272
Aptavani-1
Meditation Versus Concentration
An engineer came to me and told me that he wanted to
attain liberation. I asked him what he had done so far to achieve
that. He told me that he practices concentration. I told him that
those who suffer from mental agitation and confusion tend to
practice concentration to attain mental peace. Who practices
meditation? It is those who suffer from mental agitation and
confusion. Why do these laborers not need to practice
concentration? They do not suffer from mental disturbance at
all. Even I, a Gnani Purush, do not practice concentration. I do
not have any mental disturbance at all. Practicing concentration
is like applying a soothing ointment on a burn, but what does
that have to do with the Self? I asked him whether any of his
worries had diminished as a result? He was very intelligent and
replied that he understood exactly what I was telling him. He
told me that his intellect (buddhi) accepted my words and his
mental agitation is now gone.
But he was not finished – he told me that he practiced
yoga four hours every day! I asked him what he practiced yoga
for; was it for something he already had knowledge of or for
something he had no knowledge of. I told him he did not have
the knowledge of the Self but had knowledge of only the body
and that he practiced yoga to discipline the body alone. Would
one meditate on a face unknown to him or her? No they would
not, similarly how can one ignorant of the Self, meditate upon
the Self? Yoga is a physical discipline, how does the Self benefit
from it? Liberation is achieved only through Atma-yoga (union
with the Self) whereas dehayoga, union on a physical plane,
yields only worldly rewards. All my Mahatmas are Atmayogi
(united with the Self) and I am Atmayogeshwar (the Absolute
One).
Yoga means to join. Yoga of only the known is possible.