# In the Solitary Depths: 36 <p>আত্মার খোঁজে যারা নিরলসভাবে ধ্যান করেন, তাঁরা শেষে এক অপূর্ব সত্য আবিষ্কার করেন—যা কোনো গ্রন্থে লেখা নেই, কোনো গুরু কখনো বলেননি। সেটি হল, আত্মা আর শরীর এক নয়, দুইও নয়। এই দ্বিত্বহীন একত্ব অনুভব করাই ধর্মজীবনের চূড়ান্ত লক্ষ্য।</p> <p>Those who meditate tirelessly in search of the self ultimately discover a remarkable truth—one written in no book, never uttered by any master. It is this: the soul and the body are neither one nor two. To experience this seamless unity, free from duality, is the ultimate aim of spiritual life.</p> <p>শুনতে অবিশ্বাস্য মনে হয়, কিন্তু যখন এই অভিজ্ঞতা নিজে ঘটে, তখন সব সংশয় মিলিয়ে যায়। প্রকৃতির প্রতিটি পরমাণু, প্রতিটি শ্বাস-প্রশ্বাস সেই একই সত্যের সাক্ষ্য বহন করে। জীবন ও মরণ, আলো ও অন্ধকার—সবকিছুই সেই রহস্যময় একত্বের অভিব্যক্তি মাত্র।</p> <p>It sounds incredible, perhaps impossible, yet when the experience arrives unbidden, all doubt dissolves. Every atom of nature, every breath we draw bears witness to that singular truth. Life and death, light and darkness—all are merely expressions of that mysterious unity.</p> <p>এই বোঝা শুধু জ্ঞান নয়—এটি একটি রূপান্তর। যিনি এটি জানেন, তিনি আর কখনো একা নন। তাঁর সমস্ত ভয় বিলীন হয়ে যায়, কারণ তিনি বুঝেছেন যে বিচ্ছেদ একটি ভ্রম ছাড়া কিছু নয়। সমগ্র বিশ্ব তাঁর নিজের প্রসারিত সংবেদনশীলতা, তাঁর প্রকৃত সত্তার প্রতিধ্বনি।</p> <p>This understanding is far more than knowledge—it is a metamorphosis. One who knows this is never alone again. All fear drains from him, for he has grasped that separation is nothing but illusion. The entire world is but his own extended sensibility, the echo of his true being.</p> <p>যারা এখনো পথে রয়েছেন, তাঁদের জন্য সুসংবাদ এটিই—যাত্রাটি কখনো ব্যর্থ নয়। প্রতিটি ধ্যান, প্রতিটি প্রশ্ন, প্রতিটি সংশয় নিজেই একটি ধাপ। এই সুগভীর নিরবতায় সবাই সমান, সবাই স্বাগত।</p> <p>For those still journeying, here is the good news: the quest never fails. Each meditation, each question, each doubt is itself a step forward. In this profound silence, all are equal, all are welcome.</p>

176.

Abiding in the Point, dissolution into non-duality—entry into the very heart-center of the 'I'. 'I am'—this awareness itself is now reinterpreted in a new form—and is called the 'Point'. Why the Point? Because the word itself divides thus—'Bin' (without) + 'Du' (duality), that is, absence of duality.

When you meditate upon this 'I'—only the 'I', nothing else—then gradually all around you begins to fade. Whatever you perceive, in it alone the 'I' reflects. Then this 'I'-awareness becomes non-dual—you no longer need any experience, for the distinction between experiencer and experienced dissolves. This state is called 'abiding in the Point'.

This Point is situated nowhere, yet it pervades all things. It dwells within you—settle there, meditate, and then transcend it. Abiding in the 'I', yet passing beyond even the 'I'—this is the ultimate path.

The 'I'-awareness is here explained as the 'Point'—whose literal and hidden meanings are one: Bin + Du = Without duality. When this 'I' itself meditates upon itself—and the meditation becomes prolonged and profound—then nothing remains but the 'I'.

At that moment, knowledge and the knowable, experiencer and experienced—all such divisions vanish. Consciousness itself stands still within itself, point-like. This 'Point' exists nowhere, yet is scattered everywhere—as the sky has no center, yet pervades all space. To abide in this state is true practice—and to transcend it is liberation. This is the threshold of the 'Beyond the Fourth'.

The 'I'-awareness itself is the Point, which means—the state without duality. When you meditate long and deeply upon this 'I', it itself transcends all dual division. Then you abide in the 'I', and gradually transcend even that. This Point is nowhere, yet dwells within you—grasp it, settle into it, then dissolve into its innermost thread. This is supreme meditation, supreme realization, supreme dissolution.

Where nothing was, there I was. And where even 'I' is not—there alone am I truly present—as a single Point, and then as pointless void.

177.

The 'I' pierces itself and merges into infinity. At this moment—as you read or ponder these words—in whom does this reading and thinking occur? There is but one answer—it is that 'I am' awareness, which seeks to know itself.

All realization, all thought, all inquiry—behind them works a single interior awareness: "Who am I?", "What am I?", "From where truly do I come?"

This 'I' itself investigates itself—shining light upon its own being. When this self-inquiry grows profound, then gradually the 'I' realizes—"I am false". This realization of falsity is the ultimate knowledge—and then the 'I' itself erases.

The 'I' has departed, yet you remain—without identity, without intellect—pure, eternal, infinite in true nature. Then there is nothing more to know, nothing more to do—you at last stand established in the eternal.

All our thinking, realization, reading—all occurs against the internal backdrop of the 'I'. This very 'I' searches for its own source—and at some point, consciousness turns toward itself. Then it is seen—the 'I' itself is asking, itself is answering, and finally, knowing itself to be false, it dissolves into its own origin.

This realization of falsity is liberation itself—for then identity, experience, practice, action—all lose their purpose. What remains is relationless, beyond speech, infinite pure existence—which Advaita Vedanta calls Brahman, Supreme Brahman, or Pure Self.

The 'I' itself endeavors to know itself. As this self-inquiry continues, eventually the 'I' itself comprehends—"I am false". When this realization occurs, the 'I' dissolves. What then remains is no identity—but rather pure, infinite existence.

Then there is nothing left to know or do—once you are established in the eternal.

I searched and searched for myself but never found myself—and in that very not-finding, I became infinite.

178.

If you cannot understand the ‘I’, then love it—when knowledge fails, devotion itself is liberation. You have tried hard—read countless scriptures, listened to the words of the guru, yet you cannot grasp this sense of ‘I am’?

Do not despair. The guru is saying—the path of knowledge is no longer open to you; now the path of devotion. Understand this—if the door of knowledge has closed, the door has not shut: the path of devotion is now your true means.

What then is the object of worship? That knowledge within you: ‘I am’—this itself is God. Even if you cannot understand it, give it your love, worship it, revere it—hold this sense of ‘I’ in your heart like a sacred mantra.

Remember—from knowledge to devotion, from devotion to knowledge—these two paths are companions to each other. Who will walk which path depends on their nature, yet both paths lead to the same destination. So do not lose heart—if you cannot understand, then simply love.

Advaita Vedanta says—the sense of ‘I’ is God. The wise seek it through consciousness, but not all minds are prepared for this. For those who find understanding blocked, the guru says—practice devotion to this sense of ‘I’. Knowledge and devotion are not separate—rather, their source is one, their goal is one.

If you perceive—”I am”—perceive this as the presence of God. Then this sense of ‘I’ ceases to be mere thought; it becomes worship. Gradually that very devotion transforms in the light of consciousness—then you yourself understand what you could not understand before. Thus devotion becomes knowledge.

If the sense of ‘I’ still cannot be grasped, then experience it as God and worship it. The path of knowledge does not always work for everyone—then the path of devotion becomes the true helper. The sense of ‘I’ is God—so hold it in your heart full of devotion. Devotion and knowledge perfect each other; whichever path suits you, walk it, and you will reach the ultimate state. So though the paths differ, the destination is one—and that destination is to know yourself in truth.

If you cannot understand, then love—what you cannot understand, if you hold it in your heart—then one day it will reveal itself.

179.

If you accept the ‘I’ as your destiny, then you transcend it.

You are thinking—what is my future? Will I succeed? Will I not fall ill? How will I die?

These fears and anxieties cling to your mind like shadows, always. But the guru speaks something strange, profound, and liberating—”Make all your destiny, your future, your hopes and fears pivot on one thing—accept the knowledge ‘I am’ as your destiny.” Nothing else; this ‘I’ alone will be my future, my fate, my ultimate identity.

Say—”I will become nothing—I will be only ‘I’.” Then every day, every moment, be established in this ‘I’ as knowledge; meditate on it, sit in it, dwell in it. Night and day, outward and inward—hold the awareness of this ‘I’ in all things. And one day, in this steadiness and meditation, this very ‘I’ will transcend itself. Then you will no longer be bound in the cycle of birth and death—because you will have reached the source beneath the ‘I’ itself—and there is no birth, no death, no fear.

Prarabdha, or destiny, usually means the fruits of past actions received through birth and the course of the future. People remain anxious about this fate: what will happen? How long will I live? Will I fail? But in Advaita Vedanta, the guru reverses this very thought—”Determine your own destiny.”

How? “This sense of ‘I’ will be my destiny.” To make this decision means to step beyond all external attractions, anxieties, and intentions—to be established at the very root of consciousness.

This stillness itself is meditation, and this meditation carries you beyond the ‘I’ into the supreme absolute.

Then the very notion of destiny crumbles, because the ‘I’ that you thought of as bound by destiny ultimately dissolves into that destiny-free, supreme consciousness.

All the anxieties of our life, all our questions, all our fears of the future—they all spring from the idea of destiny. The guru says: forget these fears, accept the ‘I’ as your own destiny. Dwell in this ‘I’ each day, meditate upon it, become one with it.

One day, as you sink so deep into this ‘I’-consciousness that it vanishes of itself. Then you transcend destiny itself, transcend birth and death—you stand established in ultimate liberation.

You do not choose destiny—you transcend it by dwelling in the awareness “I am,” and then you will remain, but there will be no destiny left.

180.

When ‘I’ comes, the world comes. When ‘I’ goes, all vanishes. If you think deeply, if you try to remember—that very moment when first you felt “I am”—you will see that with that ‘I’, space and world arose together, all at once.

If such remembering seems impossible, then the next time you awaken from deep sleep, observe that moment. You will see that with waking, three things appear simultaneously: 1) ‘I’, 2) space, 3) world.

After this, countless thoughts, identities, habits—all come and obscure that original event, that these three awarenesses dawned upon you together. So the question arises: who is the bearer of all these experiences? The answer: this sense of ‘I’.

As long as ‘I’ exists, so too will world and space exist. And when ‘I’ departs, both world and space—they too vanish, as happens in deep sleep or at the moment of death.

The sense of ‘I’ is the awakening of self-awareness—that which manifests space and world within consciousness. These three—’I’, space, and world—arise together in the moment of waking. Then personality, identity, the sense of doing—these cover it over, as if another layer falls upon the original experience. But if one observes with care, one understands: all experience of the world depends upon ‘I’.

Therefore, when ‘I’ departs—as in deep sleep, in unconsciousness, or at the moment of death—there is no world in space, for the consciousness that held it is itself absent.

With the coming of ‘I’, the experience of space and world arrives. These three—’I’, space, and world—appear together in consciousness. As long as ‘I’ remains, so long do you know: “the world exists.” With the disappearance of ‘I’—world and space become bereft of witness. This realization shows: the world’s existence depends upon the sense of ‘I’, not independent of it.

The world is born in the shadow of ‘I’, and when ‘I’ fades, it too—like a dream—simply vanishes of itself.