The Path of Sri Ramana Part One and Two

ThePathof SriRamana
PART ONE
TheJnanaaspectof the teaching
BY
Sri SadhuOm
Anexpositiorlof thepath of self-enquiryastaughtby
Bhagavan SriRamana withaBrief LifeHistory of SriRamana
andanEnglish translation of Nan Yar?
SriRamanaKshetra
(KanvashramaTrust)
T I R U V MA WA I
INDIA
The Path of Sri Ramana-Part One - Englishby SriSadhuOm,
Printed & Rlblished by Sri Kamana Kshetra, Kanvashrama
'Trust, Tiruvannamalai- 606 603.
OMichaelJames
First Edition 1971
SecondEdition 1981
ThirdEdition 1988
FourthEdition 1990
Fifth Edition 1997
SixthEdition 2005 : 1000Copies
Price : Rs.
TypesetandPrintedby
AridraPrinters,Bangalore-560003.
Acknowledgements
To Sri Michael James for his kind permission to publish this PDF e-book of 'The Path of
Sri Ramana Part 1' on our website.
To Sri. N. Sankaran for his constructive advice and permission to use a hard copy of 'The
Path of Sri Ramana Part 1' to produce a PDF e-book version of the book.
This e-book is available for free download from:
Copyright 02007 Michael James
All rights reserved. No part of this PDF e-book publication, other than for personal use, may
be reproduced, printed or transmitted in any form or by any means, except for brief quotations
embodied in articles and critical reviews, nor may it be circulated with any modification or in
any form without due acknowledgement and the prior consent in writing of the publisher and
copyright owner.
Publisher's Note
(To Fourth Edition)
We should not be astonished that "The Path of Sri
Ramana" needs a fourth printing in a relatively short time.
Readers find and describe this book as "precise and
useful", the "Do it yourself" manual for doing one's duty :
to Be . . . happy. On one occasion Bhagavan Sri Ramana is
reported to have said - on the subject of sadhana - That it
cannot be done : the ego cannot want Liberation (its own
disappearance) and t he Self needs neither the ego nor
"sadhana". What remains to be done is to let Self do the
sadhana. How'? By relaxing, by "doing nothing". How? By
submitting, which is devotion. How? By knowing how?
That' s what this book gives : new clues, most valuable
insights. These have been enlarged upon, from the bhukti
approach as also for those wondering what to do with all
this in our day-to-day life. Those two separate parts will
soon see the English translation, also by Sri Michael James,
now an author in his own right, and our trustee.
Have a nice "suicide", or rather "ego-cide".
R.E. Hamsananandan (J.J. de Reede) Mahasivaratri, 23.2.'90
President , KANVASHRAMA 'TKUST "Mounalayam"
Sri Ramanasramam P.O.
Tiruvannamalai-606 603.
A Fifth Edition
Most cultures teach about the SIX SACRED ARTS: -
Sculpture, Painting, Dance, Music, Recitation, Architecture
as leading to the Seventh Art: to Be Self.
Here is Sad-Guru Ramana's Short-cut.
R.E. Hamsanananda (J.J. de Rcede)
President , KANVASHRAMA TRUST
Publisher's Note
Sixth Edition
We are very happy to bring forth this newly typesetted
sixth edition of "The Path of Sri Ranlana" - Part One - by
Sri Sadhu Om Swamigal; now for the first time with a new
cover desi gn, rnuch t he saxlie as t he Tamil Edi t i on
"Sri Ranlana Vazhi". The text and structure of the contents
remains unchanged as in the previous fifth edition.
We ar e very grat eful to t he members of - Sri
Arunachala Ramana Trust - for their precious collaboration
of seeing through the press and the proofs reading of this
work. Many thanks!
Last but not least our humble thanks to the late Sri
Hamsanandanji (Mr. J.J. De Reecle) our Founder-President,
who expired on 28.01.2000, who has given us the means,
the love and the inspiration to continue this service for the
seekers on the Path of Sri Ramana ..... Thank you!
Bhagavan's Aradhana Day Skanda Uhakta C. Rossi
6th hlay 2005 Kanvashrama Trust
Contents
Prefice
ABrief Life History of SriRamana
The Path of SriRamana
( Part One)
1. EternalHappiness is TheGoal
2. What isHappiness?
3. Self-enquiryisTheOnlyWay To Happiness
4. Who AmI ?
5. TheEnquiry,'Who Am I?'AndTheFour Yogas
6 . "Who Arll I?' isNot Soharn Bhavancl
7. Self-Enquiry
8. TheTechnique of Self-Enquiry
Appendix One
WhoAm I?(AnEnglish translation of Nan Yar?)
Appendix Two
a) Atina Vichara Patiknnl
(ElevenVerses onSelf-Enquiry)
b)
Yar Jnani?[WhoisJnani?)
c) SandehiYarendru Sarldehi !
(DoubttheDoubter !)
(1) Japa
Appendix Three
SadharlaAnd Work
01x1Namo Bhagavate Sri Arunachalara~nanaya
Preface
to the
Fourth Edition
Bhagavan Sr i Rarnana Mahar shi has t aught two
principal paths for the attainment of Self-knowledge, which
is the state of eternal, perfect and unalloyed happiness. The
first path He taught is the path of Self-enquiry, 'Who am I?',
which is the path of knowledge or jnana, while the second
path is the path of self-surrender, which is ' the path oS love
or bhakti. This book, The Path of Sri Ramana-Part One, is
2n exposition of the path of Self-enquiry, while the path of
self-surrender is expounded in the The Path of Sri Ralnana-
-Part Two.
How this book came i nt o exi st ence is briefly as
follows: After Bhagavan Sri Ramana cast off His mortal body
in 1950, many of His devotees from both India and abroad
gradually came to recognize Sri Satlhu Om Swamigal, the
aut hor of t hi s book, not onl y as one of t he foremost
disciples of Sri Bhagavan, but also as a person endowed
~ i i t ha rare gift to elucidate His teachings in a clear and
si mpl e manner whi ch could easily be underst ood and
followed in practice by all seekers of true knoluledge. Thus
nlany devotees used to approach Sri Swarnigal seeking
clarification from him about all aspects of Sri Bhagavan's
t eachi ngs, especi al l y about t he met hod of pr act i si ng
Self-enquiry. Finding the l uci d expl anat i ons given by
Sri Swamigal in answer to their various questions to be of
great help i n their spiritual practice, some devotees used to
make notes of the replies he gave orally, while others used
to collect and preserve the letters which he wrote to them
in answer to their doubts.
Knowing how useful the explanations given by Sri
Swamigal would be to all sincere seekers of truth, one of the
devotees of Sri Bhagavan, the late Dr R. Santananl, took
great pains over several years to gather together many of the
letters written by Sri Swamigal and many of the notes taken
by those who had visited him, and requested Sri Swamigal
to edit all the letters and notes into t he form of a book.
Since the material thus galhered by Dr Sailtanam ~onsi st ed
of r epl i ewhi ch were given under various different circum-
stances to devotees who were on various different levels of
understanding, and which were dealing with various diverse
scbjects such as devotion, Self-enquiry, yoga, karma, God,
world, soul, birth, death, liberation and so on, Sri Swamigal
felt it ~voul d not be appropriate to form a book consisting
of so many miscellaneous ideas, and hence he selected only
those ideas which were centered around the direct path of
Self-enquiry and edited then1 in such a manner that their
ideas would floxv i n a coherent sequence. What he t hus
edited was published by Dr Sant anam in 1967 i n Tamil
under the title Sri Rarr~ar~a Ihzhi (The Path of Sri Ramana),
Part One. Later, at the request of many devotees who did not
know Tamil, an English version of Part One was published
i n 1971.
When Part One of The Path of Sri Hallluna i n bot h
Tamil ant1 English began to reach t he hands of many
devotees of Sri Bhagavan living in various corners of the
lvorld, some of them began to ask Sri Sadhu Om Swamigal,
"Why does this book deal only with the direct path of Self-
enquiry? Why have you not written about the path of self-
surrender and various ot her aspect s of Sri Bhagvan' s
teachings, such as the truth He has revealed about the
nature of God, world, creation, karma and so on?" Therefore
Sri Swamigal once again took up the material gathered by
Dr Santanam, and from the various replies which he had set
asi de whi l e edi t i ng Part One, he compi l ed Part TWO,
consisting of three chapters namely (1) 'God and the World',
(2) 'Love or Bhakti', and (3) ' f i r i nn' , followed by a numl ~er
of explanatory appendices. Part Two was first published in
English in 1976, and though it is now out of print, it is
hoped that a new edition will later be brought out after the
translation has been thoroug-hly revised.
While replying to the questions on spiritual practice
put to him by Tamilians, Sri S~vamigal sometiines used to
reply by writing verses and songs, whi ch Dr Santanam
gathered together under the title Sadhunai Sararn (The
Essence of Spiritual Practice). In 1983 Sadhnnai Sai,clrn was
published in Tamil as the third part of Sri Ramancl Mizhi.
English translations of some of the verses from Sadhant ri
Sai am are included in this book as Appendix One.
I n 1984-85, when t he t hi rd Tainil edi t i on of Sri
Ramana I'azhi (parts One and Two) was being printed, Sri
Swami gal revi sed bot h parks, addi ng many fresh
explanations which he had given in reply to questions
raised by devotees who had read the earlier editions in
Tamil and English. hlany of the new explanations added in
the third Tamil edition of Part One and Two, and many of
the verses in Sadhunai Saram, are ye1 to be translated inlo
English, but if it is the will of Sri Bhagavan a co~npl et e
English translation of all three parts of The Path of S1.i
Ramuna will later be published.
This present fourth English edition of The Path of Sri
Ramana-Part One is substantially the same as the second
edition, which was published in India in 1981 and reprinted
as a third edition in U.S.A. in 1988. The only portion newly
added in this fourth edition is Appendix Three, 'Sadhana
and Work', whi ch was publ i shed as an article in Th e
Mount ai n Pat h, January 1984 i ssue, and whi ch many
devotees have found to be of great help for applying the
practice of Sri Bhagavan's teachings in their day-to-day life.
The author of this bonk, Sri Sadhu Om Swamigal,
developed a deep yearning for spiritual knowledge even in
his early childhood, and that yearning began to express
itself in his fourteenth year in the form of a copious flow
of Tamil verses and songs. In due course in his early
twenties his spiritual yearning naturally drew him to the
Feet of his Sadguru, Bhagavan Sri Ramana. 'Though his
outward contact with Sri Bhagavan lasted barely four years
(Pro111 July 1946 till April 1950), on account of his one-
pointed and unshakable devotion to Sri Bhagavan, his
sincere and steadfast adherence to the practice of His
teachings, and his total self-effacement, he soon became a
fit vessel to receive the Grace of Sri Uhagavan . n fullest
measure and to attain thereby firm and steady abidance in
the state of Self-knowledge.
Though the time a disciple has spent in the physical
presence of his Sadguru is not a criterion by which one call
judge his spiritual attainment, some people used to gauge
the worth of each devotee of Sri Bhaga~an by the rluiilber
of years they had lived with Hini. When one such person
once asked Sri Swainigal in a slightly clisparaging manner,
"You lived with Sri Karnana for only Five years; are there not
many who lived with Him for many more years than you
di d?" he repl i ed, "Yes, I a m i ndeed ashamed about i t ,
because when even five seconds were more than sufficient
for t he di vi ne Power ' s hi ni ng i n t he Pr esence of Sr i
Bhagavan to quench the spiritual thirst of mature souls, i f
five years were necessary in my case, does it not show my
state of immaturity?".
This reply was typical of the unassuming and self-
effacing attitude of Sri Swamigal. In spite of his versatile
genius as a Tamil poet of surpassing excellence, a talented
musician, a melodious and sweet-voiced singer, a lucid
writer of prose, and a brilliant philosopher endowed with
a deep spiritual insight and a power of expressing the truth
in a clear, simple and original manner, he never sought for
himself any recognition or appreciation from tlle world. In
fact, his life was a perfect exanlple of strict atlherence to the
principal precept taught by Sri Bhagavan, nanlely that we
should deny our-self at every ~nomcnt of life by giving no
importance to our own individual entity, and should tllus
completely erase our ego.
Though some of Sri Swamigal's writings in both prose
and poetry were published during his lifetime, and though
many more have been published in Tamil after he shetl his
pllysical body i n March 1985, his at t i t ude towards t he
publication of his writings was quite different from the
attitude of many other writers of spiritual or philosopl~ical
books, wh o of t hei r own accor d seek to s ha r e t hei r
knowledge with the world by writing and publishing books.
'We should not open the door unless it is knocketl' was the
principle underlying all his acts. Unless he was questioned
wi t h si ncere earnest ness, he woul d not speak or write
anything about spiritual matters. Rising and going outwards
to teach the world, getting on platforms to deliver lectures,
seeking to enl i ght en t he worl d by wri t i ng vol umi nous
books, foundirlg institutions, propagating religious doctrines
by publishing magazines - all such activities he useti strictly
to avoid. And i n doing so, he was but following the path
lived and exenlplified by Bhagavan Sri Kamana.
Sri S~vaniigal often used to say, "We should not run
after thc world; we should not look outwards at the world,
we should look irlwurtls at Self. Those scir111yasis who run
after the tvorld achieve neither the world nor Self (C;od). I f
we try to chase after our shadow, we will nevcr calch it; b1lt
if we go towards the sun, our shadow will automatically
comc running behind us. Those suilnyasis who are always
altending to thc world wilh the airn of tcac:lling the world
bcc:amc spoilt in lhc end. . . No Sagc (jncli~i] who cver came
on earl11 was thc product of an (1~11r(1111(1111, 1?1(1t11or a r ~ y
such inslitution. Each one of the111 stood alone and realized
thc Truth by hinlself. Thcre is no rule that a nlan can altain
truc knowledge [jnailn) only t ~ y t)t:conling an innlate of a
religious insti t i 1tion. 'Therefore, in the Ilanle of service to t he
Lvorld, lel no one cheal himsclf and retard his spiritual
progress by forming foundations ant1 associations and by
preat:hing, shoutirig slognns ant1 running ningazines".
An invitation once came to Sri Swamigal from an
earnest seeker in U.S.A., "Will you not corne to the West
and guide us?" His attitude is shown clearly i n his reply,
which ran as follows: ". . . It is therefore unnecessary for the
Reality to run after the world. IvIorcovcr, according to the
gr eat t r ut h di scover ed a nd r eveal ed t)y Sr i Ramana
Bhagavan, a good person l eadi ng a si mpl e yet hi ghl y
spiritual life and passing away unknowrl lo the world does
far greater good to the world than all the political and social
reformers and all the platform-heroes of philosophy. A truly
enlightened life will surely help earnest seekers even though
they may be living in a remote corner of the world and even
without any physical contact, communicalions, magazines
or writings. This is Sri Kamana Bhagavan' s met hod of
teaching the world through speech-transcending LIystic
Silence, the greatest Power. Is it not up to us to follow the
footsteps of our Guru, Sri Kamana' ? ... So why should I
think of going anywhere? As He who has guided me to His
home is the Father, Lord and inmost Self of one and all,
does He not know best how to guide home earnest seekers,
wherever they may he? Why then should an ego rise with
the thought 'I should guide people'? If such an 'I' were to
rise, would it not be a self-co11ceiti.d attempt to belittle the
Grace of Sri Ramana, the one reality? Therefore, the thought
of going to the West or thc East, or here, there or anywhere
else, has never occurred to me and will never occur to me!"
Thus Sri Swamigal stood as an example of how those
who wish to follow Sri Bhagavan should conduct their lives.
Because of hi s self-effacing at t i t ude, he was al ways
indifferent to the publicatioil of his writings either in Tainil
or in English. When he answered the questions of those
who came to him asking hiin how to practise the path of
Self-enquiry, he never expected that his replies would one
day becoine a book. At no time did he ever have the least
intention or sankulpa that lle should write a book.
Not to teach the world, the myth,
Not to gain a mass of wealth,
Not for name and fame that hails,
There a Sage in sumadhi dwells,
Flock you all and worship Him',
'Tis not for these I sing this hymn;
Only forthegreatreward,
The deathof ego,I pray,my Lord!
- SriRarnana Guruvarul Ant adi , verse 68.
Such was Sri Swamigal' s prayer to Sri Bhagavan.
When aspirants used to ask him questions about spiritual
matters Sri Swamigalwould sometimes reply, "Since you
ask me, I can answer, but only i n accordance with the
teachings of SriBhagavan.Do not expect meto givereplies
in such a manner as merely to please you. I can tell you
onlywhat I have come to know from SriBhagavan. If you
askaboutpaths otherthan SriBhagavan'spath Self-enquiry,
I can also, explain about them,but only in the light of Sri
Bhagavan' s t eachi ngs. Hi s t eachi ngs al one are t he
authoritative sastras for me. If the world chooses not to
accept my ideas,itdoesnot matter;let it throwthemaway".
Sri Swamigal was never concernedinthe least about what
others thought of his views, nor about whether or not his
ideaswould be valued by the world. As regards the books
which were published i n his name, he once said, "I told
whatever I know only for those who asked me. I do not
object if they wish to share these ideas with others by
printing them in the form of books. But I have not cometo
theworld forwritingbooks. I amnot awriter,nor doIhave
any desire to become a writer. If the world likes to have
these ideas, then it is its own responsibility to publish
them." Therefore thisbook is published only by those and
for t hose who appreci at e Sri Swamigal' s unswervi ng
adherence to t he clear and direct pat h shown by Sri
B hagavan.
SriBhagavan's teachings canbe found expressed with
perfect cl ari t y and i n a n undi l ut ed, unal l oyed and
definitative manner only inHis ownoriginal writings such
as Ul l adu Narpadu, Upadesa Undi yar and Sri Arunachal a
Stuti Panchakarn, and in the work Guru Vachaka Kovai, in
which His oral teachings have been recorded in a faithful
and aut hori t i ve manner by His foremost disciple, Sri
Muruganar. But since all these works are written in a terse
and classical style of Tamil poetry, their correct meaning
and import cannot be understood even by many educated
Tqmilians. This is one of the main reasons why most of the
translations of and commentaries upon these works contain
so many incorrect interpretations. Therefore, in orrier to
t ransl at e, comment upon or expound Sri Bhagavan' s
t eachi ngs fai t hful l y and accurat el y, one of t he most
important qualifications required of a person is that he
should :lave a thorough command over Tamil and should be
fully conversant, with all Sri Bhagavan's Tamil works. In
this respect Sri Sadhu Om Swamigal was ideally qualified,
because nc;.: only was he himself a great Tamil poet, but he
also had clcse and direct contact with Sri Bhagavan and a
long-standing literary association with Sri Muruganar.
However, mer e command over l anguage i s not
sufficient to enable a person to interpret and expound Sri
Bhagavan's teachings faithfully. In order to do full justice to
His teachings, a person must have a clear and deep insight
into their inner meaning, and such insight can be gained
only by one who has sincerely and one-pointedly put His
teachings into practice. In this respect also, Sri Sadhu Om
Swamigal was ideally qualified. When we read this book,
we can clearly see what a deep insight he had into the very
core of Sri Bhagavan's teachings, and we can also see how
his understanding covers and includes the whole range of
spirituality. From this it is clear that this book is not born
merely from study (sravana) of and reflection ( manana)
upon the teachings of Sri Bhagavan, but also from practice
xvi
( ni di dhyasana) of those teachings and true experience
(anubhava) of their goal.
Authority for most of the ideas expressed in this book
can be found either in Sri Bhagavan's original Tamil works
or in the various other books in whi ch devotees have
recorded His oral teachings. However, this book is not a
mert: rehash of all tne familiar ideas found in other books.
Not only do all the three parts of The Path of'Sri Ranlanu
present the wide range of Sri Bhagavan's teachings in a well
arranged and coherent fashion, but they also provide a
wealth of fresh and original insight into many of the ideas
which are found only in seed-form in other books. Such
freshness and originality is possible only because the author
had direct personal experience both of the path taught by
Sri Bhagavan and the goal shown by Him.
Since this book is thus based upoil practical spiritual
experience, and since it presents marly subtle ideas, each of
which bears a relation to all the others, the full import of
this book cannot be adequately grasped by reading it just
once. Having once read the book from beginning to end, if
we again start to read from the beginning, tve will be able
to understand each of the ideas in a clearer light. 'Therefore,
if we wish to derive the maximum benefit from this book,
we should study i t repeatedly, we sllould reflect over i t
deeply, and we should sincerely try to put into practice
what we learn from it, because then only will tve be able
to understand with full clarity all the many subtle points
expounded herein.
- PUBLISHER
Sri Sadhu Om
Om Namo Bhagavate Sri Arunachalaramanaya
A Brief
Life History of
Sri Ramana
' 2mong all the globes, this earth is the only
one for attaining Liberation, and among all the
countries on earth, Uharatam (India) is the best.
Among all the holy places (kshetras) in Bharatam,
where various divine powers are manifest and
functioning, Arunachalam is the foremost !"
"Tiruvarur, Chidambaram and Kasi are the
holy places which bestow Liberation upon those
who are born i n, who see, or who die i n t hem
respectively, but Arunachalam bestows Liberation
upon anyone on earth who merely thiuks of I t !"
'Sri Arunachala Vcnbo: verses 1and 2
Arunachalam is the heart of the earth. It is the primal
form ( adi lingam) of Lord Siva. It is the Hill of the fire of
Knowledge Cjnanagni). Since It appeared as the Hill of the
light of Knowledge between Brahma and Vishnu when they
were deluded, destroying their egos and teaching them the
true knowledge, Arunachalam was the Jnana-Guru even to
them. Because it has held the seat (peetam) of Jnana-Guru
for all the three worlds from the very beginning of time,
Arunachalam has even now manifested as the form of the
Sadguru, Bhagavan Sri Ramana, to instruct the whole world.
Further, to hint to us indirectly that it is none other than the
2
The Path of Sri Ramana - Part Onc
primal Guru Dakshinamurti (who appeared as a young lad
of sixteen), it came to Arunachalam and acceded to the seat
of Guru at the age of sixteen. It lived there for more than
half a century, saving countless souls from the disease of
birth and death.
Si nce t hi s Great One ( ma ha pur us hu) , wh o is
generally called by the holy name Sri Ramana Bhagavan,
addresses the Hill as Arunachalarainana in the last verse of
His hymn 'Sri Arurzachala Aksharamanamulai' , since in
Htma Vidya Kirtanam' verse 5' He says that Self, which He
experienced to be the Supreme Thing (para vastu), is that
which is called Annanlalai (Arunacllalam), and since He
replied to a devotee who asked about His real nature: "This
Arunaclialaramanan is the Supreme Self who blissfully
shines as consciousness in the core of the heart-lotus of all
souls beginning with Hari (Lord Vislinu)!", the secret comes
to light that hrunachalain, itself is Kanlana, Railiana Hiinsclf
is Arunachalam, and that the holy name truly befitting Him
is 'Sri Arunachala ramanan'! Hence, Om Namo Bhagavate
Sri Arunachalaramanaya2!
The Supreille Thi ng graclually matures t he soul s
towards the achievement of Self-knowledge (atmu-jnnna)
through so rnany births and finally, 1vhei1 tlicy arc fully
mature, incarnates Itself as the Sadguru, pulls all such ripe
souls to Its divine Feet froin wheresoever 011earth they were
born and besto~vs upon tlicm Its non-dual Union - such is
the divine plan. hlany are the special signs that are evident
when the Satigurrl incarnates, and those who arc wise car1
understand from such signs that He alone is the S[ i dgul - ~~.
1 'Tlic original rvor~ls or S1.l Bl~agavan ill this verse arc: ". . . c~nr ~c~l nt r l c~i
9x1 anilril.. ", xvhich incan eithcr 'Self, ~vhi ch is c:allcd Xnnamalai' or
Annamalai, 111y Sclf'.
2 Om, ollr obeisance tG, Rhagavan Sri Arunachalaramana.
3 A Brief Life History of Sri Ranlana ,
The four Sanakadi Rishis, who were highly mature
souls, were reluctant to take any of the three nlanifestations
of God, Brahma, Vishnu or Siva, as Guru, and wandered
away in search of the Sadguru until they eventually becane
old. At that time, Sri Dakshinamurti, who in spite of having
no Guru was Immersed in Seif, was sitting i n the for111 of a
si xt een- year - ol d boy unde r t h e banyan t r ee, f aci ng
sout hwar ds wi t h chi nmudr a ( t he hand- pose i ndi cat i ng
knowl edge, chi t ) . Whe n t hey came i nt o Hi s gr aci ous
Presence they felt attracted, and through the maturity of
t hei r under st andi ng they recogni zed, ' Thi s is t he real
Sadgur u' ! They sat at His Feet a nd t hr ough His si l ent
Teaching realized Self. Just as Sri Dakshi namur t i , t he
or i gi nal Gur u wh o Hi msel f [ a t ma n ) wa s Gur u to
Hi msel f , became t h e Gur u for al l t he wor l ds , Sr i
Ramaria Bllagavan ha s al so become tlle Gur u for al l
the worlds without Himself having a Guru. I t is a well-
known fact that all the Great Ones who came on eart h,
i ncl udi ng Sr i Kama a nd Sr i Kr i s hna, haci t o have a
Guru i n human form. Although t he Uuddl ~a, and a few
ver y ma t ur e s oul s l i ke Hi m, wer e abl e to obt ai n
knowledge of the Reality wi t hout even a Jnancl- G L ~ ~ L I ,
He at t ai ned t he goal onl y after llaving gone to ma ny
f ake a nd wor t hl es s gur us a n d havi ng been
di sappoi nt ed many t i mes, and after having under t aken
st r enuous efforts al one for many years. But Bhagavan
Sri Ranlana, prompt ed oilly by the fear of deat h whi ch
over po\ ver ed Hi m of i t s own accor d, at t ai ned Sel f -
realization wi t hi n a short nlonlent as a sixteen-year-old
schoolboy, wi t hout a Guru either i n hurnan form or i n
any of the forms of God, and wi t hout having clone any
s adhana or t apas ! The knowledge of the Keality whi ch
dawned in Him on that day ever remained will1 Him as His
4
The Path of Sri Ramana - Part One
natural state (sahaj a sthiti), nothing being added to or
removed from it. Even though Bhagavan Sri Ramana, who
thus shines as the foremost Jnana-Guru for the whole world,
is really none ot her t han t he namel ess and formless
Supreme Thing, in accordance with our ignorant outlook of
taking the course of the life of His body as His holy life
history, let us see a sketch of His biography.
Bhagavan Sri Ramana was born on the 30th December
1879 as the second son of Sundaram Iyer and Azhahammal
i n Tiruchuzhi, a Siva-kshetra thirty miles south-east of
Madurai in Tamil Nadu, a province of south India. His
parents named Him Venkataraman. His elder brother was
Nagaswami, His younger brother was Nagasundaram, and
Alarmelu was their sister.
Venkataraman completed His primary education in
Tiruchuzhi and Dindukkal. When He was twelve years old,
owing to the fact that His father passed away,3 He and His
elder brother moved to their paternal uncle' s house in
Madurai to continue their higher education in the American
Mission High School. Though He had a clear and sharp
intellect and a keen power of memory, it seems that He did
not use them in His school work. He was merely an average
student in His class, but having a healthy body. He was
foremost in wrestling, football, staff-fighting, swimming, and
so on. Before He stood for the tenth standard examination,
t he great divine change in His life took place all of a
sudden. To bring about this great change He did not read
3 When, after hearing of His father's death, Venkataran~ail came from
Dindukkal to Tiruchuzhi to see him, He wondered: "When father is
lying here, why do they say that he has gone?". Some elders then told
Him, "If this were your father, would he not receive you with love?
So you see, he has gone." This illformatioil might have roused in Him
the idea that this body was not his father, the person. We may assume
that this was a seed which afterwards - blossomed in Him at the age
of sixteen.
5 A Brief Life History of Sri Ramana
any scripture nor did He have a Guru. Though by chance
He had read the ' Periyapuranam' , the lives of the sixty-three
Tamil Saints, even that was not the actual cause for His
Self-realization. Then what could have been the cause'?
It was o n a day i n mi d- J ul y i n t he year 1896.
Venkataraman was sitting alone i n a small room upstairs.
Though there was no sickness in the body, a great fear arose
in Him that He was going to die. It happened not merely as
an imaginary or superficial fear, but as an actual experience
of death. He was not perturbed by this. He did not even
inform anyone of it. He boldly welcomed the forthcoming
death and ventured to scrutinize it and find the result of
this scrutiny for Himself. "Yes, death has conie; let it come.
What is death? To whom does it come? To me. Who an1 I?
What is it that is dying? Yes, it is this body that is dying;
let it die" : deciding thus, He laid down stretching His arms
and legs. Closing His lips tightly and remaining without
speech or breath, He t urned His attention very keenly
towards Himself. Death was experienced! What did He come
to know at that time?
"All right, this body is dead. Now it will be taken to
the cremation ground and burnt. I t will become ashes. But
with the destruction of this body, ain I also destroyed? ,4111
I really this body? Untouched by this death \vhich lias
turned the body into a corpse, here arid now I a m still
existing and shining! Then I am not this perishable botly.
I and i t are different. I am the indestructible 'I' (Self). Of all
things, I, unbound by the body, alone arn real. The body
and worl d are meant only for dest ruct i on, but I , 1~110
transcend the body, am the eternal Supreme Thing!"
This true knowledge of Self (atmcl-jncina) shone forth
clear in Him as a direct experience, and the fear of death
which had risen in Him vanished once and for ever. From
6
ThePath of SriRamana- Part One
that time onwards,this stateof Self-experiencecontinued to
shinepermanently in Him asHisnaturalstateunbound by
timeand spaceandwithout increase or decrease.Although
afterwarcls many people believed that in His earlyyears in
Tiruvannamalai Sri Bhagavan was perforniing deliberate
aust er i t i es ( t apas ) or doi ng s ome spi r i t ual pr act i ces
(sadhanas), onanumber of occasionsinHislateryears He
clearly refuted such ideas. He once said, "The sun that
s hone i n Madur ai was f ound t o r emai n t he same i n
Tiruvannarnalai. Nothing was newly aclcled to or removed
from mye ~pe r i e nc e " . ~
Thus,without an outer Guru and without any inner
age-longstrenuoussndhnnn, Venkataraman attained on the
veryfirstattempt thenatural stateof Self-knowledge(sohnjn-
4 011anol l ~cr occasion, on 4th October 1946, when a t1cvr)tcc nanlcd
Rofcssor L1.S. Snrma a\kctl fIim ivlicthcr tlicrc was elvera n . period
of p~lrgation orsacllinrin in His life,SriUhagavan replictl :-
"I kno~vno sucli pcriotl. I never performetl anyI,mnnjJanln orjupo.
I kncu, no rr~i~r~tr.crs. or contemplation. I had no idea of mctlitation
Evcn \v11ell I cnnlc to licar of such things later.I was ncvt:r attrac:tcd
by t l ~cm. Even now Iny mind refuses to pav any attention to them.
Sa dl ~a na iii~plics an objcct to bc gainccl ailcl the illcalls of gaining it.
LVhat is t here to bc gainctl i\rliich wc do not alrcatly possess'! In
nlcditation, concentration and cont en~~) l at i on, wliat \tnehave to dois
onlynot to think of anytiling,but to bc still!'I'lien ~ v c shall 11c in our
natural statc.This llatural statcis sivcn man; names- r~rokshn. jnnna,
atlnn, ctc. Tllcrc ivas a timc when I 11setlto rcmaiii wit11 my eyes
closcd. That docs not mcan that I was practising anysodhana thell.
Evcu now I somctimcs remain wit11 ~ n y cycs closcd.If people clloose
to say that I ail1tloing somescrdl ~ar~n at the momciit,let them say so.
I t ~nakcsnodiffcrcncc to mc.I'eople sccln to think that by practising
someelaboratesadhanothc Sclf u~oultl solncclay descend11l)onthein
as something \'cry big and with tremendous glory ancl tliey ~voul d
t hen have \vhat is callctl sakshnt kurnm [real i zat i on). Tllc Scl r is
snkshnt [tlircct],all right, but there is no knraln [tloing)or krittrln
(t l o~i c) about it. The \\lord kararrl implies onc' s tloiiig something.But
t he Sclf is real i zed not by one' s doi ng somet hi ng, but L I ~onc' s
refraining fromdoing anything- by remaining still ant1being simply
what onereally is !"
7
A Brief Life History of Sri Kamana
atma-jnana-sthiti),which is declared by the Upanishads and
all other Vedantic sciptures to be the unsurpassed state and
the supreme benefit of human birth!
Thi s experi ence, Sel f-at t ai nment , brought fort h
indescribable vast changes even in t he outward life of
Venkataraman. Since it was now His clear experience that
He was the eternal, perfect Reality, which is other than the
body, from that day onwards His life was transformed into
a new and wondrous one whi ch coul d i n no way be
con~patible with that of ordinary people, a life which they
could not even understand, let alone imitate, no matter how
hard they might try.
After this experience, the slight interest in school
lessons which there was before left Hiin completely; He still
went to school, but siirlply to please others. Even the taste
for games, whi ch once appeal ed to Him so i nuch,
di sappeared ent i rel y from Hi s mi nd. The l ove and
attachments towards friends and relatives also faded alvay,
as did the interest in food and mundane activities. He 1vho
in the past had aIways fought for the right, nolv became
indifferent and no longer reacted in any way to~vards any
kind of Ivrong or right. His previous nature of responding
wilh severe blo~vs if anyone scolded Him changed, and no~v
a sweet smile of forgiveness and indifference would appear
on His face as a reply!
What a wonderful change! The Sel f-experi ence
transformed Him into a perfect Sadliu. Love, non-violence,
patience, compassion, forgiveness, control over the senses,
humility, fearlessness - all such divine qualities settled in
Him naturally and in full, not due to practice but as a result
of Self-experience. To Him a life of worldly activities was
now meaningless, dry and unreal, just as a dream is useless.
8 The Path of Sri Ramana - Part One
empty and unreal to him who has woken up from it. He
was often seen to be sitting in solitude, absorbed and
revelling in Self. In truth, the former Venkataraman was no
longer there, and Bhagavan Ramana alone did shine!
An incident which gave a hint of this Self-absorption
even at the age of twelve took place in Dindukkal when
Venkataraman was studying there, but those who were
around Him at that time did not reco~ni ze its importance
and preciousness. One day, while His relatives had gone
out, Venkataraman lay on His bed after locking the house
from inside. On their return, even though they knocked at
the door and called Him loudly, the cloor was not opened.
After finding another way to enter the house, they again
tried to wake Him f r o~n His sound sleep by shaking, rolling
and, beating His body heavily. But all in vain, Venkataraman
would not wake up! After some time, however, He woke up
of His own accord. The people assembled there wondered
at this exclaiming : "A sleep of Kumbhakarnan5!". But this
state was neither a dull sleep nor a swoon, it was in fact the
state of samcidhi! Once, years after, Sri Bhagavan remarked
about this state : "The result of what was done and left had
now resumed again, on account of which the attention was
always in the source (Self)."
Si nce Venkataraman had lost all i nt erest i n His
studies, His school-teacher started to punish Him. Even
Nagaswami, His elder brother, grew angry noticing the vast
change i n Hi m. Whenever he s aw Hi m si t t i ng i n
Self-absorption, he would jeer at Him : "What a great Sage,
5 Kurnbhakarnan was a rakshasa in thc Kamaya~ia renownet1 for his
long sleep lasting six months.
6 i.e. In previous births [refer to 'The Path of Sri Ramana - Part Two',
appendix 2, ' The resu~ilptlon of actions birth after birth').
9
A Brief Life History of Sri Ramana
a yogiswara!"; but Venkat araman, who had t he cl ear
knowledge of the Reality and was thereby unshakable, did
not mi nd all this. One day His t eacher gave Hi m an
imposition to write three times an English grammar lesson
which he had failed to learn.
Next day, it was a Saturday, the 29th of August 1896;
Sri Ramana had written the imposition twice when He felt
a dejection towards this useless work. Throwing away the
pencil and notebook, He sat up and closed His eyes in Self-
absorption (nishtha). Nagaswami, who was sitting nearby,
was saddened at seeing this. With the intention of correcting
his brother, he exclaimed with pity and anger, "Yes, why all
these for one like this?". To Him who would usually have
been indifferent towards such a remark, the words seemed
meaningful on that particular occasion. He thought, "Yes,
what he says is true. What do I now have to do here and
with these things? Nothing!". He immediately resolved to
l eave t he house. All at once t he r emembr ance of
Arunachalam flashed spontaneously through His mind. He
decided, "Yes, Arunachalam is the only place for me to go
to !". As He got up and started to walk out, Nagaswami
asked Him to get five rupees from their aunt and pay his
college fees.
Sri Ramana consul t ed an ol d map of Madras
presidency, which unfortunately did not show the branch-
line from Villupuram to Katpadi, midway along which lies
Tiruvanrlamalai (Arunachalam); He therefore thought that
Ti ndi vanam was t he cl osest rai l way st at i on to
Tiruvannamalai. Out of the five rupees given by His aunt,
He took with Him only three. He hastly wrote a note and,
leaving it along with the remaining two rupees, He left the
house. The note said :-
10
ThePath of SriRamana - Part One
in search of my Father
I h by His order am going,leaving this place. This is
undertaking only a good cause. Therefore no one need
grieveover thisaction.To see this,there is noneed even to
spend money.
Yo~ir fees have n o t 1 Thus
yet been paid. I
Herewith areRs.2 1
Instead of asignature,onlyastraightlinewas drawn
at the bottom of the note. The formation of the sentences
here holds a deep meaning. 'I', the word starting the first
sentence,changed into'this' in the next,and even this'this'
hadvanishedby the endof the note,which isconcluded by
the absenceof asignature!
Yes, the humanbody, \vhich ivas considered to be 'I'
so long as the sense of ' I' ( ahui ~kar ai nl and the sense of
' mi ne' [inainakal.ain)l ast cd, became to hi111 ' t hi s' , an
insentientand alien object,assoon asthc ' I' and ' minc' hat1
been surrendered to Gocl! When the union (i.e.oneness)
with the Supremefirially takes place,what elsecan remain
as a separate entity! I t is this state of oneness whi ch is
sho~vn by the absence of a signature. Ho\v clear, the state
of pcrfcctjnunu 'evenat tlie age of sixteen!!Theinsertion
just after theword 'I' of the phrase ' in searchof my Father'
clearly points out that solongas the senseof 'I' is retained
one shoul d depend upon God as one' s sole refuge. No
\vould be non-dualist (advaitin)can rightly deny Gocl and
a dua l l ove t owar ds Hi m so l ong as hi s s ens e of
individuality survives.
SriRamana went to Madurairailway station.In those
days,the threerupeeswhichHe had taken thinkingit to be
the approximate train fare was exactly the right amount to
7 Jnnnn :the stateof true knowledge, in whi ch nothing exists but Sclf.
11
go from Madur ai to Ti r uvannamal ai . But what was to
happen? Not knowi ng t hat He coul d go all the way t o
Tiruvannamalai by train, He took a ticket for Tindivanam
instead and got into the train. During the journey, a maulvi
(an Islamic priest) sat near Hinl and talked to Him of his
own accord, informing Him that He should change train at
Villupuranl to go to Tiruvannamalai. Now, with the money
still remaining, Sri Ramana was able to reach only as far as
hlamhazhappattu. There He got down and walked ten miles
i n t he di rect i on of Arunachal anl . He reachetl Araiyani
Nallur temple, which is built on a rock, but was not allowed
to stay there for the night. He then walked tiown with the
priest to Viratteswara temple in Kizhur. After t he puja was
over, Sri Ran~ana, who, was tired and hungry, asked t he
priest for some prasadam (the food consecrated by being
offercd to God). The brahmin priest refused, but the temple-
piper, whose heart was moved on seeing this, pleaded with
hi m, "Sir, ki ndl y give Hi m at least my port i on of t he
prasadan~. "On account of the request of that virtuous man,
who illustrated by his action the description of a perfect
br al l mi n: '''The br ahnl i n is h c , t he vi r t uous , wh o is
coinpassionate to every creature on earth" a little food was
placed in the hands of Sri Ramana. He spent that night
nearby, and the nest morning ~vl l i ch xvas the day of Sri
Krishna Jayanthi, He llappened to come to the housc of orie
Muttukrishna Bhagavatar. Altar He had taken some food in
tlle Bhagavatar's house, the txvo gohl ear-rings ~vhic11 fIe was
wearing came sutldenly to Hlis memory; removing them
from His ears, He handed then1 over to the Uhagavatar and
was given four rupees. With this money He bought a train
ticket to Tiruvannamalai. Early next morning, Tuesday the
1st September 1896, he arrived at Sri Arunachalam, whi ch
12
had occupiedHis heart fromHis childhood andwhich had
nowrobbed off His mind anddrawnHim near.
He went di rect l y to t he i nner s hr i ne of
Sri Arunachaleswara temple and surrendered Himself
~ompl et el y' ~. The intense heat which was till then in His
body at once subsi ded. The journey of t he soul , the
ri ver, had ended once for al l at i t s dest i nat i on, t he
ocean of Bliss. Sri Ramana came out of t he i nner
s hr i ne, perfect l y cont ent ed wi t h t he t reasure - t he
fullness of J nana. Si nce all freedom of mi nd, speech
and body had been s ur r ender ed to Sri
Ar unachal eswar a, Sri Ramana became effort l essl y
si l ent . When someone appr oached Hi m and asked,
Swami, will you have your head shaved?",Sri Ramana
nodded affirmatively being convi nced t hat it was the
will of SriAruhachaleswara.His long, fine and wavy hair,
which was like a beautiful black creeper, was in no time
removed andaclean-shavenheadremained.He threw away
the sacred thread, the signof His caste.From His dhoti He
tore off a piece for a loin-cloth and discarded the rest,
together with the remaining money which was tied in a
corner. The packet of sweets given to Him by the loving
l ady i n t he Bhagavat ar' s house was t hr own i nt o
Ayyankulam tank.He did not even take a bath afterbeing
shaved,but on His way back to the teniple there was an
unexpected downpour. Perhaps this shower from the sky
was the ceremonial bath (avabri t ha-snanam)given by Sri
Arunachaleswara to His divine Son on the completion of
the greatest tapas! Sri Ramana reached the temple and sat
absorbed insamadhi in the thousand-pillared mantapani.
9 In lateryears SriBllagavan revcalccl that when Hecilterccl the telllple
thegate of (heinnershrinewas openandnoonewaspresent.Healso
added that at that tiine FIc ernbraced tlic Lingon?.
13
But can the foolish world understand the greatness of
Sages? Some wicked people and mischievous chi l dren
started to trouble Him by mocking, "Mad boy, dumb fellow",
and by throwing stones and pieces of broken pots. Yes, it is
the usual treatment available to all Great Ones who came
on earth, is it not? Did not Buddha, Mahavira, Jesus and
others receive such treatment from the people? This was
therefore nothing new! Though indifferent to t hem, Sri
Rarnana withdrew Himself from their sight and went down
into a nearby cellar, t he ' Pat al a Li ngam' , where no one
dared to go even in day-time as it was so dark. There He sat
immersed i n s a ma d h i , concealing Himself behi nd t he
l i ngam. Ilays rolled on, yet He did not stir from s amadhi !
Since He was established in oneness with the Reality - the
state transcending the knowledge of the world and body -,
how could there be hunger and thirst to either the body or
the mind? For Him who was drowced in the bliss of I nana
- the state of bodilessness - how could there be a feeling of
pain or any misery caused by the outside world?
On the damp ground where Sri Ramana was sitting
were many ants, termites, mosquitoes, flies and centipedes.
They began to eat away the lower side of His thighs and
blood started oozing out. The oozing blood clotted, pus
formed, and both mixed with the mud, thus sealing the
body to the ground. Yet He was not at all disturbed by this,
for He knew nothing of it. Do we not read stories in the
puranas about Rishis such as Valmiki who were immersed
in t apas while ant-hills grew over their bodies and birds
made nests and lived on their heads? By living thus before
our eyes, Sri Ramana has proved in modern times that these
stories were not false!
People came to know of this many days later through
Sri Seshadri Swami , a great soul who l i ved i n
14
Tiruvannamalai at that time. Though Sri Seshadri Swalni
appeared to be a madman, he was in fact a saint, and some
good folk understood his exalted state and revered him. He
was able to recognize the genuine greatness of the Jnancl of
Sri Ramana : ' The legs of the snake are known only to a
snake', says the proverb. One day, having just come out of
t he Pat al a Li ngam, Sr i Ses hadr i Swani i i nf or med
Venkatachala Mudaliar, a devotee of his, "Tllere is a small
Swami inside, go and see"; so saying, he walked away.
Though it was clay-time, Venkatachala Mudaliar took a
l ant ern and along wi t h some others entered t he Patala
Lingam. They called Sri Ramana loudly, but as there was no
response they lifted His body. Alas, because the body was
sealed to the earth and was now forcibly separated, blood
rushed out through the fresh wounds! On seeing this they
were awe-struck. Carefully and gently they brought the body
out and kept i t in the Gopuram Subramania temple. Even
then Sri Rarllana did not regain body-consciousiiess, but
remained in sciinadhi!
Sorne devotees, prompted by their convictioll that Sri
Rarmana was God in human form, engaged tllemselves with
great fervour in His service. Once in many days, whencver
He opened His eyes, they n~oul d feed Him With a little milk,
crushed bananas, or liquid food. The outward activities of
Sri Ramana such as taking food and answering tllc calls of
nature went on just like those of a slecping chiltl. On those
occasions when His eyes did not open for sonie days, they
would themselves open His mouth anti try to pour i n at
least a small quantity of liquid inixtme.
Sri Kainana stayed in Arunachaleswara temple for a
few mont hs, but He di d not like people often crowding
around to see Him; preferring to be alone, He moved to
15 A Brief Life History of Sri Ramana
Gurumurtham temple, which was fairly far away from the
town, and for about one and a half years He remained there
in samadhi.
In the meanwlhile, the note which He left in bladurai
had been found, whereupon His elder brother Nagaswami,
His mother, uncle and other relatives and friends had begun
to search for Him i n many places, but had so far been
di ssappoi nt ed. At l ast t hey came t o know of Hi s
wher eabout s t hr ough one Annanl al ai Tambi ran, who
had been serving Sri Ramana in Gurunlurtham temple.
Since Subbaiyar the uncle with whom Sri Ramana had been
l i vi ng i n Madur ai , had r ecent l y passed away,
Nellaiyappaiyar, Subbaiyar's younger brother, started at once
for Ti r uvannan~al ai . He came to Gurumurt ham, but no
mat t er how much he ent reat ed Hi m to come back to
hIadurai, Sri Rainana remained silent. Having failed in his
attempt, Nellaiyappiyar returned home empty-handed.
Seeing his fruitless effort, Azhahamnlal herself came
to Tiruvannamalai accompanied by Nagaslvami as soon as
she could. At that time, December 1898, Sri Ramana was
staying on IJavazhakundru, an eastern spur of Arunachalam.
When His mother saw the pitiable conclition of His body,
she burst into tears and prayed :
"hIy dear ctiil(1, come back to IvIadurai. How can I
possibly bear to live comfortably in a home when you are
lying here on stones and thorns? Don't be stubt)orn my boy,
please don't show such dispassion! Your mother's heart is
torn apart. Corrle home, my child! "She wept bitterly ant1
implored Him i n ever so many ways. Nagaswaini also
repeatetlly pleaclecl and repented: "Alas! I didn't really mean
i t when I spoke in that way; I never imagined that it would
bring about such a calamity!" Though they stayed and
16
appealed for ten days, not even the slightest sign either of
consent or of refusal appeared on the face of Sri Ramana.
He remained as silent as ever. Some of the onlookers, being
unable to bear with this pitiful sight, gave Sri Ramana a
piece of paper and a pencil, and begged Him, "Swami, your
mother is sobbing and her heart is bleeding; graciously give
your reply, at least in writing; you need not break your
silence!" He wrote :-
"According to the prarabdha (i.e. destiny] of each one,
He, its Ordainer, being in every place [i.e. in every soul] will
make it play its role. That which is not to happen will never
happen, however hard one tries. That which is to happen
will not stop, in spite of any amount of obstruction. This is
certain! Hence, to remain silent is the best."
What a steadfastness born of Self-knowledge (j nana)!
What a steadfastness free not only of affection, but also of
aversion! How great an unshakability of mind, when even
a mountain would have moved!
"The state of one who abides unshaken in SeIf
has more grandeur than the mightiest mountain:"
"Tirukkural". versc 124
What could the devotees and His mother do? She
returned home afflicted.
Do not many among us wonder why Sri Ramana
behaved in such a fashion towards His mother, since it is
now a well-known fact that not only all human beings, but
also birds and beasts enjoyed His gracious benevolence?
So long as Azhahammal was filled with motherly
affection and showed the ignorance of attachment: 'You are
my child. I am your mother, your protector! Come home
with me', was it not the task of Sri Ramana to remove that
1 7
A Brief LifcI-Iistoryof SriRamana
ignorantoutlookand thus saveher?Therefore,by thesword
of suchsilenceHewascutting at theknot of attachmerit in
her.Thiswas not to abandon her,but to take her finally as
His own;it was only the first step to make her renounce
ever yt hi ng a n d to come to t he Fect of her s on, t he
entbodiment of lnana. Moreover, on another occasion, in
1914,whenHis mother came to seeHim and happened to
suffer fromahigh fever,SriRanlana composed fourverses,
wher eupon t he fever subsi ded. She t hen r et ur ned to
Madurai.
Soon after His mother's first visit,Sri Ramana nloved
to Virupakshi cave.It was in those years that theswarm of
disciples gat hered ar ound Hi m to dr i nk t he nectar of
instructions flowing from the fullybloomed lot11.sof Jnnnn.
Yes,' When the tree yields ripe fruit, doss one need to call
the fruit-bats?' . Sri Bhagavan's Illere gracious and silent
presence shoneas the Sun-of-Selfand cleared the doubts of
the devotees andblossolned their hearts. 'She young Sri
Ranlana was only about twenty years old at that time,but
the discipleswho came to Him with the hunger for lnnna
werei l ~uch olderandvery learned!
''k1ow ~vonderful! Youngwas the Guru whoshone
under thebanyan tree, and aged were thedisciples
who came ! Silence was the speech given bv the
beloved Guru,and the dout ~t s i n the disciples'
minds were cleared ! " l o
- t he same wonder happened i n t he Presf:nce of Sri
Ramana!
Though t he wor l d was abl e to r ecei ve some
instructions from Hiin inwriting,andlater orallyalso,there
10 t\ Sanskrit vcrse on Sri Dakshiilaniurti which was translated into
Tamil by SriBliagavan.
18
were many aspirants whose doubts have all been cleared
andwho have been saved by His mere silent Presence.
"Silence isthe unequalled eloquence-
the state of Grace that rises within."
- Sri Bhagar~an
' Silence is the unfailing Teaching ( upades a) . Writing or
speech cannot stand equal to it;sometimes they may even
be an obstruction!'- thus saysSriRamana.
In 1900,Gambhiram Seshayyar, who was making
efforts on the path of raja yoga, often visited Sri Ramana
and, whenever He opened His eyes from samadhi, would
askHimquestionsregardingspiritualpractices. Gambhirarn
Seshayyarwould giveSriRarnana pieces of paper andapen
to write His replies; the replies written by Sri Ramana on
suchoccasionswere afterwardsedited by Sri Natananandar
andPublished by theAsramamin the original Tamil under
the title 'Vichara Sungruham'. Thework ' Nan Yar?' ['Whoam
I ?' ) was received froin Sri Ramana in a similar manner by
SriSivaprakasamPilIai.Though smallinsize,thiswork has
now become famous on account of i t s power to save
humanityby showingthe rightway to thesupremebenefit.
The answers given by Sri Ramana to the questions of Sri
Natananandar havebecomethework ' Upadesa Manjari'. In
1907,agreat Samskrit poet, Kavya Kanta GanapatiSastri,
cameto visit SriRamana. He was an ascetic [tapasvi) who
had performed many millions of mantra-japas, but he was
still not able to understand what is real tapas; hence he
approached Sri Rarnana and said, "I have learnt all the
Vedas, performed nlillions of mant ra- j upas, undergone
fasting and other austerities, yet I still do not know what
t api s really is.Please instructme." SriBhagavan replied: "If
watched wherefrom the 'I' starts,there the mind merges;
19
that is tapas." However, when Ganapati Sastri further asked,
"Is it possible to attain the same state through japa?", Sri
Ramana repl i ed: "When a mant r am is pr onounced, if
watched wherefrom the sound starts, there the mind will
merge; that is tapas. "
After receiving these instructions, Sri Kavya Kanta
Ganapati Sastri declared: "He is no ordinary soul. He is the
perfect j nana-Guru. Si nce He ever remai ns i n nat ur al
Sel f - abi dance, He is veri l y Bhagavan Mahar shi ",
and prai sed Hi111 in verses as Bhagavan Sri Ramana
Maharshi. It is only from that day that He was known by
this name.
Bhagavan Sri Ramana is a unique and divine poet. His
poetic genius in Tamil, His mother-tongue, breathes a fresh
life into the sacred style of the poets of yore. Besides being
compact and terse, the flow of His sublime Tarnil poetry is
noble and pregnant with new and rich import. To say the
truth, Bhagavan Ramana is a Vedic Rishi who has given us
Tamil Upanishads. Further, not only was He a poet in Tamil,
but also in Sanskrit, Malayalanl and Telugu. He was the first
to have been able to cornpose Telugu verses in vcnba, an
extremely difficult Ta~ni l metre.
Mother Tanlil has been adorned by Him with ever so
many gems of jnana in the form of verses of unsurpassed
worth! However, Bhagavan Ralnana was not merely a writer.
He never had an intention ( sankal pa) to write anything.
Indeed, intentionlessness (ni ssankal pa) was t he state in
which He lived from thc day He set foot in Arunachalam.
How then was the world blessed with at least some words
of instruction from Bhagavan Sri Ramana? Do we not admit
the existence ot God, t he Supreme Power who creates,
sustains and destroys the world? It is that same Power who,
20
having the prayers, doubts and questions of the devotees as
its motive and using Sri Bhagavan's mind, speech and body
as its instruments, gave through Him spiritual instructions
for t he salvation of humani t y. Somet i mes, sweet and
precious Tamil verses would flow from Him in answer to
the questions of devotees. The instructions of Sri Bhagavan
which we now have are those which escaped from His lips
in this manner. All of them, when collected and edited,
make up His complete works. Among them, five stotras,
hymns, and three sastras, scriptures, are the important
works. The stotras are 'Sri Arunachala Stuti Panchakam'
('The Five Hymns to Sri Arunachala'), and the sastras are,
'Upadesa Undhiyar' ' Ul l adhu Narpadhu' and 'Guru
Vachaka Kovai'.
In response to Sri Muruganar, the foremost devotee of
Sri Bhagavan and a great Tamil poet, Sri Bhagavan not only
composed in Tamil 'Upadesa Undhiyar' but He al so
compiled 'Ulladhu Narpadhu', which is an unequalled
Upanishad, by revising some of His previous verses and by
composing many new ones. 'Guru Vachaka Kovai' is the
treasure- house of Sri Ramana's instructions collected and
preserved in Tamil verses by Sri Muruganar, ail of the111
being the day-to-day sayings of Sri Bhagavan from the very
early days. These three important works of Sri Bhagavan,
which have come into existence having Sri hfuruganar as
the sole motive, form 'Sri Ramana Prastanatrayam' (the
three works ol divine authority on Moksha by Sri Ranlana).
Arunachal am, the sacred Hill, is t he primal and
foremost form ol Lord Siva. Indeed it is Siva Hirriself. Sages
not only show us the path, but also set an example by
treading upon it themselves; in this manner, 5hagavan Sri
21
Ramana Himself often did Arunachala-pradakshinaml1 i n
the company of His devotees. It is described in the puranas
how this Giripradakshinam was the sole means by which
Unnamulai Ambikai, the consort of Sri Arunachaleswara,
became Ardhanariswara (when her form combined with that
of the Lord). Moreover, when even Sri Arunachaleswara, the
Divinity in the temple, circumambulates the Hill twice
every year, how can we concei ve of the great ness of
Arunachala-pradakshinam? It was on the occasion of one
such prdakshi nam, i n the days when He was living in
Virupakshi cave, that Sri Bhagavan composed the renowned
'Sri Arunachala Aksharamanamalai', the first of the Five
Hymns. Ivlany thousands of His devotees now recite this
hymn as a means t o remember Arunachal am, whi ch
bestows Liberation when merely thought of.
To have been the birth-place of the ' Guru for the
whole universe' (loka maha guru) is the great fortune of
Tamil Nadu. Far greater still was the fortune of Azhahammal
to have given birth to such a Great One, and immense was
her merit to have sacrificed her son for the benefit of the
whole world! How could such a sacrifice have gone in vain?
It ultiiriately crowned her with the attainment of Liberation!
As time went on, Azhahan~mal became a prey to the divine
attraction of Sri Bhagavan, who lived as an atitasramil"
one for whom there is neither attraction nor aversion
towards relatives. Gradually Sri Uhagavan's Grace ripened
her and made her renounce her native place, home, and all
family and worldly attachments, till at last in 1916 she
returned and took refuge at His Feet, thus becoming one
11 Prndoksl~rnclr~l means walking barefoot around a sacred object having
it to one' s right-hand sidc.
12 Atitnsrnrni : one bcvo~l d the four asmnlas, the stages of life in Hi ndu
society.
2 2 The Path of Sri Ramana - Part One
among the disciples who had already surrendered to Him.
Nagasundaram, Sri Bhagavan's younger brother, followed
her and also took refuge at His Feet. He later became a
sannyasin, taking the name Sri Niranjanananda Swami, and
it was he who was the sole cause for the formation and the
developnlent of the present Sri Ramanasramam. Some of the
devotees who were with Sri Bhagavail at that time feared
that He might go away if relatives also crowded around
Him; furthermore, some objections were raised against
Azhahanlmal staying with Sri Bhagavan. Little did they
know, however, that relatives could now only float on the
surface like the water-lily, and could never be like salt,
which dissolves in and contaminates the water. Thus Sri
Bhagavan exemplified to the modern world the strength of
the natural state of Self, by which one can live with mental
detachment in all circu~nstances.
Later on, t he devot ees const ruct ed a smal l and
beautiful asramam in a secluded spot still higher up the
Hill, and since the major part of the const ruct i ~n was done
by the single handed effort and service of Kandaswami, a
devotee, it was named after him as Skandasramam. Sri
Bhagavan lived there till the end of 1922. In May of that
year, Azhahammal fell ill. During her last hour s, Sri
Bhagavan sat by her side placing His hands, those hands of
divine Power, the right one on her heart and the left one on
her head. At that time a long and severe inner fight took
place between her past tendencies towards action (karma-
vasanas), which would have given her many future births,
and the Power of Grace flowing through the hands of Sri
Bhagavan. At last all those past tendencies were crushed
and destroyed and her soul quietly returned and merged
into the real state, Brahman. Her body left her on the night
of 19th May 1922, whereupon Sri Bhagavan indicated that
A Brief Life History of Sri Ranlana
23
she had attained Liberation. Her sacred body was buried on
the banks of Palitirtham, a tank at the foot of the southern
slope of Arunachalam. The Sivalingam which was installed
over her tomb is now known as Sri Matrubhuteswara. It was
appropri at e t hat i n l at er years t he fi l i al love of Sri
Niranjanananda Swami built a temple for his mother, who
had built a body-temple for Sri Bhagavan to live in on earth.
After Azhal i ar ~~mal ' s passing away, Sri Bhagavan
would often take a walk from Skandasramam to her tomb,
which in early days was sheltered by a small tliqtched hut.
Then, in December 1922, according to the divine Ordinance
of Sri Arunachal am, He came down and settled there
permanently. Many devotees came to live in the Presence of
Sri Bhagavan and in due course there grew around Him
many large and handsome buildings, which now constitute
the present Sri Ramanasramam.
Perfect equal i t y was t he pri nci pl e l i ved by Sri
Bhagavan in Sri Ramanasramam. Till the end He wore only
a loin cloth, which is less than the dress needed by even the
poorest among our countrymen. ' The same was the case
with His food, for which He always sat arilong the devotees,
and which was the same as that served to all - in fact i t was
rather less t han what was served to ot hers. Whatever
eatables devotees offered Him would be equally distributed,
t hen and there, to everyone in His presence. Not only
human beings, but even cows, dogs, monkeys, squirrels,
crows and peacocks enjoyed perfect freedom and full rights
in the Asramam. cow Lakshmi, for example, lived there as
a pet daughter and attained Liberation in her last hour by
the divine touch of Sri Bhagavan.
The doors of the small Hall where Sri Bhagavan lived
were open day and night, and to all. In a life such as
24
Hi s, whi ch was shi ni ng as a vast open space of mere
consciousness where was t he necessity to hi de Himself
a nd how to do so'! Even i n t he mi ddl e of t he ni ght
devot ees wer e free t o go a nd s e e Hi m i n t he Hal l .
"Defects al one need to hi de, a pur e heart need not, " is
a wise saying of sai nt Auvaiyar! To have t he dursan of
Sri Bhagavan was a great fortune whi ch was not bound
by any coildition and kvhich was open to all people and
at all t i mes. When He gave a war m wel conl e even t o
t he thieves who came at night, saying, "You may coine
in and take whatever you want," what better proof is neetled
of Sri Bhagavan's sense of equality?
It was at 11-30 i n the iniddle of t he night of the 26th
of June 1'324. Though at that time Sri Ramanasramam
consisted of only a few thatched shetls, some thieves came
thinking it to be a rich mutt. They tried to break in through
the willdows by sn~ashi ng them, and threatened to destroy
everything. The noise xvoke up tlie devotees who were
sleeping in the shed where Sri I3hagavan was Iying. Sri
Bhagavan invited the thieves to coine in through thc proper
doorway and asked the devotees to give them a hurricane-
lamp so that they could look for whatever they ivanted, yet
t hey s hout e d angr i l y, "Wher e ar e you keepi ng your
money?". "We are sadhus who live by begging, we have no
money. From what you can find here, you may take away
anything you want. We will come outside." so s-ayiilg, Sri
Bhagavan came and sat outside followed by the devotees. As
they came out of the slied, the thieves beat them with sticks,
and one blow even fell 011the thigh of Sri Bhagavan. "If you
are still not satisifed, beat the other thigh as well," said Sri
Bhagavan, feeling sorry for them!
Was this to be the limit of His kindness towards the
thieves? No, He also prevent ed a young devot ee who,
A Brief Life History of Sri Rarnana
25
unabl e to bear t he sight of Sri Bhagavan being beat en,
jumped u p wi t h an iron bar in retaliation. Sri Bhagavan
advised him, "Let them do their dharma [i.e. role]. We are
sadhus, we should not give up our dharma. In future, the
world will blame only us if any wrong happens. When our
teeth bite our tongue, do we break them and throw them
away?"
"Though ot her s do wrong to one, i t is
best not to return the sarne i n wrath."
'Tirukkur~il', verse 157
Some days later t he holice caught t he thieves and
brought them before Sri Bhagavan, and an officer asked Him
to identify the one who had beaten Hiin on that night. Sri
Bhagavan at once replied with a smile, "Find out ~vhonl I
beat [in a previous birth], for i t is he who has beaten irle
now!". He never denounced the criminal!
"Conquer t he foe by your wor t hy pat i ence
and for ever forget t he wr ong done to you
on account of ignoracce."
' Ti rukk~~rul ' , verse 157
"The right way of punishing the wrong-doer is to
(lo good to him and to forget his ~vrong."
'Tirukkurol', verse 314
As tiwe went by, people throughout the world caille
to know that Sri Bhagavan was the living embodiment of all
that is taught in the Bible, Tirukkural, Gita and Upanishads,
and wer e at t ract ed to His Feet. Forgetting t he nat i onal
differences such as Indian ant1 foreigner ant1 the religious
differences such as Hi ndu, hluslim, Christian, Buddhist,
lain and Sikh, from far and abroad they flocked to the Feet
of Sri Uhagavan a nd ador ed I-Iin7, for s uc h Lvas t hei r
26
conviction that He was indeed t he Guru of their own
religion! Many among them achieved true knowledge, some
by merely seeing Sri Bhagavan, some by living in His divine
Presence, some by dedicating themselves wholeheartedly to
His service, and some by following His teachings.
The former president of India, Mr. Rajendra Prasad,
once went to the asramam of Mahatma Gandhi and said,
"Bapuji, I have come to you for peace!" The abode of peace
was known well to Gandhiji and hence he advised, "if you
want peace, go to Sri Ramanasramam and remain for a few
days in the Presence of Sri Kamana Maharshi, without
talking or asking any question. " Mr. Kajandra Prasad
accordingly arrived at Sri Ramanasramam on 14th August
1938. Though those who accompanied him spent their time
in asking Sri Bhagavan questions regarding spiritual matters
and in visiting all the places on the Hill where He had
lived, Mr. Rajendra Prasad did not move away from the
Presence of Sri Bhagavan. Besides, according. to the advice
of Gandhiji, he spent the whole of that week without raising
any question or doubt. At the time of his taking leave of Sri
Bhagavan, he approached Him and humbly enquired, "0
Bhagavan, it was Gandhiji himself who sent me here. Is
there any message that I may take to him?"
Sri Bhagavan graciously answered : "The same Power
which works here is working there also! Where is the need
for words when heart speaks to heart?" These are unique
words of wisdom revealing the secret that it is the one
Supreme Thing alone that governs the whole universe
through all the innumerable souls! Just like Rajendra Prasad
and Gandhiji, all men of high position and power, all great
poets, scholars, politicians, philosophers and religious
leaders who lived in our country during His time praised
27
the glory of His Jnana. It is the essential teachings of such
a Great One, the Guru for the whole universe, that form the
two parts of 'The Path of Sri Ramana'.
Maharshi Ramana taught t wo pat hs as the mai n
spiritual practices [sadhanas) for the salvation of humanity.
They are (1) the path of Self- enquiry, that is, knowing
oneself (one's real nature) by enquiring 'Who am I?', and (2)
the path of self-surrender, that is, surrendering oneself (the
ego) compl et el y to God. The former is the path of
knowledge ljnana marga), and the latter is the path of
devotion (bhakti marga). Is not the aim of all the various
researches going on in the world to know about the world
and God - the second and third persons -, rather than to
know oneself, the first person? Man, who makes so much
effort to know about the world and God, still does not know
who he himself really is. How? We say 'I am a man'; this is
not a correct knowledge of ourself, but only ignorance. We
feel that we are a man because we mistake a human body,
our possession, for 'we', the possessor. Separating ourself
from our possession (the body) by means of the enquiry
'Who am I?' and acquiring the right knowledge about the
possessor ['I') is the best research of all and the best
knowledge of all. The knowledge 'I am the body' (which is
the ego) is a false knowledge of ourself. The true knowledge
of ourself is that in whi ch we know that we are t he
unlimited Self (atman).
What is the benefit of t hus at t ai ni ng t rue Self-
knowledge? It is only when one knows oneself as Self that
real good can be done to all creatures on earth. How? Only
when Self- knowledge dawns will the truth be known that
we alone are the reality of all living beings, and only then
will the true love towards all blossom in our heart. Until
28
this Self-knowledge is obtained, one cannot truly love all
creatures merely by talking and propagating on platforms.
"Love thy neighbour as thyself". I t is only when one
experiences the whole world and all the souls in it as the
first person singular that the real love, a love for 'not
another' (ananya-bhakti), will be achieved. Such Self-
realization alone is the tap-root without which peace, love
and happiness cannot thrive on earth. Therefore the sole
and immediate need of t he world is Self-enquiry, t he
medecine that destroys the evil ego. Only a true Knower of
Self [atn~a-jnani) can really serve the world perfectly! The
Inere existence on earth of such a Jnani is sufficient to
ensure the spiritual and moral welfare of the whole world.
When correctly underst ood, sel f-surrender is t he
surrender of the ego [ahankara) to God. Self-surrender and
Self-enquiry are i n fact one and the same, both in their
result - the extinction of the ego -, and in their practice.
Self-surrender is the path, that of devotion, for those who
believe in God. How'? Since in fact the individual 'I' and the
world are properties belonging to God, to claim the body as
'1' and 'mine' is the great sin of stealing the property of God.
If this attachment to the body is surrendered [to be accurate,
restored) to God, the state of egolessness will be achieved.
This state devoid of ' I' and 'mine' is the state of Self.
Though on superficial observation Illere may appear
to be a difference between tlie path of enquiry and the path
of devotion, namely that an aspirant on the path of enquiry
attends to Self while an aspirant on the path of devotion
attends to God, it will be clear to one who earnestly applies
himself to practice that both are the same, not only in the
result, namely to be established in Self by means of ttie
destruction of t he ego, but also in practice. A si ncere
2 9
devotee who wants to surrender hirnself conlpletely to God
should refuse from the very start to continue taking the
body as 'I' and 'mine'. If he again thinks 'I am the body' or
' t hi s body is mi ne' , he is commi t t i ng t he s i n of
dattapaharam, that is, taking back what has already been
offered to God. Thus, the correct way of practising self-
surrender is for hirn to be very vigilant that the thought 'I
am the body' or 'this body is mine' does not rise in him
again. Now, how does he do this? Does he not try to be very
watchful within lest the first person - the feeling 'I arn the
body' - should rise again, that is, does he not try always to
remain with a sharp attention fixed on the feeling 'I'? Hznce,
the same Self-attention which is gaing on in an enquirer is
also going on in a devotee! Thus it is clear that an attention
withdrawn from second and third persons and focused on
'I' is the correct and practical method of surrendering
oneself to God. On the other hand, i f a devotee seeks God
outside himself, it will amount to being a second person
attention. Since God ever shines as the reality of the first
person, attending to the first persnn is thc right attention
to God and this is the true path of devotion.
The last days of the iiody of Sri Bhagavan were a clear
mirror which showed the greatness of a Inani. From the day
He set foot in Tiruvannamalai, He clid not illovc away even
for a minute, but lived there continuously for fifty-four
years. In 1949. a lump began to grow on the lower portion
of His left upper arm. Though at first it seemed to be very
smal l , after two operat i ons it grew bigger and bigger,
bleeding continuously and profusely, and proved to be a
sarcoma. All ki ~i t l s of treatment were tried, i nrl l l di ng
-..
radium applicalion, but in vai n. Even after the fourth
operat i on, whi ch was done on 19t h December 1949,
the disease tvas not cured. Though this operation was
30
a major one, Sri Bhagavan st i l l refused to be given
chloroform. When asked by a devotee whet her there
was any pai n, Sri Bhagavan replied, "Even the pain is
not apart from us!" Just as t he t eet h whi ch bite our
tongue are not other than us, and just as the thief who
beat Sri Bhagavan was not vi ewed by Hi m as ot her
t han Hi msel f, s o al so, even t he di sease whi ch was
ravaging His body was net other than He (Self). So wonder-
inspiring was His Jnana!
Even during the period of great torture caused by the
disease, Sri Bhagavan was happily answering His devotees,
and His replies were not only instructive but also full of
humour, revealing thereby the sublinlity of a Jnani. Thus He
comforted the devotees whenever they were much worried
about His health. He once remarked, "The body itself is a
disease that has come upon us. If a disease attacks that
original disease, is i t not good for us?" To another devotee
who was lamenting over His illness He said; "Oh, you are
grieving as if your Swami were going away? Where to go?
How to go? Going and coming is possible for the body, but
how can it be possible for us?" On still another occasion He
observed, "Just as the cow does not know whether the
garland tied to its horns is still there or has been lost, and
just as a drunken man does not know whether his dhoti is
on his body or not, so also, a Jnani does not even know
whether His body is still alive or dead."
According to tk? directions of Sri Bhagavan, no one
was prevented froin seeing Him till the very end. After His
body had been seated in padmasananl, every breath went
on steadily, and at 8.47 p.m. on Friday the 14th April 1950
Sri Bhagavan removed His human disguise and shone
unveiled in His own nature as the Whole - the one infinite
31
space of Self, where there is no coming or going. At that
moment, devotees on the temple veranda saw a bright light
flash and engulf the small room where Sri Bhagavan was
seated, hut before they were able to conclude that it could
have been a powerful photographic flash-light, others who
were standing in the open exclaimed, "Jyoti, jyotz in the
sky," for a brilliant meteor had suddenly appeared in the
sky; it moved northward towards Arunachalam and
vanished behind the summit. Glory to Sri Ramana, the
Light of Arunachalam!
The sacred body of Bhagavan Sri Ramana was interred
between the Hall where He had lived continuously for
about twenty-eight years and Sri Matrubhuteswara temple.
A Sivalingam was installed on His Samadhi and named Sri
Ramanalinga Murti. A simple yet majestic temple was
erected over it and was consecrated by Kumbhabhishekam
on the 18th June 1967; later a large auditorium was added
to it for conducting celebrations.
The Shri ne of Grace (sanni dhi ) of Sri
Arunachalaramanan, who by His life exemplified the truth
'I am not this body, I am the ever-existing Supreme Thing',
is ever quenching the thirst of the world for [nana with the
nectar of Grace flowing in the form of Silence.
Nama Bhagavate Sri Arunachalaramanaya
ThePathof SriRamana
(Part Or-le)
wnuq - Invocation
0Five-armed One (Lorci Ganapati), are You not Ele
whowroleon Lhe Himalayas Lhc: wortls given by Vvasn, the
greal Rislli of theVetlas? I now beg for Your Grace so tllal
I may ~vr i t e hereaclearexpositionof Lhe heart of the divine
Teaclliilg ( upades a) revealed by 11lyG~ i r ~ i (SriRamana).Uo
protect andguide me will1 Your helping Feet!
CHAPTER
Theworld progresses by intellect.All that is great in
thisworld isjust amanifestation of theintellect.What isthe
goal towardswhich tileworld ismoving?What isthe world
striving for? Careful observation will show that all are
strivingfor happiness. From thesmallest ant to thegreatest
emperor,everycne is tirelessly working. For what?For
happiness, and Ilappiness alone! Everyone is anxious that
he or sheshoulc live in happier circumstances than those
atpresent.It isthisanxietywhichimpelsmanto work.This
craving for hap2iness is not wrong; it is indeed desirable!
But sincemen are constantlyendeavouring to obtain more
happiness, it is evident that happiness in f ~dl has not yet
been obtained.Man isconstantly trying to accumulatesuch
sourcesof pleasure asfood,dress,house,employment,wife
and children,because he believes that happiness will be
derived from thesesources.
But thehappinesswhichman thusobtainsisfleeting
and impermanent.For awhilethereseemsto be happiness,
but then it fades away. It we analyse the various ways by
which man obtains happiness, we will come to a general
conclusion : the happiness sofar found by him is that
which has been experiened through the five sense-organs,
namely the eyes, ears,tongue, nose and skin. Thus,down
34
through the ages, human effort has been directed only
towards acquiring objects for the satisfaction of these five
senses.
When his eyes see pleasurable things, man derives
happiness; when those things vanish, he becomes gloomy.
When his ears hear pleasing music or words, man is happy;
when those pleasurable sounds are denied him, he sinks
into sorrow. Like sight and hearing, the sensations of touch,
taste and smell are also experienced by man as either
happiness or misery. Although these five senses seen1 to
give happiness, they do not give it uninterruptedly.
By wat chi ng t oo many ci nema shows, t he eyes
become impaired. Further, since the various other pleasing
sights come to an end, it is impossible for man to watch
them constantly. The same is the case with the happiness
experienced through the sense of hearing. How long can a
inan listen to a concert? Either the concert will come to its
natural end, or else the individual will have to leave the
place on account of some other work. Thus there is an end
to the happiness experienced through the sense of hearing.
Similar is the case with the sense of smell; i n fact, the
continuous enjoyment of strong and pleasant odours may at
length produce a headache or bleeding from the nose.
Moreover, those things from which pleasant odours emanate
lose them rapidly. We find the same to be true aboul the
sense of taste. Can one sluff one' s stomach beyond its
capacity with even the tastiest dish? Beyond a certain limit
the tongue finds even that tastiest dish repulsive. Hence,
even taste does not give permament happiness. Let us now
consider t he sense of t ouch. When a silky-soft flower
touches the body, there is a sensation of pleasure, but the
Eternal Happiness is The Goal
35
flower withers away rapidly. Moreover, after a while we
become accustomed to the sensation and it ceases altogether
to give us pleasure. The same is also true of a cool breeze
and other such things. Hence, the pleasure experienced
through the sense of touch also cannot be permanent.
Therefore, the happiness acquired through anyone of these
five senses cannot be enjoyed continuously; beyond a
certain limit, they niay actually become sources of pain
instead of pleasure. Hence, the foregoing scrutiny can only
lead us to the conclusion that the permanent and perfect
happiness sought by man cannot be obtained through the
five senses.
It is certain that everyone wants happiness in full,
untainted by even an iota of sorrow. Tliis can in no way be
denied. However, no one has so far been able to obtain such
happiness by gratifying the five senses. I t is thus quite clear
that up till now perfect happiness has not been obtained in
spite of all the world's progress and endeavours I'irough the
above-mentioned means. Yet, is .-ilcil perft :t happiness
impossible? No! One can have it here and ,low. There is
nothing wrong in all living beings aspiring for perennial and
full happi ness, unt ai nt ed by sorrow. The desi re for
happiness is not wrong! Happiness must be obtained! It is
in fact the Supreme goal ( purushart ha) for all human
beings! But the means to obtain it which have been charted
and followed by people up till now are Ivrong. The defect
is only in the means and not in the goal. That is why man
is not able to enjoy perfect happiness despite the herculean
efforts he has made to achieve it.
The paths leading people to the perfect happiness
which is desired by one and all are the religions that have
come i nt o exi st ence on eart h. Religion [ r ncl t a) is the
36
principle or path found by mind (n7ati)13.The purpose of all
religions is to show mankind the best means for achieving
perfect happiness. But unfortunately now-a-days, though
various religions point out their own distinct roads towards
this great objective, every man - regardless of his religion
- is stopped on the way and is prevented from obtaining
happiness on account of religious bigotry and also of not
knowing the true significance of religious tenets.
"With true love and faith, follotv that religion in
which vou have belief and turn within; do not
jump outwards, criticizing and arguing against
other religions on account of bigotry for your own
religion."
' Guru l/bchaka Korfai'. verse 991
At this juncture mankind needs a proper guide. Such
guides, the Great Ones, are generally called by people
Avat arapurushas, that is, God in human form. They are
those who have achieved and are well settled in that perfect
happiness tvhich is the goal of mankind. They ever remain
effortlessly in that blissful state, and also help others to
obtain it. Among those Jnana-Gurus, the most recent one is
Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, who lived as the world
Guru (jagat guru) on the southern slope of Arunachalam, the
sacred Hill. What did Sri Ramana Bhagavan teach the
world? What is the supreme benefit which mankind can
derive from His 'Teaching? Let us see.
What is the ultimate objective for whi ch man, by
means of his intellect, has been ceaselessly working i n
different fields of endeavour throughout so many ages? Is it
not for happiness? It is to achieve this very end that Sri
13 "Religion ( mat a) can exist only so long as mind ( mat i ) exists..."
'Guru Vochakn Kovai,' verse 993
Eternal Happiness is The Goal
37
Bhagavan has shown us a direct path which is His own
uni que discovery, and whi ch is at t he same time t he
quintessence of all the paths paved by those Great Ones
who came before Him. It will be found at the end of this
research 1101~His Teaching is t he direct pat h, like the
hypotenuse of a right-angled triangle, and an easy one to
follow.
NOW, who is fit to follow this path to bliss which Sri
Bhagavan has sho\vn? Are the brahmins alone fit to follow
I t ? Or are Hindus alone qualified to follow i t ? Is Bhagavan
Sri Ramana a Guru for Hindus only? Does He propagate a
particular religious faith which is already in the avorld, or
is it an altogether new religion? Such questions nlay arise
in the mind of the reader.
The path of Sri Ramana is meant for anyone who
craves for happiness. Is there anyone in the world who does
not want happiness? Even one who denies the existence of
God will not admi t that he does not want happi ness.
Therefore, an atheist can also obtain perfect happiness
through the path of Sri Ramana. No human bein<: is
excluded from this path. Sri Ramana is not a preacher of
any religion; He belongs to no religion or country! Since He
shows the way to perfect bliss, avhich is the conmon aim
of the whole world, He is the Jagnt Gu r u 14. And since,
unbound by the tenets and t r adi t i ~ns of any religion, He
teaches one and all the path to obtain the comrnon aim,
14 Jagat Guru : For ancient India, the liinit of the \vorlcl rvas India itself;
therefore a Jagat Guru, i.c. world Guru, though named so, was the
G L ~ ~ L I who taught in India only, and that too, He who taught to a
limited society. Unlikc those Great Ones, wl ~o s c teachings were
confined to a few, Bhagavan Sri Ramana truly teaches the whole
world without an!; social or cultural restrictions, and is therefore
called the Loka Maha Guru or the Guru for the whole universe.
38
bliss eternal. He is indeed the Loka Maha Guru - the Guru
for the whole world! People of all religions have come to
Him and have been benefited. Moreover, no matter to which
religion one belongs, one feels in one's heart, "Sri Ramana
is the Guru of my own religion!", and has devotion to Him.
Therefore, let us see what is the path of Sri Ramana.
CHAPTER
What
Happiness?
'0Man,doyou want happiness?Are you working for
it?Ordoyou atleast have the desireto find apaththrough
which you can direct your efforts?Then you are fortunate!
Here isamethod for your consideration.After scrutinizing
it, see if you are convinced that everlasting happiness can
be obtained through thisway.If thismethod appealsto you
assound,followit.Put forthyour best efforts and enjoy in
full the fruit of your toil. Listen to this exposition of the
unique path to perennial bliss,which clears all the doubts
t hat have been creat ed i n your mi nd by t he vari ous
scriptures' - so sounds the divine horn-of-knowledge
Ij nanamurasu) of Bhagavan SriRamana to the world.
"Listen my dear maiden! The Sadgur u who,
because of Ilis divineconlpassion,came on earth
in the human form of SriRamana is standing on
the holy Hill Annamalai (Arunachalam)and is
sounding His divine horn-of-knowledgeso loudly
that even theheavens tremble and thereal Eye of
all the people on earth opens! With this Verse!
wake you up so that you may know that He is
protectingus from pitfalls andhastaken us asHis
own. Therefore wake up and see,and drink the
40
The Path of Sri Ramana - h r t One
nectar of His Grace: wake up my child, never to
sleep again."
'Sri Ramana Embavai' . verse 615
0Man who is ceaselessly craving and toiling for
happi ness, cryi ng, "Happi ness! Happi ness! I want
happiness!", do you atleast know what happiness is? On
many occasi ons i n your life you have exper i enced
happiness in various forms, have you not? Now then, can
you tell me what happiness is? Those experiences through
the senses that are agreeable to your mi nd you term as
happiness, and disagreeable ones as misery, do you not?
This idea of yours about happiness and misery is wrong!
That is why all the methods through which you have
tried to obtain happiness and avoid misery have come to
naught . Because t he met hod was wr ong, happi nes s
untainted by misery has never been within your reach!
Since we say that your idea of happiness and misery is
wrong, is it not necessary first to explain why it is wrong,
and then to determine what happiness really is? Now listen.
According to your idea, you should be happy when,
t he objects for the satisfaction of t he five senses are
obtained, and miserable when they are not. But see, you are
happy in your dreamless sleep. Not even a single experience
through any of the five senses is present there, yet sleep is
blissful to one and all! According to you, there ought to be
only misery when the five senses are not workicg - but in
fact it is not so. Contrary to your belief, there is happiness
when the five senses are not working, that is, in the absence
of body-consiousness! How do you account for this? You
15 Ernbavai: 'Embavai' is a poetic inetre in Tamil; by tradition, Saints
sing songs of twenty verses in this metre, taking the standpoint of a
lady waking up a young girl to take her bath before worshipping God.
What is Happiness? 41
have to admit that happiness can be experienced even
without the help of the five senses.
Moreover, a man or woman who has heaped all those
objects which satisfy the five senses, such as wealth, fine
houses, clothes, tasty food, an agreeable wife or husband,
children and relatives - whi ch alone are the means for
gaining happiness according to your idea - must be the
happiest person in the world, while one who has none or
few of these must be miserable. However, when we see the
world, it is not so. Even t he richest man has hi s own
miseries! Sometimes he cannot even have a good night's
sleep. ' The thicker the finger, the greater the swelling! In
contrast to this, you find that the penniless labourer who
toils all day long, eats but a morsel in the night and later
lies on the hard pavement, enjoys a sound sleep free of all
worries. There is still a nlore important point to be noted
here. In deep sleep, even the rich man is totally dissociated
from hi s external sources of pleasure, and despite this
dissociation he is quite happy. Therefore you must accept
the fact that happiness is something which can shine even
without the aid of the five senses. Furthermore, as happiness
is experienced by you in deep sleep, where there is neither
body-consciousness nor awareness of the world, it follows
that happiness must be within you, and not outside. Now
you clearly know that you were wrong all along in thi:lkir,g
that happiness comes from external objects. Every object in
this world - including your own body - is extraneous to
you, and that is why they are forgotten in deep sleep. Yet,
since everyone experiences perfect happiness in that state,
the only possible conclusion is that happiness does lie
within you. The truth is that you yourself are happiness!
Happiness is your true nature! You are not this body-form!
You are full and perfect bliss itself!!
42
The Path of Sri Ramana - hr t One
We can reach this same conclusion through another
way also. Listen.
Do you not like innumerable things? Just analyse each
and every thing which is dear to you. When you do, you
will find that you love only those things from which you
think you get happiness. Where there is happiness, there
there is love! This is the universal law, a law which has no
exception!! Now, in order to proceed according to this law,
tell me which thing you love most. You will have to adinit
that you truly love yourself best, far more than you love
your friends, relatives, wife or husband, children, father,
mother, riches, and so on! You love them because you think
that they contribute to your own happiness. If anything
happens provi ng to you t hat they give happi ness t o
someone else, instead of to yourself, your love for them will
at once vanish! ThereforL, it is clear that you love other
things only because you love yourself!
We hear some people say' ng: "My love is not for
myself; I work in this world not for my own happiness but
for the welfare of other people. In fact, I live for others. To
care only for my own happiness is selfishness - that is not
my aim. My ai m is t he happi ness of others". Thi s is
superficial talk, betraying a lack of sincere and serious
analysis! People do not realize that every so-called selfless
act which they do brings happiness only to themselves! Let
us take the example of a man who is prepared to uiidergo,
throughout his lifetime, all kinds of sufferings for his son
just to maintain, educate, and keep him above needs and
wants; in doing so it is he alone who gets satisfaction from
seeing t he prosperity of hi s son. He worked for t hi s
satisfaction alone. Is not this satisfaction his own? Is not
this self-satisfaction the driving force behind all his so-
called selfless work?
The former American President Abraham Lincoln
once saved a pig by lifting it out of the mire in which it was
caught, and while doing so his body and clothes became
very dirty. The onlookers asked him why he, the president
of such a vast country, should dirty himself just to save a
common pig. He replied : "I got involved in this action not
so much to relieve the suffering of the pig, but to relieve
myself from the suffering I experienced at the sight of the
pig, i did this only for my own peace of mind!" What
Lincoln said then is the practical truth of the matter. It is
oniy this self-satisfaction - one's own happiness-which is
the hidden motive behind all kinds of selfless acts! This call
in no way be denied.
Just as the sacrifice made for the sake of 'my' children
and 'my' relatives turns out to be selfishness because it is
caused by the love towards oneself, so the love towards 'my
own' country (desabhimana)and the love towards 'my own'
language (bhashabhimana)also turn out, in an indirect way,
to be mere selfishness because they are rooted in the love
towards one's body as '1' (dehabhimana). What must be
noted here is the 'I' which is inherent in the 'mine'. He who
rises saying, "I will sacrifice even my life so that my
language may flourish", does so on account of his love
towards himself. In the same manner, since even he who
sacrifices his life for the sake of his country is aiming only
for his own satisfaction, he also does so on account of self-
love. There are some who boast of t hei r broad
internationalism in contrast to narrow nationalism. They
may say: "I am not so selfish as to be concerned only for
'my' country' or 'my' home; I want the whole world to be
happy. My aim is not the benefit of any particular language
or country; is this not unselfishness?" Yet even this belongs
to the same category! This man also gets peace only when
44
he sees the whole world in peace, and thus what he desires
is his own peace or happiness! It is therefore clear that even
this hero of so-called unselfishness has love for his own
self! This indeed is self-love.16 Therefore, the law that
everyone loves himself most is irrefutable! Thus, you have
to conclude that, of all things, the dearest to you is yourself.
According to these two coi~clusions: (1)that you are your
dearest of all, and ( 2) t hat love can spring forth onl y
towards happiness, it is clear that you must be eternal
happiness (paramasukham)itself. Where there is happiness,
there is love; since you love yourself best, you are eternal
happiness itself. Thus, do we not once again come to the
same conclusion?
It is t hi s happi ness, your own nat ur e, t hat was
experienced by you in deep sleep! The reason for your
16 By our saying so, let not the reader come to the wrong c onc l ~~s i on that
we support a vice - selfishness. Till now the word ' sel fi sh~~ess' has
bccn wrongly used by people to denote a vice. Since the wortl ' self'
has been wrongl y used to denot e t he body, sel fi shness has been
considered to be a vicc. But for tlie Self-realized One (atmo-jnoni)the
true import of the word ' self' is an experience i n whi ch t hc whol e
universe is known to be '1'. If we take His experience as t he right
verdict, it will be clear that ' selfishness' is not a vice.
That is, the correct defiilitioil of sel ~?essness [altruism), whi ch has
been glorified by people throughout thc ages, is only the ' selfishness'
of a Jnani, who knows everything to be Himself. Only the Atina-jnani
is truly unselfish! Of the three aspects, cxistencc-consciousness-bliss
(sot-chit-ananda or asti-bhati-priyai,~), which is our true nature, t he
bliss aspect shiiles in cveryoile as tlie love for Self (s~votma-prij.am):
therefore there is no wonder in Self-love, nor any wrong. But knowing
Self, the unlimited form oE bliss, as a linlited form, the small body,
al one is t he gr eat wr ong. Tha t is wh y ' sel fi sl i ness' h a s be e n
considered to be a vicc. This scrutiny is made here only to prove that
Self-love (swatma-prij~anl) is the supreme truth. To enlarge upon this
subject would lead to too great an expansion of this book and hence
it will be dealt with in 'The Path of Sri Rarnana - Port 7ivo'. where
the opinion of Sri Bhagavan about 'service to the world' (loka-sevaj
and ' unselfish action' (nishkonlya karina) ~vill be explained.
happiness in deep sleep - even without the aid of your
mind and its instruments, the five senses - is that happiness
is your real nature; in fact you yourself are happiness!!
Here you may ask, "Are not the experiences gained
dur i ng t he waking st at e, t hrough t he five senses,
happiness?" Scrutinize more deeply. You should investigate
wi t h a keen at t ent i on each one of your pl easurabl e
experiences as to what changes take place within you at that
time.
Let us take an example. Suppose you want to eat a
sweetmeat; as soon as this thought arises in you, you start
working to acquire all the necessary ingredients for making
that sweetmeat. You prepare it and start eating it. Now,
happiness is experienced. If you analyse how this happiness
is obtained, that is, if you watch the feeling of happiness
that rises within you while eating, you will find that the
thought-waves which had risen out of the desire for the
sweetmeat - "I want a sweetmeat" - and which had been
raging so far cease. Now the thought-waves cease, but only
for a while; hence the happiness is also experienced only for
a while. When the sweetmeat has been eaten, the thoiight-
waves rise up again, and so the happiness disappears.
Some may argue : "Asweetineat is sweet; that is why
it gives happiness, and not because of the cessation of
thoughts. The reason for the happiness is the sweetness in
the sweetmeat". But this is wrong; it is a conclusion lacking
sufficient analysis. Let us see how.
The tongue, the organ of taste, can only discern which
thing has what taste: sugarcandy is sweet, neem is bitter,
tamarind is sour, salt is salty, and so on. But it is only the
mind that decides likes and dislikes: "I want this taste and
not that one". Though a thing is bitter, if the mind wants i t ,
46
it will derive happiness even in that bitterness. Are there
not some people who hate sweets and have a peculiar
craving for bitter things? In the same manner are there not
some who relish dried fish, while others will run miles t3
escape from the very smell of it? Moreover, though one is
eating the tastiest and choicest dish in the world, one's
mind may be so engrossed at that time in some other
thoughts that it is unable to create thoughts of desire for
that tasty food, and consequently one is unable either to
know its taste or to derive happiness from it. Similarly,
when the mind is centred elsewhere, one can eat even a
tasteless dish without aversion. Further, when one is hungry
and the desire for food is strong, one eats and happily
relishes even the worst and most tasteless preparation. What
can we infer froin all this? It is not the taste but only the
thought-waves of the mind, in the form of likes and dislikes,
which account for one's happiness and misery.
"When the fire of a ravenous hunger is raging,
even a stale gruel or a sour soup of wild-rice flour
will be relished as the best dish in the world.
Therefore, it is not the nature of the sense-object,
but only the desire for it, which is the cause of
happiness."
'Guru Vachaka Kovai.' vcrse 583
Thus, if the thought-wave that rises is one of dislike
for a thing of a particular taste, the removal of that thing
will calm down the thought-wave and thus the mind will
subside; hence happiness, which is your real nature, is then
revealed. If the thought-wave is one of a liking for a thing
of a particular taste, when you get that thing the thought-
wave will calm down and the mind will subside; hence here
again happiness is revealed. Therefore, it will be clear to
47 Whht is Happiness?
those who keenly observe that happiness is experienced
only by quietening the thoughts which rise again and again.
It does not matter whether a thing is sGjveet or bitter. The
rising of thought-waves in the form of likes and dislikes for
things alone is sorrow, and their subsidence alone is
happiness; that is all!
Eating a sweetmeat concerns only the sense of taste.
The same process described above also takes place in the
case of t he other four senses: t ouch, sight, smell and
hearing. In deep sleep too, thoughts become quiescent
temporarily, hence happiness is experienced. Waking is the
rising of thoughts, that is, the rising of the first thought, 'I
am this body'. When waking comes, the happiness of deep
sleep vanishes. What is to be inferred from this? Thoughts
are t he enemy of happi ness! Happi ness reigns when
thoughts subside! In fact, thoughts are the veil that covers
over the happiness; when this veil is removed, happiness is
revealed. Since you yourself are happiness, all you have to
do to enjoy your own innate happiness is to ward off all
thoughts. So, understand this truth that the happiness
enjoyed by you in deep sleep on account of its thought-free
nature can also be enjoyed in a thought-free waking state.
The mind runs outwards because of the ignorant
outlook that happiness is derived from external objects. If
the mind is thoroughly and firmly convinced, through the
above scrutiny, that happiness is within and that one's real
nature is itself happiness, it will not then run outwards but
towards oneself; in other words, it will re~nai n still in Self.
This knowledge is sine-qua-non for effectively controlling
the mind.
When you eat a sweetmeat, the thought-wave in the
form of a liking for it subsides and you enjoy the happiness
48
al ready wi t hi n you. Is it not so? However, not
understanding that you enjoy only that happiness which is
already within you, you delude yourself in thinking that it
comes from the sweetmeat! That is why you make repeated
efforts to acquire and eat more and more sweetmeats! But
beyond a certain limit, sweetmeats become like poison,
upsetting your stomach and making you sick. The same is
the case with the other four sense-pleasures. Listen to this
story.
A dog went to the cremation ground. It picked up a
s har p pi ece of bone from whi ch t he fl esh had been
completely burnt off and started munching it. The sharp
edges of the bone pierced the dog's mouth in many places
and there was bleeding. The dog dropped it, but seeing
blood smeared all over it, it thought that the blood was
coming from the bone because of its ravenous munching. It
licked the blood and again started chewing the bone even
more ravenously, with the result that there were more
wounds in its mouth and more bleeding. The foolish dog
went on repeating this process of dropping the bone, licking
the blood and again chewing the bone. Little did that foolish
dog realize that in fact the blood came from its own nlouth
and not from the bone!
'A foolish dog picked up a bone,
Bereft of flesh because 'twas burnt,
Masticated many & round
Till its mouth was iilled with wounds,
Licked end praised the blood, its own,
'No thing on earth equals this bone',
' Guru Vachaka Kovai'. verse 585
Similarly, when a man enjoys external objects, he only
experiences a little of the happiness that is already within
hi m. But, on account of ignorance, he thinks that t he
happiness comes from the external objects, and thus he
behaves like the dog in the story. Exactly like the dog that
munched the bone again and again, throughout his life man
repeatedly searches for and accumulates external objects.
What is the result of all this? Alas ! Untold heaps of misery,
with a few iotas of pleasure in between - that is all! Indeed,
all this is ignorance, otherwise called maya!
All the researches and efforts of mankind, from the
stone age to the modern atomic age, in different fields of
endeavour, be they intellectual, scientific or social - are they
not all similar to the efforts of the dog which untiringly
munches the bone? Do not feel offended by this statement,
whi ch may seem to be a sweeping one, for when told
without reserve, this is the plain truth! Tell me, what indeed
has mankind done in the name of progress so far, other than
i mprovi ng and accunl ul at i ng ext ernal objects for t he
satisfaction of the five senses? All the aforesaid human
efforts are based upon nothing but tlie wrong assumption
that happiness comes from external objects. Is there any
difference between the dog which thinks that more blood
will come out of the dry bone the more it is munched, and
t he man who t hi nks t hat humani t y wi l l be made
i ncreasi ngl y happy by accumul at i ng more and more
external objects through the improvements of scientific and
industrial progress? Certainly not!
Thus , not knowi ng t he ri ght pat h for obt ai ni ng
everlasting happiness, humanity has gone too far and is
racing still further in t he wrong direction! There is no
wrong in man's love for happiness. It is his birthright. It is
in fact the birthright of all living beings. Thus happiness
should be obtained and should never be suppressed! But do
50
not toil to achieve objects of worldly pleasure, which give
only an iota of fleeting happiness. Direct all your efforts
only to towards obtaining happiness in full. By desiring
petty external objects you get only a transient and limited
happiness. Therefore, be not a person of petty desire! Be a
person of full desire! Until perfect happiness is obtained, do
not give up your efforts. Kno~v the way to experience always
and uninterruptedly that happiness ( ananda) which is you,
and which exists ( sat )and shines (chi t ) within you as your
real nature. This is the goal supreme (purusharf ha),the very
purpose for which you were born.
CHAPTER
Self-enquiry
isthe OnlyWay
toHappiness
F1.orn what has been said,it follows that 'I am' (Self)
i s happi ness. Now t hen, how ar e we to obt ai n t hat
happiness? Further, how to enjoy it l~ernlanently? Where
thoughts cease, happiness reigns suprcme; such is the truth
about happiness. Although the thought-free statc is gained
and happiness is experienced for a while,such a thought-
free statcobtained by contact with external objects tloes not
last long. Therefore,it is clear that one con nevcr acllicve
the thought-free happy stalc pcrnlanently with the liulp 01'
the five senses.
Have we not already seen that deep sleep is a happy
state? So,is this deep sleep after all the goal of mankind?
It cannotbe,because itisalsoshort-livedand itshappiness
is interrupted by the waking state that follows in its trail.
No one can go on sleeping for cver. One' s accumulatetl
tendencies (vasanas)in the form of thoughtswill rouseone
from sleep.Themind, in associationwith the body, works
without stop all day long.At the entl of such a hard day' s
work, it (themind) needs rest sinlply to be able to start
afresh and work again!That is why the mind, which is a
collective name for thoughts; subsidesof its own accord in
deep sleep. The ~n i n d which now takes rest tenlporarily
cannot but enthusiastically jump out again intoactivity!If
52
onhis way homeamanis caught in adownpourandtakes
shelter under the portico of some house, it does not mean
that hewill remain therepermanently. Whentheshoweris
over,hewill surelymoveon.Similarly,themindgets alittle
rest - it sleeps.Thestate of activity in which it comes out
again may be called either waking or dream.Thus, no one
can remain in sleep for ever, and so even sleep is only a
temporaryhappiness.Thisstatewhich is called sleep17and
which is a state between two vrittis, that is, two thoughts
or twoactivestatesof mind,hasstill anotherdefect.Curing
sleep the mind-knowledge subsides in darkness and does
not know i t s ori gi nal l i ght ( s at - c hi t , exi st ence-
consciousness),whereas it should be madeto merge without
losing hold of its consciousness. Therefore,sleep is not a
state of perfect happiness,free from defects.Then what is
the way to experience such happiness?Let us turn to the
words of SriBhagavan:
"Absorption (of mi nd) is of two ki nds: l aya
(temporary stillness] and nas a (permanent
destruction).That which is absorbed rnerely in
layn will rise again,(but)if its formdies (innasa),
i t will not rise again,"
'Upadcsa Undhiyar', verse 13
There are two kinds of absorption of mi nd. If the
absorption is temporary, it is called 'mano-laya', that is
mental quiescence;if the mind is absorbed in l aya, it will
rise upagainin duecourse.Thesecondkind of absorption
is 'mano-nasa', that is,destruction of the mind;inthis kind
of absorption the mind dies, and under no circumstances
17 'Sleep' is generally considered by all as a mean state, but the real
nature of sleepasrevealed by SriBhagavan,whoseexperienceis the
final authority is totally differcnt.It is given in the eighth chapter of
thisbook,but for the timcbeing let us proceed on the assumption of
ordinary people that sleepis adefective and mean state.
Self-enquiryis The Only Way to Happiness
53
will it revive. Since it is dead, it can no longer give rise to
misery. Therefore, the happiness obtained through the
second kind of absorption, the destruction of the mind, is
eternal. It is the supreme bliss.
In t he waki ng st at e when we enj oy agreeabl e
experiences through the five senses, there is quiescence of
the mind for an extremely short period of time. In sleep the
period of the mind's quiescence is a little longer18. In death
also the mind is likewise quiescent only. All these are only
quiescence of the mind (mano-layu) and not the destruction
of the mind ( mano- nas u) . It is not enough if misery (i.e.
mind) is temporarily absorbed, it must be destroyed. This
is the goal of mankind. Temporary quiescence (l ayu) of the
mind is temporary quiescence of misery, and permanent
destruction ( nasn)of the mind is permanent destruction of
misery; that is, the mind itself is misery! Hence, let us find
out what is to be done to destroy the mind.
What is mind? The verdict given by Sri Bllagavan is:
"The mind is only thoughts ..."
' Upadcsn Unclhiyar,' verse 28
If we give up all thoughts and observe what is mind,
we will find that there is no such thing as 'mind' at all.
"If one enquires-without inadvertence (prclmada) -
into the form of the mind, it will be found that
there is no such thing as mind! This is the direct
path for all!"
'Upadescl Undhi-vnr', verse 17
18 Though wc now have to say 'longer', in fact 'long' and 'short' cannot
stand up to rigid scrutiny, hecausc time itself is a mcntal conccptio~i
(refer to ' Guru Vachaka Kovai', versc 560).
54
For destroying the mind it is enough if thoughts are
destroyed. Let us therefore find out what thoughts actually
are. This scrutiny is not an idle way of passing time. Is not
the entire world struggling for happiness? Even this scrutiny
is undertaken in view of obtaining that same happiness.
Then what is the difference between the efforts of humanity
in general and this effort undertaken by a spiritual aspirant?
The efforts of worl dl y people lead onl y to a fleeting
semblance of happiness, whereas this effort of an aspirant
- Self-enquiry - paves t he pat h to perfect, eternal and
unlimited happiness. Therefore, this research is far more
important and worthy than all other kinds of human
endeavour! Throughout this scrutiny, one must be very
vigilant and put forth one's very best efforts. Only then will
the result of one's enquiry - the supreme gain of life - be
obtained here and now. This is a truth well proved by
Bhagavan Sri Ramana's own experience!
Did we not begin wi t h a proposal to scrut i ni ze
t hought s? For what reason? The ai m i s to dest roy all
thoughts and thereby to enjoy perfect happiness. Ivlillions of
thoughts rise in us, out of which we must search for and
discover the first and root thought. When we do so, we will
find that the first person thought, 'I am this body', which
rises as soon as one wakes u p from sl eep, is t he first
thought. This '1'-thought is the root of all thoughts.
"The mind is only thoughts. Of all thoughts, the
thought 'I' is indeed the root-thought. Therefore,
what is called mind is only the thought 'I' (i.e. the
feeling 'I am the body')."
' Upadcsa Undhiyar, vcrse 18
Of the three persons - the first person [I), the second
person (you) and the third person (he, she, it, etc.) - 'I1, the
Self-enquiry is The Only Way to Happiness 5 5
first person, is the first to rise. If the first person does not
rise, t he second and third persons will not come i nt o
existence. The first person is nothing but the thought 'It, and
this alone is mind. The second and third persons will rise
only after the rising of the first person, '1'. The world is
nothing but second and third persons. In sleep the first
person feeling, '1 am the body', does not exist; that is why
the world [the second and third persons) does not exist
there.
"Only if that first person (the ego) in the form 'I arn
the body' exists, will the second and third persons
also exist ..."
' lflladhu Narpadhu' . verse 14
"If there is no '1'-thought, no other thing will
exist..."
'Sri Arunacllalo Asht akan~' . verse 7
I f t he ' 1' -thought - t he root of all t hought s - i s
prevented from rising, all ot her t hought s will also be
prevented. If a man wants to cut down the millions of
leaves and hundreds of branches of a tree, is it not enough
if he cuts down the trunk? Similarly, a man who is trying
to destroy all the millions and rnillions of thoughts will
have succeeded in doing so if he destroys the 'I1-thought,
their root. Did we not start with the objective of scrutinizing
thoughts? From what we have seen above, it is now clear
that it is not necessary to scrutinize each and every
thought, and that a scrutiny of only the 'I1-thought, the root
of all thoughts, is quite sufficient.
Some may ask, "Will not happi ness be obtained
through the destruction of thoughts? If so, why should
any thought be scrutinized? Is it not futile?" They may
even quot e Bhagavan Sri Ramana, who once said [i n
56
'IVho an7 I ?' ) , "It is useless to scrutinize the garbage, all of
which is to be thrown away in one stroke". Such an ill-
fitting question would be due to an improper understanding
of Sri Bhagavan' s teachings. Let us see how. What Sri
Bhagavail said is: "It is futile to scrutinize the various
properties of all the principles [second and third persons-
non-Selfj which are veiling Self' . No matter how much we
scrutinize thoughts pertaining to second and third persons,
they will never subside but will only increase. He has never
said that the scrutiny of the first person (i.e. Self-enquiry)
should be given up! The first person thought, 'I1, has this
peculiar property: if (by enquiring 'Who am I?') attention
is focused on it i n order to discover what i t is, this 'I'
thought will subside. But on the contrary, tht: more we
attend to thoughts pertaining to t he second and third
persons, the more they will increase. In a cinema theatre,
the further the screen is moved from the projector, the
bigger the pictures become; and the closer the screen is
moved towards the projector, the source of light, the smaller
t he pi ct ures become, even to t he size of a mere dot .
Similarly, the more the attention of the mind is directed
towards second and third persons, the more the world-
pictures (i.e. thoughts) are multiplied; but if the attention is
turned towards Self, the source of the mind's light, the mind
(i.e. the first thought, '1') itself will subside. We shall see into
this more deeply in chapter eight, ' The Technique of Self-
Enquiry'.
"The thought ' I am this body of flesh and blood' is
the one thread on which are strung the various
other thoughts. Therefore if we turn inwards,
'Where is this I?', all thoughts [including the '1'-
thought] will come to an end and Self-knowledge
will then spontaneously shine forth within the
cave (the heart) as 'I-I' ..."
:4t mavi dya Ki rt anam' , verse 2
Self-enquiry is The Only Way to Happiness
57
Just as all the beads of a rosary fall down when the
thread is cut, so also if we who want to destroy all thoughts
scrutinize the first parson thought, 'I1, which runs through
and sustains all the second and third person thoughts like
the thread through the beads, all of them will be effortlessly
destroyed;
"... When the first person ceases to exit through
one's enquiry into the truth of that first person,
then the existence of the second and third persons
will come to an end ...."
' Ulladhu Narpadhu' , verse 14
Thus, the method of destroying the '1'-thought is also
the method which will destroy all other thoughts. Therefore,
what is essential is to destroy the first person thought, '1'.
The only way to destroy it is to scrutinize its nature! There
is no other way!!
"...How else to attiiin that state wherein 'I' (the ego)
does not rise - the state of egolessness - unless we
seek the source whence 'I' rises?..."
' Ulladu Narpadh u', verse 27
Even in the path of self-surrrender, which is the path of
devotion (bhakti), the destruction of the first person, the
thought ' I' , is achieved by surrendering it to God, having
come to know the worthlessness of its nature (either by
knowing that the ego-'I' is non-existent, or by knowing that
Self, the real 'I', is the sole existence). Thus, all that is
necessary is to enquire into the first person '1'-thought alone.
We shall see in chapter seven, 'Self-Enquiry', how it is
destroyed by means of enquiry.
CHAPTER
WhoAm I?
What is this 'I'? In other words. 'Who am I?'. Do we
not allgenerally say'I... I...'? What dowe refer to whenwe
say so?If we are asked what we mean when we say the
word 'I', weshallhave to admitthatwehave not yet found
t he correct answer t o t hi s quest i on! Why? Because
whenever we say 'I', we refer only to our body. Is not a
namegiventothe body?We generallytake that nameasthe
nameof that particular person. If that person is asked,'Who
are you?", he replies, "I am Rama". If someone calls,
"Rama", only that person looks back. Since other bodies
have other names, only this body is to be taken asRama.
Thereforethe name denotes the body. Because hebelieves
that he is, the body, hefeels that he is Rama and no one
else. Are there not many more occasions i n whi ch we
behave as if we were only this body?Therefore, it is clear
that each oneof us is convinced that thebody is '1'.
But i f we approach a person,point out his hand and
ask, "What is this?", quick comes his reply, "This is my
hand". Similarly,whenweaskabout eachpart of his body,
he says, "This is my leg, this is my stomach, this is my
chest,this is my back, this is my head", and soon and so
forth. Thus,hewill ultimately have admitted,"Thiswhole
body is mine". When he says that it is his body, it now
59 Who Am I?
becomes evident that the body is just a possession of his
that is, that he is the possessor of a possession, the body. If
so, can he be t he body, hi s possession? Is he not t he
possessor of it? If he is further questioned, "If this body is
only your possession, who are you, its possessor? Can you
be this body? Can a possession be its own possessor?", he
now admits that he is not the body, but that the body is
merely his possession.
The same person who, a shor t whi l e ago when
addressed by the name of his body, claimed, "1 am indeed
this body", now himself admits, "I am not this body, it is
only my possession". In the same manner he also refers to
his mind, "My thoughts are like this - my mind is like that."
Therefore, how can he be either the mind or the body,
which are only his possessions? What do we learn from all
this? No one yet knows what he really is! Man, who is still
in doubt - being unable to know what he really is, even
though he is the nearest and dearest to himself -, is trying
hard to know so many far-away t hi ngs i n t he worl d.
Not hi ng coul d be more ri di cul ous! When even t he
knowledge of his own self is full of confusion and unsolved
doubts, is there any wonder that his knowledge about
various other things [world and God), acquired by the mind
through study, hearing and experience, is also riddled with
doubts? How can a nlan who does not know even the
colour of the glasses he is wearing decide the correct colour
of other things by looking through those coloured glasses?
Similarly, however learned, rich or powerful he may be, if
a man has no clear knowledge of what he really is, all his
learning, greatness and power are merely fictitious! Hence,
the first lesson to be learnt is about one's own self. Let us
therefore pursue the enquiry 'Who am I?'.
60
The Path of Sr i Ramana - Pdrt One
Although some people will accept from the scrutiny
made above that they cannot be this insentient body, yet,
since they are not able to know correctly the true nature of
'I', they still think that 'I' is the sum total of the body, the
five senses, mind and breath [pranal". Therefore we must
clearly know what this 'I' is, without the slightest doubt or
wrong identification, that is, without mistaking one thing to
be another. I t is not enough if one accepts that one is not
the body, a mere mass of flesh. By observing the processes
of breathing and blood circulation, which continue even
though the body is lying down quietly, some may think that
the prana is perhaps '1'. Is there any test that we can use to
determine a particular thing as 'not I'? Yes, there is! The test
is to find out, 'Do we exist or not in the absence of that
part i cul ar thing?'! By using this test, we can proceed
successfully to the very end of our enquiry.
The wrong identification 'I am the body' is itself all of
these : mind [manas),.intellect (buddhi),the storehouse of
tendencies [chi t t am),ego [ahankara),wrong knowledge
[ajnana),nescience (sunya), mapa, and so on. The prana is
a gross form of this mind, and so is the physical body! Even
the mind is a body, but a subtle one; prana is a little grosser
than mind; and the body of flesh and blood is still grosser
than the prana; The subtle mind in its subtler form is itself
the tendencies (vasanas) or the darkness of ignorance. Let
us classify all these forms of the mind into three categories,
namely the gross, subtle and causal bodies." All the gross
forms - the body, blood circulation and respiration - which
are cognized by the mind through the five senses constitute
19 The word prono does not only mean the breathing process in the
lungs, but it also includes the cornplcte mctabolisrn in thc body.
20 The five sheaths (kosas) are classified into thesc threc bodics [sariros]
as follows: 1) the physical body that grows from food (annamaj~a
Who Am I? 61
the gross body; this is because all these are clearly cognized
by the mind, the su5tle body, which is the second in our
classification. Though t he sast ras usual l y i ncl ude
pranamaya kosa in the category of subtle body, we have
here included it in the category of gross body because it is
clearly perceived by the mind as an object other than the
mind, and since this will help us a great deal in applying
our test. Moreover, since all these five sheaths are finally to
be discarded as 'not I' [non-Self), no man with a little
comnlon sense will object to its being included with either
of those two bodies21. Now, by using the simple test
mentioned above, let us see if we are this gross body.
In deep sleep, we are not conscious of this gross body.
What do we infer from this? Is it not obvious [hat we can
exist without this mass of flesh? Some used to argue with
Sri Bhagavan : "The body does not cease to exist in deep
sleep. Although in deep sleep a man may not be conscious
of the existence of the body, nor of the nlovemenis of the
breath and blood circulation in it, yet t5ese are perceived
by others who are awake". But the verdict of Sri Bhagavan,
kosa) and the breath or prana (pranamaya kosa) form the the gross
body (sthula sariro); 2) the mind (manomaya kosa) and the intellect
or buddhi (vijnanamava kosa) form the subtle body (sukshnia
sarira); and 3) the nothingness of sleep where happiness prevails
(anandamaya kosa) forms the causal body (karana sarira). The
following verse may be noted here :
"The body is a form of five sheaths. So the term 'body'
includes all the five sheaths. Does the world exist apart
from the body'? Say, is there anvone who without the body
has seen the world?
Ulladhu Narpadhu', verse 5
21 This is what Sri Bhagavan actually meant when He said in 'Itrho am
I?'. "It is useless to scrutinize [or to a gue about the classification ofJ
the garbage, all of which is to be thrown away in one stroke".
62
the Truth-knower ( mahanubhavi ) , is quite contrary to this.
According to Him, "In deep sleep the body and the world
donot exist,yet one's ownexistence,'I am', is experienced
by one and all". The picture, that is, the body and world,
rises only when the mind rises, exists only so long as the
mind exists,andvanisheswhen the mind sets;therefore,is
there a world apart from the mind?2"ince the microcosm
isthe macrocosm,thebody is the world.Without the body,
the world does not exist. All that exists as the world is
projected fromthe body.That iswhySriBhagavan asks (in
verse 5 of ' Ul l adhu Nar padhu' ) : "Is there anyone who
without the body has seen t he world?". In short , t he
contention of worldly people ( aj nani s) is,' The body and
world doexist in sleep,whereas the consciousness 'I' does
not exist there' . But Sri Bhagavan's verdict is quite the
contrary: 'The body and world donot exist in deep sleep,
whereas the consciousness 'I am' is experienced by all'.
Now, does the body really exist in deep sleep?f i r if the
bodyexistsin deep sleep,theworld must alsoexistthere23.
Sincethebody cannotexistunless the mindrises,how can
it exist in deep sleep, where the mind does not rise?And
since the body does not exist in deep sleep,how then can
theworld exist there?Therefore,let ustry to understand Sri
22. "Thefive kinds of sense-knowledge,and nothing else, constitute t l ~e
form of the world we see. The five kinds of sense-knowledge are
obtained through thefive sense-organs.Sincethe onemind perceives
the world through the five sense-organs, sa),can there be a world
apart from the mind?"
' Ul l adl ~uNarpadhu' , verse 6
23. "The world does not exist apart from the body; the body does not
exist apart from the mi nd; the mind does not exist apart froin
consciousness,and c o ~ ~ s c i o u s ~ ~ e s s does not exist apart from Self,
which is existence,"
'Guru Vachaka Kovai', verse 99
63 Who Am I?
Bhagavan's verdict that the body and world do not exist in
deep sleep.
If we say that a thing exists, that existence must be
coupled with consciousness, that is, it should itself know its
own existence. It should not need the evidence or help of
any other thing either to know its existence or to prove its
existence. For, existence and the knowledge of existing (that
is, existence and consciousness, sat and chit) are not two
different things.
"To know existence (sat), there is no consciousness
(chit) other than existence itself; existence is
therefore consciousness. . ."
' Upadcsa Undl~iyar' , verse 23
Thus, consciousness without existence is not at all
consciousness; likewise, existence without consciousness is
not at all existence. The knowledge that we slept is the
evidence of our existence at that time. Do we have to ask
others to know whether we slept or not? Since it is we alone
who have the knowledge that we have slept, does not this
very knowledge prove that we did exist in deep sleep?
When our existence and consciousness (sat..chit) in deep
sleep is thus undeniable, if the body and world also had
such an undeniable existence and consciousness, why do
they (body and world) need the evidence of others to prove
their existence in deep sleep? Because the evidence of
others is needed to prove that the body and world exist
during deep sleep, is it not clear that their existence is not
self-evident? Si nce we have proved that an existence
without consciousness is no existence at all, and since the
knowledge that the body and world exist in deep sleep is
not self-evident, we can positively assert that their existence
is false. Therefore, let us conclude that the body and world
64
The Path of Sri Ramana - k t One
do not exist in deep sleep24. Thus, because no one can deny
that he existed in sleep, one's own existence in sleep and
the non existence of the body there must be accepted by all.
Many, because of their lack of maturity of
understanding when first visiting Sri Bhagavan and
scrutinizing the nature of reality as exposed by Him and as
explained above, were not able to grasp the fact and be
convinced that existence (sat) and consciousness (chit) are
one and the same, and therefore were repeatedly arguing
with Him. On the other hand. some, who had
discrimination and a sharp, clear intellect, not already
confused by a mere study of the sastras without any
practice, were fully convinced as soon as they heard Sri
Bhagavan's exposition (that the body and world do not exist
in deep sleep) that it alone is right; therefore, they were able
to proceed along the path of enquiry, But, those who did not
have the maturity of intellect to be able to accept the non-
existence of the body and world in deep sleep were stopped
and could progress no further on the path.
Knowing well that an aspirant cannot know, "I am not
the body" ( deham naham) , and thereby give up his
attachment to it unless he is fully convinced by his own
experience, ' I can exist even without the body' , Sri
Bhagavan, while proclaiming the clarion call of Vedanta,
'deham naham koham soham', says in Tamil in His own
words of Grace :
"Deham ghatamnihar jadamidar kahainenum
tihazhviladal Nat ~am jadalamil tuyilinil
dinamurum namadiyalal ..."
24 Accordingto the followinglogical inference: "Thatwhich seems to
existat onetimeandnotatanothertimeisactuallynon-existenteven
while it seems to exist",the body and world are non-existent even
duringthe timeof theirseemingexistence,that isduringwakingand
dream.
WhoAm I?
"The body (deham) is insentient like an earthen
pot. Since it does not have the consciousness 'I'
and since our existence is experienced (as'I am')
dailyin deepsleep,where thebody doesnot exist,
it isnot 'I' (naham)..."
' Ul l adhu Narpacl hu- Ar~ubandham, verse 10
Yet somedevotees of Sri Bhagavan often retort: "The
Sanskrit original of this verse says, ' apet a supt i s amaye' ,
which means that in deep sleep the body is merely absent,
removed or unmanifest; does this not mean that we need
not accept the total non-existence of the body in sleep?",
Unless the aspirant' s mind is well saturated wi t h the
conviction that there is no body at all in sleep,it will be
given the chanceto imagine that in sleep thingsother than
the 'I' - consciousness, namely the body andworld,exist at
least i n some subtle form, and that in future they may
evolve into some very magnificent forms. Only when this
chanceisgiven to the mind,will it have room to form such
meaninglesstheories asimnlortalizing the body [divinizing
humanity) ant1 heavenizing the world! Therefore, in order
to clear the doubtsof these aspirants,it becomes necessary
to relate the followingincidentz5.
The ori gi nal Sanskri t v e r s e 2 h o mp o s e d by Sri
Bhagavan in 1927was as follows :
"Deham mrinmaya vajjadat makamaham buddhir
natasya styato Naham tattadabhava supti sarnaye
siddhntnla sadbhnr,-ata.."
25 This incident was related by Sri Muruganar. It is also mentioned in
' Day by Daj, with Hhagar~an' (20-1-1946morning).
26 The original Sa~l skr i t verse of Sri Bhagavan is published by Sri
Ramanasramam as verse 56 of 'Sri Ran~ana Hridayam' i11a booklet
called 'Revelation'.
WhoAm I?
"The body (dehorn) is insentient like an earthen
pot. Since it does not have the consciousness 'I'
and since our existence is experienced (as'I am')
daily in deepsleep,where the body doesnot exist,
it isnot 'I' (nahum)... "
' Ul l adhu Narpadhu- Anubandham, verse 10
Yet some devotees of Sri Bhagavan often retort: "The
Sanskrit original of this verse says, ' apet n supt i samaye' ,
which means that in deepsleep thebody is merely absent,
removed or unmanifest: does this not mean that we need
not accept the total non-existence of the body in sleep?",
Unless the aspirant' s mi nd is well saturated wi t h t he
conviction that there is no body at all in slcep,it will be
given the chanceto imagine that in sleepthings other than
the ' I ' - consciousness,nanlely thebody ancl world, exist at
least in some subtle form, ancl that in future they may
evolve into sollie very magnificent forms. Only when this
chanceisgiven to themind,will it have room to form such
meaninglesstheories as immortalizingthe body (clivinizing
humanity) ancl heavenizing the world! Therefore, in order
to clear the doubtsof these aspirants, itbecomes necessary
to relate the followingincic1entz5.
The ori gi nal Sanskri t verse2' jconlposec1by Sri
Bhagavan in 1927wasasfollows :
"Deham mri nmaya vajjadat makun~uharn buddhir
natusya st j ~ut o Nahum tattadabhava supti sumajTe
siddhutnla sadbhavata.."
25 This incident was rclatetl by Sri bluruganar. It is also mcntioncd in
' Day by Daj. with Bhagarran' (20-1-1946morning).
26 The original Sanskrit verse of Sri Bhagavan is publ i shed by Sri
Ramanasran~am as verse 56 of 'Sri Ramnna Hridayam' in a booklct
callcd 'Revelation'.
66
i n which the precise word He used was ' abhava' . But a
devotee, Kavya Kanta Ganapati Sas tri, perhaps on account
of his then inabilityto accept thenon-existence of thebody
indeepsleep,andbelieving that thebody is not totally non-
existent but that i t still exists in deep sleep at least in an
unmanifest (apet a) condition, changed the text to ' apet a
supti samaye'27. Theexperienceof SriBhagavan is : 'It does
not exist ( abhava) ' ! 'It does exist, at least in an apet a
condition' , is may be this devotee' s opi ni on28. While
translating the same verse into Tamil, Sri Bhagavan has
used the Tamil words ' j adal ami l ' , which means that the
body does not exist at all.If SriBhagavan had agreedwith
the idea conveyed by the substitution, He would have
t rans1a; J it accordingly: but He has confirmed His olvn
idea (i.e,abhava) by translating only the word used inHis
original Sanskrit composition. The Sanskrit version which
is now i n print (i nall books ot her t han ' Sr i Rai nana
Hridayanl) is only the substitution of the devotee and not
the original of SriBhagavan !
It is only by way of concession to the weakness of
immatureminds whobelieve that thebody andworld truly
exist,that the sastraspacify them by saying:"The creation
(thebody and world)oncecameout of God or Self (at man);
it resolves into Him during sleep, death and dissolution
27 Kavpa Kanta Ganapati Sastri seems to have usetl thc phrase 'opcto
s upt i s o~~~aj , e' only inthesense' duringslccp,~v h c n thcbody doesnot
appcar' , and not in t he sense ' during slccp, when the body has no
existance whatsoever'. Themeaningwhi chhcgives to theword opeta
canbcclcarly understoodby those who read his Sanskrit coinnlentary
on 'Upadesa Saran1' verse 30.
28 Sincetherc is noprosodic mistake in t he origirial word abhova used
by Sri Bhagavan, t he word apeto must have been substituted only
because Ganapati Sastri's idea was contrary to that of Sri Bhagavan.
For if the word apct a gave the sainc~neani ng asobhavo, where was
theneed for a substitutioll?
Who Am I? 67
(pralaya), and comes out again". However, these pacifying
words are not the absolute truth (paramarthika satya) and
hence they cannot give full satisfaction to us, who are
longing for and trying to know only the absolute truth.
These explanations of the sastras do not stand before the
personal experience of Bhagavan Sri Ramana, the Maha
Guru, who never ~withheld, even in the least, the absolute
truth from anyone; therefore, we need not take then1 to be
His direct teaching. The same idea has been well expressed
in the following verse by Sri Muruganar, the foremost
disciple of Sri Bhagavan :
'Although Guru Ramana taught various doctrines
according to the level of understanding of those
who came to Him, we heard from Him that ajataZ9
alone is truly His 0 ~ ~ 1 1 experience. Thus should
you know."
' Guru Vach~kcl&vai'. verse 100
Since we exist even during sleey , when the body does
not exist, we have to conclude, according to the basic test
framed previously, that we cannot be the gross body (the
physical body, breath and blood circulation).
Let us now consider the subtle body. Ivlirld (which is
thoughts) and intellect constitute this subtle body. We know
that the mind is just a collection of thoughts. Even in the
waking state, do we not sometimes have, without effort,
rnoments of quietude when all thoughts subside? Do we
cease to exist during those thought-free periods? No, even
then we do exist. However, we hear some people complain,
"The whole of my waking state is full of nothing but waves
29 Ajata is the knowledge that nothing - neither the world, soul nor God
- ever comes into existence, and that 'That which is' ever exists as
it is.
68
and waves of thoughts, and I have never experienced the
subsidence of thoughts at all", Very well, it is right to
welcome and reply to their complaint. The periods in which
the waves of thoughts subside of their own accord in the
waking state are the state of 'being still' [summa iruttal) or
Self-abidance [nishtha). Aspi rant s who have had t hi s
experience can easily grasp the truth, 'We can and do exist
even in the absence of thoughts'. Yet for the sake of those
who have complained, let us scrutinize deeper. Have we not
already said that of all the thoughts which arise from sleep,
the first person thought, 'I am the body', is the first? All
other thoughts, which pertain to second and third person
objects, n~ultiply only by catching hold of this first thought.
Even for those whose thoughts do not subside in the waking
state, do not all thoughts vanish when sleep overtakes them,
since the first thought, 'I am the body', itself subsides at that
time? Thus, does not everyone of us have access to the
thought-free state in dreamless sleep? There we are not non-
existent !
"... even in sleep, where there is no ego-'I', we are
not non-existen t!"
' Upadesa Llndhiyar', verse 2 1
- says Sri Bhagavan. So, according to our basic test, since
we exist even in the absence of the mind, we are not the
mind.
Further, in the same manner as this ' I am the body1-
consciousness (dehatma-buddhi)clings to the gross body as
'I', it can also cling in a subtle way to many other bodies.
For instance, when the gross body is inactive, is not the
mind working? Dream is one such case. It is an example of
our taking a subtle body. During dream, the mind - as if it
had taken another gross body - functions and knows many
Who Am I? 69
things through that body. This dream body is simply a
mental projection. It is nothing but the mind itself. So it can
also be called the subtle body, But do we not exist in
dreamless sleep? Therefore, since we can exist even without
this dream-body, we can clearly understand that it is not '1'.
We should not think that the mind thus functions with a
subtle body only in dream. Even in the waking state, do we
not day-dream? At that time also, the same phenomei l ~n
takes place. Suppose we sit, not sleeping, and imagine that
we travel to a far-off country, meet a friend there, talk with
him and undergo all the ups and downs of life. At that time
the body with vvhich we seem to go, come, talk and so on,
is also a subtle body of ours. We know that these subtle
bodies which we thus take now and then are transient.
When we wake up from dream, the dream-body is gone. In
the same manner, the body assumed in day-dream also
becomes false (non-existent). That is, these bodies are false
forms which come on us and go. Thus we c2n conclude that
we exist even in the absence of these bodies. Therefore, they
are not 'we'.
Now, if we scrutinize further, ave will find that we
have another kind of body even subtler than the subtle
body. Here also, t C support this, each one of us has his own
experience, namely dreamless sleep. At that time we have
nei t her the gross nor subt l e body. The mi nd havi ng
completely subsided we sink at rest in total darkness,
knowing nothing. When the mind rises again fro~tl this
darkness, either dream or waking results. Whe2 we wake up
from deep sleep, we remember our experience thus, 'I slept
happily and did not have any dream'. That is, we know that
we existed even in that state of seeming darkness in which
there was not even a dream. That dark state is called the
70
causal body30, We whoknowthat weknewthat weexisted
there,iz thereal 'J'.
In deep sleep, the ego (ahankara - the mind in the
form of attachments) is still alive in the very subtle form of
tendencies (vasanas); it is this form which is that base and
cause for the rising of the subtle and gross bodies, and
therefore it is called the causal body. Even in death, it is in
this causal body that we exist. This causal body is not
destroyed by the death of the gross body. The reason for
asserting that even this causal body is not '1', is that we exist
there to know even that state to be alien to us. There, our
existence aloneisreal,andwecannot be the form [darkness
or ignorance) which we assume there. Just as we rejected
the gross body of the waking state as 'I am not this body',
even though it appeared to be 'I', and just as for the same
reason we rejected the subtle body of the dream state as 'not
1', let us now also reject this causal body (darkness or
ignorance) of deep sleep as ' not I', since it is only a form
which comes on us and goes. Therefore, having firmly
eliminated all these three bodics as ' not I , not I', what then
remains, that knowledge,the consciousness (chit) of our
existence (sat), alone is '1'.
Can we eliminate these three bodies? Certainly we
can, because they are only our sheaths and are extraneous
to us. From what is extraneous to us, we can separate
ourself. It is within our ability. Only when we thus separate
30 The reason for saying here that there is a causal body still existing
in sleep and that the darkness of sleep itself is its form - even though
it has been expl ai ned on pages 61 to 67 t hat , accordi ng to t he
experience of Sri Bhagavan, the body and world exist in no form at
all i n deep sleep - is that our present scrutiny is clone according to
the footnote given on pages 52 to 53: "...but for the time being let us
proceed on the assumption of ordinary people that sleep is a defective
and mean state."
Who Am I? 71
ourself from these sheaths, which are extraneous to us, will
we know our true nature. According to the truth which we
have already established, namely that our true nature itself
is happiness, knowing our true nature is itself experiencing
perfect happiness. Thus, the experience of Self-knowledge
(at ma-swarupnnubhava) is the very pinnacle of happiness.
It is t he ultimate goal for whi ch all living beings are
knowingly or unknowingly searching through all their
innumerable endeavours. Attaining - through the enquiry
'Who am I?' - the knowledge (chit) of our reality (sat) as the
perfect happiness (annnda) is the supreme goal of mankind.
The sole cause of all miseries is t he mistake of veiling
ourself by imagining these sheat hs to be ourself, even
though we are ever this existence-consciousness-bliss (sat-
chi t -ananda).
CHAPTER
TheEnquiry,
'WhoAmI?'
and
TheFourYogas
Thisvery process of thus separatingourselves from
these sheaths,which are extraneous and alien to us, has
been described in scriptures (sastras) as ' yoga' , Though in
itsstrictestsensetheword 'yoga' simplymeans ' union' , our
earlier analysis has led us to call this process one of
'separation'. In effect however, these two [separation and
uriion)are one and the same!What in Bhagavan Ramana's
path to happinesshasbeen sofar described as 'a separation
from what we are not' is the same asthat which has been
called by all thesastraswhich have prevailed in our midst
uptill nowas'unionwith God',If so,what is thereasonfor
t he use of t hese two cont radi ct ory words? The basic
meaningwhich SriRamana, the Loka hlaha Gllru, gives us
forthe word '1' isourtrue,natural consciousness,Self [atrna
bhava), lvhereasthebasic meaningwhichhasbeen givenby
the sastrasuptill now for theword 'I' is the consciousness
'Iamthisbody' (jivabhava).
Let usmake this clear with an example.Suppose one
man says,"I have come to Tiruvannamalai", and another
says,"I have goneto Tiruvannamalai", both arepointing out
the same event of reaching Tiruvannamalai.What do we
infer from their way of pointing out that same event of
reaching Tiruvannamalai with t he contradictory words
The Enquiry, 'Who Am I?' and The Four Yogas
73
'come' and 'gone'? Is it not evident that the first one is in
Tiruvannamalai, while the other is not in Tiruvannamalai
but is speaking from somewhere else? Similarly, the method
which is given to on aspirant who asks for a path to perfect
happiness will be described either as 'separation' (viyoga) or
as 'union' (yoga) according to what is given to him or taken
by him as the basic meaning for the word '1'.
There is thus a difference betweer? the yoga which has
been taught by the sastras and the Self-enquiry taught by Sri
Bhagavan. Accepting the wrong understanding of ordinary
people, 'I am this body, I have a separate existence', as the
base, the sastras teach the four yogas, namely karma yoga,
bhakt i yoga, raja yoga and jnana yoga:-
1. "Act without attachment to the fruit thereof", says karma
yoga.
2. "Do not love any other thing; love God alone", says bhakti
yoga.
3. "By separating yourself from God, you have degraded
yourself into a petty individual soul (jiva); go and unite
with Him again", says raja yoga.
4. "Know God", says jnana yoga.
In each of these four yogas, there must be an '1': an 'I'
to do action without attachment to the fruit thereof; an 'I'
to love God; an 'I' that separated itself from God and that
must now go back and unite with Him; and an 'I' which was
so far ignorant of God and which is now trying to know
Him. Thus, in all these four yogas the individual existence
of an 'I' in the form of 'I am this' or ' I am so-and-so'is
indispensable. Withoutthis '1', noyoga canbe performed!
Then, is it not necessary first of all to find out: 'Who
is this I? Does he actually exist? Does he have a separate
existence? Is he real?' Instead of frittering away one's energy
74
i n at t empt i ng to at t ai n the much cher i shed Godhood
through the four yogas, it would be easier, more important
and also best to know oneself first by scrutinizing ' Who am
I - what is my true nature or existence?'. Until and unless
a doubt-free knowledge of oneself is obtained, however
much one may know about God by reading about Him,
hearing about Him, or seeing visions of Him, doubts and
miseries will be rising in one again and again - because
there is an '1'. It is only after accepting the conception that
this 'I' who is to perform the four yogas is a separate entity
that the sastras have given us the teachings on them. But
Bhagavan Sri Ramana does not at all allow us to accept this
conception! 'Before opening your coffers and finding your
assets, do not begin to wail unnecessarily, proclaiming, 'I am
a penniless beggar". First set about to open your box; then
only, after seeing, can you speak about it. Similarly, before
you enqui r e and know who you r eal l y ar e do not
unnecessarily make the wrong estiirlate about yourself that
you are a limited and petty individual soul (jirrcl). First set
about to enquire and know yourself, and after knowing
your sel f , if ' you ar e st i l l i n need of anyt hi ng ( God,
liberation, happiness, etc.), let us look to i t then', advises Sri
Bhagavan !
The 'I am the body'-consciousness ( dehat n~a- buddhi )
is the individual soul (jiva); in other words, the nature of
the individual soul is nothing but the wrong knowledge 'I
am the body'.
"Though this insentient body cannot say ' I' (i.e.
does not have the feeling ' IJ), and though existence-
consciousness (sat-chit, Self) has no rising and
setting, between these two rises an ' I' of the
measure of t he body ( t he ' I am the body' -
identification). Know this alone to be the knot
75
between consciousness and the insentient (chit-
jada-granthi), bondage ( bandham) , soul (jiva),
subtle body (suks.?ma sarira), ego (shankara), this
mundane state of activities ( samsara) , mind
(manas) and so on !"
'Ulladhu Narpadhu' , verse 24
This 'I am the body' - consciousness rises after sleep,
exists and remains active till sleep, and again subsides in.
sl eep. Si nce t he body is i nsent i ent , i t has no '1'-
consciousness; hence this consciousness (which rises as 'I
am the body') cannot be said to be the body! Can we then
call it Self (atman), since it is an '1'-consciousness? No, we
cannot, for rising and setting is not the nature of Self. The
nature of Self is existence-consciousness (sut-chit), shining
ever as ' I am' wi t hout ri si ng and set t i ng. t hus , this
consciousness 'I am the body', which has a rising and a
setting, cannot be said to be Self either. It is neither Self,
which is consciousness, nor the body, which is insentient!
It is a ghost-like false appearance, taking the size of the body
as its own size, being limited by time and space, being a
mixure of the quality of the body (i.e. rising and setting) and
the quality of Self (i.e. shining as an '1'-consciousness), but
at the same time alien to both of them, and rising as a knot
(gmnthi) between Self (chit) and the insentient body (judo)
- chi t - j ada- grant hi . Thi s is t he ego, ot herwi se called
bondage, soul, subtle body, samsara (the mundane state of
activity) mind and so on.
"This formless and ghostly ego (i.e. it has no form
of its own) comes into existence by grasping a
body-form! Having grasped a form, it endures, and
having grasped a form, it waxes more by feeding
upon forms, Leaving one form, it grasps another
form. When sought for, it takes to flight; what a
wonder it is ! Thus should you know."
'Ulladhu Narpadu' verse 25
"The ego can come into existence only by identifying
with a form (a body) as '1'. It can exist only by clinging to
that form. Taking forms (through the five senses) for its food
to live upon, it will wax more and more. Leaving one form
with which it had identified as '1'; it will catch another form
as 'I' ! It will lose its existence and disappear only when it
is sought for: 'What is it?' or 'Who am I?'. This ego, which
rises in the form 'I am t he body' , is t hus a formless,
imaginary and empty ghost-like appearance, having no real
existence", says Bhagavan Sri Ramana !
"Presupposing the existence of a non-existent thing
and then wanting to get salvation for that imaginary 'I', you
have to start and try to do so through the above-said four
paths of yoga. When your sadhanas themselves become a
means of giving life to the non-existent ego, how can they
destroy it? To do any sadhana except Self-enquiry (atma-
vichara), the existence of the mind (jiva) is indispensable.
For, how to perform those sodhanas without the mind? To
try to destroy the ego by sadhanas other than Self-enquiry
is to be just like a thief turning hiinself into a policeman to
catch the thief who is none but himself. Only Self-enquiry
can reveal the truth that the ego (mind or jiva) has no
existence whatsoever! So do not accept this ego, the truth
of which you have not yet found out by scrutiny; deny it
by giving no importance to its existence, root it out and
burn it to extinction by attending to how or from what
(whence) it rises! Instead of doing so, if you accept it as a
real entity even before enquiring and finding out what it is
(i.e. before finding out 'Who am I?'), it itself will be a fetter
TheEnquiry,'WhoAm I? andTheFour Yogas
7 7
toyou andwill create manynon-existent obstacles (suchas
lust, anger, etc.)for you, and will then involve you in the
aforesaidunnecessary efforts to overcome them"- thussays
SriBhagavan31.
Only if we first accept as Self a thing which is not
Self,doesa need ariseforayoga tomakeefforts from there
to unite withanotherreal Thing.Wronglyacceptinga thing
in this manner before scrutinizing it, is itself ignorance!
That itself isbondage!Ratherthanfirst acceptinga thingof
whichthetruth isnot properly known - bondage,whichis
in fact non-existent- and then struggling to get rid of the
miseries caused by it, would it not be wiser and more apt
to enquireand find out,'Does itexist?What is,it?Whoam
I, 'that thing?' ?
"The mere enquiry "To whom are these defect:
k a r n ~ a s ~ ~ (actions),vibhakti [lack of devotion),
viyoga (disunion)and ajrrana (ignorance) ?' isitself
karma33,bhakti,yoga and jnana ! [How?) When
thus enquired, ' I' is (found to be) non-existent,
(and hence) these defects are (alsofound to be)
31 Rcfer to thewhole of the firstchapter(' Self-Enquiry'] of 'Mahurshi's,
Gospel',Book 11
32 Karmas: here means kamya karmas i.e. actioils performcd with a
senseof doership.
33 Kanna: here means nishkamya karma,i.e. action performed without
a senseof doership.
SriBhagavan used to say that nishkamya karma (desireless action)
cannot be done so long as there is a sense of docrship while
performing the action.Whether onewants the result of the action or
not, i t will certainlvgive hirn the fruit sinceheremains as an entity,
the doer. So it shoul d be corrected to ' ni shkart ri t va karma'
(doershiplcssaction) instead of ni shka~nya karma. Thus, thc rcal
defect in performing karmasis the doership and not the expectation
of aresult.
78
ever non-existent. The truth is, (then revealed) that
we ever remain as (the defectless) Self!"
Uf f adhu Narpadhu -Anubandham' , verse 14
If we ask, 'To whom are these four defects, namely that
of not performing nishkamya karmas, that of not loving God
(vibhakti), that of being separated from God (viyoga) and that
of not knowing God (ajnana)?', the answer will be 'To me',
If we then enquire 'Who is this I?', that itself is truly doing
the four yogas: karma yoga, bhakt i yoga, raja yoga and
jnana yoga. Because, by thus enquiring who one is, this
defective 'I' will be found to be non-existent. When this 'I'
is thus found to be non-existent, these four defects will also
be found to have been ever non-exi st ent . Our real
experience will then be that we are ever shining as the
defectless Self-alone.
When t hi s state is attained by t he enquiry ' Who
am I ?', who is then left there to practice the four yoga-
sadhanas, and why to do so? Hence, the enquiry, Who
am I ?' is the essence of all yogas. It is the Maha YogaM, the
greatest of all yogas.
Bhagavan Sri Ramana starts His teaching, ' Who
am I ?', taking Self, the state of true existence (sat bhava),
to be our basic knowledge. Therefore, He does not at all
allow us to accept t he non-existent ego, the sense of
individuality [Jiva bhava). But in other paths, that is, in
yogas, instructions are given taking as our basic knowledge
the sense of individuality (jiva bhava), a false existence
34 Though Self-enquiry is not a yoga, it has been called the Moha Yoga
because it reveals the knowledge that yoga has never existed.
However, it should not be thought that the word 'Moha Yoga' implies
the existence of a 'maha yoga' which needs to be rectified.
79
which we have accepted with out prior scrutiny35. That is
why in the sastras the process is named 'union' or 'yoga'. If
so, some may doubt t hus: "Are all t he Vedantic sastras
wrong, and have they cheated the aspirants? Can sastraic
statements be false? Or are we to conclude that Bhagavan
Sri Ramana has condenlned the sastras ?"
No, it is not so, Neither do the sastras tell lies, nor
does Bhagavan Sri Ramana condemn the sastras !! The fact
of t he matter is this: the absolute t rut h (paramart hi ka
sastya), whi ch is the very life of t he sastras, has been
rendered as if lifeless in the course of time by the wrong
explanations of mere bookworms, who have mastered only
the letter but have not understood the true import of the
sastras. The true import of the sastras cannot be learnt
except from Jnanis, that is, those who have had and live in
the direct experience of Reality; no one can understand the
true spirit behind any of the sastras merely by his command
over language or by hi s keenness and superiority of
intellect. We can clarify this point with two examples.
Firstly: Let us take the mahavakya ' That thou art' (tat
twam asi ). We shoul d note the difference between the
decision of Sri Bhagavan and that of the learned pandits
with regard to what an aspirant (1n~lmukshu)should do as
soon as he hears these divine and significant words. Having
mastered the sastras, these scholars, who lecture on them
with their peculiar interpretations to laymen, begin to do
japa of (i.e. to repeat) the mahavakyas such as ' That thou
art' (tat t wam asi), 'I am Brahman' (aham brahmasmi) and
' I am He' (soham), or they begin to think (meditate] 'I am
Brahman' , They al so i nst r uct ot her s to do japa a nd
meditation in the same manner. In place of the former
35 See the story of the boy and the ghost on pages 81 to 82.
80
thought, 'I am a man or jiva', they now have, a different
thought, 'I am Brahman'. This is nothing but replacing one
thought by another! It is not the thought-free state of Self-
abidance (nishtha)! Not knowing the correct practice which
is to be done as soon as the mahavakyas are thus heard,
repetition (japci) of them or meditation (dhyana) upon them
are performed; but, being fully aware that such wrong
practices would and could never bestow the experience of
true knowledge (jnana), even though practised for years
together, Sri Bhagavan at once puts the aspirant on the right
path by instructing him thus:-
"Since the sastras proclaim, 'Thou art That which
is called the Supreme' , and since That itself
always shines as Self, for one to meditate ' I am
That and not this (the bod,v and so on)' , instead of
knowing oneself through the enquiry 'What am I?'
and abiding as Self, is indeed due to lack of
strength (of mind) !"
Ulladhu Norpad11u vernse 32
As soon as the sastras declare, 'Thou art That', turning
his attention Self wards, 'I am what? Who am I?' should be
the immediate reaction of an aspirant; it is not ineant that
he should meditate 'I am not this body, I am that Brahman.'
The purpose of the sastras in saying ' That thou art' is to
make the aspirant turn his attention towards Self, 'Who am
I?'. On the other hand, by turning the muhnvakyas' I am
That ' , ' I am He' and ' I a m Brahman' i nt o japa and
meditation, not only is the very purpose of the sastras
defeated, but also the aspirants deprive themselves of the
proper benefit they should have obtained from the sastras,
do they not? When Sri Bhagavan directly takes the aspirant
to Self-attention, is He not truly fulfilling the objective of
81
the sastras and thus revitalizing them? Can it then be said
that He is contradicting them? It certainly cannot ! Here is
an apt story to illustrate this point.
One evening a young boy went for a stroll with his
father. When dusk had almost set in, he beheld a tree-trunk
from which the branches and leaves had been cut off. He
was terrified and screamed, "Oh Father! There, see, a ghost!"
Though his father knew the truth that it was just the stem
of a tree, he assured the boy," Oh, that ghost! I t cannot do
you any harm. I am here and will see to it, Come on"; so
saying, he led the boy away. On hearing the encouraging
words of his father, the boy took them to mean, 'hly father
is stronger than the ghost and that is why he says that it can
do me no harm'. This conclusion of the boy is similar to the
understanding of the pandits about the meaning of the Yoga
and Vedanta sastras !.
Next evening, while going, for a stroll with his teacher
along the same path, the boy exclaimed, "Sir, look ! There's
the ghost; we saw it yesterday also ," Tlle teacher pitied him
for his ignorance and said, "That is not a ghost", But the boy
persisted, "No sir, my father also saw it yesterday; he even
assured me that he would see to it that it could do ine no
harm; but sir, you say it is not a ghost at all"' Would the
teacher yield so easily? He said, "Go near it and see for
yourself; I will shine the flashlight on it. If it turns out to
be a ghost, I too will see to it !"
The sastras are like the words of the father in the
story. The father also knew well that it was not a ghost.
Similarly, the great Sages who gave these sastras also knew
well the absolute truth (paramarthika satya) that nothing
such as the ego, body, or world has ever come into existence
at all. The father, knowing that his son was quite unfit to
82
make a cl oser exami nat i on o n account of hi s much
frightened state at that time, talked to him as if he were also
accepting the existence of the false ghost imagined by his
son. Even while talking like that, he was not telling a lie.
To allay quickly the fear of his son, he said, ' The ghost
cannot do you any harm: That was i ndeed t he truth!
However, what the teacher told him the next day was the
absolute truth (paramarthika satya). Although the, teacher's
statement that it was not a ghost seems to contradict the
father's statement, does it not in fact lend more support to
the objective of the father's statement that the ghost could
do the boy no harm, by making him see for himself that it
was after all only the stem of a tree? By thus fulfilling the
father' s objective does not the statement of t he teacher
breat he new life i nt o t hat of t he father"? Inst ead of
understanding thus, if the boy were to conclude,' Either my
teacher has condemned my father, Of my father has told me
an outright lie', it would be utterly wrong on his part.
Similarly, Sri Bhagavan has neither condemned the sastras,
nor shown them to be false; nor have the sastras stated
untruths. If any reader were to come to this mistaken
conclusion about Sri Bhagavan, ' he would be just as much
wrong as would have been the boy in our story.
Secondl y: In' Kaivalya Navani t ham' , whi ch is a
standard non-dualistic work (jnana-sastra) in Tamil, it is
stated, "For the jnani, the fruits of the accumulated past
actions which are to bear fruit in future births (sanchita
karma) are burnt up by the fire of knowledge (jnana); the
good and bad fruits of the actions done in this birth (agamya
karma) are nullified by their being taken up by those who
praise Him and blame Him respectively (i.e. by those who
do good or harm to Him through thought, word or deed);
and only the remaining third karma, that portion of the past
83
act i ons whi ch are to give frui t i n t hi s present bi rt h
(prarabdha karma), is to be experienced by Him for the
duration of His body, and it will end only with the death
of His body:" But Sri Bhagavan gives His verdict:
"To say that Sanchita and agamya will not adhere
to a Jnani, but that prarabdha does remain (to be
experienced by Him) Is only a (superficial) reply
to the questions of others, Just as none of the
wives will remain unwidowed when the husband
dies, so all the three karmas will be extinguished
when the doer (the ego) dies, Thus should you
know !"
' Ulladhu Narpadhu -Anrrbandham' , verse 33
It has been pointed out by Sri Bhagavan that the statement
of the jnana sastras that prarubdha remains for a Jnani is
'only a reply to the questions, of others'! Now, to whom
does Sri Bhagavan refer as 'others'? Orily to the ignorant
(those who are in a similar state of delusion as the boy in
our story) who, not being able to grasp that j'nana itself is
the jnani; He is not a human form'36, see the jnani (jnana,
the bodiless) as one who has a body - as a body form, that
is, as an individual! Such people will be repeatedly asking,
"How does the jnani walk, how does He talk, how does He
work?" and so on and so forth; and for them it is something
new and incomprehensible how at all it is possible to have
an existence other than the 'I am the body' - identification!
Therefore, referring to these people as 'others', Sri Bhagavan
explains that only such a reply has to be given to them.
However, to those mature aspirants (n~umukshus)who came
to Him with the courage to know the final truth as it is -
since they alone truly belong to Him - Sri Bhagavan lays
36 Rafer to appendix one (b), ' ll'ho is Jnnni?', verse 10,
84
bare the truth, without concealing anything, in the second
half of the verse:" ...Just as none of the wives will remain
unwidowed when the husband dies, so all the three karmas
will be extinguished when the doer [the ego) dies, Thus
should you know!", If a man has three wives and dies, all
the three wives will be widowed; none of them will be
missed out. Similarly, as soon as the one who has done the
karmas [i.e. the sense of doership - kartritva) dies in true
knowledge (jnana), all the fruits of the three karmas come
to a n end si nce t he exper i encer (i . e. t he sense of
experien~ership~~-bhok?ritva) is no longer alive. How can it
then be said that Sri Bhagavan has criticized or contradicted
'Kaivalya Navanitham'? Sri Bhagavan's statement is certainly
not a condemnation, since in the first half of the verse He
clearly explains the reason why it is so said in 'Kaivalya
Nuvanitham' !
The one Supreme Thing (para vastu), assuming the
form of various Veda-rishis, gave the sastras to the world
according to the development of the people and their power
of understanding at that time. Later on, that same Supreme
Thing appears in the form of various Jnana-Gurus and
makes clear - through so many new methods which will
sui t the intellectual development of the people in that
particular age - its own supreme truth, which it had already
revealed through the sastras, but which had been twisted
and rendered lifeless by people of perverted intellect who
did not properly understand it! [In this context, the reader
may refer to the Bhagavad Gita, chapter four, verses 1 to 3. )
37 The sense of doership, i.e. the feeling 'i am the doer' and the sense
of experiencership, i.e. the feeling 'I am the cxpericncer', are one and
the same. For a detailed explanation, see 'The Path of Sri R a n ~ a n a-
Port Two', chapter three and appendix two:
85
"Reason does not contradict, but fulfils. No Sage has
ever come to contradict". Jesus Christ meant the very same
thing when He said, "I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil"
(Sermon on the Mount) !
The revolutionary teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana,
who steer clear of all the roundabout routes in the sastras
and shows t he aspirants the direct and easy path, will
appear to be a condemnation only in the eyes of those
pandits who are attracted and deluded by the darkness of
the vast forest of the sastras, and who never had the benefit
of their study but suffer from mere scriptural fanaticism,
and who use their learning only to show off their skill in
i nt el l ect ual a c r o k ~t i c s on t he platforms and to wri t e
commentaries in bombastic style on the sastras in order to
earn name and faze; but those sincere aspirants who want
to have the ~ e a l benefit of the sastras will see the teachings
of PJhagavan Sri Kamana as the crest-jewel adorning the
crown of the sastras, imparting a new life and fresh glory
to them !
The difference between t he mode of teaching of
Bhagavan Sri Ramana and that of the sastras lies in the
fundamental out-look given to us as the base from which we
are to follow t hei r t eachi ngs. That is why, whenever
aspirants who were practising sadhunas. learnt from the
sastras asked Sri Bhagavan about their sadllcinas, which they
thought to be real tupcs, Sri Bhagavan replied with 'the sole
intention of changing the fundamental outlook given to
them by the sastras! Those mature disciples who had a
sharp and clear intellect were able to grasp at once the
i nt ent i on of t he Sadguru and engaged t hemsel ves i n
enquiring into their wrong outlook, ' I am the body' (jiva
bhava); t hus they became intensely still, since they no
86
longer made efforts in the sadhanas they had been doing in
the name of tapas and since they stopped asking questions
to clear their doubts about them. This stillness was indeed
t he peace whi ch we often hear described as being the
experi ence of many aspi rant s newl y comi ng i nt o t he
presence of Sri Bhagavan. However, only those earnest
aspirants who made use of this stillness and dived deep
within by attending to Self more and more intensely, made
eternal peace their own. But those who failed to understand
t hat Sr i Bhagavan' s i nt ent i on was to change t hei r
fundamental outlook were repeatedly raising the same type
of questions to clear their doubts about what they had learnt
from the sastras, which lent support to their wrong outlook,
'I am the body' . Seeing the bewilderment of those who
could not come to His path and taking pity on them," even
Sri Bhagavan would on some occasions reply to their doubts
in the sastraic terminology itself, as i f like the sastras He too
were accepting the false sense 'I am the body' as the base.
Therefore, such replies cannever be the direct teachingof
SriBhagavan!If one has carefully studied the various books,
both in prose and poetry (such as ' Sri Elanlana Gita', , Talks
with Sri Ramana Maharshi' , ' Day OJJ Day rvith Bhagar~an' ,
' Maharshi ' s Gospel' and so on) , i n whi ch some of t he
conversations of devotees with Sri Bhagavan were recorded,
from the early days when it was found that He was not
keeping silence and was talking with devotees till the very
end of His life, it will now be clear why such questions
were asked and why Sri Bhagavan gave such replies.
Let us see an incident which will clearly show the
difference between the tapas prescribed by the sastras and
based upon the fundamental outlook, 'I am the body' (jiva
38 These are the people referred to as 'others' in 'Ulladhu Narpadhu -
Anubandham' , verse 33, quoted on page 82.
The Enquiry, 'Who Am I?' and The Four Yogas 87
bhava). and the t apas based upon the fundamental outlook
of pure existence (sat bhava) reconln~ended by Sri Bhagavan
in His teaching, 'Who am I?', Kavya Kanta Ganapati Sastri,
who was the foremost poet in Sanskrit among the devotees
of Sri Bhagavan and who was good at the t apas of existing
upon the least quantity of food, once told Sri Bhagavan, "It
seems to me that just three rupees a month are sufficient for
us to live." Quick came Sri Bhagavan's retort, "When even
the body is not necessary for us to live, why then three
rupees?", We must clearly underst and the implication
underl yi ng t hi s conversat i on, When Ganapat i Sast ri
remarked," for us to live ", he meant only, for the body to
iive ; 'it is thxs clear that his fundamental outlook was' the
body is 1', When Sri Bhagavan retorted, " for us to live ", He
meant, for Self to live'; it is thus clear that His fundamental
outlook was that the pure consciousness, which is devoid
of the five sheaths, is '1', From this conversation, cannot the
reader clearly see what each of them experienced as the
knowledge of his existence ?
Is it not evi dent from this that not only did Sri
Bhagavan Himself always unshakably remain under all
circunlstances in His true state, Self-consciousness, but that
He also instructed those devotees who wholly relied upon
Him against their giving even the least room to the wrong
identification 'I am the body' (dehat ma-buddhi )? Tl-rat is
why the teaching of Sri Ramana has a special greatness of
its own, with a revolutionary character, and shines over the
various methods of spiritual practice so far followed by us
as the true, unique, clear and rational one !
But some among us, due to lack of ~ r a d d h a ~ ~ , often
raise the fallowing objection: "Unless the mind first becomes
39 Sraddha means not only faith, but also thc eagerness and confidence
to make persistent efforts to put the teaching into practice.
8 8
mature by means of yogic practices and thereby gains
strength, will it be fit to take to Self-enquiry? Will it not
wander as t hought -waves?" But i n fact i t i s not so!
Concerning this, Sri Bhagavan has given clear instructions
in His prose work 'Who am 1', where He explains: "If other
thoughts arise, see to whom they arise. 'To me' will be the
answer; [this, me' will remind you of the '1'-consciousness].
Then the mind can return immediately to Self. attention,
'Who am 1'. By repeatedly practising thus, the strength of
the mind to abide in its source increases."
The power whi ch t he mi nd deri ves from ot her
spiritual practices is not that power which is required to
abi de i n i t s source! Repetition of hol y names (japa),
meditation (dhyana), concentration on anyone of the six
yogic centres in the body (the shadchakras pointed out in
raja yoga). concentration on a divine effulgence (jyoti) or
sound (nada) - in all these practices the mind is only made
to attend to some alien object (a second or third person).
The strength of mind acquired by training it to catch hold
of anyone of the aforesaid alien objects is not the genuine
strength of mind which is favourable for Self--knowledge.
Being unfavourable, rather than calling it 'strength of mind',
it would be more appropriate to call it ' lack of strength of
mi nd' (uran i nmai - t he original Tamil words of Sri
Bhagavan in 'Ulladhu Narpadhu', verse 32)! Let us suppose
a man buys a cow and for various reasons keeps it tied up
in another man's shed for quite some days. When the owner
one day tries to bring the cow to its own shed after it has
become accustomed - through force of habit (abhyasa bala)
- to its former surroundings, will it come to its own place
and keep quiet? No, it will run back to the other man's shed.
So any intelligent farmer buying a new cow will train it to
remain in its own shed by tying it only there. Similarly.
89
TheEnquiry,'WhoAm I?' andTheFour Yogas
aspi rant s who have devel oped ment al st rengt h by
concentrating on second and third person objects [which are
other t han Self) struggle and find it difficult even to
understand what Self-attention - knowing one' s own
existence - is, and how to take the feeling of one's own
existence as the target ! It is often said, "Let me first gain
strength of mind by training it in other practices, and then
let me take to Self-enquiry"; but it is the experience of
anyone who has trained his mind in other practices over a
long period of time that such a mind is still weaker to turn
Self wards than even an ordinary mind untrained in ar;jr
other practice.
Let us takes an example the experience of Sri Ganapati
Sastri, who is renowned as Ganapati Muni and who is
considered to be one of the important disciples of Sri
Bhagavan, There was no one who excelled him in doing
japa. He had performed japa by the crores. He was even
proclaimed by his own 'disciples to be 'Mantreswara', the
Lord of mantras, and he refers to himself as such in 'Sri
Ramana Gita' (chapter 18, verse 15). He had also developed
some wonderful mental powers such as asukavitvam (the
ability to compose extempore verses on any given subject)
and satavadhanam [the ability to attend to a hundred things
at the same time). Yet he often used to say, "I can even go
to Indra-loka and say what Indra is doing, but I cannot go
within and find the source of '1'. Sri Bhagavan Himself also
remarked on a number of occasions'40 "Nayana [Ganapati
Muni) used to say, 'It is easy for me to send the mind
forward but impossible for me to make it go backward, that
is, to turn it inward. I can go forward (that is, towards
40 See for example 'Talks wrth Sri Ran~ana Maharshi', number 362,
section 3, and ' Day by Day with Bhaghavan', 9- 5- 1946, second
paragraph.
90
second and third persons) any distance at any speed, but I
find it difficult to take even one step backward (that is,
towards the first person)'."
What can we infer from this? The subtle points about
the results of japa will be clear only to those who actually
take to practising it with utmost earnestness and sincerity,
and not to those who merely argue, 'Japa will help one to
do Self-enquiry'. Sri Ganapati Muni was one who truly
immersed himself in the practice of japa for many years and
who had best experience of it, so does not his experience
clearly prove that what we have said above is correct?
In this connection some ask, "When the truth is such,
why did Sri Bhagavan say in ' Who am I',' By meditation
upon forms of God (murt i -dhyana) and by repetition of
sacred words (mnntra-japa), thoughts subside more and
more, and for the mind which thus gains one-pointedness
and st r engt h, Sel f-enqui ry wi l l easi l y be at t ai ned' ?
Therefore, will not Self-enquiry become easy for those who
do japa or dhyana ?"
We should scrutinize deeply what is actually meant in
the work 'Who a m I?'. Since the perpetually wandering
mind expands into innumerable thoughts, each thought
becomes extremely weak. Just as when an iron chain is
given to the restless trunk of an elephant, the elephant will
cling fast only to that and will not do any mischief with its
trunk, so if the mind is trained to hold on to anyone of the
names or forms of God, it will gain one-pointedness, that is,
the strength to cling to one thing only. In this way, the mind
merely loses the nat ure of branchi ng out i nt o many
thoughts.
There are two kinds of impediments which act as
obstacles for the mind to achieve Self-abidance, and hence
91
two kinds of strength of mind are essential for overcoming
them. The first strength is that which is required to prevent
the mind from branching out into innumerable thoughts
t hrough t he force of tendencies towards sense-objects
(vi shaya-vasanas). The second strength is that which is
required to direct the mind [the power of attention) towards
the first person or Self, that is, the strength actually to
attend to Self. By practices such as repetition (japa) and
meditation (dhyana), onl y the strength to be free from the
first impediment, that is, from the tendencies towards sense-
objects, is obtained. But for a mind which engages in Self-
attention from the very beginning, both kinds of requisite
strength are naturally cultivated. Though through japa and
dhycina the mind achieves the strength not to branch out
into ma n y thoughts ant1 thereby become weak, i t is still
clwelling only upon a second person. Thus the praclice of
jnpa or dhycina develops the power of the mind to cling
with great attachment only to one second person or another.
In this way, the second great impediment, namely the
inability to turn the mind from second persons to the first
person is unknowingly increased. Therefore, when such a
mind is to turn Selfwards, it will find it to be a very difficult
task. This is the truth we have to learn from the personal
experience of Sri Ganapati Muni. Let us now explain with
a simile how acquiring the power of one-pointedness of
mind through such practices as japa and dhyono becomes
a great obstacle to Self-attention.
Let us suppose that a certain man has decided to go
by cycle from Tiruvannamalai to Vellore, a town fifty miles
north of Tiruvannamalai, but does not know the art of
cycling. If he trains himself to cycle by practising along the
road leading to Tirukoilur, a town twenty miles south of
Tiruvannamalai, after many hours he will have learnt the
92
skill of cycling. But he will now be twenty miles south of
Tiruvannamalai, that is, seventy miles away from Vellore,
his destination. So will he not now have to make far more
effort and waste far more time i n order to reach Vellore?
Instead of this, if he had from the very beginning started to
train himself to cycle by practising along the road towards
Vellore, after the same number of hours he would have
travelled twenty miles closer to kl l or e. Besides. since he
would have learnt the skill of cycling by that time, he could
have easily completed the remaining thirty miles and
reached his destination without undue expenditure of time
and effort.
What happens when one practises japa and dllyana is
similar to what happened when the man practised cycling
along the road to Tirukoilur. Since the strength acquired
through japa and dhyana i s cultivated i n an opposite
direction, that is, towards a second person, are they not
activities which lead one far away from Self-attention? On
the other hand, if one practises Self-attention from the very
beginning, that will be similar to the man starting to practise
cycling along the road to Vellore. Since Self-attention, which
is Self-enquiry, thus avoids all unnecessary efforts and
directly bestows Self attainment, Sri Bhagavan has said in
verse 4 of ' At mavi dya f i rf anam' , "Of all paths, this path
(Self-enquiry) is the easiest", and in verse 1 7 of 'Upadescr
Undhiyar', "This is the direct path for all".
Since the practice of japa or dhyana prevents the
mind frorri branching out into various thoughts pertaining
to sense-objects and thereby becoming weak, Sri Bhagavan
said in 'Who a m I?' that they give strength to the mind. But
He said so taking into consideration only one benefit,
namely that of saving t he mi nd from the calamity of
93
branching out into innumerable thoughts caused by the
t endenci es t owards sense-obj ect s (vishaya-vasanas).
Moreover, the strength mentioned thereby, Sri Bhagavan is
not that strength which is required for Self-enquiry and
which He had mentioned earlier in the work 'Who am I?'
when He wrote, "By repeatedly practising thus, the strength
of the mind to abide (or dwell) in its source increases". It
is only a strength to dwell upon an object other than Self,
that is, upon a second person. Readers should understand
that what is pointed out here, in this book, is that for those
who want and strive for only Self-attainment, this kind of
strength obtained through japa and dhyana is nothing but
a hindrance.
The help towards success in Self-enquiry which is
derived from japa and dhyana is similar to the help i n
reaching Vellore which is gained by learning cycling along
the road to Tirukoilur, for just as in the long run practising
cycling on the road to Tirukoilur may be an indirect aid
towards reaching Vellore, so in the long run practising japa
and dhyana may be an indirect aid towards attaining Self.
Likewise, the hindrance towards success in Self-enquiry
whi ch is created by japa and dhyana is similar to the
hindrance which is created by learning cyclirig along the
road to Tirukoilur, for, just as practising cycling on the road
to Tirukoilur takes the man far away from his destination,
so practising japa and dllyana hinders one by taking one far
away from Self.41
41 Let not sincere devotees of God think that we are disparaging the japa
done by a true devotee who calls upon his lord by repeating His
divine name with pure, heart-melting love for His Feet. What are
criticized here as useless are the repetitions of sacred words (mantra--
japas) and the targets of meditation (dhyana-lakshyas) which are used
as sadhanas without love basing combined with them and with the
sole intention of gaining the power of one-pointedness. But since an
94
Gaining the power of one-pointedness of mind is here
compared to gaining skill in the art of cycling. This power
of one-pointedness is a wonderful weapon which, like a
sharp knife, fire or nuclear power; ma y do good or harm,
depending on how it is used. A sharp knife may be used
either to kill a person or, in a surgical operation, to save his
life. In the same way, fire and nuclear power can be used
either for constructive or destructive purposes. Similarly, the
power of one-poi nt edness cul t i vat ed i n one t hrough
practices such as japa and dhyana ma y do one either good
or harm. If one is fond of occult powers (siddhis) or sensual
pleasures, he can" use this power of one-pointedness in a
very subtle and skilful way in order to achieve them. Since
the power of one-pointedness gained through japa and
dhyana is only a one-pointedness on a second person, that
is since it is an extroverted one-pointedness, it will induce
the aspirant to proceed only towards the non-Self. Only if
he has a good discrimination between the eternal and ;he
ephemeral (nifya anitya vastu viveka) and if he is then able
to change his course from second person attention to first
person attention, will such a power of one-pointedness lead
him to Self-enquiry and, after long and strenuous efforts
(just like the long and strenuous efforts which the man who
learnt cycling on the road to Tirukoilur had to make in
order to travel all the seventy miles to Vellore), enable him
to gain Self abidance, whi ch is the attainment of true
aspirant on the path of devotion (bhakti-n~ulga) who docs jupa of the
divine name of his lord (his Ishta-deva or Guru) with intense love
comes under the category of a student i n t he third (b) or fourth
standard of our school of bhakti explained in chapter two of ' The
Path of Sri Ramana. Part Go ' . where we expound the path of self-
surrender, which is one of the two main paths - Self-enquiry and self-
surrender - taught by Sri Bhagavan, his japa done with love is neither
condemned nor discouraged. The reader may here refer to appendix
one (d).
95
knowledge (jnana). However, do we not see that aspirants
on the spiritual path who are doing japa and dhyana are
generally inclined only towards gaining occult powers,
name and fame, and other such transitory pleasures?
Therefore, we should understand the truth that the power
of one poi nt edness gained through japa or dhyana is
anyway dangerous and that it would hence be wise to gain
the power of one-pointedness by practising Self-attention
instead from the very beginning.
It is of course essential to achieve one-pointedness of
mind. Even while doing japa or dhyana, it is necessary to
make effort to bring back repeatedly the power of attention
(the mind) frcii~ wandering over other thoughts and to fix
it on only one thought. The same amount of effort is also
needed while practising Self-attention in order to bring back
t he wander i ng mi nd and to fix it i n our exi st ence-
consciousness. Thus in both kind of practice, an earnest
effort is needed to obtain one-pointedness of mind. When
this is so, why should not an aspirant obtain it by practising
Self-attention, which is free of all danger, from the very
beginning? The following incident which happened in the
presence of Sri Bhagavan will cast more light upon this
point.
After sitting for some time in His presence, a devotee
asked Sri Bhagavan, "Bhagavan, I am not able to do Self-
enquiry. I find it difficult. Shall I do dhyana instead ?" ' I l l
right", replied Sri Bhagavan. Soon afterwards the devotee
left the hall, whereupon Sri Bhagavan turned to those near
Him and said, "He says that Self-enquiry is difficult for him
and that he cannot do it, so he asks me for permission to
do dhyana. How can I compel him to do Self-enquiry when
he himself says that he cannot do it? So when he wants to
do dhyana, I have to say 'All right'. He may come tomorrow
96
ThePathof SriRamana- Part One
and say, 'Bhagavan, my mind does not remain in dhyana,
so shall I do japa?' Again I will have to say All right'. In the
same manner, he will one day complain, 'My mind does not
remain quietly in japa. Only my tongue spells the mantra,
but my mind wanders on many things. Shall I do worship
(puja), recite hymns (stotras !and so on?' What else can I
do except to say All right, all right' in reply to each and
every complaint? If one is able to make a sincere effort to
practise anything, whether recitation of hymns, japa,
dhyana or any other sadhana, one can, with the same effort,
practise Self-enquiry ! All these complaints are made only
by those who do not earnestly like to do any sadhana, that's
all. What is essential in any sadhana is to try to bring back
the running mind and fix it on one thing only'. Why then
should i t not be brought back and fixed in Self-attention?
That alone is Self-enquiry (alma-vichara). That is all that is
to be done! Even in the Bhagavad Gita it is said:
Sanais sanai rupa ramed buddhya dhriti grihi taya
At ma samst ham manah kritva naki m chi dapi
chinta yet
whi ch means, 'By means of an extremely courageous
intellect (power of di scri mi nat i on), make t he mi nd
motionless little by little; fix the mind firmly in Self (atman)
and never think of any other thing' (chapter 6,verse 25),
and:
Yato yato nis charati manas chanchalam asthi ram
Et as tat0 niyam yaitad atman yeva vasam nayet
which means, 'Towards whatever thing the unsteady mind
wanders, from each thing pull it back, fix it always in Self
and make it firmly abide there' (chapter 6, verse 26)42
42 Thesetwoslokas weretranslatedintoTamilbySriBhagavanasverses
27and28of 'Bhagovad Gita Saram',
97
Even concent r at i ng o n t hought s s u c h a s ' I am
Brahman' (aham bmhmasmi ) , which is considered to be the
highest form of meditation (dhyana), has been described by
Sr i Bhagavan as bei ng ' due t o lack of st r engt h' ( ur an
i nmai j ~i nal )in verse 32 of ' Ulladhu Narpc~dhu' ! Therefore,
what the mind gains by taking as targets second or third
persons, which are the objects of l apa, cihj~ana and so on,
is not really strength, but only weakness! Call a racehorse
accustomed to forward gallop be useful i11 drawing tvater
from wel l s, wher e a backward movement of t he horse
is i ndi spensabl e? No, it wi l l be of no use! Onl y t hat
practice of Self-attention which Sri Bhagavail referred to in
'Ik'ho an7 I?' when Me tvrote, "By repeatedlj. practising thus,
the strength of the mind to abide in its source incre,lses",
is the right sadhana which will give tlie mind tht: rral
requisite strength! Those aspi r ant s tvho canic. to S1.i
Bhagavan with a mind not already spoilt by bcing trainc:cl
t o~var ds targets other than Self, a miild with no tracc of
lethargy, wi t h i mmense eagcrncss, arltl with a spirit of
unquest i oni ng obedi ence likc t hat of chiltlren, directly
turned their mi nd to the practice of Self-attention in the
form of ' Who am I?' as soon as they caine to Sri 13haga1,ln
and thereby gained the real requisite strength rr~entionctl
above. They were therefore able to proclaim from thc.ir o1t.11
experience, "Ah! Knowing Self is the easiest thing! Intlcccl.
it is the easiest!"43
Although the enquiry ' Who am I?' is thus able to give
t he real st r engt h of mi nd ~ v h i c h i s r equi r ed to gai n
Self-knowledge (to say the truth, only Self-enquiry, and not
any of the other s a d h a n ~ s , can gitre this requisite strength),
a wrong idea exists and is, spreading even among tllc
43 The refrain conlposed by Sri hl ur ~~ga na r for ',4tn1avidyc1firtal!ul~!'
44 Though the word ' us' tlellotes all the dcvotecs of Sri Bhagavan, yet
when it is measured wi t h the yardstick given b\ Sri bluruganar in
98
ThePath of Sr i Ramana- Part One
devotees of Sri Bhagavan, that the path of Self-enquiry is
difficultwhiletheothermethods,japa, dhyana,yoga andso
on,areeasy.Letusseehowfarfromtruethiscontention is!
Now, what is t he opinion of Sri Bhagavan on this
subject? Let usturn toHisownwords:
"...of all paths,this path is the easiest!45"
Rt mavi dya Kirtanam', verse 4
"... this is the direct path for all !"
' Upadesa Undhiyar' , versc 17
Thusit isclearthat SriBhagavan's opinion isthatthis
path of Self-enquiry is not merely the easiest of all paths,
but t hat it is al so t he easiest and most direct for al l
aspirants.Someof us,instead of tryingto understand,'Why
didSriBhagavan sayso? Cantherebeajustification for His
opinion?If so,what is it?',remark evasively,"Ah,it is easy
only for Bhagavan, but it is difficult for others,"and they
' Me y Tava Vilakkam' versc 6 8 , "What is clcclarecl by others as '
difficult,indecd difficult'is trcmeildousl!~easy forthe clevotecsof our
Lord (Ramana)!",the reader can well understand who among those
pointed out by the word 'us' are thc true devotces of Sri Bhagavan,
and whoare those' othcrs'.
45 "To unfasten the bonds of karma and so on, encl to achieve the
destruction of birth and so on,of all paths, this path is the casicst !
If wc reillain still (that is,if wc merely ' bc' ),tvithout the lcast action
of mind, specch and body, oh what a wondcr it will be I Thc Self-
effulgencc in the heart will bc (knownas)thc ever-presentcxpcrience,
all fear will cease and t hc ocean of bl i ss (wi l l sur ge) ! "
'Atmavidya Kirtonam', versc 4
It should bc noted herethat indescribingHis path,SriBhagavan uses
thc superlative ' thc easiest'. I11 other paths, some work or other is
prescribed to be done through the mind,speech or body, and hencc
onemayexperience somedifficulty in using these instrumei~ts. But,
asnowork isgiven to theminthe way of sadhana in the path of Self-
enquiry,this is 'the easiest of allpath'!
99
become disheartened and lose courage. In order not to lose
this courage, since it is the sraddha which alone will secure
us the goal, let us try to find the justification in support of
the opinion of Sri Bhagavan.
What do we mean when we say t hat a t hi ng is
'difficult' or that is 'easy'? In fact, what is difficult and what
is easy? that which we do not like, that which we cannot
do, t hat whi ch we do not know - t hat al one we call
difficult. That which we already like (ichcha), that which
we have already done (kriya), and that which we already
know (jnana) - that alone we call easy. We therefore come
to the following conclusion: those experiences which are
already within our power of loving (ichcha sakti), power of
doing (kriya sakti) and power of knoiving (jnana sakti) are
easy. while those experiences which are not already within
our power of loving, power of doing and power of knowing
are difficult. This indeed is the correct definition of what is
difficult and what is easy. With this definition, let us now
see which of these two is easy: the efforts required for the
various spiritual practices like japa, dhyana, yoga and so on,
or the effort required for Self-enquiry.
As we have already said; the efforts made in the paths
of j apa, dhy ana, yoga and so on, are nothing but an
attention towards second and third person objects, whereas
the effort made in the Self-enquiry taught by Sri Bhagavan
is an attention towards the first person. For the practice of
japa, dhyana or any of the four yogas, it is necessary to use
the power of one-pointedness of mind on second and third
person objects; using the mind's power in such a way is
mere extroversion (bahirmukham). But for Self-enquiry, it is
necessary to use the power of one-pointedness of mind in
attending to focusing on - the first person, so this alone is
100
the real introversion (antarnlukham). A little analysis will
reveal that for every oneof us [evenfor the most ordinary
man), the experiencesof loving (ichcha), doing (kriya) and
knowi ng (jnclna) t owards t he first per son are not onl y
inherentbut alsogreater thanthose towards thesecondand
third person objects. Lct us see how.
When we are first told about a name of God,a form
of God, one of t he various attitudes towards God? tlie
places of the sixyogic centres inthebody,orsuchlike- all
of ~vhi c h require efforts of attention towarcls a second or
third person object,they arenew to us:new to iinow, new
to love,andnew to do.Uefore being kindled inusby others
( whom we take as our gur us) , all these experi ences of
loving, doingand knowing were unknown to us.How?
Suppose ei t her our par ent s or some el der s have
initiated us into some name or form of God or a sacred
marl ~rnlikegayc1tr.i. Ueforebainginitiated.we didnotknow
those mantras, dhayanus or forms of God.Thus, onlyafter
being instructed dowe cometo know about them, that is,
the experience of knowing that there are such mant ras,
dhj,unas and so on is newly acquired by us. In the same
way, it is only after hearing from a guru of the greatness,
uniqueness aricl potver of suchjnpas or dhj ~anasthat we
gain faith andlove for them.Thisisfor usa newlyacquired
experience of loving,i notherwords,we did not love them
before. Similarly,wchavenever before done thoseinctntra-
japas or medi t at i ons, nor cul t i vat ed t hose feelings of
relationshipwith God.We areable to dojnpcl properly- to
pronouncet hemantra in thecorrect way, to raise or lower
46 Attitutles towartls Got1 [Dhnvos): In dual i st i c worsl l i p, devot ees
cultivateanyoneofthedifferent types 01 rclatio~lsllip lvith God,such
as thelove to\varcls aFather, Mother,I-Iusband,Child,Master,Friend,
Servant.Guru andsoon.
The Enquiry, 'Who Am I?' and The Four Yogas 101
the pitch and to stop at the right place - only after repeating
it many times in the presence of the guru and after carrying
out his corrections and suggestions. This is for us a newly
acquired experience of doing, in other words, we had not
done it before. The same applies to meditation, pranayama,
hatha yoga, raja yoga and so on. Thus, is it not proved that
the experiences of loving, doing and knowing pertaining to
all these spiritual practices based upon second and third
person objects did not exist for us before but are newly
acquired by us ?
On the other hand the experiences of loving, doing
and knowing pertaining to the first person are already there,
inherent in us, without the need of their being kindled by
others! How? I11 chapter two, pages 42 to 44, we have
already clearly proved that in everyone the love for oneself
is always and naturally far greater than that for second and
third person objects. Thus, firstly, the experience of loving
(ichchanub,'7ava) oneself is pr owd' to be inherent in us.
Secondly, every day in sleep we are able to separate ourself
easily, effortlessly and naturally from the feeling 'I am the
body', which is not 'we'. This ability of thus separating
oursel f proves t hat t he exper i ence of r emai ni ng
(kriyanubhava) as Self is inherent in us. Thirdly, let us
supFose that a person Is sitting alone In an absolutely dark
room where he cannot see even his own body. If someone
asks f13m outside the room, "Is my book near you ?", he
replies, "I do not know of its existence", But if asked, "Do
you exist !', quick comes his reply, "Why, certainly I exist!".
He is able to know his own existence by his Self-light (Self-
consciousness) even when he does not have the help of the
light which is necessary to know the existence of second
and third person objects. Moreover, since everyone has the
102
experience of the knowledge 'I am' even in deep sleep47,
where the body and mind do not exist, it is evident that the
knowledge of our own existence is inherent in us, whereas
the knowledge of second and third person objects is not.
These two examples prove that the experience of knowing
(jnananubhava) one's own existence is inherent even in the
most ordinary man. If Sri Bhagavan advises us to like a
thing for which we do not already have a liking, we may
say it is difficult. If He asks us to know a thing so far'
un-known to us, we may then say it is difficult. If He wants
us to be in a state which we have not reached before and
thereby have not experienced before, t hen it may be
considered difficult. But since we have come to know thus
- that the experiences of loving, of doing and of knowing
are already clear and inherent in us only with regard to the
first person, when viewed i n t he light ot t he above.
mentioned definition of 'easy' and difficult', one can plainly
see that the effort made in the path of Self-enquiry, which
is an attention towards the first person, is far easier than
that made in japa, dhyana, yoga and so on, which are
nothing but attention towards second and third person
objects. Such indeed is the justification in support of the
sayings of Sri Bhagavan. "Of all paths. this path is' the
easiest ?" and, "This is the direct path for all!", it was in this
connection that Sri Bhagavan used to say repeatedly, "Self
is here and now, and ever -attained". By saying, "This is the
direct path for all", Sri Bhagavan points out that anyone,
however weak his mind may be, can acquire through this
path that true strength of mind which is required to abide
47 I t has already been explained on pages 61 to 62 that every one is
aware of his existence in sleep, It is wrong for anyone to say either
that one does not exist in sleep, or that one clocs not know one' s,
existence in sleep, Rcfcr also to 'Maharshi's Gospel', Book 11, chapter
V (8th edition, pages 86 to 87; gLh edition, pages 89 to 90).
103
in one' s source. Therefore, taking to Self-attention (aha-
mukham), which is the real introversion (antar-mukham),is
by itself far better than giving any other target to the mind
- such is the unique greatness of Sri Bhagavan's teaching !
"Except (the effort made in) the path of enquiring
in to the ego, no amount of effort made as
enjoined in other paths such as karma, (yoga and
so on,) will enable you to obtain and enjoy' Self,
the treasure in the heart !"
'Guru Ibchako Koval'. vcrse 885
Moreover, can God be one of t he second or third
person objects? No, He cannot be ! Because,
"The second and third persons live only because
of the root, the first person (the ego] .. ."
Xt ma Iqchora Patikon?", vcrsc 648
"Only if that first person (the ego) in the form 'I
am the body' exists, will the second and third
persons exist ..."
' Ul l adl ~u Narpodllu' , vcrse 14
"If there is no 'I1-thought, no other thing will exist
. . .
'SriAruncichala Ashtakam' , verse 7
- such is the experience of Sri Bhagav;,n. That is, for their
existence the second and third persons have to depend
upon the first person (the false ego], which rises in the form
of a thought, 'I am this body'. Therefore, if God were one
of the second or third persons, He would have to depend
upon the grace of the ego for His existence! Now if God,
who is the very form of existence (sat),had to depend upon
48 See appendix one (a)
104
something else for His existence, then would it not mean
that He is devoid of Godhood? Thus, God can never be one
of the second or third persons, He must then certainly exist
and shine as the source of and base for the rising of this
false first person, that is, as the reality (the real aspect) of
the first person. Since God or Br nhmun is t hus always
shining as the reality of ' I' , giving the mind the practice of
attending to Self is the only true seeking of God and the
only effective yoga. Hence, Self-attention is the true God-
attention!
"0 Bhagava~i, meditating upon You is nothing
other than contemplating ' I' , Contemplating 'I' is
nothing other than rernaini,:g without thought,
Rernairiing without thought is nothing other than
being vigilantly attentive not to rise as ' I J , But why
even attend, ~vhen my very existence (sat) IS itsclt
atterltiorl [chit) ?"
' S n Romano Snhosrarn', vcrse 990
Since we have already found (in the first sentence of
chapter three) that ' I am' (Self) is perfect happiness, and
since we now find that God, the ocean of perfect happiness,
shines as the reality of the first person, if we enquire into
Self and know what we really are, thus negating all the non-
Self (i.e. what we really are not), That which ever exists (sat)
will shine (chit) as it is. Then will not all the efforts to be
made through other spiritual practices, as enjoined in the
sast ras, to remove t he miseries ( t he ever non-exi st ent
bondage) become unnecessary? So, let us now examine the
method of Self-enquiry, the Ivlaha Yoga which enables us to
separate from the non-Self and to know ourself.
CHAPTER
"WhoAmI?'
isnot
SohamBhavana4'
Before filling a tub with water, do we not carefully
look for any holes and outlets,and plug them? Otherwise,
most of our efforts to fill it will be i n vain. Similarly,
before we start to explain the technique of Self-enquiry,
it is necessary to find out t he many ways i n whi ch it
shoul d not be pr act i ced, and to di smi ss t he vari ous
wrong weys i n whi ch it has already been underst ood
andpracticed up till now.
Ther e is a di fference bet ween t he t echni que of
the Self-enquiry revealed by Sri Bhagavan and that of the
Self-enquirylvhich we have learntfrom the snstrasall this
time. For ages past the sastras have been declaring,"Who
are you" You are not the body,prann, mind, intellect, ego
or the like;you are Self (at111a17); you are consciousness,
which is Self". However, they donot go beyond telling us,
"Eliminate the five sheaths, which are non-Self,as ' not I"
not I' [ileti, neti)". They doriot explain who is to eliminate
or the practical method how to eliminate,nor dothey give
in aprecise anddirect mannertheproper cluesto eliminate
-
49 Sol ~anlDhnvana is t he meditation ' I a r ~ He' (t hat is, ' I am God or
Brahman' )
106
then~n-Sel f. ~O That is whyeven those whohave made an
extensive study of Vedanta are found to be devoid of the
practical experience of jnana, which istheloss of the ego,
the'Iamthebody' - consciousness [dehat ma-buddhi ). This
is not only the case with those who study the sastras and
yet are not given to practice, but it is also the case with
those earnest seekers who are sincerely attempting to put
intopractice what they have learnt from thesastras;though
theyrepeatedly strugglein their thwarted-attempts,theyare
not able to achieve the direct experience of the non-dual
knowledge. Ontheotherhand,jnanis, whoart permanently
established in the natural Self-consciousness,assert,"That
experience of Self is here, now and ever-attained"! The
reason why Sri Bhagavan and those of His disciples who
came to Him solely for the experience of Self-knowledge
rejoice andexclaim,"Ah ! Knowing Self istheeasiest thing!
Indeed,it is theeasiest!",must be that on the path of Self-
enquiry some new clue which is refined and easy to put
into practice has been given by Sri Bhagavan. Let us see
what thisclueis.
' The body is not I; who am I? I am He ! ' ( de ham
naham: koham? soham !) - this is the quintessence of the
Self-enquiryfoundinthesastras,to facilitatewhichtheylay
downthefollowing four practices [sadhanas):-
1. Discrimination ( vi veka) between the eternal and the
ephemeral.
50 Sast ras can hel p oilly so far, i n former t i mes, after st udyi ng t he
sastras,aspirantsused to seek the company (sat-sang) of a jnana-Guru
and serve Him with great faith and love; then, after the secret clues
had been revealed by the Guru, the aspirants were able to find out
the correct way of eliminating the]]on-Self (t hefive sheaths).
107
"Who Am I?' isNot SohamBhavana
2. Desirelessness ( vai ragya) t owards t he vari ous
enjoymentsin this world and in anyotherworld.
3. Thesixvirtues51oftranquility (sama) andsoon.
4. Intense yearning for liberation (mumukshutva).
Because an aspirant comes to know through the
discriminationbetween the eternal and theephemeral that
liberation is the only eternal Thing (nitya vastu), he gains
intenseyearning for liberation and,havingthereby acquired
desirelessness towards all other enjoyments,he puts forth
hiseffortsinthepractice of the sixvirtuesof tranquility and
soon.Therefore,in the third sadhana, the sixvirtues,the
sastrasgive him all the aidsthey can for the attainment of
Self-knowledge.Thus,when heputsforth hiseffortsinthis
third sadhana, isit notclear that he has already completed
thefirst,secondand fourth sadhanas ?
Controlling the sense-organsand the organs of action
through desirelessness (vairagya) and trying to fix the
51Thesixvirtues:(a)Tranquility (sama) rneails fixing themind upon its
target, with the help of the desirelessnes arising out of repeated
reflection upon the defects of worldly objects.
(b)Restraint of thesenses (doma) means controlliilg the
sense-organsendorgans of action and thereby preventing them from
leaving their respective places.
(c) Withdrawal from activities (upamti)meansfixingthe
mind on its target so firmly that it is not led by previous tcndencics
to dwell upon objects, end thereby giving up all unnecessary
activities.
(d)Forbearance (titiksha)means conrageously enduring
any amountof misery that may befell one,without trying to avoid it
orgrieving over it.
[elFaith (sraddha) meansanunshakableconvictionthat
only the words of Vedanta sastras and those of theGuru are true.
(f)Contenlplation (samadhi) meanspreventing the mind
by all efforts from wandering according to its nature, and fixing I1
onlyon Brahman.
108
wavering mind on Brahman are the two essential points
anlong t he six i t ems of t he third s adhuna. But whi l e
practising, what exactly does a ripe and tremendously
earnest aspirant do? His main practice can only be to fight
with desires for sense, objects and to think about a second
or third person thing which he thinks to be 'Brahman', the
absolute Reality. For this, the only aids given to him by the
sastras are the mahavakyas such as ' I am Brahman' (aham
bruhmasmi), 'I am He' (soham) and 'That thou art' (tat twam
asi). When meditation [bhavana) upon the mahavakyas is
practised, the efforts of the aspirant are merely flowing in
the form of a thought, 'This I is that Brahman', towards a
second or third person. This thought is only a ment al
activity (mano-vritti), In these meditations, 'I am Brahman'
or 'I am That', what he feels as 'I' is nothing but the mind,
whi ch he takes to be hi msel f, Because, he who now
meditates is the first thought, which has risen only after
sleep came to an end, while the Brahman on whi ch he
meditates is a third person object, which can come into
existence only after his rising. So long as the ego (the 'I am
the body'-consciousness) lasts, when one hears the word
'Brahman' one can only take it to denote one of the second
or third persons and not any other thing (i, e. not the first
person feeling), because in the sentence 'I am Brahman',
since 'I' is already there to denote the first person, the word
'Brahman' can only be taken to mean either a second or a
third person. When closely scrutinized, meditations such as
'I am He' or 'I am Brahman' are thus found to be nothing but
an activity of the mind diverging towards a second or third
person. There is therefore a vast difference (as between a
mountain and a valley) between these meditations, which
are mental activities, and t he Self-attention taught by
Bhagavan Sri Ramana, which is a stillness of mind! Let us
see how.
"Who Am I?' is Not Soham Bhavana
109
While practising the meditation 'I am Brahman' the
first person feeling roused by the words ' I am' is at once
disturbed by the word' Brahman' and diverted into a second
or third person feeling. Solely to avoid this trouble, in His
work Who am I!?' Bhagavan Sri Ramana has said, "Evcn if
one incessantly thinks 'I, 1', i t will lead to that place (the
state of Urahnlan]", I f while threading a needle the two
strands of the thread rcniain apart, even the one strand
which enters tlie eye of [lie needle will be pullet1 out by the
other. Similarly, when one nleditatcs ' I an1 Brahman', evcn
t he first person feeling rousetl hy tlie wortls ' I ani' is
disturbed (instcad of being allowcd to rcniain in Self.
at~idance, clti11c1-nishthu) anii pulled ol ~t wards by the word
Brahman', since this word crcatcs a second or third person
feeling. 'The aspirant mistakes this sut ~t l o activity of his
mind t ht ~s going on within him from the lirst person feeling
to the sccond pt:rson feeling, and from the second person
feeling to t he first person fecling, to 1 ~ e Self-encluiry
(ciln~a-vicharcl)! When, on account of such a sul ~t l e activity,
the mind sometimes lies at rest in sheer exhaustion, the
aspirant mistakes this quiesccncc of his mint1 (~nai~o-luycl)
to be Self-realization ( j ~~ci na- sal ~~adhr ) " I f this were rcally
Self-realization, tlie, I an1 the body-identification could not
revi ve when he wakes up; and unl ess t he body-
identification were to revive, he could not resume tlie
thread of the meditation 'I am Urahrnan'. But, since the
aspirant resumes meditating as soon as he wakes up, does
it not prove that what he achieved through that meditation
was a mere laya, a sleep-like rest ? After waking up from a
dream, one can in no way again identify the dream-body as
'I' : in the same manner, after awakening to Sclf-conscious
(Self-realization), the jnani will not meditate' I am Urahman',
110
The Path of Sri Kamana - Part One
since the ego is known to be false. Hence, Sri Bhagavan
fittingly asks:
"...Since we are ever That, why should we for ever
be meditating that we are That? Does a man
meditate 'I am a man' ?"
Ulladhu Narpadhu " verse 36
Does a man come to know that he is a man only by
meditating 'I am a man, I am a man'? Certainly not! Thus,
since the aspirant again starts meditating 'I am Brahman' it
is evi dent t hat t he st at e i n whi ch he found himself
temporarily was not Self-realization - the real waking !
It will be worthwhile to note i n t hi s context t he
following conversation between Sri Ramakrishna and Sri
Totapuri. When Sri Totapuri said, "This brass vessel will
shine bright only if it is polished daily; so also, only by
meditating [upon these bhavanas] daily, will our mind
remai n pure t o reflect Br uhman" , Sri Ramakri shna
remarked, "Why to polish if the vessel is gold !"
Thus, the meditations' I am He', 'I am Brahman', 'I am
That' (soham, aham brahmasmi, tat aham) and the like are
nothing but activities of the mind - pravrittis. Rut for Self-
realization, this mind must be destroyed without leaving a
trace. By engaging in such meditations, the mind will live
for any number of ages, because activity is the foocl on
which and by which the mind lives. It is only the attention
to second and third persons that nourishes the mi nd.
Therefore, si nce t he mi nd i s not anni hi l at ed by t he
meditations such as 'I am He' it will be kept alive for ever
ei t her by doing t hese medi t at i ons or by' lapsing i nt o
quiescence (laya) whenever it is totally exhausted by such
activities. Hence, because they do not bring about t he
111
annihilation of the mind, these meditations cannot be the
Self-enquiry taught by Sri Bhagavan, which destroys the
mind once and for all.
"...Other than this, meditating 'am not this, I am
That' may be (in some way) an aid, but can it itself
be the enquiry ?"
' Ulladhu Narpadhu' , . verse 28
- thus asks Sri Bhagavan! How these meditations may be an
aid, but cannot themselves be the enquiry' will be explained
in the appropriate place at the end of this chapter.
Sri Bhagavan does not take these meditations to be
Self-enquiry. Self-attention in the form 'Who arn I ?' alone
is the teaching of Sri Ramana. The method of enquiry of Sri
Ramana is an attention intensely fixed on the first person,
'What is this I?', rather than meditating 'I am this' or ' I am
that', Knowing well that any activity given to the mind in
the form of an attention to the second and third persons
(like japa, dhyana, etc.) will not destroy it, and in order to
fulfill the aim of the mahavakyas, Sri Bhagavan breathes a
new life into the sastras by means of His teaching, 'Who arn
I ? . A revelation which was not disclosed before now
through the sastras and which is essential for an aspirant to
be able to practise Self-enquiry without losing his way, has
now been added to the world of sastras by Sri Bhagavan.
What is this revelation? The mind is destroyed only when
it turns towards the first person!
Divine lights, divine sounds, heavens such as Kailas,
visions of God in form!; such as Siva, the six yogic centres
such as muladhara imagined in the body - since these and
all other similar objects of the senses are objects perceived
by the subtle mind through the subtle five senses, they are
nothing but second and third person knowledges (drisya or
t he s e e n) , a nd none of t hem can be t he first per son
knowledge (drik or the seer) ! hloreover, when the mi nd
itself, which is an aggregate of thoughts, is a second person
object perceived by us, what else can the objects perceived
by it be other than second or third persons? Therefore, the
attention of the aspirant should be focused only on Self,
whi ch always shi nes (even when the mi nd is not ), and
should be kept there without being allowed to be diverted
towards any second or third person object.
"To think of seconcl and third persons is shec:r
foolishness, for by t11inkir:g of second and third
persons the mental activities (mono-vrittis) i vi l l
wax. ( On the other hand) attending to the first
person is equal to conlmitting suicide, for only by
enquiring into the first person will the ego itself
die."
Xtlna vichara Putiknn~' ,vcrsc 7
Tt i s is no ordinary clue. When aspirants [even those
who, with intense desirelessness and a steady power of one-
pointedness while attending to any undertaking, have bcen
struggling for countless ages, through ever so illany birllls
and deat hs, si nce, not knov;ing the proper direction in
whi ch to make efforts. they have been attencling to the
useless second and third persons) ii;e puzzled at not finding
a sol ut i on, t hi s cl ue of first person at t ent i on given by
Bhagavan Sri Ramana will surely be valued by them as
priceless, like a heap of diamonds put into the hands of a
poor man. Not only has Sri Bhagavan revealed this clue, but
He has also given in His invaluable, appealing, simple and
smal l work 'Who am I?' t he exact pract i cal process of
Self-enquiry to help even beginners to fix their mi nd on
113
Self alone, without allowing it to stray towards second and
third persons, This process will be found well explained in
the following chapters.
A treasure, though hidden under the floor of our own
house, is as if non-existent for us until we come to know
about it, dig it out and enjoy it - just like the herb" that
was discovered by the doctor in the patient's own garden.
If some one makes us aware of the existence of the treasure
and enables us to dig it out and to enjoy it then he is truly
the one who has given it to us anew. In fact, it is he alone
who has made us rich; before that we were certainly poor.
However there are some among us who have not been able
to gain the experience of Self in spite of having read about
Self-enquiry i n the sastras, yet who, not knowing the
invaluable help, the greatness and the novelty of the
technique of Self-enquiry taught by Sri Bhagavan, ask
superficially, "Self-enquiry is already mentioned in the
sastras; what new discovery has been made by Sri Bhagavan
?". This is similar to the poor man saying, "Was not this
treasure already there in my own house ?", though he did
52 The story of the herb:Soi ne friencls of a patient who had been
suffering from an incurable disease for a long time and who was on
hi s deat hbed, brought a new doctor to hiin. After diagnosing t he
di sease, t he doct or wal ked about here ar,d :here i n the patient' s
garden and plucked a herb, by t he application of whi ch the long-
standing disease was at once cured ! All were wonder-struck at this
and expressed their gratitude to t he doctor with words of praise, "it
is you alone who have given hi m life !" Though that herb was there
all the time in t he patient' s own garden, his sufferings did not end.
Was not the doctor' s discovery and application of the herb as good
as giving life itself to t he patient ? Suppose either the patient or some
of hi s friends were to say, not fully realizing the importance of t he
doctor's help, 'After all, what has he done ? This herb was all the time
i n our garden", this would be exactly like t he words of those who say,
"Self-enquiry is already mentioned in the sastras; what new discovery
has been made by Bhagavan Sri Ramana ?"
114
not know about it and thus could not dig it out and enjoy
it, The reason why we say that it is similar to the statement
or the poor man is that had he gained t hat i mmense
treasure, known its value and experienced its joy, he would
no longer be a poor nian and hence he would not have
spoken so belittlingly about his friend's invaluable help!
Only those pandits who have mastered the mere letter of the
ancient sastras, but have never experienced even a fringe of
the bliss of Self through the Self-enquiry taught there, can
speak in such a way, since they do not know the unique
greatness of the clue discovered and given to the world by
Sri Ramana, the Sadguru, for following the path of Self-
enquiry. If they had found the correct method of practising
Self-enquiry by studying the sastras for all these years, why
then should thcy still be struggling and not obtaining the
experience of Self? In striking contrast to this, all those who
have known the Reality through the great help of the clue
given by Sri Bhagavan lvere alnlost ignorant of the ancient
sastras !
The consciousness ' I am' when felt along with an
adjunct (upadhi) as ' I am so-and-so' becomes a thought. Of
all thoughts, this thought is the first. But the consciousness
whi ch shi nes alone as 'I-I' \vithout any adjunct is Sclf
(utman) or the Absolute (bmhman]. This is not a thought.
It is our 'being' (that is, our true e x i ~ t e n c e ) ~ ~ . Therefore, the
purpose of the n~nhnvaXya' I am Brahman" taught by the
sastras is to give us a prior information about the final
experience that Brahman is our pure existence, and not to
convert Brahman into one of our thoughts. Thus, ' I am
Brahman' is only a prior intimation of our true state, which
we are yet to reach. Can our existence, which is beyond
53 This will be fully explained i n thc ncxt chapter, ' Self-enquiry '
115
"WhoAmI?' isNot SohamBhavana
thought, be reached by thought? Sinceit cannotbe thought
of, to put an end to the rising of the 'I' - thought through
theenquiry ' WhoamI ?' (i,e.through Self-attention' and to
abide as what remains after is the true implementation of
the mahavakyu 'I amBrahman'.
"...Sincethe Reality (' 1' ) exists within, beyond
thought,who can and how to meditate upon that
Reality,which is called the IIeart?To abide in the
Heart as It is (thatis, without thought) is truly
meditating (uponIt)IThusshouldyo~rknow."
' L~l l adhuNnrpudhu' , berlcilictorj~verse 1
Unt i l one gai ns t he t r ue exper i ence of Br ahman
( Brahman- bhava) , in whatever tvay one nlay meditate on
Brahman, it will only be a thought about a second or thircl
person.Bul instead,if onesimplymeditates ' I, 1'.sincei t is
a first person at t ent i on, t he ' I' thovght whi ch has t hus
started to meditate will dr o~vn inits sourceandloseits forin
and separate existence, just like the stick used for stirring
the funeral pyre and like the reflection of the sun directed
from a mirror towards the sun itself. Thus, If one takes to
meditating 'I am Siva' (si vohunl ) or 'I ail1He' (sohai n) and
soon, the ego will wax and grow strong54,whereas if one
attends to Self,' Who amI ?', the ego will die. That is why
Bhagavan Sri Ramana did not teach 'I am He' (soham) as
practice (sadhana). If someparticulars about a town~vhi c h
we want to reach have been given to us beforehand, they
will be agoodaid;similarly, theprior information (givento
usby theni ahavakya, suchas' I amBrahman')that ourfinal
reality is Brahman may be a good aid, but can it be t he
54 "hlan misbehaves, acting without restraint ant1 as hc pleascs, even
when hc only imagines'I an1this trifling body' ,If he were to irni~gine
'I ain Brahman Himself' ,of what evilwould he then bc incapable!"
' Guru R a n ~ o ~ ~ o Vtchana hlnla', versc 149
116
practice- theenquiryitself?No,it cannot! How? Studying
the particulars about thetown,reading them repeatedly to
learn them by heart and meditating upon them can never
be the journey to that place: the sameis the case with the
mahavakyas ! This is exactly what Sri Bhagavan meant
whenhewrote:
"...meditating'I am not this,I amThat' maybe (in
some way) an ai d, but can it itself be t he
enquiry?"
' Ul l adhu Narpadhu' , verse 29
and:
"...meditating'We are That' maybe agood aid for
(reminding)us to abide as Self..."
' Ul l adhu Narpadhu' , verse 36
Therefore, the path of enquiry, 'Who am I?' is not the
meditation upon the mahavakyas such as 'I am He'.
We often hear about somelecturerswhoneither have
had thegood fortuneof beingtaught by thegracious Glance
of Sri Bhagavan's Eyes, those two flames of Jnana which
easi l y reveal t hi s t r ut h, nor have t he wi l l i ngness to
scrutinizethoroughly His teachings, but who,afterreading
'Upadesa Saram' and taking only the later part of the 8th
verse," 'I amHe' is better than all other meditations", start
propagating that Bhagavan Ramana also teaches only the
meditation 'I amHe'. It is therefore necessary to scrutinize
t hi s poi nt a l i t t l e deeper. The Tamil work ' Upadesa
U n d h i ~ a r ' ~ ~ is t he original from whi ch t he Sanskri t
55 This work canbe correctlyunderstood onlywhen viewed inthe light
of the context in which and theobject with which it was composed,
' Upadesa Undhi yar, ' is so named because it is the instructions,
upadesa, composed in a Tamil metre called undhi yar. When Sri
Bhagavan translated this work from His original Tamil into Sanskrit.
117
' Upadesa Saram' was translated, The correct meaning of the
8th verse will become clear if we know in what context and
wi t h what purpose Sri Bhagavan composed ' Upade s a
Undhi yar' ,
Sri Muruganar the whole-hearted disciple of Sri
Bhagavan and a great Tamil poet, while writing ' Sri Ramana
Sanni dhi Mnrai ' , in which he describes the play of Lord
Siva with His devotees was narrating in a metre called
undhi yar the story of the dwellers in the Daruka forest in
ancient days, who were performing ritualistic practices and
who, on account of their deceitful egoism, had become
inlmensely conceited, feeling that there is no God except
k amy a kar mas s 6. Thus, Sri Muruganar came to the point
where Lord Siva gives them instructions (npadesa) to correct
them and to show them the right path; he then realized that
Bhagavan Sri Ramana, who is Arunachala Siva Hi~nself was
the only proper authority to impart the spiritual advice of
Lord Siva, and therefore requested Him to complete the
It was nai ned ' Upade s a Sar anl ' , whi ch nl eans ' The Essence of
Instructions' ; it is also under this title that the English translations
of ' Upndesu Undhijrur' have been published.
Not knowing the contest in which this work was originally co~nposed
by Sri Bhagavan, many on first reading the title assunle the work to
be the essence of Sri Ramana' s instructions and that He coirlposed it
of His own accord for the benefit of the world. However, after reading
t he next paragraph, where it will be explainetl why and i n what
context Sri Bhagavan composed this work, the readcr will uilderstand
that He started to write it not as the essence of His own instructions
(i.e. Self-enquiry), but as t he essence of t he instructions given i n
ancient days by Lord Siva. It will also be clear that, as in the case
of all His other works, ' Upadesa Undhi!.ar' was not composed of His
own accord but at t he request of a devotee.
56 h'urnj.ci kcirrl~as: any action perfor~ned for the fulfilnlcnt of desires. In
this cont ext , it refers to t he performance of ri t ual s, i nst ruct i ons
concerning which are found i n the 'Purva Mi ~ l ~ a i ~ ~ s a ' , a portion of the
Vedas.
118
story by writing the instructions in the remaining thirty
verses allotted in the work. Hence, in continuation of the
story, Bhagavan Ramana started to cornpose "Upades a
Undhi yar ' , the i nst ruct i ons given by Lord Siva to t he
clwellers in the Daruka forest in those days. In the first two
verses, actions performed with desire (kamya karmas) are
condemned; from verses 3 to 16 (thirteen verses in all) Sri
Bhagavan has sunlmed up all that has been said up till now
in the sastras about the three paths, nishkarnya kar ma,
bhakti and raja yoga. Within these fifteen verses, the path
of knowledge (jnana marga) is not at all nlentioiled by Sri
Bhagavan. After giving instructions about puja and japa
from verses 3 to 6, Sri Bhagavan describes t he ancient
methods of meditation in their order of priority in verses 7
and 8 - and it is only in this context that it is said (in the
8th verse), "To meditate 'I am He' is better than ilieditatillg
upon Hinl (God) as an other". Because Sri Bhagavan was
requested to recount the essence of the instructions that
Lord Siva gave in ancient days to the dwellers in the Daruka
forest, it became necessary for Him to summari ze t he
ancient paths also. Thcrefore, verses 3 to 15 (which are the
teachings of Lord Siva) shoul d not be taken to be the
teachings based upon the direct experience of Sri Bhagavan.
Self-enquiry alone is the direct teaching or Sri Bhagavan.
Some may ask, "All right, the meditation 'I am He'
may not be the actual teaching of Sri Bhagavan, but does
not t he 9th verse, 'By the strength of such meditation,
remaining in one' s true existence, which is beyond the
range of meditation, is the very nature of supreme devotion',
imply that liberation, which is the supreme devotion, can
be attained by the strength of such meditation?" Now, let us
see what, in the course of an aspirant's practice, the strength
of such meditation is, and what changes take place in him
119 "Who Am I?' is Not Soham Bhavana
through that strength. Throughout the time the aspirant was
practising the ancient methods described in verses 3 to 7,
such as puja, meditation and so on, his mind was imagining
God to be a second or third person object. The reason why
the meditation 'I am He' was prescribed was to remove this
ignorance and to help the aspirant gain full faith in the
words of this mahavakya and thereby to give him the firm
conviction 'God is indeed the reality of the first person'. The
strength of such conviction is the strength of meditation
(bhava bala) referred to in verse 9. However, why take to
this round-about path to gain the conviction that God or
Brahman is the reality of the first person ! Si nce the
ritualists in the Daruka forest were stranded on a dead-end
route, they had to be led only through such a roundabout
path by Lord Siva. But, as soon as we hear the instruction
of Sri Bhagavan i n verse 34 of ' Ul l udhu Nurpadh~r' , "Only
if the first person exists, will the second and third persons
exist", why not we at once be convinced, ' The second and
t hi rd persons live onl y because of t he root, the first
person'57, and :urn directly towards Self ? In order to bring
back ultimately those aspirants who do not come to His
pat h but direct their efforts towards second and third
persons, Sri Bhagavan recommended this as the best of all
t he anci ent met hods of medi t at i on si nce, as a pri or
information, it acts as an aid for the aspirants to turn that
attention towards the first person. Suppose the owner of the
cow which is tied in the other man's shed coines many
times to pet it and feed it, t hus making it familiar and
acquainted with him, the cow will develop the conviction
that he is its master; then, after it has gained the strength
57 Here, to refresh his memory, t he reader is referred to t he last
paragraph of chapter five, beginning :"bloreover, can God be...", pages
103 to 104.
120
of conviction (bhava bala) that he is its master, when he
brings it to its own shed it will agree to stay there only
because of its prior familiarity with him.
The simile of the wasp and the grub5%entioned in
' the sastras is meant only to illustrate the process by which
the aspirant gains this strength of conviction during his
practice. It should not be taken to mean that the individual
soul becomes Brahman through thinking - because the state
of Brahman is not a thing to be newly created from some
other thing (as a wasp is created from a grub). It is our
natural state, undergoing no change.
"Thi s existence ( i . e. Brahman) - Thy Feet,
0 Ramana - is not a thing to go and unite with
another thing, not a thing to become another thing,
not a thing to be bored of, not a thing to be
destroyed, not a thing to rise and set on any
account !..."
'Sri Ramana Sahasram ', verse 233
Therefore, would it be in accordance with the eternal
nature of the perfect state of Brahman to say that something
can newly become That?
"Even the contention held that there is duality
during practice and non-duality after attainment is
not true.. ."
' Ulladhu Nnrpadhu ', vcrse 37
After the conviction 'My true existence-consciousness
is God or Brahman' has been well stabilized in an aspirant
58 The sinlilc of t he wasp and t he grub (bmmora ki t aka n j ~ n ~ ~ a ) : A
certain varicty of Indian wasp brings a grub and kceps it in its ncst;
whencver the wasp conies back to the nest it stings the grub, whi ch
in due course turns into a cvasp. It is believed that the grub becomes
a wasp because of constantly thinking of i t through fear.
121
through the strength of such meditation, at an opportune
moment the knowledge 'Do I not always exist! Why then
should I meditate in order to exist ?' will flash, and thus his
attention will be drawn back all of a sudden and fixed on
his existence-consciousness. This Self-attention is exactly
t he technique of Self-enquiry. Si nce through t hi s Self-
attention the meditation 'I am Brahman' has now become
unnecessary; the aspirant remains in his true existence, 'I
am' (aham asmi), whi ch is t he st at e of t hought free
consciousness; this is what is mentioned in verse 9. At any
rate, what has to take place finally in the aspirant is Self-
attention, which is the Self-enquiry taught by Sri Bhagavan.
This love towards Self (sruatma-bhakti) is the very nature of
supreme devotion (parabhokti tattva, as mentioned ill verse
9), and that is liberation.
Then from verse 16 to 29 Sri Bhagavan expounds the
path of knowledge. Even here, a subtle difference should be
noted between the way of teaching of the sastras and that
of Sri Bhagavan. First, in verses 16 to 20, Sri Bhagavan
explains clearly the method of doing the enquiry 'Who am
I ?' ( at t endi ng to Sel f). The n, aft er gi vi ng us t he
understanding in verse 2l5"hat the real Thing denoted by
the word 'I' is Self itself, He asserts His verdict that, since
the truth of 'I' is Self:
"The body, prana, mind, Intellect end the darkness
of ignorance - all these (five sheat hs), being
insentient (jada) and non-existent (asat], ore not 'I',
that which exists (sot].'
' Upadesa Undhi yar' , vcrse 22
59 "This ('I-I', that is, Self) is always (in all the three-states and all the
three divisions of ' time) the true import of the word ' I' , because even
in sleep, where there is no ego- 'I', we are not non-existent."
' Upadesa Undhijrar', verse 21
122
In ancient sastras the process of Self-enquiry is described as
negating the five sheat hs as 'not I , not I' ( net i , net i ).
However, aspirants struggle not knowing how to do so. That
is why Sri Bhagavan first gives us (in verses 16 to 20) the
technique of attending to Self, which is the means to know
what ' I' really is,' then He points out in verse 22 that
negating the five sheaths is the outcome of knowing the real
'I', He thus implies thal attending to 'I', Self, is itself the
method of negating the five sheaths, the non- Self. Hence,
in 'Upadcsa Undhiyar' Sri Bhagavan has amended the path
of knowledge (jnana muiga) by rearranging the back-to-front
process described in ancient sastras into a new and practical
order - that is, that which was given as the practice (neti,
neti) is now pointed out to be the result I. Thus, froni verse
16 to 29, Sri Bhagavan teaches that the enquiry 'Who am I?'
is the correct path of knowlctlgc, and concludes 'Ul)r~tlcsn
Undhiyur' by declaring in vcrsc 30 that the orlly right tapas
is to know and rcmain in Self, and not anything else.
CHAPTEK
Self-enquiry
On heari ng t he expressi on ' Sel f-enqui ry' ( at ma-
vichara), people generally take it to mean either enquiring
intoSelf or enquiringaboutSelf.But how to doso?Who is
to enquire into Self,or who is to enquireabout Self?What
doesenquiryactuallymean?Suchquestionsnaturally arise,
dothey not?
As soon as we hear t he terms I t ma- vl chara' or
'Rrahma--vichuruJ, manyof us naturally consider that there
is some sort of effulgence or a formless power within our
body and that we aregoing to find outwhat it is,where it
is, and how it is. This idea is not correct. Because, Self
(utinun) does not existasanobject to be knownby uswho
seekto knowit ! SinceSelf shinesasthevery natureof him
who tries to knowit!Self-enquirydoesnot meanenquiring
into a second or third person object.It isin order to make
us understand this from the very beginning that Bhagavan
Ramana named Self-enquiryas'Who am I ?', thus drawing
our attention directly to the first person. In this question,
'Who am I?' , 'I am' denotes Self and ' who' stands for the
enquiry.
Whoisit thatisto enquire intoSelf?For whomisthis
enquiry necessary?Is it for Self?No,SinceSelf is the ever-
attained,ever-pure,ever-freeandever-blissfulWhole,It will
124
The Path of Sri Ranlana - Part One
not do any enquiry, nor does it need to ! All right, then it
is only the ego that needs to do the enquiry. Can this ego
know Self? As said in the previous chapters, this ego is a
false appearance, having no existence of its own. It is a petty
infinitesimal feeling of 'I' which subsides and loses its form
in sleep. So, can Self become an object that could be known
by the ego? No, the ego cannot know Self! Thus, when it
turns out that Self-enquiry is unnecessary for Self and Self-
knowledge is impossible for the ego, the questions arise:
"What then is the practical method of doing Self-enquiry?
Why is this term 'Self-enquiry' found in the sastras ?" Are
we not to scrutinize thus and find out? Let us do so.
There is a difference between the sense in which the
term ' enquiry' is used by Sri Bhagavan and t he way in
which the sastras use it. The sastras advocate negating the
five sheaths, namely the body, prana, mind, intellect and the
darkness of ignorance, as 'not I, not I' (neti, neti). But who
is to negate them, and how? If the mind (or the intellect) is
to negate them, it can at best negate only the insentient
physical body and the prana, which are objects seen by it.
Beyond this, how can the mind negate itself, its own form?
And when it cannot even negate itself, how can it negate the
other two sheaths, the intellect [vijnanu-inaya kosa) and the
darkness of ignorance [anandanlaya kosa), which are beyond
i t s range of percept i on? Duri ng t he t i me of enqui ry,
therefore, what more can the mind do to remain as Self
except to repeat mentally, "I am not this body, I am not this
prana"? From this, it is clear that 'enquiry' is not a process
of one thing enquiring about another thing. That is why the
enquiry ' Who am I?' taught by Sri Bhagavan should be
taken to mean Self-attention (that is, attention merely to the
first person, the feeling '1').
Self-enquiry 125
The nature of the mind is to attend always to things
other than itself, that is, to know only second and third
persons. If the mind in this way attends to a thing, it means
that it is clinging (attaching itself) to that thing. Attention
itself is attachment! Since the mind is to think about the
body and prana - though with the intention of deciding 'this
is not!, this is not!' such attention is only a means of
becoming attached to them and it cannot be a means of
negating them! This is what is experienced by any true
aspirant in his practice. Then what is the secret hidden in
this?
Since, whether we know it or not, Self, which is now
wrongly considered by us to be unknown, is verily our
reality, the very nature of our (the Supreme Self's) attention
itself is Grace (anugraha). This means that whatever thing
we attend to, witness*, observe or look at, that thing is
*
The practice of witnessing thoughts and events, which is much
recorrumendcd nowadays by lecturers and writers, was never even in
the least recommended by Sri Bhagavan, Indeed, whenever He was
asked what shoul d' be done when thoughts rise [that is, when
attention is diverted towards second or third persons) during sadhana,
He always replied in the same manner as He had done to Sri
Sivaprakasam Pillai in 'Mrl~oam I?' , where He says, "If other thoughts
rise, one should, without attempting to complete them, enquire 'To
whom did they rise?'. What does it matter however many thoughts
rise? At the very inoment that each thought rises, if one vigilantly
enquires 'To whom did this rise ?', it will be known 'To me'. If one
then enquires 'Who am I?', the mind (our power of attention) will turn
back (from the thought) to its source (Self)". Moreover, when He says
later in the same work, "Not attending to what-is-other (that is, to any
sccond or third person) is non-attachment (vai rog~~o) or desirelessness
[rlirasn)", we should clearly understand that attending to (witnessing,
watching, observing or seeing) anything other than Self is itself
attachment, and when we understand thus wc will realize how
meaningless and impractical are such instructions as 'Watch all
thoughts and events with detachment' or 'Witness your thoughts, but
be not attached to them', which are taught by the so-called gurus of
the present day.
126
ThcPath of SriRamana- Part One
nourished andwill flourish,beingblessedbyGrace. Though
one now thinks that one is anindividual soul,sinceone's
power of attention is in fact nothing but areflection of the
'knowing-power' (chit-snkti) of Self,thatonwhich it falls or
is fixed is nourished by Grace and flourishes more and
more! Hence,when the power of attention of the mind is
directed more and more towards second and third person
objects, both the strength (kriya-bnla) to attend to those
objectsandthe ignorance- the fivesense-knowledgesin the
form of thoughts about them - will grow more and more,
andwill never subside! Have we not already said that all
our thoughts are nothing but altention paid to second and
third person objects?Accordingly,the moreweattend to tlie
mind, the thoughts which are the forins (thesecolid and
third person objects) of the world, the more they xvill
niultiplyandbe nourished.Thisis indeed anobstacle. 'The
nlorc our attention - the glance of Grace (a~lugrahu-c11.ishti)
- falls on it,the more the mind's wavering nature and its
ascendancy will increase. That is xvlly it is iiripossible for
the mind to negate anything by thinkingm"I am not this, I
am not this' ( ~l et i , neti).- On the other hand, if our [Self's)
attention is directed only towards ourself,ourknowledge of
ourexistencealoneis nourished,ancl sirice the mind is ilot
attended to, it is deprived of itsstrength,the supportof our
Grace."Without usewhenleft to stay,iron andmischief rust
away" - in accordancewith this Tamil proverb, since they
are not attended to, all the 'vasana-seeds,whose nature is
torise stealthilyandmischievously, haveto stayquiet,and
60 Thisiswhy aspirantswho, in order to destroyevil thoughtslikclust,
anger and soon, fight against them andthcrcby thinkabout thcm fail
in their attempts,while aspirants practising Sclf-enquiry, who pay
thcirf~111 attention to Self with an indiffcrencctowards thcirthoughts,
bypass them easily.
Self-enquiry 127
thus they dry up like seeds deprived of water and become
too weak to sprout out into thought-plants. Then, when the
fire of Self-knowledge (jnana) blazes forth, these tendencies
(vasanas), like well-dried firewood, become a prey to it.
Thi s al one i s how t he t ot al dest r uct i on of al l
tendencies (vasanakshaya) is effected.
If we are told, 'Abandon the east', the practical way of
doing so would be to do as if told, 'Go to the west'! In the
same manner, when we are told, 'Discard the five sheaths,
which are not Self', the practical way of discarding the non-
Self is to focus our attention on ourself. 'What is this I?' or
'Who am I?'. Thinking 'I am not this, not this' [neti, neti) is
a negative method. Knowing that this negative method is
just as impractical as saying, 'Drink the medicine without
thinking of a monkeiG1 Sri Bhagavan has now shown us the
practical way of drinking the medicine without thinking of
a monkey, by giving us the clue, 'Drink the medicine while
thinking of an elephant' , that is, He has reformed the
ancient negative method by giving us the positive method
'Who am I?',
" . .. Verily, the ego is all! Hence the enquiry 'What
is it?" (in other words, 'Who an1 1, this ego?')" is
the true giving up (renunciation) of al l . 'I'hus
should you know!"
'Ulladhu Nnrpaclhu', verse 28
Verily, all (that is, the five sheaths and their projections -
-all these worlds) is the ego. So, attending to the feeling 'IJ,
61 There is a traditional story of a doctor prescribing a medicine to a
patient with the condition that It should be taken only while not
thinking of a monkey; but the patient could not take the medicine
under this condition, for cvery time he tried to drink it, the tt~ought
of a monkey would surely jump up.
- --
128
'What is it?' or'Who isthis I ?', aloneisrenouncing the five
sheaths, discarding them, eliminating them, or negating
them. ThusBhagavan Ramana has declared categorically
t hat Sel f-at t ent i on al one i s t he correct t echni que of
eliminatingthe fivesheaths !
Sincethis isso,withwhatpurpose did the sastrasuse
the term ' enquiry' to denote the method 'neti, neti'? By
means of 'neti, neti', can we not formulate intellectually
(thatis,throughparoksha) the testwhichwehavegiven in
paragraph 4 of chapterfour of this book,"A thing is surely
not 'I' if it is possible for one to experience 'I am' even in
theabsenceof thatthing"? Solongasthereexists thewrong
knowledge 'I amthe body' pertaining to the aforesaid five
sheaths or three bodies, will not one' s paying attention
towards the first person automatically beonlyan attention
towards a sheath or a body - a second person ! But if we
usethistest,canwenot find outthatallsuchattentionsare
not the proper first person at t ent i on?Therefore, it is
necessary first of allto have anintellectual conviction that
these are not 'I' in order to practise Self-attentionwithout
losingourbearings. It is onlythe discriminationG2 bywhich
weacquire thisconvictionthat hasbeen termed 'enquiry'by
t he sast ras. What t hen i s a n aspi r ant to do aft er
discriminating thus?How can the attention to these five
sheaths, even though with anintention to eliminate them,
be an attention to Self"?Therefore, while practising Self-
enquiry,instead of takinganyoneof the fivesheathsasthe
objectof ourattention,weshould fix ourattentiononly on
the'I' -consciousness,whichexistsandshinesasoneself,as
62 Thediscrimination dealt with in chapterfourof thisbook isalsowith
thesameaim inview,yet it is not theactualprocess of enquiry. What
is given in the last chapter of this book alone is the actual method
of Self-enquiry.
Self-enquiry 129
the singular, and as a wi t ness to and aloof from these
sheaths.
Instead of being directed towards any second or third
person, is not our power of attention, which was hitherto
called mind or intellect, thus now directed only towards the
first person? Although we formally refer to it as 'directed',
in truth it is not of the nature of a 'doing' (kriya-rupanl) in
the form of directing or being directed; it is of the nature of
'being' or 'existing' (sat -rupam). Because the second and
third persons (including thoughts) are alien or external to
us, our attention paid to them was of the nature of a 'doing'
(krlya). But this very attention, when fixed on the non- a1' ien
first person feeling, ' I' , loses the nature of ' paying' and
remains in the form of ' being' , and thereforc it is of the
nature of non-doing (akriya) or inaction (nishkriya). So long
as our power of attention was dwelling upon second and
third persons, it was called 'the mind' or 'the intellect', and
its attending was called a doing (kriycl)or an action (kcirma).
Only that which is done by the mind is an action. Rut on
the other hand, as soon as the attention is fixed on the first
person (or Self), it loses its mean names such as mi nd,
intellect or ego sense. Moreover, that attention is no longer
even an action, but inaction (akurlz~u) or the state of 'being
still' (summa iruttal). Therefore, the mind which attends to
Self is no more the mind; it is the consciousncss aspect of
Self (atma-chit-rupam)!Likewise, so long as it attends to the
second and t hi r d per sons ( t he wor l d) , i t i s not t he
consciousness aspect of Self; It is the mind, the reflected
form of consciousness (chit-abhascl-i.upanl)! Hence, since
Self-attention is not a doing (krijw), it is not an action
(kar~ncl). That is, Self alone realizes Self; the ego does not !
The mind which has obtained a burning desire for
Self-attention, which is Self-enquiry, is said to be the fully
130
mat ure one [pakva manas). Si nce it is not at all now
inclined to attend to any second or third parson, it can be
said that it has reached t he pinnacle of desirelessness
[vairagya). For, do not all sorts of desires and attachments
pertain onlyto second and third persons? Sincethis mind,
which has very well understood that (as already seen in
earlierchapters)the consciousnesswhichshines as'I' alone
is the source of full and real happiness, now seeks Self
because of its natural craving for happiness, this intense
desire to at t end to Self is i ndeed t he highest form of
devotion (bhakti).It is exactly this Self-attention of the mind
which is thus fully mature through such devotion and
desirelessness (bhakti-vairagya) that is to be called the
enquiry 'Who am I ?' taught by Bhagavan Sri Ramana!
Well,will not at least sucha maturemind whichhascome
to the path of SriRamana,willingly agreeing to engage in
Self-attention,realize Self ? No, no, it has started for its
doom ! Agreeing to commit suicide, it places its neck
[through Self-attention)on the scaffold where it is to be
sacri fi ced ! !
How ? Onlysolong asit was attendingto secondand third
persons di d it have t he name ' mi nd' , but as soon as
Self-attentionisbegun, itsnameandform [itsnameas mind
and its form as thoughts) are lost. Sowe can no longer
say that Self-attentionor Self-enquiry is performed by the
mind,Neither is it the mind that attends to Self,nor is the
natural spontaneous Self-attention of the consciousness
aspect of Self [atma-chit-rupam),which isnot themind,an
activity!
'A naked lie then itwould be
If anyman were to say that he
Realized the Self,divingwithin
Through proper enquiryset in,
Self-enquiry
Not forknowingbut for death
Thegood-for-nothing ego's worth !
'ThisArunachala alone,
The Self,bywhich the Self isknown !"
'Sri Arunachala Wenbn' verse 39
The feeling ' I am' is the experience common to one
and all. In this, ' am' is consciousness or knowledge. This
knowledge is not of anything external;it is the knowledge
of oneself,This is chit.Thisconscio~isness is'we', "Weare
verily consciousness", says Sri Bhagavan in ' Upades a
Undhi yar' verse 23. This is our 'being' (thatis, our true
existence)or sat.This is called 'that which is' (nl l adhu).
Thusin'I am', 'I' isexistence(sat) and'am' isconsciousness
(chit). When Self,ournatureof existence-consciousness(sat-
chi t s war upam) , i nst ead of shi ni ng onl y as t he pure
consciousness'I am', shinesmixed withanadjunct (upadhi )
as 'I am a man, I am Rama, I am so-and-so,I am this or
that', then this mixed consciousness is the ego. Thismixed
consciousnesscanrise onlyby catchinghold of aname and
form.When wefeel'I amaman,IamRama,Iamsitting,I
amlying', is it not clear that we have mistaken thebodyfor
'I', and that wehaveassumeditsnameandpostures as 'I am
thisandIan1thus'?- Thefeeling 'thisandthus' which has
now risen mixed with the pure consciousness 'I am' (sat-
chit) iswhat iscalled 'thought', This is the first thought.
The feeling 'I am a man, I am so-and-so' is only a
thought.But the consciousness 'I am' is not a thought; it is
the very nature of our 'being'. Themixed consciousness 'I
amthis or that' is a thought that rises from our 'being'. It
is onl y after t he ri si ng of t hi s t hought , t he mi xed
consciousness (thefirst person),that all other thoughts,
132
The Path of Sr i Kamana - Part One
which are the knowledge of second and third persons, rise
into existence.
"Only if the first person exists, will the second and
third persons exist.."
' Ulladhu Narpadh u' verse 14
This mixed consciousness, the first person, is called
our ' rising' or the rising of the ego. This is the primal
n~entation(adi-vritti) ! Hence:
" Thinking is a mentation [vritti) ; being is not a
mentation ! ..."
Atnia Vichara Potikam', verse 1
The pure existence-consciousness, ' I am', is not a
thought; this consciousness is our nature (swarupam).'I
am a man' is not our pure consciousness; it is only our
thought! To understand thus the difference between our
' being' and our ' rising' (that i s, between existence and
thought) first of all is essential for aspirants who take to the
enquiry 'Who am I?',
Bhagavan Sri Ramana has advised that Self-enquiry
can be done either in the from 'Who am I?' or i n the forin
'Whence am I ?', Hearing these two interrogative sentences,
many aspirants have held various opinions about them up
till now and have bccome confused as to which of them is
to be practised ant1 how! Even among those who consider
t hat bot h are one and t he s ame, many have onl y a
superficial understanding and have not scrutinized deeply
how they are the same. Some who try to follow the former
one, 'Who am I ?, simply begin either vocally or mentally
the parrot-like repetition 'Who am I ? Who am I ?' as if it
Self-enquiry 133
were a mantra-japa. This is utterly wrong! Doing japa of
' Who am I?' in this manner is just as bad as meditating
upon or doing japa of t he ma h o v a k j ~a ssuch as ' I am
Brahman' and so on, thereby spoiling the very objective for
whi ch t hey were revealed! Sri Bhagavan Himself has
repeatedly said, "'Who am I?' is not meant for repetition
(japa)" ! Some others, thinking that they are following
t he second interrogative form, ' Whence am I?' , try to
concentrate on t he right side of t he chest (where they
imagine something as a spiritual heart), expecting a reply
such as 'I am from here' ! This is in no way better than the
ancient method of meditating upon anyone of the six yogic
centres (shad-chakras) in the body !! For, is not thinking of
any place in the body only a second person attention (an
objective attention)? Before we start to explain the technique
of Self-enquiry, is it not of the utmost importance that all
such misconceptions be removed ? Let us see, therefore,
how they may be removed.
In Sanskrit, the terms ' atman' and 'aharn' both mean
'1'. Hence, 'atma-vichara' means an attention seeking 'Who
is this I?' I t may rather be called 'I-attention', 'Self-attention'
or 'Self-abidance'. The consciousness 'I' thus pointed out
here is the first person feeling. But as we have already said,
it is to be understoocl that the consci o~~sness mixed with
adjuncts as 'I am this' or 'I am that' is the ego (ahankara)
or t he i ndi vi dual soul ( j i va) , whereas t he unal l oyed
consciousness devoid of adjuncts and shining alone as 'I-I'
(or 'I am that I am') is Self (atman), the Absolute (brahnlan)
or God (iswara). Does it not amount to saying then that the
first person consciousness, 'I', can be either the ego or Self?
Since all people generally take the ego-feeling ('I am the
body') to be 'I', the ego is also given the name 'self' (atman)
134
and is called' individual self' (jivatma) by some sastras even
now. It is only for this reason that even the attention to the
ego, ' What is it?' or ' Who is it?' , is also named by the-
sastras as ' Self-enquiry' (atma-vichara). Is it not clear,
however, that Self, the existence-consciousness, neither
needs to do any enqui ry nor can be subjected to any
enqui ry? It is just in order to rectify t hi s defect that
Bhagavan Ramana named it 'Who am I?' rather than using
the ancient term 'Self-enquiry' (atma-vichara)! The ego, the
feeling of 'I', generally taken by people to be the first person
consciousness, is not the real first person consciousness;
Self alone is the real first person consciousness. The ego-
feeling, which is merely a shadow of it, is a false first person
consciousness. When one enquires into this ego, what it is
or who it is, it disappears because it is really nonexistent,
and the enquirer, having nothing more to do, is established
in Self as Self.
Because it rises, springing up from Self, the false first
person consciousness mentioned above has to have a place
and a time of rising. Therefore, the question 'Whence am I?'
means only 'Whence (from where) does the ego rise ?'. A
place of rising can only be for the ego. But for Self, since
i t has no rising or setting, there can be no particular place
or time.
"When scrutinized, we - the ever-known existing
Thing - alone are; then where is time and where
is space? If we are (mistaken to be] the body, we
shall be involved in time and space; but, are we
the body? Since we are the One, now, then and
63 Time and spacc apparently exist in us (Self), but we are neither in
them nor bound by them, The experience of the lnani is only 'I am'
and not 'I am everywhere and in all times',
Self-enquiry 135
ever, that One in space, here there and
everywhere 63, we - the timeless and spaceless Self
- alone are !"
' Ulladhu Narpadhu' , verae 15
- thus says Sri Bhagavan. Therefore, enquiring 'Whence am
I?' is enquiring 'Whence is the ego?'. Only to the rising of
the ego, which is conditioned by time and space, will the
question 'Whence am I?' be applicable. The meaning which
Sri Bhagavan expects us t o underst and from t he term
'Whence ?' or 'From where?' is 'From what?'. When taken in
this sense, instead of a place or time coming forth as a reply,
Self-existence, 'we', the Thing (vastu), alone is experienced
as the reply. If, on the other hand, we anticipate a place as
an answer to the question 'Whence?', a place, conditioned
by time and space, will be experienced within the body 'two
digits to the right from the centre of the chest' (as said in
' Ul l adhu Narpadhu - Anubandham' verse 1 8 ) . Yet this
exper i ence is not t he ul t i mat e or absol ut e one
(paramarthikam). For, Sri Bhagavan has positively asserted
that Heart (hridayarn) is verily Self-consciousness, which is
timeless, spaceless, formless and nameless.
"He who thinks that Self (or Heart) is within the
insentient body, while in fact the body is within
Self, is like one who thinks that the screen, which
supports the cinema picture, is contained within
the picture "'
' Ekatma Pnrlchakam', verse 3
Finding a place in the body as the rising-point of the
ego in reply to the question 'Whence?' is not the objective
of Sri Bhagavan's teachings; nor is it the fruit to be gained
by Self-enquiry. Sri Bhagavan has declared clearly the
objective of His teachings and the fruit to be gained by
seeking the rising--place of the ego as follows:
136
ThePathof SriRarnana- Part One
"When sought within ' What is the place from
which it rises as I?', 'I' (theego)will die ! This is
Self-enquiry(jnana-vichara)."
' Lrpadcsa Undhi yar ' , verse 19
Therefore,theresult which isaimed atwhen seeking
therising-placeof theegoistheannihilation of that ego and
not anexperience of aplace in the body. It isonly in reply
to the immature people who - not able to have even an
intellectualunderstanding (paroksha jnana) aboutthenature
of Self,whi ch shines alone as t he one, non-dual thing,
unlimited by (indeed,absolutely unconnected with) time
and space, unl i mi t ed even i n t he form ' Brahman is
everywhere,Brahman is atall times,Brahman iseverything'
(sarvatra brahma, sarvada brahma, sarvan7 brahma) - always
raise thequestion,"Where is theseatfor Self in thebody?",
that the sastras and someti~lles even Sri Bhagavan had to
say:"... two digits tothe right [fromthe centreof the chest)
64 It is worth iloting that the mention of the location of the heart ' two
digits to the right from the centre of the chest' is not iilcluded in
' Ul l adhu Narpadhu ' (themainforty verses),where the original and
dircct teachings of Sri Bhagavan arc given, but onl y in ' Ul l odhu
Norpadhu - Anubnndham' [thosupplementaryfortyverses),since this
is merely andof the diluted truths which the sastras condescendingly
reply in c o~l c c s s i o~~ aspirants,hloreovcr, to the weaknessof i mi nat ~~r e
these two verses, 18and 19,are not original coinpositioi~s of Sri
Dhagavan, but only trailslations from a Malayalam work nanied
Asht ongo Hri daj ~am' , wllich is not even a spiritual test, but onlya
medical one.It sho~i l d alsobe noted herethat thesetwo verses donot
at allrecommend,noreven mention,thepractice of concentratingthe
attention on this point in the body, two digits to the right froin the
centre of the chest. I ~l dced, in no place - neither in His original
works,nor inHis translations of others' works,nor even in anyof the
conversationswith Him recorded by devotees- has SriBhagavan ever
recoinmended this practice (formeditation upon the right sideof the
chest or upon any other part of the transient, insentient and alien
body is nothing but an attention to a second person, an object other
than 'I'), andwhenasked about it,Hein fact used to condemnit (see
'Talks with Sri Rarnana Mohnrshi' , number 273) .
Self-enquiry 137
is the heart"64 Hence, this heart--place (hridaya-stanam) is
not the ultimate or absolute Reality, The reader may here
refer to 'Maharshi's, Gospel', Book 11, chapter IV, ' The Heart
is the Self' (8th edition, 1969, pages 68 to 72; 9th edition,
1979, pages 72 to 76).
Thus, attending to oneself in the form 'Whence am I?'
is enquiring into the ego, the 'rising I', But, while enquiring
'Who am I ?', there are some aspirants who take the feeling
'I' to be their 'being' (existence) and not their 'rising' ! If i t
is taken thus, that is attention to Self. It is just to understand
clearly the difference between these two forms of enquiry
that the difference between our 'rising' and our 'being' has
been explained earlier in this chapter, Just as the correct
meaning of the term 'meditation upon Brahman' (brahma-
dhyanam) used by the sastras up till now is explained by
Sri Bhagavan in the last two lines of the first benedictory
verse of 'Ulladhu Narpadhu' to be 'abiding in the Heart as
it is' (that is to say, abiding as Self is the correct way of
meditating upon it), so also, the correct meaning of the term
'Self-enquiry' (atma-vichara) is here rightly explained to be
'turning Selfwards' (or attending to Self),
In either of these two kinds of enquiry (' Who am 1':''
or 'Whence an1 I ?'), since the attention of the aspirant is
focused only on himself, nothing other than Self (atman),
which is the true import of the word 'I', will be finally
experienced. Therefore, the ultimate result of both the
enquiries, 'Whence am I ?' and 'Who am I ?', is the same !
How? He who seeks 'Whence am I ?' is following the ego,
the form of which is 'I am so-and-so', and while doing so,
the adjunct 'so-and-so, having no real existence, dies on the
way, and thus he remains established in Self, the surviving
' I am'. On the other hand, he who seeks ' Who am I ?
drowns effortlessly in his real natural 'being' (Self), which
138
ever shines as 'I am that I am', Therefore, whether done in
the form 'Whence am I?' or 'Who am I ?', what is absolutely
essential is that Self-attention should be pursued till the
very end. Moreover, it is not necessary for sincere aspirants
even to name before-hand the feeling 'I' either as ego or as
Self, For, are there two persons in the aspirant, the ego and
Self? This is said because, since everyone of us has the
experience 'I am one only and not two'. we should not give
room to an imaginary dual feeling - one 'I' seeking for
another 'I' - by differentiating ego and Self as 'lower self'
and higher-self'
" ... Are there two selves, one to be an object
known by the other? For, the true experience of all
is 'I am one' !"
'Ullodhu Norpodhu', verse 33
- asks Sri Bhagavan.
Thus i t is sufficient if we cling t o the feeling 'I'
uninterruptedly till t he very end. Such attention to the
feeling 'I', the common daily experience of everyone, is what
is meant by Self-attention, For those who accept as their
basic knowledge the 'I am the body' - consciousness (jiva
bhaval, being unable to doubt its (the ego's) existence, it is
suitable to take to Self-attention (that is, to do Self-enquiry)
in the form 'Whence am I ?', On the other hand, for those
who instead of assuming that they have an individuality
(jiva bhava) such as ' I am so-and-so' or 'I am this', attend
t hus, ' What i s t hi s feel i ng whi ch shi nes as
I am?, it is suitable to be fixed in Self-attention in the form
'Who am I ?' What is important to be sure of during practice
(sadhana) is that our attention is turned only towards 'I', the
first person singular feeling.
CHAPTER
TheTechnique
Self-enquiry
At the young age of sixteen, when He was not even
awareof the fact,'This is the sadhana of Self-enquiry that
directlybestowstheexperienceof Brahman', itsohappened
one day that, without any prior intention, Bhagavan Sri
Ramana embarked upon this rare sadhana! On that day,as
if Hewereaboutto die,agreatfearof deathpossessed Him
allof asudden.Becauseof it,animpulseto scrutinize death
also arose in Him spontaneously.He was not perturbed to
see the fast-approachingdeath,nor did He feel inclined to
inform others about i t ! He decided to welcome i t calmly
and tosolvethe problem allalone.He lay down,stretching
His limbs like a corpse, and began to scrutinize death
practically,face toface. Sinceit isof prime importance for
thereaderstoknow thetechnique of Self-enquiryperformed
by SriBhagavan, theSadguru,let usseeit here inthe very
words in whichHelaternarrated Hisexperience.
"Allright, deathhas come ! What is 'death'? What is
it that is dying? It is this body that is dying; let it die!'
Deciding thus, closing the lips tightly, and remaining
without breath or speech like a corpse, what came to my
knowledgeasI lookedwithinwas: 'Thisbody isdead.Now
it will be taken to the cremation ground and burnt; it will
become ashes. All right, but with the destruction of this
140
body, am I also destroyed? Am I really this body? Although
this body is lying as a speechless and breathless corpse,
undoubtedly I am existing, untouched by this death! My
existence is shining clearly and unobstructed! So this
perishable body is not ' IJ! I am verily the immortal ' I'
(Self) !! Of all things, I alone am the reality ! This body is
subject to death; but I who transcend the body am eternally
living ! Even the death that came to the body was unable
to touch me !' Thus it dawned directly, and along with it
the fear of death that had come at first also vanished, never
to appear again! All this was experienced in a split second
as di rect knowl edge ( prat yaksham) and not as mere
reasoni ng t hought s. From t hat t i me onwar ds , t he
consciousness (chit) of my existence (sat) transcending the
body has ever continued to remain the same" - thus Sri
Ramana narrated.
Although Sri Bhagavan later explained all this to us in
so many words, He emphasized the all-important fact: 'All
this took place within a second as a direct experience,
without the action of mind and speech'.
On account of this fear of death, the concentration of
Sri Bhagavan was fixed and deeply immersed in Self-
attention in order to find out 'What is my existence ? What
is it that dies ?'. Thus it is proved by what Sri Bhagavan
Himself did that, as we have been explaining all along, only
such a firm fixing of our a'ttention on Self is 'Self-enquiry'
(atma-vichara). He has confirmed the same idea in the work'
Who am I'?",where He says: 'Rlways keeping the mind (the
attention) fixed In Self (in the feeling '1') alone is called Self-
enquiry' ... Remaining firmly in Self-abidance, without giving
even the least room to the rising of any thought other than-
the thought of Self (that is, without giving even the least
attention to any second or third person, but only to Self),
141 TheTechniqueof Self-enquiry
is surrenderingoneself to God (whichalone is called
parabhakti, the supremed e ~ o t i o n ~ ~ ) " . When Sri Bhagavan
was asked, 'What is t he means and technique to hold
constantlyontothe'I' -consciousness?',He revealed inHis
works the technique of Self-enquirywhich, as explained
above, He had undertaken in His early age,but in a more
detailed manner as follows:-
"Self (atman) is thatwhich isself-shiningin the form
'I am that I am'. One should not imagine it to be anything
suchas thisor that (lightor sound).Imagining' or thinking
thusisitself bondage. SinceSelf is theconsciousnesswhich
isneitherlight nor darkness,letitnotbe imaginedasalight
of any kind. That thought itself would be a bondage. The
annihilation of the ego (t heprimal thought) alone is
liberation (mukti).All the three bodies consisting of the five
sheat hs are contained i n the feeling ' I am t he body' ;
thereforeif,by the enquiry'Whois thisI?' [thatis,by Self-
attention),the identificationwith (attachmentto) the gross
body aloneisremoved,the identificationwith the other two
bodies will automatically cease to exist. As it is only by
clinging to this that the identifications with the subtleand
casual bodies live, there is no need to annihilate these
identifications separately.
"How to enquire?Can the body, which is insentient
like a log and such things, shine and function as 'I'? It
cannot.
65 Theenquiry'Who amI'?' (thcpathof knowlcdgcorjnana nl aea) and
self-surrcndcr (thcpath of lovc or bhakti ma g a ) are the two great
royal paths found out by Bhagavan Sri Ramalia fro111His own
experience and taught by Him for thc salvatio~i of humanity, in this
book,'Thc h t h of Sri Hamana - Part One', thc path ofpurc,non-dual
knowledge, the cnquiry ' Who am I?', alonc is dealt with, whilc in
chapter two of 'The h t h of Sri Ralnana - Pnrt Two', a full exposition
of illc nature of this supremedcvotion (parabhakti) isgiven.
142
The Path of Sri Rarnana - Part One
"The body cannot say 'I' ..."
'UlladhuNarpadhu', verse 23
Therefore, discarding the corpse-like body as an actual
corpse and remaining without even uttering the word 'I'
vocally -
"Discarding the body as a corpse, not uttering the
word 'I' by mouth, but seeking with the mind
diving inwards 'Whence does this I rise ? alone is
the path of knowledge ((jnanamaqa) ..."
-, if keenly observed what that feeling is which now shines'
as 'T', a sphuranaG6 alone will be experienced without sound
as 'I-I' in the heart.
"When the mind reaches the Heart by enquiring
within 'Who am I ?', he, 'I' (the ego), falling down
abashed, the One (t he Reality) appears
spontaneously as 'I-I' (I am that I am) ..."
"When sought within 'What is the place from
which it rises as I ?, 'I' (the ego) will die. This is
Self-enquiry."
'UpadesaUndhiyar',verse 19
"Where this 'I' dies, there and then shines forth
spontaneously the One as 'I-I' That alone is the
Whole (puranam)"
'Upadesa Undhiyar',verse 20
"If wi t hout leaving it we just be, t he sphurana,
completely annihilating the feeling of individuality - the
66 Sphumna:an experience of a new. clear and fresh knowledge of one's
existence.
143 The Technique of Self-enquiry
ego, 'I am the body', finally will come to an end just as the
camphor flame dies out. This alone is proclaimed to be
liberation by Sages and scriptures.
"Although i n t he beginning, on account of t he
tendencies towards sense-objects (vishaya-vasanas) which
have been recurring down the ages, thoughts rise in
countless numbers like the waves of the ocean, they will all
perish as the aforesaid Self-attention becomes more and
more intense. Since even the doubt "Is it possible to destroy
all of them and to remain as Self alone ?' is only a thought,
without giving room even to that thought, one should
persistently cling fast to Self-attention. However great a
sinner one may be, if, not lamenting 'Oh, I am a sinner!
How can I attain salvation?' but completely giving up even
the thought that one is a sinner, one is steadfast in Self-
attention, one will surely be saved. Therefore everyone,
diving deep within himself with desirelessness (vairagya),
can attain the pearl of Self.
"As long as there are tendencies towards sense-objects
in the mind, [since they will always create some subtle or
gross world-appearance) so long the enquiry 'Who am I?' is
necessary. As and when thoughts rise of their own accord,
one should annihilate all of them through enquiry then and
there in their very place of origin. What is the means to
anni hi l at e t hem? If ot her t hought s rise di st urbi ng
Self-attention, one should, without attempting to complete
them, enquire 'To whom did they rise?, It will "then be
known 'To me'; immediately, if we observe 'Who is this I
that thinks?', the mind (our power of attention which was
hitherto engaged in thinking of second and third persons)
will turn back to its source (Self). Hence (since no one is
there to attend to them), the other thoughts which had risen
144
will also subside. By repeatedly practising thus, the power
of the mind to, abide in its source increases. When the mind
thus abides in the Heart, the first thought, 'I' (' I am the
body', the rising 'I'), which is the root of all other thoughts,
itself having vanished, the ever-existing Self (the being '1')
alone will shi ne. The place (or st at e) where even the
slightest trace of the thought 'I' ['I am this, that, the body,
Brahman and so on') does not exist, alone is Self. That alone
is called Silence [maunam).
'After coming to know that the final decision of all the
scriptures [sastras) is that such destruction of the mind
alone is liberation [mukti), to read scriptures unlimitedly is
fruitless. In order to destroy the mind, it is necessary to
enquire who one is; then how, instead of enquiring thus
wi t hi n onesel f, to enqui re and know who one, is in
scriptures ? For Ranla to know himself to be Ranla, is a
mirror necessary ? (That is to say, for one to know oneself
t hrough Sel f-at t ent i on to be ' I am' , ar e scr i pt ur es
necessary ?) 'Oneself' is within the five sheaths, whereas the
scriptures are outside them. Therefore, how can oneself,
who is to be attended to within, setting aside even the five
sheaths, be found in scril~tures'! Since scripture-enquiry is
futile, one should give i t up and take to Self-enquiry" - thus
says Bhagavan Sri Ramana. 67
By means of an example, let us make more clear this
technique (sadhana) of fixing the attention only on Self,
whi ch has been described above i n t he words of Sri
Bhagavan. But from the very outsel it must be conceded
t hat , si nce t he nat ure of Self is uni que and beyond
ti 7 Refer to the first chapter of 'Vjchoru Sar~gruha' and to the whole of
'Who urn I?', from whi ch the above six paragraphs (beginning at the
bottom of page 142) are paraphrased.
comparison,itcannotbe explained fully andaccurately by
anyone through any example whatsoever. Though most of
theexampleswhich havebeengiven inaccordancewith the
intellectual development of the people and the different
circumstances of their times may be appropriateto a great
extent, these insentient (j ada) examples can never fully
explain Self, the sentient (chit). The example of a cinema
projector oft en poi nt ed out by Sri Bhagavan and the
fallowingexampleof areflected rayof thesunfromamirror
aregiven solelywith theview that they may remove many
doubts of the readers and clarify their understanding. But
oneshould not fall intotheerror of stretchingthe example
too far, as did the blind manGD who concluded,'h1y child
swallowed a crane',whenhewas told,'Milk iswhite'.
A broken piece of mirror is lyingontheground inthe
openspace,infull sunshine.Thesunlightthat falls onthat
piece of mirror is,reflected,and thereflected light.entersa
nearby darkroom andfalls on itsinnerwall. Thc ray from
themirror to theinside wall of the dark room isareflected
ray of thesun. By means of thisreflectedray, a man in the
dark room is able to see the objects inside that roorn. The
68 The st ory of t he blincl man: Once a man, blincl Froill bi rt h, was
infornlcd that a son wasborn to him.Whilehcwasstillrejoicing over
the happy event, the very next dav brought hiin thc shocking news
of his child' s death.With grief heasked
"Howdid mybaby die'?"
"By drinkingmilk,"
"Howis milk ?"
"Milk is white"
"How is white ?"
"Whi t eis likc t he crane."
"How is thecrane?"
Losing hispatience,theiriessenger ~ n a d e theblind inanfeelhishand,
whi ch hi s hand like a crane, and sai d, "Thc crane is likc this." At
oncetheblind manlamented,exclaiming,'Rll !Nowonder n ~ y small
child should di eontaking sucha big thing !"
146
reflected light, when seen on the wall, is of the same form
or shape as the piece of mirror (triangular, square or round).
But the direct sunlight (the original light, the source of the
reflected ray) in the open space shines indivisible, single,
all-pervading and unlimited by any specific form or shape.
Self, our existence-consciousness, is similar to the direct
sunl i ght in t he open space. The ego-feeling or mi nd-
knowledge, the 'I am the body' - consciousness, is similar
to the reflected ray stretching from the mirror to the inner
wall of the room. Since Self-consciousness is limitless like
t he vast, all-pervading direct sunlight, it has no form-
adjunct (rupa-upadhi).Since, just as the reflected ray takes
on the limitations and size of the piece of mirror, the ego-
feeling experiences the size and form of a body as 'I', it has
adjuncts. Just as the objects in the dark room are cognized
by means of the reflected light, the body and world are
cognized only by means of the mind knowledge.
'Rlthough the world and the mind rise and set together,
it is by the mind alone that the world shines ...".
Let us suppose that a man in the dark room wants to
stop observing the objects in the room, which are seen by
means of the reflected light, and is possessed instead by a
longing to see its source, 'Whence comes this light ?'. If so,
he should go to the very spot where the reflected beam
strikes the wall, position his eyes and look back along the
beam. What does he see then ? The sun ! But what he now
sees is not t he real s un; it is onl y a reflection of i t ,
Furthermore, it will appear to him as if the sun is lying at
a certain spot on the ground out si de t he room! The
particular spot where the sun is seen lying outside can even
be pointed out as being so many feet to the right or left of
147 The Technique of Sclf-enquiry
the room (like saying, "Two digits 'to the right from the
centre of the chest is the heart"). But, does the sun really lie
thus on the ground at that spot ? No, that is only the place
whence the reflected beam rises ! What should he do if he
wants to see the real sun ! He must keep his eyes positioned
along the straight line in which the reflected beam comes
and, without moving them to either side of it. follow it
towards the reflected sun which is then visible to him.
Just as the man in the dark room, deciding to see the
source of the reflected beam which has come into the room,
gives up the desire either to enjoy or to make research about
the things there with the help of that reflected beam, so a
man who wants to know the real Light (Self) must give up
all efforts towards enjoying or knowing about the various
worl ds whi ch shi ne only by means of the mind-light
functioning through the five senses, since he cannot know
Self either if he is deluded by cognizing and desiring
external objects (like a worldly manj or if he is engaged in
investigating thein (like our modern scientists). This giving
up of at t ent i on t owards ext ernal sense-obj ect s i s
desirelessness (vaircigya) or i nward renunciation. The
eagerness to see whence the reflected ray comes into the
room corresponds to the eagerness to see whence the ego.
' I' , the mind-light, rises. This eagerness is love for Self
(swatma-hhakti). Keeping the eyes positioned along the
straight line of the beam without straying away to one side
or the other corresponds to the one-poinled attention fixed
unswervingly on the 'I' - consciousness. Is not the man now
moving along the straight line of the reflected beam from
the dark room towards the piece of mirror lying outside?
This moving corresponds to diving within towards the
Heart.
The Path of SriRamana - PartOne
"Just as one would dive in order to find something
that had fallen into the water, so one should dive
within with a keen (introverted) mind, controlling
breath and speech, and know the rising-place of
the rising ego. Know thus !"
'Ulladhu Narpadhu ', verse 28
Some, taking only the words 'should dive within
controlling breath and speech', set out to practise exercises
of breath control (pranayama). Although it is a fact that the
breath stops in the course of enquiry, for it to be stopped the
roundabout way of pranayama is not necessary. When the
mind, with a tremendous longing to find the source which
gives i t l i ght , t ur ns i nwar ds, t he br eat h st ops
automatically 69! If the breath of the enquirer is exhaled at
the time of his mind thus giving up knowing external sense-
objects (vishayas) and starting to attend to its original form
of light, Self, it automatically remains outside without being
again drawn in. Likewise, if it is inhaled at that time, it
automatically remains inside without being again exhaled !
These are to be taken as ' ext ernal retention' ( bahya
kumbhaka) and ' internal retention' (antara kumbhaka)
respectively. Until there is a rising of a thought on account
of non-vigilance (pramada) in Self-attention, this retention
(kumbhaka) will continue in an enquirer quite effortlessly.
By a little scrutiny, will it not be clear to anyone that even
in our everyday life when some startling news is suddenly
brought to us or when we try to recollect a forgotten thing
69 "Therefore,by the practice of fixingthe mind (theattention)in the
Heart (Self),the pure consciousness, both the destruction of
tendencies(vosonos) and the controlof the breathare accomplished
automatically."
'Ullodhu Norpodhu -Anubondharn' verse24
with full concentration, the breath stops automatically on
account of t he keenness of mi nd ( t he i nt ensi t y of
concentration) that takes place then? Similarly, the breath
will stop automatically as soon as the mind, with an intense
longing to see its original form of light and with earnest one-
pointedness, begins to turn keenly and remain within. In
this state of retention (kumbhaka), no matter how long it
continues, the enquirer does not experience suffocation, that
is, the urge to exhale or inhale. But whi l e practicing
pranayama, if the units of time (matras) of the retention are
increased, one does experience suffocation. If the enquirer's
attention is so intensely fixed on Self that he does not even
care to know whether the breath has stopped or not, then
his state of retention is involuntary and without struggle.
There are some aspirants, however, who try to know at that
time whether or not the 'breath has stopped. This is wrong,
for since the attention is thus focusing on the breath, Self-
attention will be lost and thereby various thoughts will
shoot up and the flow of sadhana will be interrupted, That
is why Sri Bhagavan advised, 'Control breath and speech
with a keen [introverted) mind' . It woul d be wise to
understand this verse thus, by adding 'with a keen mind'
(kurnda matiyal) in all the three places, 'Control the breath
with a keen mind dive within with a keen mind, and know
the rising-place with a keen mind',
By his very moving along it, does not the man who
positions his eyes on the reflected beam reduce its length?
Just as the length of the beam decreases as he advances, so
also the mind's tendency of expanding shrinks more and
more as the aspirant perseveres in sincerely seeking its
source.
"... When the attention goes deeper and deeper
within along the (reflected) ray 'I', its length
150
decrease more and more, and when the ray 'I' dies,
that which shines as 'I' is Jnana, "
at ma Vichara Potikam', verse 9
When the man finally reaches very near to the piece of
~l ~i r r or , he can be said to have reached the very source of
the reflected ray. This is similar to the aspirant diving
within and reaching the source (Heart) whence he had
risen. Does not the man now attain a state where the length
of the reflected ray is reduced to nothing - a state where no
reflection is possible because he is so close to the mirror?
Similarly, when the aspirant, on account of his diving
deeper and deeper wi t hi n by an i nt ense effort of Self-
attention, is so close to his source that not even an iota of
rising of the ego is possible, he remains absorbed in the
great dissolution of the ' I am the body' - feeling ( dehat ma-
buddhi ), which he had hitherto had as a target of attention,
This dissolution is what Sri Bhagavan refers to when He
says, 'I' will die", in ' Upadesa Unclhj-var' verse 19.
Because of his inere search for the source of the
reflected ray of the sun, does not the man now, after leaving
the dark roorn, stand in the open space in a state of void
created by the non-existence of that reflected ray? This is
t he state of the aspirant remaining i n t he Heart-space
( hr i dayakas aj in the state of great void ( ma h a s u n y a )
created, through mere Self-attention, by the non-existence
of the ego-'1'. The man who has come out of the room into
the open space is dazed and laments, "Alas ! Tlie sun that
guided me so far (the reflected sun) is now lost", At this
moment, a friend of his standing in the open space comes
to him with these words of solace, "Where were you all this
time? Were you not in the dark room! Where are you now?
Are you not in the open space! When you were in the dark
room, that which guided you out was just one thin ray of
light; but here (in this vast open space) are not the rays of
light countless and in an unlimited mass? What you saw
previously was not even the direct sunlight, but only a
reflected ray! But what you are now experiencing is the
direct (saksha) sunlight. When the place where you are now
is nothing but the unlimited space of light, can a darkness
come into existence because of the void created by the
disappearance of the reflected ray? Can its disappearance be
a loss? Know that its disappearance itself is the true light;
it is not darkness".
Similarly, by the experience of the great void (maha
sunya) created by the annihilation of the ego, the aspirant
is some-what taken aback, Alas ! Even the 'I' consciousness
[the ego) which I was attending to in mjr sadhana till now
as a beacon-light is lost ! Then is there really no such thing
at all as 'Self' (atn~an)?". At that very moment, the Sadguru,
who is ever shining as his Heart, points out to him thus,
"Can t he dest r uct i on of t he ego, whi ch i s onl y a n
infinitesimal reflected consciousness, be really a loss? Are
you not clearly aware not only of its former existence, but
also of the present great void created by its disappearance?
Therefore, know that you, who know even the void as 'this
is a void', alone are the true knowledge; you are not a
void70 !", in an instant as a direct esperience of the shining
of his own existence-consciousness by touching [flashing as
sphurana) in Heart as Heart! The aspirant who started the
search 'Whence am I?' or 'Who am I ?' now attains the non-
dual Self-knowledge, the true knowledge 'I am that I am' ,
which is devoid of the limitations of a particular place or
time.
70 "...Know that I (Self) is the true knowledge; It is not a void!"
'Ulladhu Narpadhu', verse 12
152
Clinging to the consciousness 'I' and thereby acquiring
a greater and greater intensity of concentration upon it,
is diving deep within. Instead of thus diving within, many,
thinking that they are engaged in Self-enquiry, sit down for
hours together simply repeating mentally or vocally, "Who
am I ?" or "Whence am I?". There are others again who,
when they sit for enquiry, face their thoughts and endlessly
repeat ment al l y t he fol l owi ng quest i ons t aught by
Sri Bhagavan. "To whom come these thoughts? To me;
who am I?", or sometimes they even wait for the next
thought to come up so that they can fling these questions
at it! Even this is futile Did we sit to hold thus a court of
enquiry, calling one thought after anot her! Is t hi s the
sadhana of diving wi t hi n! Therefore, we shoul d not
remain watching 'What is the next thought?'. Merely to keep
on quest i oni ng i n t hi s manner is not Sel f-at t ent i on.
Concerning those who thus merely float on the surface of
the thought-waves; keeping their mind on these questions
instead of diving within by attending to the existence-
consciousness with a keen mind, thereby controlling mind,
breath and all the activities of the body and senses, Sri
Bhagavan says:
"Compare him who asks hiinself 'Who am I?' anti
'From which place am I?', though he himself exists
all the while as Self, to a drunken man who
prattles 'Who am I?' and 'Where am I?'."
'Ekatma Panchakam'. verse 2
and further, He asks:
"...How to attain that state wherein 'I' does not rise
the state of egolessness (the great void or maha
sunya) - unless (instead of floating like this) we
seek the place whence ' I' rises? And unless we
TheTechniqueof Self-enquiry 153
attain that (egolessness),say,how to abide in the
stateof Self,where'We areThat' (soham)?"
'Ulladhu Narpadhu ', versa 27
Therefore, all that we are to practise is to be still
(suinma iruppadu) with the remembrance of the feeling '1'.
It isonlywhen there isaslacknessof vigilanceduringSelf-
attention that thoughts,which are anindication of it, will
rise. In other words, if thoughtsrise it means that ourSelf-
attentionislost. It isonlyasacontrivanceto win back Self-
attentionfromthought- attentionthatSriBhagavanadvised
us to ask,'To whom do these thoughts appear?' Since the
answer 'To me' is only a dative form of 'I', it will easily
remind usof thenominative form,the feeling '1'. However,
if we question, 'Who thinks these thoughts?', since the
nominative form, the feeling 'I', is obtained as ananswer,
will not Self-attention, which has been lost unnoticed, be
regained directly?Thisregaining of Self-attentionisactually
being Self (that is, remaining or abiding as Self)! Such
'being' aloneisthecorrectsadhana7'; sadhana is not doing,
but being!!
Somecomplain,"When theveryrisingof theegofrom
sleepissosurreptitiousas to eludeour notice, howcanwe
seewhenceit rises?I t seemstobe impossible!" Thatistrue,
because the mind's effort of attention is absent in sleep,
sincethemind itself is not atall there! Asordinary people
are not acquainted with the knowledge of their 'being' but
only with the knowledge of their ' doing' (t hat is, the
knowledge of their making efforts),for such people it is
-
71 "What our Lord Ramana firmly advises us to take to, asthe grcatest
andmost powerful tapas isonlythismuch,'Bc still' (summa iru), and
not anything (dhyana, yoga andsoon)asthe duty to be performed
by themind."
'Guru Vachaka Kovai' verse 773
154
impossible to know from sleep the rising of the ego from
there. Since the effort considered by them as necessary is
absent in sleep, it is no wonder that they are unable to
commence the enquiry from sleep itself! But, since the
whole of the waking state is a mere sportive play of the ego
and si nce t he effort of t he mi nd her e i s under t he
experience of everyone, at least in the waking state one can
turn and attend to the pseudo 'I' shining in the form 'I am
so-and-so'.
" 'Turning inwards, daily see thyself with an
Introverted look and it (the Reality) will be known'
- thus didst Thou tell me, 0 my Arunachala!"
'SriArunachala Akshararnanamalai', verse 44
The enquiry begins only during the leisure hours of
the waking state when one sits for practice. Just as a thing
comes to our memory when its name, is thought of, does
not the first person feeling come to everyone's memory as
soon as the name (pronoun) 'I' is thought of? Although this
first person feeling i s onl y t he ego, t he pseudo '1'-
consciousness, it does not matter. Having our attention
withdrawn from second and third persons and clinging to
the first person - that alone is sadhana. As soon as the
attention turns towards the first person feeling, not only do
other thoughts disappear, but also the first thought, the
rising and expanding pseudo '1'-consciousness, itself begins
contracting !
"When the mind, the ego, which wanders outside
knowing only other objects (second and third
persons), begins to attend to its own nature, all
other objects will' disappear and, by experiencing
its true nature (Self), the pseudo 'I' will also die."
'Guru Vachaka Kovai', verse 193
"...Ifthe ficklemind turns towards the firstperson,
the first person (theego)will become non-existent
and That which really exists will then shine
forth. .."
At n~a Vichora Patikarn', versc 6
' ' . . . Attending to the first person is equal to
committing suicide..."
Atma Vicharcl Patikarr~', verse 7
This is the great revelation made by Bhagavarl Sri
Ramanaandbestowed by Him asapriceless boonupon the
world of spiritualaspirantsin ordertobringVedanta easily
under practical experience.
Just as a rubber bal l 72gai ns greater and greater
momentum while bouncing down the staircase,the more
t he concent r at i on i n cl i ngi ng t o t he first person
consciousness is intensified the faster is the contractionof
the firstthought (theego),till finallyi t merges initssource.
That which now merges thus is only the adjunct (upadhi),
the feeling ' so-and-so' which, at the moment of waking,
came and mixed with the pure existence-consciousness,
whichwas shininginsleepas'I am' ,to constitutethe form
of the ego, 'I am so-and-so','I am this' or ' I am that'. That
is,what has come and mixed now slips away. All that an
aspirant can experience inthebeginning of his practice is
only the slipping away (subsidence)of the ego. Since the
72 The simile of the rubber ball: Let us suppose that a rubber ball is
bouncing downfrom the top of a staircase,thc stepsof which areone
foot high,After fallingonto thesecond step,if it bounces to aheight
of half a foot,will i t not now fall on to the third step froin a height
of one-and-a-half feet?It will then bounce to aheight of three-quarters
of a foot. Hence, the height froin whi ch it falls on to t he next step
will be one-and-three-quarter feet. Does it not t hus gain greater and
greater moment um? Likewise, the shrinking of t he first thought, 'I',
gainsgreaterandgreatermomentum till finallyitmerges in its source.
156
The hth of Sri Ramana -Part One
aspirant tracks down the ego From the waking state, where
it is in full play, in the beginning it is possible for him to
cognize only its removal. But to cognize its rising (how it
rises and holds on to 'I am') from sleep will be more
difficult for him at this stage.
When Self-attention is started from the waking
consciousness 'I am so-and-so', since it is only the adjunct,
the feeling 'so-and-so', that slips away (because it is merely
non-existent, an unreal thing [the unreal dies and the
Reality alone survives, 'satyamerra jayatey, the aspirant even
now [when 'so-and-so' has dropped ofF) feels no loss to the
consciousness " am' which he had experienced in the
waking state. Now he attains a state which is similar to the
sleep he has experienced every day and which is devoid of
all and everything (because, ' The ego is verily all -
s a r ~ a m' ~ ~ , since the whole universe, which is nothing but
thoughts, is an expansion of the ego). But a great difference
is now experienced by him between the sleep that, without
his knowledge. has been coming and overwhelming him all
these days due to the complete exhaustion of mind and
body, and this sleep which is now voluntarily brought on
and experienced by him with the full consciousness of the
waking state. HOW?
"Because there is consciousness, this is not sleep,
and because there is the absence of thoughts, it is
not the waking state it is therefore the existence-
consciousness (sat-chit), the unbroken nature of
Siva (akhanda siva-swarupam). Without leaving it,
abide in it with great love."
'Sadhanai Sarnm ' 74
73 Refer to 'Ulladlhu Narpadhu., verse 26
74 'Sadhanai Sarnm' is a book in Tamil rantaining the answers given in
verse form by the author of this book to clear the doubts of
questioners. Now published in English as " A light on the Teaching
of Bhagavan Sri Ranlana Maharshi%y Aham Trust.
The Technique of Self-enquiry 157
Whenever the aspirant during the time of sadhana
becomes extroverted from this voluntarily brough t-abou t
sleep-like state, he feels absolutely certain, '1 was not
sleeping, but was all the while fully conscious of myself'.
But, though his real aspect (existence-consciousness) is ever
knowing without he least doubt its own existence in sleep
as 'I am', whenever he becomes extroverted from everyday
sleep, since he (the mind) did not even once have the
experience of continuing to know 'I am' from the waking
state, he can only say. 'I slept, I did not know myself at that
time', The truth is this: since the state of his Self-existence,
devoid of the adjunct 'so-and-so', is traced out and caught
hold of in the voluntarily brought-about sleep with the full
consciousness (pmjna) continuing from the waking state, the
knowledge that the pure existence-consciousness (sat-chit)
knows itself as 'I am' is clear in this sleep state. That is why
the aspirant now says, 'I did exist throughout. I did not
sleep' ! But prior to his sadhana, since he was throughout
the waking state identifying as ' 1 9 t h ~mind, which is the
form of the adjunct 'so-and-so', after waking up from the
ordinary daily sleep, where the mind did not exist, this
mind (the man) says, 'I did not mist in sleep'! That is a11 !!
Those who experience many times this removal of the
ego through practice, since they have an acquaintance with
the experience of their pure existence-consciousness as 'I
am' even after the removal of the ego, can minutely cognize,
even at the moment of just waking up from sleep, how the
adjunct 'so-and-so' comes and mixes. Those who do not
have such strength of practice cannot cognize, from sleep
itself, the ego at its place of rising. The only thing that is
easy for them is to find the ego's place of setting (which is
also its place of rising) through the effort started from the
waking state. In either case, the end and the achievement
158
will be the same. When the attention is focused deeper and
deeper within towards the feeling 'I am' and when the ego
thereby shrinks more and more into nothingness, our power
of attention becomes subtler than the subtlest atom and
thereby grows sharper and brighter. Hence, the strength of
abidance (nishtha-bala) will now be achieved to remain
balanced between two states, that is, in a state after the end
of sleep and before waking up, in other words, before being
possessed by the first thought. Through this strength, the
skill will now be gained by the aspirant to find out the
adjunct 'so and so', which comes and mixes, to be a mere
second person ( t hat is, al t hough it has hi t her t o been
appearing as if it were the first person, it will now be clearly
seen to be his mere shadow, non-Self, the prinlal sheath, a
thing alien to hi m). This is what Janaka, the royal Sage,
meant when he said, "I have found out the thief (the time
of his coming - the time and place. of the ego's rising) who
has been r ui ni ng me all along; I will inflict t he right
punishment upon him". Since the ego, which was acting till
now as if it were the first pcrson, is found to be a second
person alien to us, the right punishment is to destroy it at
its very place of rising (just as the reflected ray is destroyed
at its place of rising) by clinging steadfastly to the real first
per son ( t he r eal i mpor t of t he wor d '1'1, exi st ence-
consci ousness, t hrough t he met hod of regaining Self-
attention taught by Bhagavan Sri Ramana [To whom? To
me; who am I?'),
"As you practise more and more abiding in this
existence-consciousness (that is, remaining in the
state between sleep and ~vaki ng), the ordinary
sleep which had previously been taking possession
of you will melt away, and the waking which was
full of sense-knowledges (vishayas) will not creep
in again, Therefore repeatedly and untiringly abide
in it,"
'Sadhanai Samrr~ '
By greater and more steadfast practice of abiding in
this existence-consciousness, we will experience that this
state seems to come often and take possession of us of
its own accord whenever we are free from our daily work.
But, si nce this state of existence-consciousness i s in
fact nothing but 'we', it is wrong to think that such a
state comes and takes possession of us! While at work, we
attend to other things; after that work is over and before we
attend to some other second or third person, we naturally
abide in our real state, existence-consciousness. Though this
happens to one and all every day, it is only to those who
have the experience of Self-consciousness through the
aforesaid practice that the state of Self-abidance will be
clearly discerned after leaving one second parson thought
and before catching another one (that is, between two
thoughts).
"Why has it been said (in the above two verses of
' Sadhana Saram' ) that one ought to make effort
repeatedly to be in that state (our existence-
consciousness) and ought to abide in it with more
and more love? Because, until all the tendencies
(vasanas) which drive one out of it are completely
exhausted, this state will seem to come and go75.
Hence the need for continued effort and love to
abide in Self."
75 Just as the moving of clouds creates the illusion that the moon itself
is moving in thc opposite direction, the coming cnrl going of the
vasanns causes the illusion that our natural state of existencc-
consciousness is often coming and taking possession of us of its own
accord, and then going away leaving us.
160
"When, through this practice, our state of existence
consciousness is experienced always as
inescapably natural, then there will be no harm
even if waking, dream and sleep pass across,"
"For those who are well established in t he
unending Self-consciousness, which pervades and
transcends all these three so-called states (waking,
dream and sleep), there is but one state, the
Whole, the All, and that alone is real! This state,
which is devoid even of the feeling 'I am making
effort', is your natural state of being! Be!!"
'Sadhanai Samm'
Just as the man came out into the open space from the
dark room by steadfastly holding on to and moving along
the reflected ray, so the enquirer reaches the open space of
Heart, coming out of the prison - the attachment to the
body through the nerves (nadis) -,by assiduously holding
on to the feeling 'I am'. Let us now see how this process
takes place in the body of an advanced enquirer.
Just on waking up from sleep, a consciousness 'I'
shoots up like a flash of lightening from the Heart to the
brain. From the brain, i t then spreads throughout the body
along the nerves (nadis). This ' I' consciousness is like
electrical energy. Its impetus or voltage is the force of
attachment (abhimana-vega) with which it identifies a body
as '1'. Thi s consciousness, which spreads with such a
tremendous impetus and speed all over the body as 'I',
remains pure, having no adjunct (upadhi) attached to it, till
it reaches the brain from the Heart. But, since its force of
attachment (abhimana-vega) is so great that the time taken
by it to shoot up from the Heart to the brain is extremely
short, one millionth of a second so to speak, ordinary
people are unable to cognize it in its pure condition, devoid
of any adj unct . Thi s pur e condi t i on of t he rising ' I' -
consciousness is what was pointed out by Sri Bhagavan
when He sai d, "In t he space between two states or t wo
thoughts, the pure ego (the pure condition or true nature of
t he ego) is experienced", i n 'Maharshi's Gospel', Book One,
chapter five, entitled 'Self and Ego'.
For this 'I' - consciousness that spreads from the brain
at a t remendous speed throughout t he body, the nerves
(nadis) are the transmission lines, like wires for electrical
power, (Holv many they are is immaterial here.) The mixing
of the pure consci o~~sness '1 am' , after reaching the brain,
with an adjunct as 'I am this, I am so-and-so, I am the body'
is what is called bondage (bandhain) or the knot (granthi).
This knot has two forms: the knot of bondage to the nerves
( nadi - bandha- gr ant hi ) a nd the knot of attachment
(abhimana--granthi). The connection of this power, the '1'-
consciousness, ~vi t h the gross nervous systein is called ' the
knot of bondage to thc nerves' (ilcldi bai1Nla granthi), and
its connection [its dehabhi i nana) wi t h t he causal body,
whose form is the latent tendencies, is called ' the knot of
attachment' (abhi111ana-grunthi),The knot of bondage to the
nerves pertains to the breath ( pr ana) , whi l e the knot of
attachment pertains to the mi nd.
"Mind and breath (prana) which have thought and
action as their respective functions, are like two
diverging branches of the trunk of a tree. but their
root (the activating power] is one."
' Upadesa Untfl~i~iclr' , verse 1 2
Since t he source of t he mind and t he pruna is one
(the Heart), when the knot of attachment (abllirnarla-granthi)
i s sever ed by t he anni hi l at i on of t he mi nd t hr ough
Self-enquiry, t he knot of bondage to t he nerves ( nadi -
ThePath of SriRamana -PartOne
bandha-granthi) isalsosevered.Inmj a yoga, afterremoving
the knot of bondage to the nerves by means of breath-
control, if the mind which is thus controlled is made to
entertheHeart from thebrain (sahasmra), sinceit reaches
itssource,then theknot of attachment isalsosevered.
"When the mind which has been subdued by
breath control is led (tothe Heart) through the
only path (thepath of knowing Self)76, its form
will die."
'Upadcsa Undhiyar', verse 14
However, since the knot of attachment is the basic
one, until and unless the destruction of attachment
(abhimana) iseffected,byknowingself,evenwhen theknot
of bondage to the nerves is temporarily removed in sleep,
swoon, death or by the use of anesthetics, the knot of
attachment remains unaffected in the form of tendencies
(vasanas), which constitute the causal body, and,hence
rebirths are inescapable. This is why SriBhagavan insists
thatonereachingkashta-ninrikalpa-samadhi77 through mj a
yoga should not stop there (since it is only mano-laya, a
temporary absorption of the mind),but that the mind so
absorbed should be led to the Heart in order to attain
sahaja-nirvikalpa-samildhi, which is the destruction of the
mind (mano-nasa), thedestruction of theattachment to the
76 In the Tamil original of this vcrsc, thc words used by Sri Bhagavan
are 'or vazhi', which mean both 'the only path' and 'the path of
knowing'. Thatthe'onlypath' mentionedhere isSelfenquiryandnot
anyone of the paths of meditation is made clear in 'Guru Vachaka
Kovai verse 392, whcrc Sri Bhagavan emphatically says: "When
ment al qui escence (mano-laya) is gai ned by rest rai ni ng t he
breath...one shoul d keenly enqui re and know that cxistcnce-
consciousncss (sat-chit) which is not the body."
77 Kashta-nirvikalpa-samadhi: a state like, sleep in which thc body
remain inertlikealog.
163 The Technique of Sclf-enquiry
body (dehabhimana-nasa). In the body of such a Self-
realized One (sahaj a j nani ), t he coursi ng of t he ' I' -
consciousness along the nerves, even after the destruction
of the knot of attachment, is like the water on a lotus leaf
or like a burnt rope, and thus it cannot cause bondage.
Therefore the destruction of the knot of attachment is
anyway indispensible for the attainment of the natural state
(Sahaja Sthiti), the state of the destruction of the tendencies
(vosunakshaya).
The nerves (nadis) are gross, but the consciousness
power (chaitanya-saki) that courses through them is subtle.
The connection of the '1'-consciousness with the nerves is
similar to that of the electrical power with the ~vires, that
is, it is so unstable that it can be disconnected or connected
in a second. Is it not an experience common to one and all
that this connection is daily broken in sleep and effected in
the waking state? When this connection is effected, body-
consci ousness ri ses, and when it is broken, body-
consciousness is lost. Here it is to be remembered what has
already been stated, namely that body-consciousness and
world-consciousness are one and the same. So, like our
clothes and ornaments which are daily rernoved and put on,
this knot is alien to us, a transitory and false entity hanging
loosely on us! This is what Sri Bhagavan referred to when
He said, "We can detach ourself from what we are not"!
Disconnecting the knot in such a way that it will never
again come into being is called by Inany names such as 'the
cutting of the knot' (granthi-bheda). 'the destruction of the
mind' (mano-nasa) and so on. 'In such a way that it will
never again come into being' means this: by attending to it
(the ego) through the enquiry 'Does it in truth exist at
present?' in order to find out whether it had ever really
come into being, there takes place the dawn of knowledge
164
(jnana), the real waking, where it is clearly and firmly
known that no such knot has ever come into being, that no
such ego has ever risen, that 'that which exists' alone ever
exists, and that which was existing as 'I am' is ever existing
as 'I am'! The attainment of this knowledge (Self-knowledge
or at ma-j nana), the knowledge that the knot or bondage is
at all t i mes non-exi st ent and has never ri sen, is t he
permanent disconnecting of the knot. Let us explain this
with a small story.
'Alas! I am imprisoned! I have been caught within this
triangular room! How to free nlyself?" - thus was a man
complaining and sobbing, standing in a corner where the
ends of two walls joined. Groping on the two walls in front
of him with his two hands, he was lamenting, "No doorway
is available, nor even any kind of oullet for me to escape
through ! How can I get out?"
Another man, a frierici of his who was standing at a
distance in the open, heard the lamenling, turned in that
direction and noticed the state of his friend. There were
only two walls in that open space. They were closing only
two sides, one end of each of them meeting the other. The
friend in the open quickly realized that the man, who was
standing facing only the two walls in front of him, had
concluded, due to the wrong notion that there was a third
wall behind him, that he was imprisoned within a three-
walled room. So he asked, "Why are you lamenting, groping
on the walls?" "I am searching for a way Lhrough which to
escape from the prison of this triangular room, but I don't
find any way out !" replied the nian.
The friend: "Well, why don't you search for a way out on
the third wall behind you !"
The man (turning behind and looking): "Ah, here there is no
obstacle ! Let me r un away through this way." (So
saying, he started to run away.)
The friend: "What ! Why do you run away? Is it necessary
for you to do so? If you do not run away, will you
remain in prison ?"
The man: "Oho! yes, yes ! I was not at all imprisoned ! How
could I have been imprisoned when there was no wall
at all behind me" It was merely my own delusion that
I was imprisoned, was never imprisoned, nor am I'
now released ! So I do not even need to r un away
from near these walls where I am nolv ! The defect of
my not looking behind was the reason for my so-
called bondage; and t he t urni ng of my at t ent i on
behi nd is real l y t he sadhana for my so- cal l ed
liberation! In reality, I am ever remaining as 1 am,
without any imprisonment or release !"
Thus knowing the truth, he remained quiet.
The two walls i n the story signify the second and
third persons. The first person is the third wall said to be
behind the man. There is no way at all to liberation by
means of second and third person attention. Only by the
first person attention 'Who am l?' will the right knowledge
be gained that the ego, the first person, is ever non-existent,
and only when the first person is thus annihilated will the
truth be realized that bondage and liberation are false.
"So long as one thinks like a madman ' I arn a
bound one', thoughts of bondage and liberation
will last. But when looking into oneself 'Who is
this bound one? the eternally free and ever-
shining Self alone will (be found to) exist. Thus,
166
where the thought of bondage no longer stands,
can the thought of liberation still endure !"
Just as we have expl ai ned t he t hr ee wal l s as
representing the three places78,the first, second and third
persons,wecanalsoexplain themasrepresenting thethree
times, the present , past and future. Even t hrough t he
attention to the present - avoiding all thoughts of past and
future- in order to know what is the truth of the present,
all thoughts will subsideandthe 'present' itself willvanish.
How? That which happened one moment before now is
considered by us to be past, and that which will happen
one moment from nowis considered to be future.Therefore
78 In the grammar of most language.inclutlingSanskrit,the first pcrson,
' I' , the second person, ' you' ,and the third person, ' he, she, it end so
on' , are each denomi nat ed as a pcrson ( pur ~r sho) . But i n Tamil
grammar thesethreearetermed rcspcctivclyasthcfirst placc,second
placc and third placc. Classifying them t hus as placcs is a vcry
helpful cl ue for aspi rant s. How? is no1 the solc aim of si nccrc
aspirants on t he pat h to Reality to transcend i naya and t o reach
Brahman,theSuprenlcThing?How thentocrossor transcend i r i a j ~ ~ ?
Timeandplace arc thctwo forcrnost conceptions projcctcd by ~nayo.
Not evena singlc thought canbe forn~cd which is not bound upwith
mnyu in the form of these two conceptions, t i ~n c and placc. Every
thought must involvc a past and futurc timc (bccausceach though1
is formed in a moment of tirne. and each moment of time is mcrely
a change from past to future) and must also involve an attention to
a second or third pcrson. 0 1 1 the other hand, if one tries to form a
thought of cithcr the prcsent tiinc or thc first pcrson (thatis, if one
attends to either of these), all thoughts will ceasc - because t he
present out of the thrcc timcs and thc first person out of t hc three
places arc the root-conceptions, and thc important characteristic of
thcse two root conceptions is that they lvill disappear, losing their
existence, if theyarcsought for by beingattendcd to. Thus,whenthis
primal time (thcpresent) andprimal place (thcfirst person)losc their
existence,even their sourcemaj7a(whichmeans'that which docsnot
exist'),itself vanishes,sincc it has no true existcnceof its own. This
is the state transcending rnaj7a, and hcnce thc cvcr-existing,one,
whole andunlirnitcd Self alone then shines!
without paying attention to any time even one moment
before or after this, if we try to know what that one moment
is that exists now, then even one millionth of the so-called
present moment will be found to be either past or future. If
even such subtlest past and future moments are also not
attended to and if we try to know what is in between these
two, the past and future, we will find that nothing can be
found as an exact present. Thus the conception of present
t i me will disappear, being non-existent, and t he Self-
existence which transcends time and place alone will then
survive.
"The past and future can exist only with reference
to the present, which is daily experienced; they
too, while occurring, were and will be the present.
Therefore, (among the three times) the present
alone exists. Trying to know the past and future
without knowing the truth of the present (i.e. its
non-existence) is like trying to count without
(knowing the value of the unit) one !"
'Ulludhu Nurpadhu', verse 16
"When scrutinized, we - the ever-known existing
Thing - alone are; then where is time and where
is piece? If we are (mistaken to be) the body, we
shall be involved in time and place; but, are we
the body? Since we are the One, now, then and
ever, that One in space, here, there and
everywhere, we - the timeless and spaceless Self
-alone are !"
'Ulladhu Narpadhu ', verse 18
Hence, attending to the first place (the first person)
among the three places or attending to the present time
among the three times is the only path to liberation. Even
168
this, the path of Sri Ramana is not really for the removal of
bondage or for the attainment of liberation! The path of Sri
Ramana is paved solely for the purpose of our ever abiding
i n our eternal state of pure bliss, by giving up even the
t hought of l i ber at i on t hr ough t he da wn of t he r i ght
knowledge that we have never been in bondage.
"Only the first place or the present time is advised
to be attended to. If you keenly do so, you will
enjoy t he bliss of Self, having compl et ed all
yogas and havi ng achi eved t he supr eme
accomplishment. Kno~v and feast on it!"
'Sadhnrlai Summ'
Let us now again take up our original point. When the
attention of an aspirant is turned toxvards second and third
persons, the '1'-consciousness spreads from the brain all over
t he body through the nerves ( i ~adi s) i n t he form of t he
power of spreading; but when the same attention is focused
on the first person, since it is used in an opposite direction,
the ' I' -consciousness, instead of functioning in the form of
the power of spreading, takes the form of the power of Self-
attention (that is, the poxver of ' doing' is transformed into
the power of 'being']. This is what is called ' the churning of
the nadis' (nudi-inathana). By the churning thus taking place
in the nadis, the ' 1' -conscio~~sness scattered throughout the
nadis turns back, withdraws and collects in the brain, the
starting point of its spreading, and from there it reaches,
dr owns a nd i s est abl i shed i n t he Hear t , t he pur e
consciousness, the source of its rising.
In raja-yoga, the ' I1-consciousness pervading all the
nadi s is forcibly pushed back to the starting point of its
spreading by the power generated through the pressure of
breath-retention (pmna-kumbhaka). Rut this is a violent
method. The following is what Sri Bhagavan used to say:
"Forcibly pushing back the 'I' - consciousness by breath-
retention, as is done in raja yoga, is a violent method, like
chasing a run-away cow, beating it, catching hold of it,
dragging it forcibly to the shed and finally tying it there; on
the other hand, bringing back the '1'-consciousness to its
source by enquiry is a gentle and peaceful method, like
tempting the cow by showing it a handful of green grass,
cajoling and fondling it, making it follow us of its own
accord to the shed and finally tying it there". This is a safe
and pl easant pat h, To bear t he churni ng of t he nadi s
effected through the method of breath-retention in raja yoga,
the body must be young and strong. If such a churning is
made to happen in a body which is weak or old, since the
body does not have the strength to bear it, many troubles
may occur such as nervous disorders, physical diseases,
insanity and so on. But there is no room for any such
dangers if the churni ng is made to take place through
enquiry.
"To say, 'By holding the attention on Self, the
consciousness and by practising abiding in i t , he
became insane', is just like saying, 'By drinking the
nectar of in~mortality, he died'."
'Guru Vachaka Kovai', vcrsc 746
In the path of enquiry, withdrawal from the nadi s
takes place without any strain and as peacefully as the
incoming of sleep. The rule found in. some sastras that the
goal should be reached before the age of thirty is therefore
appl i cabl e onl y i n t he pat h of r aj a yoga, and not i n
the path of Sri Rarnana !
The channel through whi ch the ' 1' -consciousness,
which has risen from the Heart and has spread all over the
170
The Path of Sri Ramana -hrt One
body, is experienced while it is being withdrawn is called
the sushumna nadi. Not taking into consideration the legs
and arms, since they are only subsidiary limbs, the channel
through which the 'I' -consciousness is experienced in the
trunk of the body from the base of the spine (muladham) to
the top of the head (sahasmm]is alone the sushumna.
While the 'I' - consciousness is withdrawing through
the sushumna, an aspirant may have experiences of the
places of the six yogic centres (shadchakms]on the way, or
even without having them may reach the Heart directly.
While travelling in a train to Delhi, It is not necessary that
a man should see the stations and scenes on the way. Can
he not reach Delhi unmindful of them, sleeping happily?
However, due to the past devotional tendencies towards the
different names and forms of God, which are bound by time
and place, some aspirants may have experiences of the six
yogic centres and of divine visions, sounds and so on
therein. But for those who do not have such obstacles in the
form of tendencies, the journey will be pleasant and without
any distinguishing feature (visesha). In the former case,
these experiences are due to non-vigilance (pramada] in
Self-ettention, for they are nothing but a second person
attention taking place there! This itself betrays that the
attention to Self is lost! For those tremendously earnest
aspirants who do not at all give room to non-vigilance in
Self-attention, these objective experiences will never occur!
The following replies of Sri Ramakrishna are worth being
noted in this context: When Swami Vivekananda reported
to Him, "All say that they have had visions, but I have not
seen any !" the Guru said, "That is good !"' On another
occasion, when Swami Vivekananda reported that some
occult powers (siddhis]such as clairvoyance seemed to have
been gained by him in the course of his sadhana, his Guru
warned him "Stop your sadhana for some time, Let them
leave you!" It is therefore clear from t hi s t hat s uch
experiences can be had only by those who delay by often
stopping on the way on account of their Self-attention being
obstructed by lack of vigilance (pramada).
Even t hough t he ' 1' -consciousness whi l e bei ng
withdrawn courses only along the sushumna nadi , on
account of its extreme brilliance it illumines the five sense
organs (jnanendriyas), which are near the sushumna, and
hence the above-mentioned experiences happen. How?
When the light of ' 1' -consciousness st at i oned in t he
sushumna illumines the eye, the organ of sight, there will
be visions of Gods and many celestial worlds; when it
illumines the ear, the organ of hearing, celestial sounds will
be heard such as the playing of divine instruments (deva
dundubhi), the ringing of divine bells, Omkam and so on;
when it illumines the organ of smell, delightful divine
fragrances will be smelt; when it illumines the organ of
taste, delicious celestial nectar will be tasted; and when it
illumines the organ of touch, a feeling of extreme pleasure
will permeate the entire body or a feeling of floating in an
ocean of pleasantness will be experienced. There is no
wonder that these experiences appear to be clearer and of
greater reality than the sense-experiences in the ordinary
waking state, because the experiences of the present waking
world are gained through the gross five senses, which are
functioning by the impure 'I' - consciousness scattered all
over the body, whereas these experiences of celestial worlds
are gained through t he subtle five senses, whi ch are
functioning by the pure, focused 'I' - consciousness. Yet all
these are only qualified mental experiences (visesha-mana-
anubhavas) and not t he unqual i fi ed Self-experience
(nirvisesha-ekatma-anubhava).
172
Si nce t he mi nd is now very subt l e and brilliant
because it is withdrawn from all the other nadis into the
sushumna, and since it is extremely pure because it is free
from worldly desires, it is now able to project through the
subt l e five senses only the past auspicious tendencies
(purva subha vasanas] as described above. However, just
because of t hese visions and the like, one shoul d not
conclude that the mind has been transformed into Self
(atman). Even now there has not been destruction of the
mi nd (mono-nasa). Being st i l l alive wi t h auspi ci ous
tendencies, it creates and perceives subt l er and more
l ust rous second and t hi rd person obj ect s, and f i nds
enjoyment in them. So this is not at all the unqualified
experience of true knowledge (nirvisesha-jnana-anubhava),
which is the destruction of the tendencies (vasanclkshaya].
Whatever appears and is experienced is only a second
person knowledge, which means that sadhana, the first
person attention, is lost at that time! Many are those who
take these qualified experiences (visesha-anubhavas] of
taste, light, sound and so on to be the final attainment of
Self-knowledge (brahma-jnana),and because they have had
these experi ences t hey t hi nk t hat t hey have at t ai ned
liberation and they become more and more entangled in
attention to second and third persons, t hus losing their
foothold on Self-attention. Such aspirants are called 'those
fallen from yoga' (j~oga-bhrashtas). This is similar to a man
bound for Delhi getting down from t he train at some
intermediate station, thinking 'Verily, this is Delhi', being
del uded by i t s attractive grandeur! Even siddhis, the
superhuman powers that may come during the course of
sadhana are only our illusion, barring our progress to
liberation and landing us in some unknown place.
TheTechnique of Self-enquiry 173
What are we to do to escape from falling into such
dangers?Even in this difficult situation, the clue given by
Bhagavan SriRamanaaloneservesastheproper medicine!
How? Whenever one is overt aken by s uc h qual i fi ed
experiences, the weapon of Ramana (Ramanastram), 'To
whomarethese experiences ?', istobeused!Thefeeling 'To
me'will be theresponse!Fromthis,by theenquiry'Whoam
I?' , onecanimmediatelyregain the thread of Self-attention.
When Self-attention is t hus regained, those qualified
experiences of second and third persons will disappear of
their ownaccord because there is no one to attend to them
(justas a spirit possessing a man jumps and dances more
and more so long as others attend to and try to hold the
man,but leaves him if there is nobody to attend to him).
Whenthemind,giving upknowingthose qualified external
sense-objects, again t urns towards its form of l i ght a0
(consciousness),it will sink intoits source, the Heart,and
lose its form for ever. Therefore, the enquiry 'Who am I?'
alone is thebest sadhar~aeven for aspirants on the path of
raja yoga),which will guard and guide us to the end and
saveus.It istheinvinciblesupremeweapon @rohmastram)
whi ch is best owed onl y by t he Grace of Sri Ramana
Sadguru!It is thebeacon-lightwhich safeguardsus lestwe
shoul d stray away from the path to eternal happi ness,
which is the aim of the whole world! It is the path of Sri
Ramana,which alone transforms us into Self, 'I am that I
am'!
Duringthecourseofsadhana, anaspirantwillnowbe
able,by thestrengthof practice,tocognize tangiblywhatis
the state of the absorption of the ego and what exactly is
80 ' When the mi nd, giving up knowingcxtcrnal scnsc-object,knows its
for111of light' (vclividayangnlai viffu manam tan olijwru ordolc): rcfcr
to 'Upadcsa Undhiyar', verse 16.
174
The Path of Sri Ramana -Part One
Self-consciousness, at which he has been aiming till now.
Although his pure Self-existence, devoid of body-
consciousness or any other adjunct, will often be
experienced by him, this is still the stage of practice and not
the final attainment! Why? Since there are still the two
alternating feelings, one of being sometimes extroverted and
the other of being sometimes introverted, and since there is
the feeling of making effort to become introverted and of
losing such effort while becoming extroverted, this stage is
said to be 'not the final attainment', What Sri Bhagavan
reveals in this connection is :"If the mind (the attention) is
thus well fixed in sadhana (attending to Self), a power of
divine Grace will then rise from within of its own accord
and. Subjugating the mind, will take it to the Heart". What
is this power of divine Grace ? It is nothing but the perfect
clarity of our existence the form of the Supreme Self
(paramatman), ever shining with abundant Grace in the
heart as 'I-I' !
The nature of a needle lying within a magnetic field
is to be attracted and pulled only when its rust has been
removed. But we should not conclude from this that the
magnetic power comes into existence only after the rust is
removed From the needle. Is not the magnetic power always
naturally existing in that field? Although the needle was all
the while lying in the magnetic field, it is affected by the
attraction of the magnet only to the extent that it loses its
rust. All that we try to do by way of giving up second and
third attention and clinging to Self-attention is similar to
scraping off the rust. So the result of all our endeavours is
to make ourself it to become a prey to the attraction of the
magnetic field of pure consciousness the Heart. which is
ever shining engulfing all (that is reducing the whole
universe to non-existence) with spreading ragsa1of Self-
effulgence. Mature aspirants will willingly and without
rebelling submit themselves to this magnetic power of the
Grace of Self-effulgence. Others, on the other hand, will
become extroverted (that is, will turn their attention
outwards) fearing the attraction of this power. Therefore, we
should first make ourself fit by the intense love (bhakfhi) to
know Self and by the tremendous detachment (vaimgya) of
having no desire to attend to any second or third person.
Then, since our very individuality (as an aspirant) itself is
devoured by that power, even the so-called 'effort of ours"
becomes nil. Thus, when the 'I' - consciousness that was
spread all over the body is made to sink into the Heart, the
real waking, the dawn of knowledge (jnana), takes place.
This happens in a split second !
"Death is a matter of a split second! The leaving
off of sleep is a matter of a split second? Likewise,
the removal of the delusion 'I am an individual
soul (jiva)"is also a matter of a split second! The
dawn of true knowledge is not such that glimpses
of it will be gained once and then lost! If an
aspirant feels that it appears and disappears, it is
only the stage of practice (sadhana);he cannot be
said to have attained true knowledge (jnana).The
perfect dawn of knowledge is a happening of a
split second; its attainment is not a prolonged
process. All the agelong practices are meant only
for attaining maturity. Let us give an example it
takes a long lime to prepare a temple cannon-blast,
first putting the gunpowder into the barrel, giving
the wick, adding some stones and then ramming
it, but when ignited it explodes as a thunder in a
81 'Engulfing all with spreading rays' (viri kadiml pvum wizhuno~m);
refer Lo 'Sri h a c h a l a Ponchamtnarn;. verse 1.
176
split second. Similarly, after an agelong period of
l i st eni ng and readi ng ( sravana) , reflecting
(manana), practising (nidi-dhyasana) and weeping
put in prayer (because of the inability to put what
is heard into practice), when the mi nd is thus
perfectly purified, then and then only does the
dawn of self-knowledge suddenly break forth in a
split second as 'I am that I am'! Since, as soon as
this dawn breaks, the space of Self-consciousness
is found, through the clear knowledge of t he
Reality, to be beginningless, natural and eternal,
even the effort of attending to Self ceases then! To
abide thus, having nothing more to do and nothing
further to achieve, is alone the real and supreme
state."
'Saclhanui Saran1 '
That which we are now experiencing as the ~vaki ng
state is not t he real waking state. This waking state is also
a dream! There is no difference at all between this ~vaki ng
and dream. In both these states, the feeling 'I am' catches
hold of a body as 'I an1 this' and, seeing external objects,
involves itself i n activities. To awaken as described above
f r om t he dr eam of t hi s waki ng s t at e i s t he d a wn of
knowledge, our real state, or the real waking.
In this connection, some raise the following doubt: "If
it is said that we have awakened from one dream and have
come to another dream, the present waking state, why, after
we awaken from this waking state, will even that not be
another dream like this? How are we to determine, 'Another
awakening is no longer necessary; this is the real waking'?"
Whatever state it may be whi ch we feel t c be waking, so
long as there is an experience of the existence of any second
or third persons, which are other than oneself, it is not at
all the real waking state; it is only a dream! Verify, our real
waking [our real state) is that in which our existence alone
(not attached to any kind of body) shi nes unaided and
without cognizing anything other than 'we1. The definition
of the correct waking is that state in which there is perfect
Self-consciousness and singleness of Self- existence, without
the knowledge of the existence of anything apart from Self!
From this one can determine the real waking.
It is this waking that Sri Bhagavan refers to in the
following verse:
"Forgetting Self, mistaking the body for Self, taking
innumerable births, and at last knowing Self arid
being Self is just like waking from a drear11 of
wandering all over the world. Know thus."
' Ekatma Panchakam', verse 1
Just as one place, a big hall, is divided into three
chambers when two walls are nelvly erected in it, so our
et ernal , non-dual , nat ural and adj unct l ess existence-
consciousness appears to be three states, namely waking,
dream and sleep, when the two imaginary walls of waking
and dream, which are due to the two body-adjuncts (the
waking body and the dream body), apparently rise in the
midst of it on account of tendencies (vasanas). If these two
new imaginary risings, waking and dream, are not there,
t hat whi ch r emai ns wi l l be t he one st at e of Self-
consciousness alone. It is only for the sake of immature
aspirants who think the three states to be real, that the
sastras have named our natural, real state, the jnana-waking,
as 'the fourth state (turiya avastha). But since the other three
states are truly unreal, this state (the fourth) is in fact the
orlly existing state, the first, and so it need not at all be
called 'the fourth' (turiya), nor even 'a state' (avastha). It is
178
therefore 'that which transcends the states' (avasthatita). It
is also called that which transcends the fourth' (turiyatita).
Hence, turiyatita should not be counted as a fifth state. This
is clearly said by Sri Bhagavan :
"It is only for those who experience the waking,
dream and sleep states, that the state of wakeful
sleep is named turiya, a state beyond these. Since
that turiya alone really exists and si nce t he
apparent three states do not exist, turiya itself is
turiyatita. Thus should you bravely understand !"
' Ulladhu Narpadhu -Anubandha: verse 32
"It is only for those who are not able to immerse
and abide firmly in tunya (the state of Self), which
shine piercing through the dark ignorance of sleep,
that the difference between the first three dense
states and the fourth and fifth states are (accepted
in sastras)."
'Guru k c h a k a Kovai', verse 567
When, through the aforesaid Self-attention, we are
more and more firmly fixed in our existence-consciousness,
the tendencies (vasanas) will be destroyed because there is
no one to attend to them. Thus, the waking and dream
st at es, whi ch have been appar ent l y creat ed by t hese
imaginary tendencies, will also be destroyed. Then the one
state which survives should no more be called by the name
'sleep'-
"When, the beginningless, impure tendencies,
which were the cause for waking and dream, are
destroyed, then sleep, which was (considered to
be) leading to bad results (that is, to tama,) and
which was said to be a void and ridiculed as
nescience, will be found to be turiyatita itself !"
'Guru Vaehaka Kovai', verse 460
Since that whi ch has been experienced till now as
sleep by ordinary people was liable to be disturbed and
removed by waking and dream, it appeared to be trivial and
temporary. That is why it was said on pages 51 to 52 of this
book that sleep is a defective state, and i n the footnote of
t he same pages t hat t he real nat ur e of sl eep woul d be
explained later in the eighth chapter. Therefore, our natural
state, the real waking, alone is the supreme Reality.
Since this real waking is not experienced as a state
newly attained, for a Liberated One (jivanm~rkta) the state
of liberation does not become a t hought ! That is, si nce
bondage is unreal for Hi m, He can have no thougilt of
liberation. Then how can the thought of boildage coirle to
Him? The thought of bondage and liberation can occur only
to the ignorant one (ajnc~ni), who thinks that hc is bound.
Therefore, to remain in this state of Self, having attained tile
supreme bliss [the eternal happiness which is, as pointed
out in chapter one. the sole aim of all living beings), wllich
is devoid of both bondage arid liberation, is truly to be in
the service of the Lord in the manner enjoined by Bliagavan
Ramana. This alone is our duty. This alone is the path of Sri
Ramana.
"To remain in the state (of Self), having attained
t he supr eme bl i ss, whi ch is devoi d of bot h
bondage end liberation, is truly to be in the service
of the Lord."
' Upadesa Undhiyar' , verse 29
Sri Hamanarpanamastu
APPENDIX
Introduction
Intheyears 1901to 1902,whenBhagavan SriRamana
Maharshi was living in Virupaksha cave on the Holy Hill
Arunachala, a devoteeby name SriM. Sivaprakasam Pillai
was attracted to Him and approached Him with a number
of questions. Sri Bhagavan, who was at that time talking
very little, not because of any vow but because He had no
inclination to talk, answered most of his questions by
writing either inthesand,onaslate or onscrapsof paper.
Theteachings which SriSivaprakasam Piliai thus received
were first published in 1923in question and answer form
under the title Nan Yar? (WhoamI ? ) . Soon afterwards, Sri
Bhagavan Himself rearranged and rewrote these questions
andanswers inan essay formthusmakingNan Yar? intoa
connectedandcoherentexposition.
In addi t i on to t he quest i on and answer versi on
containing twenty-eight questions, whi ch is nowadays
published as a separatehooltlet, there is-anotherversion
containingonlyfourteen questions,which is printed in Sri
Ramar ~a Vi j ayam (aTamilbiography of SriBhagavan),and
anEnglish translationof which is given in Self-Realisation.
However, it is only the essay version of this work that is
included in Sri Ramana Nut ri rat t u (theTamil collected
works of SriKamana),and sincethis version was prepared
Appendix One 181
by Sri Bhagavan Himself, it is to be considered as t he
principal, authentic and authoritative version.
The essay version was based largely upon the version
containing twenty-eight questions and answers, but while
preparing it Sri Bhagavan newly wrote and added some
portions (such as the whole of the first paragraph), omitted
other portions (such as the answers to questions 4 and 5,
the first sentence of the answer to question 6, parts of the
answer to question 20, and so on) and modified, expanded
and i mproved ot her port i ons ( such as t he answer to
question 27) . However, ~rlost of the sentences He did not
change at al l , but sirrlply rearranged t he i deas and
connected them in a more logical and coherent order.
The first question asked by Sri Sivaprakasam Pillai
was, " Nan yar?" (Who am I ? ) , to whi ch Sri Bhagavan
replied, ' Xrive nan", which means 'knowledge alone is 1',
'Knowledge itself is I' or 'Knowledge indeed is 1', the, Tamil
word 'arivu' being approximately equivalent to the Sanskrit
word 'jnana' or the English word 'knowledge'. Sivaprakasam
Pillai then asked, "What is the nature of (this) knowledge?",
and Sri Bhagavan answered, ' Xri vi n srtrai.npnm sat-chit-
anandnm" (The nat ure of this knowledge is existence-
consciousness-bliss). Except these two answers, the whole
of the second paragraph was not part of the replies actually
given by Sri Bhagavan. Therefore, when the manuscript of
this work was first brought to Him by Sri hlanikkam Pillai,
the disciple of Sri Sivaprakasam Pillai, He asked wi t h
wonder, "I did not give this portion, how did it find place
her e ?" * . "When Si vaprakasam Pi l l ai was copyi ng
*
Si nce t he riature of Sri Bhagavan is to avoitl usi ng t he o b s c ~ ~ r e
termirlology of t he scri pt ures (sustras) ant1 thereby confusi ng the
reader, Hc woul d not have l i kcd t o mei l t i oi l al l t he scr i pt ur al
classifications of the, rion-Self given in this portion.
182
Bhagavan's answers in his notebook, he added this portion
thinking it would help him to understand that first answer
more clearly", explained Manikkam Pillai. "Oh yes, he was
already familiar with the scriptural teaching 'neti, neti', and
for that reason he would have thought so", remarked Sri
Bhagavan. Later, while preparing the essay version, Sri
Bhagavan did not, however, omit this added portion, but
simply marked His own answers in bold type.
Among all the prose works of Sri Bhagavan, Nan Yar?
holds a place of undisputed and unequalled prominence.
Indeed, it may be regarded as the very corner-stone of Sri
Bhagavan' s t eachi ngs, for wi t hi n t hese t went y brief
paragraphs all His basic teachings are summarized in a clear
and undi l ut ed fashion. Therefore, on account of t he
importance of this work for which we owe a great debt of
gratitude to Sri Sivaprakasam Plllal*, an English translation
of it is given here.
While preparing this translation, an attempt has been
made to make it as precise and as faithful to the original
Tamil as possible, even if at times this had to be at the
expense of an elegant style of English. The division of the
text into paragraphs and sentences, and the order of the
sentences, corresponds exactly to the original, and as far as
possible the structure of each sentence is of the same form
as that in the original. All the portions which are printed in
bold in the original are also in bold in this translation, while
other key sentences which are not in bold in Tamil have
*
The reader may be interested to hear the following incident, which
indicates that this sincere and whole-hearted disciple attained the
goal for which he so earnestly sought. When, in 1948, a telegram was
brought to Sri Bhagavan conveying the news of the passing away of
Sr i Sivaprakasarn Pillai, He r emar ked, "Si r ~apr akos am si va-
prakasamonal.", which means ' Si vaprakasa~n has become Siva-
prakasam the light of Siva !'
Appendix One 183
here been printed in italics. In the whole of the original text,
only one wordxis within brackets, namely, in the fourth
paragraph, the word 'shines' (prakasikkurn) after the words
'Self appears',-411 other portions which are within brackets
in this translation have been included either to indicate the
e2act Tamil or Sanskrit word used i n the original, or to
make the meaning of the text more clear, or to complete the
sense of a sentence which, when literally translated, does
not form a complete or distinctly intelligible sentence in
English. The footnotes have similarly been added in the
translation and none of them are i n the original. While
translating, all the other existing translations of this work
have also been closely compared in order that none of their
good points (such as appropriate words, formations of
sentences, and so on) should be missed in this translation.
TEXT
Since all living beings (jivas) desire to be happy
always without any misery, since in everyone supreme love
(parama priyam) exists only for oneself, and since happiness
alone is the cause of love, in order to obtain that happiness,
which is one's very nature and which is experienced daily
in deep sleep, where there is no mind, it is necessary for
one to know oneself. For that, enquiry (jnana vichara) in the
form 'Who am I?' alone is the principal means (mukhya
sadhana).
Who am I? The gross body, which is composed of the,
seven dhatus (chyle, blood, flesh, fat, marrow, bone and
semen), are not '1'. The five sense-organs (jnanendriyas),
namely t he ears, ski n, eyes, tongue and nose, whi ch
individually and respectively know the five sense-know
ledges (vishayas), namely sound, touch, sight, taste and
smell, are not 'IJ, The five organs of action (karmendriyas),
184
namely the mouth, legs, hands, anus end genitals, the
functions of which are (respectively) speaking, walking,
giving, excreting and enjoying, are not '1'. The five vital airs
such as prana, which perform the five vital functions such
as respiration, are not 'IJ. Even the mind, which thinks, is
not '1'. Even the ignorance (of deep sleep), in which only the
latent tendencies towards sense-knowledges (vi shaya-
vasanas) remai n and whi ch is devoi d of all sense
knowledges and all actions, is not '1'. After negating as 'not
I, not I' all that is, mentioned above, the knowledge which
remains alone, itself is '1'. The nature of (this) knowledge is
existence-consciousness-bliss (sat-chit-ananda),
If the mi nd, which is the cause (and base) of all
knowledge [al l objective knowl edge) and all act i on,
subsides, the perception of the world (jagat-drishti) will
cease. Just as the knowledge of the rope, which is the base,
will not be obtained unless the knowledge of the snake, the
superimposition, goes, so the realization of Self (swar~zpa-
darsanam), which is the base, will not be obtained unless
the perception of the world (jngat--drishti) whi ch is a
superimposition, ceases.
What is called mind (manam) is a wondrous power
existing in Self (atma-swarupam). It projects all thoughts. If
we set aside all thoughts and see, there will be no such
thing as mind remaining separate; therefore, thought itself
is the nature [or form) of the mind. Other than thoughts,
there is no such thing as the world. In deep sleep there are
no thoughts, [and hence) there is no world; in waking and
dream there are thoughts, (and hence) there is the world
also, Just as the spider spins out the thread from within
itself and again withdraws it into itself, so the mind projects
the world from within itself and again absorbs it into itself.
Appendix One 185
When the mind comes out (rises) from Self, the world
appears. Therefore, when the world appears, Self will not
appear; and when Self appears (shines), the world will not
appear, If one goes on scrutinizing the nature of the mind,
it will finally be found that 'oneself alone is (what is now
mistaken to be) the mind. What is (here) called 'oneself'
(tan) is verily Self (atma-swarupam). The mind can exist
only by always depending upon something gross (that is,
only by always identifying a gross name-and-form , a body,
as '1'); by itself it cannot stand. It is the mind alone that is
called the - subtle body (sukshma sarira) or soul (jiva).
That which rises in this body as 'I' (' I am this body')
is the mind. If one enquires 'In which place in the body
does the thought 'I' rise first?', it will be known to be in the
heart (hridayam)*. That is the source (literally, birth-place)
of the mind. Even if one incessantly thinks ' I , [ ' , it will lead
to that place (our true state, Self). Of all the thoughts that
rise in the mind, the thought 'I' (the feeling 'I am the body')
is the first thought, it is only after the rising of this that all
*
As a general rule, whenever Sri Bhagavan uses the word ' placc'
(idam), He is referring to our true state, Sclf, rathe- than to any place
li~nited by tirnc and space. This is confirnled in the next paragraph
of this work, where He says, "The placc (i dom) where even the
slightest trace of t he t hought ' I ' docs not exi st , al one is Sclf
(swarupam)". Therefore, when He says in this sentence, "If one
enquires ' in which placc (idam). In the body..", what He in fact
expects us to do is to enquire 'Fronl what?', in which case the answcr
will not be a place in the body, but only 'wc', Self, the truly-existing
Thing (refer to pages 134 to 135 of this book). Hence, as Sri Bhagavan
Himself oft en expl ai ned, t he t rue Import of t he word ' heart '
(hridayam) is not a limited place in the body, but only the unlimited
Self (refer to Upadesa Manjari, chapter two answcr to question 9).
However, since the mind or ego can rise only by identifying I body
as '1', a place for its rising can also be pointed out in the body, 'two
digits to the right from the centre of the chest', though of course such
a place can never be the absolute reality.
186
other thoughts rise. It is only after the rising of the first
person (the subject, 'IJ, whose form is the feeling 'I am this
body' or 'I am so-and-so') that the second and third persons
(the objects, 'you', 'Fie', 'she', 'i:', 'this', 'that' and so on)
appear; without the first person, the second and third
persons will not exist.
The mind will subside only by means of the enquiry
Who am I?. The thought 'Who am I?' (which is but a means
for turning our attention Selfwards), destroying all other
thoughts, will itself finally be destroyed like the stick used
for stirring the funeral pyre. I t other thoughts rise (thereby
indicating that Self-attention is lost), one should, without
attempting to complete them, enquire 'To whom did they
rise?'. What does it matter however many thoughts rise?
(The means to set aside thought-attention and regain Self-
attention is as follows:) At the very moment that each
thought rises, if one vigilantly enquires 'To whom did this
rise?', it will be known 'To me'. If one then enquires 'Who
am I?', the mind (our power of attention) will turn back
(from the thought) to its source (Self), (then, since no one
is there to attend to it) the thought which had risen will also
subside. By repeatedly practising thus, the power of the
mind to abide in its source increases. When the mind (the
attention), which is subtle, goes out through the brain and
sense-organs (which are gross), the names-and-forms (the
objects of the world), which are gross, appear; when it
abides in the heart (its source, Self), the names-and-forms
disappear. Keeping the mind i n the heart (through the
above-described means of fixing our attention in Self), not
allowing it to go out , alone i s called ' Selfwardness'
(ahamukham) or 'introversion' (antarmukham). Allowing it
to go out from the heart alone is called 'extroversion'
(bahirmukham). When the mind thus abides in the heart,
Appendix One 187
the 'I' (the thought ' I1, the ego), which is the root of all
thoughts, having vanished, the ever-existing Self alone will
shine. The place [or state) where even the slightest trace of
the thought 'I' does not exist, alone is Self [swarupam). That
alone is called 'Silence' ( maunam) . To be still ( summa
iruppadu) in this manner alone is called 'seeing through
(the eye of) knowledge' (jnana-drishti). To be still is to make
the mind subside in Self (through Self-attention). Other than
this, knowing the thoughts of others, knowing the three
times (past, present and future), knowing events in distant
places - all these can never be jnana-drishti.
What really exists is Self (atma-swarupam) alone. The
world, soul and God are superimpositions in i t like the
sliver i n t he mot her-of-pearl ; t hese t hree appear
simultaneously and disappear simultaneously. Self itself is
the world: Self itself is 'I' (the soul); Self itself is God; all is
the Supreme Self (siva-swarupam) .
To make the mi nd subside, there i s no adequate means
other than enquiry (vichara). If controlled b y other means,
t he mi nd will remai n as if subsided, but will rise again.
Even by breath control (pranayama) the mind will subside;
however, the mind will remain subsided only so long as the
breath (prana) remains subsided, and when the prana comes
out the mind will also come out and wander under the
sway of tendencies (vasanas). The source of the mind and
of the prana is one and the same. Thought itself is the
nature of the mind. The thought 'I' is indeed the first
thought of the mind; that itself is the ego (ahankara). From
where the ego originates, from there alone the breath also
rises. Therefore, when the mind subsides the prana will also
subside, and when the prana subsides the mind will also
subside. But in deep sleep (sushupti), although the mind
188
subsides, the prana does not subside. It is arranged thus by
God's plan for the protection of the body and so that others
may not mistake t he body to be dead. When the mi nd
subsi des i n t he waki ng st at e and i n Sel f-absorpt i on
(sumadhi), the prana subsides. The prana is the gross form
of the mind. Till the time of death, t he mind keeps t he
prana in t he body, and when t he body dies, t he mind
forcibly carries away the prana. Therefore, pranayama is a
mere aid for controlling the mind, but will not bring about
the destruction of the mind (mano-nasa)*.
Just like pranaynma, meditation upon a form of God
(murti-dhyana), repetition of sacred words (mantra-japa) and
regul at i on of di et ( ahara- ni yarna) are mere ai ds for
controlling the mind (but will never by themselves bring
about its destruction). Through murti-dhyana and through
mantra-japa, the mind gains one-pointedness (ekagrarn). Just
as when a chain is given to an elephant to hold in its trunk,
which is always wandering (here and there trying to catch
hold of things), that elephant will gc along holding only the
chain instead of trying to catch any other thing, so also
when the mind, which is always wandering, is trained to
hold on to anyone name or form (of God), it will cling only
to that. Because the mind branches out into innumerable
thoughts, each thought becomes very weak. As thoughts
subside more and more, one-pointedness is gained, and for
the mind which has thereby gained strength, Self-enquiry
*
Since the mind is able to carry away the prano forcibly at the time
of death, we have to understand that the plnncl is less powerful than
the mind. That is why Sri Bhagavan says that prannjJarna is merely
an aid for controlling the mind, but that it cannot bring about the
destruction of the inind. I f , on the other hand, the mind is controlled
(made to subside) through Self-enquiry (atina-vicharo) and right
knowledge (jnano), that alone will be sufficient, and we need not then
bother about co~ltrolling the prono.
AppendixOne 189
(atma-vichara) will easily be at t ai ned*. Through mita
sattvlka ahara-niyama**,which isthebest of allregulations,
the sattvic quality of the mi nd, having been increased,
becomes anaid to Self-enquiry.
Although tendencies towards sense-objects(vishajra--
vasanas),which have been recurring down the ages,rise in
countlessnumberslike thewaves of the ocean,theywill all
perish as Self-attention (swarupa-dhyana)becomes more
andmore intense.Without giving room even to the doubting
thought, 'Is it possible to destroy all these tendencies
(vasanas) and to remai n as Self al one?' , one shoul d
persistently cling fast to Self-attention,However great a
sinner one may be, it, not lamenting Oh, I am a sinner !
How canI attain salvation?' but completelygiving upeven
the thought that one is, a sinner,one is steadfast in Self-
attention,onewill surelybe saved@.
* The reader may here refer to pages 90 to 93, rvhere it is explained
precisely in which manner thepractice of jopa or d11j.orlanlay be ail
aid,making it easy to attain Self-abitlancc,~vhi ch is Self-enquiry.111
t hi s context: we woul d also do well to r ci nen~hcr t he following
instruction of Sri Bhagavan:"One should not use the name (orform)
of God mechanicallyandsuperficially, ~vithout the feelingof devotion
(bhakti). To use t he name of God, one must call upon Him with
yearning and unreservedly surrender oneself to Him" (iMaharshi's,
Gospel, Book One, chapter four).Refer also to appclltlix one (d).
* * Mitu sutvikn aharc/-niyarno incans regulating one' s diet by takingonly
nloderatc quantities of food (mita ohal.a) andby strictlv avoidingnon-
sattrric foods,that is, all non-vegetarian foods such as eggs, fish and
meat , oil i nt oxi cant s s uch as al cohol a nd t obacco, excessively
pungent, sour and salty tastes,excess onions and garlics, and soon.
Furthermore,the Sanskrit word 'ahara' means 'that ~r h i c h is taken in',
soin abroader senseahara-niyamu means not onlyregulation of diet,
but also regulation of all that is taken in by the mind through thefive
senses.
@ TheTamil word used here is ' uruppadur~an' , which in an ordinary
sense means ' will be properly shaped' , ' will he reformed' or ' will
succeed inone's endeavour' , but which in adeeper sensemeans 'will
attain Self' (uru= Self or swurupa; paduvan=will attain or will be
established in).
190
As long as there are tendencies towards sense-objects
(vishaya-vasanas) in the mind, so long the enquiry 'Who am
I?' is necessary. As and when thoughts rise, one should
annihilate all of them through enquiry then and there in
their very place of origin. Not attending to what-is-other
(anya, that is, to any second or third person object) is non-
attachment (vairagva) or desirelessness (nirasa); not leaving
Self is knowledge (jnana). In truth, these two (desirelessness
and knowledge) are one and the same. Just as a pearl-diver,
tying a stone to his waist, dives into the sea and takes the
pearl lying at the bottom, so everyone, diving deep within
himself with non-attachment (vairagva), can attain the pearl
of Self. If one resorts uninterruptedly to Self-remembrance
(stt~arupa-smaranai, that is, remembrance of or attention to
the mere feeling '1') until one attains Self, that alone will be
sufficient. As long as there are enenlies within the fort, they
will continue to come out. If one continues to cut all of
them down as and when they come, the fort will fall into
our hands.
God and Guru are in truth not different. Just as the
prey that has fallen into the jaws of a tiger cannot escape,
so those who have come under the glance of the Guru' s
Grace will surely be saved and will never be forsaken; yet,
one should follow without fail the path shown by the Guru.
Remai ni ng firmly i n Self-abidance (atma-nishtha),
wi t hout giving even t he l east room to t he rising of a n y
thought other t han the thought of Self (atma-chintanail*,
'The thought of Self' (atina-cllin'anai) means onlv Self-attention.
Though Sri Bhagavan here uses the word 'thought' (chintanai) to
denote Self-attention, it is to be understood that Self-attention is not
a mental activity, Attending to Self is nothing but abiding as Self, and
hence it is not. 'doing' but 'being', that Is, it is not a mental activity
but our natural state of mere existence, Refer tc the first benedictory
Appendix One 191
is surrendering oneself to God. However much burden we
throw on God, He bears all of it. Since the one Supreme
Ruling Power (parameswara sakti) i s performing al l
activities, why should we, instead of yielding ourself to it,
constantly think. 'I should act in this way; I should act in
that way'? When we know that the train is bearing all the
burdens, why should we who travel in it, instead of placing
even our small luggage in it and being happily at ease,
suffer by bearing it (our luggage) on our own head?
What is called happiness (suWlam) is but the nature
of Self; happiness and Self are not different. Self-happiness
(atma-sukham) alone exists; that alone is real. There is no
happiness at all in even a single one of the things of the
world. We think that we derive happiness from them on
account of our wrong discrimination (aviveka). When the
mind comes out, it experiences misery (duhkham). In truth,
whenever our thoughts desires) are fulfilled, the mind,
turning back to its source- (Self), experiences Self-happiness
alone. Similarly, during the time of sleep, Self-absorption
(samadhi) and swoon, and when the things that we like are
obtained and when evil befalls the things that we dislike,
t he mi nd becomes introverted and experiences Self-
happiness alone. In this way the mind wanders without
rest, going out leaving Self, and (then again) returning
within. Under the tree, the shade is delightful. Outside, the
sun's heat is scorching. A person who is wandering outside
reaches the shade and is cooled. After a while he starts out,
but, unable to bear the scorching of the heat, comes again
under the tree. In this way, he is engaged in going from the
shade into the hot sunshine, and coming back from the hot
verse of Ulladhu Narpadhu (quoted on page 115 of this book), in
which Sri Bhagavan has revealed that the correct way to 'think of'
[meditatc upon] Self is to abide in Self as Self.
192
sunshine into the shade. He who acts in this manner is a
person lacking discrimination ( avi vek) . But a person of
discrimination (vivki)will never leave the shade. Similarly,
the mind of the Sage (jnana) never leaves Brahman (that is,
Self). But the mind of the ignorant one (ajnani) is such that
wandering in the world it suffers; and turning back to
Brahman for a while enjoys happiness. What is called the
world is nothing but thought. When the world disappears,
that is, when there is no thought, the mind experiences bliss
(ananda); when the world appears. it experiences misery.
Just as in the mere presence of the sun, which rises
wi t hout desire (i chcha), i nt ent i on ( sankal pa) or effort
(yatnam), the sun-stone (the magnifying lens) emits fire, the
lotus blossoms, water evaporates and people begin, perform
and stop their work, and just as in front of a magnet the
needle moves, so it is through the mere influence of the
presence of God, who is without intention (sankalpa), that
the souls (jivas), who are governed by the three divine
f unct i ons ( mut t oz hi l ) or five di vi ne f unct i ons
( panchakri t yas)*, perform and st op their activities i n
accordance wi t h t hei r respective k ar mas ( t hat i s, i n
accordance not only with their prarabdha karma or destiny,
but al so wi t h t hei r purva k ar ma- v as anas or former
tendencies towards action). Nevertheless, He (God) is not
one who has intention (sankalpo). Not even a single action
(karma) will affect (literally, touch) Him. That is like the
actions in the world not affecting the sun, and like the good
and bad qualities of the other four elements (namely earth,
*
According to the different classifications given in scriptures, the
divine functions are said to be three, namely creation (sristhi),
sustenance (sthiti) and dcstruction (sarnhara), or five, namely thcsc
three plus veiling (tirodhana) and Grace (anugrahd.
AppendixOne 193
water,airand fire)not affectingthe all-pervadingspace (the
fifth element).
Since it is said in all the scriptures that in order to
attain liberation (mukti) one should control**the mind,
after coming to know that mind-control (mano-nigraha)
alone is the final decision (injunction)of thescriptures,to
read scriptures unlimitedly is fruitless,In order to control
themind,it isnecessary to enquirewho oneis, (then)how,
instead (of enquiring thus within oneself) to enquire (and
know who oneis)in scriptures?One should know oneself
throughone's owneyeof knowledge (jnana-kan).For Rama
to know himself to be Rama, is a mi rror necessary?
'Oneself'*iswithin thefivesheaths (pancho kosas); whereas
the scriptures are outside them. Therefore, enquiring in
scri pt ures about onesel f, who is to be enqui red i nt o
(attended to] setting aside even the five sheaths, is futile,
* * TheTamil word used here by SriBhagavan for 'control' is 'ado&',
which literally means 'make subside' or 'make cease from activity',
Such control (adakkam) or subsidence (odukkom) may be either
temporary (mono-laya ortemporarysubsidenceof mind)orpermanent
(~nano-nasaor complete destructionof mind),assaidby,SriBhagavan
in verse 13 of Upadeso Undhiyar, In this context,however, theword
'control' ( a d a h ) means only 'destroy', for SriBhagavan hasrevealed
in verse 40of Ulladhu Narpadhu that destruction of theego [ormind)
alone is liberation.
*
I12 this context, the word ' oneself' (tan) denotes the ego, which
identifies the five sheaths as ' I' and as ' my place', rather than Self,
which is beyond all limitations such as 'in' and 'out'. Just as Rarna
does not need a mirror in order to know that the body called 'Rama'
ishimself,since thefeeling 'I amRama,this bodj,' iswithin thatbody,
sowe donot need scripturesto know that we exist,since the feeling
of our existence is not within thescripturesbut onlj. within the five
sheaths,which arenow felt tobe 'It,Therefore,in order to know who
we are,we must attend not to the scriptures,which are outside the
five sheaths, but only to the feeling 'I', which is within the five
sheaths.Moreover,since the five sheathsareveilingourtruenature,
even t hey are to be set aside [left unattended to) when we t hus
enquire into (attend to)ourself.
194
Enquiring 'Who am I that am in bondage?' and knowing
one's real nature (swarupam) alone is liberation (mukti),
Always keeping the mi nd (the attention) fixed i n Self [in the
feeling '1') al one i s called ' Self-enquiry' (atma-vichara);
whereas meditation (dhyana) is thinking oneself to be the
Absolute (brahman), which is existence-consciousness-bliss
(sat-chit-ananda). All that one has learnt will at one time
have to be forgotten.
Just as it is fruitless for one to scrutinize the garbage
which is to be collectively thrown away, so it is fruitless for
one who is to know himself to count t he number and
scrutinize the properties of the tattvas (the principles that
constitute world, s o d and God) which are veiling oneself,
instead of collectively casting all of t hem aside*, One
should consider the universe (one's whole life in this world)
to be like a dream.
Except that waking is long and dream is short*", there
is no difference (between the two). To the extent to which
all the events which happen in walking appear to be real,
to that same extent even the events which happen in dream
appear at that time to be real. In dream, the mind assumes
another body. In both waking and dream, thoughts and
*
From the opinion of Sri Bhagavan expressed in this sentence, the
reader can now understand why it was said in the first footnote of
the introduction (see page 189), "...He would not have liked to
mention all the scriptural classifications of the non-Self (the tattvas
which are veiling our true nature) given in this portion".
* * Though Sri Bhagavan here says that waking is long and dream is
short, He reveals the actual truth in verse 560 of G L ~ U vachaka Koval
where Me says: "The answer 'Waking is long and dream is short' was
given as a mere (formal) reply to the questioner. (In truth, however,
no such difference exists, because, since time itself is a meiltal
conception,) the coiiception of differences in time (such as 'long' and
'short') appears to be true only because of the deceitful play of maya
the mind".
Appendix One 195
names-and-forms (obj ect s) come i nt o exi st ence
simultaneously (and hence there is no difference between
these two states).
There are not two minds, a good mind and a bad
mind. The mind is only one. Tendencies [vasanas) alone are
of two kinds, auspicious [subha)and inauspicious (asubha).
When the mi nd is under the i nfl uence of auspi ci ous
tendencies it is called a good mind, and when it is under
the influence of inauspicious tendencies, a bad mi nd.
However bad others may appear to be, one should not
dislike them. Likes and dislikes are both to be disliked. One
should not allow the mind to dwell much upon worldly
matters. As far as possible, one should not interfere in the
affairs of others. All that one gives to others, one gives only
to oneself. If this trcth is known, who indeed will not give
to others?
If oneself [t he ego) rises, all will rise; i f oneself
subsides, all will subside. To the extent to which we behave
humbly, to that extent [and that extent only) will good
result. If one can remain controlling the mind (keeping the
mind subsided), one can live anywhere.
2
APPENDIX
AtmaVicharaPatikam
YarJnani?
SandehiYarendruSandehi!
Japa
'The following four poems are translations of some
verses from Sadhanai Saram, a Tamil work of Sri Sadhu
Om.
a)Atma Vichara Patikam
(ElevenVersesonSelf-Enquiry)
1. Thi nki ng is a xent at i on ( vri t t i ) ; being is not a
mentation ! If enquired 'Who thinks ?', thinking will
come to an end ! Even when thoughts do not exist,do
not you exist?To remain thusinthesourceof thoughts
is the stateof Self-abidance (nishtha) !Be thus!
Hewhothinks is the individual soul (jiva); hewhois,
is the Supreme (brahman) ! If the thinker thinks with
great love of That which is still, this thought, the love
to be,willbecomethe thought freethoughtwhichkills
all thinking. When the thinker thus dies with all his
thoughts, to remain surviving him is union with the
Supreme (siva-sayu~~vam) !
3. He who thinks 'I [amso-and-so)'is himself oneamong
thethoughts. Of allthoughts, the thought'I [amso-and-
so)'isthevery first.Thejiva whothinks ' I [amso-and-
-so)'is only our reflection.For, we never think 'I [am
this orthat)'whenwe shineasThat (theSupreme).
Appendix Two 197
4. This thought, 'I [amthe body)',does not exist in deep
sleep.This thought,'I (amthebody)',does not exist in
the true state of jnana either. Since it rises and slips
away in between [twosuch states),this 'I' is unreal;
hence,this 'I' isonly athought.
5. Thewaxing of this thought 'I' is indeed the waxing of
misery! Thisthought 'I' aloneiswhat iscalled the ego.
It is oniy because of non-enquiry that this 'I' has come
into existence and is flourishing ! If, instead of being
favoured, it is enquired into, 'What is this !?', it will
disappear,losingitsexistence.
6. The second and third persons (theobjects)live only
because of theroot,thefirstperson (thesubject or ego).
If thefickle mind turns towards thefirst person,thefirst
personwillbecome non-existent andThatwhich really
existswillthen shineforth.This indestructible,real Self
isJnana.
7. To t hi nk of second and t hi r d per sons i s sheer
foolishness,forby thinkingof secondand third persons
the mental activities (mano-vritlis) will wax. (On the
other hand, )attending to the first person is equal to
committingsuicide,for only by enquiringintothe first
personwill theegoitself die.*
8. Attending t o second and t hi rd peysons i nst ead of
turning towards and attending to the first person is an
attention based only upon ignorance (ajnana). If you
ask, "Then is not t he at t ent i on to the ego also an
attention based upon ignorance? So why should we
attend to this 'I?',then listen.
*Altarnatively:...will the ego die automatically.
198
ThePath of SriRamana - Part One
9. Thereason why this 'I' dieswhenenquired into,'What
am I? is asfollows:Thisthought 'I' is areflectedray of
Jnana (Self),(andit alone is directly connected with
Self,whereas the otherthoughts arenot);(so)when the
attention goes deeper and deeperwithin along the ray
'I', its length decreases more and more, and when the
ray I' diesthatwhich shinesas'I' isJzluna.
10. Do not perform any action thinking 'It should be done
by me'. Nothing is done by you, (for)you are simply
nothing ! By knowing this first,if you avoid the rising
of doership, then everything will be donewell by Him
and your peace will remain undisturbed !
11.Whenscrutinizing'What isreal?',nothing in the world
is (found to be] real; Self alone is real (satyam).
Therefore,let usrenounce everything and ever remain
unshakably as thereality (sat).Thisalone istheservice
enjoined uponusby SriRamana,oureternalLord!
b)Yar Jnani?(WhoisJnani?)
1. Is the mind which decides,'He is aJnani, he is not a
Jnani', knowledge (jnana) or ignorance (ajnana)"?The
Jnani (theknower of Self)is only one!Therefore,even
theJnani seenby the ignorant mind,which seesJnanis
asmore than one,is aproduct of thatignorant mind.
2. You yourself are a mere thought; therefore he who is
consideredby you tobe aMahatma (aJnani) isnothing
but oneof your (thethought's)thoughts!Howthen can
such an illusory t hought be an Atma-jnani, the
Supreme?Thusshould you understand.
3. To say, "He is great, he is aJnani, Iknow", is wrong.
Even to say. "All areJnanis", is wrong, because seeing
Appendix Two 199
asif many people exist is a sign of ignorance (ajnana).
There is only one who exists, and That is you. Thus
shouldyou know!
4. There is no ignorant one (ajnani) in the view of the
Jnani. (Likewise,therecanneverbe aJnani intheview
of anajnani) Theajnani names merely thebody of the
Jnani as aJnani! By seeing theJnani in this way, the
ajnani becomesonewho hasseeneventheJnani asan
ajnani!
5. No matterhowmanyMahatmas you visit and no matter
even if they exhibit the eightfold occult powers (ashta
slddhis) know that the true Mahatma is only He who
turns your attention Selfwards, advising, "Mind not
these juggleries, turnwithin".
6. Let thisatma (theman)whogoes to theHimalaya's and
the foreststherein in searchof Mahatmas- first become
a Sukhatma [ablissful one)by enteringwithin himself
enquiring'Whence amI?'. Then alltheMahatmas who
appearbefore him will be found to be his ownAt ma
(Self)!Thussaid,SriRamana !
7. To knowJnanis before knowing one's Self is innoway
possible.Therefore,hold steadfastly to theonlyworthy
effort,that of destroyingthe feeling'I aman individual
soul(jiva)' .
8. Therefore, if the thought again rises in you to know
whether someone is aJnani or an ajnani immediately
reject it and be keen in fixing your attention,through
the enquiry'Who amI?', onthe sourcefromwhich that
thought had risen.
9. Give uptrying to knowwhether so-and-soisaJnani or
anajnani andenquire'Who ishewhoknows that there
200
is so-and-so ?' The reply will be '1'. I f you furt her
enquire 'Who is this I?' then only will the trueJnani
appear [as' I amthat Iam') !!
10.Let anyone be a Jnani, what is it for us? Until and
unlessweknow ourSelf,it will be of no avail to us. On
scrutiny, it will be found thatJnana itself istheJnani;
He isnot ahumanform,Heisverily thesupremeSpace
(ofconsciousness),andweareThat.
11.Therefore,by meansof enquiry,destroy themind which
tries to know' This one or' that one is a Jnani'. I t is
thereforeproper to knowthrough Silence that theJnana
(theconsciousness)which never rises as '1 am this or
that' itself istheJnani !
c)SandehiYarendruSandehi !
(DoubttheDoubter !)
1. An aptreply to thedoubtsthat havecome,or astatein
whichdoubtsdonot come- whichdoyou prefer? The
wise will only recommend becoming pure knowledge
(jnana),inwhich there isno roomfor doubtsto rise !
2. Even if thedoubtwhichhasoncecomeiscleared by an
aptreply, again anotherwill springforth inyour mind.
If you like not to have such a nuisance again, enquire
within 'Whencedoes thisdoubtrise?'
3. Doubtscanrise only abouttheexistenceof things other
than oneself;no doubt can rise about the existence of
oneself, If one's existence is mistaken to be the body's
existence,then doubtswill rise about the world and
God (whichcomeintoexistence only when the wrong,
identification'I amthebody' rises);if one'sexistenceis
known to be Self, the sale existence, no doubt will
rise !
AppendixTwo 201
4. Before the doubt 'Am Ithis body or somethingelse?' is
cleared,whyshouldone-raisedoubtsabout otherthings
(such as the world and God)?Know t hat t he only
question (doubt)allowedfor trueaspirants is to enquire
within'WhoamI?'.
5. Whatever doubt may rise, it cannot rise without the
rising of you - the first to have risen - who raised it.
There-fore t he pri mal doubt , namel y t hat of not
knowingwhoyou are,is theroot of all doubts !
6. Untilthisprimal doubtiscleared,replying to your other
doubt s will be just like cut t i ng t he leaves off the
branches of a tree,because they will sprout again and
again! But i f the root i s cut , t hey will not sprout
again!
7. Doubtsabouttherealityof the world andGodrise only
because of one's defect of not knowing the reality of
one-self. When one' s reality shines as Self, without
another,what doubt canrise?
-
8. Doubts do not rise during sleep. When sleep ends.
someone,as if you,rises fromthere. This 'you' who is
now here (in the waking state) is the doubter. He did
not exist in sleep,but you did exist there. Therefore,
you (whoexist even in sleep)arenot the doubter !
9. It is only i n t he waking and dream states t hat the
doubterexists;heceasesto exist in sleep.Did you who
existed then (insleep)have anydoubts?You whoexist
(evenin sleep)areThat (Brahman or Self).
10.The doubter' s existence itself is doubtful;but your
existence is the undoubtable, absolute existence!He
whorisesas' I amthebody' is the doubter;butyou are
theSpaceof Jnana; what otherthingisthere for you to
know?
202
11.This is the reason why the Gracious Lord Ramana,
j nana incarnate, who took me as His own,replied to
many of the questions of His sincere disciples, "Doubt
'Who isthe doubterwhoasksthese questions?'."
1. One-pointednessisnot the onlybenefit tobe gainedby
doing repetition (japa) of the divine name of God. The
main benefit isthe completesurrenderof oneself to God
onaccount of heart-meltingandoverbrimminglove for
Him.
2. Rememberi ng once t he name of God wi t h a n
unwavering (one-pointed.) mind is more valuable than
doingathousandcrores of japa withawanderingmind.
To call upon God even once by (mentallyor vocally
uttering) His name wi t h full-hearted love is more
valuable than doing a thousand crores of japa with a
quiet (one-pointed)mind.
3. While uttering (eithermentally or vocally)the name of
God, there is one thing which is essential to inix with
it,namely 'love' If oneknowswell howto inixlove with
japa, it will bestow not only one-pointednessbut even
deathlessness!.
4. Uniting love with the name of God is offering oneself
conlpletely to Him. How? 'We' are love and the 'name
of God' is He Himself. Thus the principle of self-
surrenderfunctionshere, onaccountof which thestate
of Self isattained !
5. Worthy j apa can 'be classified i nt o two categories,
namelyjnana japa andbhakt i japa. 'I, I' (or'I am' or 'I
am is I am' )isj nana j apa, and nama- j apa (that is,
repetition of the name of God even once)with love is
Appendix Two 203
bhakt i japa. Onewhodoesjnana japa tries to know the
true import of the word 'I', while one who doesbhakt i
japa melts intolove.
6. Themind that attendsto the true importof the word 'I'
throughjnana japa diesin Self,losingitsindividuality.
Themind that embraces the name of God,whoispure
consciousness (chit),with melting love (throughbhakt i
japa) transforms itself into the unbroken form of bliss
(ananda); i t cannotremain asaseparateentity.
7. Jnanajapa bestows upon thatenquirerall the requisite
help andguidance.Bhaktijapa makes the devotee unite
with God. Towards whichever one of these two love
naturally rises in a person, that one will be fit to be
adopted by him.
8. Our divine Master, Atma Ramana, has given us only
two paths, namely Self-enquiry(thepath of knowledge
orjnana marga) and self-surrender (thepath of love or
bhakt i marga). Hence, know that, in :ccordance with
these twopaths,japa is alsoof twokinds.Followeither
of them and attain the goal (Self-abidance,the state of
egolessness)!
APPENDIX
Sadhana
and
Work*
Thechargemade againsthumanity is that throughout
their life allpeople attendonly to secondandthird persons
[theobjects suchas'you', 'he', 'she', ' it' , 'this', 'that' andso
on)and they never turn their attention towards the first
person [the subject '1') in order to find out 'Who am I?'.
From the rrloment of waking till the moment of going to
sleep,frombirth till death,fromcreation till dissolution,all
people-indeedall living beings-payattention onlyto second
and third persons. And what is t he net result of such
attention?Untold heaps of misery!
Knowing that all misery arises only asa result of the
fundamental error - the original si n - of at t endi ng to
second and third persons instead of attending to and
knowing the true nature of the first person, Bhagavan Sri
Rarnana graciously appeared on earth to advise humanity,
"Throughout the waking and dreamstatesyou attend only
to second and third persons, and in consequence you
experience endless misery. But in sleep,when you do not
attendto anysecondorthirdperson,you donot experience
*
Adapted from aletter which Sri Sadhu0111wrote inreply to afriend
who had written asking,"How is it possible in practice to maintain
unceasing Sclf-attentionwhen, in the course of a clay, various
activities demand somcor allof one's attention ?"
Appendix Three 205
any misery. Overlooking the peaceful happiness that you
experienced while asleep, you searsh for happiness in the
waking state by attending to innumerable external objects.
However, does not the fact that you experienced happiness
during sleep in the absence of those objects, indicate that
happiness lies not in the objects but in you, the first person
or subject? Therefore why not you try, even in the waking
state, to attend not to second and third persons but to the
first person 'I' ?"
Being the perfect spi ri t ual doctor that He is, Sri
Bhagavan has diagnosed the exact cause of our sufferings,
and has prescribed the perfect course of treatment - namely
taking the medicine of Self-attention and observing the diet-
restriction of abstaining from attending to second and third
persons.
Those of us who pay heed to t hi s advi ce of Sri
Bhagavan and who therefore desire to follow the course of
treatment prescribed by Him, are called mumukshus or
aspirants for liberation. In order to qualify as an aspirant,
one must have the absolute conviction that happiness, the
sole aim of all living beings, can be obtained not from
external objects but only from one's own inmost Self. When
one has this qualification, an intense yearning will arise in
one's heart to try to attend to and know Self. Indeed', for a
true aspirant the desire and effort to know Self will become
the most important part of his life, and all other things will
be regarded as being only of secondary importance. When
such an intense yearning arises in one, success is assured,
for 'where there is a will there is a way'.
On hearing this, however, some devotees wonder
whether it is necessary then to withdraw from all activities
in order to be able to practise Self-attention. "If we are to
206
The Path of Sri Ramana - Pdrt One
follow this sadhana of Self--attention in all earnestness, will
not work prove to be an obstacle? But if we give up all
work, how are we to provide the food, clothing and shelter
required by the body?" they ask. However, whenever
devotees asked Sri Bhagavan such questions, He used to
reply that work need not be a hindrance to spiritual practice
(sadhana). This does not mean, of course, that an aspirant
should work in the same spirit as a wordly man or that he
should work with the same aim in view. The spirit in which
and the aim with which an aspirant should work in this
world, can be illustrated by the following example:
Suppose a businessman rents a shop in the heart of a
big city for Rs. 1,0001- a month. If fro111 his business he aims
to make only sufficient money to pay the rent for the shop,
will it not be a worthless business? Should not his aim in
renting the shop be to earn a profit of Rs. 10,0001- a month?
On the other hand, if he does not make sufficient money
even to pay the rent, will he be able to remain in the shop
to earn his profit?
Our body is like the shop rented by the businessman.
The aim with which we rent this body is to realize Self,
while the rent we have to pay for the body is food, clothing
and shelter. In order to pay this rent, it is necessary for us
to work, usi ng t he mi nd, speech and body as our
instruments. If we do not pay the rent, we cannot live in the
body and earn the great profit of Self-knowledge. However,
we should not spend our whole life-all our time and effort-
in working to pay the rent. The mind, speech and body
should work only for that amount of time and with that
amount of effort which is required for paying the rent - for
providing the food, clothing and shelter necessary for the
body. If instead we devote all our time and effort towards
207 Appendix Three
accumulating comforts and conveniences for the body, as
worldly people do, we would be just like the worthless
businessman who works only to pay t he rent and who
never tries to make a profit. Therefore, a sincere aspirant
should arrange his work in such a way that he will spend
only a portion of his time and energy for maintaining the
body, so that he can utilize the remaining time and energy
in striving to earn the great profit of Self-knowledge.
For some aspirants prarabdha' will be arranged by
God or Guru in such a way that they need to do little or no
work to maintain their body, whereas for other aspirants it
may be arranged in such a way that they have to spend
most of their time in working for the maintenance of the
body. But in whatever way the prarabdha is arranged, it is
arranged only for the aspirant's own good, that is, for his
ultimate attainment of Self-knowledge. Moreover, since
prarabdha determines only the outward activities of the
body and mind, it can in no way obstruct the inward desire
and yearning for Self-knowledge. If one has an intense
yearning for Self-knowledge, the Guru's Grace will certainly
help one in all ways, both from within and without, to
enable one to attend to Self.
Some people complain, however, that throughaut their
life they are forced to be engaged in so many activities that
they have no time to practise Self-attention. But even in the
midst of so many other important activities, do we not find
time to eat, take bath, answer the calls of nature, sleep and
so on? Similarly, in the midst of all other activities, an
earnest aspirant will find at least a few minutes each day to
practise Self-attention. In the beginning, if possible, at least
1 prarabdha is that portion of the fruit of one's past actions or karmas
which has been ordained by God to be experienced by one in this
lifetime.
208
ten minutes should be devoted morning and evening to
practising Self-attention. Such regular daily practice is
r ecommended by Sri Bhagavan i n verse 44 of Sri
Arunachala Aksharamanamal ai (The Bridal Garland of
Letters), in which He sings, "'Turning Self wards, daily see
thyself with an introverted look and it (the reality) will be
known' - t hus didst Thou tell me, 0 my Arunachala". If
such regular practice is allowed to go on for some time,
Self-attention will become more and more familiar and one
will then find that it is possible to divert one' s attention
from second and third persons to the first person even in
the midst of one's daily activities, whenever a few nloments
of leisure occur between the end of one activity and the
beginning of the next one. If one thus tries to turn one's
attention towards the first person whenever one has a few
moments of leisure, by the end of the day a great deal of
time will have been devoted to Self-attention, though
intermittently. Sucll intermittent Self-attention will in turn
be found to be of great hel p to one when one sits for
practice at the prescribed time [ten minutes to half-an-hour
each morning and evening), when no outside hindrance will
be there to obstruct one's practice.
At first one may not be able to maintain unbroken
Self-attention even for a few minutes. Due to long habit, it
is only natural that the mind will start to think of some
second or third person objects. Each time the attention thus
turns outwards, the aspirant again tries to t urn i t back
towards the first person. This process of slackening of Self-
attention and then trying to regain it, will repeat itself again
and again. If the aspirant's mind is weak due to deficiency
in the love to know Self, the slackening of Self-attention will
happen frequently, in which case a struggle will ensue and
t he mi nd wi l l soon become t i r ed. Inst ead of t hus
209 Appendix Three
repeatedly struggling to regain Self-attention, one should
relax the mind for a while as soon as the initial attempt to
fix the attention on the first person becomes un-steady, and
t hen again make a fresh at t empt . If one t hus makes
intermittent attempts, each attempt will be found to have a
fresh force and a more precise clarity of attention.
If one presses one's thumb on a pressure scale, the
dial may at first indicate a pressure of ten kilograms. But if
one tries to maintain that pressure for a long period of time,
the dial will show that i t is gradually slackening and
decreasing. On the other hand, if one releases the pressure
and after a brief rest presses again with fresh vigour, the dial
will show a little more than ten kilograms. Similar is the
case with Self-attention. If one struggles for a long time to
maintain Self-attention, the intensity and clarity of one' s
attention will gradually slacken and decrease. But if instead
one relaxes as soon as one finds that one's Self-attention is
slackening, and if after a brief rest one makes a fresh
attempt to fix one's attention on Self, that fresh attempt will
have a greater intensity and clarity. Therefore, what is
important is not so much the length of time one spends
trying to attend to Self, but the earnestness and intensity
with which one makes each fresh attempt.
During the time of practice [sadhana) our attention,
which is now focused on second and third person objects,
has to turn back 180 degrees, so to speak to focus itself on
the first person. In the beginning, however, one's attention
may be able to t urn only 5, 10 or 15 degrees. Thi s is
because one's turning is resisted by a powerful spring - the
spring of one' s tendencies [vasanas) or subt l e desires
towards worldly objects. Every time one tries to t urn
towards t he first person, this spri ng of one' s worldly
210
tendencies will tend to pull one's mind back again towards
second and third persons. Therefore the number of degrees
one is able to turn will depend upon the firmness of one's
desirelessness (vairagya) towards worldly objects and upon
the strength of one's longing (bhakti) to know Self. Such
vairagya and bhakti will be increased in one by regularly
pract i si ng Self-attention, by earnest l y praying to Sri
Bhagavan and by constantly associating with such persons
or books as will repeatedly remind one, "Only by knowing
Self can we attain. real and enduring happiness; so long as
we do not know Self we will be endlessly courting and
experiencing misery; therefore our first and foremost duty
in life is to know Self; all other efforts will only end in
vain."
As one's desirelessness and longing to know Self thus
increase by prayer to the Guru, by study (sravana) of and
reflection (manana) up"? His teachings, and by practice
(nididhyasana) o f Self-attentinn, one's ability to turn one's
attention towards the first pprson will also increase, until
one will be able to turn it 90, 120 or even 150 degrees at
each fresh at t empt . When one' s ability t o t ur n one' s
attention Selfwards t hus increases, one will be able to
experience a tenuous current of Self-awareness even while
engaged in activity; that is, one will be able to experience
an awareness of one's being which will not be disturbed by
whatever one's mind, speech or body may be doing, in other
words, one will be able to remember the feeling ' I am'
which always underlies all one's activities. However, this
tenuous current of Self-awareness should not be taken to be
the state of unceasing Self-attention,. because one will
experience it only when one feels inclined to do so.
How then can one experience the state of unceasing
Self-attention, the state of unswerving Self-abidance? The
Appendix Three 211
Guru's Grace will more and more help those aspirants who
thus repeatedly practise Self-attention with great love
(bhaktl) to know Self. When a glowing fire and a blowing
wind join together, they play wonders. Likewise, when the
glowing fire of love for Self-knowledge and the blowing
wind of the Guru's Grace join together, a great wonder takes
place. During one of his fresh attempts, the aspirant will be
able to turn his attention a complete 180 degrees towards
Self (that is, he will be able to achieve a perfect clarity of
Self-awareness, completely uncontaminated by even the
least awareness of any second or third person), whereupon
he will feel a great change taking place spontaneously and
without his effort. His power of attention, which he had pre-
viously tried so many times to turn towards Self and which
had always slipped back towards second and third persons,
will now be caught under the grip of a powerful clutch
which will not allow it to turn again towards any second
or third person. This clutch i s the clutch of Grace. Though
Grace has always been helping and guiding one, it is only
when one is thus caught by its clutch that one becomes
totally a prey to it. If one once turns one's attention a full
180 degrees towards Self, one is sure to be caught by this
clutch of Grace, which will then take one as its own and
will forever protect one from again turning towards second
and third person objects. This state in which the mind is
thus caught by the clutch of Grace and is thereby drowned
forever in its source, is known as t he experience of
true.knowledge (j nananubhut l ), Self-realization (at ma-
sakshatkaram), liberation (moksha) and so on. This alone
can be called the state of unceasing Self-attention.
Some people doubt, "If it is so, will the mind then
remain drowned forever in samadhi? Will it not be able to
come out again and know all the second and third person
objects of this world? Is it not a fact that even Bhagavan Sri
Ramana spent nearly fifty-four years in the state of Self-
realization and that most of that time He was seen to be
attending to second and third persons ?" Yes, it is true that
though Sri Bhagavan always remained in the state of Self-
realization, yet in the outlook of others He was seen to be
knowing the world. How can this be accounted for?
To remain with the body and mind completely inert
is not t he only sign of s amadhi . Though after Self-
realization some J nani s spend t hei r ent i re lifetime
completely oblivious of the body and world, not all Jnanis
wi l l necessarily remai n t hus. The ret urn of body-
consciousness (and consequently world-consciousness) after
the attainment of Self-realization is according to t he
prarabdha of that body; in the case of some it might never
return, while in the case of others it might return within a
second or after a few hours or days. But even in such cases
where it does return, it will not be experienced as a
knowledge of second or third persons! That is to say, the
body and world are not experienced by the Jnani as second
and third persons - objects other than Himself-but as His
own unlimited and undivided Self.
So long as one is an aspirant one mistakes the limited
form of one's body to be oneself, and consequently the
remaining portion of one's unlimited real Self is experienced
by one as the world-a collection of second and third person,
objects. But after attaining Self-realization, si nce one
experi ences oneself to be t he unl i mi t ed Whole, one
discovers that all the second and third persons which one
was previously feeling to be other than oneself, are truly
nothing but one's own Self. Therefore, even while a Jnani
is (in the view of onlookers) attending to second and third
213 Appendix Three
person objects, He is (in His own view) attending only to
Self. Hence, even though He may appear to be engaged in
so many activities, both physical and mental, He is in fact
ever abiding in the natural state of unceasing Self--attention.
Therefore, unceasing Self-attention is possible only in
the state of Self-realization and not in the state of practice
(sadhana). What one has to do during the period of sadhana
is to cultivate ever-increasing love to attain Self-knowledge
and to make intermittent but repeated attempts to turn one's
attention a full 180 degrees towards Self. If one once
succeeds in doing this, then unceasing Self-attention will be
found to be natural and effortless.
PRESENTPUBLICATIONS OF
SRIRAMANA KSHETRA (KANVASHRAMATRUST)
ASummaryof the Life andTeachings of SriRamana.
by SriSadhuOm
SriRamanaCharitra Sar(HindiVersion)by Sri SadhuOm
Upadesa Undiyar
English translation,word-by-word from the Tamil
original, by SriSadhu OmandMichaelJames,with
the facsimile handwritingof SriRamana Maharshi.
Upadesa Sarah
Word-by-word English translation fromthe Sanskrit
original by SriViswanathan Swami,with the
facsimilehandwritingof SriRamanaMaharshi.
Theworksof Bhagavan SriRamana Maharshi inHisown
Handwriting (Tamilscript)
Facsimile of most of theWorks of SriRamana
Maharshi,with English translations.
Thc:Bridal Garlandof Letters to SriArunachala
(SriArunachalaAksharamanamalai)
Original manuscript infacsimile transliterated into
,
roman script and translated intoEnglish equivalent
for signingin the original "metre".
TheFiveHymns toArunachala
With translations of Prof.K. Swaminathan
TheRevelation intheWiderness
byDr. G.H.MEES (M.A.,Cantab.,L.L.D. Lcyden)
TheRevelation in theWiderness
by Dr. G.H. MEES (M.A.,Cantab.,L.L.D. Leyden)
An expositionof thepsychologycontained inthe
Traditionsof old. (Inthree volumes)
THEBOOKOFSIGNS,THEBOOKOFBATTLES,
THEBOOKOFSTARS- 1400P.P.
(Plussupplementcontainingtherelative diagrams.)
"Upadesa Sarah" (Italian)
L'Essenza dell'Insegnamentoby C.ROSSI (SkandaBhakta)
FORTHCOMING BOOKS
"Arunachala, le Mount Sacrk" (French language]
Exposition of itsHistory,Mythology, Symbolismwith Map
of its 254 Sanctuaries.By afrench devotee.
The same, seeabove,English translation.
"I1 Sommario della Vita e gli Insegnamenti di Sri Ramana
Maharshi" (Asummary of the Life and Teachings of
SriRamanaMaharshi).
"Chi k lo?"
(WhoamI?)"NanYar" of Bhagavan SriKamana Maharshi.
"La tecnica della ricerca nel S3'
(Thetechniqueof Self-enquiry).
a. "I1SommariodegliInsegnamenti diSriRamana"
(TheSummaryof SriRamana'sTeachings).
b. "I1potere del SacroMonteArunachala"
(ThePower of Arunachala)
c. "Sadhana,laVia ed illavoro"
(Sadhanaandwork).
d."I QuarantaVersi sullaKealtZ1
(FortyVerses on Reality)
e. "LaVia diSriRamana"
(Thepath of SriRamana,part one,twoand three)
versioneingleseinpreparazione per i188.
Tutti questilavorisonodaSriSadhuOmeMichael
James,gi5pubblicati in inglese.
I numeria,b,c,d,e,sonouna raccolta diarticoli.
Kanvashrama TrustPublicationsEdited,Produced,Translations
intoItalian by ourTrusteeC. ROSSI (SkandaBhakta)
Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi has revealed that
perfect and eternal happiness is our real nature, and that
the self-enquiry 'Who am I?' is the direct path through
which we can attain and enjoy such happiness here and
now. He Himself attained Self-knowledge (atma-jnana)
while but a sixteen-year-old school boy, and thereafter
lived for fifty-four years as the Sadguru of countless people
of all countries and all religions. This book, The Path of Sri
Ramana-Part One, is a profound, lucid and masterly
exposition of the spiritual teachings which He graciously
bestowed upon the world!
In this book, unlike in other commentaries upon the
teachings of Sri Ramana, the exact method of practising the
enquiry 'Who am I?' is analysed and explained in a clear,
coherent and scientific manner, taking as authority only the
original Tamil works of Sri Bhagavan and not relying
merely upon the translations of them or upon the various
conversations with Him recorded by devotees in other
languages. It is for this reason that this book has been
widely acclaimed by sincere devotees of Sri Ramana,
including such senior disciples as Sri Natananandar, to be a
definitive work on His teachings and a rare treasure of His
Grace !
The author of this book, Sri Sadhu Om, was born
with a spiritual bent of mind and, having already reached
the pinnacle of desirelessness, he came to Sri Ramana
Bhagavan in his early youth and took Him as his Sadguru.
When Sri Bhagavan instructed him, 'Attend to that for
which you have come", he looked upon these gracious
words as a mahavakya and therefore dedicated himself
earnestly and one-pointedly to the practice of Self-enquiry
and self-surrender, that is, to being ever inwardly attentive
lest the least trace of ego should rise from within. It is
because he thus whole-heartedly followed the path of Sri
Ramana and thereby became a pure and worthy channel for
His Grace to flow through, that Sri Sadhu Om is able to
expound the practical teachings of his Sadguru with so
much clarity, originality and authority!
L . . .-
A
ThePathof Sri Ramana
PART TWO
(AnExposition of theteachingsof
SriRamanaMaharshion
God,World,BhaktiandKarma)
Sri Sadhu Om
Sri Ramana Kshetra
(KanvashramaTrust)
TIRUVANNAMALAI
INDIA
The Path of Shri Ramana (Part Two) English by Sri Sadhu Om,
Published by Sri Ramana Kshetra, Kanvashrama Trust,
Tiruvannamalai - 606 603.
O Arunachalaramana Nilayam
e.mail : sadhuom@gmail.com
First Edition : 1976
Second Edition : 1997
Third Edition : 2006 : 1000 Copies
Price : Rs.
Typeset and Printed by
Aridra Printers, Bangalore-560 003.
Phone : 23346025
Acknowledgements
T o Sri M~c hael James f or hi s ki nd permission to publ ~sh this PDF e-book of 'The Path of
Sri Ramana Part 2' on our website.
To Sri. N. Sankaran for his constructive advice and permission to use a hard copy of 'The
Path of Sri Ramana Part 2' to produce a PDF e-book version of the book.
This e-book is available for free download from:
Copyright O 2007 Arunachalaramana Nilayam and Michael James
All rights reserved. No part of t h~s PDF e-book publication, other than for personal use, may
be reproduced, printed or transmitted in any form or by any means, except for brief quotations
embodled In articles and critical reviews, nor may it be circulated with any modification or in
any form without due acknowledgement and the prlor consent in writing of the publ~sher and
copyright owner.
Contents
Publisher's Note- I11Edition
Publisher's Note- I1Edition
Publisher's Note- IEdition
AbouttheAuthor
NotetotheReaders
The Path of Sri Ramana (Part Two)
1. TheWorldandGod
2. LoveorBhakti
3. Karma
APPENDIX
1. Self-Effort(Personaleffort)
2. TheResumptionof actionsbirthafterbirth
3. PersonalCleanliness(Aclzaras)
4. ExplanatoryNoteon:
a. Verse6of 'Arunachala Ashtakam'
b. Verse8of 'UlladuNarpadu'.
c. Verses9,10,11and12of 'UlladuNarpadu'.
Publisher's Note -I11Edition
We are very glad to present here to the aspirant
seekers on the 'Path of Sri Ramana', this new revised
and corrected third edition of Sri Sadhu Om Swamigal
"The Path of Sri Ramana - Part 11".
In the previous second edition an attempt was
made to improve the general lay-out and printing with
the help then of Sri Michael James, but, it felt short,
than the initial stage of the first thirty pages.
Now wit11 the invaluable assistance and precise
dedication of Sri N. Shankaran, who was the very first
publisher of this book, when saw its first publication
back in 1976, and now, we can finally offer this new
re-print in a more concise form (only as the outer
form-shell, the substance is unchanged; how could i t
be otherwise!).
We also feel very grateful to our founder -
President the (late) Sri Hamsaji (Mr. J.J. De Reede) for
inspiring us and giving the inward push and outer
means to continue this labour of Love, started by him
and likeminded friends. In the previous edition he put
a "Publisher's Warning" : "Don't seek ! Find ! "That is,
what this extermely dangerous book is about.
Fatefully and mortally perilous to me - (the ego), it
could "end-away" ... truly ! Because, as Sri Bhagavan
Ramana advices us through the mouthpiece of the
outhor, 'Real-Happiness' is just the opposite of what
we think we know ... so, let us DO, and not see ! But,
11
. .
The Path of Sri Ramana -Part Two
just BE ! "Be Still" (Sunrnza Iru), is the real service to
GOD and to the GURU.
Many thanks and much obliged to Mr. Pandurangan
of Aridra Printers for being so enthusiastic and selfless
dedication towards the production of this work.
Thank you Sir !
110th Advent Day
Skanda Bhakta C. Rossi
1st September, 2006 President, Kanvashrama Trust
Publisher's Note-I1Edition
Publisher'sWaning
Don't seek!FIND!
That iswhat this extremely dangerous little book
isabout.
Fatefully dangerous to the ego (Ahankara)true,
because tobeHappyisthehighestwisdom.
But to find ui~conditional Happinesswe have to
face an inner bifurcation: dowe want to better the
condition of ourselves, actors in the film-or dowe
wanttheexperienceof thescreen.
Sample:It is said SriRarnanaMaharshiwasonce
approached by a naive persoiI who said he did not
"mind Moksha or Liberation" but he "wanted to be
theretoenjoyit" himself.With His divinepatience the
Maharshi explained why this is not feasible-Moksl~a
implying the absence of any "person" which implies
havinggivenawayor"surrendered"one's individuality.
21Years have passed for the first editionof this
book to gain a slight improvement, in the language
mainly, which the untiring Michael James has
accomplished withhisdedicated fervour.
Asusual,SkandaBhakta (C.Rossi)co-Founder of
this Trust hasbeen the selfless engine pushing this
production.
Thankingyou,Bhagavan.
KarthikaiDeepam HamsanandanJ.J. deReede,M.A.,
1997. President,KanvasramaTrust
Publishefs Note -IEdition
In his preface to the Tamil publication of "T11e
Path of Sri Ramana" - Part I, Dr. R. Santanam has
narrated the circuinstai~ces that led to the birth of the
book. He also expressed his wishes to see to the
publication in Tamil of the remaining parts of the
inanuscripts consisting of the answers of Sri Sadhu
Om to the questions of many devotees of Sri Bhagavan
on the paths of Bl~akti and Karma, 'about the creation'
of the world and other points which are a puzzle to
the modern mind. Dr. R. Santanam is no longer with
us, having reached Sri Bhagavan's Feet on the 11th
June, 1973. He was not able to carry out his intention,
but his ii~tention was powerful ei~ough to accomplish
itself and the Tamil original of "The Path of Sri
Ramar~a- Part 11'' is, about to be published.
When a copy of t l ~e Tamil publication of the book
(Part I) was sent to Sri M. Ai ~ant anarayanan,
I. C. S., Retired Chief Justice, Madras, he at once felt
'the necessity for an English translation and expressed
his opinion that many of the Western devotees of Sri
Dhagavan would appreciate and be benefited by i t .
That too came to be true in 1971 when the City Press,
Kanpur, published the English version of "The Path of
Sri Ramana-Part I". Now another devotee; this time
from overseas, Mr. Richard Osorio felt the need for the
publication of the Part I1 of the book in English,
though the Tamil publication has not yet been released.
So once more Sri Sadhu Om had to ui-tdertake the
translation of those chapters, as he alone can convey
from Tamil to English the accurate meaning and spirit
v
Publisher's Note - I Edition
of the subject and once more he was ably assisted by
Swami Dl~akappaji and other friends.
Up a d c s l ~a(instruction) will be possible only
when the Reality is mistaken to be somewhere far
away and when the necessity is felt to bring It near to
the aspirant (Upa+desham =to show the nearness of
what appears to be far). Sri Rainana did live the
truth of Advaita, "Who else is there but I..." - Ulladu
Narpadu-Supplement Verse 38. In His vision of Pure
Truth neither the world nor any jeeva existed apart
from Him. Therefore, there was not even the slightest
inclination rising in Him to instruct the world; for, in
His view the world was not different from Himself*.
Then, how did we get His instructions in the form of
verses? Do we not believe in a Supreme Entity who
creates, sustains and destroys the universe? It was It
alone who, taking the doubts, questions and prayers of
devotees as the cause and using Sri Ranlana's body,
speech and mind as means gave the verses to save the
world by dispellii~g its ignorance. Hence, Sri Ramana
did not move away from Sri Arunachala nor did He
instruct others of His own accord.
The author stands as an example of how those
who follow the footsteps of such a Master should
conduct their lives. He had no intention of writing
a book and of his own accord he does not seek to
instruct others. When seekers raise the doubts to him
on spiritual matters he usually answers:- "Since you
* Though we use the past tense when talking or writing about
Shri Ramana, the Sad-Guru, we sl~ould remember that the term
"living guru" does not apply to the Sad-Guru who is always
present. His Presence is not mere physical presence.
vi
The Path of Sri Ramana - Part Two
ask I have to answer in the light of Sri Bhagavan's
teachings. After asking do not expect a consolation for
an answer. I do not wish to please you by just giving
you pacifying answers. I give you what I learnt from
Sri Bhagavan. I can, when asked, also tell you about
Paths other than Self-enquiry (Atnza Viclznra), but only
in the light of Sri Bhagavan's teachings. Sri Bhagavan
alone is my authoritative Shastras. If the world does
not agree with my views, it does not matter, let it
throw them away!". Sri Sadhu Om does not seem to
worry in the least about what others think about his
views or how they are l~alued. The reader can take this
as a reason why neither preface nor review were
searched for. This book is published by those and for
those who do appreciate his uncompromising
adherence to the clear-cut path pointed out by
Sri Bhagavan.
Our conception of 'Llyndeslzal-'Spiritual Instruction'
given by the Guru to the disciple is well wrapped in
the veil of secrecy of the mantra ushered into our ear
by the Guru, the many ' dos and don'ts' given by
him and that of the high expectancy of hazy mental
image of Realization! The secret of Upadesha is
openly disclosed in both Part I and I1 of "The Path of
Sri Ramana". When the aspirant, after being instructed
into many 'dos and don'ts' and after practising them,
comes to feel that he is most unfit for anything, when
he comes to know that the ego is utterly inefficient, he
experiences the uselessness of keeping the identification
with it, that is, when he reaches the state of humility,
there end all the sadhanas, and all the fruits of sadhanas
which were not obtainable so long as the doership was
present in him, are attained.
About the Author
Sri Sadhu Om hails from the Thanjavur district
(in Tainil Nadu) which is famous as the centre of Tamil
learning and culture. From his early childhood he was
of a spiritual bent of mind showing great reverence
towards Saints and Sages. In his early teens a poet in
Tamil by divine Grace, the inspiration having come to
him at the tender age of fourteen. His meeting and
association with Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi
brought l-tis poetical genius to its full bloom and he
has composed nearly six thousand songs and verses
singing his devotion to his Guru. Ramana or depicting
the unique glory and tl-te beauty of His life or
expounding His philosophy in the most undiluted
form in a language that is a marvel of simplicity and
clarity that cannot fail to move our hearts and make us
want to know more about Sri Bhagavan Ramana and
about His instructions ( Upadeslza).
When answering questions Sri Sadhu Om' s
replies show that it is oi-tly through the Grace of Guru
Ramana that he is able to do full justice to many subtle
points from the stai-tdpoint of different listeners with a
refreshing and joyful originality. Though his
association with Sri Bhagavan Ramana lasted for five
years oi-tly, "Coal takes time to ignite, but charcoal is
proportionately quicker, while gun powder ignites
immediately. So it is with men under the powerful
glance of a Jnani" says Sri Bhagavan Ramana
('A Sadhu's Reminiscences of Ramana Maharshi').
The deep insight shown in this book, 'The Path of
Sri Ran-tana' proves that he does not fall into the
category of those,
. . .
vlil
ThePathof SriRamana-PartTwo
"... ... whostayunmovingnear
TheMasterof consummateknowledge
Ageanddiewhiletheir ego's darkness
Tarrieslikethesteadyshadow
Lurkingatthelamp-post's - foot.
Suchisperhapstheir rawness still
Fromformerbirthspersisting."
- GuruVachakaKovai- Verse 101.
Through his association with Sri Bhagavan
Ramana,SriSadhuOmwas able to absorb the import
of His words and through his long standing
association with SwamiMuruganar who was a great
Tamil poet and the senior and foremostdisciple of Sri
Ramana, he had a direct access to the terse classical
Tamil language in which Sri Bhagavan gave us His
teachings. Moreover, his tvhole-hearted devotion
towards his Guru Ramana and his one pointed
adherence to His teachings made him a fit vessel for
HisGraceto flowand fillhim through and throughin
such abundantlyrich measure that the reader cannot
but feel that he also partakes of that Grace.Thus Sri
SadhuOm had the three essential qualifications to
explainthe teachingsof SriBhagavanRamana to those
who come to him looking for clarification. Although
Sri Sadhu Om professes of not having a high
command over English, yet with the help of those
three essential qualifications he is well able to detect
the faulty understanding of those who, per force,
depend upon the English versions only in their
approachtotheteachingsof SriRamanaMaharshi.
Note to theReader
"Some books are to be tasted,
others to be swallowed, and some
few to be chewed and digested ..." - Bacon.
This book should not only be digested but also
assimilated and its contents should be applied in
everyday life until it becomes part and parcel of one's
own being.
Both Part I and I1 of "The Path of Sri Ramana"
are meant particularly for the highly mature souls who
are not ready to be cheated by blind beliefs. Repeated
study and deep impartial reflection will reveal many
subtle points which superficial reading is most likely
to miss - the clarification about fate and free will, the
deep significance of the Shastras (if at times they seem
to contradict, it is only in order to make us understand
their true value) and how a correct Self-surrender is
nothing but a Self-enquiry and vice-versa.
How does this book justify its name 'THE PATH
OF SRI RAMANA'? It is a known fact to the devotees
of Sri Ramana that Self-enquiry and Self-surrender
alone are His true teachings and that these two paths
are well described in His original verses and prose
works in Tamil. It is clearly understood by those who
are well acquainted with Shri Ramana's works that the
Ulladhu Narpadhu, the last fifteen verses of 'Upadesha
Undiyar', 'The Song of Appalam', 'The Song of Self-
Knowledge', 'The Five Verses on Self' and some of the
verses in 'The Five Hymns on Sri Arunachala' as well
x
ThePathof SriRamana- PartTwo
as ill 'Guru Vachaka Kovail*stand as anauthority for
Self-enquiry while Self-surrenderis well described in
the other verses of 'The Five Hymns'. The attention of
the reader shouldbebroughttothe fact that 'The Path
of Sri Ramana' (bothPart I and 11) is paved only with
alltheseverses of SriBhagavan.
Though Sri Sadl ~u Om uses stories, some times
amusing, sometimes heart-breaking, to convey the
essence of Shri Bhagavan's words to us, this book is
not a mere storybook. Even and particularly through
the stories taken from P~i~arlas** such as the storyof
Namdev and the story of 'Aclzrzras', Sri Sadhu
Om gives us clues to bring our attention to the first
person '1'.
To thc modern mind most of the scriptural
statements seem to be inore scholarly than practical;
but, in this book the approach to the final aim of the
aspirant is more practical than scholarly!SriRamana
encourages us by giving us the assurance***that the
scriptural knowledge is not necessary to reach our
aim,rather, itisanobstacle!Thispointis wellbrought
home here. Whatever is expressed inthis book can be
verified by one's own observation and it can be
applied toone's daily life;in fact it shouldbe applied.
Mere readi ng of Sri Bhagavan's teachings wi l l
not reveal the Truth in its true light. The correct
underst andi ng is possi bl e only to those who
* Guru Vachaka Kovai :-A collectionof SriBhagavan's words
in verse form by SriMuruganar. TheEnglish translation and
commentry by SriSadhuOmhasbeenpublished in2005.
** Puranas:-StoriesandlegendsinHinduism.
*** Refer'The Maharshi'sGospel'.
xi Note to the Reader
sincerely and one-pointedly adhere to the practice of
what He taught. While telling the story of 'the tenth
man' to the devotees, Sri Bhagavan Ramana
concluded, "...they rejoiced at the prospect of finding
their 'lost' companion, accepted and followed the
method suggested by the wayfarer."" Let us follow
the 'Wayfarer' on His Path!
The theories of creation as given to us by
religions do not and cannot, on account of their
contradicting illogical statements, satisfy the reasoning
faculty of highly mature souls. The approach to the
creation of the universe in this book, how the Self is
Creator, Sustainer and Destroyer, is new and
scientifically explained by the author accordii~g to the
experience and views of Sri Bhagavan. Though it
may seem to a superficial reader that in this approach
the value of God is lessened, it really brings out the
full glory of the Supreme. Such is the very purpose of
the first chapter. A correct, repeated scrutiny to its
very conclusion, over the nature of world and God
will make one feel the necessity for Self-enquiry.
How? The correct scrutiny will lead to the understanding
that the scrutinizing mind is greater, more powerful
and relatively more real than the scrutinized objects,
the world and God - second and third persons. The
end of the scrutiny on second and third persons is
the beginning of the scrutiny on first person! The
conclusion of the scrutiny on first person is the
dawning of the true "KNOWING"!
+
Refer to the verses 34, 35 and 36 of Ulladu Narpadhu -
Anubandham.
The Pat11 of Sri Ramana - Part Two
After pointing out a new appr oacl ~ to the
problems regarding God and creation, Sri Sadhu Om
reveals an approach, also new, to the understanding of
the true nature of Bliakti (Devotion or Love) by giving
us many ideas unheard of before - Blzakti and Jlza~zrz
are the Bliss and Consciousness (Annnda and Clzit)
aspects of Brahman - the removal of the impurities '1'
and 'mine' can be achieved through the Paths of
Knowledge and Love. The word Blzakti is generally
taken to mean the feeling of love towards God; but,
what is Blzakti? Whether in the devot i oi ~ (love) of
a saint towards God or in the craving of an ant for its
prey, the author sees the same true aspect of love
present in all creatures and with this feeling of love as
the very root, this new approach to the Supreme Love
(Para Blzakfi) is opened, "Lore is our Being; desire is
our rising1',
T11ough it may seem that Rhmkti is described
along the tradition of Hinduism only, the feeling of
love towards God as experienced by different devotees
in different religions is also exposed since the feeling of
love is one and the same. The classification of the
different types of Blzakti indeed, applies to all.
The Teacher, the Man, Krishna the Beloved God
and Sri Ramana the Guru do not belong to
a particular creed, but are universal. According to
one's fitness and one's taste each one of us may take
Sri Bhagavan1s teachings on Blzakti, i n so many
di fferent ways; but what is truly Blzakti or Love
according to I-Iim is clearly shown in this book.
A casual reader may feel that all practices in
Bllnkti Margcl (i.e., the Bl~akti from Is' to IVthstandards
. . .
Note to the Reader xl u
of the School) are of no value when compared to the
Love for the Self, the Supreme Love (Para Blzakti); on
deeper reading one will find that throughout the
chapter those practices are not condemi ~ed, their
i~ecessity is well understood and all of them are well
approved according to the different levels of maturity
of the aspirai~ts. Gut the highest form of Bl~akti, the
Love for the Self alone is recognized to be, the real
forin c>f Blz(7kti and all of us have to agree to it without
objection. The greater regard given to the Self shows
how the author views and values the Vedas which are
at first - the Teacher of the School (ISt, 11"" and 111'" (a)
standards), then the Beloved God of the devotee and
finally the Guru. 11-1this nTay the author reininds us of
the words of Sri Bhagavan pointing out the Self as the
true essence of the Vedas,
"Do Thou grant me that essence of the Vedas
which shines as ONE mrit11 no other ill Vedanta,
0Arunachala!"
- Akshara Manamalai - Verse 99.
The classification of' Blzlzkti as given in this
chapter will be of great help to us in finding out where
exactly we are on the Path and in proceeding further
on it, that is, if we are impartial towards ourselves.
Many questioi~s are often asked to Sri Sadhu
Om about the root of knrirzas (actions), the karta (the
doer) and ka1.11rlz-ylzala (the result of action). Just as in
the previous two chapters, the aut hor views the
subject of Karllzlz from a new angle. It is believed by
many that Prarnbdlzn (Destiny) leads to a dull state of
fatalism, despair and escapism; but, when the correct
understanding of the true nature of Destiny and
xiv
Tile Path of Sri Rarnai~a- Part Two
Rebirth ( PLL~z ~Y- J o I I ! ~~~~) is obtained, the state of despair
is changed into a state of joyful hope. The acceptation
is no longer fatality but felicity. I-Iow the Perfect
Freedom to will and act is misused by us in two ways
and how to rectify these mistakes is well explainpd in
this chapter. Thus we come to understand that fate
and free will are not eleinents contradicting each other.
\Ve are finally brought to the conclusion that
unconditional Self-surrender in which no room is
oi\lei~even to any kind of pravers, is the best knrnin
D
(action). This is not hi ns but Self-abidance. Thus
Sri Saclhu Om con\-inces us that the best Knmi ~
(Action), t h best Blliricti (Devotioi~) and t l ~c best Jlzarln
(Knoivledge) is i~othing but abiding in the Self, Our
True l\Jature, t l ~r ougl ~ %If-enc;uiry, pro\-ing the verses
of S11ri Bhaga\~an
"This - pern-rancntly :-emaining absorbed into its
source wl ~ei ~ce i t had its rising - is Knrllin and
Bli!~l~ti; this is Yoga aiid ]r:nrza."
"The enquiry to whom is action (knrnia), non-
devotioi~, disunion and ignorance is itself Knr~lia,
Glrnkti, Yoga and JrlL71in ... The abidance a s the Self is
verily the truth".
- vlladu Narpadhu - .4i?ubandliam - Verse 14.
It nlay prove very useful to the reader to ponder
over this 'Note' after completing the reading of
the three cl~apters of the book.
Sri Sadhu Om
The World
and
God
The blissful silent red princ-iple (Self or Brahl~zan)
alone is the true arena or base for Maya -who is the
great power of conscicusncss (mlzlza-chit-snkti), which is
not other than t l ~e real perfect principle - to play her
deceptive game for ever, having the three principles
(the world, soul and God) as her playthings.
What a wonder it is!
-- Guru Vachaka Kovai verse 1215
T11e world, soul and God are the three playthings
handled by M ~ L Z in her wonderful game of delusion.
Without these three playthings, which are called the
three principles or tripndnrtlza, the divine game or lila
cannot contii~ue. Every religjon which has come into
existence on earth js based upon these three principles.
Every religion first postulated three principles,
the world, God and soul ...
- Ulladu Narpadu verse 2
Some people object, "In some religions such as
Buddhisnz no mention is made about God". But that is
not the case. Just as other religions say, 'There is a third
entity called God who is worthy to be glorified, loved
2
The Path of Sri Ramaxla -- IJart Two
and attained by man'; do not religions like Buddhism
also point out a goal to mankind by saying, 'There is
a blissful state calied Piirirzirvrr~zrr which Inan should
attain by renouncing the world, which is full of
n~isery' ? Since that goal callecl Prrri1zirzlrri1;r is what is
referred to in other religlcns by the name 'God', we
should understand that every religion including
Buddhism is based upon the three entities, :he world,
soul and God, and thus comes within the orbit of the
gracious divine game which is for a good purpose
played bv 12hya. So long as a ntan experiei~ces himself
and the bvorld as two separate e~ttities, each having
R distinct individual existence, he cannot in practice
coi~ceiveeven the mind transcendu~g state of Pnrinirv(~i?n
to be anything but a third which is distinct from
himself and the world.
Among these three entities, what is called the
soul or jivn is 'we', the first person. This world which
we perceive ill front of us tltruugh the five senses is
a second person object, while God and these objects of
the world which we do not now directly perceive
t l ~rougl ~ the senses are third person objects.*
Concerning which one of these three entities, the
soul, world and God, aitd to which one of these three
entities do problems arise? The world, which now
appears in front of us as something insentient, is ail
*
Translator' s note : The Tam11 wor d for second person is
n~unr;ilal, which etymologically ineans 'that which stands i n
front', so whenever the term 'second person' is used, i n Sri
13hagnvan's teachings ~t denotcs those objects which ;ire directly
perceived in front of us through the five senses, while the term
' t hi rd person' denot es t hose objects whi ch are not now
perceived in front of us but which are thought of by the nuu~d.
3 The 14Jorldand God
object known b~r 11s.No problems arise for jt concerning
either the soul or God, and hence it does not have to
grieve over its ji~abilitp to solve those problems. If we
then consider God, "IYhere is He? What is His nature?
Does I-le have anv problen~s concerning the world and
soul? If anv such probleins exist for Him, are thev the
first and most important thing for us to attend to?" We
will have to conclude that for Him also there cannot
be any problems. Thus it is clear that no problems of
any kind exist either for the world or for God.
Therefore it is only for us, the soul, the knowing subject,
that countless problems arise concerning the world
and Cod. Why?
We see the world; yet, though we make as much
research about it as we are able to, the facts about it
are found to be so unlimited that thev cannot all be
grasped within the narrotv range of our intcllects.
Similar is the case tvith God. Our religions have given
us endless descriptio~s about God. However, since the
ordinarv human- intellect is unable to perceive the
truth behind any of these descriptions, innumerable
questions and doubts about God are always arising in
us. Thus problems about the world and God arise in
great abundance only to us, the soul. Therefore it
would be appropriate for us first of all to take only to
the enquiry 'Who am I, the soul?' In order to avoid
creating more confusions ' o ~ l saying anything about the
world and God, which are second and third persons,
in the first part of this book only the first person 'I'
was taken as the subject of our research."
*
After reading the first edition of t hs book, which at that time
consisted only of the first part, some friends asked, "Why does
4
Lord Buddha declined to say anything about God
in reply to those who asked about H~i n. But, knowing
that it would serve no useful purpose to say anything
not only about God but even about the world and its
nature, in reply to people who asked about them Sri
Bhagavan used io repeatedly insist, "Let us see about
God and the world afterwards; first know yourself".
'The world is realf, 'No, it is an unreal appearance';
'The world is sentient' , 'It is not f; 'The world is
happiness', 'It is notf; - what is the ase of arguing thus
in vain? Having given up (attending to) the world,
having known oneself, and both one and t wo
(thoughts about non-duality and duality) having come
to an end - that state in which 'I' (the ego) has ceased
to exist is agreeable to all.
Thus Sri Bhagavan teaches that the first and
foremost need for us is to know ourself, the first
person.
From the stone-age to the modern space-age,
man, who is filled with so many questions and doubts,
has been using his intellect to make research only
upon second and third person objects. Man' s,
questions and doubts are o ~ ~ l v about the world and
God. Why? Because no man ever raises any questions
or doubts about himself, that is, about his knowledge
(Foot note continued from page 3)
The Path of Sri Rarnana end ~vithout saying anything about the
world, its creation, God, tllc greatness of attaining His state,
devotion to Him and so on?" Such friends may take what is
said here as the answer to their qucstiolxs.
5 The World and God
(chit) of his own existence (sat), "Do I exist or not?"
Since all doubts rise only about the knowledge which
man has of the existence of the ~vorld and God, all this
time he has been eagerly making research only about
these other two entities and not about himself.
What benefi'ls has mankind derived from the
progress in knowledge which it has made by dividing
itself into two large sections and bj. making research in
the above said two broad directions? The human
intellect which started to make research on the world
has now discovered a wonderful material science
which can split even aton~s, the fundamental particles
of which this world is said to be composed off. The
discoveries made by scientific research are innumerable.
But when we consider the unlimited number of objects
in the world such as the planets and stars in space
wl ~i cl ~ still remain unknown to us, it is clear that there
can be no end to scientific research and that the
human intellect can never see the other shore of the
vast ocean of scientific knowledge. Rv discovering
inl-~umerable powers hidden in the 11at~;l.e such as the
power of magnetism, tire, water, steam, wind, petrol,
electricity and atomic energy, and by inventing all
kinds of coi~trivances, machines and weapons to make
use of these powers, scientific research has resulted in
terrible great wars which have made the whole world
tremble and which have caused destruction and
bloodshed on the hitherto unprecedented scale.
And what about the research made in the other
one of the above said two directions? The human
intellect which started to make research on God has
produced many religions. Each one of these religlons
6
has framed and espoused many different beliefs and
dogmas of its own, they have divided the people
amongst themselves into many different sects, and
they have tried to propagate and make all people
follow their own dogmas. Since ignorant people are
unable to comprehend the common t rut h which
underlies all religions, they become victims to
religious fanatism and, due to their attachment to their
own religion, they condemn all other religions, they
try to convert people of other religions to their own
religion, they even stoop to the level of becoming
entangled in religious wars, and thus, with the help of
the weapons invented by science, they also result in
human bloodshed. The history of the world itself bears
testimony to this fact.
Should we not try at least now to put an end to
all the evils and miseries which have befallen mankind
as a result of our "rising" and using our intellects to
make research upon the world and God, which are
second and third person objects?
Do we not know about the existence of three
persons, the first person, second person and third
person? But have we made research on all these three
persons and have we tried to find out what the nature
of each one of them is? No, we have so far made
research only upon the second and third persons, and
we have failed up till now to scrutinize or make
research upon the first person. How? See the way in
which we make use of our power of attention when
we wake up from sleep. AS soon as we wake up, the
first thing we know is our body, and then we notice
the place where we arc lying, the objects which
7 The World and God
sul-round us, the outside world and so on. Knowing all
these things is only a second person attention. Thus
when we wake up, our power of attention springs out
only towards second and third person objects. Then,
until we fall asleep again, our power of attention
continues to dwell only upon the second and third
persons by clinging to and experiencing the objects
known through the five senses. At night, as soon as
sleep overpowers us, our attention towards second
and third persons ceases. What exactly,happens to the
power of attention in sleep is not correctly known to
anyone except to those who have attained Self-
Knowledge. In this manner, from the moment of
waking up till the moment of going to sleep, from
birth till death, from creation till disso!ution, all people
- indeed all living beings - direct their power of
attention only towards second and third person
objects, and no one ever directs it towards the first
person! This great error is what is called the 'original
sin'.
There are some people who ask, "Ilow can it be
said that no one ever directs their attention towards
the first person? Both in the East and in the West so
many people have on so many occasions pondered
over the nature of the mind, and as a result they have
written illnumerable books on psychology. Is this not
research upon the first person?"
If any researcher, whoever he may be, had
directed his power of attention towards the correct
first person, he would certainly have attained Self-
Knowledge. All the ancient Sages of India realised the
truth in the end only by knowing the real nature of
8
this first person. Even in the West there have
occasionally been people here and there who have
attained Self-Knowledge in the same way. Therefore, if
any of the people who have written heaps of books on
psychology have not after all their research come to
the same conclusion as that which is proclaimed by
Vedanta, namely that 'I' alone is the absolute truth,
and if they have not thereby attained the true
experience of Self, we will have to conclude that their
research was not a scrutiny of the correct first person.
All that they have done was to attend to a second
person object called 'mind'.
As we saw earlier in this book, the word 'mind'
is generally taken to be a collective name for the whole
multitude of thoughts, although in actual fact the oi ~l y
fundamental and essential characteristic of the mind is
the root thought 'I1, the first person singular feeling.
Thus the word ' mind1 inay be said to have t wo
meanings. Its primary meaning is the subjective aspect
of the mind, namely the first person thought 'I1, while
its secondary meaning is the objective aspect of the
mind, namely the multitude of other thoughts, all of
which exist only by depending upon this first thought
'I1. This multitude of thoughts is only a crowd of
second person objects.
All that psycl~ologists have made research upon
is this objective aspect of the mind, and they have
never made research upon its subjective aspect, the
first person thought 'I1. Since all the thoughts which
form the objective aspect the mind are only second
persons, any research made upon them cannot be
a scrutiny of the first person. It is only a research
9 The World and God
made upon an object (dri sya) which is known by us as
other than ' I 1 , the knowing subject ( dr i k) . Books on
psychology, parapsychology and other such sciences
which relate to the nature of the mind are merely the
outcome of the research which has been made upon
the mysteries of this second person inind, because
such sciences are concerned only with investigating
and knowing the mind as an object - that is, they
merely seek to know what are the various ways in
which the mind can functioi~, what are all the secret
powers which lie hidden within the mind, what are
the means by which such wonderful powers may be
roused and developed so that they can be used as
supernatural attainments (si ddhi s) in order to achieve
one's own selfish ends, and so on and forth. Thus even
sciences like psychology t urn out to be only
a research made upon a second person object. Just as
other scientists make research upon gross second and
third person objects such as atoms, psychologists make
research upon a subtle second person object called
mi nd. And just as the results which have been
achieved through other branches of scientific research
are only a mixture of good and evil, so the results
which have been achieved through psychological
research are also only a mixture of good and evil.
Therefore, since psychological research has not
resulted in the blissful peace of Self-Knowledge, which
transcends all such dualities as good and evil, it is
clear that such research is not an attention to the
correct first person object. Turning one's attention
towards oneself in order to find out 'Who am I, who
knows the mind?' alone is the correct first person
10
attention. Anyone who attends to himself in this
manner, whoever he may be, will certainly attain the
true Knowledge of Self.
This is a rule to which there can be no exception.
Bhagavan Sri Ramana was born on earth in modern
times in order to reveal that the practice of Self-
attention, which is the correct research upon the first
person, is the only path which will unfailingly bestow
peace, tranquillity and happiness upon man, who has
up till now been wasting the immense and precious
power of his mind in making research upon second
and third person objects, which has resulted in so
much war, bloodshed and destruction. Like an expert
mechanic who can locate and rectify the exact cause of
malfunctioning in a machine, Sri Bhagavan was
immediately able to detect where and how the
research made by the huinan mind had gone wrong,
and to discover the means by which it could be set
right. Since He clearly knows each and every aspect of
the extremely subtle nature of the mind's functioning,
He is the all-knowing Loka Malza Gur u or universal
Teacher who can save mankind by showing the one
goal which is worthy to be aimed at. Thus the
principle teaching which He has given to the whole
world is only the practice of Self-attention, whicls is
the easy and direct path and which is so rational that
is can be accepted and followed by al.1 people.
Bhagavan Sri Ramana does not decry or condemn
the good which mankind has derived either from
science or from religion. But at the same time He
Himself does not belong to any particular religion or
school of thought. Nor did He ever have any liking to
The World and God 11
found or propagate a religion in His own name.
Religions (~natas) exist only within the limitations
of the mind (nzati), whereas the goal shown by
Sri Bhagavan is only Self, the reality which transcends
and shines beyond the limitation of the mind.
Religion (11zata) will exist only so long as the
mind (mati) exists. In the abudantly peaceful great
Silence in which that mind has merged in the
heart by turning within scrutinizing itself
(enquiring ' who am I, this mind?' ), no such
religion can stand.
.- Guru Vachaka Kov2,i verse 993
Therefore the path of Sri Ramana is not a
religion. Even to call it a religion of non-duality
(odzqaita lnatn) is n7rong, because duailty and non-
duality are considered to be two religions, they are
merely a dyad or pair of opposites, each of which has
an existence only because of the other. That is, the
word 'non-dualitv' has a meaning only in relation to
the word 'duality', and thus both of them are of the
same degree of reality. The revelation or darsanam of
Sri Ramana is only the absolute truth (paralnart?zik~z-
satya) in which the path and the goal are found to be
both one and the same.
Since the eternal Self is non-dual and since there
is no other path (to attain it) except (to attend to
and thereby to abide as) Self, the goal to be
attained is on!y Self and the path is only Self.
Know them (the goal and the path) to be non-
different.
- Guru Vachaka Kovai verse 579
Sri Bhagavan has shown us that it is only because
man has not yet attained a correct knowledge of the
first person, that it has been impossible for him to
have a correct knowledge about the truth of the
second and third person objects, the world and God,
and that it is only because man has not yet attained
a true knowledge about the second and third person
objects-that is, only because man continues to have the
wrong knowledge that the second and third persons
are different from the truth of the first person -, that
so 111uch unnecessary confusion and strife prevails
among the people of the world and that as a consequence
so many misfortunes and calamities have befallen
mankind. Being the perfect spiritual doctor that He is,
Sri Bhagavan has thus clearly and precisely diagnosed
the exact nature of the dangerous disease which exists
in the mind of manki nd. Moreover, He has also
prescribed an entirely new method of treatment-
namely taking the medicine of Self-attention and
observing the diet-restriction of completely abstaining
from attending to second and third person objects-and
thereby He has provided us with the perfect remedy
which will surely remove the primal disease of
mankind, the disease known as 'original sin'. If we
scrutinize this method of treatment more deeply, we
will understand that the medicine is devotion (bllnkli)
and the diet-restriction is desirelessness (vairngyaj.
Sri Bhagavan has also clearly explained that the
correct way of taking the medicine of Self-enquiry is to
attend to oneself in order to find out 'Who am If? and
He has given us many clues to facilitate this practice.
All of these things He has taught us, from His own
13 The World and God
experience of Self-Knowledge, which dawned in Him
all of a sudden without His having studied any books
and without His having had any other person as a
Guru to teach Him. Hence the sole purpose of this
exposition of Sri Bhagavan's teachings is to enable
mankind to know the correct target towards which it
should aim the arrow of its attention and to enable it
thereby to direct its research towards the proper goal.
At this point some people ask, "Is it then completely
unnecessary for us to know anything at all about the
world and God? Is it useless for us even to try to
know about them?" No; it is not useless. If an aspirant
correctly discriminates and understands about the
world and God, it will be very beneficial to him. But if
one does not make research about them with maturity
of mind and with proper discrimination, the outcome
of one's research will be very dangerous. It was only
in order to safeguard us against the adverse result
which most people usually derive froin such research,
that Sri Bhagavan often used to declare that we should
give up the research upon the world and God and
should first try to know ourselves. If however we
make research about the world and God with proper
discrimination, the knowledge which we will obtain
from such research will make us clearly understand
the necessitv of knowing Self, and it will also give us
great enthusiasm and strength to attend to and to
abide firmly in Self. In addition to that, it will also be
of help to us by showing us that we need not
altogether spurn either the efforts put fort h by
mankind up till now to make the research about the
world and God or the results obtained from such
14
efforts, and bv enabling us to understand how we can
instead make the best use of those results for the
benefit of mankind. Therefore, with only this intention
in view, iet us now make a little more scrutiny about
the world and God. On different occasions and by
different people Sri Bhagavan was asked a great
variety of questions about the nature of the world,
about how it came into existence, and about the nature
of God who created it. Let us now see the essence of
the teachings which He gave in reply to such questions.
The Sanskrit word for 'World' is loka, which
etymologicallv means 'that which is seen'. In ancient
times Sages gave this name to the world because they
knew the truth that the world is not that which truly
exists but only that which is seen. The same idea is
also implied by Sri Bhagavan in the opei~ing words of
the first lrerse of Ullizdzr Nnrpndu, "Because we see the
world, accepting (the existence of) one principle which
has a manifold power is indispensable". 111 Tamil the
first word of this sentence is 'we1, which denotes the
soul or jiviz, the first of the three entities, the soul,
world and God. From the words 'because we see the
world', we should understand that the world, the
second of the three entities, is a mere appearance
which is seen. In the words 'one principle which has
manifold power', the word 'one principle' denotes
Rrnhmnlz, the absolute reality which is the source and
base from which the three entities rise and into which
they subside and which itself shines transcending
those three entities. It is only after the first person
feeling 'I am a man' has risen from sleep, that the
world which is seen in front of us appears. The mind
or man who sees this world then feels impelled to
infer and accept the existence of an almighty God who
is able to create this world, which is seen to be so vast
and multivarious. That is, in the waking state, after the
rising of the first person feeling 'I am so-and-so',
which did not exist in sleep, everyone has to accept
the existence of the other two entities, the world and
God, which are second and third persons. The world
and God are non-existent only when this first person
feeling 'I am a man' is non-existent, that is, in sleep
and in the truly awakened state of Self.-knowledge. At
such times no necessity arises to accept the world and
God. This is a fact which we can clearly understand
from the following teachings of Sri Bhagavan:
...After an 'I' rises, everything rises ...
If the ego comes into existence, everything will
come into existence. If the ego does not exist,
everything will not exist. The ego itself is
everything.
If the thought 'I' does not exist, no other things
will exist ....
- Sri Arunachala Ashtakam verse 7
How does this world come into existence, how
does it continue to exist, and how does it disappear?
Since the human mind likes to infer the existence of
a cause for very effect, a source for every appearance
and a doer for every action, when it sees such a vast
and wonderful universe it cannot remain without
16
liking to infer the existence of a God who performs the
actions of creation, sustenance and destruction, and
without wanting to know about Him. The Ve das
therefore have to accept this attitude which exists in
the minds of most people and to guide them
accordingly. Hence the Vedas have given extremely
elaborate descriptions about the process of gradual
creation, (krama-svislzti) that is, about how this world
and all the living beings in it have gradually come into
existence from God. On one occasion when some
devotees asked Sri Bhagavan, "Why is it that in
different portions of the Vedas the process of creation
is described in so many different ways, each one of
which contradicts the others?" He replied:
If creation were real, the Ve das woul d have
described the process of creation in only one way.
Since they have however described t l ~e process ill
so many different and coi~tradictory ways, is it not
clear that creation is unreal? The true aim of the
Vedas is not to give a correct description about the
process of creatioi~. Their true, ultimate and inner
aim is only to make us understand that the ever-
non-existent world is unreal and that the ever-
existing Self or Br al ~l ~: an is the sole reality.
The same idea is also expressed by Sri Bhagavan
in verse, 102 of Gzrru Vnclznkx Kovai :
The intention of the sastvas in describing the mode
or creation in many (different and contradictory)
ways is only this: the inner intention of the sastras
is not to establish the mode of creation; (to induce
spiritual aspirants) to make research upon the,
reality, which is the source or root (of this world
appearance), is alone the intention of those texts.
In the question-and-answer version of Vichara
Sarzgrnlzalir it is recorded that in answer to the tenth
question, "If the entire universe is only the form
(szunrzipa) of the mind, does it not follow that the
universe is unreal? If such is the case, why is the
creation of the universe mentioned in the Vedas?"
Sri Bhagavan explained as follows:
There is no doubt whatsoever that the universe is
entirely unreal. The principal purpose of the Vedns
is only to make known the real Brahman, having
shown the unreal world to be ~~nr eal . It is only for
this and for no other reason that the Vedns admit
the creation of the world. Moreovel; for people of
dull understanding (nrnrziia-adlzikaris) they say that
by a process of gradual creatioi~ (kranzns~*islzti) the
primal cause (yrakriti), the cosmic ii~tellect (nralzat-
tatfva), the subtle elements (tn~znrntrns), the gross
elements (blrutns), the world, the body and so on
gradually come into existence from Brahman,
while for people of keen understanding (tivra-
adlliksvis) they say that by the process of
simultaneous creation (ytigapatsrishti) this world
came into existence like a dream on account of
one's own thoughts, which rise due to the defect
of one's not knowing oneself, who is Self (Atmnn).
Thus from the fact that they describe the creation
of the world in maI:y different ways, it is evident
that the purpose of the Vedns is only to make
Bralz~nan known, having established somehow or
other that the universe is unreal. In the state of
18
The Path of Sri Rainarm -IJart Two
realisation, whose form is the experience of the bliss
of Self; everyone can directly know the fact that
the world is unreal.
Sri Bhagavan used to explain on many occasions
that the Vedlzs and other scriptures teach so many
different theories of creation in order to suit the
different levels of maturity and understanding of the
people, and that all these countless theories of creation
can be classified into three distinct categories, namely
(1)srislzti-drisllti vada or the tl-reory that the creatioi~
(sri sl l t i ) of this world occurs prior to and independent
of our seeing (dri sl l t i ) of it, (2)drislzti-srislzti vada or the
theory that our seeing ( ~ i r i s l l t i )is the cause of the
creation ( sri sl l f i ) of this world and (3) ajata vlzda or the
theory that neither creation (srislzti) nor seeing (dri sl l t i )
has ever happened at all.
Kilowing that tl-re minds of immature people
cannot be satisfied unless they are taught c? process of
creation as the cause of the appearance of this world,
the Ve d a s at first have to teach various different
theories of gradual creation ( k r a l n a - u i s h t i ) . All the
various processes of gradual creation described in the
Vedas and in the scriptures of other religions, belong
only to the category of sri sl l t i - dri sl zt i - r~ada.Indeed,
allnost all the religions and scientific theories of
creation and cosmology, belong only to this broad first
category, because they a11 accept that the world exists
prior to and independant of our seeing it.
For the sake of keener and more mature minds,
the Vedas teach the theory of sin~ultaneous creation
(yi~g1ipatl.1-srishti), which is also known as drislzti-sris!lti
uadn, accordii~g to which the seeing of the world and
the creation of it occur simultaneously. In order to
explain how this simultaneous creation takes place, the
Vedas say that just like the appearance of a snake in
a rope, like the appearance of water in a mirage, or
like the appearance of the blue colour in the sky, the
appearance of this world of names and forms is due
only to the defective outlook or doslzn-drisllti of the one
who sees it. Thus the theory of simultaneous creation
or drislzfi-srislzfi vnda is also called the theory of false
appearance (via~7rfa-aa~ia), because it teacl~es that the
creation of this world is nothing but a fcll\e appearance
which s eei ni ~~gl y only on a c c o u ~ ~ t our occurs of
defective outlook. Further, when explaining to still
more mature minds how simultaneous creation takes
place, the Vcdas say that the appearance of this world
arises only because we have forgotten Self on account
of non-enquiry (/zvicharrz) or inattentiveness (pl-nnzada)*
Thus, while teacling the theory of sirnu1tant.o~~ creation,
the Vcdrls accept the existence of the world at leas: as
a false appearance.
But for the most advanced and mature aspirants
who possess perfect courage and clarity of intellect,
the L7cdas teach only the final truth known as ' no
creation' (ajato), the import of which is as follows: "No
such thing as the world has ever come into existence;
what you see is not the world; it is only you, the real
Self. Other than you, nothing has ever existed. There
never was any suc11 thing as creation, sustenance or
destruction. You alone exist". That is, while teaching
*
The reader may here refer to Guru Vachaka Kovai, verse 40
and 156, and to Kaivalya Navanitham, section 2, verse 95.
20
the truth of ajatn, the I'c~Ins do not at all accept the
existence of the world even as a false appearance. The
reason why they finally have to deny the existence of
the world so entirely is that the world could exist as
a false appearance only if there were a mind to see it,
and in actual truth there is no such thing as mind
at all.
When one scrutinizes the form of the mind
without forgetfuli~ess, (it will be found that) there
is no such thing as mind...
- Upadesa Undiyar verse 17.
When the mind is thus found to be ever non -
existent, the world-appearance seen bv it will also be
found to be non-existent. Hence njata alone i 5 the
absolute truth (~~nm~tzr7~tlzik sal yn).
Alth-ough the Lord, Guru Ramana, expressed
nianv doctrines according to (the beliefs and maturity
of) each of those people (who came and asked Him
questions), know that ;vhat we heard Him declare to
be His own real esperience is the doctrine of no
creation (ajntn-sidtilra~tn).
- Guru Vachaka Knvai verse 100.
However, altl~c!ilgl~ the abs~l ut e truth experienced
by Him was only iljata, wrhen S1.i Bhagavan was asked to
give teachings, for the sake of devotees He accepted as if
true the theory cf simultaneous creation - the doctrine of
false appearance - and gave His teachings accordingly.
The reason ~ l h yHe did not give His teachings
according tc the standpoint of ~zj!ita is that in the state
of ajata there exists only Self, the mere existence -
The World and God
21
consciousness 'I am', and no other thing, no world, no
mind, no bondage, no disciple and no Guru-, and
hence in that state no teaching is either necessary or
possible.
A need arises for a teaching only because we see
the world - because we experience otherness, and
therefore a teaching wil! be of practical value only if it
accepts the existence of the world at least as a false
appearance -.
That is why Sri Bhagavan begins the first verse of
Llllndu Narpadu with the words, "Nam zilahain knndalnl",
which means, 'because we see the world'.
Since He has carefully said, "Nam ulaharn ..." (we
should understand that) Guru Ra~nana, who
teaches what is most helpful for the souls, has set
aside, otl~er doctrines and has taught as true only
the beneficial doctrine of false appearance (vivarta-
siddhnnta, that is, the theory of simultaneous
creation or drishti-srislzfi vada).
- Guru Vachaka Kovai verse 83.
In the process of simultaneous creation, how docs
this world appear to come into existence? Whenever
Sri Bhagavan was asked this question, He used to
explain the process of creatjon by giving the example
of a cinema projector, and on one occasion He said,
"When Adi Sankara wanted to explain this process of
simultaneous creation, He gave the example of a city
whish is seen reflected, in a mirror". 'Visvarn darpana
drisyalnana nagari. . .' (t he opening words of
Dakslzinarnurti Stotranz). In his time no better exalnple
than that was available. But if he were living nowdays,
22
he would certainly have given the very apt example
of a cinema projector. Let us therefore see how
Sri Bhagavan used to explain the creation of the world
with the example of a cinema projector.*
In a cinema projector there is a bright arc-lamp,
in front of which passes a film, and in front of that
there is a lens. The rays of the light which comes from
the arc-lamp pass through the film, are enlarged by the
lens and create a large picture on the distant screen.
The arc-lamp in the projector is similar to Self, which
shines within our body.**
The film which is close to the arc-lamp is similar
to the very subtle tendencies or vasarras accumulated
within us. The lenses by which these tendencies are
enlarged and made gross are the five sense organs.
When the tendencies, which are thoughts in their
very subtle seed-form, are projected out through the
* The reader may have to refer to appendix 4-A of this book,
which is an explanatory note upon verse 6 of Sr i Arunacl t al a
Asht akanz, ill which Sri Bhagavan has used the example of a
cii~ema projector in order to teach how the world-appearance
seemingly comes into existence, and also to Sri Bhagavan's
answer to question 13 of the second chapter of Upades a
"!Anitjari, where He l ~a s elaborated upon the same example.
When we here use the term 'body' it should not be taken to
mean only the gross body, because according to Sri Bhagavan
t11e term 'body' may denote any one of the five sheaths or
pancha kosas.
** "The body is a form (composed) of five sheaths. Therefore all
the five sheaths are included in the term 'body'. Without the
body, does the world exist? Say, is there anyone who, having
given up the body, has seen the world?" says Sri Bhagavan in
verse 5 of Ulladli Nr~rpadl i . Thefore whenever we identify any
one of the five sheaths as 'I' we shall certainly see the world
corresponding to that sheaths.
five senses by the light of Self, they are made gross
and are seen as the picture of this outside world
consisting of so many different names and forms,
which are merely the five sense-knowledges. That is,
the multitude of very subtle tendencies which exist
within us is seen by us as the vast universe outside.
Therefore everything which is seen outside is in truth
only what was already existing inside.
Know clearly that everything which is perceived
having come (out) through the mind (and the five
senses), was already existing as tendencies
(vusa~las) in the heart, like a hidden treasure, and
(therefore merely) an old story which has come
out to be seen.
If there were no arc-lamp in the cinema projector,
the picture show could not appear on the screen.
Similarly, if the light of self were not present, the
creation, sustenance of this world could not take
place. The light of Self is that which is commonly
known by the name 'Godf, and without its presence
the acts of creation and sustenance could not take
place. For the sake of people who lack sufficient
maturity of understanding, this truth is expressed
metaphorically in the theory of gradual creation by
saying that it is God who creates and sustains this
world. When the film-reel of the tendencies is made to
rotate by the power of prnmbdlza*, the individual sees
* Prarabdha is that portion of the fruits of one's past actions or
karmas which has been ordained by God to be experienced by
one in this lifetime. For a more detailed explanation about
prarabdha, the reader may refer to the third chapter of this
book.
24
The Path of Sri Ramana - Part TWO
a world corresponding to those tendencies and, having
identified a body as 'Ifl experiences a seeming life for
himself in that world. If the film-reel were not in the
projector, the picture-show consisting of names and
forms would not appear on the screen. Instead only
a bright light would be seen there. Similarly, what
shines in the outlook of the Jnani, in whom all the
tendencies have been destroyed, is not this world-
picture consisting of names and forms; what the Jnalzi
experiences is only Himself, the unlimited light of Self-
consciousness. That is why Sri Adi Sar-tkara says in
verse 116 of Aparokshcl~rilbhuti:
Drishtinl jnann~nclyin kritva pclsyet bralz~lzalnclyanljapt
which means, "Making one's outlook of the nature of
knowledge (jlzanarnayn), one should see the world as
Brnllmcln". The same t rut h is also expressed by
Sri Bhagavan in verse 52 and 54 of GI L~ U Vacllaka Koz~ai :
Having transformed one's outlook as of the
nature of knowledge (jnanamaya), if one sees
through that outlook, which is of the nature of real
knowledge, the world (consisting) of the five
elements beginning with space will be (seen as)
real, being (found to be nothing but) the supreme
reality, which is of the nature of knowledge. See
thus.
Since that sight (which is seen) cannot be
otherwise than the eye which sees, know for certain
that to the knower of reality (mey-j~iani) who due to
the cessation of (all mental) activities, sees with the
outlook which has became existence-consciousness-
bliss (sat-cllit-anclnda); this world is that (existence-
consciousness-bliss) alone.
When we, the real Self, who shine devoid of the
limitatioi~s of time and space, seemi i ~gl y confine
ourself within all kinds of limitations by imagining
ourself to be an individual soul, whose form is the
imperfect and limited feeling 'I am only this sinall
body', the remaining portion of our unlimited
existence-consciousness which is not confined within
the limitatioil of that body appears to our individual
consciousness as this immeasurable universe, which is
felt to be other than us, and as God, the all-powerful
Lord of this universe.
If oneself is a form (the body), the world and
God will be likewise (that is, they will also be
forms); if oneself is not a form, who can see their
forms, and how? Can the sight (that which is seen)
be otherwise than the eye (the seer) ?...
On account of the ego, the feeling 'I am the
body', experiencii~g all the worlds, which are not
other than consciousness, as if they were different
from oneself, who is that consciousness, is a creation
of the dense and expansive delusion (of iljnana or
ignorance of one's true nature).
If we, the unlimited and undi vi ded Self-
consciousness, who are unbound by name and form or
time and space, and who are untainted by any changes
such as birth and death, feel ourself to be
a person who is born, who has the name and form of
a human body, who exists only within the limitation of
a particular time and a particular place, and who will
26
The Path of Sri Ramana -Part TWO
one day die and disappear, then the unlimited
remaining portion of our own real Self will appear in
front of us as this boundless universe, which contains
innumerable planets and stars, all of which are bound
by names and forms and by time and space, the limits
of which cannot be discovered in spite of any amount
of scientific research. Therefore this whole universe is
in truth nothing other than us. Similar is the case with
God, the all-powerful Supreme Lord who creates and
sustains this vast universe. Since He is also nothing
but the unconfined remaining portion of our own real
Self, which shines devoid of any limitations, even
though His names, forms and other characteristics
have been described in so many different ways up till
now by so many religions, risllis, prophets and
scriptures, still He shines transcending and unbound
by all such descriptions.
There is no end to my divine glories,
0 Arjuna...
... I stand supporting this entire universe
with one portion (of myself).
- Bhagavad Gita 10,40,42.
The cause of the creation of both the world and
God is only our error of wrongly imagining ourself to
be confined within the limits of the body, and this
error arises onl:r because of our slackness in Self-
attention, that is, only because of our pranlada or
forgetfulness of Self. what then is the truth of the
statement made in the scriptures that the three
functions of creation, sustenance and destruction are
the divine play or lila of God? The true significance of
The World and God
27
this statement is that these three functions are only our
own divine play of using our unlimited perfect
freedom paripz~rizrr-brahnra-szoataiztra*to create and to
sustain the wrong outlook by Self-abidance, that is, by
Self-attention or atiizrr-drishti. In absolute truth, this
entire divine play is nothing other than us, the real
Self. T11ough we are truly never confined in any way,
we seemingly imagine ourself to be confined within
the limits of a body, and as soon as we imagine so the
world and God come into existence.
Having limited and transformed oneself into
a body, and having transformed the knowledge
gathered through the five senses of that body into the
world, one sees that the world, which is nothing other
than one's own real Self, as objects which are other
than oneself, and one is thereby deluded with likes
and dislikes for those objects. Such confusion alone is
what is called the world-illusion @gat-nzaya).
- Sadhanai Saram verse 44.
Since the three entities - we as an individual soul,
the world and God - all come into existence
simultaneously, this process is called simultaneous
creation (yzrgr~pat -srishti). But since even the rising of
the wrong outlook of seeing ourself confined as a body
is clearly known to be unreal when viewed through
the outlook of the all-transcending absolute reality,
what will finally be experienced is only ajata - the
truth that creation, sustenance and destruction have no
reality whatsoever.
*
For a detailed explanation about the nature of our unlimited
perfect freedom (paripliriza-bralzrrla-swatantr~z), the reader may
refer to the third chapter of tlus book.
When one always abides unswervingly in one's
own state without knowing (any differences such
as) 'oneself' and 'others' ... who is there other than
oneself?
-Ulladu Narpadu Anubandham verse 38.
There is no becoming, no destruction, no one in
bondage, no one having desire to be released, no
one making effort (to attain liberation) and no one
who has attained Liberation. Know that this is the
absolute truth (yararnarflza).
- Upadesa Tanippakkal verse 24.
If we turn our power of attention towards "our
own" Self, our limited sense of individuality will cease
to exist, and hence the appearances of the world and
God will come to an end. We can understand this truth
even from our experience in the ordinarv state of
sleep. When we are asleep, we do not have even the
least knowledge or doubt about either the world or
God. Why? Because in sleep we, the ego, the limited
first person feeling 'I am this body', do not exist, and
hence the other two entities, the world and God, do
not exist. Thus merely by our creating ourself as
a limited individual soul on account of our prnlizado or
forgetfulness of Self, we simultaneousiy beco~ne the
one who has created the other two entities, the world
and God.
As soon as we rise as an individual soul, the
dyads or dvandvas (the pairs of opposites such as good
and bad, pleasure and pain, and birth and death) and
the triads or triputis (the three factors of objective
knowledge such as the seer, the act of seeing and the
object seen) all seemingly come into existence. How?
When by our unlimited perfect freedom (paripzrrna-
brahmaswatantm) we, the one existence-consciousness-
bliss, see our nature to be as a nature to rise, our three
aspects of existence, consciousncss and bliss are
reflected and are seen by us, the individual soul, as
their opposites, namely non-existence, ignorance and
misery. That is, just as when a person who is standing
on the opposite bank of a pond is seen reflected in the
water, the right side of his body is seen as its left side
and the upper part of his body is seen below, so when
our nature to be is seen as a nature to rise, our single
aspect of existence (sat) is seen as the dyad existence
and non-existence, our single aspect of consciousncss
(chit) is seen as the dvad knowledge and ignorance,
and our single aspect of bliss (arranda) is seen as the
dyad pleasure and pain. And just as when one single
ray of white light from the sun passes through
a prism, it is diffracted and seen as various colours, so
when we imagine ourself to be a petty individual soul
on account of our slackness in Self-attention, our own
single and undivided Self is seemingly diffracted and
experienced by us, the individual soul, as the triad
consisting of the knowing mind, its act of knowing
and the many objects of the world which are known
by it."
Since the dyads and triads appear only when we
rise as an ego, a limited and confined individual soul,
they all exist only by depending upon the ego as their
support or base;"" Moreover, each component of
*
Refer here to verse 96 and 97 of Sadhanai Saram.
"Refer here to appendix 4C, where it is explained that the ego
alone is the base of the dyads and triads.
30
a dyad or triad.has an existence only because of each
other component of that same dyad or triad. For
example, if. there did not previously exist an ignorance
about a certain thing, what is called a knowledge
about that thing could not come into existence. That is,
the knowledge of a thing arises and has an existence
only because of the prior existence of the ignorance of
that thing. Similarly, when we come to know a certain
thing, the prior existence only when the knowledge
about that thing appears.
Without ignorance (about an object), knowledge
(about that object) does not exist; (similarly)
without (that) knowledge, that ignorance does not
exist...
- Ulladu Narpadu verse 10.
In the same manner, each component of the other
dyads such as good and bad, inside and outside, and
pleasure and pain, and each component of the triads
such as the seer, the act of seeing and the object seen,
has a seeming existence only because of each other
con~ponent of that dyad or triad.
The coi~sciousness which knows objects is not our
real consciousness. It is only the mind or ego. Since all
the various dyads and triads can exist oidy in this
object knowing consciousness, they belong only to the
ego, the petty individual soul which we become when
we confine our unlimited real nature within the
limitations of a body. When we, the ego, come into
existence, along with us and because of us the dyads
and triads also seemingly come illto existence. T11us
these dyads and triads exist only by clinging to the
31 The VLTorld and God
ego, and hence it is only to the ego that they pertain;
they do not pertain to Self, nor do they cling to Self.
Since Self shines clearly even in sleep, if the dyads and
triads were to pertain to Self, why are they not
experienced by anyone in sleep? The reason why the
dyads and triads do 'not exist' in sleep is that the ego
has completely subsided at that time. Thus the fact
that the dyads and triads do not exist when the ego
does not exist, is a truth wl ~i ch is experienced by
everyone. Therefore if lve discriminate in this way, we
can clearly understand the truth that the ego alone is
the base or support of the dyads and triads. In order
that we sl ~oul d have no doubt about this truth,
Sri Bhagavan has emphatically declared in verse 26 of
Ulladz~ Nnrpadu, "If the ego coines into existence,
everything (the world, God, bondage and liberation,
pleasure and pain, and so on) will come into existence.
If the ego does not exist, everything will not exist.
(Hence) the ego itself is everything...", and in verse 7
of Sri Arunaclznln Ashtakanz, "If the thought
'I' does not exist, no other thing will exist ..."
If an aspirant truly engages himself in t he
practice of Self-attention, he will often feel as if the
state of Self-consciousness, which is his own true
nature, is clearly known for some time and as if it is
afterwards obscured. 011 such occasion he will be able
to understand very clearly from his own experience
how the world-appearance vanishes and holv it again
comes into existence. Because of the speed of
forgetfulness or prninrrda by which he swerve from the
state of Self-attention, it ma y be difficult in the
beginning for an aspirant to notice exactly when he
32
The Path of Sri iiamana -Par l- Two
loses his hold on Self-dttention. In due course,
however, because of the clarity and sirength which he
will gain by repeatedly practicing Self-attention, it will
become possible for him to notice the exact moment
when Self-attention is lost, and thus it will become
possible for him to regain it immediately. On al l the
occasions when he thus clearly cogi~izes the moment
when Self-attention is lost and the moment when it is
regdined, the aspirant will be able to know very easily
from his own experience how the world is created by
his losing Self-attention and how it is then destroyed
by his regaining Self-attention. Thus the aspirant will
come to know with absolute certaii~tv that his giving
room lo slackness i n Self-attention is the nteans by
which the body and world are created, that his
inainfainii~g slackness in Self--attention on account of
his lack of iitttrrest either to notice that such slackness
had occ~irred or to put an citd to ~ t , is the means by
wl ~i ch the world is sustained, a i ~ d that his firmlir
abiding once dgain in his own real and, blissful state of
pure Consciousness, which is devoid of the lintitations
of name and form, having vigilantly known the exact
mornei~t when slackness in Self-attention occurred and
having thereby put an end to it, is the means' by
which the world is destroyed. When the aspirant
comes to know this t rut h from his ow11 direct
experience, he will realise himself to be the perfect
Supreme Reality which transceitds the three functions
of creation, sustenance and destruction, and hence he
will remaill unshakably established in the state of
absolute peace.
A person will feel no liking to take to the practice
of Self-attention until he gains the proper discrimination
The World and God
3 3
whereby l ~ e can understand that the tnTo states of
creation and sustenance, which are merely a mixture
of pleasure and pain, are not worthy to be cherished
and pursued. So long as he continues to give
importance to tl~ese tuTo states, which are nothing but
mere aFpearances, he will be liable to build castles in
the air by imagining that he can eliminate pain from
this mixture of pleasure and pain, which is one of the
many dyads, and that he can thereby make pleasure
alone prevail in tu70 states of creatiun and sustenance.
Though such a person may be very broad-minded,
generous-i~e'lrted and compassionate, since he nlay
even be deluded to the extent of l ~el i evi i ~g that the
miseries wl ~i ch we 1 1 0 ~see in the world would not
have existed if, the functions of creations and
sustenance had been performed in accordance with his
own visionary ideas, and thus lie will find fault even
with God, who is now performing those functions and
he will wistfully imagine that he must take I-esponsibility
for carrying out a reform in the present manner in
which God is governing the world. He will then
proceed to draw up wonderful plans whereby he
hopes to transforln this 1~or l d into a blissful heaven
and remove all the miseries seen in it, even hoping to
make the body of inan immortal.
Such a well-intentioned but deluded person will
then begin to ponder how and from where he can
acquire the divine power or sakfi which is necessary in
order for hiin to carry out this wonderful unselfish
plan of his, and 11e will begin to devise and practice
many new kinds of yoga in the hopes of achieving such
power. Finally, however, he will have to come to the
34
conclusion that he can obtain such power only from
God, the almighty Supreme Lord who is at present
creating and sustaining this whole world, and so he
will then select the method of complete self-surrender
as a means of begging and acquiring such power from
Him. Being confident that the unlimited power of God
will surely be showered upc711 him if he adopts this
method, and believing that with that power he can
fulfil all the wonderful plans which he has drawn up,
he will be waiting in eager expectation for the day
when that power will descend from above.
Knowing that there were people who were
actually so del uded as to imagine, like the mail
described above, that it was both necessary and
possible for them to bring about a radical reformation
in the manner in which the world had been created
and was being governed by God, Sri Bhagavan
composed the fc7llowing two verses :
The buffonery of the madinen who, not knowing
the manner in which they function by sclicti (that is,
nc~t knou-ing the truth that it is only by the atnzn-
s ak l i or power of Self that they are enabled to
fui ~ct i on and perform activities), engage in
act i ~~~i t i es saying, "We shall obtain all occult
yo\vers ( si Jdl ; i s) ", is like the story of the cripple
who said, "If sorneorle helps me to stand, what are
these enemies (that is, how powerless they will be
in front of me)?" See, when God is bearing the
burden of the world, the pseudo soul (imagining
as if it were) bearing (that burden) is a mockery
like the forin of a gopuranl-tnlzgi (a sculptured
figure which seems to support the top of a temple-
The World and God
35
tower with great strain, but which in fact is itself
supported by the tower). Whose fault is it if
soineone who is travelling in a train, w11icl1 is
bearing a great burdcn, undergoes suffering by
bearing (his small) burden on (his own) head
instead of placing it on the train?
- Ulladu Narpadu Anubcndham verse 15 Rr 17
6ut if the man described above really takes to the
path of complete self-surrender in order to acquire
from God the power which is necessary for him to
bring about such a radical reformation in the creation,
what will actually happen in the end? If and when the
surrender becomes complete, the mind or ego which
had risen as 'I am so-and-so' and which had cherished
all the wonderful notions mentioned above, will surely
drown and perish in Self, t11c source from which it had
risen, thereby losing its separate individuality.
Until and unless the ego is thus annihilated, the
surrender cannot be said to be complete. Since
a person therefore cannot remain as a separate
individual entity after he has completely surrendered
himself to God, upon whom is the divine power to
descend, and who is to make use of that power to
reform the world? Thus in the end all the hopes and
ambitions cherished by this poor man will turn out to
be completely meaningless and absurd, just like the
patently ficticious story told in Kaivillya Navarzitnnz,
chapter 2,verse 89.
The son of a barren woman and the man seen
superimposed on a post, wearing wreaths of
flowers imagined in the sky, haggled about the
36
'ThePath of Sri Ixamana -- Part Tavo
price of the silver in the mother-of-pearl, began to
fight in the city shining in the clouds, stabbed
each other with the horns of a hare, became
exhausted and died, after wliich t11ev both became
ghosts: on hearing such a story, no wise man will
be deceived.
Why should anv man unnecessarily tax his brain
and i oi ~f use hiinseif by cherishing such ideas and
ambitions?
When Sri Fhagavan was once asked about the
beliefs of a certain philosopher who cherished the
strange notions mentioned above, He briefly replied,
"Let the surrender first become complete; we can see
about everything else afterwards" Why did He reply
in this way?
Transforming this ~~r or l d into a heaven devoid of
misery and making man immortal are not things
which have to be newly clone. Even now the
world is truly nothing other than B~alzi~zaiz, t l ~e
blissful Supreme Reality, and man is in his true
nature nothing other than Self, the immortal spirit.
Therefore the ~vorld and man do not now need to
be made either blissful or immortal. All that tve
need to do is to see t he~n as they really are. That is
why Sages say, "h.dakinl; one' s outlook of the
nature of kno~~~l edge: one s11oulJ scc the world as
Bralzinan" (drislztiiii iiin~zaiizayiiz kritila pasyet
brahmai?zrryaitz jagat). The defects which we now see
in the world and in man are not defects in God's
creation but are only defects in our own outlook.
Therefore there is no use in trying to rectify God's
The World and God
37
creation by usurping His power; if we wish to
rectify all the defects which we see, we must
rectify our oxvn outlook; there is no other way.
Those who know the realitv will declare that there
is no defect ill creation (srisliti), bui that there is
a defect only in outlook (drislztz).
- Srl Ramana Jnana Bodham, -.rol. 1,verse 1696.
Whatever has appeared is bound to disappear;
whatever has been created is bound to be destroyed;
whatever has been born will have to die, whatever has
come will have to go; whatever has been newly known
by the mind at one time will have to be forgotten by it
at a later time. But that cvhich always exists without
appearing or disappenring, without being coming or
going, and without becoming known or being
forgotten, alone is the eternal reality; that alone is our
true nature. We were never born; only our body was
born.
Having- come into existence, our body will one
day have to lose its existence either by dying or by
disappearing. We cannot make it live forever. If we so
desire we may be able to develop our own wonderful
innate power and thereby forcibly extend the lifetime
to this insentient body for a short while. The ancient
Sage Tirumular lived for three thousand years
composing the three thousand verses of Tirurna~ztzriz~~~
at the rate of one per year. But at the end of t l ~ose
three thousand years, what happened to his divine
body? It disappeared, did it not? Therefore no one can
make the body retain its form for all eternity.
Moreover, there is no need for anyone to do so. When
38
The Path of Sri Ramana - I'art Two
even great Sages who have attained true knowledge
have never made the body immortal, if anyone else
tries to do so, it will be a futile effort, like paving
a road to a town which does not exist.
In this context some people ask, "T11e bodies of
some Sages such as Tirugnanasambandhar and
Manikkavachakar did not perish and were not left
behind in this world as corpses. Does this not mean
that they had made their bodies immortal?". The
answer to this question is as follows: what happens to
the body of an ordinary person when it is left behind
as a corpse? It loses its form by being decomposed
into thc five elements of which it was originally
composed. That is, the body is left in one of the
elements, either in fire, in the earth, in water or in the
open air, and that one element gradually separates the
other elements in the body, thereby merging them into
the surrounding elements. Thus the form of the body
gradually disappears. In the case of a few people,
however, instead of taking place gradually, this
process of separating the elements in the body
happens by the power of divine Grace in a split
second. But what difference is there in the final result?
None at all. Even the bodies of those Sages have lost
their form and have disappeared, have they not?
A difference can be seen only in the manner in which
the separation of the elements in the body took place,
and in the time taken for it to happen. But al l ' t he
same, the forins of their bodies were not retained
unperished. Since the body anyway has to lose its
form and disappear, what does it matter how it loses
it? Even if the body loses its form and disappears
instantaneously, as happened in the case of those
Sages, it cannot be said that it has been made
immortal. Since the bodies of those Sages were born
and newly appeared in the world at one time, they
had to die and disappear from the world at a later
time.
On hearing this answer, some people raise
a further objection by saying, "But there is also
a belief which maintains that even though their gross
bodies disappear, the Sages live eternally in their
subtle bodies governing the affairs of the world.
Therefore do not their bodies conti11u.e to exist at least
in that subtle form? Is not that state to be considered
as immortality of the body?" The answer to this is, as
follows:
Is it, that it is possible only in the case of great
Ones to have subtle bodies and carry on the activities
of the world? Even ordinary people, after giving up
their gross body, are able to take subtle bodies
according to the result of their virtuous or sinful
actions and carry on the activities of their respective
world. God too, one of the three entities, is in the same
way engaged in His activities of creation, sustenance
and dissolution! Do we not also concede the fact that
such a thing takes place upon the plane of duality?
h7hat is there to be wondered at? It is for this reason
only that even the forms (entities) of God are said to
be devoid of truth from the standpoint of the Absolute
Reality. Be they gross, subtle or causal, they are after
all "a body" only! So long as one identifies oneself
with anyone of these three bodies as 'I1, it is only
ignorance. Certainly there cannot be but an end to that
40
body and to the ignorance - the identification with it.
"WE", the Absolute Truth are not a body - not even
anyone of the above three kinds. We should realize
that the body is born only to die. The discrimination
leading to such conclusion alone is the right
discrimination.
Before the birth of their body ivhat and how were
they who, now want to prolong their body or
immortalize it? Before they were born why were they
not worrying about this body which they now seek to
prolong and preserve? Before they were born they
were without the present body; but they did not feel it
as a loss. Even after the death of the present body they
are, of course, going to be without the present body!
As such, what loss anew will they have and why
should they worry for it now? Does it not therefore
stand to reason that it is the lack of the perfect
knowledge of the Self, i.e., what they really are, which
accounts for all their above efforts? Therefore, let all
their efforts be channeled into the direction of rightly
knowing the Self.
Moreover, the body itself is a disease for us who
are ever deathless, blemishless and diseaseless. During
the last days of His illness Sri Bhagavan Ramana once
said to His devotees who were extremely worried
about the condition of His body, "The body itself is
a disease. If that disease gets a disease, is it not for our
good?"
"Only frivolous people with the venomous ego
whose poison is the cause of all diseases of misery,
perform ceaseless austerities (tapas) to strengthen
The World and God
41
and lengthen the life span of the body, like one
who takes medicine to prolong the disease!"
- Guru Vachaka Kovai, Verse 233.
If we realize, from what has been said above, the
fact that the real cause of all the miseries that appear
to us in the world is solely due t cl our defective
outlook that has come inio existence as a result of our
coi~tractingour limitless blissful Nature of existence
into a limited body through the unlimited freedom
inherent in us of using our Will, it will then become
obvious that the only wise thing to do, is to put an
end to the disease of the appearance of the world and
body (through Self-attention) and be ever blissful.
Therefore, the yogic efforts of mankind to immortalise
the body and heavenise the world are vain and in no
way better than the activities of a blind man in a dark
room who is doing something without even knowing
what he is doing, The root cause for all these activities
such as to usurp the power of the Almighty to carry
out the aforesaid ambitions, is the wrong
discrimination or the ignorance through which one
feels that the two entities, world and God, are different
from the Self. This in turn is due to the lack of right
knowledge of t he Self, i.e., the lack of knowing
Oi~eself to be the indivisible Whole, the Supreme
Reality transcending the trinity of world, God and
soul. Therefore, first and foremost, let the human effort
be directed towards rightly knowing the Self before
hastily, concluding anything about world and God.
Then the truth of world and God will dawn of its own
accord!
42
The I'ath of Sri Ramana - Part Two
It is but natural for some to ask, "Should we not
then be compassionate towards all beings suffering
around us? Should we not then engage ourselves in
the service of inankind and eradicate those miseries?
Is not there a path 'Karma Yoga' well charted and
followed?"
Yes, it is a very great principle to mind others
welfare! But, is it not first necessary to know what is
good for us, before knowing what is good for others?
It is no wonder, when man does not know what he
really is, that he is not able to know what is good for
him. Unless he knows this, how can he understand
what are others and what is good for them? Man who,
through a limited outlook, believes himself to be
a body, can know others also to be bodies only. The
same wrong outlook makes hiin decide wrongly what
is good for him and for others. Besides, he is at his
wit's end to know correctly even what is good and
what is bad. W11en along with the previous ignorance
of not knowing what he really is and what others are,
the ignorance of not knowing what is good and what
is bad is added, both play havoc to lead and, end all
his activities into great confusion!
What is good and what is bad! Today, through
some kind of discrimii~ation we decide as bad a thing
that yesterday we decided as good. In the same way,
tomorrow through some other kind of discrimination
we may decide as bad a thing that today we decide as
good and give it up. Our standards of good and bad
often change according to the whims and fancies of
our likes and dislikes. What is to be inferred from this?
Only that we do not have an infallible definition
regarding good and bad which is one among so many
dualities. In such a state of confusion how can we set
out to do what is good to the world? What wonder is
there if a man suffering from chronic constipation,
during one of his philanthropic moods, gives laxative
pills to one and all (including those suffering from
chronic dysentery)! The philanthropic mood that takes
possession of one - who sees others as onese1.f - will
only work in this topsy-turvy fashion!!
To recapitulate what has been said above:
(1) Because man does not know what he is, he cannot
know what the world is. (2) Because inan does not
know what is good for himself, he cannot know what
is good for others. (3) Because man is incapable of
giving himself all help, he surely is incapable of
helping the world. It is a matter of common knowledge
that, on account of these three reasons only, all those
who came forward as reformers, under the "mistaken"
notion of doing good, are but to be those who have
brought forth so many wrongs and evils to the world.
Why to talk about these poor reformers! How can any
of them hope to do any permanent good to the world,
when God Himself accepts the fact that He cannot
reform the world once for all. Let us turn to the words
of Lord Krishna who performed so many great
miracles from the very moment of His birth,
" ...For establishii~g righteousness I incarnate
myself from age (yuga) to age (yuga)"
- verse 8 of Chap. IV. Bhagavad Gita
From His own saying we are made to understand
that He has to coinc agajn and again. Had his reform
44
been permanent, there would have been no need for
Hiin to come again and again! What can we infer from
this? That it does not show the inability of the
Almighty, but that it only betrays the unreal nature of
the world!! This very fact was pointed out by
Bhagavan Sri Ramana. Therefore, in the name of
reform let not man's ego rise and spoil himself as well
as the world. First, let us control these kinds of
einotioi~s and make the mind calm.
We have seen in "The Pat h of S r i Ramalza,
Part I", page 44, foot note, how on account of our
ignorance of what is Self, the word "selfishness" is
wrongly used to denote a vice. What is decidcd as
good or bad by a Jnani who alone experiences the
whole universe as His own Self, will only be the right
decision, if at all we have to know what js really good
and what is really bad, though, strictly speaking, in
His view there is neither good nor bad as there is no
world at all apart from His Self.
It is only the body which is very limited that is
felt by* mail as '1'. Tl ~rough such restricted feeling
everything that he sees - this world and all its living
beings - seems to him to be different from himself.
As the body alone is felt to mean 'I1, selfishness is
considered to be a vice, But, for a Jnani who has the
true knowledge of the Self 'I' is experienced as an
all-pervading single WHOLE. So, flom His view -
point His selfishness is nothing but the highest
altruism. When a Jnani thus feels everything as the one
undivided Self, will not His body also be included in
*
man; here denotes an individual soul.
that experience as 'I' ?" The experience of the ignorant
is 'I am this body alone' while that of a Jnani is 'I am
the body as well', This is explained by Sri Bhagavan
Ramana in verse 17 of 'Ulladu Narpaduf:-
"For those who have not realised the Self and as
well for those who have realised the Self, this body is
'1'; but, for those who have not realised the Self, the 'I'
is confined only to the limit of the body; and for those
who have realised the Self within the body (i.e., in this
very life tirne), the 'I' shines as the limitless Self. Know
that this is the only difference between these two."
111 the same manner, as the whole universe is
experienced by the Jnani as not apart from Self -
Existence-Consciousness-Bliss (Sat-Chit-Ananda) - it is
not wrong for the Jnani to feel that the world is real;
but, it is certainly wrong if an ignorant says, 'The
world is real' so long as his experience of 'I' is limited
to the body alone. It is because the ignorant takes the
world - the names and forms, the unreal aspects of
Brahman - to be real, that he is to be instructed,
'Brahmai~ alone is real; the world is unreal (Brahrnnm
sntyant; Jlrgnt mityn)'. But really, from the view-point of
the supreme, undivided experience of a Jnani the
world is Existence-Consciousness-Bliss (Sat-Chit-
* Body consciousness is a limited one. It cannot st and
comparison with the unlimited eternal Self-Consciousness. The
body consciousness of a Jnani is nothing but the reflection of
a ray of an atom-like part of that pure Self-Awareness whch is
experienced by Him as '1'. Only in this way a Jnani is aware of
His bodily existence.
- "Maharshi's Gospel", Chapter IV
46
Ananda), the Brahman. This is explained by
Sri Bhagavan Ramana in verse 18 of 'UlIadu Narpadii':-
"The world is real for those who have not
realised the Self as well as for those who have realised.
For those who have not realised, the reality is of the
measure (i.e, name and form) of the world: For those
who have realised, the reality shines as the nameless
and formless substr~tum of the world. Know that this
is the only difference between these two".
The Jnani's Selfishness is verily the real and right
kind of "Unselfishness" glorified by the people till
now. On the other hand, if other's welfare is decided
with ~rhatever amount of gei~erosity coming through
the satvic mood that may rise at times in the poor
mind of the leeva, (no matter how marvelouslv brilliant
his intellect is or how well versed he is in all the
different branches of learning) whose knowledge is
confined to the idea 'I am the body', it will end only in
the ill-fare of the world!!
From what has been said above let not the reader,
think that it is wrong to do good to others. If it is not
one's own good that is aimed at, then whatever good
that is done to others, is good.
Out of the many different kinds of disinterested
worship (Xislzkn~lza Poojn) the ~r or s l ~i p of the universe
as the form of God is also recommended. Viewing the
universe as God and worshipping it can only be done
through the imaginative process of the mind. So it will
be only the worship of a mental God and not that of
Reality. But, to really experience the universe as God
(which is reaily worshipping it) is possible only, after
realising the true nature of the Self, where the world
and God will not remain as entities other than the Self.
"In the heart at first you see Him
who is everywhere;
Only then that all exists as
Him you'll be aware."
- Dhyanappattu - Sadanai Saram.
But by viewing the world and the living beings
in it as God, at least by mind, a great good does result
namely the purification of mind. This is the hidden
aim of Karma Yoga. Karma Yoga allows a man to
discriminate and decide what is good for himself and
what is good for others according even to his ordinary
mind and allows him to act accordingly. But it is to be
known that the purpose of this allowance is neither
the complete eradication of the miseries of the world
nor the capturing of God, the inaccessible One. Sri
Bhagavan Ramana gives out the method and the result
of Karma Yoga in 'Upadeslta U7zdiyar1, verse 3: "Acts
performed without attachment to the results and
dedicated to the Lord, purify the mind and point the
way to Liberation". Therefore the purpose of Karma
Yoga is only the purification of the mind. This purpose
being the hidden aim, is enjoined in Karma Yoga.
"You ha1.e the right only to do; but never the right
over the results thereof ..."
- Bhagavad Gita-Chapter 11-verse 47.
Here the word 'results' not only applies to the
result of the activities of the aspirant (Saddtaka) but also
to the result of the practice of Karma Yoga! The
48
Karma Yogi who is engaged in the service of humanity
with an unselfish motive, expects as a result at least
that those whom he serves will be relieved from their
miseries and get happiness. He may think that he is
making the sacrifice of any personal benefit when, in
fact, it is he only who is really benefited, since such
action purifies his mind. If the aspirant in the
beginning of his practice does not get at least this
expectation that the world will be relieved from its
miseries by his service, he will lose all enthusiasm and
faith towards Karma Yoga. If enthusiasm and faith are
lost, the purification of the mind which is the aim and
result of Karma Yoga will also be lost.
Both the purification of the mind and thereby its
ability to discriminate rightly grow simultaneously in
the aspirant. Therefore, as his mind becomes purer and
purer it gets the high clarity through which his power
of understanding becomes sharper and sharper. Now
only, with this, he is able to understand the necessity
of rightly knowing the Self, and how the appearance
of the world and God is connected with Self-
knowledge and also, how purification of the mind is
the sole aim of Karma Yoga, as it has been explained
so far in this chapter. Indeed, what greater benefit than
this clarity of mind is worthy to be attained through
Karma Yoga? For, the aspirant is now really qualified
for the science of Self by which the Supreme Truth will
dawn in him! It is this process that is pointed out in
the verse 3 of 'Uyadesha Uizdiyar' by Sri Bhagavan
referred to previously.
How the purification of mind is effected by the
practice of Karma Yoga?
If we know what is the i mpur i t ~ in the mind, the
way in which it is removed by the practice of Karma
Yoga will also be clearlv understood; ' I f and 'mine' are
the impurities in the mind or 'Clzittaill'. If these
impurities which form the 'tam' in 'Clziftam' are
removed, 'Chittain' will remain as 'Chit' (Pure
Consciousness) which it really ever IS.
"Just like a colourless prism appears to be red
when near a red flower, Cl~it (Consciousness)
appears to be c/zittam - the mind, when t he
impurities 'I' arid 'mine' are superimposed on It.
When these, which are caused by Maya, are
removed it shines as ever as Chit".
- Guru Vachaka Kovai - Verse No. 244.
'I' and 'minef are the root-impurities of all other
ini~umerable impurities such as lust, anger and the
like. Even out of these two, the possessive form 'minef
can have an existence only because of 'If. Where there
is no ' IfI there will be no 'mine'. Though in its pure
nature 'I' is the Self, it is taken to be impure because of
its attributes which are alien to it and experienced as
'If am-this, I am-this body, 'I am-a man or I am-so and
sof. Hence, the attributes appended to 'I AMf alone,
are the ' root-impurity' . Till this i mpuri t i es are
removed, Self, Existence-Consciousness (Sat-Chit) is
called ego. The true purpose of Yoga is only to
remove this roo t-impurity.
The methods of removing the impurities vary
according to the maturity of t he aspirants.
Consequently different Yogas had to be framed. To the
aspirants who are very intent on removing their
50
The Path of Sri Iiarnana -Part Two
impurities, the impurity in the form of 'mine' being
gross rather than the impurity in the form of 'I' which
is subtle, come first within t he range of their
perception. Then, one with sincere yearning, at once
starts rejecting every thing saying, "Let it not be for
me". This leads to renunciation. Another type of
aspirant kindles within himself the feeling of sacrifice
sayir~g, "Let all these (of mine) be for others and not
for me"*. Karina Yoga is framed having the principle
of the second type of aspirant as its base!
"If wealth, fame, name, and such worldly things
make for my happiness, let them all be only for the
happiness of others and not for me"; with such an
attitude the aspirant engages himself througl~out his
life in such activities in a11 the ways he call. Just as
a dirty cloth becomes purer and purer as it is beaten
and squeezed more and more** so also everv unselfish
activity of llis, serves the purpose of dealing a blow
upon his 'mine-ness' and thereby makes his mind
purer and purer. If we minutely scrutinise every
injunction and prohibition such as fasting, charitable
deeds and other codes of cor~ciuct as enjoined by the
Vedas, to be followed by people in their daily actions
(Nityu-Ka~ii1i7 anl~sl~trzrzi7)~ it will become clear that all
these aim at making one to sacrifice at least a bit of
kmii~e-ness' and put a check on one's craving for the
worldly enjoyments.
"
It is worthwhile to cornpare with the portions of "Cllanlaknnz"
quoted in the next chapter to find out one's fitness to take to
Kani~aYoga.
** It is the custom in South I~tdia to clean the clothes by beat~ng
them on a stone slab and squeezing tl~eni afterwards in order to
remove the dirt.
Thus out of the two impurities 'I' and 'mine', as
'mine' is easily noticeable, i t is no wonder that all
good people with noble aspiration generally first try to
tackle only the 'mine-ness'. For, such a mind w11ich is
thus purified through the renunciation of 'mine-ness'
another truth also will dawn :- "This 'mine' is just like
the leaves and branches of a tree. No matter with what
effort and how many times they are cut, the leaves
and branches -'mine-ness' - will, under favourable
conditions, keep on sprouting again and again in some
form or other in their owr, time. Therefore, the root 'I'
should be traced out and annihilated". Even for this
truth to dawn, is it not necessary that the restless
intensity of 'mine-nessf should be lessened to a very
great extent? Until this understanding comes to an
earnest seeker through the proper discrimination of
the purified mind that 'I' is the right root-impurity and
that i t has to be rooted out, service to humanity,
sacrifice for others and similar unselfish activities in
the line of Karma Yoga will be going on in his life
making up the major part of his endeavour. Then,
according to his previous tendencies and tastes he
steps into either the path of devotion (Bhakti Yoga) or
the path of knowledge (Jnana Yoga) which alone are
directly concerned with the annihilation of the ego, the
root-impurity. He who was all this time being carried
along by the current of the tributary Jamuna, has now
been handed over to the Ganges, the mother river.
Here the Jamuna symbolizes the path of Karma (Kgrma
yogi^) while the Ganges symbolizes both the path of
Love (Bl l akt i Yoga) and the path of Knowledge (Jnana
Yoga). These two are, like the Ganges, ever flowing
52
The Path of Sri I<amana- Part Two
into the ocean of Brahman unfailingly taking along the
aspirant who falls into their current.
To attain Existence-Consciousness-Bliss
(Sat-Chit-Annnda), the Self or Bral~man, Consciousness
(Clzit) and Bliss (Alzalzdn) themselves act as the two
Paths i.e., to reach Existence, the Supreme (Sat),
Consciousness (Chit) and Bliss (Alznllda or Priya) are
the only Paths. The Path of Coi~sciousness (Clzit) is
the Path of Knowledge (Jlzalza Margn) and the Path of
Bliss (A~zalzda) is the Path of Love (Bhakti Marga).
To say the truth, Bral~man, the Sat itself stretches its
two arms - Consciousness (Cllit) and Bliss (Alznlzda) -
to draw us to itself or in other words lays Itself
down under our feet as the Path of Knowledge and
the Path of Love for us to tread upon. Thus, the holy
words, "I am the Pat11 and I am the Goal" are proved.
The Pat11 is to attend to 'I am' and the Goal is to
remain as 'I am'!
Have we not classified above the effort of the
Karma Yogi which the aspirant now put s forth to
annihilate the root-iinpuritv 'It, into the two main
Paths, 'The Path of ~nowl edpe (Jnana Marga) and the
Pat h of Love (Bl ~akt i Marga)? The method of
enquiring. "What is this feeling of 'I' ?" in other
words "Who am I?" is the true Pat11 of Knowledge
(Jnana Marga) which has been already explained in
detail in Part 1-"The Path of Sri Ramana." Now let us
see how the annihilatioi~ of the ego, 'I' - the root-
impurity, is effected through the Path of Love.
Love
Bhakti
The nature of water is to run down. The water of
the ocean stands there itself as a vast mass. The ocean
is the lowest place on earth. Therefore, the water in the
ocean has no place to run down. But, when water js
evaporated by the sun and transformed into clouds, it
never stands still in the sky. Driven away by the winds
to mountain tops, cooled and transformed into pure
water, it runs. As per the nature of water it again starts
flowing down seeking for its source in waterfalls,
gathers into many streams, runs down to lower places
as river and finally merges again into its source, the
ocean. In no way it can be stopped till it reaches its
source, the ocean. Though it may flow into many
channels and irrigate fields or be collected in lakes and
tanks or be stopped by springs and wells, it will not
remain there for long; for, it evaporates again, is
transformed into clouds and tries to reach its source as
before! The efforts that we observe as in the life of
jeevas, individual souls, are exactly like this!
The source of all jeevas, not only humans but of
all creatures is the Supreme Thing (Brahman). The
innumerable souls living in innumerable globes which,
54
because of an indefinable wondrous power appear to
be separated from their source, are ever hurrying back
to the Supreme, their source. Just as running down
towards the lowest place is the nature of water, the
effort observed in jcevns in the form of thoughts,
speech and actions to return to their source, the
Supreme, is verily the nature of jeevns. Hence the aim
of all jeevas is to return to their source, Brahman.
But the rain water while coursing down from the
hill-tops, does not run straight towards the ocean. It
fills any pool or pit it meets, overflows it and runs
down in any direction to the next lower one, according
to the characteristics of the land. It does not even
know that it is going to the ocean. In the same way,
jeevas engage tlieinselves according to their tastes into
one activity after another with no clear understanding
of the final aim of their efforts. The rain water cannot
help but be engaged in the only activity it can perform
according to its nature, i.e., running down to lower
places. Whether it knows the way or not it will
certainly reach the ocean soon or later; for, it cannot
stcp permanently anywhere on its way. So also, jeevns
cannot help but long for happiness, because such is
their nature. Therefore they engage themselves into
the only activity they can perform, i.e., the fulfilment
of their immediate desires. Whether they are aware or
not that the result of all their efforts is attaining their
source, Brahman. They certainly will attain even if it is
only after many crores of cycles of creations (Re-birth).
As we have described above, the water in the
clouds evaporated from the ocean, after once raining
on the hill-tops, does not run immediately back into
55 Love or Bhakti
the ocean in one run as a river. On its way it is again
evaporated, and again floats in the form of clouds and
when cooled dovim it again takes the form of water.
This is its rebirth. Is it not? So also, before it reaches
its source, Brahman, the jeeva takes different bodies
again and again. Each time it makes efforts in many
directions and every time when the body once taken
wears out and dies, the jeeva takes another body. This
is its rebirth.
The efforts in the form of activities of the jeeva
are like the efforts in the form of the running of
the water. Such efforts will never cease, not even for
a second until the jeeva reaches its source. Just as
water, in spite of any amount of obstacles standing on
its way will wind its way about again and again and
will reach the next deep place, so also the jeczta, in
spite of any amount of obstacles encountered in its
life, persists in making efforts ill the forms of actions
(karmas).
Just as the nature of water is aiming at the lowest
place, the jeeva, on account of its nature which is
nothing but love for happiness, is always working
with mind, speech and body. This love for happiness --
the jeeva's nature, in its highly refined state, becomes
the Supreine Love (Para Blzakti) which leads it to the
Supreme Thing, because that Supreme Thing is
nothing but an unlimited ocean of Bliss. Yet, the
movement of the water running down from the hill-
tops appears to be arrested when the water reaches
a nearby pool. There, also the movement is going on,
but in a different direction - the water no longer runs
down but rises up. It seems then that the very nature
56
of water, i.e., running down, is changed into rising up
(evaporating). So also, on account of some enjoyment
gained in life (including enjoyment here or in other
worlds), the nature of the jeeva, i.e., love for happiness
and making efforts towards it, seems to be changed to a
state of contentment where there is no effort, i.e., the
nature of Brahman. But, just as the water has to start
running down again when the pool is full, the jeeva
also, has to start making effort again in so many ways
he wishes, to attajn perfect happiness, because the
enjoyments gained here and in other worlds as the
fruit of his actions (karmas) cannot satisfy him for
long.
Until 11e reaches the goal, the Supreme Thing
(Sat-Chit-Ananda) which is limitless, never-decreasing,
ever-brimming over, perfect Bliss, no trivial enjoyment
can stop the effort seen as the struggle of life in the
jeczla and make hiin keep still. Just as the rain water
becomes motionless, effortless and is at rest as soon as
it reaches the ocean, so also when the jeevn reaches the
Supreme Thing, it loses its jeevn nature, becon~es
effortless and as one who has accomplished everything,
it regains the nature of Brahman - Eternal I'eace.
"Since his mind form is thus destroyed, and since
he is established in the Supreme Truth, for that
great Yogi there is not even a single karma to do.
For, He has attained His Natural State!"
- Upadesha Undiyar, verse 15.
Let us suppose that the rain water streaming
down from the hill-top before it is evaporated, joins a big
river ever flowing into the ocean, it reaches the ocean -
the source, avoiding all kinds of tribulation and delay.
57 Love or Bl~akti
In the same way, the Sages are the ever-flowing
Divine Rivers that take the jeeva directly to the
Supreme Thing without tribulations. The paths traced
by the running of these Divine Rivers are the True
Faiths ilow existing on earth. If one takes one's course
through one of these Paths till its very end, one will
reach the Supreme Thing, one's Source and Aim and
will attain Peace. Each one of these Faiths refines the
love for happiness in the individual and courses it
directly to the Goal. This direct path of the refining of
the love for happiness, is the Path of Love (Bhakti
Marga). The purpose of those Faiths is to advise and
encourage humanity: "0 man, all your efforts are in
view of your happiness only. 'The perfect form of your
happiness is Bliss, the Supreine State. Do not stop on
the way deluded by the glamour of anything else.
Awake, arise, stop not in your efforts along the right
channel till you reach your state of perfect Bliss, or the
real God." When the effort in the form of karmas,
which is the nature of jeevas is brought under control
and regulated, itself it becomes a spiritual practice
(Atrwa Sndhann), the love for the Supreme Thing. Hence
the verv best effort that one can make is to love the
Supreme. This is well told in the following verse of
Bhagavan Sri Ramana:
"The water showered by the clouds risen up from
the sea, will not stop, though obstructed till it
reaches the sea-abode. Likewise, the embodied
soul rises from Thee and will not stop till it
reaches Thee, although it wanders here and there
through so many paths that come its way (or) it
takes to. The bird, though, flying here and there
58
The IJathof Sri Ramana -Part Two
into the vast sky, has no stay there. The place of
rest (for the bird) is nothing but the earth. It is
bound to go back the way it came. So also, when
the soul goes back the way it came, it will join
Thee, the Ocean of Bliss, Oh Aruna Hill!"
- Sri Arunachala Ashtakam, Verse 8.
Bhagavan Ramana is the biggest, the most
powerful Divine Ganges nearest to us. Let us fall into
this Divine Ganges. It will take us effortlessly to the
ocean of Supreme Bliss. Let us be carried along the
Path of Sri Ramana. I.et there be no swimming against
or across the current. Once fallen into this Divine
Ganges (Sri Ramana), to be insincere to His teachings
is swi n~mi ng against the current. To twist and
interpret His teachings to fit our aims, is swimming
across the current, i. e., using the power of the current,
not to go to the ocean, but to reach some other points
on either of the banks. To dedicate ourselves whole-
heartedly and completely and to live the principles of
Sri Ramana is being effortlessly carried along the
current of that Divine Ganges, i.e., the Path of Self-
surrender. That which we reach then is nothing but
the Ocean of Bliss. Love, when refined perfectly, takes
the form of Love for the Supreme Thing. Let us see
now how the love can be purified and transformed
into Love for the Supreme.
What is Bl~akti? It is a feeling of love. The feeling
of love exists inl~erently in all creatures. It is to say
that whatever one likes, this liking is the love (Bhakti)
towards that thing. This liking or love, in its pure
state, is Shiva". Love is like the Ganges water. By
nature, the water of the Ganges is holy. So is love. The
* Shiva means auspiciousness itself - the perfect Supreme
Brahman and not a personal God.
Love or Bhakti 59
same holy water is considered as superior or inferior
according to the cleanliness of the vessel into which it
is put. So also, Love or B11akti has different degrees of
superiority or inferiority according to the different
degrees of the purity of the mind of jeevas. In this
manner, the love or Bhakti present in different jeevas
can be classified into five classes. The fully purified
love will shine as Shiva!
Although, as we have said previously, love is
present in all living creatures including animals, its
progressive purification is visible in human beings
only. Animals also have Bhakti towards objects of the
world. They try to obtain them through physical
strength rather than through the strength of their
intelligence. "Might is right" is the law of the animal
kingdom. In the fields sheep and goats will graze
anywhere regardless of the damage to crops while in
the forest the strong animals will kill the weaker ones
to feed on them. Just as love is present in beasts and
birds in the form of instincts, in the primitive man the
feel i ng of love i s present onl y i n t he form of
instincts or love for the things of the world (Vishaya
Bhakti). Just as animals, the primitive inan is also
using his physical strength rather than the strength of
his intelligence to fulfil his desires. He is not under
any law and order of society, but is abiding by the
same law that rules the animal kingdom - Might is
right. Since the primitive man does not have the sense
of justice, he is unaware that others have a necessity
and right over the objects of the world just as much as
he himself has. So he destroys anyone weaker than he
in order to get whatever he wants.
60
Even among the primitive men it is possible only
for the strongest to obtain what he wants. As he finds
that the things yet unobtained are more numerous
than those already obtained, even the strongest is not
contented because of his unfulfilled desires, as the old
saying goes, "Desires are infinite". Therefore l ~ e tries
to improve his powers and abilities more and more to
get the fulfilment of all his desires. But, because of the
results of the bad karmas done without considering
the weakness of others and the wrongs of his actions
on account of his selfishness, he takes his following
births in bodies deficient in physical strength but with
a weak mind which is not deficient in desires;
consequently he suffers more and more. Such a man
with desires but without the strength to fulfil them,
tries to know if there are any methods and means
through which he could get easily all he wants and
starts his search for it. Let us not forget that s uc l ~
people are even now in our midst! Such men are no
better than beasts!
It becomes necessary for those who are wise to
guide the primitive man who does not know that
selfishness is the root of all sins and that all that he
acl~ieves through his 'might' without abiding by 'the
right' (the law and order of scriptures) is nothing but
an accumulation of sins. This miserable primitive man
who is growing weaker through the sins, but whose
desires are growing stronger, restlessly roams about
and finally comes to a wise One who is utterly
desireless, strong with penance and always calm
(Blissful), and to Him he complains about his needs.
The instructions of such wise men are the Vedas.
Love or Bhakti 61
'Vedas' means knowledge. The codes of conduct
regdating the life of a man as given by Sages are the
Vedas, in other words, the Vedas are the Sage Himself!
The impure feeling of love in the primitive man -
a storm of desires towards worldly objects (Vishayn
Bhakti) - can only be gradually purified. He who has
not yet come to the School (the Vedas) where Bhakti is
purified, is still a beast.
The School has five st andards but only one
teacher! "The words of the Sages" is the one Teacher.
From now on, for the sake of clarity, let us call the
whole Vedas and Vedanta which reform and refine the
feeling of love in humanity as 'the Teacher' and the
whole of humanity which needs the purification of the
feeling of love as 'the Man'.
The Man coines to the Teacher: "Swami, the
strength of my body is so insignificant that I cannot
obtain all the things which I desire in the world. The
desired things in front of me are so innumerable that
even through the strength of my intellect, I cannot
obtain them. Being dissatisfied by this I am miserable.
Is there a quick and easy way to fulfil my desires?"
Thus the Man enquires from the Teacher.
"Yes, there is! First know the cause of your
inability. The world is the creation of God and is His
possession. If you take something from it you must
pay for its price. You cannot use your might to grab it
without paying the price. If you do so, it is a sin or an
unrighteous act. Right action (Dharma) alone is the
price to pay for and the way to enjoy His possessions.
Since you have acted till now not knowing Dharma,
62
The Pat11 of Sri Ramana -Part Two
your sins have weakened you. When you perforin
actions (the efforts you make through mind, speech
and body) knowing and following Dlzari?za, those
actions are 'Right actions' (Vihitaknri?zizs or Sat-knriizas).
Hear from me what they are. For such and such thing
that you desire to enjoy in this world and in other
world, such and such actions (karmas) are prescribed
as well as the proper method, time and place to
perform them. Such karmas will give such results".
Starting thus, the Vedas teaches the Man first 'Korinn-
Knndn' (that part of the Vedas which relates to
ceremoilial acts and sacrificial rites and the merit
arising from a due performance thereof).
He who accepts to live according to these
insti-uctions and to carry out the right karmas
prescribed (which are not only dut i es but also
meritorious deeds) for the everyday life, has bee11
admitted in the 1" standard of the School. Though, his
love here is oilly a love towards worldly objects
(Visl~nyo-Blzakli), the sense of ego in him at this stage, is
made to subside at least to a certain extent. This
subsidence of the ego, on account of which he becomes
aware of his weaki~ess aitd, is ready to revere and obey
the Wise, as well as to take his advice with humility,
is the qualification required for admission in the
lbt standard of the School. Are not there people even
now, whose ego does not abide even to such a small
extent as to accept the disciplines of the Vedas and
obey the Wise? Will r.ot be there such people also in
the future? They all are like the unruly children who
prefer to roam about rather than to attend school.
63 Love or Bhakti
Is it not that there are as many different minds as
there are different people in the world? Is it not that
according to its taste each mi nd needs so many
different kinds of objects in the world? Hence, the
need to provide different actions (kannas) as ways and
means through which people can fulfil their
innumerable desires; that is why the Karma k n d a of
the Vedas is so vast, elaborate and intricate. Since, the
great majority of people are in the grip of the wrong
assumption that worldly objects make for happiness*,
the Vcdas have to take pity on them so long as they are
under such delusion and like a mot l ~er, give thein
what t l ~ev want although happiness does not really
come out of those objects. The Man is now happy
enjoying the objects of the world, the fruit of the
Karmas and Dharnrns which he performed with great
enthusiasm. But what of that ?
Can a man be so patient as to endure the delay in
emptying the huge dam full of desires through a mere
half-inch pipe of Knrvzn and Dlzarma? As the inan is
now aware that, unless every prescribed conditions are
satisfied while performing any of the ritualistic actions
(Yajna), it will not give the proper fruit (result), being
himself extremely worried over the gathering of all the
necessary articles as prescribed. It requires very great
effort to perform to perfection even a minor ritualistic
action. Which man will not long for the result of
a Rajasuya Yajna - to be recognized as an emperor of the
whole world and enjoy all the emperor's privileges and
prerogatives? But where can an ordinary man go to
obtain the necessary articles? It can be done only by
a mighty king! And even so, how many are the obstacles
* Ref "Path of Sri Ramana-Part I
64
The Path of Sri Ra~nana- Part Two
standing in the way of its completion? Is i t not the
nat ure of man to desire enjoyments, even those
ei~jovments wl ~i c l ~ are the fruits of such knrirzns as are
beyond his power to perform? The Man wl ~o perforins
different kr7rirzns with great earnestness to appease his
manv desires, enjoys the results of his karrlrrls in many
consecutive births and even in different worlds; but
t he great er t he enj oymei ~t s of t he obj ect s of t he
world the more fiercely is set ablaze the fire of hi s
desires. When he has learnt that the fruits yielded by
t l ~ e karmas which arc truly insentient* (i.e., they
cannot yield fruit except by the will of the Lord),
performed by mjnd and body are limitcd; the Man
thus, pitifully reflects:- "Are there no other means that
will give more and quicker benefits than tl~ose knr~iros
to my efforts?" - The Man belie\ring that he can get
some clues, (even for his present problem), from the
s a ~neTeachel. who taught him kn1.111(7s1 colnes to tile
Teacher (the V(das)again.
Innumerable births migl~t have passed before this
kind of dejection towards Ic~~riiias which 11as now come
to 11ill1, only because of perforlning them in t he
prescribed manner, as taught in the 1'l standard. All
this time lie remains as a 1" standard student. The
niaturity in the forin of this dejection which 11c now
has indicates, is the rcsult that l ~ e has thorouglily and
successfully undergone the training of the 1" standard.
Even today there are many anlong us, w11o are
studying in the 1" standard; of course, they even hold
high degrees in some of our present day universities;
bul yet, in our School of purification of love they are
* See foot-note page-65
65 Love or Bhakti
only I bt standard students! Why feel sorry for them
when there are still crores and crores of people
happily wandering outside the School not even
agreeing to ei~rol ill the lSt standard to perform Karnzas
and undergo its disciplii~ed life?
HaI~ing achieved his 1" standard, the Man again
comes to the Teacher and enquires: "Swami, the
prescribed karmas are innumerable, I feel that I have
neither the time nor the energy to perform perfectly all
of them. But, unless I enjoy all the fruits of all such
kariuas, in this world and in others, I will not be
satisfied. Therefore, I have sought your feet to find out
if, there are any other means easier by which
performing kariizns will yield more abundant results,
and if so, to follow them".
"Yes, there are! All i70ur kariizns do not yield more
abundant results, because tlwy cannot yield fruit of
their own accord. Kariiras are merely insentient.* They
yield fruit only by the ordinance of the Lord - God.
The many different names and forms of God have
great divine powers in bestowing readily upon the
worshipper the many different fruits (results) through
an easy worship (Upasana). Therefore, if you worship
the different names and forms of God, through Their
Grace you will get, even with onlj7 a little effort, your
*
"Act i oi ~ yields fruit by the ordinance of God. Action being
insentient, can it be God?"
- Upadesha Undiyar - verse 1
Those Tapasvis ivho li\red in the Uaruka forest were under the
wrong i~npression that through their own efforts only in doing
karmas they could achie\.c e~rerything; but, finally they had to
be shamed and instructed by Lord Shiva Himself.
6 6
'The Path of Sri Ramana - Part Two
desired objects in abundance. Should you want a
successful completion of your undertakings without
obstacles, worship Ganapathi, the Elephant-faced God.
Slnce, Sarasvati is the name and form of Goddess
having powers to bestow all learning, should you
desire to acquire all learning and thereby achieve
name and fame, worship Her. Should you desire
children, house, property, wealth, gold etc., worship
Goddess Lakshmi. Like this, Gods and Goddesses are
there who fulfil the many desires of yours. Each one of
them such as Rudra, Vishnu, Subrahmanya, Devi etc.
is a different aspect of the names and forms of God.
There are appropriate mantras and methods (Pooj a
Vi cl l zi ) to worship everyone of these Gods and
Goddesses. There are also many other methods of
worship* s ~i c h as Yal zt r' as (worship of mystical or
astrological diagrams) and Tl znt ras (use of unusual
objects and methods in worship). Have all these
according to vour needs and tastes and st art
worshipping God. Through this worship the gain is
greater and the labour is less than through karmas".
Thus the Vedas, the Teacher instructs the Man in the
worship of God.
The Man, as soon as he hears that, by securing
the help of those Gods through this worship, instead
of depending upon the l i f l ~ i ? ~ ~ ~ in the forin of his own
efforts, he can get all ei~joyments in this world and in
other worlds; now takes to the worship of the names
and forms of God with great hopes and enthusiasm.
*
Ravana, the King of Lanka and others like him acquired in this
way such powers as to conquer this world and even Indra the
King of Heavens.
67 LoveorBhakti
Theknowing andrealisingthathispowers intheform
of making efforts are trivial, his acceptance of
apowerful supremeBeing far superior to himself and
his faithin that Being, are the new developmentsof
his understanding.The following four stanzaswritten
bySriMuruganar,aseniordevoteeof SriBhagavan, as
introductory verses to 'Llpadestin Undiy~zr' composed
by Bhagavan Sri Ramana, will throw light upon our
subject,ismentioned here:-
(i)
Those who were performing ritualistic practices
in Darukavana (a forest of that name) were
spirituallyon thedeclineon account of following
theoldpathof Kn11iya Knr171as*(PurvaMimamsa).
(ii)
Onaccount ofthe deceitful egotism they became
immensely infatuated believing that there is no
God exceptthekarmas.
(iii) Seeing the outcome of karllzns done while
rejecting God who ordains the fruit of karmas,
theirpridewasvanquished.
(iv) "Protect us graciously", thus they prayed with
tears, Lord Shivabestowing His graciouslookon
them,andgavespiritualinstructions.
The real greatbenefit the Man has now obtained
asthe result of performing karmas is the subsidence of
his ego, to such anextent that he is now humble
beforeGod andbowsdowntoHimseekingI-IisGrace.
T11us heisnow promoted intoIPQtandard toputinto
practice theinstructionsreceivedbyHim.
*
KamyaKarmas- actionsforthefulfilmentof desires.
68
Tke Path of Sri Rarnana -Part Two
The Man w110 now has become a worshipper of
God, with great zeal starts worshipping the prescribed
different names and forms of God according to his
needs and desires with the help of all irzantras, ylz~ztras
and tafztras. The majority of the people who are called
now-a-days theists and devotees of God are studying
in the II"" standard only. T11ese people think that they
are de~roted to God. How can it be, since their love or
Bhakti is only towards the desired objects! Is it not?
Their liking - their devotion is only for enjoyments in
this world and in other worlds! They call upon God
only to help thein in this matter. Iiere, Gods are
needed by them as helpers only. Their bhakti is only
towards objects of the ~7orl d and t ~c t towards God.
Before the Man was enrolled i n the School the
feel i ng of love i n him i.e. hi s bhakt i was onl y
visiluyn bl ~nkt i and his physical and mental strength
were the means to fulfil it. When he was in the lst
standard, his bhakti had vi sl ~aya bhakt i and the
karmas were the means to fulfil it. Even now in the
present IIndstandard his bhakti is still only visitrrya
bizrzkti and instead of karmas the different names
and forms of God are the ineans to fulfil it. 'The Man
ill this stage starts wit11 zeal his worship.
"I went 011 a pilgrin~age to *Tirupathil; that God
of seven hills will be5tow ~vc~al t h on me ... I have
carried the ' KavC~dif' to Lord Pvlurugan2 of Palani1.
I gave Him a sacred bath with milk and the five
delicious substances - grapes, bananas, honey, sugar
and ghee (PaizcIzc71~1r~l ~ Q J J I ) . I aln doing the recitation of
'Tirumurugatrupadai3. By His Grace all our afflictions
will be removed and the family will be well provided..
*
See foot note page 69
69 Love or Bhakti
I had the darshan of Lord Shiva2 in Kasi' (Banares)
and Rameshwaraml and I have taken a holy bath in
the Ganges' and the Yamuna. So I will get good
lrirtuous children ... What can my enemy do in the
court, for I am daily reciting 'Adityahridaya
Stotramr3?... When I start something it must have
a successful end without any obstacle; is it not? So
I always worship Ganapathi' ... Throughout the year
I have been doing 'Lakshmi Ashtotramr3 and 'Lakshini
Sahasranamamr3Her gracious glance will bring mc so
much wealth ... I never miss to do or attend 'Lalitha
Saha~ranamam'~, 'Tri~ati'~, 'Chandika Homamr4 and
'Sri Chakra Pujar4. It is Devi' who is giving me
everything!... I am determined to go and have darshan
of 'Chidambaram' Natarajar2, 'Annamalai Appat2, the
Lord of ' Kalahastii; Lord Mahalingam2, Lord
Vaideeshvaran2 , and Lord of 'Kailash". I do even
'Shivashtotramr3and 'Sahasra Namam'21 for, is He not
the Supreme Lord to bestow on me everything in this
world and in other worlds? ... One thousand 'Gayatrir3
along with 'Sandhya VandanamI3 twice a day
I do...Look at the brilliance on me and the glow on my
face!... Every year I coilduct in my home Parayana of
'Bhagavad GitaI3, 'Rama Nama Sankirtanamr3.
Sri Rama Navami Ukavamr4 also!... These worships of
different names and forms of God are the oi ~l y way to
improve my lot!"
Thus, on account of the waxing desires towards
the objects of the world, the belief and love of the Man
Note :- The words having the numb~r (1) are the names of
sacred places; (2) are the names of Gods; (3) are the names of
holy recitations; (4) are the names worships.
70
in the ITnn standard of our School, towards the different
names and forms of God, is also increasing. Now the
Man is inore and more engrossed in worship!
Innumerable births are spent in these worships.
The Man is also getting many more enjoyments in this
world and in other worlds than those who do not
worship. Is it not a fact, that the imagination - the
world of different enjovments and the different likes of
the mind for them - is infinite? Where is the end!!
"'Though the whole world is conquered and ruled
over, yet one is not contented and wants to rule over
the seas! One who has secured heaps and heaps of
gold like Kubcrtl (the treasurer of Heaven) will still be
mad after alchemy! One who has lived long will break
his l ~ead in search of the elixir of immortality!! Thus
there is no limit to desires ..." sings Saint Tayumanavar.
When Ravana, I-Iiranyakashipu and Indra -- (for
every mighty one there is a mightier one) - who had
become extraordinarily powerful t hrough their
worship (Upasana), were sorely discontented and dug
their own grave with their jealousy towards each
others and cravings for other's property, how much
contentment can the h4an secure through his petty
power of worship? Me becomes green with envy when
he comes across someothers who are more advanced
than he, in worship. He is pining away because of his
many unfulfilled desires.
For the Man who spends most of his time in
making a living, after sleep has taken its share, only
a small portion of time is left over; is it not? How
many among the unlimited number of aspects of God
71 Love or Bhakti
can be worshipped everyday in such a limited time
available to him? According to the auspiciousness of
the day the worship of Goddess Lakshmi, eats away
most of the available time on Tuesdays and Fridays;
the worship of Shiva eats away Mondays and
'Thursdays; the worship of the N-ine Planets
(Navagrahrrs) eats away Saturdays; the worship of Sun
eats away Sundays. Also on the other six days other
Gods have to be worshipped as well! Anyway even on
Wednesdays they all have to be attended to in
addition to the special Gods! How can he do full
justice to his desire of worshipping all those Gods
everyday?
In spite of its liking for diversitv, the mind is
able to attach itself to one name and form of God in
preference to another. On this principle, a special
liking towards one of the Gods will readily grow in
the Man, even in the midst of his multiple worships.
Naturally with great delight and love 11e spends more
time in worshipping that particular aspect of God
which attracts him more. Consequently he finds that
his interest towards some other names and forms of
God is decreasing more and more. Resides, he feels
that it is important to attend the different yearly
festivals held in different holy places in hoi~our of one
or the other Gods that he worships regularly in his
home. Which is to be attended to and which one not?
When through his destiny (Prarabdl za) some
difficulties and miseries start to rise in his life, he
begins to think that they are due only to his aforesaid
negligence towards the worship of those Gods; but
72
really it may not be so. His present destiny
(Prarabdlza) is a portion of the fruit of those karmas,
knowingly or unknowingly done in the past. None
of these Gods that he now worships will or can
interfere with his destiny.
For the performance of these worships it has
become necessary for him to maintain several kinds of
cleanliness, both of body and mind and also to take
some vows to be carried out in his daily life. IHow is it
possible for one who does not observe ceremonial and
personal cleanliness, to worship God? By maintaining
these kinds of cleanliness, not only many bad habits
including laziness but also many of his petty desires
had to take leave of him. The anecdote given in,
Appendix III about the ultimate purpose of observing
'Personal cleanliness (Acharas)' was once narrated by
Sri Bhagavan Ramana and was recorded in its essence
form by Sri Muruganar in verse 680 of ' Guru Vnclzakn
Kovni'. Our Man is having now a pure way of life and
has gained the habit of depending upon God. But, yet,
not having sufficient time and energy for his worship
of so many names and forms of God (at home and
abroad)' not even for sleep, his mind is once more in
the grip of an increasing confusion. Thus, the Man
comes again to the Teacher.
"Swami, through your grace I have been
worshipping many different names and forms of God
according to your instructions. But, I have, neither the
time nor the ability to worship them all to their
satisfaction and to my heart's content. Because of this,
the worship of some of them has to be neglected and
73 Love or Bhakti
I often get into troubles and miseries. Unless I worship
all my Gods, all my desires will not be fulfilled; is it
not? Not knowing what to do about this, I came
seeking your help wit11 a confused mind. Is not there
a quicker and easier way to fulfil my desires ?' Thus
t11e Man enquires, with great hope, from the Teacher!
"Yes, there is! Listen to me. God is only one. The
one God alone is worshipped in different names and
forms, each of cvhich is said to have the particular
power to fultil a particular desire of the worshipper.
He is not many. Upto now have you not been
worshipping His many different names and forms
with love? Now tell me, towards which one of them
do you have the greater love. Whichever of them
attracts your inind most, that one is your Beloved
God (Isllta Deiclalrl)!" thus asked the Teacher.
Do we not love one particular deity more than
another among all those names and forms, such as
Shiva, Vishnu, Devi etc.? The non-Hindu readers also
have a preference towards a particular aspect of the
godhead of their own religion; is it not so? Let us now
suppose that particular aspect of the godhead loved
by the reader has been mentioned by the Man as his
Beloved God (Islzta Deivnm).
After thinking deeply, the Man mentions to the
Teacher Lord Krishna, the deity who all this time
had absorbed his mind and made him forget the
worship of others. Just as we have said at the
beginning of this chapter that 'the Teacherf stands for
the Vedas and 'the Man' stands for humanity, let us
assume from now on, that Lord Kri shna st ands
74
for the Beloved God (Isltta Deivani) worshipped by
the Man.
The Man adds, "The incarnation of Lord Vishnu,
the Whole, manifested through the young beautiful
blue lorin of Sri Krishna who came to protect the good
and destroy the evil-doer, who gave us the holy
Bhagavad Gita, is keeping my heart at His Feet!"
The Teacher says, "Yes; let Him be your Beloved
God. Sri Krishna is ;he only Supreme Thing! All this
time it was only He, who through different names and
forms received your worship and fulfilled your
different desires. Moreover, your attention was
divided between so many Gods that you were not able
to direct it fully towards one of them in particular. As
you have now understood that it was Sri Krishna
alone who acted through all other Gods, gather all
your attention and give it wholly to Him. 'To Him
alone ask whatever vou want - gold, wealth, learning,
children, success or whatever more you would like.
He is the 'Wish Yielding Tree (Kalpa Tari~)' that will
give you everything you wish for. Now your worship
has become easy; do it towards your 13eloved God to
your heart's content; get all your desires fulfilled and
be happy."
Hearing these words of the Teacher, the Man's
confusion was removed. He was now ensured of
having all his desires fulfilled by the one Beloved God
towards whom he can now give the whole of his
attention, and he is also relieved of the trouble of
worshipping other Gods, which he had done so far
without much interest. Having thus been instructed to
75 Love or Bhakti
worship the Belo~~ed God alone, the Man, after paying
homage to the Teacher, happily returns home.
The Man who is now worshipping only one
God - his Beloved God - is in the IIIrd standard of the
School where love (Bliakti) is purified. The practice of
knriizas was done in the I'[ standard. The worship of
different names and forms of God was performed in
the IPd standard. The tvorsl~ip of the one Beloved God
is performed in the IIIrL1 standard. The IIIrd standard
has two sections, (a): namely worship of God with
love for objects (Vislznya blznkti), and (b): with love for
God only (Deivrz blznkti). As our Man still has only the
lolle of objects, l ~ e is in the section (a) of the 111'"
standard.
"Not liking to go against the words of the great
Ones, 'E\ren when one wants mere food, clothes and
such small things for happiness or otherwise
Liberation (Mokslzn), the greatest thing, one should not
try to get it, but only by coming and asking You',
I have come to You, 0 Lord of Vadalur ...." Thus sings
Sri Ramalinga Swami.
As per the above words of Sri Ramalinga Swami
the Man seeks the fulfilment of all his different needs
and desires only from his Beloved God. What he loves
here are the objects, and his Beloved God is only the
helper; that is all! But his mind which all this time was
diverted towards many Gods and thereby weakened,
is now focussed on his one Belo\-ed God; that makes
his worship far more effective.
"Because the mind branches out into innumerable
thoughts, the power of attention of each thought
becomes very weak. As thought subskde more and
more, the mind becomes one-pointed and thereby
gains strength"
'Who Am I?' - Bhagavan Sri Ramana
The mind which is nothing but the reflectioi~ of
the Self, is a very great wondrous power in its pure
state. It is so powerful that it can create ancl see
anything which it thinks of intensely, in gross form.
The main point of Yoga is to collect the scattered
thoughts into one and fix the mind on that one
thought only. The worship of God is a means to focus
the mind on one point, setting aside the other
ii~numerable thoughts concerning one's daily activities
rising (in one) during the waking state. In the Path of
Love ( B l ~ n k t i M n r g ~ ) when such confidence in God:
"God will look after everything in my life; why should
I think and worry about it" increases, thousands of
unnecessary thoughts ~7i l l depart. But this alone is not
sufficient. The important point in Bhakti Yoga is to fix
the mind on oiw name and form of God, and not
change the worship from one name and form of God
to another and thereby allowing the mind to branch
out into so many thoughts and waver. On the other
hand, composing Bhajan-slogans such as,
"Rama Krishna Namo, Rahim.
Lambodara Sri Shunmukaya,
Bhama Mary Buddha Shiva,
Parvati, Allah Jesu Natl~a."
mentioning all names and forms of all Gods in all
religions and putting them together in the form of one
verse of 'Universal Prayer' or 'Japa' and recommending
77 Love or Bhakti
all people to do Japa or recitation ot it, will not be
a sadhana in Blzakti Margn? In doing so, the mind will
not become one-pointed but will only become
scattered. An interreligious Bhajan like this can be
useful to a certain extent to religious reformers as
a contrivance to point out that God who is worshipped
under so many names and forms in different religions
is one only; to the secular masses who, not having the
right discrimination, take to religious fanaticism
and preaching, and who by doing so, only quarrel
among themselves and waste their time and energy
away; but, for an aspirant (Sadhnkn) who wants to
attain God, this shall in no way be the spiritual
practice (Sadlzni~n)! Through this practice the mind
cannot cling to anyone of the names and forms of
God. The right sign that one has understood that
God is one only, is one's clinging to one God only.
Spelling and singing so many different names of
God, only betrays the lack of faith and understanding
of the oneness of God!
The worshp of his Beloved God under a particular
n.ame and form, becomes a way for him to see the
formless Supreme in that form.
"...One may worship in whatever form giving
whatever name ... it is a way to see the Supreme in
that name and form."
- Ulladu Narpadu, verse 8.
Though his love is towards objects (Vislzaya
blzakti), only because of the intensity of his worship,
along with the fulfilment of his desires, he is even able
to see his Beloved God, Sri Krishna in person
78
whenever he calls upon Him. "If one has so much
earnestness and love, one can rouse God-consciousness
even in a stone." Sri Ramakrishna said once! Here
let us remind the readers our statement on page 29
that all we see outside is only within!
In ansu7er to the appeal of Sri Arunagiri Nathar,
Lord Subrahmanya appeared in person in a pillar in
front of all those present including the king. In his
third year Sri Jnana Sambandha called 'Appa and
Amma' (father and mother) and Lord Shiva and
Parvati appeared before him in persons and gave him
Divine Milk. Sri Sundaramoorti, one of the 63 saints,
called Lord S1-~iva when in need of whatever it
happened to be - gold, rice, house, wife and he
received it! From his very young age Sri Nam Dev of
Pandharpur was able to eat, live and play with Lord
Vittal. Sri Ramakrishna was able to live with Mother
Kali Devi like a child lives with his mother. Many
more are such incidents i n which so many great
devotees"' were able to enjoy the association with God
in person in His different names and forms, to prove
that one can through one's devotion see God in person
as the Man did. In the West, Saint Theresa of Lisieux,
a Roman catholic nun, had the constant company of
the Child Jesus.
As his beloved Krishna answers him whenever
he calls Him, the Man was able to get all his desires
fulfilled. When we see daily in front of us that man,
+ It is only to prove that one can see God in his different names
and forms that those great Ones are mentioned here. Let not
the reader be inistaken into the idea that those great Ones
belong to the III standard (a) in our School !
79 Love or Bhakti
who is an insignificant and powerless ego, is able to
help another who is equally insignificant and
powerless, is it impossible and is it not a wonder that
God, the All-powerful helps such a man? According to
what we have already mentioned. "We see our Self as
God, world and soul only through the creative power
of our mind", the very moment one think that one is
a Jeeva (individual soul) different from God, the
gracious "Hands" of that God stretch out to help one
and pull one back to the Supreme Knowledge of
oneness through ever so many ways. Thus the Man is
able to see his Beloved Krishna and associate with
Him. Though his Beloved Krishna often appears to
him, He deliberately does not fulfil some of his
desires: for, the Man is not able to discriminate
between what is good and what is bad for himself.
Moreover, God will not allow his ego to wax more
and more in arrogance by thinking : "My Beloved
Krishna is there to grant me whatever I want". This is
why in His Divine Play (Leela), the Lord either refuses
to fulfil some of his desires or He fulfils them in such
a way that their fulfilment will bring troubles in their
train. We should not forget that, there were such
incidents even in the life of those saints whom we
mentioned above.
In order to marry Sangili Nachiyar Saint
Sundaramoorti requested Lord Shiva to leave the
temple and to reside for one day under a certain tree.
Lord Shiva's compliance with his request resulted in
the loss of both eyes by the devotee later on. In order
to reward the spirit of service of Saint Appar, which
was lacking in Sri Jnanasambandha, Lord Shiva gave
80
both of them a gold coin of equal value. But later on
when the coins were tested by the goldsmith, Sri
Jnanasambandha's coin was found to be of less value.
On being ridiculed by Saint Gorakumba as "The
unbaked clay pot" in the assembly of Sages, Nam Dev
was very offended and went to his Beloved God, Vittal
for support, but He also joined with his scoffers and
confirmed him to be an "Unbaked clay pot"! There are
many more such examples.
Many are those whose further progress is
retarded and who are wasting their time, even lives
altogether, after attaining the stage in which the Man
now is, thereby losing the right path. They boast:-
"Look! I have seen God! The Goddess appears to me in
person! ...Look! Lord Seeta-Ranla n e ~ ~ e r to fails
respond to my calls !... Truly, whenever I call, Lord
Subrahinanya readily comes and at t ends to my
needs!!..." I assure you that 1 can do anything for
allybody with the help of my beloved God!!! ...", thus
they gather a crowd around them and distribute
sacred ashes ( Vi bl ~oot i )and ' Kz~lnkunl' !This is
downright foolishness. If one's ego has subsided, at
least to such an extent that one understands "God who
is gracious to me is ever gracious to others also; God
who helps me, equally helps others.", this kind of
downfall will not happen in one's life. Only such an
ego which is unwilling to subside and rather very
willing to jump up, easily gets caught by the
infatuation of Siddlzis (thaumaturgic powers) and
becomes a slave to the vile courtesan of flatteries,
losing the right purpose of this human life.
"Even though all the worlds are renounced as
a straw and all the Scriptures (the Vedas) are at
81 Love or Bhakti
their finger tips, for those who are caught by the
vile courtesan of flattery it is indeed very difficult
to free themselves from being a slave to Her
(Maya) ."
Thus, warns Sri Ramana in vcrse 37 of the
Supplement to Ullirdzi Na~padli.
When others come to know of such individual
who sees God in person, they without doubt, believe
him to be a God-realized man, although he has not
even achieved love for God (Daivrz blzlzkti), i.e., one
who has not yet been promoted to standard IIIrd (b),
and oidy has love towards worldly objects and name
and fame (Vislznya blznkfi), i.e., ~vho is still in standard
111'" (a). Why should they not! Simply because they too
are craving for worldly objects and also want divine
help just as the student of II"" standard does! Among
those who flock to him, many may be great scholars
holding uni~lersity degrees or, they may hold very
high positions in society or, they may be immensely
rich! He leads them just like the blind leads the blind!!
Let us now see the state of the Man (our Man,
the humanity)) who is presently living in the holy
company of his Beloved Krishna. He still wants
worldly objects; therefore his love is still Slislzaya blzakti
and his Beloved God is still only the means. Many
births may roll on in this way. Yet, as the Supreme Sat
Himself graciously gives His coinpany to the Man in
the name and form of his Beloved God, this
association becomes the precious Sat-Sang*.
*
Sat-sang does not mean a mere gathering of those who look upon
tl~emselvesas good people. Sri Bhagavan used to say, "Sat-Sang
means association with Sat-Truth, the Reality. It also mean the
association with those who have realised the Truth - Sat."
82
"By association with Sat -the Truth, the attachment
(towards worldly objects) goes away ..."
- 'Ulladu Narpadu - Supplement' - verse 1.
Is there a more intense Sadlzatza better than Sat-
Sang to protect and, lead us? Although he does not
know how, the Man, by being near his Beloved
Kri sl ~na and i n his constant Divine company, is
gradually losing the impurity of his mind which
becomes clear. I t is the same Vedas who stood all this
time as his Teacher who now is standing before him as
his Beloved God who, sometimes fulfilling his desires
and sometimes not, matures him t hrough many
re-births. From the change nou7 occurring in his mind,
we can understand his growing maturity.
I-It. reflects :- "What a wonder! bJhenever I call,
my Lord Krishna appears condescendingly before me.
Whatever I ask, He gives. Even my mother and father
have not given me so much love and compassion.
Is there anyone else who loves me so much? How can
1 express my gratefulness in return? What does He
need fro111 me? Nothing! How little do I love Hiin who
loves ine so much without obligation or indebtedness,
without expectation and wit11 no reason in particular.
So great is His love for me from my Lord Krishna! But
from me, so much love is on worldly objects! Is this
gratefulness? Shame on me! Really, I do not love Him
even with a thousandth of the love He gives me. I beg
and trouble Him for so many things. Is this my love
for my Beloved God? Alas! Shame! This is only love
for object; not the Love for God! I am the Jeeva who
cannot even breathe but through His Grace. This
83 Love or Bhakti
wealth is given by Him; the health is enjoyed by His
Grace. My intelligence is also due to His Grace; it is
only with all these that I am worshipping Him. Yet
I say, 'I have done this worshjp; the fruit must be
given to me'! "Is this not an unfair trading? How
mean am I!"
"Now I understand that He knows even my
future wants and, that He had been preparing for their
fulfilment long before I even came to know about
those wants. If so, that means that He is anxious and
gracious towards me even before I become anxious to
pray to Him for them. As He is All-knowing, He
understands what I need and when I need them and,
as He is All-powerful, He fulfils everyone of those
needs. He knows and fulfils only because He is All-
love! Then what should I ask and, why should I ask?
By informing Him of my needs, I degrade t he
All-knowing to not-knowing; by complaining about
my miseries for relief, I degrade the All-powerful to
powerlessness; and by demanding its fruit, I use my
worship as cash to buy the love from Him who is All-
love! What I do to Him is only a three-fold dishonour.
Such is my gratefulness! Is this Love for God (Daiua
Blznkti)? To hell with me! I will no longer ask anything
from Him. Now I will ask Him for HIM alone, whose,
gracious Hands are caring for me and bringing me up.
From today onwards HE is my only need; let me
inform Him of my decision."
So, he goes to the shrine and calls his beloved
Krishna.
A Young child takes in his small hand the food
served to him by his mother and tries to feed her. He
84
The Path of Sri liamana - Part TWO
does this out of love for his mother. Througl~out all
this time the nature of the worship of the Man was
like the feeding of the child, it was not done out of
love for his Beloved God, but out of love for worldly
objects. The worship that he has been doing along till
now was in no way better than the offering of His
own toe to the treacle Ganesh*! On account of this
ignorance for the nature of his parent's love, a child
demands for this or for that. But, when he grows up
into adult, he underst ands that his parents are
providing everything for him and even for his future
prospects, he then, no longer asks for anything as l ~ e
used to do as a child. So also, as the discrimination of
our Man has now matured, his decision not to pray
for anything worldlv objects has been brought about
by the correct knowledge that God is All-knowing,
All-powerful and All-love.
1-11sBeloved Krishna, who had been gradually
purifying the feeling of love in him from the beast-
love (love for worldly objects) of the primitive man, to
his present state of Love for God, and also who
releascd him from the iinprisoninent of selfishi~ess
*
The story of the treacle Ganesh as told by Shri Bhagavan
Ramana:-
A certain poor traveller, a worshipper of Ganesh (Ganapathi),
not finding a temple of Gmcs11 anywhere to perform his daily
worship to the image before his mid-day meal, resolved to
make an Image out of the small quantity of treacle with him.
He then proceeded with the ritual and to his bewilderment he
found that he had nothing left for food-offering. So the simple-
111111ded wayfarer pinched out the toe of the idol and offered it
to his Gnnesh! And thus felt satisfied in his Pooja. What is the
meaning of the offering? Ganesh is gi\.en to Ganesh! In the
same manner, whatever we offer to God is neither our
property nor apart from Him.
85 Love or Bhakti
through right discrimination and dispassion, and
made him understand what exactly is the nature of
true Love for God; appears now before him as usua.1
and makes kind enquiries: "My child, what are you
lacking? Why do you call me so anxiously? What
happened to you?"
The Man answers:- "0Lord, forgive me for my
mistake of loving the objects of the world instead of
loving You, the perfect Love Itself."
"0Annamalai, Form of Love itself! Thou hast
claimed me who have no such love to make me
think of Thee and pine for Thee and melt me like
fire melts wax. Does it befit Thee now to let me
waste away by failing to bestow upon me the love
for Thee? 0 Bliss born out of Love! 0Nectar
springing up in the heart of Thy devotees! What
can I say to Thee! Thy will is my will and that
itself is my happiness, 0 Lord of my life!
-'Sri Arunachala Pathikam' - verse 2
"0Supreme! I am the foremost of those who do
not have such excellent discrimination as to give
up all worldly attachments and cling only to Thy
Feet. Taking all my burden as yours, ordain the
'mine' in all actions to cease. What indeed can be
a burden to Thee that sustaineth the whole
universe? 0 Lord, enough of the trouble I have
had by leaving Thee and by bearing the burden of
this world on my head. 0 Arunachala, who art
the Lord! Think no more of keeping me away
from Thy Feet."
- 'Sri Arunachala Pathikam'- verse 9 '
86
"0Arunachala, like a magnet attracts iron and
cannot release it, attract me and without leaving
me, be ever in union with me."
-'Arunachala Akshararnanamalai' - verse 16.
"0 Arunachala, as ice dissolves in water (and
becomes water), dissolve me in Love, in Thee, the
form of Love."
-'Arunachala Aksharamanamalai' - verse 101.
"0Annamalai, the 17ery moment Thou didst claim
me, Thou didst take as Thine my body and soul.
Can I have then any grievance for myself? As both
merit and demerit cannot exist without Thee, I do
not thii-tk of them but of Thee only. 0 my (Real)
Soul, do whatever that Thou wilt. Grant me, 0
Beloved, only ever increasing love for Thy Feet."
"From now onwards there is no such thing for
me as a need in my life. Let anything take place in my
life as you will "
". . . all such sorts of ups and downs, happiness or
misery, prosperity or poverty, honour or
dishonour, fame or ill-fame.. ."
The only need is You alone; fulfill that one need
of mine, my Lord!
-Sri Ramalinga Swamy.
The Man who was studying all this time in the
IIPn standard (a) having Vi sl l ayn blzakti and the Beloved
God as the means, feels now love for his Beloved
God. While in IIFd standard (a), although he appealed
87 Love or Bhakti
to his Beloved God, his feeling of love was scattered
towards so many worldly objects - for the love of
objects - only, and not for the love of God. As the
scattered love was transferred away from objects and
directed towards his Beloved God, the love now
becomes a powerful arrow which is shot out to his
Beloved God. The shooting of this arrow (of love) is
his promotion to the IIFd standard (b). By experiencing
all ei~joyments as the gifts of his Beloved Krishna
throughout many births, the Man now, finds out the
truth that the fire of desires cannot be extinguished
with the oil of objects. Thus lie gets perfect dispassion
(Vnirngyn). The discrimination to love the Giver
rather than the gift now dawns in him. Thus, he gets
the pure Love for God (Dniva Bhnkt i ). He now has
perfect dispassion and pure love; with these two
wings he flies fast towards his Target.
Does not his Beloved God know what to grant
and how to grant to the true devotee, our Man, who
after renouncing everything and forgetting everything,
now stands before Him praying "0 my Lord, give
Yourself to me and take possession of me"? Will not
the Lord, who, during all this time, when the devotee
lived in ignorance, fulfilled even his petty desires; now
answer his present whole-hearted, supreme appeal?
He takes a first step to lead the devotee further on the
path, and to answer his appeal; the Gracious loving
form in which He used to stand before him,
disappears! Although he calls Him ever so many
times, his Beloved God never appears again! When the
worldly objects, which have been discarded with the
rising of right discrimination in him, are no longer
able to attract him, and, because of the true love that
8 8
has blossomed in him, the only attracting thing is his
Beloved God. What is he now to do, when even He
(His Divine Form) disappears? In what state of intense
restlessness and suffering will he be? Will he not feel
the pang of separation ? Now his heart cries out in
prayer:-
"0Beloved... if Thou, who hast already claimed
me through Thy Grace, now does not show
Thyself to me who am in agony in this world of
cruel illusion because of the wistful longing for
Thee, what will happen to me when this body
dies? 0 Sun to the suns, can the lotus blossoin
whithout seeing the Sun?".
- Sri Arunachala Pathikam' Verse 1
"Protect me; be my support so to cling that I may
not droop down like a tender creeper left without
a support".
-'Arunachala Aksharamanamalai' - verse 72
"For whose sake didst Thou win me? If now Thou
dost forsake me, the world will blame Thee".
- 'Arunachala Aksharamanamalai' - Verse 4.
"Escape this blame. Why didst Thou then make
me think of Thee? Now who can leave the otl~er?"
"0the One that bestows LOVE which is greater
than that of one's own mother, is this then Thy
Love?
- 'Arunachala Aksharamanamalai' - Verse 6
"Bestow Thy Grace upon me; do not tarnish Thy
blemishless fame of giving unasked!"
89 Love or Bhakti
"Thou of angerless nature! What wrong have
I done that Thou hast made me the target of Thy
wrath?"
"Soitening more and more and melting through
intense devotion I entered Thee as my refuge.
Then Thou didst stand unmoved!"
"In me, who had no love for Thee, Thou roused
attraction for Thee. Do not cheat me now; bestow
Thy Grace upon me."
"There is no use of a fruit that is over ripe and
spoilt. That alone is good to eat it when it is
properly ripe; come and eat it (me)."
- 'Arunacl~ala Aksharamanamalai' - Verse 61
"Unless Thou dost give Thyself to me and take me
so that I may no longer suffer, Thou art Yama
(Death) to me!"
-'Arunachala Aksharamanamalai' - Verse 62.
"Do Thou mature me with Thy look on me, Thy
thought on me and Thy touch on my body and
graciously make me Thine."
"Who was it (but Thee) that ruined my living by
throwing mud into my mouth?"
"Who was it, who, unknown to anyone, allured
me and stole away my mind?"
"Thou hast delivered me from the madness for the
world and hast turned me into a mad man having
madness for Thee. Now, the medicine to cure this
madness also is Thy Grace."
"Like an unexorcizable ghost Thou possessed me
and turned me into a ghost so that my ghostliness
may cease. What a wonder it is!
"Unless Thou dost embrace me, my body will
melt into water through anguish and I shall be
lost in the river of tears."
"If Thou dost reject me, spurningly saying 'Chi',
the Karmas done in the past, present and future
will burn me; else, pray, tell me in which way can
I be saved?"
"Shouldst Thou forsake me, I will be miserable.
So, do bless me that when I leave the body I do
not lose hold of Thee".
"When will the wave of thought in me cease so
that I may reach Thee, the most minute as well as
the most great?"
- '.4runachala Aksharamanamalai' - Verse 57.
"I am one of mean intellect and prays only when
overwhelmed by misery. Yet bestow Thy Grace
upon me; do not cheat me."
- -
- -
91 Love or Bhakti
"By which power can I, who am less than a dog,
seek Thee and attain Thee?"
"If, without responding, Thou remaineth silent
like a stone, does this silence befit Thee?"
"When I approached Thee as my only God and
Protector, Thou didst utterly annihilate me!"
"Do shower upon me Thy delightful Grace before
the fire of ardent longing for Thee, burns me to
ashes!"
"0my Beloved God, Ramana, do come to me and
let me consult You and act at your command in
every action i n my daily life, even in placing
a thing, taking a thing, getting up, sitting down,
going somewhere or not going, doing something
or not doing, drinking water or not drinking,
liking a thing or disliking it and in so many other
such things".
- Sri Ramanan Varuhai *- Verse 81.
Why does not God now appear to His devotee?
When the Man asked, "Give Yourself to me", did he
really know what his Beloved God was? He did not!
HE alone knows it. Because the Man thinks that this
name and form is He ;he wants to get only that
* A poetical work composed by the author when he was
anguishly longing to see Shri Ramana in form after Sri
Bhagawan's Nirvana in 1950.
92
beloved name and form; but God is not ready to cheat
His devotee by granting him what he wants. The aim
of God is to give him what He really IS.
Out of the five aspects of Bralznzan - Existence,
Consciousness, Bliss, Name and Form - (Sat-Chit-
Alzanda-Na17za-R00pa), the first three, Existence,
Consciousness and Bliss are the Real aspects and the
remaining two, Name and Form are the unreal aspects.
All this time the Man was only enjoying the holy
company of the unreal aspect of Bralztnan, one of His
names and forms. But as soon as this name and form
vanishes, the Man who believes it to be the 'real
nature' of his Beloved God, thinks that he has lost his
God, and suffers from the pangs of separation. This
great suffering in him is due to the absence of the
knowledge of the real aspects of Bralzman-Existence,
Consciousness and Bliss, t he real nat ure of t he
Supreme.
"For Thee I am longing, but without the true
knowledge, and I am weary! Do Thou grant me
the Supreme Knowledge of Thee, so That my
weariness may go, 0 Arunachala."
Knowing that the present pangs of separation of our
Man are due to his love for Him (God) and this in turn
is due to not having the right knowledge of His reality,
(Real Nature) and that the only remedy for this is to
bestow upon him the Supreme Knowledge; God
withdraws from the sight of the Man His unreal
aspects, the name and form.
The Man now wonders aimlessly like an insane;
sometimes walking, sometimes stopping, endlessly
93 Love or Bhakti
and untiringly cries out in agony and calls "Krishna,
0 Krishna" in low or high pitch, he has become God-
mad having no thoughts for wife, children, house or
work, but he remains drowned in the meditation on
his Beloved Krishna Who has overwhelmed him even
without his effort! This Man who is now suffering
from the pangs of separation, is just in the same state
of mind as Saint Appar on his way to see Lord Shiva
in Kailas; Sri Ramakrishna who even tried to kill
himself weeping for his Divine Mother Kali; Sri
Chaitanya who became mad for Sri Krishna; Sita who
when imprisoi~ed in Lanka (Ceylon) was longing for
Sri Rama and Bharata who searched for Sri Rama in
the forest. Sometimes even some more lives (Jllnmns)
may pass in this state of pangs of separation!
However much, one is able to get the company
of one of the names and forms of God, that cannot be
the state of permanent attainment of God; soon or
later that name and form will have to vanish.
"... realizing one's own truth in the truth of that
True Thing (the Supreme) and being one with It,
having been resolved into It, is the true Seeing
(realization). Thus should you know".
- 'Ulladu Narpadu' - Verse 8.
Realising the oneness of one's own Self as the
true nature of God and to merge into It without any
residue of individuality, alone is the true seeing and
the true attainment of God. Is it not? Therefore, his
(the devotee's) Beloved God, the Supreme, wishes to
give him undeceivingly that State, the one Thing
which is the simultaneous completion of all his efforts
94
and the fulfillment of all the desires. How to bestow
this upon him?
" Just as a wild deer is decoyed with a tamed one.. ."
-Thayumnavar.
One who wants to catch the wild deer takes the
tamed one with him to the forest, as well as one who
wants to catch a wild elephant takes the tamed one
with him to the fdrest. Unless the wild deer or
elephant sees its own kind, it will not come out freely.
Likewise, knowing that it will be difficult to make the
Man realize the Truth, unless He, the Supreme is born
within the womb of a mother, with all the limitations
of a human body just as the Man is, and has inherent
in him the bond- relationship of Master-disciple (Guru-
sislzya) built within the temple (the body). This is the
Guru-incarnation.
It is typical when the Supreme takes a body on
earth as the Guru-incarnation, that everything is
planned for the Man as well as for others who are
mature enough and longing after God like him, to be
born in such places and circumstances, either near or
far from the Guru, but that will give them the
opportunity to meet the Guru and associate with Him.
As we have presented for the sake of convenience the
whole humanity as the Man, the whole Vedas as the
Teacher and Sri Krishna as the one Beloved God out of
the different names and forms of God, at this point
when the Man is meeting his Guru, let us present his
Guru as Sri Ramana.
"Why are you so sorry? What happened to you?"
When asked by Lord Vittal, Namdev replied, "That
Love or Bhakti 95
a potter tried to sound my head with his wooden
stick; I prevented him; so he insulted me by calling me
'an unbaked claypot'!"
"Did he sound others' head also?"
"Yes, he did; they did not object; but is it proper
that he should have done so on my head also? Am
I not your great devotee? And so, am I not loved by
you?"
"This is wl-tere you are wrong! Your ego, by
thinking thus, 'I am God's devotee; my devotion is
oreat; I am God's beloved', grows and expands. Since
0
it was my responsibility to return love for love, it was
not possible for me to correct ~ O L Iand teach you the
True Knowledge. Thus, you were petted and spoilt by
me. Just as parents send their children to others for
learning, now I have to send you to your Guru to
acquire humility and Knowledge. Till then, you
certainly are an 'ui-tbaked claypot'!" Thus was the
verdict of Lord Vittal of Pandarpur, Namdev's Beloved
God.
"What! Is there one greater than You, called the
Guru?"
"Yes, the baking of the clay pot i.e., acquiring
Self-Knowledge cannot be done through me, I am your
Beloved God, who is like a father and mother to you.
It can only be done by Guru. Your Guru is there, living
in a dilapidated temple in the nearby forest. Go to Him"
Because Namdev had been put to shame in the
assembly of Sages as well as by Lord Vittal, he felt
very anxious that he must acquire the True knowledge
96
at all cost. So he left his Beloved God and entered the
forest. As he approached the dilapidated temple, he
saw an old lnan lying there with his legs stretched out
on the Sllii~nli~zgalll. Taken aback by the sight which in
his view was sacrilegious, he thought: "Lord Vittal
informed me that this old Inan is the Guru who is to
teach me the Supreme k~owl edge; but, it seems that he
does not even know this simple truth, that no one
s!~ould stretch out one's legs on to Slzivalil~gatn.~~ So he went
near.
"Come near; are you not the one sent by Vittal?"
said the old man! On hearing this, Namdev though
was baffled, replied abruptly: "Swami, j70u seem to
have the knowledge of past, present and future, how is
it then, that you do not seem to know that you should
not stretch out your legs on the Sliiz~alingniii?"
No matter how great is the devotion, a mind
without humility is unfit to meet the Guru or to reap
the real fruit of meeting Him. Has it not been seen
more than once* i n the presence of Sri Ramana
*
(I) Once a de\,otee, a social reformer, complained to Sri,
Bhagavan Ramana that equality was not observed in the
Ashram dining hall. Sri Bl ~agavai ~ replied, "When you have
coine to this place in order to get peace of mind, attend to that
oi~ly". ?he devotee retorted, "I would like to bring equality to
the whole world" Sri Bl~agavan then remarked humorously, "If
you can do so, it is good" Then, when the whole world is
refdrmed, will not this place be also reformed since it is also in
the world?" But the devotee continued adamantly, "1 want to
start my service now from this very place!" At this point Sri
Bhagavan exclaimed, "Ah, what a pity! Why do you disturb
your mirtd so much uiu~ecessarily?" and graciously advised,
"Go to sleep; there only all are equal !" Thus He gave his
wolds of grace of proiound significance.
Love or Bhakti 97
Bhagavan that, some of those who came to be taught,
actuallv began to ieach Sri Bhagavan and some of
those who came to serve Him, and began to boss over
Him? An immature nlind can behave towards the
Guru only in this way! It will even try to find fault
with 1-11s (the Guru) d a i l ~ activities and set them right,
just as Namdev did. Since it is the Supreme Himself
who has now coine in a human form as the Guru, He
does not mind, ej t l ~er the ignorant criticism of the
devotees or their glorifying ecstasies (eulogizes). In
the same manner this old man replies with great
patience to the question of Namdev: "Is it so my
child? Are my legs on the Lingam? You see, because I
am so old I cannot see where my legs are. There are
no sensations in my legs; I am not able to move them;
so please, remove them and place them where there is
(Foot note continued from page 96)
(2) Once Sri Bhagavan Ramana mentioned humorously, "Those
who come here d o a great deal of t eacl ~i ng to me. So
I learn so many things from tl~enl." He the11 narrated, "Coming
here at first some show their love to their Bhagavan. They sing
and dance in ecstasy and declare, '0 Bhagavan, let me be your
slave', and start their service. Very soon their devotion grows
to such an extent that they make a great deal of fuss about my
diet telling me: 'T11at food is good for your health, and that is
not'.
After a month or ttvo, \vl~cn some ilcwcomers xrive, as
t hey themselves \\.ere once, cnine and present me some
eatables, hecause of' their great lo\~e for me, they (the prior) put
some conditions to my taking them. Should I take a little
anyway to please the gi~rer, they condemn? Why 'This is not
good; this is not to be taken'. When another few rnonths have
passed, I become afraid to disobey them, since their advice is
due to their great love for me. Then as usual, they beco~ne my
masters and I their slave. If one is a Swanni one should not
contradict others. What Smr~mil~ood is, can only be experienced
when one is a Swan~i !"
98
The Path of Sri Ran~ana- Part Two
no Lingaln". As Na~ndev believed that the Guru had
accepted the rebuke, he at once happily grasped the
feet of the old man and placed them where there was
110 Liizgai11. What a wonder! A Lilzgallz spro~tc' d under
the feet of the old man. No matter how often and
where the legs were placed, a Lingartl would sprout
under them! Perl~aps, Namdev's mind was mature
enough tl~rough his association with Lord Vittal, in all
other aspects, except in humility, it was waiting only
for the touch of the Philosopher's Stone (Sparsa Vedi).
As soon as he had this chance of touching his Guru's
Feet so many times, his heart awakened. Since he
couldn't find any unholy place to rest the Feet of his
Guru, he came to the co~~i l usi on that his very head,
was the only ui~holy place. Thus, reaching the pinnacle
of humility, he placed the Feet of his Guru on his own
head! What is to happen now? Naindev became
a S11ii)lzlirlgr;rn that is, he realises the non-dual Truth,
the Self -. Slzisla.
It is to be noted here that, tt1oug11 Nclmdev
recognised that every space (for second and third
persons) are a place for the Sl z i val i ngam; the True
Ki~owledge did not blossom in him, until his attention
was drawn to his own SELF, the first person, by the
action of placing the Feet on his own head. Only then
the Truth was realised. This clearly proves the
'teaching of Sri Bl~agavan Ramana that, unless one
experiences one's Self, the knowledge that everything
is Ri-alzwzaiz cannot be perfect and true; although one
accepts that everything is Bral ~rl zat ~ and tries to see the
world as such; it ;\:ill be only an imagination.
Love or Bhakti 99
"...when the first person (ego) ceases to be,
through enquirv into the truth of the first person,
the second and third persons come to an end. That
state of Being in which all (I, 11 and 111 persons)
shine as one, is the true nature of the Self"
--IJlladu Narpadu, - Verse 13.
Namdev now having the True Knowledge went
home. After some days Lord Vittal Himself came to his
house and asked, "Why don't you come to see me
now-a-days?" Namdev replied, "0Lord, whv this test
on me still? Where am I now? As You alone are,
I am not! Then, where and when am I not with you?"
"Now this clay 3ot is baked!" T11us exclaimed Lord
Vittal and vanished.
Is it not clear from this story that even the love of
the Beloved God has a limit and that the beloved (;cd
has to send His devotee to a Guru to acquire tlic
Supreme Knowledge? Let us now turn to our Man.
His Beloved God, for whom the Man is pitjrfully
searching for and wandering about, takes a huinax~
form in Tiruchuli, a village which is somewhere in
a remote corner of this vast world; born as a child of
a certain couple called Sundaram Iyer and Alagammal.
As this is the Supreme Thing that now takes a human
body, only with the purpose of graciously teaching the
True Knowledge to the world, under the pretence that
the fear of death has to overcome Him, and that He was
engaged in Self-enquiry; thus giving room to others to
write His life history, and to interpret this as the cause
of His realization; yet shining ever as He was, IS and
will be - He came to Arunachala, which is nothing but
100
The Path of Sri Rarnana - l'art Two
a magnified gross form (Vislrvaroopa) of the human
form, under the cover of which the Supreme Thing is
now acting, and awaiting for our Man.
Some friends came to see our Man who
(according to us is studjring in the ITTrLi standard (b) of
the School), now has the perfect maturity for desiring
only his Beloved God, and is shouting, "Krishna,
Krishna", they advised him: "You are panting for your
Beloved God; don't you know that it is said by Sages
that without a Guru one cannot obtain God? Listen, in
Tiruvannamalai there is one Ramana who is glorified
by many as a Realized Sage, the embodiment of Love;
why don't you go to Him and pray to Him to help
you to get back your Beloved God"?.
"Is it so? Then let me go and see Him", so saying
the Man went to meet his Guru.
A l ~uman form is sitting in front of him. That
form, although overbrin~ming with love even for the
wicked, seems to be indifferent to the many that come
and go. Though, like a magnet It attracted the Man
and brought him into His presence, His face exposes
no outward signs of such Grace, as neither like nor
dislike, rather i t is like a mere witi~ess. h7ith such
a display of disguise the Guru appears to the Man. But
what is i t that is sitting in front of him? It is his
Beloved God, a magnetic hill of Love that attracts the
soul, whom he had been worshipping all these dais with
pure Love, and for whom he has come after renouncing
everything - body, relatives and world, as if they were
mere straw; is it not? Though outwardly a human
form, is i t not his Beloved God that now draws him
101 Love or Bhakti
so? The Man fell at His Feet and stood up again. This
attraction that he now feels towards this human form,
is not due to a previous acquaintance with it, bat to
the unbroken link with Him throughout so many lives.
After his first meeting with Sri Ramakrishna
it became impossible for Narendra to remain without
seeing Him, at least once a week. What attracted
Narendra an educated youth who lived in Calcutta,
a city full of so many attractive things, towards
Sri Ramakrishna who had neither education, nor he
had handsome appearance or wealth, but looked like
an old man and acted like a mad man to do and see?
It is worth noting here what Swami Vivekananda
(Narendra) once said about the great power of
attraction of his Guru, "No matter how much I tried to
control my mind through the reasoning of my
educated intellect, it would fly to Him". Our Man
whose heart also had been stolen away by the Guru,
laments to Bhagavan Ramana: "I wrorshiprec! Sri
Krishna and had His d a r s l ~a l ~. To Him who appeared to
me whenever I called, I was so foolish to ask only for
worldly objects until one day, through His Grace, I
understood my foolishness. From that day I wanted to
love Him only for the sake of love and I let Him knew
that I no longer desired any of the things in any of the
worlds, 'You alone are my need!'. But, after praying
thus to Hirn, alas, from that day He disappeared nelrer
to appear again, no matter how much I cried, tried
and panted for Hjm. Graciously bless me, so that I
may have Him for ever. I heard from elders that God,
the eternal Reality can be obtained only with the help
of a Guru; so I have now come to You. Do help me!"
102
Guru :- What! Did your God disappear? If He is the
eternal Reality, how can He disappear? And
if, as you have said, His form disappeared,
how can it be the eternal Reality?
Man :- 0 Bhagavai~,1 am saying only the truth!
Truly He appeared before me and gave me
His holy company, and truly He
disappeared. Please do not doubt me.
Guru :- Yes, what you say is correct. His appearing
to you was as real as Elis djsappearing; but
'appearing-disappearing', that is not the real
nature of Truth. Whatever comes is bound
to go. If it is said that something has come
or appeared, it means that it was not there
before, and, if it js said that it has gone or
disappeared, it means that it is not there
after. Then, how can that thing which has
a coming and going and exists only within a
particular time and a particular space, be
God, the Thing Eternal, unbound by time
and space? You have asked me to help you
to attain the Reality which ever exists. It is
for you now to discriminate and come to
the right conclusion, as to what is that
Reality. Then only my help for you to attain
that, will be worthy. It is useless to help you
to obtain again the same God with a name
and form which once appears only to
disappear. You must determine and tell me
exactly what you really want. I will even
give you hints to help you to find out what
is your aim.
Love or Bhakti 103
Man :- Then, what is the definition of Reality?
Guru :- Eternal - unchanging - self-shining. That
which is in all places and at all times
without appearing and disappearing, is the
Reality; that which never grows - changes
the form - or decays is the Reality; that
which shines without the need of any other
thing is the Reality. That alone is SAT. Now,
find out for yourself the thing which
satisfies those three conditions and tell me.
Man :- The whole universe which I see is definitely
bound by time and space undergoing
changes and liable to destruction. If so,
everything in the whole universe (sun,
moon and stars etc,) is proved to be false.
Even my Beloved God, since He appeared
and disappeared, does not satisfy the
definition of Sat, the Reality. How can I then
find out a thing which fulfils the conditions
of Reality?
Guru. :- Why don't you look whether you, the one
who is enquiring about all the things, that
would satisfy the definition of Truth, are not
satisfying these definitions? Who are you?
Man :- I too was born, grew up, will become old,
will die and disappear one day. Even I, am
subject to change and destruction.
Guru :- What do you mean? Were you born? What
was born; the body or you? Is it not the
body that was born, grew up, will die and
disappear? Are you the body?
Man:-
Guru:-
Man:-
Guru:-
Man:-
Guru :-
Man:-
Guru:-
Man:-
Guru :-
Man:-
ThePathof SriRamana-PartTwo
But...mybodydies!
If the body that dies is your possession,
whoareyou,thepossessor?
Yes, I, the possessor have to be different
from the body. I, who am able of thinking
and knowingthebody and otherthings,am
definitelyotherthanthebody.
What do you mean? Again, are you the
thinking mind? Is not your mind the form
of yourthoughts?
Yes,my mind thinks; arethese thoughtsthe
mind?
Remove all thoughts and see. There is no
suchthing asmind.Thevery form of mind
isthoughtsalone!
When there is no thought, there is nothing!
Then,whatisthere astheRealThing?
You, the knower of your thoughts - the
mind, are you not other than the mind?Is
not the mind which is known by you, your
possession?If so, find out whoyou - the
possessorof themind- areandwhat?
In the absence of mind there is nothing to
be known;but onlytobeawarethat thereis
nothought.
Were you not awareof the movements of
your thoughts?Now, in the same way are
younot awareof theirsubsidencetoo?
Yes, even the thoughtless, darkness...like
nothingnessisknowntome.
105 LoveorBhakti
Guru:- Do not both the states of tl~oughts and no
thoughts appear and disappear?Therefore,
11o.w can they satisfy the definition of
Reality?See,whether you, who thus know,
'This is manyness - this is nothingness
(stateof thoughts and stateof no-thought)'
aresatisfyingthedefinitionof Realityornot.
See, you were (once)a young child, but
now the form of your body is changed.The
contents of your then mind are also now
changed.But even in the midst of these
changes of body and mind, areyou not the
samewhoremained unchanged uptonow?
HasthisYOU undergoneanychange?
Man:- No. I am the same 'I' ; I am not another.
Yet, did this 'Ifexistbefore the birth of the
body?Will this 'I' existeven after the death
of thebody!WhoamI?
Guru:- Why doyou think so far ahead'? What do
you become in your sleep?Were you there
orwereyounot there?
Man :- I, whoamnot thebody and mind,ought to
be there insleep;but I am not aware of my
existencethere!
Guru:- What were you not aware of there?There
you were not aware only of your body,
mind and the world.Was your existence
itself not experienced by you? Accepting
your existence in sleep is indeed knowing
yourself also; for, Existence and Knowledge
are not different; they are one and the
106
same. When you wake up, do you not
remember t he nat ure of your existence
exactly as it was in sleep i.e., "I slept
happily well and I had not even a dream
there". Is not your statement, made after
you wake up, your knowledge of t he
experience of your existence in sleep? Are
not those two experiences, "I slept well;
I had not even a dream there" betraying
that you had t he kncwl edge of your
existence there? As the present waking
state, whi cl ~ is merely a state full of
thoughts - body, mind and worl d,
represents 'Mai~yness' (Sakala - Vyakta) and
the sleep which is devoid of body, mind
and world represents the ' Nothingness'
(Kevala - Avyakta), here and now you are
able to scrutji~ize and understand the nature
of birth and death. Therefore, the state in
which you were before the birth of the body
and will be after its death, should be clearly
known to you. Since, you are now able to
understai-td that you are existing as other
than the mi nd and body in sleep and
waking, then you can also understand that
you must be existing as other than mind
and body, even in the present life itself as
well as in both before the birth of the body
and after the death (which is nothing but a
state before birth) of the body.
Moreover, other than you, aids such as light,
senses and mind are required to know the world; but
107 LoveorBhakti
whatother aidsthanyourself doyouneedtobe aware
of your existence in sleep where there is nobody,
senses and mind? Nothing! To know your existence
youneed nootheraids.
Master :- Whichisthelight foryou?
Disciple:-For meby dayit is the sun; in the darkby
night alamp.
Master :- Whatisthe lightthat seesthelight?
Disciple:-Theeye.
Master :- What isthelightthat knowsit (theeye)?
Disciple:-Thelightisthemind.
hlaster :- What isthelight that knowsthemind?
Disciple:-It isI.
hlaster :- Therefore, you are the SupremeLight to
lights. (When the master instructed hiin
thus) the disciple realised 'THAT, verily
IAM'."
-'Ulladu Narpadu-Supplement' -Verse7.
Now, thus enquire intoyour ownnature which
satisfiesall thedefinitionsof theReality.
Man :- Yes, Ihave to come to the conclusion that
Iamthat Reality.Then,whowasmyBeloved
God who was giving me (Hi s Vision
Darslzrzn) whatever Iwanted all these years,
andwhom Ilovemorethanmylife?Whois
He?Was His compassion towards me and
all my sincere devotion for Him, mere false
feelingsandwere they in vain?Be gracious
to me and remove even this confusion of
mine.
108
Guru :- Should there be a thing called 'Love' other
than you, that thing would impair the
oneness of Reality. Therefore YOU indeed
are LOVE. Unless you are Love itself, can
Love be another existing thing? The
knowing of your Self (Sat) is spontaneously
ever present, because you are Knowledge
itself. So also, even any feeling of love in
you cannot be but you, because you are
Love itself.
Man :- A while ago, You graciously explained me
how I have the constant experience that
I am Knowledge itself. Will you now
graciously explain me how I have the
constant experience that I am Love also?
Guru :- Just as, by little scrutinising you were proved
that you have the experience that YOU (Sat)
are Knowledge (Chi t ) Itself, little enquiry
will prove that you have the experience that
YOU are LOVE (Al-zanda)also.
Man :- How shall I proceed?
Guru :- For the love of what did you come here? Is
it not for the love of your Beloved God?
Why were you loving Him? Is it not
because He was giving you whatever you
wanted? Suppose, He had been giving only
to others and not to you, would you have
come here for Him?
Man :- Though it may have been so, now, I love my
Beloved God for the sake of His love only.
Is this also selfishness?
109 Love or Bhakti
Guru :- You are now praying to Him, as if you have
no selfishness, that He should not give you
anything except that He should appear
before you and be with you. Suppose, you
came to know that He has been giving His
Darslznlz to all others, but has decided not to
appear ever before you; would YOU still
love Him? Thus it means that you are really
loving (having devotion for) "your" Self,
the target towards which the love of your
Beloved God is expected to turn. This is
why the Vedas proclaim, "It is for the sake
of the Self ( At t l l al z ) that everything is
dear...". So, Self is the dearest of all.
Man :- How strange this is! I have to came to the
conclusion after deep reflection that all my
love, including my love t owards my
Beloved God is self-centered!* That is all
very well. But, how then to account for such
a disinterested love shown towards me by
my Beloved God?
Guru :- Although He has nothing to gai n from
you, towards whom was His love ? Was it
not towards you? You, being the target of
love from bot h poi nt s - you and your
Beloved God - alone are aimed at. Is it not
clear to you then that the perfect form of
Love is YOU alone?*Justas you have found
out previously that you are the Knowledge
* For a nor e elaborate explanation please read The Path of
Shri Ramana-Part-I
110
that knows your existence, so now, you are
able to understand that the spontaneous
form of Love (both your Beloved God and
you) that loves you, is YOU alone. Thus
YOU, tlie Sat-Chit are found to be the
Ananda also or in other words, knowing
YOU as Sat-Chit itself is the attainment of
Supreme Bliss. Even obtaining for ever
your Beloved God in His full real aspects
Sat-Clzit-Anar~da after deleting the unreal
aspects, name and form is, THIS alone.
Know IT; experience IT and be IT.
"Even though one inay worship the Supreme in
whatever form, giving (Him) whatever name, and
even though it is the way to see the Supreme in
that name and forr11, realising one's own Truth in
the truth of that True Thing (the Supreme), and
being one with It having been resolved into It, is
the only true seeing. Thus shrJuld you know."
-'Ulladu Narpadu' - Verse 8'
On hearing this the Man was filled with sacred
awe, his hair standing on end and his heart over
brimming with love for his Guru, he fell at His Feet!
The Man went back home. For some time, day
and night he reflected deeply on the non-dual
ii~struction (Adzlaita Upadeslza) which he had received
from his Guru :- "Who possibly can be my Guru other
than my Beloved God who, thus made me t urn
towards the Supreine Reality? It is my Beloved God
who, all these years has showered 011 me so much love
*Refer appendix 4. (b)
111 Love or Bhakti
and care. But, 11o\v I understand that many times more
than, my Beloved God who gave me all the worldly
objects which I asked for, it is my Sad-Guru who, by
leading me through the true Path and really giving me
a great good, is the only Supreme Truth that I should
obtain. Did I not ask my Beloved God the boon that,
He alone should be my need? It seems as if the boon
has now been granted. His incarnating Himself as my
Sad-Guru is the only way for giving Himself to me.
Truly now, my Sad-Gl~rll who lives just like me and is
there day and night, unlike my Beloved God Krishna
who sometimes appeared and sometimes disappeared,
alone is the Beloved God! To reach His Feet indeed is
the boon I asked for! Why should I then remain here
any longer?"
The Love for Guru (GZLYZL Bllakti) having now
blossomed in him, the Man leaving everything behind
returns to his Guru never to leave Him again. Thus his
love towards his Beloved God, having ripened into the
Love for the Guru (Gz11.u Bllnkti), the Man has been
promoted to the IVth standard in our School! This Guru
Blznkti (i n the I Vt h st andard) is the climax of all
dualistic love (dunita blzi~kti). No other form of love
(bhakti) excels this.
"Guru is Brahma; Guru is Vishnu; and Guru is
Maheshwara. Verily Guru is the Supreme
Brahman. To Him (Guru) be my obeisance."
When such a Guru Blzakti blossoms in one's heart,
one's pilgrimage towards the "Goal-Supreme"
becomes similar to that of the rain drop that falls into
the flowing Ganges mentioned earlier. Obtaining a real
Guru and generating within oneself a real Guru Bhnkti
112
The Path of Sri Ramana - Part ?tvo
takes place only in the IVth standard of our School,
where the feeling of love is being purified. As soon as
the Man understands that, being with his Guru is the
same as getting his Beloved God and being with Him,
his desire to get his Beloved God and be with Him
fades away. Because of the discrimination ( V i u e k a )
which annihilated all his desires for ~i or l dl y objects
the Man now, is sitting at his Guru's Feet enjoying the
Rliss ( Arzn~zda)of being fully satisfied in the presence
of his Guru (i.e., ill the state of Vi v e k a- A~z i z l z da) .
Since, Gu r u Blzakti is thus found to be the highest
of all dualistic love, let us now scrutinise and find out
the nature of the Gur t i Bhnkt i that we think we have.
When the primitive man joined the 1" standard of our
School, his Teacher, the Ve das was his Guru and the
love he had towards I-Iim was also a g u r u blznkti. Was
it not? As wc have mentioned for the convenience of
our exposition that the Vedas was the Teacher and the
whole of humanity was the Man, let us see how it
actually works out in practice. Are there not scholars
and pandits each one of whom has mastered some
portions of the innuinerable items of the Knrrlla Knrzda
in the Vcdas ? From them only, can humal~ity obtain
instructions and everyone of them is a Guru in his
particular branch of learning in Karma Karzda. So the
gurus for the 1" stardard of our School are many and
many are the disciples of each one of them. Thus in
humanity there are so many gurus teaching ritualistic
actions (Kal-nzns) to so many groups of disciples like
our Man whei ~ he was ill the 1" standard. Such gurus
and disciples of the lststandard have been, are and
will be found in our midst. No wonder the11 that each
113 Love or Bhakti
disciple in the group of every guru, sincerely claims
that his guru is the highest Sad-Guru! We can now
understand the difference between the guru blzakti of
those disciples and the Guru Bhakti of our Man who
now is in the IVth standard. The difference indeed is
like that between the valley and the mountain.
Just as people of the lSt standard have so many
gurus to fulfil tl-teir desires for worldly objects (vislzaya-
blzrzkti), there arc many in our midst who, belonging to
the IPd standard, have innumerable gurus also to fulfil
their desires for worldly objects (vislzaya-bhnkti)
through the worship of different names and forms of
God. As mentioned in page 80, those whose progress
was stopped and retarded in IIIrd (a) standard of our
School, because of their desires for worldly objects and
siddlzis as well as for name and fame, in spite of the
fact that they were able to see their Beloved God in
name and form, are taken to be great God-realised
souls by those who are in the IInd standard of our
School, and who wish to learn the methods of
worships. They also name their love towards their
gurus as 'guru bllnktil and they proclaim, "My Guru so
and so alone is the Mnlzatnza who has seen God. He is
God! He is God in flesh and blood. He is
a Mahars\zi; go to Him; all vour aims will be fulfilled".
Since there are crores of students in the IPd standard of
our School and since every student needs to worship
so many names and forms of God to fulfil their
different desires; then certainly, crores of gurus have to
be there for the IInd standard students! Is it not so?
Do we not see people around us, not only
unlearned but even having academic degree and men
114
of high positions who are flocking around so many
such gurus, saying: "There is a Mahatma in that town
who has achieved a great deal in his worship of
Goddess Lakshmi. If we go to him, we will get wealth
and fame". "Here in our village there is a great
Szuniizi who has vision of Goddess I'arvati. He gives us
the sacred offerings (Prnsad) which fulfil all our
desires." ....... "On the nearby hill temple there is a
Saint through whom Lord Subrahinanya speaks. If he
gives someone some sacred ashes (vibhuti), miraculous
things happen". Thus in the I.' and the IPJ standard of
our School, our Teacher, the Vedas, instructs through so
many assistants!
Since the aspirant in TITrd standard (a) is able to
enjoy the association with his Beloved God on account
of his one-pointed love, there is no need for him to go
to anyone or even to the Teacher (the Vedas) who
promoted him to 1IIrd standard (a); for, what are the
Vedas if not his Beloved God who is fulfillii~g all his
desires for worldly objects? Visiting names and forms
of God other than his Beloved God and going to
sex,leral such gurus as mentioned above cannot find
place in his nature, simply because of his one-pointed
love.
Sometimes, strangely enough, some aspirants
hal ~i ng the high qualifications for the refined Guru
BIzakti as those of the Man in the IVth standard, i.e.,
L'ove for God only and complete dispassion towards
worldly objects, will be advised by such disciples of
the aforesaid gurus to visit their masters. But very
soon the Supreme Grace will make him give up the
surroundings for his own good. When Buddha was
Love or Bhakti 115
wandering in the forest in search of the Truth after
having renounced everything, he had to come under
some such gurus, fit only for the 1" and IInhtandards
students in our School. But, verv soon finding their
help to be in vain He quitted them. In front of the
glowing fire of the longing for Knowledge (J~zarzn) in
the aspirant who is in 111'" standard (b) of our Scl~ool,
it is no wonder that such gurus reveal themselves
of no help. It is worth to note here, that Sri
Ramakrishna simp!v had to put an end to his
discipleship with the Yogini Bhairavi Brahmani.
Sometimes such gurus may also accuse the aspirant,
(who is no longer interested in them, and advancing
at great speed towards the IVth standard) of lacking
devotion and of being disloyal to guru (gziru-drolzi)
as well as ungrateful. But he, the best among
aspirants presses forward towards his aim. Where is
the time for l i m, in the flood of his intense yearr,ing
for the Supreme Truth, to repent oxrer the days wasted
wit11 those gurus or to feel hate or disregard towards
thein? He goes ahead forgetting them!
Taking into consideration the disappointinents
and waste of time of those aspirants who, while
progressing from IIIrd standard (b) to IVth standard of
our School, meet one after the other, gurus f i t to
instruct the lower standards only, some may think it
necessary to instruct those aspirants, "Master-disciple,
(Guru-sislzyrr) relationship is unnecessary; the old belief
of a Guru giving enlightenment is not desirable". The
truth behind such statements is that a highly mature
soul who is qualified for the IVth standard of our School
need not go to any of the aforesaid gurus; for by
Grace, in time, he will be made to meet the Sad-Guru.
116
Yet, those who give such advice, do they not play the
part of 'Gurus', in the sense that they give the mature
aspirants such good warnings and save them from
going in the wrong direction? Though it is true, that
some earnest aspirants are disappointed by some mere
orators in philosophy and by the bustle of others, who
are able to obtain worldly objects through the strength
of the worship - i.e., who are in the IIFd standard (a),
and who like to think of themselves as great gurus; it
is dangerous to conclude that a Guru is definitely
unnecessary. It is only regarding to that, Sri
Ramakrishna said, "When a small water-snake catches
a big frog both t zr i l l suffer, as the snake cannot swallow
the frog and the frog cannot escape from the snake".
Sometimes also, strange1 y enough, many having
only love for worldly objects (vislz!zya-bhrzkti) who being
in I, I1 and IT1 (a) standard of our School, may come in
the divine presence of the real Sad-Guru who is
waiting for the students qualified for IV standard.
Though, on account of good Prarabdha, they (the
former) happen to come in the presence of that great
Sad-Guru who is ever shining as the Supreme
Brnlznla~znow in human form, they take Him merely as
a means to fulfil their love for worldly objects (vishnya
blznkti); therefore, their love towards Him cannot be
called Guru Bhakti.
"May I be happy in this world and the next. ~ a y
I possess desirable objects. May I desire to possess
them. Let my desires be fulfilled ... ...Let me
possess a suitable place of residence. May I acquire
fame. May I be lucky. May I acquire wealth. May
Love or Bhakti 117
I have the ability to protect my possessioi~s ...
...May I be honored by others. May
I perform religious works like sacrifices and enjoy
their fruits ... ...May I live long."
- 'Chanrakam' - Section 111.
"May I have food in plenty ... May I have milk,
cream, ghee and honey in plenty. May I have
opportunities to eat and dri nk with my
relatives...... May my trees and plants grow well
May I posses gold, precious stones, pearls etc., in
plenty. May I be strong physically.
- 'Clraniaknnl' - Section IV.
"Let the wealth already acquired by me as well as
that which mav be acquired hereafter be secure.
May I and my sons and relatives be prosperous.
May I possess movable and immovable properties.
May I gain the reward of my acts."
- 'Clramakrzni' - Section V.
Thus they pray to the Sad-Guru.
Of all the fruits in an orchard the crow will peck
only the small and bitter neem! Though the S~d-Gurz~
is without desire. purpose and effort, His mere
Presence itself, like the Divine Wish-yielding Tree,
never fails to fulfil their desires. They not only pray
for the fulfilment of their desires, but they also want
the Sad- G~~r u to give them initiation into Kartlir~s,
Maiztras and methods of ~rorship, all things necessary
only for the I, I1 and 111 (a) standard of our School.
In spite of the fact that the Sad-Guru has come only
with the purpose of teaching Devotion to the Self
(Swatma-Bhakti), the highest and most refined Love of
all, to those who are in the IVthstandard of our School,
118
sometimes, He, out of compassion for others (who
pray for worldly objects), will come down to their
level and help them by recommending some ritualistic
actions (Karmas) for those in the 1" standard, some
Mantras and Chakras for those in the 1I""tandard and
some prayers (Stotras) and divine names (Japas) for
those in, the IIIr"a) standard according to their
requests and tastes. If a mother gives some kind of
food to her children and some other kind to the older
members of the family according to the power of
assimilation, it is no wonder that the Sad-Guru helps
those who come to Him merely for the attainment of
worldly objects. Is it not a privilege for those students
of the I, I1 and IJI (a) standard of our School to be
taught by the Sad-Guru Himself, this Supreme, rather
than being taught bv mere pandits and scholars in
Vedas? It is the habit of these who are in a standard
below 111'" (b) and who come to a Sad-Guru, to view
such instructions given as Karlrzns, Mantras, Cllakras,
Japns etc., as the main teachings of the Sad-Guru and
also to propagate them as such. Yes, they are the main
and only teachings of the Sad-Guru for them, but for
them only!! Therefore, it is the duty of the aspirants
who are in the IVth standard of our School to find out
what the main teachings of the Sad-Guru really are and
to practise them.
None of the gurus from I" standard to IIIrd(a)
standard of our school are Knowers of the Self (Atma-
Jnarzis). Hence, they have the sense of reality towards
(the names and forms of) the world and hence they
desire the happiness of this world and the next and
also name and fame, i.e., to be glorified by people as
119 Love or Bhakti
the greatest gurus. Consequently, they expect their
disciples to be always satisfied, loyal and obedient to
them. They do not like their disciples to progress
further, from the dual love, (guru blzakti) towards the
Love for the Self (Swatlna Bhakti), and to enjoy the
non-dual Bliss (Adzlaita-Ananda). As they themselves
do not have the Supreme Knowledge, they, become
envious of It.
But, as the real Guru is nothing but the Supreme
Bralznran, He does not allow the disciple to enjoy the
dual love towards Him. He points out to the disciple
that he should not rest contented with such dual love.
He never allows him to be contented with his present
quietness until he experiences the spontaneous non-
dual Self (Salzajatma-A~zlrbhavn).
Now let us return to our Man. He is happy and
calm at his Guru's Feet like the rain water is stilled in
a big lake. But his Guru Ramana will not allow him to
remain contented in such kind of happiness.
The Man sings :- "I know no other God than
Ramana, Who, to me as how to proceed further on
the Path, never said anyth.ing else but : 'Except the
Path of going towards one's Self, there is no better
way; this is the only Path without defects'."
-5ri Ramana Sannidhi Murai' - Verse 533
"0 my Beloved God, You came on earth in
a human form having the name of Ramana, 0 Sun
of Knowledge (Jlzana Blzanu), 0 Ocean of Bliss
who, just like the Holy Hill (Arunachala), is be-
stowing Grace upon Thy devotees whose hearts
120
are melting with love for Thee, call me to Thee
and let me drink from Thee !"
-'Sri Ramana Sannidhi Murai' - Verse 218
"Like a dog I was roaming about the streets. Oh
Ramana, Thou hast saved me! Oh my Beloved
God who hast become my Guru and who hast
given me the Path (of Self-enquiry) upon which I
cannot be deluded by Maya. Oh Ramana, I will no
longer visit the temple of any other God."
-'Sri Ramana Sannidhi Murai' - Verse 544
Turning towards the Man who is contented and
thus happily singing in praise of Him as if he had
attained what he aspired for, the Sad-Guru asks:-
"Have you attained your Beloved God?".
The Man:-"Oh my Lord, who hast taken me as Thy
own, hast protected me throughout so many
past births and, Thyself hast now come out
from within me as my Guru to instruct
I'
me....
-'Kaivalyaml - Chapter I - Verse 79.
Yes, my Lord, I have! You are my Beloved
God!!
Guru :- What was the boon that you asked from
your Beloved God?
Man :- After having the clear understanding, the
only boon I asked from Him was : 'Give me
You alone; for, I want nothing else'.
Guru :- Has it been fulfilled?
Love or Bhakti 121
Man :- Yes,, that which I asked for, was You, my
Lord, who are in front of me! So, I have
what I asked for!
Guru :- What is in front of you is this (pointing out
to His body). Is this what you have asked
for?
Man :-
It is really You, my S11d-Guni, whom I was
longing for.
Guru :- Am I this? Do you believe that I am this
body? If so, hovv can this form be a better
one than the form of your Beloved God?
(Krishna) For, that form appeared and after
n while disappeared. In the same way this
form also will live with you for some time,
then die and disappear! Will it not? In what
way then, is this name and form superior to
that name and form? If, what you took as
the aim to be attained is this name and
form, one day or other your desire will be
proved of no use. So, at least now you
should decide, as you were instructed
before, as to what your aim really is.
Man :- You alone revealed to me the great Truth
that : "I am the Supreme Thing". My
Beloved God, did not! Since You alone have
taught me the highest principle and not He,
I feel, that your love towards me in taking
care of my real need is greater than the love
of my Beloved God, who only gave me
what I asked for. You and the Truth, You
have shown me are one and the same; such
is my conclusion.
122
Guru :- If I am That, does it profit you? Praising me
as God or Guru or that Supreme Truth, is
that the whole of your aim? If I am thzt
Supreme Truth, what about you?* W11o are
you then? Is not your attaining Me, the
Supreme Truth, the same as your knowing
that yourself are the Supreme Truth?
Man :- Is not taking hold of the Divine Feet of my
Sad-Guru the only way to reach the Supreme
State of Truth? (So saying the Man falls at
the Feet of his Guru and takes hold of them.)
Are these the Feet of your Guru? (Pointing
out to His body). Is this your Sod-Gurlr?
Again and again you are making the same
mistake. Here (pointing out to the Man's
body), vour Sad-Guru is within you. The
Self-awareness eternally shining and ever
directly experienced as '1-1' within you, is
the real Feet of your Sad-Guru. Cling to it.
That alone will lead you to the goal.
Man :- Only through Your words which come from
outside, do I know this great Truth. So, my
Lord, let me be blessed by prostrating to You.
worshipping You and receiving Your Prasad.
Guru :- "The true form of prostration (Namaskaram)
to the Guru is to remain in the Supreme
Silence wl~ere, the sense of differentiation,
Master-disciple, God-man, cannot rise through
the delusion born of the ignorant ego."
-'Guru Vacl~aka Kovail-Verse 310
* What is the use of praying me Swami. You should become
Swami - said Bhagawan to the author.
Love or Bhakti 123
"The dissolving of the ice - the ego sense 'I am the
body' into the ocean - the Guru-Awareness - that
is the same as the oneness of Self-Awareness, is
the true worship of the Guru."
- 'Guru Vachaka Kovai' - Verse 315
"Though one worships with all kinds of items
one's Guru, who is none else than Shiva in human
form, merging into Him who is the Life of one's
life and thus losing one's individuality, is the true
worship of the Guru."
"After submitting oneself - the ego, as a prey to
the Guru who is the source of the Silence of
Perfection, experiencing what remains in the heart
- Awareness, is receiving the consecrated food
( ~ Y O S O ~ ) from the Guru."
"W11ei1 we worship any God other than Self, we
are bestowed upon only everything but the Self.
Other than the Supreme Self, which insignificant
God can bestow upon us to live the life of the
Shiva's State, the eternal Awareness of the Self?"
Therefore, you must understand that diving deep
within in quest of the Self ('I' - the Reality) is the
only true way of worshipping your Guru.
"Only when you know your Self, no harm can
befall you.. .."
-'Kaivalyam' - Chapter I - Verse 13.
124
On the other hand though you are able to attain
your God or Guru in name and form ever so
many times they will ultimately vanish.
"It is only to those who are not able to know
themselves as the witness, to whatever is cognized
in the waking state as well as to the ignorance in
sleep, that are deluded in thinking that God
appeared to them and afterwards disappeared."
"011ly those who do not know the Self, the eternal
Truth as 'I', but merely know the transitory body
as 'I,, will see enthusiastically, for a short while,
the different naines and farms of God and wonder
at them."
- G.V.K. - Verse 1070
"All the manifestations of God that are obtained
tl~rough worship, appear and disappear. Therefore,
Self, one's true Nature, shining ever, without
appearing and disappearing, alone is the True
God."
Man :- If so, am I to forget even You, my Guru
and dive within to know my Self? This
does not seem to be proper!
Guru :- What is it that you call your Guru? So
long as you think that you are the body;
you mistake also your Guru to be the
body. This is quite contrary to what He
really is and to what He really taught to
you. That alone is improper.
Love or Bhakti 125
"Self alone is the Thing greatest. More than Self
there is no greater thing. Therefore, by no means
can we find a thing that can be bartered for the
Self."
He alone truly knows me who knows me as
I myself know me.
"Those who do not understand that the Jnana-
Gilru is the formless Supreme Space though he
appears in the human form, are the vilest of all
criminals."
- 'Guru Vachzka Kovai' - Verse 274
Man :- I know that the form of my Guru is the
same as the form of my Self and the form of
my Beloved God. I take it to be a rare
privilege that I should have such a Guru in
front of me! How then can I abandon Him?
Guru :- The Guru is outside you as well as within
you. The Guru outside as He is creating
favourable surroundings for you to dive
within and ki ~ow your true nature, pushes
you in from the outside, while the Guru
inside pulls ;.(<ufrom within and keeps you
in the heart not allowing you to escape out.
Man :- If so, I feel it is not wrong to cling to You,
the outside form of my Guru.
Guru :- It is wrong! Is not the form of the Guru outside
having an appearance and disappearance?
So, it is not permanent. Guru is the Self.
Attaining the Self alone is to attain God or
126
Guru. On the other hand, so long as you
see your God or Guru as different from
your Self, you cannot know the Self which
is the state of Perfect Freedom. So long as
there is the feeling of separateness, fear is
bound to be there. If you want to be free
from fear (the state of fearlessness) be in
the state of otherlessness, Self. But that
does not mean that your Guru is no longer
there. When you dive within and are
established in the heart, you will know that
your Self is the true nature of your Sad-
Guru. It is in that state alone that you are
ever with your Guru. Your Love of the Self
(Szuatiiza Blzakti) i.e., your (ego's) merging
into the Self, is verily your true Love of
the Guru (Gzrru-Bhakti).
"Because one has no Love ( Swat i nn Bl l nkt i )
to listen to the teaching of the Supreme Self
ever going on in the heart, one comes out
with great enthusiastic delusion. Because of
this one needs a Guru outside."
Till then all your present love towards this
gross name and form in the name of the
Love for the Guru (Guru Bl znkt i ) is only
a divided love, a partial love. This is
nothing but the defective state of love.
Man :- If so, is not my present love for You a real
one?
Guru :- The love that springs upon other things
can never be the full one (poornu). When
Love or Bhakti 127
love is full (yoorlra), the defect in the form
of the movement of springing upon other
things will not be there. The fullness of
love unbroken and all-pervading is 'Not
with an other (Non-dual)'. He alone who
has love, but 'Not for an other' (Analrya
Bhakti) is one who has t he Full Love
(Sampoorna Bhakti).
Man :- Is this 'Lo\-e for not an other' (Ai~clizya
B71clkti) greater than the love I have towal-ds
You and el - ei ~ greater than Your Divine
Love towards me?
Guru :- Yes! Self-Love is the best and the greatest..
This Self-Love alme is the Perfect Love. The
final state of refinement of the feeling of
Love will be experienced as the unshakable
Self-abidance. A state of love less than that;
is not at all cither Supreme Love (Purr1
Bhclkti) or the Fullness of Love (Satrzyoor~zcl
B7zclktii, and this Love is Self and this Lo\le
is Shiva.
Man :- How? Prav explain me.
Guru :- Is not the Self, the single, first person,
immutable Awareness? Are you not that
Awareness? Wl ~y trying to prove it only by
the experience of the Supreme Self! Even-
now it is not ail unknown thing to you. It is
within your daily experience. The first
person, as you experience it, is 'I am the
body' consciousness, the ego. Is it not? See!
If you hold a flower, a child or anv other
thing, you are expressing your love towards
them. These objects of second person are
alien to you. Certainly you have more love
towards yourself (your body) than towards
those things. Yet, do you take your hand,
legs or fingers which you really love more
t l ~ a i ~ any second or third person objects, to
fondle them:- "0 my hands! 0 my legs!
O my beautiful fingers I love you so
much"? No, you don't. But you do express
your love to a flower or a child. Though
you love your body more than any other
object, you do not indulge in such fancy
activities towards your hands etc., which,
for you, are the first person. W11y don' t
you? Because the love towards the first
person is full and perfect, it needs 110 action
or movement of the feeling to express Itself.
When love abides as itself, it is the full
and perfect Love. When the Love takes the
form of movement, it is fragmented and
becomes desire which springs upon other
objects. It is Love when it is in the form of
unbroken Existence; it is desire when it is
in the form of movement or fragmentation.
As second and third person objects are
fragments, vour love towards them will be
in the form of a mere desire - even towards
such a loved one as your Guru. But, wnen
the Love abides in the unbroken being of the
first person - the Self, It is full and perfect.
'This state of Love of Self (Swattnn B1:akti) is
the final state of refinement of love and is
129 Love or Rhakti
called Supreme Love (Para Bhakti), Non-
dual Love (Alzanyn Bhakti). Hence Love is
our Being. Desire is our (ego's) raising.
The state of our just being is the state of
immutable Bliss (Alzanda), the state of
indivisible Supreme Love (Ayarichirzna Para
Blzakti).
"...Remaining in one's own real Beingness is the
very truth of Supreme Love"
-'Upadesha Undiyar' - Verse 9
So long as you think that your Guru's Divine
Love towards you is a love that springs from one
entity to an ot hr , certainly this love (your Guru's
love towards you) is to be taken as a divided love.
Therefore, it is a lesser one than your love towards
Self.
"...011e who has such 'Love for not an other'
drowns in Thee, the Self the form of Bliss."
-'Sri Arunachala Pancharatnam' Verse 5
If we scrutinize deeper, we will find that even the
love which the individual had towards himself all this
time when he was taking the body and mind as
himself, even that very love becomes so trivial that it
callnot stand comparison with the love which now
flows towards his Guru. Therefore, the disciple is now
ready to be indifferent towards his own mind and
body (which he was taking all this time as his Self)
and even to sacrifice them for the sake of his Guru.
Guru is really his Self.
Though one's love for oneself is the greatest of
all love towards any other objects in the world, when
the true Love for the Guru (true Guru Bhakti) dawns,
130
the love felt by the disciple towards the Guru is
greater than even the love towards oneself, the ego.
But while experiencing the truth of the Self, the love
towards the real Self is found to be greater than one's
love even towards one's Guru. All this time it has been
said that one loves oneself more than anything else
because of the love towards the Self. But, as everyone
is under the wrong idea that the ego is one's Self
(because ego is a false entity; a reflection of the Self)
one does not experience the love towards the real Self.
When the Guru who is verily his Self, comes in front
of the disciple w11o is fully matured as to be able to
have real Love for Guru (Guru Blzaliti), he, the disciple
is able to feel his love towards the Self - but only in
the human form in front of him. Hence it has been
pointed out above that the loire felt towards the Guru
is even greater than the love felt towards oneself, the
ego. Though his Guru is his Self and altl~ough his love
towards his Guru is indirectly Self-love, so long as he
sees his Guru - his Self - as a second person, his love
towards his Guru is not fully refined into the Self-
Love, until 11e experiences his Guru within as his Self.
That is why the Guru now proves and convinces our
Man that his Love for the Guru (Guru Blzaktij is less
than his love for the Self (Swlzti~zn Rlzaktij.
Yes, but, why has it been said that even the
Guru's love towards the disciple is less than one's
Love towards the Self?
In the view of the Guru, there is no one other
than the Self. Therefore, His love is truly not a love
towards a second entity as disciple. The Guru never
views anyone as a disciple - an other than Himself.
Love or Bhakti 131
But, as the Guru pointed out to the disciple that, so
long as the disciple thinks that the Guru is a separate
entity, he (the disciple) has to consider the Guru's
love to be a love from one entity to another. Truly it
is not so; because the Guru never sees him as
a second. That is why, even the Guru's love towards
the disciple (which is only in the disciple's view) is
explained as being inferior. If we, with this in mind,
listen to the following tvords of Sri Ramana, "I halre
neither Guru nor disciple", we shall be able to
understand what He really meant. One who is truly
the Guru cannot see anyone as disciple. A Guru is
a Guru only in the view of the disciple.
Thus, when the rain water - the Man, is fullv
absorbed in the vast lake of his Love for his Guru
(Gurtl Bhakti), the Guru stirs him to break away the
bank of the lake i.e., the limitation of his Love tor the
Guru and makes the rain water - the Man, flow into
the ocean of Bliss, the Self. Because of his excellent
fitness the Man, who was listening to the words of his
Guru with rapt attention, was able, at the very time of
hearing about the Truth (shravana) to complete his
reflections (mallalza) and practices (~zidhidhyasnna)
simultaneously. Iie becomes speechless, thoughtless
and motionless; he remains drowned in the ocean of
Supreme Silence. As the river - the Man reaches its
source, the ocean - the Self, the motion of running -
the action - effort ceases completely. When the feeling
of love has thus been refined to perfection through
the aforesaid course, the Man is promoted from the
Love for the Guru (Guru Bhnkti) to the Love for the
Self (Swatma Bhnkti) i.e., from I V ~ to Vthstandard of our
132
School. The Man, being now freed from the confusion
in the form of desire, fear and delusion which he had
on account of the wrong outlook of seeing his own Self
as multiplicity is well established in the Self through
Self-attention. This Self-abidance indeed is the acme of
LOVE.
Heilceforth, according to the criteria given in the
work, everyone of us should examine oneself and find
out into which standard one fits and try to qualify for
the next. This examination of ourselves as to whether
our love is a love for objects (vislzaya bltakti) or
a truly interested Love for God (Deiva Blzakfi), should
be very sincere, lest we deceive ourselves by over-
estimating our qualification and be temporarily
contented.
If we are very interested in performing actions
(karnzas) with a view to enjoy happiness in this world
and in other worlds, we should know that we are in
the lStst andard of our School, the School for
purification of love. If we deny the existence of God
and even refuse to perform the Karmas prescribed by
the Vedas, and if we, like the wicked described by Saint
Ramalinga Swami, prattle, "There is no God; there is
no obligation of reaping the fruits of our actions and
hence no punishment; there is no Ordainer; there is
neither God, soul, bondage (P~sII, Pdi, i l i l d Pasam); no
love (bhakti); no Liberatioil to be obtained; no Grace,
no sin or virtue, no penance, no sacred vows, no
boons; nothing is there.. ..." - (Arutpa)
"...let us eat and drink and dress as we like; let us
adorn ourselves with gold and diamond ornaments; let
us have sexual enjoyments, big bungalows, television
Love or Bhakti 133
sets, cars, servants, fame and name and all; this indeed
is the goal of human life...", then we should conclude
that we have not been admitted as yet even in the lst
standard of our School and that we are still wandering
outside the School, not even wiliing to enter it. If we
are in a mood of worshipping the different names and
forms of God in so many temples and holy places with
the view of obtaining and increasing our happiness in
this world and in other worlds, we must understand
that we are in the IInd standard of our School. Because,
even here, our love (blzakti) is only 'ilishaya bhakti' and
the different names and forms of God are used as
means for the fulfilment of our desires. If our worship
is centered on only one name and form of God, but
with the love of worldly objects, even then our love is
not love for God (Deicil Blzakti) but only 'visl~ayn blzakti'
and the one name and form of God is also used as a
means, then we must understand that we are in the
IIIrd (a) standard of our School.
But, if after attending the School in any of the I",
II1ld and IIIrd (a) standard, one feels that it is better to
revert to the aforesaid worldly life, one becomes
a Yoga Blzrnsllta (one fallen from Yoga). Such a thing
has no chance to happen for those who have reached
the IIIrd(b) standard. There may be some aspirants who
believing that they are in IIIrd (a) standard become
dispirited as they do not obtain the fulfilment of all
their desires and decide to read again the Is' or IInd
standard text books, which means that they are fit
only for those lower standards.
Some among us, are in the habit of going to many
gurus and showing their love to them saying : "My
134
aim is Liberation oi~ly, and not any of the pleasures of
this world and of thc next. Therefore mine is the Love
for the Guru ( GLLYI I and I have the right Blzmkti),
qualification for mv being in the lVthstandard of the
School". Some others ha\-ins t h t ~same thought, are in
the habit of visiting so many temples of different
names and f0rm.s of God saying also that their aim is
Liberation only.
Because they statc that, they do not want any of
the pleasures of the world and, that they desire
%_j berat i oi ~ only, they have to be considered as
bf.:longing to 111'" ( b) standard; or because they visit
nnany gurus, i t seems that tliey may have Grrrll Blzakfi,
the q11aiificatic911 for tlw 1Vt!]standard. It is lot so, since
their g ~ i i ~ g to different gurus is nothing but going to
different names and forms, their love, not being
f oc~~ssed by being on one poii-~t ~?i11y, is weakc1:ed
scattcl-t?d towards so many ditfereilt directions and
becomes i~iefticient to go deep into the ii~,structiuns of
any of the gurus a?id f o l l o ~ ~ real them. ?'Iley get 1x1
benefit from tht. teachings of those gurus. Suppose we
see one of our friends coining out of a restaurant aiid
entering another one - what does it mean? Does this
11st show that 1ic has taken not l ~i i ~g to satisfy his
hunger fro111 that restaurant? If again we see him
coming out of e17en that restaurant and going to
another one, it ixeans that he is still starving! Should
he had eatel; anything in anyone of the restaurants,
would he not return directlv to his lodging? Some
explain away their actions with sucli lame excuses:
"In that restaurant the rice is \.,re11 cooked; so I take it
from there. In this other one sambar* is excellent; the
LoveorBhakti 135
vegetables are tasty in the third one; there is a fresh
supplyof vadai*andappalam*dailyinthefourthone;
so I go there!" This is exactly like one saying,
"I learn Hat hayoga and Prat zayal na from that guru;
I take initiations of Marztrizs froin another. When I go
to that guruIpractise Karnza-Yoga. I am taught Bt-zakti
Yoga by stillanotherone.Ipractise Vasi -Yoga (aformof
Pralzayanza) with this guruandI am explainedAdvai t a
by that one......... Therefore, I go to all these great
ones!" What doesthis really mean? Not evenone of
these gurusisu~~derst ood rightly!
"\Vhen the m i ~ ~ d remains permanently absorbed
initssourcewhenceithad itsrising- it isKarma,
Bhakti;itisYoga andJnanaalso."
- 'Upadesha Undiyar' - Verse10
If one is really hungry one will satisfy one's
hunger jn onerestaurant only.Oneneed not runfrom
one restaurant to another.So will it be with sincere
aspirants.If theGuruisgenuine,it ispossible forHim
to give the necessary instructions according to the
different levels of understandings of the aspirants
corning to Him.And, if it is true that the aspirant is
desireless for world!y pleasures includingname and
fame and has an earnest desire for Liberation, there
will be noneed forhim to goto anotherguru.Hewill
understand thetruth of theold saying : "Rollingstone
gathers110 moss".
If we have such attitude of going to somany
gurus,but while secretlyhaving the inner desires for
"Varietiesof disl~es servedinaSouthIndianHotel
136
worldly pleasures, then we must accept the fact that
we are only fit to be in the IPd standard of our School.
But, on the other hand, if our desirelessness is true, we
are then in the state of the aspirant in 111'" (b) standard,
who visits SO many gurus in search of his Snd-Guru
till he finally meets Him. So we cannot claim to have
Guru Blmkti, the qualification for the IVth standard. The
Guru Blzakti in the IVth standard is like the chastity of
the wife towards her husband. This is why we call the
Guru as 'Gz~ru-Natlzn' or 'Divine Husband'. Though
a chaste woman respects and serves so many elders
and brothers-in-law in the family, the respect and love
for her husband is of a different nat ure. She is
completely depending on him for her all and
everything. So also, though we may have iove and
respect towards all Sages and Saints who were and
are, once we have met our Sad-G~lrtr, giving up going
to others (particularly for Liberation) as well as giving
up practising the teachings of all others but, of our
own Guru, is the proof of true Guru Bhakti. With
a firm determination to adhere only to the Guru once
He has been found, with the conviction: "I have come
to my Guru for the sake of Liberation. Though It has
not been granted to me, I will not go to any other
guru. Bondage or Liberation, bad or good, Hell or
Heaven - whatever He choses to give, wherever He
choses to place me, that is my pleasure", and with
accomplished surrender, one should remain in one-
pointed love which is the true sign of Guru BIzakti. This
is the sign by which we can find out that we are
qualified to be in the IVth standard of our School.
Love or Bhakti 137
When Sri Vivekananda met Pavahari Baba, he
understood His real greatness and had an impulse to
take Him as his Guru. But, when Sri Ramakrishna
appeared before him with a pitying look about his
foolishness, he realised his mistake and made up his
mind never to look upon Pavahari Baba as his Guru,
once having been taken as a disciple by Sri
Ramakrjshna. He then moved ~vitli Pavahari Baba as
with a revered friend. Though Sri Vivekananda had
very great respect for Him, Pavahari Baba was not his
Guru. This is the right manner, for a disciple in the
IVth standard who has Gtiru Bllakti, to give room in hjs
heart for Sages other than his Guru.
So, those who are going to many gurus, may be
classified as belonging to either the IInd standard of
our School where one is worshipping so many names
and forms of God to satisfy one's selfish requirements;
desires for worldly objects, name and fame or to the
IIIr"b) standard where one is searching for one's
Guru, if one is truly desireless for worldly
yleasures.The following is to be noted when one is
searching for his Guru:-
"To say the truth, he who knows the Truth j~2/lci-
J~za~zi) is different from he who knows of the Truth
in the scriptures (Vijilnrzi). The only essential thing
to do for those who want to cut the knot of the
bondage of ignorance, is to quit those who know
the scriptures and to join those who abide in the
Self, the Knowers of Truth."
-'Guruvachaka Kovai' - Verse 1158
138
"He who orders" 'do's and 'don'ts" to those who
come to him is both Death (Yanza) and the Creator
(Bralzma) to them. But the truly Divine Guru is
one who proves them that nothing is to be
accomplished newly by them."
- Guruvachaka Kovai' - Verse 271*
"The only worthy disciplehood which is t he
steadfast Supreme Devotion that springs up with
the merging of the ego into the Light of Supreme
Silence (or Self-Awareness), is verily the right
Guruship. Thus should you know"
-'Guruvachaka Kovail- Verse 269
The thought current of the disciple, i.e., his aim
and inclinations should be perfectly attuned to that of
the Guru. Then only the Master-disciple-relationship is
real and a fitting one.
"My Guru is a Jrz[uzi. He totally condemns occult
powers (Siddllis). But I would like to acquire them. My
mind cannot be at rest until I get Siddllis. I don't worry
about taking many more births; but I want Siddhis
along with Jnana and not Jnana only ....." "My Guru
often advises us to merge within unmindful of the
world; but I prefer doi ng unselfish service
(Karl~~a Yoga) for iny country and for the whole world.
I feel that a life of service to humanity is better than
the life of one who remains quietly in a remote
cave."... "Mv Guru teaches the Path of Love; but my
mind is inclined towards Rllja-Yoga" "The aim of my
*
Note to verse 271 of 'Guruvachaka Kovai':- By ordering those
who come to him (guru) to perform so many-actions (karmas)
such as Japa, Dhyana etc., the 'would be guru' is only loading
139 Love or Bhakti
Guru is this (poii~ting out the heart), but mine is that
(pointing out to the top of the head)".
The so-called disciples who are making such
controversial statements about the teachings of the
Gurus, are not the fit disciples to those Gurus and it is
not for such people that those Gurus have come. We
have to know that to adhere entirely to the teachings
of one's Guru, without any reservation such as one's
o ~7 ninclinatioi~, principle, aim, wishes etc.. is to have
Sad-Guru BIzakti as Sri Bhagavan Ramana declares in
verse trvo of Arullacllnla Patikam, "... What have
I to say? Thy will is my will and that Itself is my
happiness, 0Lord of my life, Arunachala !"
Let us have it as an example. During His early days
on the Hill when Sri Bhagavan was silent, nobody
hem7 that "Who am I?", the Path of enquiry would be
the corner stone of His teachings. In 1903 when
( Foot note continued from page 138)
the disciples with a greater burden oi new actions (karmas)
while they come to him for relief because they are not able to
bear urith the fruit of the actions they have already
accumulated in the past. Illstead, the guru is crushing them
and killing them. Thus. he plays the part of Death (Yama).
As one, through innumerable birth has to reap unfailingly the
fruit of every action performed, by giving the disciples more
new actions (karmas) to perform, the 'would be guru' makes
them take more births to reap the fruit of their new karmas.
Thus he is the Creator (Brahrna).
As He knows the truth that Self alone exists without a second,
the Sad-Guru convinces tl~ose who come to Him that they are
ever none other t han the Self. When they are made to
understand this truth through the power of Silence, they feel
that they have nothmg more to do, but to BE. As doing alone is
action (karma) and not Being, and as karma alone brings birth
and death, they are relieved from Yama and Brahn~a.
140
a devotee, Sri Shivaprakasam Pillai first visited Sri
Bhagavan he expressed the purpose of his visit:
"Swamy, I had a desire during my college days to
know ' Who I am'. No matter how much I tried
through books on psychology and other means, I was
not able to understand. Be gracious to enlighten me on
this point. LVho am I?" The disciple did not know
then that the One who was sitting before him is
a unique Guru who has come only to teach the path
of enquiry, "Wl~o am I?". This shows us the accurate
tuning of the thought-current which should be
between the Guru and the fit disciple. Is i t not
a wonder that the aim of the disciple lies along with
the purpose for which the Guru has come! It is well
known that the small brochure 'Who am I?' was given
to the whole world only because of this devotee.
Such happy unison is the sign of the right relationship
between Master and disciple!
From what we have seen above we come to
understand that Jnalzrz and Blzakti - Consciousness
( Cl z i t ) and Bliss (Anrzizdi-r) are the real aspects of
Brrzlzi~zalz.As Brrzliinrzlz is Existence ( Sot ) and Sat is the
Reality, Bhrzkti and Jlzonrz - the real aspects of Bralzman
- are nothing but Sat , the Reality, i.e., the real Blzrzkfi or
the real J1zalzo are nothing but Bralzinalz Itself.
According to the Supreme Teaching:
" Brnlzlnnil alone shines directly as 'I-If, - the
At man"
-Ulladu Narpadu, Supp. - Verse 8
Bllalcti and Jiiana pave the way to the Self. To be
as the Self is Jnana; and without loving the Self how
to be It? So, if one is as Self, it is the state of fullness of
141 Love or Bhakti
Love. If one has 'Bllakti one cannot but be as the Self.
So Bl~akti and Jnana are not two but the Self, like the
two faces of the same coin.
"Without the power of gravitation, can anything
remain stable on earth? So also, t he pul l of
gravitation is Blzakti; the remaining stable is
Jfiana. Therefore, neither of them can remain
without the other."
- 'Sadanai Saram'
The attainment of the Self is the highest aim of
the Vedas; and that alone is the real teaching of
Bhagavan Ramana. That Path of Knowledge, i.e., the
enquiry 'Who am I?' which results in the dawning
of Self-Knowledge is explained as 'The Path of
Sri Rainana' (Part One). Now, as t he love in its
perfectly refined state shines as Self alone, the method
of purifying the love up to Self-Love (Szuatmn Bhakti) is
explained as 'The Path of Sri Ramana' (Part Two). As
the nature of the love in the human being varies from
the primitive man, to the man who abides in the Self,
different grades of instructions are taught by the
scriptures to uplift the people step by step. This
explains wl ~y, different types of teachers are necessary
to teach the different grades. Scholars in scriptures,
instructors on Ma~ztras, Yantrns, Tniztras etc.,
expounders (Pravaclza~inkartl~ns) of holy texts (Purnnas
and Itltihnsas) - though not knowers of the Self, but
only students up to the IIIrd standard of our School -
are necessary throughout the world throughout ages.
To help these students - teachers are necessary for the
aspirants who are in a lower standard, until those
aspirants are promoted to the next standard. Their
preaching of the principles of ethics, devotion to God,
142
importance of Krrl~tnrrls, dispassion towards worldly
enjoyments - let us not care whether they follow and
acquire knowledge and experience of their own
teachings - is always needed for the progress of
humanity. But, as it is always seen that they compel
their followers to believe that whatever they preach
alone is final, and to become fanatics to such an extent
of hating all other instructions for further progress
when presented to them; we should be careful to see
that our own understanding does not get confused by
them. We should ourselves, try to find out the
st andard to which we belong in the School of
purification of love with the help of clarifications
oiven above; but, at the same time we should not have
0
any kind of abhorrence towards those teachers,
teachings and t l ~ougl ~t s with their various peculiar
ideas about God, goal, service etc. We should have
love and tolerance towards them rather than objecting
to their clinging to h'rrl~nlns etc.
Unless they come to us completely disgusted
with their practices and ask for a better truth, we
should not interfere and disturb the course of others.
L.et us encourage every one of them in their own way.
"One who knows the Truth should not create
confusion in the minds of ignorants who are
attached to karmas.. ."
-'Bhagavad Cital- Chapter I11 - Verse 26.
We should be aware that such is the way in which
Sri Ramana gives His approval to the different practices
of the various kinds of seekers who come to Him.
Karma*
The truly existing Thing is WE - Brahnzntz.
Ourstateof Existencewhich isuncl~angeable isSat.As
this Existence is only our existence and as we know
that "WE ARE", we cannot say that we donot know
ourselves.We KNOW theSelf.Thisknowledge isChit.
The love that everyone has towards Selfhood
'I-AM' (Sat-Chit) is proved in sleep.The reason for
that love is that our state of existence itself is Bliss.
Therefore, we are Bliss ( A~l a ~l dn) . Thus we are
Sat-Cllit-A~zatzda.
As there is no other in such a state of Self -
experience,we are ONE. Our state of Oneness is the
stateof perfectfreedom;because thereisnone other to
bind usor tobe bound by others.From what wehave
said we concludethat ournature is the One, Sat-Chit-
Arznilda - Perfect Freedom.What does it mean when
we say that we are perfectly free?It means that we
have the Power (Sizakfi) to doevery thing as we Will
(Iclzclza).
*
In this chapter the word "Karma" which means "Action" will
be used instead of its English equivalent. Karma is the
intentional action of one with a moral sense,who under that
sense acts as a free agent to produce a desired result. (ref.
"Upadesa Saram" pg.7by B.V. Narasimhaswami - Third
Edition- 1938).
144
As we have such Will-Power it is correct to say
that we l-tave perfect freedom. This Will - Power is our
own Power ai-td It is We. We and our Power are one
and the same.
He who has such Freedom can by His all -
powerful Power either remain in His unchanging state
of Self or He can bring about an imaginary change,
limiting the oneness of His unlimited nature as if He
l-tad forgotten the Self. Like a man in his dream sees
himself by his ow11 mind as the dream-world, living
beings there, ii-tcluding a body for himself, so also, by
the saine Power, during the imaginary change of
forgetfulness, He sees Himself, in Himself, by Himself
as a limited ii-tdividual simultaneously with the world,
soul and God cognized by that individual. Thus, We,
the Supreme, in the sleep of the imaginary ignorance
of the forgetfulness of the Self, see the world, soul
and God by the Power of our own Perfect Freedom.
"Limiting our unlimited very Being as the body
and expanding the sense-knowledge through
tl-te body as thc world, and seeing ourself as the
world and being deluded by it, is the wondrous
Mayn."
- 'Sadanai Saram'
Is not this l Mnya an imaginary one ? Yes, it is our
own in~agination.
Though we use our natural state of Perfect
Freedom ii-t such a way, by the same freedom we can
also remain without using it! This Self-Freedom is tl-te
nature of Bl .nl l l ~zni z.By no one or no means can this
eternal freedom be destroyed; for, there is no other
Karma 145
Thing (Sat) other t l ~an We. The whole world, soul and
God seen ill that state of delusion (Maya*) seem to
have existence only tl-trough our imagination; but
really they do not have an existence of their own.
Therefore, eIren in the state of delusion, it is only WE
that have the existei-tce (Sat); they do not have even
a bit of true existence. There is not an other - but WE
alone are.
This coi~ception of our ow11 wonderful Power to
see our Self as the many - world, soul and God, and
also of identifying ourselves as one among the souls, is
tl-te first t hougl ~t 'I' (tl-te ego) which is shining in
a limited form in everyone of us. Thi s is onl y
a thought and not our Self-Awareness. But even in
this ii-tdividual wl10 ki ~ows himself as 'I am a man,
I am so and so', tl-te nature of Sat-Chit-Alzanrlaa does
remain. So, it is 110 ~ ~ o n d e r that even this imaginary
individual likes to be happy. But, as he identifies
himself with anyone of the three bodies - gross, subtle
and causal - and believes that the corresponding
worlds are outside him, l-te hopes to derive happiness
from the objects of the worlds. Alas! Such is the nature
of the veil brought about by forgetting the Self that he
does not know that happiness is within and that it is
nothing but his pure, natural state of Perfect Freedom.
Therefore, the soul (jeez~a**) makes use of his
mind, body and world in as many ways as he can to
get happiness. Thus Kanna begins. The reason for the
starting of Karmas is thus found to be the desire to
reach one's own natural state of happiness, which is
*
'Maya' meax 'l11at wluch is not' and is defined as inexpressible.
** 'Jeeva' is used tlu-oughout this chapter, instead of individual soul.
146 The Path of Sri Ramana - Part 'Two
seemingly bei ng forgotten. But, as the Power of
Willing (Ichchn Sllakti) is extroverted through the mind,
senses and body, the result is that the individual
separates himself more and more away from
Happiness, the Source. All his efforts in the form of
Kclrincl propels him out of Happiness instead of leading
him to Happiness. Thus Karmas are not the means to
Happiness. Therefore until one understands that
Karnzas are only means to misery, one will go on
doing K~YIIZCIS. All the kinds of Karrnas that one does
through mind, speech and body drive one far, far
away from one's Goal - Happiness.
When WE, the Supreme Being, seemingly forget
our real nature through our Perfect Freedom, from
that forgetfulness appears OUR false entity, the jeeva,
now identifies hiinself wit11 a body and feels that he is
a man. Now he has a limited existence, a limited
knowledge and a limited happiness, i.e., he mistakes
the nature of his unlimited Existence, Self to be the
limited existence of the body. He mistakes the nature
of his unlimited non-dual, perfect Knowledge, Self, to
be tl-te mind or sense-knowledge which knows other
things only (other than Self through the senses). He
mistakes the nature of his Ever-Full-Supreme- Bliss,
Self, which does not come from any other thing and
does not then fade away, to be now the petty,
temporary pleasures of the senses, coming from the
likes and dislikes towards external objects, not as
owned by him for ever, but to be obtained only
through merits (Punya Karmas). Thus he degrades
himself to a small jeeva, a limited sat-c7zit-ananda, and
remains discontented! Thus when his unlimited state -
Karma 147
Sat-Chit-Alzntzdn - is imagined to be limited to the
nature of the jeeva, his unlimited Perfect Freedom also
still seems to be a freedom, but only within a limit of
originating K~~rnlas.
He who once saw not an other, now sees others
and is either afraid of them or attracted towards them.
Thus he is now uni~ecessarily deceiving himself with
an imaginatioi~ and drowns himself into innumerable
miseries. He becomes happy when the things he liked
are obtained, and when the things unliked are
destroyed, and he becomes unhappy when the things
liked are not obtained and when the things unliked
are flourishing. ,4s the achievement of the things liked
and the destruction of the things unliked are purely
depending upon the result of his own karlllns, he
engages himself into innumerable actions (knrllzns)
such as thoughts. speech and activities. But, alas! As
his body is short-lived, he has to lose it before all his
newly started karlllas are completed and before the
results are experienced. Therefore, he wishes to have
a body again to continue his uncompleted knrlnas, to
experiei~ce their fruit and to start new k1~ri7111s
according to his wishes. At this point, God, who is
none other than the jeezla's real nature and who
according to him is All-powerful, All-knowing and
All-merciful, comes to his help.
As, according to his conception, God is All-
merciful and All-powerful to give him whatever he
wishes, He makes him take such a body (either
human, bird, beast etc.,) through which he can
continue his previous karinas and experience the good
and bad results according to his past karllzas. Thus the
148
jeeva takes such bodies on account of the past kar~ilas;
is it not so? But, though the results of his past karinas
are unlimited, he can experience only a small portion
of them through the body which 11e now has. That
portion alone of the results of his past karmas which is
allotted to him by God to be experienced in this birth
is called 'Prarabdlza' (kariizas that started to give fruit).
All the stored up remaining portion of his past
karmas which he will have to experience in so many
births to come, is called 'Sarzchita' (karnias stored up for
giving fruit in future births). In this birth the jeeva can
experience only that portion of pain and pleasure
which are included in Prarabdha. As soon as all the
fruits as pain and pleasure in Prarabdlia have been
experiei~ced and exhausted, the body dies! In other
words that which created a body for him and that
which is in the form of his present body, is only
Prarabdlza! The end of Prarabdlza, is the end of the
body!
The jeeva who has such a body - Prarabdlza
consisting in experiencii~g pains and pleasures - is the
Doer (Kartlza) of the karmas and it is he who is the
Experiencer (Blzokta) of those karnias. Is it not this
jeeva who has the doership and the experiencership,
having still the aforesaid ori gi i ~al freedom of
willing and doing, which is naturally in him? That
Freedom of Power to act, is in him even during the
time of experiencing the fruit of Prarabdlza. While thus
experiencing the Prarabdlza, he is now using this
'freedom to will and act' to perform, as he has done
before, many new karnzas as well as to continue those
which were left incomplete in his past births.
Karma 149
I11 this manner 11e is fully engaged in performing
ini~umerablekariizas until the body dies! Thus the
kariizas which he newly performed in this birth are
called 'Agailzy~~' (kari~znsbeing performed newl17).
Let us suppose a man accumulates 100 bags of
Agaiizyas in one of his lifetime. When the body dies,
these 100 bags will add up to his Saizcliita. Out of them
one bag containing several kinds of pain and pleasure
will be allotted for his next birth to be his Prarr-rEt-llln.
As we have said above, the inan has the 'original
freedom to will and act' to do Agailzyas in even1 birth
even while experiencing the Prarab~llia.Suppose in the
following birth the inan accuinulates anotl~er 100 bags
of Agaiizyas. NOW,'lt the end of that life these 100 bags
will be added to the already existing 99 reinainii~g
bags of Sallclzita bringing the number to 199 bags.
When and where can he find an end to the recurrence
of birth and death, if Saizclzita is multiplying in this
way? Therefore, one should understand that indulging
in kai.iizns ivill not lead to Happiness, the Coal. During
the lifespan of this body he is doing nothing but
accumulating the Agaiiiya and exhausting the
Prarabdlza. Since both Agairzt/a and prarabdlza are
going on in this life, the limited human intellect
cannot make out which of the karmas is Agnilzya and
which is Prarabdlza. It is only known to God, the
Omniscient!
At times, one's mind may be forcibly drawn to
engage in a particular action that will help one in
experiencing a particular pain or pleasure, according
to Prarabdlza. For instance, in a past birth a man gave
someone a beating; in this present birth he has to
150
experience the result of having given the beating and,
now the time has come to experience that result, and
so he has an inclination to go alone for a walk;
consequently, none of his friends or relatives are
present to prevent him from experiencing that
particular Prnrnhdlzn. As the man is walking alone,
some enemies or thieves on the way give him
a beating. Then it may perhaps appear to him that his
inclination towards the action of going alone may
have been an Aga11zya:- "Alas! What I did was wrong!
I should not have gone alone. Had I not gone
there alone, this would not have happened!" Not only
that, he may also conclude that those who beat him
have also performed a bad Agn~ilyn; but both
the conclusions are wrong. All those actions are
nothing but Prnrnhdlzn! Can a human mind understand
this truth? Certainly not! So, an ignorant has to believe
that, all the activities going on in his life are done
through his fresh efforts and, that whatever results he
experiences are through his fresh efforts only. But,
occasions are many in which, one feels that he-she it is
facing failure in spite of persistent attempts towards
what was aimed at, and it turns out to be contrary to
expectations, while at some other times, unexpected
pains or pleasures come to one of their own accord.
Anyhow, one has to experience the Prarnhdhn;
but, since it was said above, that to distinguish which
is Prarnhdlza and which is Aga~lzya among the actions
performed in the lifetime is impossible for the human
mind, and that, God alone is able to understand and
ordain the results accordingly: l et no one try to
distinguish. Some may ask: "If it is so, is it totally
Karma 151
useless to tr37 to understand the difference between
Prarabdlzn andAgal~zya in ourdailylife?"No; for those
aspirantswhose goal is Liberation and who are much
interested to act using the di scri mi i ~at i oi ~ between
oood and bad (Papaand Ptllzya),let them follow the
0
classification of ka~nzns as givenbelow;by which the
good in them may increase and thebad decrease to
help towardsthepurificationof their mind.
1. Whenever one feelslike doingharm to others,
let one save oneself by thinking, "This is an effort of
minetowardsAgamya; letmerefrain fromthis".
2. Whenever one feels that others are abusing
us, let one think, "This is due to my Prarabdlzn -
Imight,havedoneharm to thempreviously". With110
hate towards them, one should remain indifferent to
theexperience.
3. Whenever one does good to others, let one
think:"This is~7l1at Ihave received from thembefore.
- As this comes under Prarabdlza - I shouldnot expect
anythinginreturn.Eventoexpect areturniswrong."
4.Whenever othersdogood toone,letonethink:
"This help which I am getting now from them comes
underAga17zy[z.SO,Ishouldreturnitwit11 thanks."
InShort:-I. One's doingwrongtoothersisAgamya.
2. WrongsdonetooneisPrarabdlza.
3. T11e good which one does to others is
Prarabdlza.
4. ThegoodwhichisdonetooneisAgamya.
If one classifies in the aforesaid manner the
actionsperformed,it willgiveanattitudewhichisKarma-
Yoga itself,thiswillpurify andmaturethemind.
152 The Path of Sri Ramam - Part Two
But, the truth may not really be so. The equitable
classification may be otherwise, i.e., one's doing wrong
to others is an Agaiizyd according to our classification.
But it might be the returning action of what others
have done to one in the past. Thus to act in such
a way, it comes under one's Prarabdlza. Which means
that one need not worry about it. Is i t not so? In the
same manner, one's doing good to others is a Prarabdlza
according to our classification. But, it may be one's
Agamic philanthropic action (Aganlya Pulzya Karwza)
not done in the way of clearing off any previous debts
of Prurobdlza. Is it not? In the same manner, we may
expand the other remaining two points of the
classification also. Should the truth be shown to the
l ~uman mind, the ego being well-fed will wax and
become coi~ceited, thus, making one's mind impure
and depriving it of its maturity.
That is why in the plan of the Divine the
equitable classification is well veiled to the human
mind! Indeed, this is a blessing to help the progress of
the human mind. It is for this very reason that our
classification, though given above to help the aspirants
in purifying and maturii~g their mind, may not tally
wit11 the truth.
Because and through the 'original freedom to will
and act', one coininits two kinds of mistakes while
having the body (i.e., during one's lifetime) which is
the Prarabdlza allotted from one's Sa~lclzita.
The first mistake one commits is to try either to stop
or to decrease the misery that comes t hrough
Prgrabdlza, which is ever unavoidable and unalterable.
And in the same manner, one tries either to increase or
Karma 153
to hasten the l ~appi ncss that also comes through
Prnrnbdltn. So, the only best thing to do is to leave it to
the Will of the Lord rather than to exert oneself in
trying to use one's freedom in such a way; because
this is no longer within the limits of one's 'original
freedom to will and act'!
What is meant here by 'Leaving it to the Will of
the Lord', is nothing but leaving it to one's own
Prnrabdhn. How? Is it not the past will of the
individual that framed his present Pmrabdlzn? It is thus
only his own past will or wish now being fulfilled by
God. It does not mean that God has some likes and
dislikes, willing or unwilling of His own to do good to
an individual. In other words, it only means that the
individual sl~ould leave to God the sole right to fulfil
his wishes or will in the order of priority He wishes. If
one does so, since God is All-knowing, He knows
what is best to give and when, He will dispose the
Pr ~~r ~~bdl ~n in such a way that when, whatever Prnrnbdlta
is given to be experienced, it will help the individual
to regain his Original State, the Self.
What happens when one does not do so?
Whether one likes it or not, the Prarnbdhn has to be
experienced anyway. Even then, the ordained
Prnrnbdltn does give fruit. But, as he does not like to
experience the Pmrabdhn, he loses his balance of mind
and discrimination while forced to undergo the
sufferings and joys (Pmrnbdlza). He fights against it and
thereby creates Agamya. But on the contrary, when the
individual has so much love for God that he takes
everything as His Will and Prasnd, he does not
154 The Path of Sri Ramana - Part Two
lose his balance of mind and therefore he is able to
endure the Prorabdlza cheerfully. In this case the fruit of
the experiencing of the Prorobdhn will be according to
God's expectation, i.e., to mature one's mind for
a speedy attainment of the Goal. Thus we may
conclude (a): we have the original freedom to yield or
not to yield to the Will of God; (b) by yielding to His
Will our progress is improved and accelerated; (c) by
not yielding to His Will, our progress is miniinised
and retarded and we will have to undergo a similar
experiei~ce of Prrrrabdlzo in future births so that we may
progress, as we could have done in this birth itself,
had we yielded to the Will of God.
Some may ask wl~ether even God cannot change
or arrest the Prarabdlza. As God is the Ordainer of
Prarabdlza He has the Perfect Freedom either to change
or arrest the experiencing of Prarabdha, if one
completely surrenders to Him, praying to him, "0my
Lord, You know my inability to endure the sufferings;
protect me by bestowing the strength of endurance",
then only, as our origii~al freedom is not used in the
way of preventing Him, He can do anything as He
wishes; i.e., either to allow the Prarabdl~a, change it or
stop it. This is exactly what is proclaimed by Sage
Auvaiyar when she said, "For those who surrender in
Shiva (Shivaya nama) there is no possibility of danger
befalling them. This alone is Free Will. If not
surrendered, every thing will become Fate." Not only
can He change or arrest the Prarabdba, but He can
also order the Agailzya to give fruit immediately
by including it in the Prarabdha. The st ory of
Markandeya is a11 illustration for the former and the
Karma
155
story of Adi Sl~ankara and the poor woman for the
latter. A brief sketch of each story is given below:-
1. Though according to Prarabdha the lifespan of
Markandella was only sixteen years, he obtained the
preservation of his life by surrendering to Lord Sl~iva.
2. While Adi Shankara was begging for His food,
a poor lady gave Him a small fruit, but through the
window of her hut! It then became known to Adi
Shankara that she was so poor as not to be able to
open the door for the lack of clothing (on her body) to
give Him the fruit through t he door. A great
compassion rose in His heart. He composed verses in
praise of Goddess Lakshmi* (Kuiznkndlzura Stotranz).
When the Goddess appeared to Him, Adi
Shankara asked Her to grant wealth to that poor lady.
Goddess Lakshmi pointed out that there was no
provision in her Prarabdha which He Himself, Lord
Shankara, had ordained. Adi Shankara recommended
that the present charitable act of that poor woman in
giving the small fruit to Him, should be included in
her Prurnbdha and wealth granted to her, then and
there. At once there was a shower of gold fruits for her
in answer to the recommendation of Adi Sl~ankara.
Here it is show711 that the fruit of Agailzyn can be
included into the Prarabdha by the Ordainer.
The second mistake one commits through the
'original freedom to will and act1 is, beginning to do
Againyas while at the same time allowing the Prarabdha
* Goddess Lakshmi is the Goddess of prosperity and Adi
Sha~lkarais the manifestation of Lord Shiva" (Shankara).
to take its course; i.e., the individual, being coinpelled
by his likes and dislikes to increase the happiness and
to remove the miseries in future births, begins to do
Aganzya. Because he does not know that happiness is
his own nature, he engages himself in so many
different karmas, wishfully thinking that he can obtain
happiness with the help of his mind, senses, body and
objects of the world. In this manner, at the time of the
death of the body, innumerable Agallzyas are added to
the already piled up Himalayas of his Saizclzita making
it grow higher and higher.
"The results of actions having passed away after
being experienced, leaving seeds (vasanas -
tendencies), cast the agent into an ocean of action.
Therefore, the results of actions yield not
Liberation."
- 'Upadesha Undiyar' - Verse 2
Thus with his 'original freedom to will and act'
man commits two kinds of mistakes.
How to rectify these two mistakes? At this stage
the God who, according to the conception of the man,
is other than himself and All-knowing, All-powerful
and All-merciful, shows compassion towards him and
when the mail who llas been suffering throughout so
many births in the past, prays to Him that it is His
duty to give him the Right-Knowledge, comes to his
help. Is it not He who, as we have already said in the
previous chapter 'Bhakti', when prayed to by the Man
for the attainment of worldly objects, gave him the
portion of 'Karma Kandas' of the Vedas as a Teacher
Karma 157
for the 1" and IFd standards of our School, as well as
the fruits of his karnras? He now answeri ng his
prayers, comes to hiin in the form of a Guru to help
him to find out how he has committed the above two
mistakes through his 'original freedom to will and act'
and to teach him how to use correctly that freedom. To
this individual who, having forgotten his Real State of
Bliss through his own 'freedom to will and act', is now
suffocating for happiness, making efforts in the form
of karnzas with his limited power and knowledge; who
else can be a real helper except his loving God? For,
He knows that to completely fulfil his desire for
happiness is nothing else but, to remove his state of
forgetfulness of Self, making him thus become aware
of his Original State.
Now, God makes use of t he Saizclrita of t he
individual in such a way that will help him to get True
Knowledge. Is not a portion of the Salzcllita of the
individual selected and allotted as Prarabdlm whenever
he takes a birth? The knrnlas will be selected by God as
Prarabdlza in such a way, i.e., what kind of karnzas
(good or bad), at what time (in which circumstances of
which birth) and in which way (the order of priority
to, experience pain or pleasure) t hat while
experiencing the results of those karllzas the individual
will grow more and more disgusted and, will be drawn
to the conclusion that performing karnz~s is useless.
This is I-Iis boundless Grace! Is it not?
Not knowing this, but yet believing that God is
All-powerful, All-knowing and All-merciful, if the
man compellingly prays to Him: "Change my destiny
(Prnrabdlzn), add more to my happiness and lessen the
158 The Path of Sri Ramana - Part Tn7o
miseries in my destiny"; instead of completely
surrendering himself to Him, that is only ignorance; it
is only finding fault, on account of his little intellect,
with God's plan. What does his prayer show? It shows
only that 11e accuses God, whom he praised to be All-
knowi i ~g, not to be wise enough to determine his
Prnrnbdlzn properly! i.e., he makes the 'All-knowing' -
'not knowing'! In the same manner, when the miseries
in his Prnrnbdhn are not removed by his prayers, he is
dejected. What does this dejection show? It shows that
he feels God, whoin he praised to be All-powerful is
not that powerful enougl~, to stop his miseries, i.e.,
tl~rough his dejection he makes the 'All-powerful' -
'not powerful'!! Not only this; when he tries to find
a reason why God does not stop his miseries, he
concludes that He is not willing to do so; what does
this conclusion show? It shows that he declares God,
whom he praised to be All-merciful, not to be kind in
helping him, i.e., through his conclusion he makes the
'All-merciful' - 'merciless'!!! Does it not?
What makes him do so? Is it not his desire for
the cessation of miseries and the attainment of
happiness? Even a person who is now enjoying
a happy life, fears some future unexpected miseries
and 11e worries; or he may be longing for an even
happier life in future. Another man who is now
suffering, is wistfully longing for the day when the
miseries will come to an end and, be replaced by
happiness. For these reasons we like to know the
future course of our life; but, this is an unnecessary
mental activity. Someone asked Sri Bhagavan Ramana:
"Can we know about our past lives and about the
future of our present life and about our future births?"
Sri Bhagavan answered:- "If the man, who is confused
and much worried wit11 the thoughts about his present
activities, is given to understand the past and future,
will 11e not be even inore confused and miserable? Will
his life then not become a hell! It is only ignorance to
search for the knowledge of the past and future, while
ignoring to know the truth of his present as 'Who am
I?".
"...Without knowing the truth of the present,
seeking to know the past and future, is like trying
to count without knowing the nature of 'one1, the
unit."
- 'Ulladu Narpadu' - Verse 15
Although such is the truth, man likes to know
about the future pains and pleasures in his life!
Astrology coines to his help!! What is astrology? It is
a science, based upon the planetary positions at the
precise time of mai~ls birth, that helps him to know all
the incidents that will happen in his life till death. In
short, it is of course a wonderful science to read out
what has been ordained by the Lord as one' s
Prnmbdlzn! But three basical conditions are necessary:
(1)the accuracy of the time of birth, (2) the high
proficiency of the astrologer who draws and makes
out the horoscope and (3) the astrologer should not be
a mere professionalist praising others for the sake of
money. In many cases the findings turn out to be
wrong, because one or more of these conditions are
absent, thus bringing discredit to astrology. Just like
160
astrologj~, palmistry, numerology, I-chin, planchet-
reading, fortune-telling and contacting spirits through
human medium, are used everywhere for the same
purpose, and man often depends on the help obtained
through tl~ose arts and crafts. But, what for? They can
merely sho~v him the miseries and happiness in his
future; but they help neither to decrease the miseries
nor to increase the happiness. What reply does the
inan get from even an expert astrologer when, through
astrologv, 11e comes to know that he v\iill undergo
sufferings (Pri~rabdlza)? The astrologer advises him:
"Offer a light in the shrine of Saturn; worship in the
shrine of nine Planets; fced the poor; and worship
suc11 a11d such aspects of God (gods and goddesses) at
such and such time to i ni ni n~i se the effects of the
planets, and your troubles will be lessened, and all
will be well!"
What does it really mean? Does it not mean:
"0man; you cannot alter your Prnrabdlza, take refuge
in God. He alone is All-powerful, All-knowing and
All-merciful"? Is it not then obvious that the astrologer
tl~us, sends a man to be admitted in the Ibtf IInd or IIId
(a) standard of our School where the feeling of love
(17110kli) is purified? In which way does he do so?
Because he recoinmends the man to worship so inany
names and forms of God, (as mentioned in the
pr evi o~i s chapter) for the fulfilment of his many
desires (to alter the P~arabdlzn). This applies only to the
students of Pt, IIn%nd IIIrd (a) standard of our School,
whose power of discrimii~atior~ is not yet developed to
allow thein to go beyond. the portion of the Vedas
dealing with the kar-nras !K~rina-Kmzda). But, has not
Karma 161
the ripe soul in IIPd (b) and IVthstandard of our School
always been clinging to God, even before being
advised to do so by the astrologer, and even without
the astrologer's advise? Only such ripe souls have the
abilit~i to rectify the two mistakes (committed through
the 'original freedom to will and act') mentioned
previously. Can the advice of an astrologer be of any
use to a real enquirer or a real devotee? To which god
or goddess should he, who is on the path of complete
surrender, pray to remove - which miseries that will
come according to Prclrclbdlzn or to increase - which
happiness that will also come according to Prcli,clbdlza?
Does he not know well that God is only one and that
I-IE Himself, elren without his prayer, can alter the
Prclrclbi-ihn if HE so wills? There is room to worship so
Inany names and forms of God only for him who does
not have this knowledge; but, for hiin whose heart is
blossoming with this knowledge, what is there to be
gained through such arts and crafts like astrology etc.?
If an aspirant says that he is longing for Liberation,
but at the same time shows a great deal of interest
in those arts and crafts, he cannot be a real devotee
or a real enquirer. For, a real devotee will never ask
God to alter his Prcli*abdlzcl because he has surrendered
his 'original freedom to will and act' to Him; no more
a real enquirer will make an effort towards any other
thing except to attend to the Self, because he knows
the right use of his 'original freedom to will and act'.
If he is really a devotee or an enquirer (i.e., a student
in the 1IPd (b) or IVth standard of our School) will he
have a taste or even the slightest inclination towards
these arts and crafts? He will certainly not; for he
cannot! Should he do so, it only betrays, in the three
ways his lack of love and faith in God. The necessity
of these arts and crafts has to vanish in the state of
complete surrender. Thus sings Ma11ickavachakar:--
"The LTery moment You took me as Your own,
I lost my individuality! You may do good or
wrong to me! Who am I to interfere, 0my Lord!"
From what has been said above it would be wrong
i f any reader comes to the conclusion that we are
declaring that those arts and crafts are bogus or that
we hate them. But, let the reader know that we merely
conclude that they are good only for the students in
Pt, 11"" and III'" (a) standards of our School, but not at
all necessary to an aspirant aiming for the Truth only.
If we reallv have 101.e and faith i n God, we
should unconditionally surrender ourselves to Him as
it is said by Sri Bhagavan Ramana:
"0Annamalai ... Can I have the11 any grievance?
0my (real) Soul, do whatever Thou wilt; but
grant me, 0Beloved, only ever increasing love for
Thy Feet."
-'Sri Arunacl~alahTavamaniMalai' - Verse 7
"0Arunachala ....0Bliss born out of Love! What
is there for me to say? Thy Will is my will and
Thy Will is Itself my happiness."
-'Sri Arunachala Pathikam' - Verse 2
It is such devotee alone who, knowing this well
and accepting it, was mentioned in the previous
Karma 163
chapter as a qualified student in the IVth standard of
our School. And it is only to such student that the
method of rectifying the two mistakes in using the
'freedom to will and act', mentioned above, can be
explained. Verily, only for the sake of such few
devotees, who by experiencing the results of ktzrttzns
through so many births have been maturing througl~
dispassion towards ktzrnztzs, God comes in the form of
a Guru! At first the individual thinks that the Guru in
front of him is a man like himself. But, as the Guru is
really none other but his very Self - which is Love, it is
no wonder that he feels such a natural, boundless.
irresistable flow of love springing forth towards h s Guru.
The Guru now instructs hiin how to handle his
' original freedom to will and actf:- "Using your
freedom to know the Reality, your Self, is the only
right use. If you do not know or cannot do that, hand-
over or surrender completely that freedom to God; so
that He may use it on your behalf in any way I-Ie likes.
That means, either know the right way of using it, or
restore it to the hands of God, who knows how to use
it". Thus the Guru places in front of the disciple the
path of Self-enquiry and the path of Self-surrender -
the path of Knowledge and the path of Love (Jfiana
Marga and Bhakti Marga).
From that time onwards the devotee, who takes
to either Self-enquiry or Self-surrender, is able to
understand that whatever happens in his life is only
favourable to lessen the activities of his mind and
make him turn Self-ward. Not only that, he is also able
to understand that whatever has happened to him in
the past through his Prnrtzbdlza as ordained by God,
before he took to his present spiritual path, were also
incidents favourable to lessen the activities of his mind
and make him turn Self-ward. To the disciple who is
now wondering about 11is new outlook on life, these
loving words of Sri Ramana flash through his mind:-
"Know this to be by the Grace of your Guru who is
acting from outside to push you within."
As soon as he gets this new outlook on life, he
feels ashamed to pray any longer to his God or Guru
to alter his destiny (Pra~abdha); because, he now finds
that all the activities going on in his life are only to
make him turn Self-ward. In short, in the eyes of such
a matured disciple, the Prarabdha becomes completely
non-existent. He does not use the word 'Prarabdlla', but
points out to it as 'The loving Will of my Lord; His
Will is my pleasure!'. Now the surrender completes
itself - the life has been changed into one immense
Bliss, even the greatest tortures now appear to him, [as
sings Saint Appar:
* "(Where I was placed) under the shade of the
Feet of my Lord, I felt as if on the cool bank of
a pond in the spring full moon, under the pleasant
touch of the southern breeze while the Veena is
playing sweet melody".
His mind so transformed is no longer a 'mind',
It is Self - his very nature. We can say that, what was
previously called 'mind' is now destroyed. Thus we
are able to understand that t he experiencership
* This verse was sung by Saint Appar. The King threw him in an
oven closing the door to kill Saint Appar. He sang this song and
came out unharmed.
Karma 163
(Bllokir*lti;lrz) is destroyed along wit11 the doc~- sl ~i p
( K~l ' t l ' ~! t i i ~) . I-Iaving 11;s two aspects thus destroyed, the
jecvlz's keeping quite is the 'BE STILI,' (Szillrrlzrz Irri ).
And THIS is the real teaching (Upadeshaj of the Guru.
To BE so STILL is the real service to God and to the
Guru. And to BE so STILL is really to iive in the
Divine. And THIS is the origin'i! Natural State.
To will to be so still, i.e., to like to be so still, or
to will not to be so still, i.e., to do, is under one's will.
For, the 'Perfect Freedom to will and act' is one's very
nature - Bralzl?rrzll, the Self.
It is said above that the destruction of the
doership is itself the destruction of the experiencersl~ip
also. The same power - our Perfect Freedom, which
imagined a separate entity as a doer, when now, on
the contrary, acts in the form of an intense Power to
Will (Icliclzn Slrrrkti) and an intense Power to Act
(Kriila Slrnkti) to BE STILL, this un-equalled Power -
the DYNAMIC STILLNESS destrovs the insignificant,
false and imaginary ' icllchn and kriyrr shnkf i ' used
for the creation, sustenance and destruction of the
universe.
At this stage, the unnatural superimpositioi~
made by the aforesaid power of imagination to see
the Self, by the Self, in the Self - as many, ceases! Now,
as the aspirant experiences the real Awakening into his
True Nature which ever sl ~i nes as ONE wit11 no
otherness - the Perfect SELF alone, the sleep of
ignorance in whic11 the dream of birth and death of the
individual (the doer) appeared, disappears!! When the
doership is thus destroyed, who stands there for
166
T11e Path of Sri Ramana - Part Two
experiei~cersl~ip? Hence, the heap or Snlzclzita, with its
good and bad results of the kal-llzas performed,
disappears like a dream, just as both debts and gains
in a dream disappear on waking-up. It is what is
mentioned in 'Kaivalyam'.
"Just as a bundle of cotton is burnt to ashes,
during the Great Fire of Dissolution, Snlzclzitn, the
wonderful seed of diversified fruits - innumerable
births - is utterly burnt to ashes by the Fire of
Knowledge."
- 'Kaivalyam' - Chapter I -Verse 96.
and in Bhagavad Gita:--
" ... The Fire of Knowledge burns ALL karl~zas to
ashes."
-'Bhagavad Gita' - Chapter IV - Verse 37.
It has already been said that there will be no
more Agnlilycl after the doership has been destroyed.
Up till now it has bee11 said in scriptures, to pacify the
questioners, that the Prnrabdlzn which remains after
Saizcllitcl and Agallzya have been destroyed is to be
experienced, and that it will end only with the death
of the body. But, it is to be understood that this is not
said for those fully mature aspirants who have a keen
discrimination. For, they are expected to apply here
a little reflection, i.e., since the doership and the
experiencership are the two faces of the jeevtr, the
individual (like the two faces of a coin), how can the
experiencership still live after the doership has been
destroyed by the dawn of Self-Knowledge? It cannot!
When the experiencership is thus lost, who is there to
experience the Prarnbdlza and how? No one! Will not
Karma 167
the Prnrclbdhn be nullified since there is no experiencer?
Therefore, for the Jnani there is truly none of the
three Karmas; but, as an ignorant and immature
aspirant takes the Jiznni to be a body - he cannot do
otherwise - the scriptures have to tell him that the
Jltnizi has Prarabdhn alone. That is why the Supreme,
who takes the forin of different Gurus at different
times to frame rules - the different scriptures - now
appearing in the form of Sri Rainana, gives for the
benefit of the highly mature souls, the following
amendment to the scriptures, which He had Himself
framed at different times:-
"To say that Snnclzifn and Agnirzyn will not adhere
to a Jiznizi, but Prnrnbdlza does remain (to be
experienced by Him) is only a superficial reply to
the question put by others. Just as none of the
wives will remain unwidowed when the husband
dies, so also, all the three Knrinns will cease to
exist when the doer (ego) dies. Thus should you
know"
- 'Ulladu Narpadu - Supplement' - Verse 33
The aspirant who is on the path of Love (Blrakti)
believes that there is a God or Guru and that He
protects him, with the hope that He will do for him
whatever is good. Such an aspirant, while using his
'original freedom to will and act', surrenders his
doership to Him; therefore he, no longer has to make
efforts (Againyns), and thus BEcomes STILL.
There is another kind of aspirants who, not
believing in God or Guru, deeply scrutinize the nature
168 The Path of Sri Rainana -Part Two
of their efforts a l ~d activities while experiencing the
different joys and trials of life and who finally come to
understand the right use of their 'original freedom to
will and act'. Through their 'original freedom to will
and act' they withdraw their attention from second
and third person objects and by attending to the Self,
giving no room for (imaginary) inattention in their
quest, they try to regain the Truth of the Self - the
state of actionless-ness. Thus they BEcome STILL.
The freedom to like either; to make a complete
surrender to God or to dispel the ignorance - in the
form of an imaginary inattention, through Self-
enquiry, and the freedom to act accordingly is in the
individual; never it is obstructed; for, it is the very
nature of Brahman. But for this freedom alone,
Moksha or Liberation or the complete relief from
miseries would be absolutely impossible and all
Gurus and scriptures from time immemorial would
become unnecessary and in vain!
Some, believing that J~zana can be obtained only
through Prarabdha, live lazily, i.e., not even desiring to
obtain Jlualzn. But such people show their laziness only
so far as their desires and efforts towards obtaining
Jizalzn are concerned, putting the blame on Prarabdhn
and being at the mercy of Prarabdha's grace! But at the
same time they never show laziness towards their
worldly activities, i.e., they show their enterprising
spirit in trying to obstruct the function of Prarabdlla
(to lessen the miseries and to increase the happiness
that come through Prarnbdha), which can never be
obstructed or altered. The net result will be NIL.
They who are so enterprising in doing what they
Karma 169
need not and should not do, are lazy in doing what
they necessarily should do - the effort to destroy the
doership by Self-attention. This is the pinnacle of
ignorance! Therefore, those who have faith in God
should be enterprising in surrendering the doership to
Him, others in enquiring into the Self which is the
only right use of their 'freedom to will and act.'
But some among us may ask: "By the limited
knowing power (Alya-Clzit-Slrakti) of the individual
which is merely an imaginary reflection of the power
of the True and un-limited Knowledge (Akhandn-Clzit-
Sllakti), it is impossible to attain the State of Perfection
(the Supreme). Is not the Grace of the power of that
True unlimited Knowledge which Itself is God or Guru
necessary?" Yes, indeed it is necessary! Because help is
needed, IT gives help to those who have faith in God,
in their efforts to surrender their 'I-ness', by bestowing
upon them a tremendous capacity to surrender. This is
what is meant by the saying, "Take one step towards
God; He will take ten steps towards you." While to the
aspirant who, though having no faith in God or Guru,
makes intense effort, with enthusiasm, in enquiring
into the Self, his Reality, the Self acts as Guru and
gives help from within as well as from without
(external). IT shines ill the form of that clarity of
understanding that makes him understand through
the outer events in his life, that the outgoing attention
IS only misery. IT shines in the form of Bliss within
and makes him turn within towards IT and know
'This Bliss is my real state', thus attracting him to
merely BE. In this way the Grace of the Guru or God
helps even him from within and without.
"Verily the Self is the Supreme Principle (Reality).
Do Thou, Thyself reveal this to me, 0
Arunachala".
- Arunachala Akshramanamalai - Verse 43
Therefore let neither of these t wo types of
aspirants be worried about the scarcity of the Grace of
the Supreme. That Supreme Grace is ever ready to
flow - to say the truth, It is ever-flowing. This
Revealing is always possible and done by Grace only.
Pain and pleasure may come according to Prarabdha;
but the aspirant ever has his own freedom to remain
in that centre, from where he cannot be moved by
them: for, this alone he has freedom and not for
obstructing the function of Prarabdha. When the
'freedom to will and act' is applied to like and to make
efforts to BE STILL, the doership is destroyed. Along
with the doership, the experiencership, which is
necessary to experience all the three karnzas, is also
destroyed. Only with this freedom can we reach the
Goal; should this freedom not be there, there would be
no hope. This Freedom alone - which is nothing but
GRACE - paves the way for us to be freed from
karmas. This alone is the real secret of the karmas.
Thus should we know!
Self -Effort
(PenonalEffort)
Our personal effort (self-effort) can be of two
kinds:- (1)Effort in generating karmas (Praurtitti) and
(2) effort in destroying karmas (Nivrzltti) - When effort
is used in generating karmas, there will be no chance
of getting Awakened till all the results of karmas are
experienced. As Agat ~zynsare being generated more
and more while experiencing the Prnrabdlm, it is clear
that there is no hope for Awakening through the
means of karmas. Besides, though the fruits of karmas
are experienced and exhausted little by little, they
remain in the seed - form of tendencies (vasalzns) which
will never lead to destroying the karmas; but will only
be a kindling to generating the karmas.* Thus through
self-effort in the form of generating karmas there is no
possibility of Awakening or Liberation.
The self-effort in destroying the karmas, is
attending to the Self. We can say that Awakening or
Liberation is "Being aware of the Self" (for, Self and
Its Awareness are one and the same). Suppose a man is
said to have awakened from sleep or dream; what
does it mean? It means that he has returned to his self-
*Refer to verse 2 of 'Upadesha Undiyar',
172
awareness (body-consciousness), in which he was
before his sleep or dream, i.e., that he has returned
from the dream-body and dream world-consciousness
to the present body and world-consciousness which is
their root. What makes a person who is having
a dream wake up? There are two causes:- (1)When the
karma which started (to give fruit) a dream comes to
an end, the dream ends either in sleep or in waking.
(2) When, due to the shock of extreme fear, happiness
or misery experienced during a dream it happens that
the attention of the dreamer* is knowingly or
unknowingly drawn towards himself, the first person
in the dream, i. e., his mind or attention is forced to
return to the Heart, i.e., towards the first person in the
dream. So also when the Prarabdlza which started the
present waking state (life) is exhausted, this waking
state (life) comes to an end, i.e., to the state of death,
like a dream ends in sleep. In this way, the ending of
Prarabdlza will end only this waking state but cannot
give the Awakening.
In the same way, when our attention i n this
waking state is, through any means, turned towards
the Self, not only the waking state (jagrat) which is like
*The dreamer:- T11e man who is asleep while dreaming, takes
anotl~er body. In the dream 11e moves about with the dream-
body while the body in which he moved in the waking state
lies motionless. While in the dream, he identifies his dream-
body as '1'. This 'I' is the seer of the dream. All the scenes in
the dreain are only second or third persons. This person who is
a first person in the dream is the dreamer. As the dream-body
is different from the waking-body, the experiences of the waker
will also be different from tl~ose of the dreamer. For instance,
a wound experienced by the dreamer on his dream-body, is not
experienced on the sleeping body of the waker. (later in the
waking state)
Appendix - 1 173
the dream, but also our forgetfulness of the Self which
is like the state of sleep, both will end leaving us in
the Natural State. It may happen that our Prcl~clbdlzn
causes a sllock ill our life of either extreine fear,
compassion, misery or joy (as our Sages had to
experience to be able to turn to the spiritual). Making
use of such favourable circumstances, the individual
turns his attention back towards the Self causing thus
the great Awakening. That is why S11ri Bhagavan
advises us to attend to the Self.
How does our attention function when we just
wake up from sleep? First, we are aware of the body
and then through the senses we are aware of all other
objects of the world. Is not our body a secoi-td person
object? Throughoxt the waking state our attention
dwells upon second and third persons objects only.
This attention stops functioning of its own accord
when sleep overcomes us. This dwelling upon second
and third persons objects is thinking only. The whole
waking state is nothing but a bundle of thoughts (i.e.,
thinking). The same is going on every day from birth
to death and the same from creation to dissolution. In
short, from sleep to sleep, from birth to death, from
creation to dissolution, no being turns its attention
towards the first persoil! If one turns one's attention
towards the first person (the subject) in the waking
state, the waking should come to an end, leaving one
in the State of Awakening. This Self-ward turn is
Being only, and not doing; hence it is not a thought
or karma. Only this kind of Self-effort is called the
effort of destroying karmas. This alone will lead to
Liberation. As all other efforts of attention are towards
174
second and third persons objects, they are only
generating karmas and will not give Liberation. Such
is the truth! Yet, some of us used to say that even Jnn~ta,
the Awakening, is the result of Prartlbdhn. It is wrong.
Jnalza is not bound by, but transcending the results of
karmas. The aforesaid second kind of Self-effort will
be known as the Natural State (Sahrzja State) when it is
found to be going 011 effortlessly. This is the state of
Effortless-effort - Dynamic Stillness.
TheResumptionof Actions
BirthafterBirth
When an individual or jeeva leaves the body on
account of death and takes another body, by this
transfer he changes only his place of residence but not
his job (his activities) or his saiary (the fruit of his
actions). He obtains his new birth, through the Grace
of God, with all favourable tendencies started
previously to carry 011 the activities where he had left
them undone. Thus what follow him are: (1) the fruit
of actions (karnln-phala) and (2) the tendencies
(vasa~zas).
Prarabdha, the portion selected and allotted from
the store of Salzclzita, will frame the nature of the new
birth - to which extent pain and pleasure will be
experienced as well as the time of the death of the
Appendix - 2
body. The fruit of actions remaining in Salzchita are the
savings of the jeeva for the future births. This continuity
of action seen in a jeeva birth after birth is called 'The
Resumption of actions'.
The results of actions are of two kinds; the fruit
and the seed. Tl~erefore, the resumption of actions has
to be also of two kinds. First, the continuity in the
fruits (results) of actions is the resumption of the
fruits. Second, the continuity in the seeds (results)
of actions is the resumption of the tendencies. The first
kind of resumption concerns the face of experiencership
of the j cee~a while the second kind of resumption
colTcerns the face of doership of the jeeva. Do we not
hear people remarking,' Where is his merit? His
Prarabdha may be that way. That is why he enjoys
good health and became wealthy and famous without
any trouble. But, is it possible for all? (i.e., is it possible
for those who do not have such a resumption of the
fruit of action in their destiny, Prarabdha ?)".
Such talks apply only to the resumption of the
fruit of actions which concerns the face of
experiencership and not to the second kind of
resu~nption. Some, often remark, "What to say about
Shri Ramana? His Prarabdha gave Him Liberation. His
destiny was such that He became J e e v a~z ~~z t t k t ~z a. So it
is due to the resumption of the fruits in his
Prarabdza". Talking in such a way only shows a lack of
understanding.
In the case of Shri Ramana, truly, it was due to
a resumption; but not to the resumption of the fruit of
actions concerning the face of experiencership. It was
176
due to the second kind of resumption concerning the
face of doership (i.e., the resumption of His past
tendencies towards sadhana); because the fruits of
actions of oi ~l y the endeavours made towards the
second and third person can come under Prarlzbdlzn to
feed the face of experiencership, in order to give pain
and pleasure to be experienced by mind and body.
(See the article 'Self Effort', Appendix I, in which it is
explained that the efforts made towards second and
third persons are of an extroverted nature). In the
same manner when the tendencies have sprouted from
the effort towards second and third person, they may
be said to be' Doii~gness-in-nature'. It is only these
tei~dencies that are creating Agni~zyns in every birth
through the face of doership; but, the effort called the
spiritual practice (Atiiln-Sndlzaiza), which is made
throughout each one of our life to obtain Liberation, is
'Beingness-in i ~at ure' . Therefore, out of these two
resumptions of tendencies, the tendencies which are of
a ' doingness-in-nature' are obst ruct i ol ~s towards
sadhana, and those which are of a 'beingness-in-
nature' are help to our sadhana in this birth.
Regarding Bhagavan Shri Ramana it should not be
said that His Realization was due to the resumption of
the fruit of actions (Prnrnbdlzn); but to the resumption
of the tendencies of 'beingness-in-nature' - in the form
of a great love to merely BE (Sot-Vasana).*
P~nrlzbdlln is a fruit that can be experienced onlp
t hrough the face of experiencership, while the
tendencies can function onlp through the face of
doership. Though the tendencies of the face of
*Read here the diagram on the next page.
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doer sl ~i p, wl ~i ch are necessary to induce the
experiences, are in all creatures, the tendencies to
accumulate Agaiilyrrs are present only in humans. By
using either 'doingness-in-nature' or 'beingness-in-
nature' through the face of doership man accumulates
Againyas birth after birth and thereby is drowned in
the ocean of karmas and their fruit, or he takes to the
practice of Being Still (Atiizi7-sndlzana) and obtains
Liberation. It is this very tendency of 'Beingness-in-
i~ature' that is mentioned by Shri Bhagavan Ramana as
the tendency for Perfection in verse 69 of 'The Bridal
Garland of Letters' :
"Do Thou grant me Thy full union with me so
that my mind which is filled wi t h worldly
tendencies, inay be filled with the tendency for
Perfection, Thy True Nature, 0 Arunachala!"
Here Shri Bl~agavan means, that the tendency of
the mind to always attend to second and third person
should be changed to a tendency to always attend to
first person only. Hence the prayer to Shri Arunachala
for the granting of the tendency towards Beingness
(the nature of B~ahiiznn)by bestowing His union.
The Liberation of an individual is verily the
annil~ilation of the il~dividuality - the ego. This is
a suicide to be committed wi t h the 'effort in
destroying karmas' 'through the tendency 'Beingness-
in-i~ature'. So long as one's efforts are towards second
and third persons (i.e., effort in generating karmas) the
tendencies derived from them are 'Doingness-in-
i ~at ur e' , which will never yield Liberation, t he
annihilation of the ego! That tendency 'Beingness-in-
nature' derived from the 'effort in destroying karmas'
Appendix - 2 179
(i.e., Self-attention) cannot even be called a 'tendency',
because it is really the 'non-tendency', 'which has so
far been described as 'Beingness-in-nature'. This
tendency alone will yield Liberation. That is why Self-
attention is said to be a suicide; in verse 7 of Appendix I
of 'The Path of Shri Ramana - Part 1'. Tl~erefore, let no
one 'depend upon Prarfibdlza for Liberation. Liberation
is in no way connected with Prarabdha. Prfirabdlra
belongs to the face of experiencership concerning the
fruit of action which is in direct opposition to Self-
effort as sl ~own in the diagram. But Liberation is solely
connected with the non-tendency -"Beingness-in-
nature' , i.e., Liberation is possible t l ~r ough the
resumpti011 of t l ~c tendency' Beingness-in-i~ature' the
state of Doing-lessness or Actionless - action, (i.e.,
doershipless-action) which is the correct spiritual
practice for Liberation, the right Self-attention.
From what has been said above, we must realize
the facts that Liberation is not at all bound by
Prfirabdlln and that the strength of such spiritual
practice (Atnza-Sfidlzntza) done in past births, will
resume itself and help one in the present birth also.
Therefore, without doubting whether there is room for
Liberation in our Prarfibdlzn and being depressed over
it by trying to read the Prarabdlza through astrology,
palmistry, I-chin, numerology etc, (for, these arts and
crafts cannot reveal it), let us turn Self-ward with great
courage and attain Liberation through the tendency
'Beingness-in-nature'.
Personal Cleanliness
Once a disciple approached, a Guru and requested
instructions (upadeshn) for the attainment of God. The
Guru said, "God is in you; if you want to know Him,
follow the principles of 'Aclzara'; be pure and keep
yourself ever pure!". The disciple went back home. He
referred to the scriptures ill order to know everything
about 'Aclzaras' and began to observe them. He paid
great attention i n taking bath, washing clothes,
cleaning his house, preparing food in a clean manner
and even in drinking water! Realizing very soon that
his body and clothes got dirty very quikly again, he
started to take bat11 twice a day and change his clothes
also. The number of his daily baths was increased up
to six in due course! The same thing happened
regarding his dress and he became more and more:
meticulous in handling and taking his food and in
drinking water. A year or two later he approached his
Guru again, who, though being happy within himself
to note the very high standard of cleanliness in his
disciple's body, dress and of his activities remarked
again dryly: "Not clean enough! Observe more Aclzaras;
be pure; touch not dirty things"
He returned home and began to carry out a code
of cleanliness more and more rigid. His excessive
Appendix - 3 181
cleanliness becaine now visible in his life to such an
extent that even his wife, children, relatirres and
friends were afraid as to come near him. In his view
even the slightest stain or grain of dust 011 his clothes
was considered as highly filthy.
Touchii~g his own hair or toe appeared to him as
the greatest pollutioi~ - he had to take so inany baths
and give his clothes so inany washings! Even fasting
becaine a habit with him; whenever the thought
happened to cross his mind that his food or drink had
been polluted, he would forego them however tasty
and expensive they might have been. This man who
dld so much for his cleanliness, now coimes again to
his Guru with a heavy heart and a discontended face.
He then laments, "What shall I do? My body and
clotl~esever remain dirty no matter how often I wash
them!" The Guru smilingly said, "What a fool you are!
Is not the body a bundle of filthy things? Why do you
touch it? You should follow untouchability without
fail!". But alas! The poor man is stunned! He does not
understand! "Not to touch my body!! How can I do
it?. The Guru replied (wi t h wonder), "What
a surprise! Are you the body, the bundle of filthy
things? Are you not that THING, the pure Awareness?
When you t hi nk t hat you are t he body, you are
touching it. Mistaking the corpse-like body as 'I, is the
pollution of touching a corpse! Adhering strictly to
the principles of untouchability - not touching the
body - be pure!"
The force of the divine words of the Sadgurzl
awakened him. He pondered over, "Who is that 'I'
which is not the body? How and as what do I exist?"
182
The new turn given by the Guru to the direction of the
storm of love towards his absolute purity, which had
been raging all these days in him, made him fit for
Self-realization - the Awareness of the natural absolute
purity of his Self. He, who thus realized the Self,
returns home. As he was constantly experiencing the
state of "Being not the body", only now he was able to
obey to the letter the order of his Guru: "Remain Ever
Pure. "
As he was indifferent towards 'what he was not',
the body was neglected. Since no one was there to care
for it, external cleanliness was forsaken. Some months
went on. Some of his relatives and friends visited him.
"What happened! What a sight! He is so filthy. He
does not even clean himself properly after answering
the calls of nature! W11ere have all his Aclzaras gone?
Shame! Dirty!!". They ridiculed him. Some, who loved
him much approached him and enquired "you used to
be such a staunch devotee of cleanliness a few months
ago! Where has it gone?" Understandingly smiling he
replied: "Only now am I perfectly clean!". Unable to
stand it his friends deciding that he would listen only
to his Guru who taught him AC~CII'CIS, took him there.
They complained to the Guru about the unbecoming
changes that had come over their friend. The Guru
seeing him now retorted: "This only is Aclzaras truly
lived ! This is the Achara Supreme (Brahmachara).
Really, this is the fruit and perfect state of Acharas
arrived at by carrying out external cleanliness. Touch
him not; do not bring dirt on him. He is the Purest !!"
The story ends !!.
Appendix - 4a 183
"The more and inore one forcibly tries to keep
the filthy body clean, again and again it becomes
dirty. It is only to make us disgusted with the
body, and to make us give up our attachment to
it (to give up the notion 'I am the body'), that the
scriptures recommend external cl eanl i i ~ess
(Aclznras)."
'Guruvachaka Kovai' - Verse 680
Explanatory Notes onVerse6of
ShriArunachalaAshtakam'
Verse 6:
"0 Heart, the Light of Self-Awareness! Thou, the
only Thing (Being), alone art. In Thee is
a wondrous Power which is none other than
Thee. From It rise, by the whirl of Prnrabdlza,
series of subtle (atom-like), dark, mist-like
thoughts illumined by the reflected light of the
mind. These mists are seen as shadowy pictures
of (subtle) world within, on the mirror of this
mind-light and, as the pictures of material world
outside projected though the five senses such as
eyes etc., just like a cinema show projected
through a lens. 0 Hill of Grace, let tl~ern appear
or let them not appear; what does i t matter?
They are not apart from Thee."
184
Explanatory notes:-
Arunachala, the Heart, is the only Thing that
exists. "It is the Light of Self-Awareness.
Knowing a thing or not knowing a thing is not
the nature of the Self. The Self neither knows nor
forgets a thing. That which is beyond knowing and
forgetting a thing, is the Self. Knowing or forgetting a
thing is the nature of the mind; the ego only. "That
which knows objects is not the True Knowledge" says
Shri Bhagavan in verse No. 12 of 'Ulladu Narpadu'.
'Being' alone is the True Knowledge and not
' knowing' . Self-Knowledge is subjective and not
objective. "Even such knowing the Self is nothing but
Being the Self" says Shri Bhagavan in verse No. 26 of
'Upadesha Undiyar'. This 'Being the Self' is the Pure
Awareness 'I AM'. Therefore, the knowing or not
knowing other objects is the characteristic of the ego.
Only in the state of ego, these other objects can have
an existence. Thus knowledge and ignorance can be
only for the ego and not for the Self. For the Self there
is not another. It is most important that we should not
forget the fact that Shri Bl ~agavan Ramana once
revealed even a subtler secret, "It is not only that the
Self does not know other things but also does not
know even: Itself!!"
The world of differentiations, dyads and triads,
can shine only in the play of the false knowledge, the
ego, as the base. A rope can appear as a snake only in
the dim twilight. In broad daylight the rope can be
distinctly seen as a rope and the imaginary serpent
will never appear. Similarly, it is possible only in the
Appendix - 4a 185
~ii-td-light (the ignorance) of Bralz~~znn to be seen as the
world of differentiations - dyads and triads. In the
original light of the Self the differentiations - names
and forms, dyads and triads etc, - can have no
existence and will not appear. The background of
darkness in a room and the limited artificial light of
a lail-tp are ii-tdispensable for the cinema pictures to
appear on the screen. If all of a sudden the bright
sunlight gets into the room, the pictures disappear!
Why? Because the background of darkness and the
artificial light of the lamp have been swallowed by tl-te
bright sunlight. This is what is expressed in verse 1of
'Tl-te Five Gems to Shri Arunachala (Shri Arunachala
Pancharatnam)' by Shri Bhagavan Rarnana;" ...
Engulfing the entire universe (of names and forms)
with the spreading rays of the light of Supreme
Knowledge...". It is thus taught that the pictures of the
world (of dyads and triads) cannot exist in the original
light of the Self. Therefore, when asked in verse 10 of
lUlladz~ Nar~7adzi' "TO whom are the ignorance and
knowledge?" We should be able to reply that it is only
for the ego.
We should also know that, if the ego is enquired
into as to what it is, it will disappear, and thus seeing
tl-te non-existence of the ego, is the right understanding
of the base of dyads and triads and when thus we
understand; the Self-Knowledge dawns, and dyads
and triads disappear. In the light of the Self the base of
dyads and triads, i. e., the ego, itself is found to be
non-existent and hence along with it the non-existence
of the dyads and triads. When, Self, the absolute base
is experienced, ego the base of dyads and triads will
186
The Path of Sri Rarnana -Part Two
disappear. As the conclusion of the commentators
does not go against the final truth, we have to console
ourselves in knowing that their writing will not
greatly mislead the reader; but the reader should
understand that the intention of Shri Bhagavan is to
tell us that the base of the dyads and triads is the ego,
and not the Self.
Explanatory Notes onverse 8of
Verse 8 :
"If one worships the Supreme in whatever form,
giving Him whatever name, it is the way to see
the Supreme in that name and form; yet,
realizing one's own truth in the truth of that True
Thing (the Supreme) and being one with It,
having been resolved into It, is the True Seeing
(Realization). Thus should you know!"
Notes :
The Supreme Bmlzinn~t has no name and form of
Its own. Existence-Consciousness-Bliss (Snt-Chit-
Alzandn) are the three real aspects of Brahman,
whereas name and form are Its unreal aspects.
Therefore, if one worships the Supreme in any name
and form, one can see the Supreme in that name and
form:- Here, some give the meaning of the verse as,
"Worshipping the Supreme in a name and form is
Appendix - 4b 187
,I means to see Hiin ill His formless and naineless
i~ature." This interpretation is wrong. As the Tamil
words 'Per t~rt~e~il' = have two meanings (1)'Per urt~uil'
(to see It) in name and form. (2) 'Per uruvil' = (to see
It) without name and form, which would mean that
through the worship of a name and form of the
Supreme, one can realize the nameless and formless
t rut h of the Supreme; one shoul d know which
meaning is to be taken according to the context. If Shri
Bhagavan means that the worship of a name and form
of the Supreme leads to realize the Supreme in Its
formless and naineless Nature (which is the True
Seeing), there would have been no need for Him to
define the True Seeing of the Supreme in the following
lines of the same verse beginning with the word 'yet'.
As Shri Bhagavan emphatically defines what is the
True Seeing in the last two lines of the same verse, we
should understand that the second meaning ('Per uru
+ il') should not be given to the Tamil words in this
context. Further, we should understand what Shri
Bhagavai~means in this verse from what He has said
ill verse 3 of 'Arurlnclznln Ashtnknr~l' also, that the
Supreme can be seen only in name and form, if one
worships Him in name and form; trying to worship
the nameless and forinless Supreme is in vain; to
realize the nameless and formless Supreme the only
way is to dissolve the individuality illto the Supreme,
through Self-enquiry. In the last two lines of this verse
(verse 3) Shri Bhagavan gives His is own experience
that the individuality does not exist when the
Knowledge of the Supreme - Self, dawns. If at all we
want to know how the worship of a name and form of
188
The Path of Sri Ramai~a-Part Two
the Suyreine will be an aid to realize the nameless and
formless Supreme, it is described in the second chapter
'Bhakti', how the Beloved God worshipped through
name and form will incarnate Himself in the form of
a Guru. The same Beloved God - has to come again in
the name and form of a Sadguru to teach the
worshipper the Paths of Self-surrender or Self-enquiry,
that leads to the Non-dual Awareness - the True
Seeing of the Supreme.
APPENDIX-4c
Explanatory Notes
on Verse 9;1Ofl1and12 of
'Ulladu Narpadu'
In the English trai~slations of verse 9 of 'Ulladli
Narpadu' so far available and in the commentary on it,
the Self has been taken and explained as the base for
the dyads and triads. In the same manner, the
following lines in verse 10 of 'Ulladu Narpadul:-' "...To
whom are that knowledge and ignorance? ..." Have
been wrongly translated in English as if the
knowledge and ignorance were for the Self, causing
thereby the doubt in the minds of the readers, that the
Self is subject to knowledge and ignorance! In verse 11
of 'Ulladii Narpndu' Shri Bhagavan declares that the
base for the ignorance and knowledge is the ego. Here
also, it is to be regretted that in all the English
translations of 'Ulladii Narpadu' that have so far
189 Appendix - 4c
appeared, the base referred to above, 11as been taken
as the Self.*
That is the only Truth that exists. If so, it inay be
asked, "How to account for the existence of the world
which is the five kinds of phenomena (i.e., (1) creation
- Slirtlslztee. (2) Sustenance - Stliiti. (3) Dissolution -
Lnya. (4) Veiling - Tlzirodlzalzfi. (5) Unveiling -
Aizugrnlzn)?" The answer of Shri Bhagavan is explained
in the following lines:
All these five kinds of phenomena (Paliclza
Krutyns) are not true! How?
In the Self, there is a wondrous Power. Though i t
is said that there is such a thing as a wondrous Power
in IT, it should not be mistaken as a separate second
thing. It is the Self Itself. Why Shri Bhagavan designates
It as a wondrous Power? In that Power series of atom-
like, dark mist-like, subtle things are seen. These are
thoughts. Of all these tl~oughts, 'I1, the mind, is the
first tl~ought. All other thoughts (mist-like) are seen by
this first tl~ought, the mind. The wonder is that (1)the
seer, the mind, (2) the thoughts seen as worlds and
(3) the reflected light of mind by which alone they are
seen, are the SELF alone! That is why Shri Bhagavan
designates It as a wondrous Power. The mist-like
thougl~ts, if seen within on the mind, are the pictures
of subtle worlds, and if seen through the sense organs
of the body, which again is itself one of the mist-like
"
It must be mentioned here that the poetical language in which
Shri Bhagavan expressed Himself is classical Tamil and it
needs some explanations in prose form before it can be
understood even by Tamilians.
190
thoughts, t l ~ e pictures of gross worlds are seen
outside. The whole phenomenon functions by the
whirl of Prarabdlza. The process of seeing the gross
world outside has been coinpared by Shri Bhagavan to
t l ~e projection of a cinema show on t l ~e screen. The
lens t hrougl ~ which the picture is enlarged on the
screen are the five senses through which the subtle,
mist-like thought-forms are enlarged and projected as
the outside world. The mind which is a reflection of
the Self-light of Awareness is what projects the picture
of the gross world outside. In the absence of the
reflected light, the inii-td which is also the mirror itself,
the pictures of both worlds (subtle and gross) cannot
exist. So, they: (1) the outside gross world, (2) the
subtle psychic world and (3) the reflected light, the
mind, are all untrue. Swoon, sleep, death and
dissolution ( Pral aya) are samples of that state in which
the mind-light does not function and consequently the
mind and the outside world do not exist. Therefore, it
is immaterial to the original Light, Self-Awareness;
whether they appear to exist or not. So, Shri Bhagavan
says: "The appearance of the world in dream, waking,
our whole life, and the creation as well as the non-
appearance of the world in swoon, sleep, death and
dissolution are not apart from Thee, the Self-
Awareness, 0 Arunachala, the Hill of Grace!"
OtherPublicationsof
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"ThePathofSriRamana"Part One
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"UpadesaUndiyar"(TheSongof Siva)
By SriSadhuOm& MichaelJames.
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"TheBridalGarlandof Lettersto SriArunachala"
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Original Manuscript in Tamil facsimile, transliterated
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"A Pilgrimage inSouthIndiain1845,Tiruvannamalai"
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"TheRevelationintheWilderness"
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THE PATH OF SRI RAMANA
defining it is vast enough to fill this b m k -
II
THE PATH OF SRl RAMANA, PART - 11.
. f
The correct way as defined and
exemplified. by Zri Rarnana Maharihi. to
approach Spirituality", that is, the life of the
Spirit (and not the life of the body), is opened far
us. From the teachings of Sri Rarnana Maharshi
viewed in the true light throvwr by this baok WG
are able to clear our mk-understandings on the
subject and prevented from strayfng away on
reso many side paths which are only mistaking
and misusing spirituality .fw mds that have
very IEttle to do with itl

The Path of Sri Ramana Part One and Two

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ThePathof SriRamana

178 The Path of Sri Ramana - Part Two

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