Mauna

When the need to talk goes away

then you stay in mauna.

Sankalpana leads to sankalpas

To fulfill them you talk

The Mind talks.

When sankalpas cease 

Mind stops being mind

Reposes in the Self.

Mauna results.

Not easy to be without sankalpas or vasanas.

Vedanta vichar over a prolonged period trims the mind.

A ripe soul however is able to spontaneously stay in the Self.

Meaning hold on to the Self.

They are a blessing to humanity.

Nirvikalpa samadhi of Advaita Vedanta 

is the same as Asamprajnata samadhi of sankhya.

An intense longing for God stills the nerve currents and  breath 

And samadhi results

Says Ramakrishna.

So kevala kumbhaka of yoga is achieved by an intense longing in bhakti.

One way or the other there is no darshan of reality

Until mind gives up it's naughty habit of poking into the world through the 5 senses.

All what it can thus see is only 'asat'.

'Sat' is revealed only in the niralamba state

When hankering, chatting, vikalpa cease.

Being able to hold on to the Self 

Is all what is required.

If you know this well

There is no need for many shastras

And repeatedly reading voluminous texts

Says Ramana.

In Talks Bhagavan mentions that Thayumanavar mentions mauna in many places, but only defines it in one verse. The definition, given in Talks, is that 

‘Mauna is said to be that state which spontaneously manifests after the annihilation of the ego’. 

(Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi, talk no. 122)

The specific verse is not given, but in the Tamil edition of Talks, Viswanatha Swami identifies it as ‘Payappuli’, verse 14:

The unique source [tan], fullness [purnam],
prevailed within, in my Heart
so that the ‘I’ which deemed itself
an independent entity
bowed its head in shame.
Conferring matchless bliss,
consuming my whole consciousness and granting me the state of rapture,
it nurtured in me the condition of mauna.

This being so, what more is there to be said? 

..................................................................................................

Sri Bhagavan remarked how true the words were and emphasised each statement in the extract. Then he cited Thayumanavar in support of the state which is free from thoughts: (Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi, talk no. 646)

The state in which you are not,
that is nishta [Self-abidance]. 

Maharshi M.: Abhyasa is only to prevent any disturbance to the inherent peace. 

 

M.: The difference ‘He’ and ‘I’ are the obstacles to jnana.  

D.: How to attain the Self? 

M.: Self is not to be attained because you are the Self.

............................end................................