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Question.: Vichara [enquiry] sometimes leads me to a blank. What shall I do on those occasions? Bhagavan.: When manolaya [subsidence of mind] is experienced, again one asks oneself, "Who experiences this manolaya?" Question.: So the aim of the vichara method is to simply remain as subjective consciousness unperturbed by thought? Bhagavan.: That is not the only aim. As your practice advances, the mind is not satisfied with remaining as pure Subjective Consciousness, because there is still an experiencer in that state. Who is he? Like the tongue that goes on trying to extract a splinter of wood lodged in the gums, the mind goes on investigating who or what this experiencer is. The investigation should steadily be kept up until the granthi [ego-knot] is severed, and it is a mistake to stop it merely when one reaches a stage wherein one remains as pure Subjective Consciousness most of the time. The vasanas [latent tendencies] buried deep inside the mind are continuously stirred up as a result of constantly practicing vichara, so that they may rise to the surface and be destroyed. Only when all vasanas are gone can one effortlessly, volitionlessly, and unintermittently remain as pure Subjective Consciousness all the time. Until then, there will be breaks in your practice - caused by distraction, be it from the world or from ideas and memories generated by the mind. Question.: How to know when the granthi is severed? Bhagavan.: The Realized One has no doubts and does not have the necessity of having anything to be explained to him. - From : Aham Sphurana