Question without an answer
Part One [Note: Translating this from Tamil is as usual very difficult, particularly the word ‘samiyar’ [sami + yar] is a pun in Tamil. I also share the original in Tamil so that those who know Tamil can understand it better].
One of the disciples of a sannyasi came with his friend to him seeking some answer for his friend’s question about life. The following is the dialogue that happened between them [in my imagination].
The friend of the disciple to the sannyasi: Who am I?
A: Sannyasi: you alone know that
Q: What I want to know is this: is this am a body, or breath or atman?
A: I don’t know that. If you know tell me
Q: When I seek the answer from you instead of giving why you are asking a counter question to me?
A: The answer for your question is in your question itself. What is your question? ‘Who am I’.
‘Who’ is the question and ‘I am’ is the answer.
Q: You are confusing me much Swamiji
A: Definitely not. You are very clear about it.
Q: Again, your confusing
A: No. Do you clearly understand that this is really confusing?
Friend: yes
Swamiji: Then what? As you are very clear that you are confused then where is any confusion in this?
Friend: Oh my God. Swamiji when I ask question why are you giving such twisting answers?
Swamiji: No. You are very clear. You also know the answer to your question. But you are asking the question as if you don’t know it and are trying to confuse me.
Friend: Finally give me some solid and one clear answer.
Swamiji: No solid and final answer can be given [on such subject]
Friend: Why
Swamiji: Whatever might be the answer it will come back as the question again in life. So, if you don’t seek an answer the then question won’t come. If the question is not coming then there is no need for any answer.
Friend: If you explain this by giving one illustration that will be very helpful.
Swamiji: Ok. Who am I?
Friend: You are a samiyar [Sami + yar = yar in Tamil is ‘who’]?
Swamiji: What is this? When I ask you a question then why are you asking me a counter question?
Friend: No Swamiji I only gave an answer to you.
Swamiji: What answer?
Friend: you are a Samiyar [swami + yar]
Swamiji: No. What you asked me is only a question: Sami [Swamiji] + Yar [who] Swamiji who are you?
As the friend became quiet not knowing how to respond, sannyasi continued:
Swamiji: First you asked ‘who are you’? No, you are asking me ‘who I am’. Do you understand this? When you get one answer the same answer will come back as the question.
Friend: Now alone I clearly understand Swamiji.
Swamiji: Definitely not. Now alone you are confused. One cannot understand life completely is the reality. Only that way we can live and we should live. Those who went before us lived only in this way. But now if you think that you clearly understood now, then confusion started in your life now.
After listening this, as that person ran away from that sannyasi saying, ‘leave me alone’, clearly understanding this confused life that sannyasi continue to live without any confusion:
Life is a question
Without an answer
The fun
In it is that
When question itself
Becomes the answer
Then answer becomes
Unnecessary one.
14-12-2021
Part Two
As his friend ran away, the disciple asked his guru: What is this Swamiji? I thought that you would give some clear answer to remove his confusion, you make him run away with more confusion.
Swamiji: Whatever problem comes in life one has either to go and as fellow human begins or to God. What they cannot give, no sannyasi can give. What you cannot learn from your parents, relatives, kith and kind and neighbours you cannot learn from a sannyasi. Do they live knowing all the answers in life? Are they not accepting life as it comes and living adjusting to it?
Only those who ask these kinds of unnecessary questions alone become sannyasi and ask these kinds of questions like: who am I etc. And accepting his answers as gospel truth, you trap him by building an ashram and giving lots of money, forcing him to live in it. Unable to live in it at the same time, unable to escape from it, several sannyasis are trapped. When he has run away from society by saying: even a piece of cloth is a burden and family life is a sinful one, then why are you chasing him.
Sannyasis have no answer for any question that comes in your life. If you really want to know the answer to the question: WHO AM I, you seek alone. If your search is honest then the guru will automatically come on his own in your life. Leaving that, don’t go to any sannyasi for everything in life. Go to people and learn from them. Or go to God. When millions of people are living peacefully accepting the life that they got then don’t go to a sannyasi seeking an answer which you will never get as there exists no clear answer for it. Try to live clearly without much confusion that there is no clear answer for all confusing questions in life
If you manage to understand life clearly from the beginning, then you cannot live it without confusion. You can live only an unclear life without any confusion. If you understand it from the beginning then all the secrets about life will be gone and there won’t be any interest to live it. You can understand life as you continue to live. How many times you have heard that: If you cannot get a life that you like, then begin to like the life that you got. Do you now understand this clearly?
Disciple: Yes Swamiji
Swamiji: what you understood?
Disciple: for any reason one should not go and ask questions about life to a sannyasi who never lived like us in the society.
Swamiji: Oh my God. You don’t need to remain anymore my disciple. Now you became my guru. GURUJI, please go and proclaim this truth to others and try to save them and also us from them.
14-12-2021
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