Feel HIS Presence

The practice of the Presence of God always is the easiest, quickest and surest way of reaching God-consciousness. Feel His Presence always and everywhere. Feel His indwelling Presence in everything?in flowers, trees, dogs, horses, human beings, stars, sun, moon and in the five elements. Feel that you think, feel, cogitate, know, wish, talk, write and walk because of His Grace only. Feel His Presence in all movements. Feel your oneness with everything. You are sad and depressed because you have failed or forgotten to feel His Presence.
He never talks or smiles but His Presence is sufficient for me. I am always in joy, in bliss, in knowledge and immortality in His Presence. This kind of Sadhana eventually leads to resting in the attributeless, formless Brahman. All forms vanish.
When you feel His Presence always, everywhere and in everything, then the ideas of good and bad, the idea of sex totally disappear. Every food then becomes Sattwic and holy. When you are amongst children, feel that you are one with them. When you are in the midst of women, be one with them. When you are seated on a block of stone, be one with the stone. This is cosmic identification. All is good, all is sacred because Shiva dwells in all. This practice will give the bliss of oneness, the bliss of “all”-ness.
The toy elephant made of wood hides the reality of “wood” when you take it for an elephant. Even so, these names and forms conceal the reality “Brahman” behind them. Get rid of the illusion in the mind that is deep-rooted from beginningless time. The toy elephant is wood only; it is not an elephant. So also, this is Brahman and not the world. This is the Atman and not the body. Take the essence that is true after throwing off the false thing, namely, the elephant, world and body.
Duality is the very nature of the mind. It can never think in terms of unity. It is through the purity of the mind that it can be trained to think in terms of unity.
Clay is the only reality in all the three periods of time. The pot is an unreal thing. The Chhandogya Upanishad says: “Clay only is the reality. The modifications such as jar and pot are in speech only, like ornaments”. Similarly, Brahman is the only Reality, the eternal Substance which has no beginning, no end, no change. The modifications?body, mind, senses and world?are totally false. They are in name only. See the clay in all earthenware vessels. See the Atman in all objects.
Cows are different. They differ in colour and various other particulars. But the milk from them is the same. Man minus the customs, manners, modes of dress and eating, is the same throughout the world. His passions and feelings are the same throughout the world. The languages are different in various districts and climes, but the idea behind all languages is the same. This is oneness behind variety, duality and multiplicity.
There is one essence or one feeling in deep sleep. All feel alike. There is no plurality in sleep. Similarly, there is one homogeneous substance behind the objects. This is the Atman. This is your real Self.
The coconut made of sugar is sugar only. It has marks, lines, external shell, ridges, eyes and everything. But you have the inner feeling in the mind that it is only sugar. Similarly, even though you see the different objects of the universe, you must have the feeling that it is the Atman that is at the bottom of all the objects, and that the Atman is the ultimate Reality and essence of everything.
Why do you look into the leaves, twigs, flowers and fruit of the mango tree? Look into the source, the seed. The cloth is only cotton and thread. Take the cloth as cotton only. In a similar manner, take the world as Atman only.
When you see any person or object, think and feel that he or it is Narayana. By incessant practice the name and form will vanish. The Atman alone will shine. The world-idea will vanish. It takes a long time. It demands strenuous efforts. You will see and feel the Atman or Narayana only everywhere. During the practice your old impressions will trouble you. They are your real enemies. Fight against them boldly. This is the practice of seeing equality everywhere. You will then transmute all objects in the Atman. Think and feel that all actions are worship of the Atman. Then the idea of inferiority and the idea of menial service will disappear and you will see Narayana everywhere.