The Sri Nisargadatta House in Mumbai

Seeing that we were in Mumbai, I couldn't help but want to look at the house of Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, probably the foremost exponent of Advaita in the 20th Century.



After reading I Am That, a series of dialogues culled from years of visitors to the Maharaj House, I was positive that he was light-years beyond Freud or Western psychology. Imagine being told that you are your own observer-therapist!



Still, in a city of sweating millions how to find the address ?



Fortunately, the blog posts of travelers makes that easy. Here's a Google Maps result for the address: Vamali Bhavana, Second Floor, Khetwadi 10th Lane, near Grant Road.


That's across the street from the Gents public toilet.

Not knowing what to expect, I left Sara and Ray at nap time, and jumped into a cab.





I felt I was close when pilgrims began to wave at me, nodding, as if I was running in a track that was already well grooved.











Finally I found the street I was looking for.








Sure enough, the house was humble, as I expected.

I wouldn't have guessed it was above a normal tailor shop. (That's his front view on the first floor up.)










I was allowed to go up but no one was home. I sat for awhile meditating at the late Maharaj's front door.

Nothing fancy there either; the present occupants have a typical Ganesh statue at their entrance.


I decided to shoot a few minutes of video of the place for those who couldn't make it all the way to Mumbai.



Here are four and a half minutes looking out from the doorway of the Maharaj House.

The neighbors didn't seem too impressed about the great man who had lived next to them for decades. The soap seller (shop across the street on the left) only made this comment when asked about Nisargadatta - "Hah."

Then I noticed a woman nearby who was living in a doorway across the street. In my enthusiasm, I wondered if she was a Nisargadatta devotee who had taken up the watch near the master's old haunt.



Turned out she was an interesting person in her own right, with a few thoughts of her own to share.



Well, nothing beats the actual text of I Am That, in my estimation. Here's a free PDF download.

Read with care - it could change how you look at the world!