1st Journey Towards Self-Realisation - The Child Who Asked, “Who Am I?”

The Child Who Asked, “Who Am I?”

A Journey Towards Self-Realisation Part 1

Opening

Since my childhood, I have been exploring some “jhakjhor dene wale sawaal” —

questions that shake the very roots of existence:

Who am I? Why am I living here? Why do I take birth and die? What am I truly gaining in this world?

These questions were not learnt from any book;

they simply arose in my innocent mind when I was barely six or eight.

Too young for others, perhaps — yet those thoughts felt ancient within me.

The Early Quest

I asked everyone — from fourth-class employees to top officers,

from humble villagers to great entrepreneurs.

Some laughed. Some listened. Some feared I might leave for the Himalayas in search of God.

A few even thought I was psychologically disturbed.

But my questions were genuine — my search was honest.

Once, when a sadhu visited our village for a pravachan,

the village head, Late Shri Ramesh Veer Singh, fondly introduced me to him.

I asked, “Who am I?”

He smiled and said,

“Iss prashn ka uttar jaanne ke liye tumhe Dhruv aur Buddha banna hoga.”

His words amazed me, yet the answer still felt incomplete.

The journey continued.

The Brother’s Replies

During my teenage years, I troubled my elder brother with my endless questions.

“Who am I?” I asked.

“You’re a donkey,” he laughed.

“Why are we living here?”

“To eat and survive.”

“Where will we go after death?”

“Bhaad mein!”

He wanted to stop my thoughts, but the flame inside me only grew stronger.

Poetry, Music and Mumbai

In my twenties, I came to Mumbai — carrying dreams and questions alike.

I wrote poems, dohe, bhajans and recorded them with playback singer Sharda Rajan

at her studio Super Track in Mahalakshmi.

Music touched my soul, but satisfaction was still limited.

Something was missing — an unseen peace.

Marriage and Midnight Questions

After marriage, the questions returned in the quiet of night.

“Who am I?” I asked my wife softly.

She replied with love, “Abhi so jao, subah mein baat karenge.”

That tenderness calmed my storms.

I would sleep, and for months the mind rested.

Now, I rarely get those questions again —

perhaps buried beneath duties and responsibilities —

but my soul still longs for them.

Wisdom of the Potter

Among all the people I met,

the most profound answer came from a simple potter —

Late Shri Babulal Prajapati, our village craftsman.

When I was about twelve, he called me to his hut.

While shaping clay pots he said:

“Before coming to this world, you were in your mother’s womb.

Before that, in your father’s body.

Before him, in plants and animals.

And before that — in the Sun.

So, you are the Sun’s son.”

His wife laughed, but his words silenced me.

Such wisdom from simplicity!

He partially convinced me — yet fully awakened me.

To Be Continued... Part 2

The little boy’s questions did not end there.

As years passed, those innocent “Why?” and “Who am I?” transformed into a journey — not through scriptures, but through life itself.

What happened next?

How did those restless questions turn into moments of peace?

Discover it in the next part —

“My Self-Realisation Experiences — The Journey from Questions to Consciousness.”