What is the point in bowing before Kaba when God dwells in the innermost core of our heart? When blissful self is in our own selves why we to worship some strange fellow are? All the Saints and Scriptures proclaim with one voice that God is within all of us and that is the Inner Tirath. Swami Vivekanand Ji Said, “It is impossible to find God outside ourselves. Our own souls contribute all the divinity that is inside us. We are the greatest temple. The objectification is only a faint contribution of what we see in ourselves. When Inner teacher awakens, all the ignorance is gone. Books are useless, until the inner teacher awakens”.

There is an adamantine wall of boisterous mind with an army of countless thoughts that stand between us and the Self. Our true Self i.e. Inner Tirath is hidden behind mind (who) has become our master though it was there to serve us. Whereas it was an instrument, it had become an obsession that we consider ourselves nothing but mind and forget our true nature which is all Bliss. In fact any pleasure or happiness, by whatever process or means it may be brought about, emanates from our own inner Self. Happiness is within us and not in the external objects as ignorant persons are inclined to think. If there is any source of happiness, it is our own Self. There is liberty, peace and eternal happiness. That is the Inner Tirath.

It is Meditation that raises the adamantine wall of mind and takes us to our own source, our own Self which is All Existent, All Knowledge and All Bliss. Meditation is not controlling the mind as every control results in repression. Meditation is watching and witnessing the mind without any effort. Watching is not an effort. Effort is something which we have to do and watching is something which we have (nothing) not to do. Watching is already there. It is our natural capacity. It is our heart-beat. It is our breathing. Simply by watching mind, thoughts without any evaluation or judgement, we go beyond the mind and connect ourselves to the Source and exclaim in ecstasy:-

ये सैर क्या है अजब अनोखा, कि राम मुझ में मैं राम में हूँ

बगैर सूरत गजब है जलवा, कि राम मुझ में मैं राम में हूँ

Strange is the land that I am one with my Lord. Without name or form exquisite is the vision.

Through meditation that light which is the knowledge of Brahman will burst forth in the soul. As churning brings forth the butter, so meditation leads to realization of Self. Self permeates the universe as butter permeates milk but friction (meditation) makes it manifest in one particular place which is our heart. That is beyond the restless and wavering mind. Meditation is not asking the mind to be quiet but it is to find the quiet which is already there.

These wayward thoughts throw us either into the dead past or uncertain future whereas both of them are false. What is once gone is gone forever and what has not come as yet cannot be ascertained as to what form it will be. Only the reality is present herenow. Here is a quote, “Be here now, Be someplace else later. Is that so complicated?” Present is Parmatma, Self, hidden Treasure. We are not thinking of past or future. When we close our eyes, thick darkness appears and caravan of thoughts of past and future start their journey with no end in sight. We are not to interfere with them or make any effort to stop them. We are just to watch them, witness them and they will diminish gradually and vanish eventually. Regular and persistent watching and witnessing is required for that and one day we shall go beyond mind and realize “I am He” “I am He” and there is no pony ego of me or mine.

मैं था हरि नाहीं, हरि है मैं नाहीं

प्रेम गली अति साँकरी, या में दो ना समाहीं

When mind was there, Self was hidden because both of them can’t stay at the same place. Meditation is witnessing the mind, witnessing thoughts and witnessing anything or everything happening within the mind or body without any evaluation or judgement. Hidden Treasure, Inner Tirath starts making its presence felt – as thoughts disappear with persistent witnessing. If your witnessing is 90%, mind is 10%. If our witnessing is 100% i.e. total, absolute mind becomes non-mind state and we get a glance of our true Self.

दिल के आईने में है तस्वीरे यार

जब जरा गर्दन झुकाई देख ली

Witnessing can be called the seed and enlightenment be the flowers, but start from witnessing and it will grow. Go on nourishing it, go on looking after it, go on caring for it, go on watering it and strengthen it in every possible way. One day, it will blossom and that will be the greatest day of our life.

The mind is a mixture of sensations and feelings or action and reaction, so it cannot be permanent. Behind mind, is the real Self, the Eternal, the ultimate, Inner Tirath, which can be realized through regular and persistent Vishvas Meditation.