What comes will also go. What always is will alone remain.
~Ramana Maharshi

*WORDS OF WISDOM*

If you want to become full,
Let yourself be empty.

If you want to be reborn,
Let yourself die.

If you want to be given everything,
Give everything up.

~ Lao Tzu

*WORDS OF WISDOM* —Talks with Ramana Maharshi

"In deep sleep you exist; awake, you remain. The same Self is in both states. The difference is only in the awareness and the non-awareness of the world. The world rises with the mind and sets with the mind. That which rises and sets is not the Self. The Self is different, giving rise to the mind, sustaining it, and resolving it. So the Self is the underlying principle."

*WORDS OF WISDOM*

D.: How is the ego to be destroyed ?

Sri Bhagavan : Hold the ego first and then ask how it is to be destroyed. Who asks this question ? It is the ego. Can the ego ever agree to kill itself ? This question is a sure way to cherish the ego and not to kill it. If you seek the ego you will find it does not exist. That is the way to destroy it.

~Ramana Maharshi

*WORDS OF WISDOM* - “Happiness is your nature. It is not wrong to desire it. What is wrong is seeking it outside when it is inside.” RAMANA MAHARSHI

*WORDS OF WISDOM* - NO ONE SUCCEEDS WITHOUT EFFORT; MIND CONTROL IS NOT ONE'S BIRTHRIGHT~Ramana Maharshi

D.: How can the rebellious mind be brought under control?

M.: Either seek its source so that it may disappear or surrender that it may be struck down.

D.: But the mind slips away from our control.

M.: Be it so. Do not think of it. When you recollect yourself bring it back and turn it inward. That is enough.

No one succeeds without effort. Mind control is not one's birthright. The successful few owe their success to their perseverance.

RAMANA MAHARSHI

*WORDS OF WISDOM* - 'SELF-INQUIRY' and 'SELF-SURRENDER' are the path-less paths, leading us towards the path-less land of 'Self-Realization' and 'Sahaja-Samadhi'~Swaathmaaraaman

“Place your burden at the feet of the Lord of the universe who is ever victorious and accomplishes everything. Remain all the time steadfast in the heart, in the Transcendental Absolute. God knows the past, present and future. He will determine the future for you and accomplish the work. What is to be done will be done at the proper time. Don’t worry. Abide in the heart and surrender your acts to the Divine.”

RAMANA MAHARSHI

*POINTS TO PONDER* - Shifting our attention from "BECOMING" (BHAVA-ROGA) to "BEING", results in 'Self-Realization' and 'Sahaja-Samadhi'~Swaathmaaraaman

Bhagavan: Being is continuous. The thoughts are discontinuous. So which is permanent?

Questioner: Being.

Bhagavan: That is it. Realize it. That is your true nature. Your nature is simple Being, free from thoughts.

RAMANA MAHARSHI

*POINTS TO PONDER* - We shall keep our windows of 'Self-Inquiry' open, so that the breeze of 'grace' may get in~Swaathmaaraaman

Ramana Maharshi: The very fact that you are possessed of the quest for the Self is a manifestation of the divine grace. It is effulgent in the Heart, the inner being, the real Self. It draws you from within. You have to attempt to get in from outside. Your attempt is the earnest quest, the deep inner movement is grace. That is why I say there is no real quest without grace, nor is there grace active for him who does not seek the Self. Both are necessary.

*POINTS TO PONDER*- In a cinema-show you can see pictures only in a very dim light or in darkness. But when all lights are switched on, all pictures disappear. So also in the floodlight of the Supreme Atman all objects disappear.” That is the Transcendental State~ Ramana Maharshi

Real is ever-present, like the screen on which all the cinematographic pictures move. While the pictures appear on it, it remains invisible. Stop the pictures, and the screen, which has all along been present, in fact the only object that has existed throughout, will become clear.All these universes, humans, objects, thoughts and events are merely pictures moving on the screen of Pure Consciousness, which alone is real. Shapes and phenomena pass away, but Consciousness remains ever.

“You must distinguish between the ‘I’, pure in itself, and the ‘I’-thought. The latter, being merely a thought, sees subject and object, sleeps, wakes up, eats and thinks, dies and is reborn. But the pure ‘I’ is the pure Being, eternal existence, free from ignorance and thought-illusion. If you stay as the ‘I’, your being alone, without thought, the I-thought will disappear and the delusion will vanish forever. In a cinema-show you can see pictures only in a very dim light or in darkness. But when all lights are switched on, all pictures disappear. So also in the floodlight of the Supreme Atman all objects disappear.” That is the Transcendental State.

RAMANA MAHARSHI

"Having never left the house, we are looking for the way home." ~Nisargadatta Maharaj

*POINTS TO PONDER*

Abiding in the eternal abode of 'Self-Realization' and 'Sahaja-Samadhi'; we keep on seeking 'Self-Realization' and 'Sahaja-Samadhi'!!!!!!!!!!! 'Sahaja Samadhi' through 'Self-Realization' is already attained by everybody ~Swaathmaaraaman

*WORDS OF WISDOM* - And that 'GOD' is omnipresent, omnipotent, transcendental 'TRUTH- BEING-EXISTENCE-CONSCIOUSNESS and BLISS'~ Swaathmaaraaman

"God is formless, and is with form too, and He is that which transcends both form and formlessness. He alone can say what else He is.

RAMAKRISHNA PARAMAHAMSA.

*WORDS OF WISDOM* - One can revel in this phenomenal world, after smearing oneself, with the oil of 'BHAKTHI' (ATHMA NIVEDANA), 'NJNANA' (SELF-KNOWLEDGE) and 'VAIRAGYA' (DISPASSION). Then one can dwell 'IN' this world, without ever being 'OF' the world~ Swaathmaaraaman

"If you first smear the palms of your hands with oil and then break open the jack-fruit, the sticky milky exudation of the fruit will not stick to your hands and trouble you. So if you first fortify yourself with the true knowledge of the Universal Self, and then live in the midst of wealth and women, they will affect you in no way.

RAMAKRISHNA PARAMAHAMSA

*WORDS OF WISDOM* Just like a salt-doll, which went inside an ocean to gauge the depth, and became one with the ocean; the kwower of 'BRAHMAN' ( The self-realized ) , merges in the infinite ocean of pure consciousness, with out ever coming back to describe the immeasurable, immutable, and immortal state of 'Sahaja-Samadhi'~ Swaathmaaraaman

There are three kinds of dolls; the first made of salt, the second made of cloth, and the third made of stone. If these dolls be immersed in water, the first will get dissolved and lose its form, the second will absorb a large quantity of water but retain its form, while the third will be impervious to the water. The first doll represents the man who merges his self in the Universal and All-pervading Self and becomes one with it, that is the 'Mukta purusha'; the second represents a true lover or Bhakta, who is full of Divine bliss and knowledge; and the third represents a worldly man, who will not absorb the least drop of true knowledge.

RAMAKRISHNA PARAMAHAMSA

*POINTS TO PONDER* 'Observe everything in the phenomenal world, without name and form. Then the whole world will appear as pure consciousness or 'BRAHMAN', without name and form'~Swaathmaaraaman

"To know the self as the only reality and all else as temporal and
transient is freedom, peace and joy.
It is all very simple. Instead of
seeing things as imagined, learn to
see them as they are. When you
can see everything as it is, you will also see yourself as you are. It
is like cleansing a mirror. The same mirror that shows you the
world as it is will also show you your own face. The thought ‘I am’
is the polishing cloth. Use it.

NISARGA DATTA MAHARAJ

*WORDS OF WISDOM* Paying attention to 'I'- am ness (Ahamasmi), results in instantaneous 'Self-Realization' and 'Sahaja-Samadhi'~ Swaathmaaraaman

Refuse all thoughts except one: the thought ‘I am’. The mind will
rebel in the beginning, but with patience and perseverance it will
yield and keep quiet. Once you are quiet, things will begin to
happen spontaneously and quite naturally, without any interference on your part.

NISARGADATTA MAHARAJ

*WORDS OF WISDOM* - Cling on to this "I"- am ness. Then 'Self-Realization' and 'Sahaja-Samadhi' is not far away~ Swaathmaaraaman

The ‘I am’ state has great potency, and from this the manifestation of the universe has taken place. After the ‘I am’ merges in the Pure Awareness, the entire universe vanishes as though it had never existed. The first step is to go to this ‘I am’ state, remain there and then merge and go beyond. Try to sustain this ‘I am’ state, stay unconcerned by thoughts of both good and bad.

NISARGA DATTA MAHARAJ

'KUBERA`S dinner for 'LORD VIGHNESWARA' - Any amount of material gains can never give satisfaction to our inner craving for fulfillment. But an iota of spiritual wealth can give us total sense of fulfillment ~ Swaathmaaraaman.

one day, KUBERA-the lord of wealth- arranged a sumptuous dinner for Vighneswara- the lord of obstacles- for getting rid of obstacles and gaining abundant wealth. Kubera took permission from Lord shiva and led GANESHA to the venue of dinner. Kubera
started feeding him with a variety of dishes in abundance but Ganesha was not satisfied even to a grain. Soon the whole stores of food started waning with out giving ganesha, satiation. Kubera was taken aback, seeing the gluttony of Ganesha. The complete stock of food was depleted with out satiating Ganesha`s hunger.
The angry Ganesha started mutilating the whole arrangements made for the dinner. Kubera was perplexed and ran towards shiva
and asked him to take care of the situation.Immediately shiva reached the venue, took Ganapathy in his lap and asked him to calm down. SHIVA( The eternal embodiment of BRAHMAN or pure consciousness) took a single grain of rice from an almost empty pot and gave that to his dear son Ganesha. To the great surprise of Kubera, Ganesha soon became calm and his burning hunger was quickly satiated.

Moral of the story

Any amount of material gains can never give satisfaction to our inner craving for fulfillment. But an iota of spiritual wealth can give us total sense of fulfillment.

FRIENDS! 
Let us have that intense yearning for Self-Realization and RE-DISCOVER that realm of  'SAHAJA SAMADHI'- already attained.

*Glimpses of Self-Realization* - Self-Realization brings about, the radical solution for all our problems, through dissolution of problems

Friends!
 We have so many problems, physical, mental, emotional, intellectual and spiritual . Brahma vidya  ( Self-Knowledge) is a pathless land , where the body- mind- intellect complex and the five sense organs have no access, since it is transcendental, where not even a single problem can ever trespass. All physical, mental, emotional and intellectual problems are created by our ‘EGO’. If We can always abide in the grandeur of ‘egolessness’ and the wisdom of ‘desirelessness’, no problem can ever touch us. When Self-Realization is accomplished, the creator of problems, the problems and the solutions, all, merge into one . There the transcendental truth shines forth, in all it`s magnanimity. The art of solving problems, through dissolution of problems can be accomplished by Self-Inquiry in the form of "WHO am I"? which will result in annihilation of the non existent `EGO`- the cunning creator of all problems. Thus 'KOHAM`gives us 'SOHAM' ( TRUTH-BEING-EXISTENCE- CONSCIOUSNESS-and BLISS ). Here there is the radical solution for all our problems of the body, mind, intellect complex and the five sense organs, resulting in 'Self-Realization' ,'Sahaja Samadhi' and 'Liberation- in-Life~Swaathmaaraaman

*Glimpses of Self-Realization* For the seekers of `Sahaja Samadhi` another ZEN story

One day a zen disciple asked his master: sir, I have heard that all roads lead to the land of `BUDDHA`, but one road leads directly to Maha Nirvana ( enlightenment). Master, tell me , where does that road start from?. The master stood up from his sitting posture , took his walking stick , held it firmly on the ground, in front of his disciple and told him:
Right from here!
The disciple remained spellbound as if thunder struck and got realized instantly.

The moral of the story

Truth( ZEN-BUDDHAHOOD or ENLIGHTENMENT) is a pathless land without any roads ever leading to it. Actually all roads are in it. Any time is a time fit for Self-Realization.Once We focus our attention on the `PRESENT`, We will touch that perennial source of 'Sahaja Samadhi' and `BE` in it for ever. We were all on that road all along , are, and will be all along for ever.

*Glimpses of Self-Realization* - The language of 'BRAHMAVIDYA' is 'SILENCE'.Those who are adepts in the language of 'silence' can very well 'listen', 'deserve' and own 'Brahmavidya', from the Lord of 'Silence'-Guru Dakshinamurthy`~ Swaathmaaraaman

Meaning of "Hymn to Dakshinamurthy" (stotra) by 'Adi Sankaracharya',
AS
Demonstrated by 'BHAGAVAN RAMANA MAHARSHI'.


IT WAS SIVARATRI DAY. The evening worship at the Mother’s shrine was over.

The devotees had their dinner with Sri Bhagavan, who was now on his seat; the devotees at His feet sitting around him.

At 8:00 p.m. one of the sadhus stood up, did pranam (offered obeisance), and with folded hands prayed: “Today is the Sivaratri Day; we should be highly blessed by Sri Bhagavan expounding to us the meaning of the Hymn to Dakshinamurthy (stotra).”

Says Bhagavan: “Yes, sit down.”

The sadhu sat, and all eagerly looked at Sri Bhagavan; Sri Bhagavan looked at them. Sri Bhagavan sat in his usual pose, no, poise. No words, no movement, and all was stillness! He sat still, and all sat still, waiting. The clock went on striking, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, one, two and three.

Sri Bhagavan sat and they sat. Stillness, calmness, motionless-not conscious of the body, of space or time.

Thus eight hours passed in Peace, in Silence, in Being, as It is. Thus was the Divine Reality taught through the speech of Silence by Bhagavan Sri Ramana-Dakshinamurthy.

At the stroke of 4:00 a.m. Sri Bhagavan quietly said: “And now have you known the essence of the Dakshinamurthy Hymn?” All the devotees stood and made pranam to the holy form of the Guru in the ecstasy of their Being.

Source -

T.K. Sundaresa Iyer
Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi

*Glimpses of Self-Realization* - Open the door of 'I'-am ness' and enter the pathless land of 'Self-Realization'- 'Sahaja-Samadhi' and 'Liberation-in-Life' ~ Swaathmaaraaman

Friends!
'I'-AM'-ness is the invisible door opening to the heavenly abode of 'Liberation-in-life'. The phenomenal world is nothing but a 'Projection' (Vikshepa) from the 'concealed' (Avarana) 'I'-AM' ness or 'ATHMA'. Therefore, reveling in the phenomenal world, we are forgetting the 'SELF' ('I'-AM ness), and reveling in 'SELF', we are forgetting the phenomenal world.Thus the world is represented in oneself and oneself is the world; there is no world apart from us.
We shall shift our attention from the 'MEANS' (WORLD) to the 'GOAL' (SELF) and tread the pathless-path of 'SELF-INQUIRY', towards the pathless-land of 'SELF-REALIZATION and 'SAHAJA-SAMADHI'~ Swaathmaaraaman

In Yoga Vasishtha it is said, "What is Real is hidden from us, but what is false, is revealed as true." We are actually experiencing the Reality only; still, we do not know it. Is it not a wonder of wonders? The quest "Who am I?" is the axe with which to cut off the ego.

~ Sri Ramana Maharshi

...from "Talk 146"; 26th January, 1936

Talk 146~Ramana Maharshi-There is no greater mystery than this - viz., ourselves being the Reality we seek to gain Reality.

The ego is like one’s shadow thrown on the ground. If one attempts to bury it, it will be foolish. The Self is only one. If limited it is the ego. If unlimited it is Infinite and is the Reality.

Reality is simply the loss of the ego. Destroy the ego by seeking its identity. Because the ego is no entity it will automatically vanish and Reality will shine forth by itself. This is the direct method.

Whereas all other methods are done, only retaining the ego. In those paths there arise so many doubts and the eternal question remains to be tackled finally. But in this method the final question is the only one and it is raised from the very beginning.

There is no greater mystery than this - viz., ourselves being the Reality we seek to gain Reality. We think that there is something hiding our Reality and that it must be destroyed before the Reality is gained. It is ridiculous. A day will dawn when you will yourself laugh at your past efforts. That which will be on the day you laugh is also here and now.

*POINTS TO PONDER* The absolute truth is 'TRANSCENDENTAL'- beyond 'Dvaita' and 'Advaita'- the omnipresent-omnipotent-eternal and all-pervading reality ~ Swaathmaaraaman.

'Ramana Maharshi'


D.: Does Sri Bhagavan advocate Advaita ?

Sri Bhagavan : ' Dvaita' and ' Advaita ' are relative terms. They are based on the sense of duality. The SELF is as it 'IS'. There is neither ' Dvaita' nor
' Advaita '. " I AM THAT I AM ". 'Simple Being' is the SELF.

D.: This is not mayavada...

Sri Bhagavan : The 'mind' is maya (illusion). REALITY lies beyond the 'mind'. So long as the 'mind' functions, there is duality, maya , etc. Once it is transcended, the REALITY shines forth. Although it is said to shine forth, SELF-effulgence is the SELF.

D.: It is ' Sat--Chit--Ananda '.

Sri Bhagavan : ' Sat--Chit--Ananda ' is said to indicate that the SUPREME is not asat (different from unreal), not achit (different from insentient) and not an anananda (different from unhappiness). Because we are in the phenomenal world, we speak of the SELF as ' Sat--Chit--Ananda '.

D.: ' Aham ' = 'I' applies to the 'individual' and also to ' Brahman '. It is rather unfortunate...

Sri Bhagavan : It is ' upadhi bheda ' (owing to different limiting adjuncts). The bodily limitations pertain to the 'Aham' ('I') of the jiva (individual), whereas the universal limitations pertain to the ' Aham ' of ' Brahman '. Take off the ' upadhi ' (limiting adjuncts) ; the " I "         ( 'AHAM ' ) is pure and single.

{ " TALKS ", No.433 (p.401) }

Know that the mind which illumines the illusory world is a mere reflected light, like the glittering mirror-light, reflecting the bright sunlight~ Ramana Maharshi
(GURU VACHAKA KOVAI 1004)

Live in the world like an ant. The world contains a mixture of truth and untruth, sugar and sand. Be an ant and take the sugar.

Again, the world is a mixture of milk and water, the bliss of God-Consciousness and the pleasure of sense-enjoyment. Be a swan and drink the milk, leaving the water aside.

Live in the world like a waterfowl. The water clings to the bird, but the bird shakes it off. Live in the world like a mudfish. The fish lives in the mud, but its skin is always bright and shiny.

The world is indeed a mixture of truth and make-believe. Discard the make-believe and take the truth.

~ Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa

...from "The Gospel of Ramakrishna" chapter 24

The primary aim is to fix the mind in the Heart at the feet of the Lord shining as the Self and never to forget Him. ~ Sri Ramana Maharshi

"KOHAM? "........."SOHAM"........."WHO AM I ?.........'I' AM PURE CONSCIOUSNESS~ Swaathmaaraaman

*POINTS TO PONDER* 'Brahmavidya' is the science of 'self-knowledge' and 'Brahmacharya' is living in 'Brahman'( Truth-consciousness and bliss )~Swaathmaaraaman.

D. : Is not 'Brahmacharya' (celibacy) necessary for realization of the Self?

M.: Brahmacharya is 'living in Brahman'. It has no connection with
celibacy as commonly understood. A real brahmachari, that is one
who lives in Brahman, finds bliss in the Brahman which is the
same as the Self. Why then should you look for other sources of
happiness? In fact the emergence from the Self has been the cause of all the misery.

RAMANA MAHARSHI

*POINTS TO PONDER*- This primary concept is the knowledge ‘I am’, it is the mother of all other concepts.

This primary concept is the knowledge ‘I am’, it is the mother of
all other concepts. In order to get that satisfaction, you must find
the source of this primary concept ‘I am’. You should give
attention to the knowledge ‘I am’ and meditate on that itself.
Knowledge is to be got hold of knowledge only. This will produce
the seed, which, through this process of meditation, slowly grows
into a big tree, and that itself will give you all the knowledge. It
will not be necessary for you to ask anyone what is what.

NISARGADATTA MAHARAJ

*POINTS TO PONDER*- 'NISARGADATTA MAHARAJ'- Your own Consciousness creates everything.

Whatever is created is created by the knowledge ‘I am’. Do not
pursue this path of running after experiences. Your own Consciousness creates everything. All greatness is because of the 'I am’. There is no other path, only this conviction. This is it! The
name and body arise from the ‘I am’.

NISARGADATTA MAHARAJ

'Ramana Maharshi'-(GURU VACHAKA KOVAI: 859)

Only those who are dead to desires for the pleasures of the vast delusive panorama of the world will have their life transformed into Siva. There will be no bliss by any means other than the dawn of the pure and fresh experience of Self.
(GURU VACHAKA KOVAI: 859)

*POINTS TO PONDER*

"If Atma-vichara (self-investigation) ceases, Loka vichara (world-investigation) takes its place." [Laughter in the hall.]

('Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi': 238)

(GURU VACHAKA KOVAI: 773)- “Summa iru” ‘Just be’ or ‘Be still’

What our Lord 'Sri Ramana' firmly teaches us to take to as the greatest and most powerful tapas is only this much, “Summa iru” ‘Just be’ or ‘Be still’, and not any other duty for the mind to do in the form of thoughts such as meditation, yoga and so on.
(GURU VACHAKA KOVAI: 773)

Knowing one's own 'Self' is knowing 'God'. ~ Sri Ramana Maharshi

'GEMS' FROM BHAGAVAN - A necklace of sayings by 'BHAGAVAN SRI RAMANA MAHARSHI' on various vital subjects Strung together by A. DEVARAJA MUDALIAR - THE THREE STATES: WAKING, DREAM AND SLEEP-There is no difference between the dream and the waking state except that the dream is short and the waking long. Both are the result of the mind. Our real state is called turiya, which is beyond the waking, dream and sleep states. The Self alone exists and remains as It is. The three states owe their existence to avichara (non-inquiry), and inquiry puts an end to them. However much one may explain, this fact will not become clear until one attains Self-Realization

THE THREE STATES: WAKING,

DREAM AND SLEEP

There is no difference between the dream and the waking
state except that the dream is short and the waking long. Both
are the result of the mind. Our real state is called turiya, which
is beyond the waking, dream and sleep states.
The Self alone exists and remains as It is. The three states
owe their existence to avichara (non-inquiry), and inquiry
puts an end to them. However much one may explain, this
fact will not become clear until one attains Self-realization,
and wonders how he was blind to the self-evident and only
existence for so long.
All that we see is a dream, whether we see it in the dream
state or waking state. On account of some arbitrary standards
about the duration of the experience and so on, we call one
experience  a  dream  and  another  waking  experience. With
reference to Reality both the experiences are unreal. A man
might have an experience such as getting anugraha (grace)
in his dream, and the effects and influence of it on his entire
subsequent  life  may  be  so  profound  and  abiding,  that  one
cannot call it unreal - whilst calling real some trifling incident
in  the  waking  life  that  just  flits  by,  which  is  casual,  of  no
consequence and is soon forgotten. Once I had an experience,
a vision or a dream, whatever you may call it. I and some
others, including Chadwick, had a walk on the hill. Returning,
we were walking along a huge street with great buildings on
either side. Pointing out the street and the buildings, I asked
Chadwick and others, whether anybody could say that what
we were seeing was a dream, and they all replied, ‘Which fool
will say so?’ We then walked along, entered the hall and the
vision or dream ceased, or I woke up. What are we to call this?
Just before waking up from sleep, there is a very brief state,
free from thought. That should be made permanent.
In  dreamless  sleep  there  is  no  world,  no  ego  and  no
unhappiness, but the Self remains. In the waking state there
are all of these. Yet there is the Self. One has only to remove
the transitory happenings in order to realize the ever-present
beatitude of the Self.
Your nature is bliss. Find that on which all the rest are
imposed and you then remain as the pure Self.
In  sleep  there  is  no  space  or  time. They  are  concepts,
which arise after the ‘I-thought’ has arisen. You are beyond
time and space. The ‘I-thought’ is the limited ‘I’. The real ‘I’
is  unlimited,  universal,  beyond  time  and  space.  Just  while
rising from sleep and before seeing the objective world, there
is a state of awareness which is your Pure Self. That must be
known.

*WORDS OF WISDOM*- "The false ego is associated with objects; this ego itself is its own object. Objectivity is the falsity. Subject is alone the Reality. ~ Sri Ramana Maharshi

Shifting our attention from 'universal objectivity' to 'universal subjectivity' results in 'Self-Realization' 'Sahaja-Samadhi' and 'Liberation-in-Life'~ Swaathmaaraaman

'GEMS' FROM BHAGAVAN - A necklace of sayings by 'BHAGAVAN SRI RAMANA MAHARSHI' on various vital subjects Strung together by A. DEVARAJA MUDALIAR

V
SURRENDER
God will bear whatever burdens we put on Him. All things
are being carried on by the omnipotent power of a Supreme
God. Instead of submitting ourselves to It, why should we
always be planning, ‘We should do this or that’. Knowing that
the train carries all the load, why should we, traveling therein,
suffer by carrying our small bundle on our heads, instead of
leaving it on the train and being happy.
The story of Ashtavakra teaches that in order to experience
Brahma Jnana all that is necessary is to surrender yourself
completely  to  the  Guru,  to  give  up  your  notion  of  ‘I’  and
‘mine’. If these are surrendered, what remains is the Reality.
There are two ways of achieving surrender. One is looking
into the source of the ‘I’ and merging into that source. The other
is feeling, ‘I am helpless myself, God alone is all powerful,
and except by throwing myself completely on Him, there is no
other means of safety for me’; and thus gradually developing
the conviction that God alone exists and the ego does not count.
Both methods lead to the same goal. Complete surrender is
another name for jnana or liberation.
Bhakti is not different from mukti. Bhakti is being as the
Self. One is always That. He realizes It by the means he adopts.
What is bhakti? To think of God. That means only one thought
prevails to the exclusion of all other thoughts. That thought
is of God, which is the Self, or it is the self surrendered unto
God. When He has taken you up, nothing else will assail you.
The absence of thought is bhakti. It is also mukti.
Bhakti is Jnana Mata, i.e., the mother of jnana.
It is asked, why all this creation so full of sorrow and evil.
All one can say is that it is God’s will, which is inscrutable. No
motive, no desire, no end to achieve can be attributed to that
infinite, all-wise and all-powerful Being. God is untouched
by activities which take place in His presence. There is no
meaning in attributing responsibility and motive to the One,
before  it  became  many.  But  God’s  will  for  the  prescribed
course of events is a good solution for the vexed question of
free-will. If the mind is worried over what befalls us, or what
has been committed or omitted by us, it is wise to give up the
sense of responsibility and free-will, by regarding ourselves as
the ordained instruments of the All-Wise and the All-Powerful,
to do and suffer as He pleases. Then He bears all the burdens
and gives us peace.
A Maharani told Bhagavan, ‘I am blessed with everything
that a human being would like to have’. Her Highness’s voice
choked. Controlling herself she continued slowly, ‘I have all
that I want, a human being may want... but... but... I do not have
peace of mind. Something prevents it. Probably my destiny’.
There was silence for a while. Then Bhagavan spoke in his
usual sweet manner: ‘All right, you have said what you wished
to say. Well, what is destiny? There is no destiny. Surrender,
and all will be well. Throw all responsibility on God and do
not bear the burden yourself. What can destiny do to you then?’
Devotee: Surrender is impossible.
Bhagavan: Yes, complete surrender is impossible. Partial surrender is certainly possible for all. In course of time that
will lead to complete surrender. Well, if surrender is impossible
what can be done? There is no peace of mind. You are helpless
to bring it about. It can be done only by surrender.
D:Partial surrender - well, can it undo destiny?
B:Oh yes, it can.
D:Is not destiny due to past karma?
B:If one is surrendered to God, God will look to it.
D:That being God’s dispensation, how does God undo it?
B:All are in Him only.
To a devotee who was praying that she should have more
frequent visions of Siva, Bhagavan said, “Surrender to Him
and  abide  by  His Will,  whether  He  appears  or  disappears;
await His pleasure. If you ask Him to do as you like it is not
surrender but command to God. You cannot have Him obey
you and yet think you have surrendered. He knows what is
best and when and how to do it. His is the burden. You have
no longer any cares. All your cares are His. Such is surrender.
That is bhakti.”
26

'Advaita Bodha Deepika'- Chapter - I. On Superimposition II. Apavada - The Removal of Superimposition III. Sadhana - The Means of Accomplishment IV. Sravana - Hearing V. Manana - Reflection VI. Vasanaksaya - the Annihilation of Latencies VII. Saksatkara - Realisation VIII. Manolaya - The Extinction of the Mind

	'Advaita Bodha Deepika'
	1990 Edition Contents Foreword Introductory Chapter - I. On Superimposition II. Apavada - The Removal of Superimposition III. Sadhana - The Means of Accomplishment IV. Sravana - Hearing V. Manana - Reflection VI. Vasanaksaya - the Annihilation of Latencies VII. Saksatkara - Realisation VIII. Manolaya - The Extinction of the Mind Appendix Index  ________________________________________________________________________________________________ On Superimposition 25. D: All the Sastras proclaim that this samsar is the handiwork of Maya but you say it is of Ignorance. How are the two statements to be reconciled? M: This Ignorance is called by different names, such as Maya, Pradhana, Avyatka (the unmanifest), Avidya, Nature, Darkness and so on. Therefore the samsar is but the result of Ignorance.  26. D: How does this Ignorance project the samsar? M: Ignorance has two aspects: Veiling and Projection (Avarana - Viksepa). From these arises the samsar. Veiling functions in two ways. In the one we say "It is not'' and in the other "It does not shine forth''.  27 - 28 D: Please explain this. M: In a discourse between a master and a student, although the sage teaches that there is only the non-dual Reality the ignorant man thinks "What can be non-dual Reality? No. It cannot be''. As a result of beginningless veiling, though taught, the teaching is disregarded and the old ideas persist. Such indifference is the first aspect of veiling.  29 - 30 Next, with the help of sacred books and gracious master he unaccountably but sincerely believes in the non-dual Real, yet he cannot probe deep but remains superficial and says "The Reality does not shine forth''. Here is knowledge knowing that It does not shine forth yet the illusion of ignorance persists. This illusion that It does not shine forth, is the second aspect of veiling. 31 - 32 D: What is Projection? M: Though he is the unchanging, formless, Supreme, Blissful, non-dual Self, the man thinks of himself as the body with hands and legs, the doer and experiencer; objectively see this man and that man, this thing and that thing, and is deluded. This delusion of perceiving the external universe on the non-dual Reality enveloped by it is Projection. This is Superimposition.   Apavada 3 - 4 To avoid confusion, everything in the world can be considered by analysing its individual characteristics under the categories; cause, nature, effect, limit and fruit. But the transcendental Reality being non-dual is beyond all these whereas all else, from Maya onwards, being wrongly seen on It, are subject to the above analysis.  18 - 20 D: What is the 'effect' of Maya? M: It consists in presenting the illusion of the jiva, Isvara and jagat on the non-dual substratum of Brahman, by virtue of its veiling and projecting powers. D: How? M: As soon as the power lying dormant shows forth as mind, the latencies of the mind sprout forth and grow up like trees which together form the universe. The mind sports with its latencies; they rise up as thoughts and materialize as this universe, which is thus only a dream vision. The jivas and Isvara being its contents are as illusory as this day-dream. D: Please explain their illusory character. M: The world is an object and seen as the result of the sport of mind. The jivas and Isvara are contained in it. Parts can be only as real as the whole. Suppose the universe is painted in colours on a wall. The jivas and Isvara will be figures in the painting. The figures can be only as real as the painting itself.  30 - 32 D: What is the limit of Maya? M: It is the knowledge resulting from an enquiry into the sense of the Mahavakya. Because Maya is Ignorance, and Ignorance subsists on non-inquiry. When non-enquiry gives place to enquiry, right knowledge results and puts an end to Ignorance.  39. D: What is the 'fruit' of Maya? M: That it fruitlessly vanishes into nothing, is the fruit. A hare's horn is mere sound having no significance. So it is with Maya, mere sound without any meaning. Realised sages have found it so.   Sadhana 17. D: Now that samsar has fallen to the lot of the Self, how can it be got rid of? M: With complete stillness of mind, samsar will disappear root and branch. Otherwise there will be no end to samsar, even in millions of aeons (Kaplakotikala).  19. D: The scriptures declare that only Knowledge can do it. How then do you say that stillness of the mind puts an end to samsar? M: What is variously described as Knowledge, Liberation etc., in the scriptures, is but stillness of mind.    29 - 30 D: How can the mind be made still? M: Only by Sankhya. Sankhya is the process of enquiry coupled with knowledge. The realised sages declare that the mind has its root in non-enquiry and perishes by an informed enquiry. D: Please explain this process. M: This consists of sravana, manana, nidhidhyasana and samadhi, i.e., hearing, reasoning, meditation and Blissful Peace, as mentioned in the scriptures. Only this can make the mind still.  131 - 133. Similarly by enquiry, the mind readily gains peace and samadhi. D: What is this inquiry? M: After hearing from the Guru about the nature of the Self which in the sastras is spoken of as Brahman or Being-Knowledge-Bliss, to gain a clear indirect knowledge, then according to upadesa and by intelligent reasoning to inquire and find out the Self which is Pure Knowledge, and the nonself which is then directly to experience them as different from each other, later on by meditation to extinguish all that is objective, and to absorb into the Self the residual mind left over as non-dual, ends in the direct experience of Supreme Bliss. Here it has been described in brief, but the sastras deal with it elaborately.  134. This chapter on Sadhana has dealt with these two means, Enquiry and Yoga, for making the mind still. According to his merits an intelligent seeker should practice either of them. Sravana 8 - 10. To hear the Supreme Truth, reflect and meditate on it, and to remain in Samadhi form together the inquiry into the Self. They have for their 'cause' (Hetu) the aforesaid four sadhanas, namely, discernment, desirelessness, tranquility, and desire to be liberated. Which of these is essential for which part of enquiry will be mentioned in its appropriate place. Here we shall deal with sravana.  68. D: What is the "effect'' of this Sravana? M: It destroys that veiling part of ignorance which hitherto made one think "Where is this non-dual Self? Nowhere''. To destroy this ignorant conclusion of the non-existence of the non-dual Self is its "effect''. 69 - 70 D: What is the "fruit'' of sravana? M: When once for all the non-belief in the non-duality of Being is destroyed, no sacred text or tricky argument can make the seeker deviate from his faith. All obstructions to his faith thus removed, he remains steady in his indirect knowledge of non-dual Being. This is the "fruit'' of sravana.  77. Here ends the chapter on Sravana. The student who reads this carefully will gain indirect knowledge. In order to experience directly, he will seek to know the nature of manasa or reflection.   Manana 2. M: Always to direct the thought with subtle reasoning upon the non-dual Self that is now known indirectly, is called reflection.    3 -4 D: Please tell me its 'cause', 'nature', 'effect', 'limit' and 'fruit'. M: Discernment of the real from the unreal is its 'cause'; enquiry into the Truth of the non-dual Self is its 'nature'; to tear off that veiling aspect of Ignorance which makes one say "It does not shine forth'' is its 'effect'; the non-recrudescence of this veiling is its 'limit'; and direct experience is its 'fruit'. So say the sages.  26. D: What is this direct experience? M: Just as one can clearly distinguish the sun from the cloud hiding it, so also when one can distinguish the Self from the ego, it is direct experience. This is the "fruit'' of reflection.  55 - 56 Inasmuch as Brahman is impartite, perfect Wholeness, the witness being Brahman must also be impartite, perfect Wholeness. Therefore it is established that the Self is One unbroken Bliss. D: What is the 'fruit' of this knowledge? M: To reject the five sheaths and names and forms of objects as something inexpressible, only superimposed on the Reality, illusory, to practice that the substratum, i.e., Brahman of Being-Knowledge-Bliss is the Self and to realize It as 'I am Brahman' with the resulting Supreme Bliss of being the Brahman is the 'fruit' of this knowledge. Here ends the chapter on Reflection.  57. The wise student who carefully reads and practises it can realise himself as Brahman i.e., Being-Knowledge-Bliss.   Vasanaksaya 7. Wise son, now that you have known what need be known from them, you should efface the impressions left by your studies. D: What constitutes these impressions? M: It is the inclination of the mind always to study vedantic literature, to understand, the meanings of the texts, to commit them to memory and constantly be thinking of them. Since this inclination obstructs meditation, a wise man must overcome it with every effort. Next the latencies connected with the world (lokavasana) must be eliminated.  8. D: What are these latencies? M: To think, this is my country, this is my family pedigree and this is the tradition. Should any one praise or censure any of these, the reactions of the mind denote the latencies connected with the world. Give them up. Later on, give up the latencies connected with the body also, (dehavasana).  9 - 13. D: How can this be overcome? M: By looking with disgust upon all enjoyments as on vomit or excreta and developing dispassion for them, this can be overcome.  Dispassion is the only remedy for this mad craving. After this, the mind must be cleared of the six passions, namely, lust, anger, greed, delusion, pride and jealousy. D: How can this be done? M: By (maitri, karuna, mudita and upekssha) friendship with the holy, compassion for the afflicted, rejoicing in the joy of the virtuous and being indifferent to the shortcomings of the sinful. Next must be effected the latencies connected with the objects of the senses (vishaya vasana) such as sound etc. These latencies are the running of the senses such as hearing etc., after their objects. 23 - 25 This practice is to remain non-dual, solid Being-Knowledge-Bliss, untainted and free from thoughts of reality or unreality, ignorance or its illusory effects, and internal or external differentiation. This is accomplished by a constant practice of mode less (nirvikalpa) samadhi. Here remains the experience of Brahman only.   Saksatkara 2. D: Master, now that I have gained direct knowledge by enquiry and my task is finished why should I meditate further and to what end? 8. M: How does this affect the fact? Whether you have known it or not, the witness ever remains Brahman. Your knowledge of the fact has not made Brahman of the witness. Whether the poor beggar knew it or not, the king in the fort was the emperor. His knowledge did not make an emperor of the king in the fort. Now that you have known the witness to be Brahman, what has happened to you? Tell me. There can be no change in you.  17 - 18 M: 'I am Brahman' means that, after discarding the I - conceit, only the residual being or the pure consciousness that is left over can be Brahman - It is absurd to say that, without discarding but retaining the individuality, the jiva, on seeing Brahman but not becoming Brahman, can know himself as Brahman. A poor beggar must first cease to be beggar and obtain rule over a state in order to know himself as king.  24. A devotee on uniting with the Lord of his devotion remains blissful, so also the jiva on emerging as Brahman wonders how all along being only Brahman he was moving about as a helpless being imagining a world, god and individuals, asks himself what became of all those fancies and how he now remaining all alone as Being-Knowledge-Bliss free from any differentiation, internal or external, certainly experiences the Supreme Bliss of Brahman. Thus realisation is possible for the jiva only on the complete destruction of the mind and not otherwise.   Manonasa 34. D: How can the mind be extinguished? M: To forget everything is the ultimate means. But for thought, the world does not arise. Do not think and it will not arise. When nothing arises in the mind, the mind itself is lost. Therefore do not think of anything, forget all. This is the best way to kill the mind.  40. Now my wise son, follow this advice, cease thinking anything but Brahman. By this practice your mind will be extinct; you will forget all and remain as pure Brahman.  41. He who studies this chapter and follows the instructions contained therein, will soon be Brahman Itself!

'Self-Knowledge' (Atma-Vidya) - Lo, very easy is Self-Knowledge, Lo, very easy indeed - Ramana Maharshi

Self-Knowledge (Atma-Vidya)

A devotee once wrote on a slip of paper that Self-knowledge
is the easiest thing, since one already is the Self, and
handed it to Bhagavan, asking him to write a poem on the
subject. Bhagavan responded with the following poem:


Lo, very easy is Self-Knowledge,
Lo, very easy indeed.

1.
Even for the most infirm
So real is the Self
That compared with it the amlak
In one's hand appears a mere illusion.

2.
True, strong, fresh for ever stands
The Self. From this in truth spring forth
The phantom body and phantom world.
When this delusion is destroyed
And not a speck remains,
The Sun of Self shines bright and real
In the vast Heart-expanse.
Darkness dies, afflictions end,
And bliss wells up.

3.
The thought `I am the body' is the thread
On which are strung together various thoughts.
Questing within, enquiring `Who am I?
And whence this thought?' all other thoughts
Vanish. And as 'I', 'I' within the Heart-cave
The Self shines of its own accord.
Such Self-awareness is the only Heaven,
This stillness, this abode of bliss.

4.
Of what avail is knowing things
Other than the Self? And the Self being known,
What other thing is there to know?
That one light that shines as many selves,
Seeing this Self within
As Awareness' lightning flash;
The play of Grace; the ego's death;
The blossoming of bliss.

5.
For loosening karma's bonds and ending births,
This path is easier than all other paths.
Abide in stillness, without any stir
Of tongue, mind, body. And behold
The effulgence of the Self within;
The experience of Eternity; absence
Of all fear; the ocean vast of Bliss.

6.
Annamalai the Self, the Eye
Behind the eye of mind which sees
The eye and all the other senses
Which know the sky and other elements,
The Being which contains, reveals, perceives
The inner sky that shines within the Heart.
When the mind free of thought turns inward,
Annamalai appears as my own Self.
True, Grace is needed; Love is added.
Bliss wells up.

(Translated by Prof. K. Swaminathan)

'Swami Chinmayananda' traveled barefoot throughout Uttarkhand, on a rare pilgrimage of Self-discovery. His pen is dipped in sheer poetry as he describes the Himalayan splendour.

'ELLAM ONDRE (ALL IS ONE)'- 'Ramana Maharshi'- The thought "I am separate, others are separate" is the seed from which grows the tree of differing actions in relation to different persons. How can there be any lapse from righteousness for a person who knows the unity of himself with others?

And that 'ONE' is nothing but 'Truth-Being-Existence-Consciousness and Bliss'~Swaathmaaraaman.

On another occasion, when I asked Bhagavan to select some reading material for me, he gave me a short-list of six books: Kaivalya Navanitam, Ribhu Gita, Ashtavakra Gita, Ellam Ondre, Swarupa Saram and Yoga Vasishtam. He laid particular stress on Ellam Ondre, telling me, "If you want moksha write, read and practise the instructions in Ellam Ondre."

--- Living by the Words of Bhagavan

CHAPTER I - UNITY

1. All including the world seen by you and yourself, the seer of the world, is one only.

2. All that you consider as I, you, he, she and it, is one only.

3. What you consider to be sentient beings and what you consider to be insentient, such as earth, air, fire and water is all one.

4. The good which is derived by your considering all as one cannot be had by considering each as separate from the other. Therefore all is one.

5. The knowledge of the unity of all, is good for you and good for others as well. Therefore all is one.

6. He who sees "I am separate," "you are separate," "he is separate" and so on, acts one way to himself and another way to others. He cannot help doing so. The thought "I am separate, others are separate" is the seed from which grows the tree of differing actions in relation to different persons. How can there be any lapse from righteousness for a person who knows the unity of himself with others? As long as the germ of differentiation is there, the tree of differing actions will flourish, even unawares. Therefore give up differentiation. All is one only.

7. Ask: "If in the world all things appear different, how can I consider all as one? Is there any way of gaining this knowledge?" The reply is: "In the same tree we see leaves, flowers, berries and branches, different from one another, yet they are all one because they are all included in the word 'tree'. Their root is the same; their sap is the same. Similarly, all things, all bodies, all organisms are from the same source and activated by a single life principle." Therefore all is one.

8. 0h good man! Is the statement that "All is one," good or evil? Think for yourself. Just as the person will always be righteous who regards himself like others and others like himself, how can any evil attach itself to him who knows himself to be others and the others to be himself? Tell me if there is any better way for obtaining good than the knowledge of unity? Certainly other methods cannot be as good as this one. How can anyone love others more than when knowing them to be himself, to know them in unity-love as unity, for they are truly one.

9. Who can share the mental peace and freshness of the knower of unity? He has no cares. The Good of all is his own good. A mother considers her children's well-being to be her own well-being. Still, her love is not perfect because she thinks she is separate and her children are separate. The love of a Sage, who has realized the unity of all, far excels even the love of a mother. There is no other means of gaining such love than the knowledge of unity.Therefore all is one.

10. Know that the world as a whole is your undecaying body and that you are the everlasting life of the whole world. Tell me if there is any harm in doing so? Who fears to go the harmless way? Be courageous. The Vedas teach this very truth. There is nothing but yourself. All good will be yours. Yea, you become the good itself. All that others gain from you will be good only. Who will work evil to his own body and soul? A remedy is applied if there is an abscess in the body. Even if the remedy is painful, it is meant to do good only. Such will be some of your actions; they will also be for the good of the world. For that reason, you will not be involved in differentiation. I put it briefly: The knower of unity will act as one should. In fact, the knowledge of unity makes him act. He cannot err. In the world, he is God made visible. All is one.

'UPADESA SARAM'- The Essence of Instruction- 'Ramana Maharshi'

The Essence of Instruction

16. It is true wisdom
For the mind to turn away
From outer objects and behold
Its own effulgent form.

17. When unceasingly the mind
Scans its own form,
There is nothing of the kind.
For everyone
This path direct is open.

18. Thoughts alone make up the mind;
And of all thoughts
the ‘I’ thought is the root.
What is called mind
is but the notion ‘I’.

(GURU VACHAKA KOVAI: 652)- Love is verily the heart of all religions~RAMANA MAHARSHI

Only when Self, the truth of love, is known, will the knot of all the severe problems in life be severed. Only when the pinnacle of love [the supreme love or para-bhakti] is attained can even liberation be said to be attained. Love is verily the heart of all religions~RAMANA MAHARSHI
(GURU VACHAKA KOVAI: 652)

'GEMS' FROM BHAGAVAN - A necklace of sayings by 'BHAGAVAN SRI RAMANA MAHARSHI' on various vital subjects Strung together by A. DEVARAJA MUDALIAR

IV

“WHO AM I?” - ENQUIRY

For all thoughts the source is the ‘I-thought’. The mind will
merge only by Self-enquiry ‘Who am I?’ The thought ‘Who
am l?’ will destroy all other thoughts and finally kill itself
also. If other thoughts arise, without trying to complete them,
one must inquire to whom did this thought arise. What does it
matter how many thoughts arise? As each thought arises one
must be watchful and ask to whom is this thought occurring.
The answer will be ‘to me’. If you inquire ‘Who am I?’ the
mind will return to its source (or where it issued from). The
thought which arose will also submerge. As you practice like
this more and more, the power of the mind to remain at its
source is increased.
By means of a moderate quantity of satvic(pure) food,
which  is  superior  to  all  other  rules  and  regulations  of  self
discipline, the satvic or pure quality of the mind will grow
and Self-inquiry will be helped.
Though  ancient  and  timeless  sense  attachments  in  the
shape of vasanas(subtle tendencies) may rise countless like
the waves of the sea, they will all be destroyed as dhyana
progresses. Without  giving  any  room  for  doubt  whether  it
would at all be possible to eradicate all those vasanas and be
the Self alone, one must take hold ceaselessly of dhyana of the
Self. However great a sinner one may be, instead of lamenting
‘I am a great sinner, how can I make any progress?’ one must
completely  forget  the  fact  of  being  a  sinner  and  earnestly pursue meditation of Self. He is then sure to succeed.
If the ego is present, all else will also exist. If it is absent,
all else will also vanish. As ego is all this, to inquire what this
ego is, is to give up all attachment.
Controlling  speech  and  breath,  and  diving  deep  within
oneself, as a man dives into water to recover something that
has fallen there, one must find out the source whence the ego
rises, by means of keen insight.
Inquiry, which constitutes the path of jnana, consists not
in orally repeating ‘I’ ‘I’, but in searching by means of a deeply
introverted mind where from the ‘I’ springs. To think ‘I am not
this’ or ‘I am that’ may be of help in the inquiry, but cannot
be the actual inquiry.
When we quest within our mind ‘Who am I?’ and reach
the Heart, ‘I’ topples down and immediately another entity will
reveal itself proclaiming ‘I-I’. Even though it also emerges
saying ‘I’, it does not connote the ego, but the One Perfect
Existence.
If we unceasingly investigate the form of the mind, we
find there is no such thing as the mind. This is the direct path
open to all.
Thoughts alone constitute the mind, and for all thoughts
the base or source is the ‘I-thought’. ‘I’ is the mind. If we go
inward questing for the source of the ‘I’, the ‘I’ topples down.
This is the jnana enquiry.
Where the ‘I’ merges, another entity emerges as ‘I-I’ of its
own accord. That is the Perfect Self.
There is no use removing doubts. If we clear one doubt another arises and there will be no end of doubts. All doubts
will cease only when the doubter and his source have been
found. Seek for the source of the doubter, and you find he is
really nonexistent. Doubter ceasing, doubts will cease.
Reality being yourself, there is nothing for you to realize.
All are regarding the unreal as real. What is required is that
you give up regarding the unreal as real. The object of all
meditation (dhyana) or japa is only that, to give up all thoughts
regarding the non-self, to give up many thoughts and to hold
on to one thought. The object of all sadhana is to make the
mind one-pointed, to concentrate it on one thought and thus
exclude our many thoughts. If we do this, eventually even
the one thought will go and the mind will get extinguished
in its source.
When we inquire within ‘Who am I?’ the ‘I’ investigated
is the ego. It is that which makes vichara(enquiry) also. The
Self has no vichara. That which makes the inquiry is the ego.
The ‘I’ about which the inquiry is made is also the ego. As
the result of the inquiry the ego ceases to exist and only the
Self is found to exist.
What is the best way of killing the ego? To each person
that way is best which appears easiest or appeals the most.
All the ways are equally good, as they lead to the same goal,
which is the merging of the ego in the Self. What the bhakta
calls surrender, the man who does vichara calls jnana. Both
are trying to take the ego back to the source from which it
sprang and make it merge there.
To ask the mind to kill itself is like making the thief the policeman. He will go with you and pretend to catch the thief,
but nothing will be gained. So you must turn inward, and see
from whence the mind rises and then it will cease to exist.
Breath and mind arise from the same source and when one
of them is controlled the other is also controlled. As a matter
of fact, in the quest method - which is more correctly ‘Whence
am I?’ and not merely ‘Who am I?’ - we are not simply trying
to eliminate, saying ‘We are not the body, nor the senses and
so on’, to reach what remains as the ultimate reality, but we
are trying to find out whence the ‘I-thought’ or the ego arises
within us. The method contains within it, though implicitly
and not expressly, the watching of the breath. When we watch
where from the ‘I-thought’ arises, we are necessarily watching
the source of breath also, as the ‘I-thought’ and the breath arise
from the same source.
Breath control may do as an aid but can never by itself
lead to the goal. While doing it mechanically, take care to be
alert in mind and to remember the ‘I- thought’ and the quest
for its source. Then you will find that where the breath sinks,
there the ‘I-thought’ arises. They sink and arise together. The
‘I-thought’  will  also  sink  along  with  the  breath.
Simultaneously  another  luminous  and  infinite  ‘I-I’  will
emerge, and it will be continuous and unbroken. That is the
goal. It goes by different names - God, Self, Kundalini, Shakti,
Consciousness, etc.
Who am I?’ is not a mantra. It means that you must find
out where in you the ‘I-thought’ arises, which is the source of
all other thoughts. But if you find that vichara marga(path of inquiry) is too hard for you, you go on repeating ‘I-I’ and
that will lead you to the same goal. There is no harm in using
‘I’ as a mantra. It is the first name of God.
I ask you to see where the ‘I’ arises in your body; but it is
not really quite correct to say that the ‘I’ rises from and merges
in the Heart on the right side of the chest. The Heart is another
name for the Reality, and it is neither inside nor outside the
body. There can be no in and out for it, since It alone is. I
do not mean by ‘Heart’ any physiological organ, any plexus
of nerves or anything like that, but so long as one identifies
oneself with the body and thinks he is the body, he is advised
to see in the body where the ‘I-thought’ rises and merges again.
It must be the Heart at the right side of the chest, since every
man of whatever race and religion and in whatever language
he may be saying ‘I’, points to the right side of his chest to
indicate himself. This is true all over the world. So that must
be the place. And by keenly watching the emergence of the
‘I-thought’ on waking and its subsiding in sleep, one can see
that it is in the Heart on the right side.
First know who you are. This requires no sastras(scripture)
or scholarship. This is simple experience. The state of being
is now and here all along. You have lost hold of yourself and
are asking others for guidance. The purpose of philosophy is
to turn the mind inward. “If you know yourself, no evil can
come to you. Because you asked me I have told you this” (see
Kaivalya Navaneeta). The ego comes up only holding you (the
Self). Hold yourself and the ego will vanish. Until then the
sage will be happy saying, ‘There is’, and the ignorant will
be asking, ‘Where?’
Regulation  of  life,  such  as  getting  up  at  a  fixed  hour,
bathing, doing mantra-japa, etc., all this is for people who do
not feel drawn to Self-inquiry, or are not capable of it. But for
those who can practice this method all rules and disciplines
are unnecessary.
Undoubtedly it is said in some books, that one should go
on cultivating one good quality after another and thus prepare
for moksha; but for those who follow the jnanaor vichara
marga, their sadhana is itself quite enough for acquiring all
daivic(divine) qualities; they need not do anything else.
What is Gayatri? It really means ‘Let me concentrate on
That which illumines all’.

*Glimpses of Self-Realization*- 'THAYUMANAVAR'S FAREWELL LETTER'

"Dear friends ...
withdraw the mind from the senses
and fix it in meditation.

Control the thought-current.
Find out the thought-centre and fix yourself there.
Then you will be conscious of the Divine Self;
you will see it dancing in ecstasy.

Live in that delight.
That Delight-Consciousness, is the God in you.
He is in every heart.

You need not go anywhere to find Him.
Find your own core and feel Him there.
Peace, bliss, felicity, health - everything is in you.

Trust in the Divine in you.
Entrust yourself to His Grace.
Be as you are.
Off with past impressions.

He who lives from within an ingathered soul-life
is a real Sage though he may be a householder.
He who allows his mind to wander with the senses
is an ignoramus, though he is learned.

See as a witness, without the burden of seeing.
See the world just as you see a drama.
See without attachment, Look within.

Look at the inner light unshaken by mental impressions.
Then, floods of conscious bliss
shall come pouring in and around you from all directions.
This is the supreme Knowledge;
realize !

Aum Aum ! "

Knowing "THAT" which survives the annihilation of ‘I’ is alone the true Tapas!-RAMANA MAHARSHI

*WORDS OF WISDOM*- 'RAMANA MAHARSHI'

The state we call realization is simply being oneself, not knowing anything or becoming anything. ~ Sri Ramana Maharshi

Do away with 'Worries over the past'- 'Excitement in the present'- 'Anxiety about the future' - and thus gather 'Dynamism'~Swaathmaaraaman

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*WORDS OF WISDOM*- (GURU VACHAKA KOVAI: 613)-RAMANA MAHARSHI

*WORDS OF WISDOM*

The impure mind, which functions as thinking and forgetting, itself is samsara, the sequence of births and deaths. The pure Self-consciousness in which the thinking and forgetting mind is dead, itself is the perfect liberation mukti, devoid of birth and death~ Ramana Maharshi

(GURU VACHAKA KOVAI: 613)

*POINTS TO PONDER*- RAMANA MAHARSHI

The 'Self' does not move. The 'world' moves in it.

*Glimpses of Self-Realization*- RAMANA MAHARSHI

'SELF-REALIZATION'


The state we call realization is simply being oneself, not knowing anything or becoming anything. If one has realized, he is That which alone is, and which alone has always been. He cannot describe that state. He can only be That. Of course we loosely talk of Self-realization for want of a better term.

That which is, is peace. All that we need do is to keep quiet. Peace is our real nature. We spoil it. What is required is that we cease to spoil it. For instance, there is space in a hall (room). We are not going to create space anew. We fill up the place with various articles. If we want space, all that we need do is to remove all those articles and we get space. Similarly, if we remove all the rubbish from the mind the peace will become manifest. That which is obstructing the peace must be removed. Peace is the only Reality.

Effortless and choiceless awareness is our Real State. If we can attain It or be in It, it is all right. But one cannot reach It without effort, the effort of deliberate meditation. All the age-long vasanas (latent tendencies) carry the mind outwards and turn it to external objects. All such thoughts have to be given up and the mind turned inward. For most people effort is necessary.

~RAMANA MAHARSHI

From 'Gems'

*POINTS TO PONDER* - Ramana Maharshi

Just as by feeding it with ghee, a fire will blaze forth and will not be extinguished, so by satisfying desires, the fire of desire will never subside.

(GURU VACHAKA KOVAI: 592)