I am that I am’. The srutis [scriptures] speak of the Self as being the size of one’s thumb, the tip of the hair, an electric spark, vast, subtler than the subtlest, etc. They have no foundation in fact. It is only being, but different from the real and the unreal; it is knowledge, but different from knowledge and ignorance. How can it be defined at all? It is simply being.
Q: When a man realises the Self, what will he see?
A: There is no seeing. Seeing is only being. The state of Self-realisation, as we call it, is not attaining something new or reaching some goal which is far away, but simply being that which you always are and which you always have been. All that is needed is that you give up your realisation of the not-true as true. All of us are regarding as real that which is not real. We have only to give up this practice on our part. Then we shall realise the Self as the Self; in other words, ‘Be the Self. At one stage you will laugh at yourself for trying to discover the Self which is so self-evident. So, what can we say to this question? That stage transcends the seer and the seen. There is no seer there to see anything. The seer who is seeing all this now ceases to exist and the Self alone remains.
Be as you Are – the Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi, p. 9
Swami also said that those with genuine Self-Realisation have transcended all desires and do not travel the world building up a following as Madhusudan is doing:
H: Is today's world without saints who have direct and deep God experience?
SAI: There are people even today who have the genuine experience of divine vision and Self-realization. But they do not travel here and there in the world, building up a following of disciples. They stay very quietly away from public view and do sadhana. If you were to find such a one and ask for guidance, he would not be interested in you. If the life of a 'guru' who is out in the world is closely examined, it will be found that he has desires and problems. His knowledge is from books and other persons and he has no full and real experience of the divine of whom he speaks. Such persons are caught in the bog of samsara, just as you are. How can they pull you to firm ground? Nowadays, God is the only genuine guru. Call on Him and He will guide you. He is in your heart, ever ready to help, Protect and guide you.
Conversations with Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, p. 111,
(http://media.radiosai.org/journals/Vol_04/01AUG06/conversation.htm)
The example of those who have attained genuine Realisation
Take a moment and look at the example of those we know have attained Self-Realisation. Did the young Narendranath Datta, Swami Vivekananda, attain Nirvikalpa Samadhi and then immediately get up and start to proclaim from a stage that he was Realised? No. Swami Vivekananda didn’t speak about his experience of Nirvikalpa Samadhi to anyone but his closest brother disciples for many years. He certainly didn’t get up on a stage immediately after the experience and proclaim that he was now Self-Realised. He completely lost interest in anything but God and renounced the world, wandering on pilgrimage throughout India. Wherever he went, those who met him, recognised that Divine presence without him having to claim anything.
Can we imagine Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, attaining Self-Realisation and then immediately beginning to proclaim himself as a Realised being? No. None of those who genuinely attained Self-Realisation ever sought to mount a stage and begin to proclaim themselves as being Realised. Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj attained Self-Realisation in 1936 and instead of announcing it publicly, he lost all desires and all interest in the world and went on pilgrimage as a sadhu, leaving his family and businesses behind. He didn’t need to proclaim that he was Realised; those who came to him recognised his Divine wisdom.
As previously mentioned, Swami referred many times to Ramana Maharshi in His discourses as a genuinely Self-Realised sage. Ramana Maharshi attained Self-Realisation at the age of 16. Did he immediately seek a stage and a microphone to proclaim his Realisation? No. He continued to live his usual outwardly normal routine with his family for about six weeks after attaining Realisation, going to school and doing chores. The only outer sign of his Realisation was a complete lack of ego, desire, likes and dislikes. As there was no longer even an ‘I’ to make the proclamation, he never once even mentioned that he had had a spiritual experience, let alone that he had attained Self-Realisation.
When he renounced worldly life, he wrote a note to his family to let them know that he had left, in which he referred to himself as ‘this.’ "I have set out in quest of my Father in accordance with his command. This has only embarked on a virtuous enterprise. Therefore, no one need grieve over this act. And no money need be spent in search of this.” Since there was no longer an ego to identify with, the note was signed “Thus _______.”
After reaching Arunachala, Ramana discarded his few possessions and went and sat in the Arunachaleswara temple, where he stayed without even speaking a word for eleven years. Most of the time he was so completely absorbed in the Self that he had no awareness of his body. He later said that he was not keeping a vow of silence for those eleven years; he simply had no desires and so, no desire to speak. This certainly means that he had no desire to proclaim himself as a Realised being. He also had no need to do it. Those around him recognised his genuine Divine presence and began to visit him. He also had no need of the extensive and sustained advertising campaign which Madhusudan has needed in order to build up his following. The flower bloomed and the bees were automatically drawn to it.
Why is this?
Swami said that “Silence is the only language of the Realised” (SSS 1.10). Those who have genuinely Realised the Self have no need to proclaim it or publicise themselves, any more than the sun needs to proclaim that it is the sun. What they are, radiates out from them and draws people near. They have no need to send out invitations and compel their ‘celebrity’ devotees to attend every event in order to attract others, as is done in Muddenahalli. We saw this daily with Swami Himself. As Swami said:
It is Love, the invitations of the Heart to the heart, that has brought you in tens of thousands to this place. The validity and value of Love are proved by you; Love is the most potent of My powers.
SSS 10.35: 22 November 1970, http://www.sssbpt.info/ssspeaks/volume10/sss10-35.pdf
The power of attraction is divinity. A small example: Thousands have gathered here today. Who invited you? Has anybody sent invitations to you? No invitations have been sent. Then how have you come here? Your love for Swami is the main cause. Nobody has brought you here by force. You all know this. People are brought in lorries for political meetings. In spite of repeatedly requesting you not to come, you still come here. Attraction of love is Divinity. This is the divine magnet.
SSS 31.43: 23 November 1998, http://www.sssbpt.info/ssspeaks/volume31/sss31-43.pdf
Madhusudan is showing us the obverse of this truth - that self-promotion is the language of those who desire to be regarded as Self-Realised. Only those who do not have genuine Self-Realisation feel a need to proclaim that they are Realised. Only those who don’t have that authentic Divine presence which is the Natural State (Sahaja Sthiti) of the Realised. Only those who still have an ego and only those who desire the adulation of others, will indulge in publicity and self-promotion.
Proclaiming himself as being Realised while describing an experience so centred around an ‘I’ sense which perceives others as a ‘merely mortal stupefied crowd’, shows that Madhusudan is still dwelling in and speaking from, his ego. His ego, which sees himself as greater and others as different and somehow lesser. The simple truth is that, if his ego remains, then he isn’t Realised. Look at the language Madhusudan uses:
‘’So intense that I could not feel my limbs’
‘I had no control over my body’
‘But deep within I felt a sense of calm’
‘I felt as if I was melting part by part’
The experience lasted a few more minutes before I could come back to my senses’
‘I sensed that I was no more the same’
‘Something had snapped within me’
‘I felt so free which I had never ever felt before’
‘I felt liberated once for all’
‘Since then the last sense of individuality, and the accompanying dark shadows of shame and fear, simply vanished into the bright spiritual illumination of a million suns that shone from within.’
‘The ascension had begun and was witnessed by not merely the mortal eyes of the stupefied audience that sat in the hallowed hall, but also by the innumerable elevated beings that had descended in drones from dimensions beyond. A cosmic event had occurred only to the realisation of a few, when humanness was metamorphosing into divinity. The colourful wings of bliss and love opened up from within and the soul took to a flight of bliss, leaving the body behind. The experience was electrifying and emancipating, illuminating and intoxicating, it was simply liberating.’
Self-Realisation is the final and complete death of the ego, in which there is no individual self remaining. Since there is no individual self, there is nothing separate, no ‘I’ and no ‘world,’ as separate entities. In that state, there is no ‘one,’ let alone ‘two.’ It is beyond all concepts. Therefore there is certainly no concept of ‘the mortal eyes of the stupefied audience’ and ‘innumerable elevated beings’ as this means that they were perceived as being separate to the one who is claiming to have attained Realisation here.
But here we see that Madhusudan is still talking from the perspective of ‘I, I, I.’ He is still describing concepts and experiences that are separate to himself. Yet Swami said that this ‘I’ sense which Madhusudan speaks from must be removed before the Self can be Realised:
The Atmic Principle (Atma Thathwa) can be realised if only one could shed the feelings of ‘I’ and ‘mine’. Today, many people make efforts to realise the Atmic Principle, but their efforts do not succeed because they are unable to get rid of the feelings of ‘I’ and ‘mine’. In fact, they are the obstacles to Self-realisation. First and foremost, one has to remove the feeling of ‘I’ (ego). Then realisation will dawn on you. The religious symbol of Christianity (†) also denotes this cutting off of ego. The egocentric assertion of ‘I’ is the root cause for all sorrows, unrest, and difficulties. One has to realise this truth. The feeling of ‘mine’ has also to be shed. When a teacher develops a feeling “these are all my disciples,” ego will raise its head there also. Hence, the feelings of ‘I’ and ‘mine’ has to be removed. Then only can the Atmic Principle be realised.
SSS 41.10: 18 July 2008, http://www.sssbpt.info/ssspeaks/volume41/sss41-10.pdf
Despite this truth, Madhusudan continues talking about his ‘I’. Feeling that ‘I was melting,’ ‘I was no more the same,’ about ‘a new experience,’ about a ‘bright spiritual illumination,’ about his ‘ascension,’ about the ‘mortal eyes of the stupefied audience,’ of the ‘innumerable elevated beings’ which had descended in drones (I assume he means droves, unless the devas are now using actual drones in order to move about!), about a ‘cosmic event,’ which occurs ‘only to the realisation of a few.’ He speaks of ‘colourful wings of bliss and love,’ of his soul ‘taking a flight of bliss,’ about an ‘electrifying experience.’ These are all descriptions of a concept-bound experience occurring within the mind of someone who still has an ego. Someone who still sees others as separate to him because he is still bound by duality and therefore, is not Realised.
He talks of his experience as being something new, instead of simply being a recognition of that ever-present Self which he has always been. He talks of the experience as being a bright spiritual light, which is still something separate and in the realm of duality, a concept which the Self-Realised sage Ramana Maharshi said had no foundation in fact. He talks of his ascension, when in Self-Realisation there is neither high nor low. Nothing to ascend to, no path or, according to Isaac Tigrett, golden stairs to ascend, and no one to ascend them. There is no soul to take flight, since the soul denotes the concept of an ‘individual’ who is separate from ‘everything else’ and is therefore still only an experience of duality. Realisation is not an individual’s ‘electrifying experience’ as Madhusudan describes. According to Baba, it is the experience that there is nothing separate to that totality which one is:
Recognition that the Atma is oneself is surrender. Surrender really means the realisation that all is God, that there is nobody who surrenders, that there is nothing to be surrendered, nor is there anyone to accept a surrender. All is God. There is only God.
CWBSSSB, p.102 or http://media.radiosai.org/journals/Vol_04/01JUL06/conversation.htm
Jnana in Vedantic parlance has been defined as "Advaita Darsanam" (recognising the One without a second). That is to see the One in the many, Unity in diversity. Here in this assembly are present many thousands of persons. Their names and forms are multifarious. But you have to recognise that the Atma Principle in all of them is one and the same. It is not enough to say this in words. You must make it a living experience. Only then can one experience enduring Ananda (bliss). Such a person alone can be called a Jnani (a Knower of the Supreme).
SSS 22.30: 4 October 1989, http://www.sssbpt.info/ssspeaks/volume22/sss22-30.pdf
It is only a person who perceives the Lord in all beings that deserves to be called a Jnani. Instead, if others name themselves as Jnanis, they are so only in name. They have no genuine experience of Jnana.
Geetha Vahini p. 60, http://www.sssbpt.info/vahinis/Gita/GitaVahiniInteractive.pdf
In a letter to Dr John Hislop in 1971, Sathya Sai Baba gave what He descried as ‘the best way you could explain the Realisation of the Self’:
Above you—nothing, below you—nothing, to the right of you—or to the left of you—nothing; And dissolve yourself into that nothingness. That would be the best way you could explain the realization of Self. And yet, that nothingness would not be the absence of something like the nothingness. That nothingness is the fullness of everything, the power of the existence of that appears to be everything.
My Baba and I, p. 247,
http://new.saicaribbean.org/attachments/article/93/The%20Way%20Forward.pdf
Thus, based on Swami’s teachings as well as the teachings of those who have genuinely attained Self-Realisation, the experience Madhusudan describes here is not Self-Realisation. Why? Madhusudan is still speaking from the level of ego, duality. The fact that he has immediately announced that he is Self-Realised shows that his priority is the desire to receive recognition as being Self-Realised. As Swami said, one who still has desires is not Self-Realised and one who is not Self-Realised cannot lead you to Self-Realisation:
If the life of a 'guru' who is out in the world is closely examined, it will be found that he has desires and problems. His knowledge is from books and other persons and he has no full and real experience of the divine of whom he speaks. Such persons are caught in the bog of samsara, just as you are. How can they pull you to firm ground? Conversations with Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, p.111, http://media.radiosai.org/journals/Vol_04/01AUG06/conversation.htm
So what can you hope to achieve by following Madhusudan? According to Baba, the most likely outcome of following such a guru is that you will be lead further and further into the labyrinth of delusion and farther and farther away from the path that will genuinely lead to freedom. Any apparent benefit you receive will only be temporary and there is a great risk that even a slight mistake on the part of such a false guru will lead to very real and very great harm for those who follow him:
H: Another type of guru is the Indian who comes to America. The outstanding example is a man who is known internationally and whose followers may even run into millions. Through him people become interested in India, learn meditation and there are thousands of reports of the beneficial effects on the lives of the followers. Is not a guru such as this of some value?
Sai: A million people sit cross-legged in meditation. Not one gains liberation from bondage. What is the point of it all? If even the guru gained liberation, there might be some value. But even that does not happen. And if some slight mistake is made, there is great harm. The net effect of it all is that it spoils both guru and disciple. The apparent benefit is only temporary; it is not permanent.
Conversations with Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, pp. 135-136,
http://media.radiosai.org/journals/Vol_04/01NOV06/conversation.htm
Swami also said about those like Madhusudan:
There is another set of people who trade on your faith. They advertise that I am 'talking' through a medium or some other thing. Treat all such people and their agents or brokers as you treat cheats; if you do not treat them so, then you are also accomplices in the cheating process.
SSS 2.51: 25 November 1962, http://www.sssbpt.info/ssspeaks/volume02/sss02-51.pdf
Some others are swept off their feet by hysterical demonstrations by certain weak-minded individuals who are described as My speaking through them or acting through them! Take it from Me, I am not given to such absurdities! I do not use others as My media; I have no need to…. Their gestures, words, and actions are hollow and vain; those who burn incense before them and revere them are turning away from Me and running after falsehood.
SSS 2.31: 4 March 1962, http://www.sssbpt.info/ssspeaks/volume02/sss02-31.pdf
Since Madhusudan’s claims do not match what Swami Himself said, doesn’t wisdom dictate that we should first believe what Swami Himself has said, before believing Madhusudan’s claims? This is a crucial choice in safeguarding our own spiritual welfare, since Swami has said that if the guru is not Realised and makes even a small mistake, it will result in great harm to those who follow him.
Wouldn’t it then be prudent to first consider the following very carefully:
Will I choose to follow the one I know to be a genuine Sadguru, Sathya Sai, to true and permanent Self-Realisation? Or will I choose to get caught and dragged down into illusory, temporary and ultimately spiritually harmful experiences by the self-proclaimed ‘Sadguru Madhusudan Sai,’ whose description of his ‘Self-Realisation’ contradicts both Swami’s teachings and those who have genuinely attained Self-Realisation?
Madhusudan’s own immediate self-promotion of his claim to be Realised shows clearly that he desires the reputation of being Self-Realised. Swami’s teachings show very clearly that since he still has desires, Madhusudan hasn’t attained Self-Realisation. If he hasn’t attained Realisation, he cannot take you to Realisation and is likely to cause great harm to those who follow him. Yet, due to his desires and his own ego, Madhusudan claims to be Self-Realised, with no regard for the spiritual good of those who are innocently and trustingly following him.
If you truly wish to reach the permanent Self-Realisation which Swami said He had come to give us, choose wisely in whom you will place your trust and your own spiritual welfare.
Madhusudan Naidu has now announced that he attained complete and final Self-Realisation and merged in Swami. Where did this happen? Did it happen while he was meditating on Swami alone in his room during a period of intense sadhana? Did it happen while he was engaged in intense Self-enquiry into his own true nature?
No, of course not. This is Madhusudan Naidu.
It happened while he was sitting in a silver throne up on a stage in front of a crowd of his followers in Muddenahalli. It happened while he was listening to Narasimhamurthy, his real guru, announcing the next phase in the deception they began together in 2011. This was apparently a blissful enough experience to grant him final Realisation, although the experience reads more like Madhusudan experiencing a minor stroke.
Madhusudan’s virtually immediate proclamation of his Realisation from the stage is as ridiculous as the idea of a Realised sage like Sri Ramana Maharshi achieving Self-Realisation and then getting up immediately and looking for a stage on which to publicly announce ‘Hey everyone, I’m Self-Realised now!’ The fact that Madhusudan’s top priority was to immediately proclaim to his followers that he is Realised, shows us exactly where his priorities lie. He still has the desire for publicity and adulation, the desire to be famed as a Self-Realised person. Since he still has desires, what he has described in his experience (loss of control, numbness on one side of his body, inability to move on one’s own, disorientation, loss of identity) may actually be symptomatic of a minor stroke (brought on by the fear and stress which always shows on his face when he is in public), but it is not Self-Realisation. (For further information on this, look at the similarities between Madhusudan’s experience and the experience of stroke victim Dr Jill Bolte Taylor: https://www.ted.com/talks/jill_bolte_taylor_s_powerful_stroke_of_insight?utm_source=tedcomshare&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=tedspread#t-1103120).
By contrast, in His discourses, Bhagawan Baba used to often speak of Sri Ramana Maharshi, a Self-Realised saint (https://sathyasaiwithstudents.blogspot.com/2019/04/sri-sathya-sai-on-message-of-ramana.html#.XTw04HsRWUk). Baba also once gave darshan to Swami Abhedananda as both Sri Ramana Maharshi and as Sathya Sai Baba. This is recorded in Sathyam Sivam Sundaram Part 3, in the chapter, The Constant Presence (http://www.vahini.org/sss/ii/presence.html).
While announcing that he is now Self Realised, Madhusudan talks about ‘the bright spiritual illumination of a million suns that shone from within.’ However Sri Ramana Maharshi, who was actually Self-Realised, said that such descriptions of Self-Realisation have no foundation in fact:
Maharshi: The Self is ever-present. Each one wants to know the Self. What kind of help does one require to know oneself? People want to see the Self as something new. But it is eternal and remains the same all along. They desire to see it as a blazing light etc. How can it be so? It is not light, not darkness. It is only as it is. It cannot be defined. The best definition is ‘I am that I am’. The srutis [scriptures] speak of the Self as being the size of one’s thumb, the tip of the hair, an electric spark, vast, subtler than the subtlest, etc. They have no foundation in fact. It is only being, but different from the real and the unreal; it is knowledge, but different from knowledge and ignorance. How can it be defined at all? It is simply being.
Q: When a man realises the Self, what will he see?
A: There is no seeing. Seeing is only being. The state of Self-realisation, as we call it, is not attaining something new or reaching some goal which is far away, but simply being that which you always are and which you always have been. All that is needed is that you give up your realisation of the not-true as true. All of us are regarding as real that which is not real. We have only to give up this practice on our part. Then we shall realise the Self as the Self; in other words, ‘Be the Self. At one stage you will laugh at yourself for trying to discover the Self which is so self-evident. So, what can we say to this question? That stage transcends the seer and the seen. There is no seer there to see anything. The seer who is seeing all this now ceases to exist and the Self alone remains.
Be as you Are – the Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi, p. 9
Swami also said that those with genuine Self-Realisation have transcended all desires and do not travel the world building up a following as Madhusudan is doing:
H: Is today's world without saints who have direct and deep God experience?
SAI: There are people even today who have the genuine experience of divine vision and Self-realization. But they do not travel here and there in the world, building up a following of disciples. They stay very quietly away from public view and do sadhana. If you were to find such a one and ask for guidance, he would not be interested in you. If the life of a 'guru' who is out in the world is closely examined, it will be found that he has desires and problems. His knowledge is from books and other persons and he has no full and real experience of the divine of whom he speaks. Such persons are caught in the bog of samsara, just as you are. How can they pull you to firm ground? Nowadays, God is the only genuine guru. Call on Him and He will guide you. He is in your heart, ever ready to help, Protect and guide you.
Conversations with Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, p. 111,
(http://media.radiosai.org/journals/Vol_04/01AUG06/conversation.htm)
The example of those who have attained genuine Realisation
Take a moment and look at the example of those we know have attained Self-Realisation. Did the young Narendranath Datta, Swami Vivekananda, attain Nirvikalpa Samadhi and then immediately get up and start to proclaim from a stage that he was Realised? No. Swami Vivekananda didn’t speak about his experience of Nirvikalpa Samadhi to anyone but his closest brother disciples for many years. He certainly didn’t get up on a stage immediately after the experience and proclaim that he was now Self-Realised. He completely lost interest in anything but God and renounced the world, wandering on pilgrimage throughout India. Wherever he went, those who met him, recognised that Divine presence without him having to claim anything.
Can we imagine Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, attaining Self-Realisation and then immediately beginning to proclaim himself as a Realised being? No. None of those who genuinely attained Self-Realisation ever sought to mount a stage and begin to proclaim themselves as being Realised. Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj attained Self-Realisation in 1936 and instead of announcing it publicly, he lost all desires and all interest in the world and went on pilgrimage as a sadhu, leaving his family and businesses behind. He didn’t need to proclaim that he was Realised; those who came to him recognised his Divine wisdom.
As previously mentioned, Swami referred many times to Ramana Maharshi in His discourses as a genuinely Self-Realised sage. Ramana Maharshi attained Self-Realisation at the age of 16. Did he immediately seek a stage and a microphone to proclaim his Realisation? No. He continued to live his usual outwardly normal routine with his family for about six weeks after attaining Realisation, going to school and doing chores. The only outer sign of his Realisation was a complete lack of ego, desire, likes and dislikes. As there was no longer even an ‘I’ to make the proclamation, he never once even mentioned that he had had a spiritual experience, let alone that he had attained Self-Realisation.
When he renounced worldly life, he wrote a note to his family to let them know that he had left, in which he referred to himself as ‘this.’ "I have set out in quest of my Father in accordance with his command. This has only embarked on a virtuous enterprise. Therefore, no one need grieve over this act. And no money need be spent in search of this.” Since there was no longer an ego to identify with, the note was signed “Thus _______.”
After reaching Arunachala, Ramana discarded his few possessions and went and sat in the Arunachaleswara temple, where he stayed without even speaking a word for eleven years. Most of the time he was so completely absorbed in the Self that he had no awareness of his body. He later said that he was not keeping a vow of silence for those eleven years; he simply had no desires and so, no desire to speak. This certainly means that he had no desire to proclaim himself as a Realised being. He also had no need to do it. Those around him recognised his genuine Divine presence and began to visit him. He also had no need of the extensive and sustained advertising campaign which Madhusudan has needed in order to build up his following. The flower bloomed and the bees were automatically drawn to it.
Why is this?
Swami said that “Silence is the only language of the Realised” (SSS 1.10). Those who have genuinely Realised the Self have no need to proclaim it or publicise themselves, any more than the sun needs to proclaim that it is the sun. What they are, radiates out from them and draws people near. They have no need to send out invitations and compel their ‘celebrity’ devotees to attend every event in order to attract others, as is done in Muddenahalli. We saw this daily with Swami Himself. As Swami said:
It is Love, the invitations of the Heart to the heart, that has brought you in tens of thousands to this place. The validity and value of Love are proved by you; Love is the most potent of My powers.
SSS 10.35: 22 November 1970, http://www.sssbpt.info/ssspeaks/volume10/sss10-35.pdf
The power of attraction is divinity. A small example: Thousands have gathered here today. Who invited you? Has anybody sent invitations to you? No invitations have been sent. Then how have you come here? Your love for Swami is the main cause. Nobody has brought you here by force. You all know this. People are brought in lorries for political meetings. In spite of repeatedly requesting you not to come, you still come here. Attraction of love is Divinity. This is the divine magnet.
SSS 31.43: 23 November 1998, http://www.sssbpt.info/ssspeaks/volume31/sss31-43.pdf
Madhusudan is showing us the obverse of this truth - that self-promotion is the language of those who desire to be regarded as Self-Realised. Only those who do not have genuine Self-Realisation feel a need to proclaim that they are Realised. Only those who don’t have that authentic Divine presence which is the Natural State (Sahaja Sthiti) of the Realised. Only those who still have an ego and only those who desire the adulation of others, will indulge in publicity and self-promotion.
Proclaiming himself as being Realised while describing an experience so centred around an ‘I’ sense which perceives others as a ‘merely mortal stupefied crowd’, shows that Madhusudan is still dwelling in and speaking from, his ego. His ego, which sees himself as greater and others as different and somehow lesser. The simple truth is that, if his ego remains, then he isn’t Realised. Look at the language Madhusudan uses:
‘’So intense that I could not feel my limbs’
‘I had no control over my body’
‘But deep within I felt a sense of calm’
‘I felt as if I was melting part by part’
The experience lasted a few more minutes before I could come back to my senses’
‘I sensed that I was no more the same’
‘Something had snapped within me’
‘I felt so free which I had never ever felt before’
‘I felt liberated once for all’
‘Since then the last sense of individuality, and the accompanying dark shadows of shame and fear, simply vanished into the bright spiritual illumination of a million suns that shone from within.’
‘The ascension had begun and was witnessed by not merely the mortal eyes of the stupefied audience that sat in the hallowed hall, but also by the innumerable elevated beings that had descended in drones from dimensions beyond. A cosmic event had occurred only to the realisation of a few, when humanness was metamorphosing into divinity. The colourful wings of bliss and love opened up from within and the soul took to a flight of bliss, leaving the body behind. The experience was electrifying and emancipating, illuminating and intoxicating, it was simply liberating.’
Self-Realisation is the final and complete death of the ego, in which there is no individual self remaining. Since there is no individual self, there is nothing separate, no ‘I’ and no ‘world,’ as separate entities. In that state, there is no ‘one,’ let alone ‘two.’ It is beyond all concepts. Therefore there is certainly no concept of ‘the mortal eyes of the stupefied audience’ and ‘innumerable elevated beings’ as this means that they were perceived as being separate to the one who is claiming to have attained Realisation here.
But here we see that Madhusudan is still talking from the perspective of ‘I, I, I.’ He is still describing concepts and experiences that are separate to himself. Yet Swami said that this ‘I’ sense which Madhusudan speaks from must be removed before the Self can be Realised:
The Atmic Principle (Atma Thathwa) can be realised if only one could shed the feelings of ‘I’ and ‘mine’. Today, many people make efforts to realise the Atmic Principle, but their efforts do not succeed because they are unable to get rid of the feelings of ‘I’ and ‘mine’. In fact, they are the obstacles to Self-realisation. First and foremost, one has to remove the feeling of ‘I’ (ego). Then realisation will dawn on you. The religious symbol of Christianity (†) also denotes this cutting off of ego. The egocentric assertion of ‘I’ is the root cause for all sorrows, unrest, and difficulties. One has to realise this truth. The feeling of ‘mine’ has also to be shed. When a teacher develops a feeling “these are all my disciples,” ego will raise its head there also. Hence, the feelings of ‘I’ and ‘mine’ has to be removed. Then only can the Atmic Principle be realised.
SSS 41.10: 18 July 2008, http://www.sssbpt.info/ssspeaks/volume41/sss41-10.pdf
Despite this truth, Madhusudan continues talking about his ‘I’. Feeling that ‘I was melting,’ ‘I was no more the same,’ about ‘a new experience,’ about a ‘bright spiritual illumination,’ about his ‘ascension,’ about the ‘mortal eyes of the stupefied audience,’ of the ‘innumerable elevated beings’ which had descended in drones (I assume he means droves, unless the devas are now using actual drones in order to move about!), about a ‘cosmic event,’ which occurs ‘only to the realisation of a few.’ He speaks of ‘colourful wings of bliss and love,’ of his soul ‘taking a flight of bliss,’ about an ‘electrifying experience.’ These are all descriptions of a concept-bound experience occurring within the mind of someone who still has an ego. Someone who still sees others as separate to him because he is still bound by duality and therefore, is not Realised.
He talks of his experience as being something new, instead of simply being a recognition of that ever-present Self which he has always been. He talks of the experience as being a bright spiritual light, which is still something separate and in the realm of duality, a concept which the Self-Realised sage Ramana Maharshi said had no foundation in fact. He talks of his ascension, when in Self-Realisation there is neither high nor low. Nothing to ascend to, no path or, according to Isaac Tigrett, golden stairs to ascend, and no one to ascend them. There is no soul to take flight, since the soul denotes the concept of an ‘individual’ who is separate from ‘everything else’ and is therefore still only an experience of duality. Realisation is not an individual’s ‘electrifying experience’ as Madhusudan describes. According to Baba, it is the experience that there is nothing separate to that totality which one is:
Recognition that the Atma is oneself is surrender. Surrender really means the realisation that all is God, that there is nobody who surrenders, that there is nothing to be surrendered, nor is there anyone to accept a surrender. All is God. There is only God.
CWBSSSB, p.102 or http://media.radiosai.org/journals/Vol_04/01JUL06/conversation.htm
Jnana in Vedantic parlance has been defined as "Advaita Darsanam" (recognising the One without a second). That is to see the One in the many, Unity in diversity. Here in this assembly are present many thousands of persons. Their names and forms are multifarious. But you have to recognise that the Atma Principle in all of them is one and the same. It is not enough to say this in words. You must make it a living experience. Only then can one experience enduring Ananda (bliss). Such a person alone can be called a Jnani (a Knower of the Supreme).
SSS 22.30: 4 October 1989, http://www.sssbpt.info/ssspeaks/volume22/sss22-30.pdf
It is only a person who perceives the Lord in all beings that deserves to be called a Jnani. Instead, if others name themselves as Jnanis, they are so only in name. They have no genuine experience of Jnana.
Geetha Vahini p. 60, http://www.sssbpt.info/vahinis/Gita/GitaVahiniInteractive.pdf
In a letter to Dr John Hislop in 1971, Sathya Sai Baba gave what He descried as ‘the best way you could explain the Realisation of the Self’:
Above you—nothing, below you—nothing, to the right of you—or to the left of you—nothing; And dissolve yourself into that nothingness. That would be the best way you could explain the realization of Self. And yet, that nothingness would not be the absence of something like the nothingness. That nothingness is the fullness of everything, the power of the existence of that appears to be everything.
My Baba and I, p. 247,
http://new.saicaribbean.org/attachments/article/93/The%20Way%20Forward.pdf
Thus, based on Swami’s teachings as well as the teachings of those who have genuinely attained Self-Realisation, the experience Madhusudan describes here is not Self-Realisation. Why? Madhusudan is still speaking from the level of ego, duality. The fact that he has immediately announced that he is Self-Realised shows that his priority is the desire to receive recognition as being Self-Realised. As Swami said, one who still has desires is not Self-Realised and one who is not Self-Realised cannot lead you to Self-Realisation:
If the life of a 'guru' who is out in the world is closely examined, it will be found that he has desires and problems. His knowledge is from books and other persons and he has no full and real experience of the divine of whom he speaks. Such persons are caught in the bog of samsara, just as you are. How can they pull you to firm ground? Conversations with Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, p.111, http://media.radiosai.org/journals/Vol_04/01AUG06/conversation.htm
So what can you hope to achieve by following Madhusudan? According to Baba, the most likely outcome of following such a guru is that you will be lead further and further into the labyrinth of delusion and farther and farther away from the path that will genuinely lead to freedom. Any apparent benefit you receive will only be temporary and there is a great risk that even a slight mistake on the part of such a false guru will lead to very real and very great harm for those who follow him:
H: Another type of guru is the Indian who comes to America. The outstanding example is a man who is known internationally and whose followers may even run into millions. Through him people become interested in India, learn meditation and there are thousands of reports of the beneficial effects on the lives of the followers. Is not a guru such as this of some value?
Sai: A million people sit cross-legged in meditation. Not one gains liberation from bondage. What is the point of it all? If even the guru gained liberation, there might be some value. But even that does not happen. And if some slight mistake is made, there is great harm. The net effect of it all is that it spoils both guru and disciple. The apparent benefit is only temporary; it is not permanent.
Conversations with Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, pp. 135-136,
http://media.radiosai.org/journals/Vol_04/01NOV06/conversation.htm
Swami also said about those like Madhusudan:
There is another set of people who trade on your faith. They advertise that I am 'talking' through a medium or some other thing. Treat all such people and their agents or brokers as you treat cheats; if you do not treat them so, then you are also accomplices in the cheating process.
SSS 2.51: 25 November 1962, http://www.sssbpt.info/ssspeaks/volume02/sss02-51.pdf
Some others are swept off their feet by hysterical demonstrations by certain weak-minded individuals who are described as My speaking through them or acting through them! Take it from Me, I am not given to such absurdities! I do not use others as My media; I have no need to…. Their gestures, words, and actions are hollow and vain; those who burn incense before them and revere them are turning away from Me and running after falsehood.
SSS 2.31: 4 March 1962, http://www.sssbpt.info/ssspeaks/volume02/sss02-31.pdf
Since Madhusudan’s claims do not match what Swami Himself said, doesn’t wisdom dictate that we should first believe what Swami Himself has said, before believing Madhusudan’s claims? This is a crucial choice in safeguarding our own spiritual welfare, since Swami has said that if the guru is not Realised and makes even a small mistake, it will result in great harm to those who follow him.
Wouldn’t it then be prudent to first consider the following very carefully:
Will I choose to follow the one I know to be a genuine Sadguru, Sathya Sai, to true and permanent Self-Realisation? Or will I choose to get caught and dragged down into illusory, temporary and ultimately spiritually harmful experiences by the self-proclaimed ‘Sadguru Madhusudan Sai,’ whose description of his ‘Self-Realisation’ contradicts both Swami’s teachings and those who have genuinely attained Self-Realisation?
Madhusudan’s own immediate self-promotion of his claim to be Realised shows clearly that he desires the reputation of being Self-Realised. Swami’s teachings show very clearly that since he still has desires, Madhusudan hasn’t attained Self-Realisation. If he hasn’t attained Realisation, he cannot take you to Realisation and is likely to cause great harm to those who follow him. Yet, due to his desires and his own ego, Madhusudan claims to be Self-Realised, with no regard for the spiritual good of those who are innocently and trustingly following him.
If you truly wish to reach the permanent Self-Realisation which Swami said He had come to give us, choose wisely in whom you will place your trust and your own spiritual welfare.
Jai Sai Ram
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