Letter 77

(77) ATMAKARAVRITTI (THE SOUL, ITS FORM AND ACTION)
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19th December, 1946
The day before yesterday an Andhra gentleman came and handed over to Bhagavan a letter containing the following question: “Some say that the Jnani is in the Atmakaravritti in the sleeping state and others say he is not. What is your opinion?” Bhagavan replied: “Let us first learn to be in the Atmic state, while in the waking state. There will be time enough then to consider what happens in the sleeping state.

Is he who is in the waking state not in the sleeping state, as well? Are you now in Atmakaravritti or in the Brahmakaravritti? First tell me that.” “Swamiji! I am not enquiring about myself, but about the Jnani,” said the questioner. “Oh! Is that so? That is all right, but you who are asking the question, first know about yourself. The Jnanis can look after themselves. We do not know about ourselves but we enquire about Jnanis. What does it matter to us whether they are in Atmakaravritti or in Brahmakaravritti? If we know about ourselves, the question about them does not arise,” replied Bhagavan. “Swamiji, this question is not my own, but is sent to me by a friend,” said the questioner.

“Indeed?” said Bhagavan, “Friends have asked the question. What are we to reply? When we say vritti, duality is implied, isn’t it? But that which IS, is only one. The question then arises, ‘Without the consciousness of the Supreme Being, how can there be any movement from the past to the present and the future? That is why we have to call it by some name or other, such as Akhandakaravritti (Akhanda --- limitless) or Atmakaravritti or Brahmakaravritti, just as we say that the river is Samudrakara (the shape of the ocean). All rivers fall into the ocean, get merged, lose shape and become one with the ocean. That being so, what is the meaning of saying of the river that it is Samudrakara? Has the ocean any shape, such as so much depth and so much width? In the same way, people merely say that the Jnani has Akhandakaravritti or Atmakaravritti but, in reality, it is all one. All these are merely replies to questioners, but in the eyes of the Jnani the whole thing is only ONE.” “Have the Brahmavid, Brahmavidvara, Brahmavidvareeya and Brahmavidvarishta and others all got a satvic mind?” some one else asked. “It is all the same whether you say Brahmavidvarishta, Brahmavid or Brahman itself” Bhagavan replied. “Like Brahman means Brahman itself. We shall have to say that the above four have satvic minds in common parlance but, in fact, there is no such thing as mind for them.

Vasanas themselves are the mind. If there are no vasanas there is no mind. That which IS, is Sat. Sat is Brahman. That is self-luminous. That is Atman, and that is the SELF. Names like Brahmavid, Brahmavidvareeya, Brahmavidvarishta are given to those men of wisdom who, by Self-enquiry, realise the Truth and remain firmly in that Knowledge of the SELF. The day to day actions are said to be in Atmakaravritti or Akhandakaravritti.”