What is Nisargadatta?
Nisargadatta refers to Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj (1897–1981), an influential teacher of Advaita Vedanta (Hindu nondual philosophy) whose uncompromising approach to self-inquiry brought him international recognition in the final decade of his life. Born Maruti Shivrampant Kambli on 17 April 1897 in Bombay, he worked as a shopkeeper selling hand-rolled cigarettes before dedicating himself to spiritual teaching. Unlike scholarly interpreters of Advaita, Nisargadatta taught from direct experience, using colloquial language and a question-and-answer format that stripped away conceptual frameworks to point toward immediate awareness of the Self.
Origins & Lineage
In 1933, Nisargadatta was introduced to his guru, Siddharameshwar Maharaj, the head of the Inchegeri branch of the Navnath Sampradaya, a lineage tracing back to the nine masters (Navnath) of the Nath tradition. Siddharameshwar Maharaj (1888–1936) was a guru in the Inchagiri Sampradaya founded by his guru Bhausaheb Maharaj, which itself emerged as a branch of the older Navnath Sampradaya rooted in medieval tantric and yogic practices. His teacher told him, “You are not what you take yourself to be,” and gave him a simple set of instructions: to attend solely to the feeling “I Am” without conceptual elaboration. Siddharameshwar’s disciples included Nath teachers Nisargadatta Maharaj, Ranjit Maharaj, Kaadsiddheshwar, and Ganapatrao Maharaj Kannur.
After an association that lasted hardly two and a half years, Siddharameshwar Maharaj died on 9 November 1936. Nisargadatta left Bombay on pilgrimage, but returned in 1938. He took the spiritual name “Nisargadatta” (“naturally given”) in recognition of his realization, and from 1951 began teaching formally from his modest apartment in the Khetwadi neighborhood of Mumbai.
How It’s Practiced
Nisargadatta’s method centers on abiding in the sense of presence or “I Am”—the bare awareness of existence prior to identification with body, thoughts, or personal history. Following his guru’s instructions to concentrate on the feeling “I Am,” he used all his spare time looking at himself in silence, and remained in that state for the coming years, practising meditation and singing devotional bhajans. The practice involves sustained self-inquiry: asking “Who am I?” not as a philosophical question but as an invitation to rest in the knowing presence that witnesses all experience.
Unlike systems emphasizing progressive stages, Nisargadatta taught that realization is immediate and ever-present—it requires only recognition, not acquisition. He discouraged spiritual seeking as conceptual accumulation, insisting instead on dis-identification from transient phenomena. Nisargadatta gave talks and answered questions at his humble flat in Khetwadi, Mumbai, where a mezzanine room was used for daily chantings, bhajans (devotional songs), meditation sessions, and discourses.
Nisargadatta Today
The publication in 1973 of I Am That, an English translation of his talks in Marathi by Maurice Frydman, brought him worldwide recognition and followers, especially from North America and Europe. He died on 8 September 1981 at the age of 84, of throat cancer. His teachings remain accessible primarily through transcribed dialogues: I Am That is regarded as a modern spiritual classic and continues to draw readers seeking direct instruction in nondual awareness.
Contemporary seekers encounter Nisargadatta’s teachings through reading groups, online forums, and teachers influenced by his approach. Several of his Western students—including Ramesh Balsekar, Jean Dunn, and Robert Powell—published additional volumes of his talks. Though he appointed no formal successor and his small Bombay apartment is no longer a teaching venue, his emphasis on self-inquiry has influenced teachers across nondual traditions, from Advaita circles to secular mindfulness communities.
Common Misconceptions
Nisargadatta is sometimes mistaken for a renunciate or monastic teacher, but he was a householder who operated a small business and raised a family. His teaching is often conflated with neo-Advaita, a term denoting popularized nonduality that downplays practice; Nisargadatta himself emphasized rigorous inquiry and devotion to the guru’s instruction. He did not teach positive thinking, manifestation, or self-improvement—his sole focus was the ending of identification with the personal self.
Another misconception is that his teaching requires no effort. While he insisted that the Self is always already present, he demanded unwavering attention and the willingness to question every assumption. His style could be confrontational, particularly with visitors seeking philosophical debate rather than genuine inquiry. He also gave mantra initiation within the Navnath tradition, a detail sometimes overlooked by those familiar only with the question-and-answer format of I Am That.
How to Begin
The primary entry point is I Am That, a 550-page collection of dialogues translated by Maurice Frydman and edited by Sudhakar Dikshit. New readers should approach the text meditatively rather than analytically, reading a chapter at a time and allowing the pointers to settle. Nisargadatta’s language is repetitive by design, circling the same insight from different angles to dislodge conceptual habits.
Beyond reading, the practice is simple: throughout the day, return awareness to the feeling of being—“I Am”—without attaching labels, stories, or interpretations. Sit quietly and notice the presence that is aware of thoughts, sensations, and perceptions without being reducible to any of them. Nisargadatta recommended this practice not as a technique to achieve a future state, but as recognition of what is already and always present.
For those seeking community, online sanghas and local Advaita study groups often center on Nisargadatta’s teachings. Teachers such as Ramakant Maharaj continue the Navnath lineage, offering formal initiation for those drawn to the traditional framework. The core instruction, however, remains accessible to anyone willing to investigate: “You are not what you take yourself to be.”