The complete 'I am' quotes of Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj Pradeep Apte

een created out of the five elements. So up to this point, the whole
thing can be said to be entirely mechanistic and therefore pure
ignorance.
348
How did I get this birth? That is the point on which I persist in
finding the answer; I ‘must’ know this. When I was told ‘sattva’,
then what is ‘sattva’? ‘Sattva’ is the essence of the five elements.
In that essence, in that juice, lies the knowledge ‘I am’; but all that
is still of the five elements. Then how did this come about? My
guru told me the whole story. Thus I came to know it is ignorance,
and I know from experience, that everybody is starting from there.
Thus whatever has come about is sheer ignorance, and we are
nothing more, that is what my guru told me.
349
My guru further pointed out to me the fact that the only thing you
have and which you can utilize to unravel the mystery of life, is
this knowledge ‘I am’. Without that there is absolutely nothing, so
I got hold of it, as my guru advised me, and then I wanted to find
out how the spiritual aspect of ‘me’ came about without my
knowledge. On my pure Absoluteness, which has no place, and no
shape or form, this knowledge ‘I am’ came, which also has no
shape or form. Therefore, it appears; and it is only an illusion.
350
This beingness, the knowledge ‘I am’, which I call
‘upadro’(meaning disturbance in Marathi), is the source of trouble.
In this ‘upadro’, in this primary essence, lies the knowledge ‘I am’
– you know that you are. This quality of beingness (‘sattvaguna’),
the knowledge ‘I am’ cannot tolerate itself. It cannot stand itself,
alone, just knowing itself. Therefore that ‘rajoguna’ is there… it