https://www.davidgodman.org/upadesa-tiruvahaval/
1-6
Nowhere upon this earth, composed of continents that the oceans surround, was there anyone possessed of such a dark and deadly understanding as mine. I took the first prize, not even knowing my real Self. My wicked mind was stuffed full of habits baser than those of an ignorant beast, and thus I remained.
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77a-78a
You declared: ‘Since ulladu [reality] exists in ullam [the Heart]
ulladu [reality] itself may be said to be ullam [the Heart].’
Praise be to you!
Ulladu, translated here as ‘reality’, is a combination of the syllables ‘ulla’ meaning ‘is’ and ‘adu’ meaning ‘that’.
A more literal translation would therefore be ‘that-which- is’.
Ulladu Narpadu (‘narpadu’ means ‘forty’) could therefore be literally translated as ‘Forty [on] That-which-is’.
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83a-92a
You declared: ‘Consciousness of reality and consciousness of the things around us do not exist apart from that reality.’ Praise be to you!
‘Therefore, the place where everything exists is the Heart.’ This you declared. Praise be to you!
You declared: ‘Since those who have truly seen, see nothing other than their own Self,
Thinking of something other than the Self is inconsistent with that state.’
Praise be to you!
You declared: ‘Unless one reaches the throne of the Heart, it is impossible to see the brilliant light of reality.’ Praise be to you!
You declared, ‘If one dives within and reaches the place of its arising, thought, which is of the nature of the individual self, will cease to be’. Praise be to you!
93a-101a
Therefore, individual selves, who have no other form than thought, can only imagine with the false mind the reality that is free from thought forms, but they cannot think of it as it really is.
reworded: Adnyani imagines reality. He cannot be reality.
Just as reality dwells within the Heart, free from thought forms, when the individual self dwells, in the same way, within the Heart, free from thought forms, that is meditation on reality. Thus did you explain it to us. Praise be to you!
141-154
‘Those who have seen their own Self do not see others; those who see others do not see their own Self.’
Thus did you fully explain the glorious state of mauna,
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You declared: ‘Those who understand the true meaning of the scriptures will describe the world of the senses and the beings within it as real, when viewed from the standpoint of cause, and unreal, when viewed from the standpoint of effect. There is really no contradiction here. Both these views, made by those of mature understanding, are consistent with each other.’ Praise be to you!
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You declared: ‘As the mind [in following either of the views] does not become externalised, but abides as the Self, the end result is also the same.’ Praise be to you!
‘Cause’ in these lines refers to the unmanifest Self and ‘effect’ the world of names and forms. The world is real when it is known to be Self alone, and unreal when it is merely perceived as separate objects. Muruganar made the same point in verses nineteen and twenty of Guru Vachaka Kovai:
19
Since the cause itself [reality] appears as the effect [the world], and because consciousness – the cause of this vast world described by the sastras as being merely names and forms – is a truth as obvious as the nelli fruit on one’s palm, it is proper to term this great world ‘real’.
20
The worlds that are described as being either three or fourteen are real when seen from the point of view of the primal cause [Brahman] because they have unceasing existence as their [real] nature. However, when attention is paid only to the names and forms, the effect, even the undecaying cause, the plenitude, will appear to be non-existent, a void.
165-176
Glory to the teacher who confers the true attainment of jnana by destroying the infatuation that consists in the forgetting [of the Self]!
Glory to you who revealed clearly that true attainment as my own Self, the indivisible light!
Glory to you who appeared first as God, then as Guru in the middle stage, and who finally dwelt as my Self!
Glory to you who dwelt as my own Self, the ocean of bliss that is worthy of my devotion!
Glory to you, the teacher who, in an excess of love, took pity on me, worthless as I was, and explained to me in words the nature of the true reality, a teaching which you conveyed to the mature ones through the lofty state of mauna!
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177-186
But did it end with this verbal teaching? No, you also bestowed your grace upon me, enabling me to abide in that state. Praise be to you!
You dragged me into the Heart, so that I expired in the Siva-ocean of true jnana. Praise be to you!
As I lie dying in that ocean, what fitting recompense can I offer to your holy feet? Praise be to you!
May you gladly accept as that recompense the merging of my unruly mind with your ankleted feet. Praise be to you!
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All the texts say that in order to attain release one should render the mind quiescent; therefore their conclusive teaching is that the mind should be rendered quiescent; once this has been understood there is no need for endless reading. In order to quieten the mind one has only to enquire within oneself what one’s Self is; how could this search be done in books?
One should know one’s Self with one’s own eye of wisdom.
The Self is within the five sheaths; but books are outside them. Since the Self has to be enquired into by discarding the five sheaths, it is futile to search for it in books. There will come a time when one will have to forget all that one has learned. (Who am I?, question and answer
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Maya is only the mind persisting vigorously in the form of thoughts. The destruction of the mind is the attainment of jnana. Thus did you declare to me, mean and pitiable as I was, giving me comfort and clear understanding. Praise be to you!
You taught: ‘To enquire what the mind is with the mind is the means to destroy the mind.’ Praise be to you!
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115-118
You declared: ‘If you investigate who is he that is in bondage, it will be found that there is no one in bondage. Thus bondage is not, and consequently, liberation also is not.’ Praise be to you!
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Bhagavan:
The ego in its purity is experienced in the intervals between two states or between two thoughts.
The ego is like the worm which leaves hold only after it catches another. Its true nature is known when it is out of contact with objects or thoughts.
You should realise the interval as the abiding unchanging reality, your true being,
through the conviction gained by the study of the three states, jagrat [waking], swapna [dreaming] and sushupti [sleep].
(Maharshi’s Gospel, pp. 25-26)
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141-154
‘Those who have seen their own Self do not see others; those who see others do not see their own Self.’ Thus did you fully explain the glorious state of mauna,
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https://www.davidgodman.org/padamalai-excerpt/
The nature of the jiva
1 Jiva-nature – the ignorant ego that does not remain in the pure, true, jnana vichara – is a non-existent entity.
Jiva, the individual self, is an unreal entity that appears to come into existence by wrong association. The following sequence of verses, in which Lakshman Sarma summarises Bhagavan’s teachings on this topic, makes this clear:
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6 Know that the jiva suffers like a fool because of its close association with that buffoon, the mind.
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7 Unless the activity of the senses that operate through the consciousness of the jiva totally ceases,
it will be extremely difficult to achieve union with that divine consciousness, which is the bliss of the Self.
8 The state of existing as a jiva, which makes its living by changing its form endlessly, is one of extreme shame.
9 Now that you have seen and become aware of this wonder, which is an injustice, from now on at least, it will be proper to embrace the life of truth.
10 Wasting away through failing to see the light that shines as the source of life is indeed the misfortune of the jiva.
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Jiva returning to its source
11 Until the jiva knows that its own essential form is matchless bliss, it will, like the musk deer, be confused.
Guru Vachaka Kovai, verse 1028: The musk deer carries the fragrant musk within itself. Not knowing this fact, and believing that the fragrance comes from a source outside itself, it wanders everywhere, searching for it.
In the same way, only those who are not able to realise that their own swarupa [true nature] is bliss will be bewildered, seeking sense objects, imagining that they are the source of their happiness.
But those who are able to realise their swarupa properly will abide in their own state, without pursuing the world.
12 If the jiva parts company with the clarity of consciousness, it will not find intimacy anywhere else.
13 Only the unique truth of oneself can become the haven for the jiva. Other than this, no other truth exists anywhere at any time.
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14 For the jiva there is no refuge other than truth. Therefore, enquire and know your own truth, which is extremely close to you.
15 Only when the life of the jiva blossoms into Sivam will it be possible for it to attain the true love that knows no misery.
16 If the jiva is not filled with clarity, which is the prasad of the mind, what can other kinds of prasad do?
17 If the jiva remains without the suttarivu, in that state it will clearly see itself as the immaculate, pure swarupa, free from limitations.
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19 The main imperative of the jiva is to absorb into the Self that objective consciousness [suttarivu] which knows the non-Self, so that ignorance is destroyed.
reworded; Mind externalised sees the objective world, which is unreal. A-sat. non Self.
When it is turned within, it experiences the bliss of the self.
20 Except in mauna, wherein delusion has been completely cleared away, union with the Self is not possible for the jiva.
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The liberation of the jiva
21 The spiritual practice adopted by the jiva becomes complete upon the destruction of the ego at its source.
22 Like the moth [in the flame], a jiva on which the shining light of swarupa has fallen will be annihilated, becoming the supreme.
23 The experience of Atma jnana, the realisation that one is bodiless, is the liberation of the jiva who regarded himself as the body.
24 For the jiva who has realised the truth, that truth itself will help in uniting it with liberation.
25 Only he in whom the ‘I’ is dead will know the union of the jiva with the supreme, which is the full, non-dual [experience].
26 The jiva that has succeeded in annihilating its ego-ridden mind in the Self, which is pure consciousness, will itself become consciousness, the supreme.
27 For the good jiva that has attained jnana, grace, there is never ever any pramada [forgetfulness of the Self], the darkness of ignorance.
28 In the Atma-swarupa, the supreme, pramada is always a complete folly for the jiva.
29 Drowning the jiva in the Heart in such a way that no thought arises for any reason – this is the grace, the power of the Self, who is the Lord of the jiva.
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The unreality of the ego
30 Neither in this world nor anywhere else does there exist for you a malevolent enemy like the ego.
31 Enquire within and know the source of the ego so that the ego departs and the experience of Atma-swarupa surges.
32 If you enquire within yourself and know the nature of the powerful ego-ghost, then, like the [presumed] best man, it will run away and disappear.
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33 Like an onion, the ego-appearance is an unreal thing that consists of a combination [of many tattvas]. When enquired into, it will be found to have no swarupa.
When every layer of an onion has been peeled away, there is no onion left. Swarupa here means ‘ever-present and inseparable nature’.
34 As long as the ego exists, how can one see, with a ramifying mind, the truth of oneself?
What a wonder it is! This ghostly ego which is devoid of form comes into existence by grasping a form; grasping a form it endures; feeding upon forms which it grasps, it waxes more; leaving one form it grasps another; when sought for it takes to flight. Know thus.
Bhagvan:
That bliss of the Self is always with you, and you will find it for yourself, if you would seek it earnestly.
The cause of your misery is not in the life without; it is in you as the ego. You impose limitations on yourself and then make a vain struggle to transcend them.
All unhappiness is due to the ego; with it comes all your trouble. What does it avail you to attribute to the happenings in life the cause of misery which is really within you? What happiness can you get from things extraneous to yourself? When you get it, how long will it last?
If you would deny the ego and scorch it by ignoring it, you would be free. If you accept it, it will impose limitations on you and throw you into a vain struggle to transcend them. That was how the thief sought to ‘ruin’ King Janaka.
To be the Self that you really are is the only means to realise the bliss that is ever yours. [9. Maharshi’s Gospel, pp. 47-8.]
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