During the period of his stay in Brindavan he obtained most of their food by begging. Generally it consisted of some bits of roti collected from many houses. These were not sufficient even for a single meal. One day the quantity obtained was even less than usual. Swami Turiyananda took the food to a nearby well and ate the pieces soaking them in water. While eating, he addressed his body: ‘All these troubles are forced upon me on account of you. Take this and be content.’ But the meagre ration could not satisfy his hungry stomach.
The Swami lay down to rest, and being extremely tired went to sleep. Suddenly he saw himself as separate from the body. He was not the hungry or thirsty physical body but the completely separate, independent Atman. He observed his body lying there like a piece of rejected cloth. This unique experience made a tremendous impression on him. He had directly realized the truth of that great declaration in the Six Stanzas on Nirvana, which runs:
I am neither the process of eating, nor the food, nor the eater.I am the Embodiment of Knowledge, Bliss, Existence.I am the Atman.
When he rose, his hunger was forgotten.[1]