From Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaSri Nisargadatta Maharaj (birth name: Maruti Shivrampant Kambli) (April 17, 1897[1]– September 8, 1981) was an Indian spiritual teacher and philosopher of Advaita(Nondualism), and a Guru, belonging to the Ichegeri branch of the NavnathSampradaya.One of the 20th century's exponents of the school of Advaita Vedanta philosophy(nondualism), Sri Nisargadatta, with his direct and minimalistic explanation of non-dualism, is considered the most famous teacher of Advaita since Ramana Maharshi [2].In 1973, the publication of his most famous and widely-translated book, I Am That, anEnglish translation of his talks in Marathi by Maurice Frydman, brought him worldwiderecognition and followers [3].

Biography

Early LifeSri Nisargadatta was born on April 17, 1897, at break of dawn, the full moon in themonth of Chaitra, to a devout Hindu couple Shivrampant Kambli and Parvatibai, inBombay[4]. The day was also the birthday of Lord Hanuman, hence the boy was named'Maruti', after Lord Hanuman himself [5][6]. Maruti Shivrampant Kambli was broughtup in Kandalgaon, a small village in the Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra, where hegrew up amidst his family of six siblings, two brothers and four sisters, and deeply

religious parents [7]. His father, Shivrampant, worked as a domestic servant in Mumbaiand later became a petty farmer in Kandalgaon.In 1915, after his father died, he moved to Bombay to support his family back home,following his elder brother. Initially he worked as a junior clerk at an office but quicklyhe opened a small goods store, mainly selling bidis – leaf-rolled cigarettes, and soonowned a string of eight retail shops [8].In 1924 he married Sumatibai and they had three daughters and a son.

Awakening

In 1933, he was introduced to his guru, Sri Siddharameshwar Maharaj, the head of theInchegeri branch of the Navnath Sampradaya, by his friend Yashwantrao Baagkar. Hisguru told him, "You are not what you take yourself to be..." [9]. He then gaveNisargdatta simple instructions which he followed verbatim, as he himself recountedlater:"My Guru ordered me to attend to the sense 'I am' and to give attention to nothing else. Ijust obeyed. I did not follow any particular course of breathing, or meditation, or studyof scriptures. Whatever happened, I would turn away my attention from it and remainwith the sense 'I am'. It may look too simple, even crude. My only reason for doing itwas that my Guru told me so. Yet it worked!" [10]Following his guru's instructions to concentrate on the feeling "I Am", he utilized all hisspare time looking at himself in silence, and remained in that state for the coming years,practising meditation and singing devotional bhajans [11].After an association that lasted hardly two and a half years, Sri Siddharameshwar Maharaj died on November 9, 1936 [12], though by that time he had done his task.Maruti had reached self-awareness. Soon he adopted a new name, 'Nisargadatta'meaning the one who dwells in the natural state. [13] He was also appointed as thespiritual head of the Inchegeri branch of Navnath Sampradaya, the 'Nine Masters’tradition, a place he retained through his life [14].In 1937, he left Mumbai and travelled across India [13]. Through realising theshortcomings of a totally unworldly life and the greater spiritual fruitfulness of dispassionate action, he eventually returned to his family in Mumbai in 1938 [15]. Itwas there that he spent the rest of his life.

Later years

Between 1942-1948 he suffered two personal losses, first the death of his wife,Sumatibai, followed by the death of his daughter. He started taking disciples in 1951,only after a personal revelation from his guru, Sri Siddharameshwar Maharaj [13].After he retired from his shop in 1966, Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj continued to receiveand teach visitors in his home, giving discourses twice a day, until his death onSeptember 8, 1981 at the age of 84, of throat cancer [16].

Style of Teaching

According to Sri Nisargadatta the purpose of spirituality is to know who you are, a facthe verily spoke of in the talks he gave at his humble flat in Khetwadi, Mumbai, where amezzanine room had been created for him to receive disciples and visitors alike, andalso for daily chantings, bhajans (devotional songs), meditation sessions and discourses[17].He talked about the 'direct way' of knowing the Final Reality, in which one becomesaware of one's original nature through mental discrimination, a method which iscommon to the teachers of the Navnath Sampradaya [18]. This mental discrimination or the Bird's way ('Vihangam Marg') was also presented by Nisargadatta's co-disciple, SriRanjit Maharaj; wherein Self-Knowledge is gained just as a bird flying in the sky goeseasily from branch to branch, instead of slowly crawling its way up the tree like an ant,as in the 'Pipilika Marg'. Here the disciple reaches straight to truth, without wasting timein long drawn out practices that would take him to the 'fruit' no doubt, only slowly. Heproposed to use one's mental faculty to break from the unreal to the real, and the mind'sfalse identification with the ego, simply by listening to and constantly thinking over what the master has said, and knowing that "You are already That" [19].Many of his talks were recorded, and these recordings form the basis of I Am That andall his other books. His words are free from cultural and religious trappings, and theknowledge he expounds is stripped bare of all that is unnecessary.Summed up in the words of Advaita scholar and a disciple, Dr. Robert Powell, "Like theZen masters of old, Nisargadatta's style is abrupt, provocative, and immensely profound-- cutting to the core and wasting little effort on inessentials. His terse but potentsayings are known for their ability to trigger shifts in consciousness, just by hearing, or even reading them."

Teachings

A copy of Nisargadatta's "I Am That" in Hindi.Sri Nisargadatta's teachings are grounded in the Advaita Vedanta interpretation of theAdvaita idea Tat Tvam Asi, literally "That Thou Art", (Tat = "Divinity", Tvam = "You",Asi = "are") meaning You are (actually) Divinity (who thinks otherwise). He also had astrong devotional zeal towards his own guru [13], and suggested the path of devotion,Bhakti yoga, to some of his visitors, as he believed the path of knowledge, Jnana yogawas not for everyone [20].According to Sri Nisargadatta, our true nature is perpetually free peaceful awareness, inHinduism referred to as Brahman. Awareness is the source of, but different from, thepersonal, individual consciousness, which is related to the body. The mind and memoryare responsible for association with a particular body; awareness exists prior to bothmind and memory. It is only the idea that we are the body that keeps us from livingwhat he calls our "original essence", the True Self, in Hinduism referred to as Atman.

He describes this essence as pure, free, and unaffected by anything that occurs. Helikens it to a silent witness that watches through the body's senses, yet is not moved,either to happiness or sadness, based on what it sees.For Nisargadatta, the Self is not one super-entity which knows independently,regardless of things; there is no such super-entity, no Creator with infinite intellect. Goddoes not exist independently from creation. What does exist is the "total acting" (or functioning) of the Ultimate or Absolute Reality along the infinite varying forms inmanifestation. This Absolute Reality is identical to The Self.Nisargadatta's teachings also focus on our notion of causality as being misinterpreted.He understood that the interconnectedness of varying forces in the universe is so vastand innumerable that the notion of causality, as presently understood, is wasted. Theendless factors required for anything to happen means that, at most, one can sayeverything creates everything; even the choices we make are predetermined by our genetic code, upbringing, mental strivings and limitations, our ethical and philosophicalideals, etc, all of which are uniquely combined to each person and recontextualizedaccordingly.This leads to the radical notion that there is no such thing as a "doer". According to himand other teachers of Vedanta, since our true nature or identity is not the mind, is not thebody, but the witness of the mind and body, we, as pure awareness, do nothing. Themind and body act of their own accord, and we are the witness of them, though the mindoften believes it is the doer. This false idea (that the mind is the self and responsible for actions) is what keeps us from recognizing our Self. Nisargadatta cautions:

'"The life force [prana] and the mind are operating [of their ownaccord], but the mind will tempt you to believe that it is "you".Therefore understand always that you are the timeless spacelesswitness. And even if the mind tells you that you are the one who isacting, don't believe the mind. [...] The apparatus [mind, body] whichis functioning has come upon your original essence, but you are notthat apparatus." - The Ultimate Medicine, (pp.54 - 70)

Among his most known disciples are Sailor Bob Adamson [21][22]. , Stephen Wolinsky[23], Jean Dunn, Alexander Smit, Robert Powell, Timothy Conway [1] andRameshBalsekar

Quotes of Nisargadatta Maharaj

* "All you can teach is understanding. The rest comes on itsown."[24].* "Truth is not a reward for good behaviour, nor a prize forpassing some tests. It cannot be brought about. It is the primary, theunborn, the ancient source of all that is. You are eligible becauseyou are. You need not merit truth. It is your own. Just stop runningaway by running after. Stand still, be quiet [25]." - Interview withSri Nisargdatta Maharaj* "My advice to you is very simple – just remember yourself, ‘Iam’, it is enough to heal your mind and take you beyond, just havesome trust. I don’t mislead you. Why should I? Do I want anything fromyou? I wish you well – such is my nature. Why should I mislead you?Common sense too will tell you that to fulfill a desire you must keep

your mind on it. If you want to know your true nature, you must haveyourself in mind all the time, until the secret of your being standsrevealed [26]." - I Am That* "There is only life, there is nobody who lives a life." - I AmThat pp. 43* "A quiet mind is all you need. All else will happen rightly, onceyour mind is quiet. As the sun on rising makes the world active, sodoes self-awareness affect changes in the mind. In the light of calmand steady self-awareness inner energies wake up and work miracleswithout effort on your part."* "There is nothing to practice. To know yourself, be yourself. Tobe yourself, stop imagining yourself to be this or that. Just be. Letyour true nature emerge. Don't disturb your mind with seeking [27]."* "When I see I am nothing, that is wisdom. When I see I ameverything, that is love. My life is a movement between these two."* "The search for Reality is the most dangerous of allundertakings, for it destroys the world in which you live."

Books

* 'Sulabh Atmajnana' (Kannada & Marathi) written by Shri SamarthSadguru Ganapatrao Maharaj published by Adhyatma Bhandar Kannur givesin road to simple Paramartha & Sadhana tips.* 'Adhyatma Dnyanacha Yogeshwar' (Vol I & II) written byNisargadatta Maharaj. 130 talks of Siddharameshwar Maharaj (Marathi),November, 1961 and July, 1962.* Master of Self Realization, An English translation of 'AdhyatmaDnyanacha Yogeshwar' written by Nisargadatta Maharaj, a collection of130 Talks by Siddharameshwar Maharaj, which also includes a newlyrevised edition of "Master Key to Self-Realization" which was writtenby Shri Siddharameshwar Maharaj himself.* Atmagyana and Paramatmayoga, Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, Marathi[28][29].* Self Knowledge and Self Realization, Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj,Edited by Jean Dunn, 1963.* I Am That, Talks with Sri Nisargadatta, Transcribed and edited byMaurice Frydman. Chetana Publishing, Bombay[30], 1973.ISBN 0-89386-022-0.* The Nectar of the Lord's Feet: Final Teachings of SriNisargadatta Maharaj: Discourses January-November 1980. Edited byRobert Powell. 1990.ISBN 1-85230-011-6.* Nectar of Immortality, Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj Discourses on theEternal, Edited by Robert Powell. 1987.ISBN 81-208-1733-8.* Seeds of Consciousness: The Wisdom of Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj,Edited by Jean Dunn. (Talks recorded, 1979-1980). Chetana Publishing,Bombay 1990.ISBN 0-89386-025-5.* Beyond Freedom: Talks with Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, S.K.Mullarpattan, Ed..* Consciousness and the Absolute, The Final Talks of SriNisargadatta Maharaj, Edited by Jean Dunn. (Talks recorded, 1981).1994.ISBN 0-89386-041-7.* The Wisdom of Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, Blue Dove Press, 1995.* Prior to Consciousness, Talks with Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj,Edited by Jean Dunn. (Talks recorded,1980-1981). Chetana Publishing1999.ISBN 0-89386-024-7.* The Ultimate Medicine: Dialogues with a Realized Master, Editedby Robert Powell. 1994.ISBN 1-55643-633-5.* I Am Unborn: Talks with Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj by Pradeep Apte& Vijayendra Deshpande.