Darshan with Swami Krishnananda during 1995

by Swami Krishnananda

24. The Subject and the Object

(Darshan given on October 9th, 1995.)

A visitor: In one of your writings you made a comment that the difference between the subject and object should be eliminated.

Swamiji: When you yourself become the object, the difference vanishes. As long as you are observing the object, the difference continues. When you merge into the object and you yourself become that object, the distance between the two vanishes immediately and there is no further difference between the two.

Visitor: But first you become the object?

Swamiji: You become the object or the object becomes you, either way. Either the object is you or you are the object; it makes no difference. They are only two ways of describing the same thing. Either it enters you or you enter it. The result is the same: The distance between the two is abolished. Either the object is thinking or you are thinking, whatever you call it, but not you are thinking somebody else. The idea of somebody else should go away. That is what is known as union with reality. The reality is that which you regard as existing, whatever that reality be; and that thing which you consider as existing – and which, therefore, stands in the position of an object – creates a difference between itself and yourself. In order to abolish this distance you have to become the very reality of that object, and your aspirations get fulfilled because you are asking for the object. If that object has become your own consciousness, you have fulfilled the purpose of your life and there is nothing more to speak about it afterwards. You enter into silence.

Visitor: It seems as though sometimes we can get absorbed into the mantra.

Swamiji: Then in that case the object, or deity of the mantra, is the object. That which you long for, that which you want, that which is your objective, finally – it may be the deity of a mantra or anything else – the distance between that and yourself should be removed by your identification of consciousness with that particular thing, whether it is the deity of the mantra or any other thing whatsoever.

Visitor: Sometimes it seems as though I can go back into the subject.

Swamiji: What is the meaning of 'going back into the subject'? You are the subject.

Visitor: Where the mantra is being said from. Is that the same?

Swamiji: That point is not very relevant here. The point is whether the object is outside you or not. Even if you go inside you, you will see the object outside you. The question is not whether you are going inside or not. The question is whether it is standing outside you. That outsideness must be removed. That is the aim of meditation.

Another visitor: I am speaking about the social structure of religion.

Swamiji: That kind of religion cannot take a person to God. It can satisfy your human sentiments, but God is far away from that kind of social religion. God will laugh at that religion. Why don't you speak something about real religion, together with this? Let the souls of those people whom you are addressing be a little satisfied. You may be satisfying their intellect and social instinct, but satisfy their soul also to some extent. When the soul is suffering, no other thing will satisfy a human being. So inject some real religious aspect also into whatever is your profession.

Why should religion be there at all? That question may also have to be answered. Suppose there is no religion of any kind in the world; who is going to be the loser? There are people who think like this. A large section of people in the world are likely to think: “In what way is religion going to benefit me? Rather, it may make a person go down.” That also is the thought of certain people because of the total misrepresentation of what religion is. It is like calling a dog a bad name and hanging it afterwards.

Swamiji: [To a visitor] You are seeing this building. Just think that you yourself are the building. You have got walls, windows and so on. You are not a person; you are this building itself. Then think that you are also this very earth on which the building is sitting. You are also the whole space outside in which the building is. You are also the mountain in front of you. You are also the sun on top. You are also the moon. You are also the stars. You are the sky. You are everything that is in front. You are everything that is behind. You are everything that is to the right. You are everything to the left. You are everything that is above. You are everything that is below. Everything, everything, everything. Can you think like that?

This is a simple, kindergarten method of thinking of the Universal – a very simple, easy, primary school instruction on universal consciousness. I am not telling you some difficult thing. It is a simple thing. If you can think like this, you have attained great concentration.

Suppose you are moving in a bus. At the same time you must think several things: The bus has a top, the bus has a bottom, the bus has a right side, the bus has a left side, and the bus is in motion. Can you think all these at the same time? Right side, left side, top, bottom, movement – everything you think at the same time. It is integral thinking, total thinking of the action and the existence of the bus.

I am not suggesting a very philosophical method. It is a simple, commonsense method that I told you. Whatever you see with your eyes, feel that you yourself are that only, and like that it goes up to the sun, moon, stars, space, everything. Then finally, you will find that only you are existing. There cannot be anything else because that 'anything else' has become you. So who is existing, finally? Who is existing? Only you, but 'you' does not mean this person; this person has gone away. It is something else existing: the total Being that is aware that it is all things, including yourself. You also have gone into it, so the meditation is done not by you, it is done by something which includes you also. When it has included the sun, moon and stars, it has included all people – yourself, everybody. So who is meditating, tell me? Some great being is meditating, and you are nowhere there. You have abolished your individuality.

This is the way to salvation. If you go on thinking like this, you will attain salvation, and you will not take another birth afterwards. You have understood the point, but you will not like to think like that because you are busy with something, forgetting that all these busy things are included inside that. The whole total being includes every blessed thing. But your mind cannot work like that, as you are not used to it. You are a busy person thinking of all sorts of things. Every day think like that, and see what happens. Everything will change, the entire atmosphere.

Another visitor: I have been feeling pain in my body for the past several years, and doctors don't know what it is.

Swamiji: How do you meditate?

Visitor: I meditate on the heart.

Swamiji: Do you believe that God is everywhere, or do you have a doubt about it? Do you really believe He is everywhere, even here in everything?

Visitor: Yes.

Swamiji: Then can you love all these things as you love God? Is it possible? Can you love this table as you love God? Can you love this pen as God?

Visitor: Yes. The essence of the pen is God.

Swamiji: It is very difficult to understand all these things. If God is everywhere, He is not merely the essence. He is everything. If you say that only the essence is God, then the pen itself is not God. So God is in the essence, but not in the pen. Hence, God is not everywhere. It comes to that. So here is a mistake in thinking. Do you catch the point? God is not merely the essence of the pen. If God is the essence, then the pen will be outside God. So how can you say God is everywhere when there is something outside?

This is a very important point in meditation, and it will bring a great change in your whole system if you can think God not as the essence of things but as things themselves. Think that everything – all people, including yourself  –  has gone inside that all-pervading Being. Will you be able to think like that? Is it possible? You will become a different person in three days. If you have understood what I said, and it has entered your mind and the meaning of this is clear to you, this meditation will remove your pain. If you really concentrate your mind in this way, you will immediately feel a great joy that you are also inside that which is everywhere. You are also inside it. So who is meditating? Because you have become one with that, because it is everywhere, it is not you who is meditating. Do you understand what I am saying? Then who is meditating? That which is everywhere is meditating. It is thinking of you; you are not thinking of it. You are not thinking of that; it is thinking of you. So it is the other way around. If you have really understood this, you will have no problem. Be happy.