“How can I or anyone give you that which you already have?” - UG.

Who is a sage?

~ Sages are first-hand, authentic, genuine articles.

A sage is referred to as a Real Man or Woman by the ancient Taoists or Total Man or Woman by the Africans.  

UG explained, “Sages are very few, you can count them on your fingers ….  Ramana or Ramakrishna can never be produced on a production line….”

UG went on further, “There are many saints in the world but very few sages”, and explained the subtle difference, “A sage lives his own life, sings his own song and goes about his own way. He couldn’t care whether you listened to him or not! He does not give sermons, much less write books.

Actually we must thank the saints! But for the saints, who could record the words and works of a sage? They would be lost forever….it is the saints who spread the words of the sage….”

I probed him, "Sir, you mean to say the saints do the classroom job?" UG said, "Yes, they try to interpret and write commentaries…!"

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Ramana Maharshi, used a famous metaphor ‘the pail in the well’ to explain the difference between the sage 'rooted' in the primal or Natural State and the saint who may have ‘experienced’ the Natural State.

Let us say a pail is immersed in a well. Now there is water inside and outside the pail. It is the pail or 'container' that divides the well water as inside and outside.

Ramana Maharshi explained that a sage is grounded or rooted in his primal or Natural State or Sahaja Samadhi at all times.

Those with spiritual experience, regardless of whether it is the highest experience, remain like 'the pail in the well'. The ‘container’ or the ‘pail’ or ‘ego’ or ‘self’ maintains the division of consciousness as inside and outside.

Ramana Maharshi pointed out that the 'ego' or 'self' remains in its subtlest form even in the 'thoughtless state' and keeps the consciousness divided thus bringing about the 'experiencer' and the 'experienced'. This thoughtless state with subtle ego is the Nirvikalpa Samadhi!

The pail or container is akin to UG's description of the ‘experiencing structure.’ Water is the metaphor used by Ramana here for describing consciousness. Water within the pail is ‘self-consciousness’ as opposed to water without which is the ‘pure undivided consciousness.’

When there is no ‘container’ or ‘ego’ or ‘self’ or ‘experiencer’, what remains is 'the well water' of pure consciousness. Ramana described such a state as the Sahaja Samadhi or Natural State!

UG in a vision, after his Calamity, had witnessed many a sagely figure including the likes of Jesus, Mohammed, Buddha, Akka Mahadevi, Lalleswari, many strange beings and animal forms, all those who had come into the Natural State or Sahaja Samadhi.

In this context, one is reminded of UG's pointed question to JK, "Have you seen the 'sugar cube' or have you tasted the 'sugar cube?"

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 ~ A Sage Will Pass The Gold Test For Simplicity.

The gold standard for simplicity would be a Ramakrishna Paramahamsa or a Ramana Maharshi or Nisargadutta or Swami Nityananda who led such extraordinarily simple, common lives. Their material needs were minimal. They were beyond psychological or societal needs.

"The man who is ‘practicing’ humility is not a humble man", observed UG.

There are many con artists out there who 'practice' simplicity and humility. Living under the same roof for a while is all that it takes to reveal the malice in the hearts of con men! Healthy skepticism will always help us in calling the bluff!

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~ There is no private side to a sage's life! It is an open book!

UG explained, "There is nothing private in my life! You can see me in my bedroom anytime. My doors are always open. I am available to anyone who wants to see me or speak to me anytime, twenty four hours of the day!"

Chandrasekhar Babu, a very close associate of UG confirms that, for years, the doors of the place where UG stayed were kept open even during nights. The parallels are to be found in Ramana or Ramakrishna and others.

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~ In the company of a true sage, you are unburdened and relieved, you are at peace with yourself.

Great people make you feel great and the small (minded) ones make you feel small and uncomfortable. Of course, only an open mind, a receptive mind can chance upon a genuine article.

Once you meet a real sage, he lets you drop your guard at the very first instance! You breathe instant freedom!

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~ A sage encourages you to stand firm on your two ‘shaky’ legs and unflinchingly face the ‘ugly’ truth about yourself.

UG lambasted the tendency to escape or avoid facing our inadequacies, "Anything you want to be free from, for whatever reason, is the very thing that can free you!"  This puts an end to all forms of escape!

Lao Tzu says: " It is easy to vanquish others but difficult to conquer oneself."

It is easier to face a belligerent crowd than our own ugliness.

The most debilitating influence in one's life is the feeling of guilt, shame and the psychological burden of the past. These are akin to an open, festering wound in our system.

The sage lets you see the falsity of the ‘self’ and its myriad sicknesses letting you overcome all ‘sins’! He indeed is a true redeemer!

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 ~ A genuine teacher has no agenda, no axe to grind and no investment to make.

A genuine teacher is not into any holy business. He or she has nothing to sell whether moksha, liberation, salvation or enlightenment!

UG thundered, "Why are you here? What do you want? Look! Whatever (motive) brought you here will take you somewhere else (to another guru)!"  

UG made it abundantly clear that there is nothing to look for or nothing to seek or search thus killing all motives!

He would ask, “How can I or anyone give you that which you already have?”

And then, “If you realize this, you will never come back to me or go to someone else! All search will be finished for you! That is the acid test!" 

Ramana clarified that all of us are in the natural state but when we want to find out how to attain that state, it becomes a terrible problem. He explained that it is like being in Thiruvannamalai but asking people how to reach there!

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~ Sages are not sentimental!

When you took leave of UG, he would say, "Bye, bye! See you sometime, somewhere! "And simply turn and look away from you, cutting you off completely! The parting was so sudden and total. It jolted and unnerved you!

UG made it clear to everybody, “I don’t need you or anyone else!”  

If someone had any misgiving that he or she had some exclusive right to UG, UG would slap back hard, "Look here! You can't buy me with your money or favours. I don’t need you here. Get lost and stay lost!"

By virtue of his primal state, his clarity, his utter lack of fear, UG posed a serious threat to our mask or façade!

When the sagely Nisargadutta Maharaja’s wife died, the sage remained as tranquil as ever, he was totally unaffected!

Seems as he came out from his apartment to arrange for the funeral, someone on the street, waiting for him, accosted Nisargadutta and there ensued a serious discussion on spiritual matters. The visitor clarified his many doubts and after a while thanked the master for his instructions and requested his permission to leave.

At this point, Nisargadutta casually informed the seeker about his wife’s passing away and said that if he could spare some time, he was welcome to attend the funeral, leaving the visitor in shock and awe!

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~ A sage suffers with you in your pain and rejoices with you in your happiness.

UG used to say, "I am affected by everyone and everything around me. I am vulnerable.” When I asked him to elaborate, UG explained, “I am affected by everyone but I am not involved."

UG was like a transparent glass taking on the colours of the surroundings. People and the crowds affected him. It was not unusual to find UG looking dull, pensive and listless at times. It took a little probing to discover that someone in the crowd had passed on the blues causing UG’s hangover!

Equally, UG would light up and come into his elements with energetic, entertaining and no-holds-barred friends a la Mahesh Bhatt, Bhanwar Singh Shekhawat or Louis Brawley. They enacted a dual role, playing UG's sounding board and providing fun element in his portals, giving him the much needed breather from his relentless talks. They were a great company and unleashed tons of mirth and laughter, lighting up his portals.

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~ A sage lives like an ordinary soul sticking to the rules of social conduct.

For some time, I was part of VIP protocol for a certain religious head. This saffron clad Swamiji was obsessive about special treatment at airport security, customs and immigration check-points.

UG was quite the opposite! He simply abhorred any kind of special treatment! He entered and exited the airports like an ordinary passenger. There was absolutely no fanfare during his arrivals or departures! Having agonized over VIP handling for the holy man for years, I was completely floored by UG’s simplicity and unassuming ways!

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~ The sagely lessons are informal, direct and personal.

UG loathed speeches and remained informal till the end. Even during TV shows, UG could be seen constantly checking himself, "What are we doing here, is this an interview or am I giving a speech!?"

UG, the master sculptor chiseled away at all that was false!

His guidance was mainly personal and came in umpteen forms. It could be a stinging slap or a public bashing. Or a gentle reminder or a friendly suggestion. And at times complete silence that spoke louder than his words.

~ They (sages) have no power, yet they rule the world. They have no wealth but they possess everything. They have no purpose, yet they attain perfect virtue. They know nothing, but they are supremely wise. -Chuang Tzu

UG described, "The knowledgeable man is an arrogant man!"

In his relentless exhortations, UG highlighted the many limitations and dangers of knowledge!

UG would go 'that extra mile' to exorcise the ghost of knowledge in puffed up individuals. Intellectually-intoxicated men and women who walked in to 'grind' UG found themselves ground to dust. Chastised, they would hastily retreat from his presence never to return again!

In UG, there was no trace of fear or expectation. He rubbished any talk of gratitude by his thankful friends. There was no ceremony, no speech or mass frenzy. A get-together was an informal cafe-meet with like-minded souls, never a grand gala dinner with noise and din!

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~ A sage is not interested in the past nor in the future but lives in the moment.

A sage lets you see the 'trap' of psychological dependence in every relationship and sets you free from all ‘sticky’ relationships including his own!

UG explained that all relationships are based on a common goal - mutual exploitation.

Every relationship is an on-going battle, a struggle between people saddled with a life time of opinions and views. It is all about 'maintaining, sustaining and holding to each other, somehow! Such human relationships could only be debasing and demeaning!

~ A sage burns bright every moment of life, through joy and sorrow, without a purpose!

If you were truly open minded, prepared to drop your baggage, UG would turn into an extraordinary phenomenon where Life gushed forth in full flow, unfettered and blazing! 

A moment in the company of a sage is refreshing, healing, liberating and energising. What is in operation is - the pure energy, intensity and wholeness of the moment, to use UG’s words, 'the throb, the pulse and beat of life!!'

This innocent, child-like living is a joy to behold!

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An aside:

Can you tell a sage from a con man?

“Once Sri Chandrasekhar Saraswati, Shankaracharya of Kanchi had camped in North India. The then Indian Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, came to meet him.

The Prime Minister of India placed a similar question (referring to con men) in front of Sri Swamiji, “If you would pinpoint the persons who, in the name of spirituality, lead the people in a wrong way, I will take action against them.”

Swamiji laughed and said, “No! It should not be handled in this manner. Those who approach such fake gurus will themselves, after a time, understand their standard of maturity.”

He understood that this reply did not satisfy Mrs. Gandhi.

Someone had offered a basket full of mangoes to the sage. It contained many unripe and a few ripe fruits. Many devotees waited outside for a meeting with him. He instructed the attendants to bring a child from amongst these devotees. A child of about 5 years was brought to Him.

Pointing to the basket the sage smilingly said to the child, “Take whatever you want.” After a search the child picked up a ripe fruit.

Swamiji pointed out to Mrs. Gandhi who was watching all this, “Just as the way a child knows what is ripe and what is unripe, so too would those who go out in search of Truth recognize a true Man at some point of their life.”