My Name is Legion
I have been reading The Talks of Upasni-Baba Maharaj for decades. They were purchased directly from Upasni’s ashram in Sakori, India, and are not generally available in the United States.
The talks that make up the six-volume English edition were given extemporaneously by Upasni Maharaj in Marathi during the 1920’s and written down by some of his followers. They were published in that language and later translated by another Indian follower into English.
These talks have fascinated me through the years and I have encountered in them teachings that I have found nowhere else in spiritual/mystical literature.
Over the next few days I would like to present a few excerpts from these talks. I am very interested in hearing your comments. The teachings of the Masters can be broadly interpreted. I would especially like to know if these excerpts are interesting to you; if they make sense and are in anyway useful to you; and if they engender any questions.
When necessary I have included definitions of some of the terms. The source of these definitions is the talks themselves. I believe this is important because Upasni Maharaj will often ascribe meanings to terms that are not the accepted meanings of the day. For example, two terms in this excerpt need comment: Jiva and Ahamkara.
As I mentioned in a previous post, Jiva (Jiv) means embodiment. But the term suggests something more than just being in a physical body. In the context of this excerpt, Jiva means the sum total of everything that makes up the unique individuality of the embodied soul. It is our physical bodies and all our thoughts and feelings. It is what many call essence.
Ahamkara too, has a deep and subtle meaning. Commonly taken to mean pride, here it conveys a state of identification with those illusory qualities the soul associates with and takes itself to be.
Additionally, for the sake of clarity, I have made the following editorial changes in the excerpt:
The word us replaces ourselves in the first line.
The last sentence of the excerpt reads,“In the same way, to begin with ours is a pure, unsullied state; as the association increases, other Jivas accumulate within us, and then we become like that clear mirror reflecting the whole mass of individuals standing in front of it and thus, due to these associations we seem to have spoiled our original, real, pure, clean state.” It is the statement; “…as the association increases…” that is confusing, not because of the idea itself, but because of the way it is articulated. Therefore, I have changed the sentence to read, “But as our association with other Jivas increase, the Jivas accumulate within us, and then we become like that clear mirror reflecting the whole mass of individuals standing in front of it and thus, due to these associations we seem to have spoiled our original, real, pure, clean state.”
From The Talks of Upasni-Baba Maharaj
Volume II
Part B
Page 692
There are many Jivas who have thus lodged themselves within us for births on end. According to their nature — friendly or unfriendly — as they affect our Jiva, we have to take to that kind of Ahamkara and behave and act accordingly. Think of a huge mirror. If hundreds stand in front of it, all of them in a mass are reflected in that one mirror. To begin with, it was a clean mirror, and now it becomes full of those reflected in it; with all that reflected mass, its clear appearance disappears. In the same way, to begin with, our Jiva is in a pure and unsullied state. But as our association with other Jivas increase, the Jivas accumulate within us, and then we become like that clear mirror reflecting the whole mass of individuals standing in front of it and thus, due to these associations we seem to have spoiled our original, real, pure, clean state.
“And He (Jesus) asked him (the man), ‘What is thy name?’ And he answered, saying, ‘My name is Legion: for we are many.’” Gospel of Mark, 5:9.
The talks that make up the six-volume English edition were given extemporaneously by Upasni Maharaj in Marathi during the 1920’s and written down by some of his followers. They were published in that language and later translated by another Indian follower into English.
These talks have fascinated me through the years and I have encountered in them teachings that I have found nowhere else in spiritual/mystical literature.
Over the next few days I would like to present a few excerpts from these talks. I am very interested in hearing your comments. The teachings of the Masters can be broadly interpreted. I would especially like to know if these excerpts are interesting to you; if they make sense and are in anyway useful to you; and if they engender any questions.
When necessary I have included definitions of some of the terms. The source of these definitions is the talks themselves. I believe this is important because Upasni Maharaj will often ascribe meanings to terms that are not the accepted meanings of the day. For example, two terms in this excerpt need comment: Jiva and Ahamkara.
As I mentioned in a previous post, Jiva (Jiv) means embodiment. But the term suggests something more than just being in a physical body. In the context of this excerpt, Jiva means the sum total of everything that makes up the unique individuality of the embodied soul. It is our physical bodies and all our thoughts and feelings. It is what many call essence.
Ahamkara too, has a deep and subtle meaning. Commonly taken to mean pride, here it conveys a state of identification with those illusory qualities the soul associates with and takes itself to be.
Additionally, for the sake of clarity, I have made the following editorial changes in the excerpt:
The word us replaces ourselves in the first line.
The last sentence of the excerpt reads,“In the same way, to begin with ours is a pure, unsullied state; as the association increases, other Jivas accumulate within us, and then we become like that clear mirror reflecting the whole mass of individuals standing in front of it and thus, due to these associations we seem to have spoiled our original, real, pure, clean state.” It is the statement; “…as the association increases…” that is confusing, not because of the idea itself, but because of the way it is articulated. Therefore, I have changed the sentence to read, “But as our association with other Jivas increase, the Jivas accumulate within us, and then we become like that clear mirror reflecting the whole mass of individuals standing in front of it and thus, due to these associations we seem to have spoiled our original, real, pure, clean state.”
From The Talks of Upasni-Baba Maharaj
Volume II
Part B
Page 692
There are many Jivas who have thus lodged themselves within us for births on end. According to their nature — friendly or unfriendly — as they affect our Jiva, we have to take to that kind of Ahamkara and behave and act accordingly. Think of a huge mirror. If hundreds stand in front of it, all of them in a mass are reflected in that one mirror. To begin with, it was a clean mirror, and now it becomes full of those reflected in it; with all that reflected mass, its clear appearance disappears. In the same way, to begin with, our Jiva is in a pure and unsullied state. But as our association with other Jivas increase, the Jivas accumulate within us, and then we become like that clear mirror reflecting the whole mass of individuals standing in front of it and thus, due to these associations we seem to have spoiled our original, real, pure, clean state.
“And He (Jesus) asked him (the man), ‘What is thy name?’ And he answered, saying, ‘My name is Legion: for we are many.’” Gospel of Mark, 5:9.
posted by Michael Kovitz at 8:31 AM
3 Comments:
Well, it's no wonder it is so difficult to get a clear picture of how to live - or to initiate behaviors that would lead to the desired aspirations...one jiv decides and the rest of the legion argue...
Please say more about Upasni-Baba Maharaj - these days with the teachings of so many so-called Masters, they too appear to be Legion.
The one who happens to have the microphone says one thing and then the microphone gets taken by someone else who has no intention of honoring the first's intention. Perhaps if we watch the show long enough it will gradually wear down the pride (ahamkara) of the so-called ourself.
Regarding masters; well there are masters and there are masters -- but finding a real perfect master is the work of lifetimes and the grace of an instant. "When his time has come, the prey finds the hunter." - Old Persian saying.
Thanks for your comment. I will try to get another excerpt posted soon. Michael
Where do the Jivas come from? That was one question that came to mind.
Then in the sentence " ... we seem to have spoiled our original, real, pure, clean state .." We "seem"? Not we "have"? And if it is like a reflection in a mirror, is it a true reflection? The pure clean state would "seem" to still be there, I would think.
Yes, do post more excerpts. Very interesting.
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