mar 2021 notes on 'path of ramana'-part 2

 17 no prayers= self abidance

Thus we come to understand that fate and free will are not elements contradicting each other.

 We are finally brought to the conclusion that unconditional Self-surrender in which no room is given even to any kind of prayers, is the best karma (action). 

This is nothing but Self-abidance. 

So long as a man experiences himself and the world as two separate entities, 

each having a distinct individual existence, 

he cannot in practice conceive even the mind transcending state of Parinirvana 

to be anything but a third which is distinct from himself and the world.

....

 The first and foremost need for us is to know our self, the first person.

,,\

 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 dissolution, 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’.

All the ancient Sages of India realised the truth in the end only by knowing the real nature of this first person.

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’.

Turning one’s attention towards oneself in order to find out ‘Who am I, who knows the mind?’ alone is the correct first person attention. Anyone who attends to himself in this manner, whoever he may be, will certainly attain the true Knowledge of Self.

Thus the principle teaching which He has given to the whole world is only the practice of Self-attention, which is the easy and direct path and which is so rational that is can be accepted and followed by all people.

The revelation or darsanam of Sri Ramana is only the absolute truth (paramarthikasatya) 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 only Self and the path is only Self. Know them (the goal and the path) to be nondifferent. – Guru Vachaka Kovai verse 579

..After an ‘I’ rises, everything rises... - Ulladu Narpadu verse 23 

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. - Ulladu Narpadu verse 26

 If the thought ‘I’ does not exist, no other things will exist.... – Sri Arunachala Ashtakam verse 7

39

When the mind is thus found to be ever non - existent, the world-appearance seen by it will also be found to be non-existent. Hence ajata alone is the absolute truth (paramarthika satya)

44 imp

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) ?... – Ulladu Narpadu verse 4

On account of the ego, the feeling ‘I am the body’, experiencing 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 ajnana or ignorance of one’s true nature). – Guru Vachaka Kovai verse 67.

imp

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 (jagat-maya).

 – Sadhanai Saram verse 44. 

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 (paramartha). 

– 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.

..

Very Imp_

50

If an aspirant truly engages himself in the 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. 

On such occasion he will be able to understand very clearly from his own experience how the world-appearance vanishes and how it again comes into existence. 

Because of the speed of forgetfulness or pramada by which he swerve from the state of Self-attention, it may be difficult in the beginning for an aspirant to notice exactly when he loses his hold on Self-attention. 

In due course, however, because of the clarity and strength 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 all the occasions when he thus clearly cognizes the moment when Self-attention is lost and the moment when it is regained, 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 certainty that his giving room to slackness in Self-attention is the means by which the body and world are created, that his maintaining slackness in Self-attention on account of his lack of interest either to notice that such slackness had occurred or to put an end to it, is the means by which the world is sustained, and that his firmly abiding once again in his own real and, blissful state of pure Consciousness, which is devoid of the limitations of name and form, having vigilantly known the exact moment 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 truth from his own direct experience, he will realise himself to be the perfect Supreme Reality which transcends the three functions of creation, sustenance and destruction, and hence he will remain 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 whereby he can understand that the two 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 these two states, which are nothing but mere appearances, 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 two states of creation and sustenance. 

Though such a person may be very broad-minded, generous-hearted and compassionate, since he may even be deluded to the extent of believing that the miseries which we now 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 he will find fault even with God, who is now performing those functions and he will wistfully imagine that he must take responsibility for carrying out a reform in the present manner in which God is governing the world.

....But 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, the 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.

“Making one’s outlook of the nature of knowledge, one should see the world as Brahman”

 drishtim jnanamayin kritva pasyet brahmamayam jagat. 

...

For those who have realised, the reality shines as the nameless and formless substratum of the world. Know that this is the only difference between these two”

...But, to really experience the universe as God (which is really 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. 

67

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 ‘Upadesha Undiyar’ by Sri Bhagavan referred to previously.

If we know what is the impurity in the mind, the way in which it is removed by the practice of Karma Yoga will also be clearly understood; ‘I’ and ‘mine’ are the impurities in the mind or ‘Chittam’. If these impurities which form the ‘tam’ in ‘Chittam’ are removed,‘Chittam’ 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, Chit (Consciousness) appears to be chittam – the mind, when the impurities ‘I’ and ‘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 ‘mine’ are the root-impurities of all other innumerable impurities such as lust, anger and the like. Even out of these two, the possessive form ‘mine’ can have an existence only because of ‘I’. Where there is no ‘I’, 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 ‘I’ am-this, I am-this body, ‘I am-a man or I am-so and so’. 

Hence, the attributes appended to ‘I AM’ alone, are the ‘root-impurity’.

 Till this impurities are removed, Self, Existence-Consciousness (Sat-Chit) is called ego. 

The true purpose of Yoga is only to remove this root-impurity. 

The methods of removing the impurities vary according to the maturity of the aspirants.

 Consequently different Yogas had to be framed.

To the aspirants who are very intent on removing their 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 the 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 saying, “Let all these (of mine) be for others and not for me”*. Karma Yoga is framed having the principle of the second type of aspirant as its base!

Thus out of the two impurities ‘I’ and ‘mine’, as ‘mine’ is easily noticeable, it is no wonder that all good people with noble aspiration generally first try to tackle only the ‘mine-ness’. For, such a mind which 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 own 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-ness’ 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 it 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. 

Bhakti

78

So also, Love or Bhakti 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!

1st std vishaya bhakti

2nd std vishaya bhakti alone, but names and forms of god means to fulfil them

3rd std worshipping only 1 god

3A- love for objects not for god

3b love for god

4 - ripened love for guru. complete dispassion for worldly objects

5 love for guru replaced by Love for Self  (pg 151 end )

95

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 innumerable thoughts concerning one’s daily activities rising (in one) during the waking state.

 In the Path of Love (Bhakti Marga) 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 will depart.

 But this alone is not sufficient. The important point in Bhakti Yoga is to fix the mind on one 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.

“O Supreme! 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? O Lord, enough of the trouble I have had by leaving Thee and by bearing the burden of this world on my head. O Arunachala, who art the Lord! Think no more of keeping me away from Thy Feet.” 

– ‘Sri Arunachala Pathikam’- verse 9 

 “O Arunachala, as ice dissolves in water (and becomes water), dissolve me in Love, in Thee, the form of Love.” 

–‘Arunachala Aksharamanamalai’ - verse 101.

“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

111

 “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, O Arunachala.” 

– ‘Arunachala Aksharamanamalai’ – Verse 40

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 and untiringly cries out in agony and calls “Krishna, O 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 imprisoned in Lanka (Ceylon) was longing for Sri Rama and Bharata who searched for Sri Rama in the forest. 

Sometimes even some more lives (Janmas) 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?

117

It is to be noted here that, though Namdev recognised that every space (for second and third persons) are a place for the Shivalingam; the True Knowledge 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 Bhagavan Ramana that, unless one experiences one’s Self, the knowledge that everything is Brahman cannot be perfect and true;

although one accepts that everything is Brahman and tries to see the world as such; it will be only an imagination.

“...when the first person (ego) ceases to be, through enquiry into the truth of the first person, the second and third persons come to an end. 

That state of Being in which all (I, II and III persons) shine as one, is the true nature of the Self”

 –Ulladu Narpadu, - Verse 14.

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.

“Even though one may 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 form,

 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 should you know.” 

-‘Ulladu Narpadu’ - Verse 8*

144

 Guru is the Self. Attaining the Self alone is to attain God or 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 otherlesness, Self.

Your Love of the Self (Swatma Bhakti) i.e., your (ego’s) merging into the Self, is verily your true Love of the Guru (Guru-Bhakti).

imp-

The love that springs upon other things can never be poorna. 

When love is full (poorna), 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 another (Non-dual)’. 

He alone who has love, but ‘Not for another’ (Ananya Bhakti) is one who has the Full Love (Sampoorna Bhakti).

147

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.

“...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 other, 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. “…

One who has such ‘Love for not another’ drowns in Thee, the Self the form of Bliss.” 

–‘Sri Arunachala Pancharatnam’ Verse 5

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, 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.

 Though his Guru is his Self and although 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 he experiences his Guru within as his Self.

..

125 aporakshanubhuti

125. The aspirant should carefully practice this (meditation) that reveals his natural bliss until, being under his full control, it arises spontaneously, in an instant when called into action.

132. Only those in whom this consciousness (of Brahman) being ever present grows into maturity, attain to the state of ever-existent Brahman; and not others who merely deal with words.

134. The aspirants after Brahman should not remain a single moment without the thought of Brahman,

142. Having reduced the visible to the invisible, the wise should think of the universe as one with Brahman. Thus alone will he abide in eternal felicity with mind full of consciousness and bliss.

reworded:

Realise that which is visible is non-existent. Dwell in the Atmic Bliss of bramha

144...Purity of the mind, again, is speedily accessible to those who are devoted to the teacher and the Deity.

reworded:

more the shraddha, quicker the purity.

..

 the Man is promoted from the Love for the Guru (Guru Bhakti) to the Love for the Self (Swatma Bhakti) i.e., from IVth to Vth standard of our 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.

“When the mind remains permanently absorbed in its source whence it had its rising – it is Karma, Bhakti; it is Yoga and Jnana also.” 

– ‘Upadesha Undiyar’ - Verse 10

“To say the truth, he who knows the Truth (Mei Dnyani) is different from he who knows of the Truth in the scriptures (Vijnani). 

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

 “ Brahman alone shines directly as ‘I-I’, - the Atman” –Ulladu Narpadu, Supp. - Verse 8 

Bhakti and Jnana 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 Love.

 If one has ‘Bhakti', one cannot but be as the Self. 

So Bhakti and Jnana are not two but the Self, like the two faces of the same coin. 

..

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 Ramana’ (Part One).

 Now, as the love in its perfectly refined state shines as Self alone, the method of purifying the love up to Self-Love (Swatma Bhakti) is explained as ‘The Path of Ramana’ (Part Two).

..

162 bhakti ends 60%

..

Manickavachakar:--

“The very moment You took me as Your own, I lost my individuality! You may do good or wrong to me! Who am I to interfere, O my Lord!”

If we really have love and faith in God, we should unconditionally surrender ourselves to Him as it is said by Sri Bhagavan Ramana:

“O Annamalai... Can I have then any grievance? O my (real) Soul, do whatever Thou wilt; but grant me, O Beloved, only ever increasing love for Thy Feet.” 

-‘Sri Arunachala Navamani Malai’ - Verse 7

“O Arunachala….O Bliss 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 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 karmas through so many births have been maturing through dispassion towards karmas, 

God comes in the form of a Guru! At first the individual thinks that the Guru in front of him is a man Iike 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 his Guru.

The Guru now instructs him how to handle his ‘original freedom to will and act’:- “Using your freedom to know the Reality, your Self, is the only right use. If you do not know or cannot do that, handover or surrender completely that freedom to God; so that He may use it on your behalf in any way He 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 (Jnana 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 Prarabdha 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 his 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.”

Not only that, he is also able to understand that whatever has happened to him in the past through his Prarabdha 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 his 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.”

183 imp

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 (Prarabdha); 

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 mature disciple, the Prarabdha becomes completely non-existent.

 He does not use the word ‘Prarabdha’, 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 the experiencer ship (Bhoktrutva) is destroyed along with the doership (Kartrutva). 

bhoktrutva, kartuttva destroyed = be Still

Having his two aspects thus destroyed, the jiva’s keeping quite is the ‘BE STILL’ (Summa Iru). 

And THIS is the real teaching (Upadesha) 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 live in the Divine. 

And THIS is the original 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 – Brahman, the Self.

It is said above that the destruction of the doership is itself the destruction of the experiencership 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 (Ichcha Shakti) and an intense Power to Act (Kriya Shakti) to BE STILL, this un-equalled Power - the DYNAMIC STILLNESS destroys the insignificant, false and imaginary ‘ichcha and kriya shakti’ used for the creation, sustenance and destruction of the universe.

At this stage, the unnatural superimposition 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 shines as ONE with no otherness – the Perfect SELF alone, 

the sleep of ignorance in which the dream of birth and death of the individual (the doer) appeared, disappears!! 

When the doership is thus destroyed, who stands there for

experiencership? 

Hence, the heap or Sanchita, with its good and bad results of the karmas 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, Sanchita, 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 karmas to ashes.” 

–‘Bhagavad Gita’ - Chapter IV - Verse 37. 

It has already been said that there will be no more Agamya after the doership has been destroyed. 

Up till now it has been said in scriptures, to pacify the questioners, that the Prarabdha which remains after Sanchita and Agamya 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. 

The aspirant who is on the path of Love (Bhakti) 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 (Agamyas), and thus BEcomes STILL.

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 karmas, 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! 

..

192

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. 

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!” 

“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, O Arunachala, the Hill of Grace!” 

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

mar 2021 notes on 'path of ramana'-part 1 (1and 2)

 Maturity lies in understanding that anything else besides Self Attention (which constitutes Self Enquiry) is a waste of time.

.......

Uttisthita Jagrat

...........

Anything else is painful, sorrow producing, manufacturer of calamities.

 ..,,,,,

148

The mind which has obtained a burning desire for Self-attention,

 which is Self-enquiry, 

is said to be the fully mature one

 (pakva manas) 

Attending to 2nd/3rd person = vasana

Since it is not at all now inclined to attend to any second or third parson, it can be said that it has reached the pinnacle of vairagya. 

For, do not all sorts of desires and attachments pertain only to second and third persons? Since this mind, which has very well understood that (as already seen in earlier chapters) the consciousness which shines 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 attend to Self is indeed the highest form of  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! 

reworded:

A mature mind has no choice but to stay put in Self-Attention.

This itself is Self Enquiry.

..

Well, will not at least such a mature mind which has come to the path of Sri Ramana, 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 sacrificed !! 

How ? Only so long as it was attending to second and third persons did it have the name ‘mind’, 

but as soon as Self-attention is begun, its name and form (its name as mind and its form as thoughts) are lost.

 So we can no longer say that Self-attention or 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 is not the mind, an activity !

“A naked lie then it would be If any man were to say that he Realized the Self, diving within Through proper enquiry set in Not for knowing but for death The good-for-nothing ego’s worth ! ’This Arunachala alone, The Self, by which the Self is known !” 

‘Sri Arunachala Venba’ verse 39

.

157 chp 8 part in blog feb 2021

 “Always keeping the mind (the attention) fixed In Self (in the feeling ‘I’) 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)

is surrendering oneself to God (which alone is called para bhakti, the supreme devotion)”.

 When  Bhagavan was asked, ‘What is the means and technique to hold constantly on to the ‘I’ -consciousness?’, 

He revealed in His works the technique of Self-enquiry which, as explained above, He had undertaken in His early age, but in a more detailed manner as follows:-

imp

 “Self (atman) is that which is self-shining in the form ‘I am that I am’. One should not imagine it to be anything such as this or that (light or sound). Imagining’ or thinking thus is itself bondage.

 Since Self is the consciousness which is neither light nor darkness, let it not be imagined as a light of any kind. That thought itself would be a bondage.

The annihilation of the ego (the primal thought) alone is liberation (mukti). 

All the three bodies consisting of the five sheaths are contained in the feeling ‘I am the body’; therefore if, by the enquiry ‘Who is this I ?’ (that is, by Self attention), the identification with (attachment to) the gross body alone is removed, the identification with the other two bodies will automatically cease to exist. 

As it is only by clinging to this that the identifications with the subtle and 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

“The body cannot say ‘I’ ...” ‘Ulladhu Narpadhu’, 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 (jnana marga) ...” 

‘Ulladhu Narpadhu’, verse 29

–, if keenly observed what that feeling is which now shines’ as ‘I’, a sphurana 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 (the Reality) appears spontaneously as ‘I-I’ (I am that I am) ...” ‘Ulladhu Narpadhu’,verse 30 

“When sought within ‘What is the place from which it rises as I ?’, ‘I’ (the ego) will die.

 This is Self-enquiry.” ‘Upadesa Undhiyar’, 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 without leaving it we just be, the sphurana, completely annihilating the feeling of individuality – the 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 in the beginning, on account of the 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 (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 annihilate them? If other thoughts rise disturbing 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 

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 ‘I’) alone will shine. The place (or state) 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 within oneself, to enquire and know who one, is in scriptures ? 

For Rama to know himself to be Rama, is a mirror necessary ? 

(That is to say, for one to know oneself through Self-attention to be ‘I am’, are scriptures 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 scriptures? Since scripture-enquiry is futile, one should give it up and take to Self-enquiry” – thus says Bhagavan Sri Ramana.

“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 it light, turns inwards, the breath stops automatically  

9! 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 ‘external 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....

“Therefore, by the practice of fixing the mind (the attention) in the Heart (Self), the pure consciousness, both the destruction of tendencies (vasanas) and the control of the breath are accomplished automatically.” 

‘Ulladhu Narpadhu – Anubandham’ verse 24

with full concentration, the breath stops automatically on account of the keenness of mind (the intensity 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 while 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  Bhagavan advised, ‘Control breath and speech with a keen (introverted) mind’.

 It would 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 decrease more and more, and when the ray ‘I’ dies, that which shines as ‘I’ is Jnana, “

- ‘Atma Vichara Patikam’, verse 9

When the man finally reaches very near to the piece of mirror, 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 within by an intense 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 (dehatmabuddhi), 

which he had hitherto had as a target of attention,

This dissolution is what  Bhagavan refers to when He says, ‘I’ will die”, in ‘Upadesa Undhiyar’ verse 19.

168

.......

Because of his mere search for the source of the reflected ray of the sun, does not the man now, after leaving the dark room, stand in the open space in a state of void created by the non-existence of that reflected ray? 

This is the state of the aspirant remaining in the Heart-space (hridayakasa) in the state of great void (maha sunya) created, through mere Self-attention, by the non-existence of the ego-’I’.

The man who has come out of the room into the open space is dazed and laments, “Alas ! The 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 my sadhana till now as a beacon-light is lost ! 

Then is there really no such thing at all as ‘Self’ (atman)?”. At that very moment, the Sadguru, who is ever shining as his Heart, points out to him thus, “Can the destruction of the ego, which is only an 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 void !”, in an instant as a direct experience 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

Clinging to the consciousness ‘I’ and thereby acquiring a greater and greater intensity of concentration upon it, is diving deep within.

 Did we sit to hold thus a court of enquiry, calling one thought after another! Is this the sadhana of diving within! Therefore, we should not remain watching ‘What is the next thought?’. Merely to keep on questioning in this manner is not Self-attention. 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 himself ‘Who am I?’ and ‘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 egolesness (the great void or maha sunya) – unless (instead of floating like this) we seek the place whence ‘I’ rises? And unless we attain that (egolesness), say, how to abide in the state of Self, where ‘We are That’ (soham)?”

 ‘Ulladhu Narpadhu’, verse 27

Therefore, all that we are to practise is to be still (summa iruppadu) with the remembrance of the feeling ‘I’. 

It is only when there is a slackness of vigilance during Self attention that thoughts, which are an indication of it, will rise.

 In other words, if thoughts rise it means that our Self-attention is lost. It is only as a contrivance to win back Self-attention from thought – attention that Bhagavan advised 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 us of the nominative form, the feeling ‘I’. However, if we question, ‘Who thinks these thoughts?’, since the nominative form, the feeling ‘I’, is obtained as an answer, will not Self-attention, which has been lost unnoticed, be regained directly? 

This regaining of Self-attention is actually being Self (that is, remaining or abiding as Self)! Such ‘being’ alone is the correct sadhana. 

Sadhana is not doing, but being!!

 “What our Lord Ramana firmly advises us to take to, as the greatest and most powerful tapas is only this much, ‘Be still’ (summa iru), and not anything else (dhyana, yoga and so on) as the duty to be performed by the mind.”

 ‘Guru Vachaka Kovai’ verse 773

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 is only the ego, the pseudo ‘I’- 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 ‘I’-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

“...If the fickle mind turns towards the first person, the first person (the ego) will become non-existent and That which really exists will then shine forth…” 

‘Atma Vichara Patikam’, verse 6

“...Attending to the first person is equal to committing suicide...”

 ‘Atma Vichara Patikam’, verse 7

Just as a rubber ball gains greater and greater momentum while bouncing down the staircase, the more the concentration in clinging to the first person consciousness is intensified the faster is the contraction of the first thought (the ego), till finally it merges in its source.

 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, which was shining in sleep as ‘I am’, to constitute the 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 in the beginning of his practice is only the slipping away (subsidence) of the ego. 

Since the 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 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 (that is, although it has hitherto been appearing as if it were the first person, it will now be clearly seen to be his mere shadow, non-Self, the primal sheath, a thing alien to him).

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 ruining me all along; 

I will inflict the right punishment upon him”.

 Since the ego, which was acting till now as if it were the first person, 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 person (the real import of the word ‘I’), existence-consciousness, through the method 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 waking), the ordinary sleep which had previously been taking possession of you will melt away, and the waking which was full of sense-knowledge (vishayas) will not creep in again, Therefore repeatedly and untiringly abide in it,” 

‘Sadhanai Saram’

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 it's own accord whenever we are free from our daily work.

But, since this state of existence-consciousness is 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 person 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 go. 

Hence the need for continued effort and love to abide in Self.”

 “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 the 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 Saram’.

178

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, it 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 ‘I’. 

This 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 adjunct. 

This pure condition of the rising ‘I’ - consciousness is what was pointed out by Sri Bhagavan when He said, “In the space between two states or two thoughts, the pure ego (the pure condition or true nature of the ego) is experienced”, in ‘Maharshi’s Gospel’, Book One, chapter five, entitled ‘Self and Ego’.

For this ‘I’ – consciousness that spreads from the brain at a tremendous speed throughout the body, the nerves (nadis) are the transmission lines, like wires for electrical power, (How many they are is immaterial here.) The mixing of the pure consciousness ‘I 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 (bandham) or the knot (granthi). 

This knot has two forms: the knot of bondage to the nerves (nadi-bandha-granthi) and the knot of attachment (abhimana--granthi). 

The connection of this power, the ‘I’- consciousness, with the gross nervous system is called ‘the knot of bondage to the nerves’ (nadi bandha granthi), and its connection (its dehabhimana) with the causal body, whose form is the latent tendencies, is called ‘the knot of attachment’ (abhimana-granthi),

 The knot of bondage to the nerves pertains to the breath (prana), while the knot of attachment pertains to the mind.

 “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 Undhiyar’, verse 12

Since the source of the mind and the prana is one (the Heart), when the knot of attachment (abhimana-granthi) is severed by the annihilation of the mind through Self-enquiry, the knot of bondage to the nerves (nadi

bandha-granthi) is also severed. In raja yoga, after removing the knot of bondage to the nerves by means of breath control, if the mind which is thus controlled is made to enter the Heart from the brain (sahasrara), since it reaches its source, then the knot of attachment is also severed. 

“When the mind which has been subdued by breath control is led (to the Heart) through 

the only path (the path of knowing Self), its form will die.” ‘Upadesa Undhiyar’, verse 14

However, since the knot of attachment is the basic one, until and unless the destruction of attachment (abhimana) is effected, by knowing self, even when the knot of bondage to the nerves is temporarily removed in sleep, swoon, death or by the use of anaesthetics, 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 Bhagavan insists that one reaching kashta-nirvikalpa-samadhi through raja 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), the destruction of the attachment to the body (dehabhimana-nasa)

In the body of such a Self realized One (sahaja jnani), the coursing of the ‘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 indispensable for the attainment of the natural state (Sahaja Sthiti), the state of the destruction of the tendencies (vasanakshaya).

The nerves (nadis) are gross, but the consciousness power (chaitanya-sakti) that courses through them is subtle.

 The connection of the ‘I’-consciousness with the nerves is similar to that of the electrical power with the wires, 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 consciousness rises, 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 removed and put on, this knot is alien to us, a transitory and false entity hanging loosely on us! This is what  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 many 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

(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 atma-jnana), the knowledge that the knot or bondage is at all times non-existent and has never risen, is the permanent disconnecting of the knot.

50% third wall

186

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.

Let us now again take up our original point. When the attention of an aspirant is turned towards second and third persons, the ‘I’-consciousness spreads from the brain all over the body through the nerves (nadis) in the form of the 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 power of ‘doing’ is transformed into the power of ‘being’).

 This is what is called ‘the churning of the nadis’ (nadi-manthana).

 By the churning thus taking place in the nadis, the ‘I’-consciousness scattered throughout the nadis turns back, withdraws and collects in the brain, the starting point of its spreading, and from there it reaches, drowns and is established in the Heart, the pure consciousness, the source of its rising.

In raja-yoga, the ‘I’-consciousness pervading all the nadis is forcibly pushed back to the starting point of its spreading by the power generated through the pressure of breath-retention (prana-kumbhaka). But this is a violent method. 

The following is what 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 ‘I’-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”. 

While the ‘I’ – consciousness is withdrawing through the sushumna, an aspirant may have experiences of the places of the six yogic centres (shadchakras) on the way, or even without having them may reach the Heart directly. 

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-attention, 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! 

...

Yet all these are only qualified mental experiences (visesha-manaanubhavas) and not the unqualified Self-experience (nirvisesha-ekatma-anubhava).

..

190

Even though the ‘I’-consciousness while being 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 ‘I’-consciousness stationed in the 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,

 Omkara 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.

...

80 ‘When the mind, giving up knowing external sense-object, knows its form of light’ (veli vidayangalai vittu manam tan oliyuru ordale): refer to ‘Upadesa Undhiyar’, verse 16.

..

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 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’ ! 

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 rays of 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 (bhakthi) to know Self and by the tremendous detachment (vairagya) 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 age long 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 split second. 

Similarly, after an age long period of listening and reading (sravana), 

reflecting (manana), 

practising (nidhi-dhyasana)

 and weeping put in prayer (because of the inability to put what is heard into practice), 

when the mind 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 the 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.” ‘Sadhanai Saram

That which we are now experiencing as the waking state is not the real waking state. 

This waking state is also a dream! 

There is no difference at all between this waking and dream. 

In both these states, the feeling ‘I am’ catches hold of a body as ‘I am this’ and, seeing external objects, involves itself in activities. 

To awaken as described above from the dream of this waking state is the dawn 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 which we feel to 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) shines unaided and without cognizing anything other than ‘we’. 

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 and being Self is just like waking from a dream 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 newly erected in it, so our eternal, non-dual, natural and adjunctless 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, that which remains will be the one state 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 only existing state, the first, and so it need not at all be called ‘the fourth’ (turiya), nor even ‘a state’ (avastha). 

It is 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 since the apparent three states do not exist, turiya itself is turiyatita. Thus should you bravely understand !” 

-‘UIladhu Narpadhu – Anubandha’, verse 32 

“It is only for those who are not able to immerse and abide firmly in turiya (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 Vachaka 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 states, which have been apparently created by these 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 Vachaka Kovai’, verse 460

Since that which 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 in the footnote of the same pages that the real nature of sleep would 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 (jivanmukta) the state of liberation does not become a thought! That is, since bondage is unreal for Him, He can have no thought of liberation. 

Then how can the thought of bondage come to Him? The thought of bondage and liberation can occur only to the ignorant one (ajnani), who thinks that he is bound.

Therefore, to remain in this state of Self, having attained  supreme bliss (the eternal happiness which is, as pointed out in chapter one. the sole aim of all living beings), which is devoid of both bondage and liberation, is truly to be in the service of the Lord in the manner enjoined by Bhagavan Ramana. 

This alone is our duty. This alone is the path of Ramana. 

“To remain in the state (of Self), having attained the supreme bliss, which is devoid of both bondage end liberation, is truly to be in the service of the Lord.”

- ‘Upadesa Undhiyar’, verse 29

...

198  Path of Ramana - part 1 ends

......appendix 'who am i?

Remaining firmly in Self-abidance (atma-nishtha), without giving even the least room to the rising of any thought other than the thought of Self (atma-chintanai)*, is surrendering oneself to God.

Enquiring ‘Who am I that am in bondage?’ and knowing one’s real nature (swarupam) alone is liberation (mukti),

 Always keeping the mind (the attention) fixed in Self (in the feeling ‘I’) alone is 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.

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 214 Atma vichar Patikam

,,

Atma Vichara Patikam (Eleven Verses on Self-Enquiry)

1. Thinking is a mentation (vritti) ; 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 thus in the source of thoughts is the state of Self- abidance (nishtha) ! 

Be thus! 

2 He who thinks is the individual soul (jiva). 

 He who is, is the Supreme (brahman) ! (shiva)

If the thinker thinks with great love of That which is 'still';

 then this thought, the love to be, will become the thought free thought which kills all thinking. 

When the thinker thus dies with all his thoughts, to remain surviving him is union with the Supreme (siva-sayujyam) ! 

3. He who thinks ‘I (am so-and-so)’ is himself one among the thoughts. 

Of all thoughts, the thought ‘I (am so-and-so)’ is the very first. The jiva who thinks ‘I (am so-and- -so)’ is only our reflection. 

For, we never think ‘I (am this or that)’ when we shine as That (the Supreme). 

4. This thought, ‘I (am the body)’, does not exist in deep sleep. 

This thought, ‘I (am the body)’, does not exist in the true state of jnana either.

 Since it rises and slips away in between (two such states), this ‘I’ is unreal; hence, this ‘I’ is only a thought.

 5. The waxing of this thought ‘I’ is indeed the waxing of misery! 

This thought ‘I’ alone is what is called the ego. It is only 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, losing its existence.

 6. The second and third persons (the objects) live only because of the root, the first person (the subject or ego). 

If the fickle mind turns towards the first person, the first person will become non-existent and That which really exists will then shine forth.

 This indestructible, real Self is Jnana. 

7. To think of second and third persons is sheer foolishness, for by thinking of second and third persons the mental activities (mano-vritlis) will wax.

 (On the other hand,) attending to the first person is equal to committing suicide, for only by enquiring into the first person will the ego itself die.

 8. Attending to second and third persons instead of turning towards and attending to the first person is an attention based only upon ignorance (ajnana). 

If you ask, “Then is not the attention to the ego also an attention based upon ignorance? So why should we attend to this ‘I?’, then listen. 

9. The reason why this ‘I’ dies when enquired into, 

‘What am I? is as follows: 

This thought ‘I’ is a reflected ray of Jnana (Self), (and it alone is directly connected with Self, whereas the other thoughts are not);

 (so) when the attention goes deeper and deeper within along the ray ‘I’, its length decreases more and more, and when the ray I’ dies that which shines as ‘I’ is Jnana. 

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 done well by Him and your peace will remain undisturbed ! 

11. When scrutinizing ‘What is real?’, nothing in the world is (found to be) real; 

Self alone is real (satyam). 

Therefore, let us renounce everything and ever remain unshakably as the reality (sat). 

This alone is the service enjoined upon us by  Ramana, our eternal Lord!

..

9. Give up trying to know whether so-and-so is a Jnani or an ajnani and enquire 

‘Who is he who knows that there is so-and-so ?’

 The reply will be ‘I’. 

If you further enquire ‘Who is this I?’ then only will the true Jnani appear (as ‘I am that I am’) !! 

10. Let anyone be a Jnani, what is it for us? 

Until and unless we know our Self, it will be of no avail to us. 

On scrutiny, it will be found that Jnana itself is the Jnani.

 He is not a human form, 

He is verily the supreme Space (of consciousness), and we are That. 

11. Therefore, by means of enquiry, destroy the mind which tries to know’ This one or’ that one is a Jnani’.

 It is therefore proper to know through Silence that the Jnana (the consciousness) which never rises as ‘I am this or that’ itself is the Jnani !

..

220 japa

The main benefit is the complete surrender of oneself to God on account of heart-melting and over brimming love for Him. 

2. Remembering once the name of God with an unwavering (one-pointed) mind is more valuable than doing a thousand crores of Japa with a wandering mind. 

6. The mind that attends to the true import of the word ‘I’ through jnana japa dies in Self, losing its individuality. The mind that embraces the name of God, who is pure consciousness (chit), with melting love (through bhakti japa) transforms itself into the unbroken form of bliss (ananda); it cannot remain as a separate entity.

..

He sings, “‘Turning Self wards, daily see thyself with an introverted look and it (the reality) will be known’ – thus didst Thou tell me, 0 my Arunachala”. I

-aksharmananmalai 44

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 turn it 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 the mind will soon become tired. 

Instead of thus 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 then again make a fresh attempt.

 If one thus 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 it 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 turn only 5, 10 or 15 degrees. This is because one’s turning is resisted by a powerful spring – the spring of one’s tendencies (vasanas) or subtle desires towards worldly objects.

Every time one tries to turn towards the first person, this spring of one’s worldly 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 practising Self-attention, by earnestly 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 desirelesness and longing to know Self thus increase by prayer to the Guru, by study (sravana) of and reflection (manana) upon His teachings, and by practice (nididhyasana) of Self-attention, one’s ability to turn one’s attention towards the first person will also increase, until one will be able to turn it 90, 120 or even 150 degrees at each fresh attempt. 

When one’s ability to turn one’s attention Self-wards thus 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 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 previously 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 is 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 the experience of true knowledge (jnananubhutl), 

Self-realization (atmasakshatkaram), l

iberation (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 the only sign of samadhi. 

Though after Self realization some Jnanis spend their entire lifetime completely oblivious of the body and world, not all Jnanis will necessarily remain thus. 

The return of body consciousness (and consequently world-consciousness) after the attainment of Self-realization is according to the 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, since one experiences oneself to be the unlimited 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 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.

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end of path of ramana part 1-2

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