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Interview with Annamalai Swami by Jim Lemkin [2020-11-10]

YouTube link

One of my friends whose name is Hari Krishnan had shared me this video today morning. Like me, he was interested in searching for the truth, or maybe we could say as a spiritual wellness. I told him that I had his final talks edited by David Godman as a book. He had come to notice this video interview on YouTube and he shared it with me. No doubts, I was delighted and thanked him.

So, I just watched the whole video. What Annamalai Swami talks in this video is very simple. But maybe I could say, my mother tongue being Tamil could be a reason for this.

What the interviewer and the interpreter could try to ask makes much more sense to me, they were trying to see and perceive what made a Jnani like Annamalai Swami could delve into the self and how did they continue to stay there in that state their whole life.

Interviewer seems to be an American trying to perceive that how could we live such a life say for example living in New York or Los Angeles. Where people constantly looking for the other way which is an illusion. By which I mean, the materialistic life in this samsara.

I was taught in an English medium school. And I came to be in touch with many people from western countries for the last 10 years by being in ashrams and traveling around. I particularly or firmly established myself in their way of thinking to achieve something which was - I need recognition from this world. That said, I don't want to say this is the fault of the westerners. This is of myself. Maybe I could say I was thinking I'm the mind and I'm the body as Annamalai Swami puts constantly in this video.

Annamalai Swami asks, when you are in a deep sleep, do you know who you are? Then the conversation goes like this, we don’t - So, we are not the mind and we are not the body. Who else then? The Self which is known as Atman is a revered word in this philosophy. I cannot say it clearly because the irony is that – I'm like that interviewer who sometimes can feel that but it fades away because of this society that we are living in.

One more important question regarding the point I’ve mentioned above which is fading away, Swami says that constant inquiry is Jnana which resonates with me deeply.

It seems like reading, watching and understanding is all few percentages but the thing is we need to stay there and inquire ourselves the question that Swami says.