THE ESSENCE OF RIBHU GITA

The Essence

of

Ribhu Gita

Sri Ramanasramam is happy to publish this brilliant

English abridgement of a monumental work which Bhagavan

Ramana refers to often in His Talks. It will be noted that the

translator has included in his selection passages made familiar

by Sri Bhagavan.

Bhagavan Ramana encouraged the translator to study the

Ribhu Gita as his sadhana. Being a devout student of the classic

text, and through the grace of His Master, he is fully competent

to translate it. We are now fortunate to have this rare and

beautiful translation in our midst.

Professor N.R. Krishnamoorthi Aiyer was the Head of the

Department of Physics in the American College, Madurai. He

was steeped in the objectivity of modern science and has had

close contacts with a large section of enlightened American

professors. He is thus a physicist with an appreciation for scientific

precision and accuracy. Since he is an advanced spiritual adept

as well, he is able to strike a remarkable equilibrium between

science and spirituality, not just theoretically, but practically too.

Sincere aspirants owe a deep sense of gratitude to him for

both the great precision and spiritual insight with which he has

been able to capture the essence of the original text.

PREFACE

The Ribhu Gita forms the sixth section of the Sanskrit

work known as Siva Rahasya. It is the teachings of Lord Siva

in Mount Kailas to His devotee Ribhu, from whom the Gita

derives its name.

The Ribhu Gita was translated into Tamil verse by a

Brahmin Vedic scholar of high repute, by name Bikshu Sastrigal

who was also an accomplished scholar in Tamil. He translated

the work under the name of Ulaganatha Swamigal, and because

of his efforts attained renowned fame among the Tamil devotees

of Siva.

The Tamil version is a free translation of the original

Sanskrit text, consisting of 1,924 verses of such scintillating

brilliance that Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi recommended

its recital as a strong support for spiritual sadhana. He used

to say that the recital itself leads to spontaneous abidance in

the Self.

The book presented herewith consists of 122 verses from

the original Tamil work, being a free translation into English

prose, conveying the essence of the original, rather than a mere

mechanical word for word translation.

Reading of this English text alone will not be complete

unless it is supported by vigorous sadhana with the help of a

realised teacher, who has obtained firm abidance in Siva-Self by

a life of devotion to Lord Siva. This aspect is stressed in some of

the verses selected.

It is the earnest hope and prayer of the translator that after

reading this English text, devotees all over the world would

make the pilgrimage to Tiruvannamalai, and complete their

sadhana in the immediate presence of Lord Arunachala Siva

and Sat Guru Ramana enshrined in His \samadhi in Sri

Ramanasramam.

Sri Ramanasramam,

Tiruvannamalai - 606 603.

Dated: 15th August, 1984.

Prof. N. R. KRISHNAMOORTHI AIYER.

(Translator)

Om Namo Bhagavate Sri Ramanaya

THE ESSENCE OF RIBHU GITA

Benedictory verses

To Siva

1. Salutations to the Supreme Lord Siva, the pure Awareness

in the sky of consciousness in the Heart, by meditation on whom,

Ganesa, Guha, Mother-Sakti who is the embodiment of Siva’s

Grace, and myriads of Devas, saints and devotees have attained

their cherished goals. (Chapter 1, Verse 1).

To Nataraja

2. From the sky of consciousness of the Heart springs

forth the dancer Nataraja with his blissful consort Freedom,

to the delectation of his devotees who are thus liberated forever.

Unto that Ananda Natesa do we render our devout salutations.

(Ch.1, v.2)

To Ardhanareeswara

3. Unto that Form whose left half is the Mother of all

manifestation and whose right half is the Father of the same,

the jingle of the gems enclosed within the hollow golden anklet

of whose foot is the source of all scriptures, and whose three

eyes (Fire, Sun and Moon) are the illuminants of the universe,

to that Form be our devout salutations. May that divine Form

ever be our protection. (Ch.1, v.3)

To Siva, Sakti, Vinayaka and Shanmukha

4. Salutations to Siva, the Lord of the universe of infinite

power, to Sat-Chit-Ananda-Sakti, the Mother of the universe,

to Vinayaka the dispeller of all impediments to freedom,

and to Shanmukha the Sat-Guru, who dispenses to his worthy

devotees the divine wisdom of Siva-Self leading to salvation.

(Ch.1, v.4)

THE ESSENCE OF RIBHU GITA

The following verses constitute the teachings of Siva to Ribhu,

who in turn transmits those teachings to his disciple Nidhaga Rishi.

The treatise goes by the name Ribhu Gita.

5. The universe was neither born, nor maintained, nor

dissolved; this is the plain truth. The basic screen of pure

Being-Awareness-Stillness devoid of all the moving shadow

pictures of name and form of the universe is the sole, eternal

Existence. (Ch.2, v.33)

6. Some may argue that this universe of duality (multiple

existences) is a factual second reality, clearly seen by the senses

operated by the mind. But then, are the senses anything apart

from the mind? Can they function without the support of the

mind in which they are imbedded? What is this mind except a

bundle of thoughts? What are thoughts except evanescent

ripples in the still, limitless ocean of pure Being-Awareness-Self,

which is the sole Existence without a second? (Ch. 2, v.34)

7. The existence of the illusion of silver in mother of pearl

is not a reality apart from the reality of mother of pearl, which

is the basic reality. The illusion of the universe is based on the

mind, which again is an illusion based on the still Awareness-

Being-Self. (Ch.2, v.35)

8. In the unitary, undifferentiated still ocean of Existence-

Awareness-Self, body, senses, mind, intellect and jivas (embodied

souls) are nothing but evanescent ripples not apart from that

sole Self. (Ch.4, v.6)

9. The universe of name and form, the embodied creatures

and their creator, mind, desire, Karma (action), misery and

everything other than the Self, are merely thought formations

projected by the powers of the Self on its screen — Self. (Ch.5, v.25

10. The state of firm abidance in that thought-free alert

Awareness-Self, constitutes integral perfection, yoga, wisdom,

Moksha, Sahaja Samadhi, the state of Siva and the state of Atman-

Self, which scriptures proclaim by the title of Brahman. (Ch.5, v.26)

11. There never was a mind nor any of its countless forms

like world, jivas, etc. There isn’t the least doubt that all these are

the form of the eternally undifferentiable Supreme Brahman Self.

This is the Truth. The one who hears this great secret diligently

and understands completely, abides as Brahman-Self (Ch.5, v.28)

Greatness of Videha Mukta

12. With all objective knowledge banished, with no trace

of thought or nescience, with all the three states of waking,

dream and sleep wiped out, with all thought of death and birth

abolished, and ever established in the spontaneous blissful state

of Brahman-Self, the condition of the Videha Mukta cannot be

conceived, and much less expressed in words. (Ch.5, v.39)

13. The continued repetition of ‘I am Self-Brahman’

constitutes the sole mantra-japa leading to Mukti (Liberation).

All other mantra-japas connected with diverse gods should be

firmly eschewed, as they aim at mundane objectives other than

the Self. All other mantra-japas always entangle one inextricably

in the bondage of worldly enjoyments. (Ch.6, v.37)

Sat-Chit-Ananda-Self Siva and His worship

14. On the eternal and infinite screen of Sat-Chit-Ananda-

Self Siva, by His own power, Sakti is projected as the moving

shadow picture of the universe in manifestation and into that

again it is absorbed in dissolution.

All luminaries like the sun, moon, fire, stars and lightning derive

their luminosity as a gracious gift from the Sakti inherent in that

screen of Self-Siva only. Though bright in themselves, they can only

obscure and cannot reveal the Siva-Screen which they cover up.

Out of fear of that Siva, their creator, Devas and Asuras (gods

and demons) are ever alertly engaged in their ordained duties.

That Siva must be meditated upon and realised to be the

Self, by making the restless mind stay still and alert after it has

been adequately restrained, and completely prevented from the

pursuit of sense objects, namely, the shadow pictures on the screen

of the Self. All shadow pictures removed, what remains is pure

Awareness, the spotlessly effulgent screen. Thus, Siva reveals

Himself spontaneously as the sole eternal Sat-Chit-Ananda-Self,

the very essence of the nature of the worshipper. (Ch.7, v.35)

The Jivan Mukta

15. The Jivan Mukta is a person liberated during his

lifetime, who continues to have consciousness of the body and

the world (as Brahman) along with his firm abidance in his

Siva-Self. He ever abides in the blissful peace of Sat-Chit-Ananda.

He is poised rock-firm in the conviction that he is not the body,

and that his Being is the sole existence, the sole alert-awarenessbliss

of Siva-Self Supreme. (Ch.8, v.1)

16. The Jivan Mukta has his consciousness completely

dissolved beyond recognition in his Brahman-Self. Eternally

alone in his Self, he is ever lost in the enjoyment of the bliss of

his Brahman-Self. (Ch.8, v.25).

The Videha Mukta

17. The Videha Mukta* is free from the least trace of

thought; he abides all alone in his effulgent pure-Awareness-

* The term literally means the ‘disembodied-liberated person’. He is the

matured adept, who at the moment of death, abides as the pure Sat-

Chit-Ananda-Self.

Figuratively the term means mature liberated being who, while still alive,

abides as the pure Sat-Chit-Ananda-Self without awareness of body and

the world around him.

Self in intense unbroken bliss, totally oblivious of limited forms,

in a state of Maha-Mounam (stillness of body, speech and mind).

(Ch.9, v.1)

18. He is the pure embodiment of Sat-Chit-Ananda, all

pervasive as ether, infinite as the sky, all alert with Awareness,

spontaneously abiding as the perfect Brahman-Self in a state of

still, unbroken, peaceful bliss. (Ch.9, v.15)

19. There is not an atom apart from the Self, which is the

integral undifferentiated perfection of whole Being. Soul, world

and Creator are inseparable from the Self. The reality of these

is the reality of the Self only. (Ch.10, v.34)

20. All ignorance and illusion, all objects inert and living,

all beings and non-beings, all the five elements, all the diverse

worlds, all bodies and the lives that arise in them, not being

apart from Brahman-Self, are Brahman-Self only. Existence

alone is, for even non-existence acquires meaning only in

Existence. Simply put, everything exists always as Brahman-

Self only. (Ch.12, v.2)

21. All objective knowledge, all thought forms, all visible

objects, all things heard, all questions and answers, all the food

consumed and all other illusions, not being apart from the Self,

should be regarded as Brahman-Self only. (Ch.13, v.2)

22. Therefore one should practise the habit of regarding

everything as Brahman-Self only; until all thought of things

other than the Self is lost. This condition once achieved, one

should not give room for any thought and should ever abide in

Maha-Mounam (peace of total stillness). (Ch.14, v.38)

23. Anything seen as other than Brahman-Self is bound to

cause fear and trouble. Therefore, it behoves one to stick to the

single attitude that everything sensed is Brahman-Self alone. In

due course even this one thought must be given up, in order to

abide firmly in the free undisturbed blissful state of the sole

Brahman-Self. (Ch.15, v.5)

24. The total discarding of the mind is alone victory,

achievement, bliss, yoga, wisdom and liberation. The sacrifice

of the mind is, in fact, the totality of all sacred sacrifices.

(Ch.15, v.7)

25. The firm denial of the existence of the mind and the

firm belief in the existence of Brahman-Self, is the sure way to

the conquest of mind, leading to the experience of the sole

effulgent Self. (Ch.15, v.11)

26. If one gives the slightest room for the thought that the

mind exists, pure Awareness itself will vibrate as the ruffled mind,

which is the parent of all trouble and illusions. Therefore, one

should ever abide in the conviction that there is no mind, and

that the pure Awareness-Self is the sole Existence. This is the

easy way to conquer the mind with all its vagaries. (Ch.15, v.12)

27. There is no such thing as the troublesome mind, no

world of names and forms, not the least bit of ego. All these are

nothing but the perfect Brahman-Self, which I am. In this

conviction one should abide firmly, until one achieves the state

of sleepless-sleep which is alert-peace-eternal. (Ch.16, v.7)

The True Samadhi

28. To hold on to the conviction born of Self-enquiry

that “I am no doubt the Screen — Brahman-Self, and the world

picture thereon, though evanescent, is no doubt ‘I am Self ’

only”, and to abide still and blissful in that conviction is the

acme of all sadhanas, like divine worship, charitable gifts, spiritual

austerities, mantra-japa and samadhi as well. (Ch.16, v.41)

29. The Self alone is the spontaneous self effulgent

Awareness; that alone is eternal bliss; that alone is Existence

everlasting; that alone is all embracing perfection, the sole Godhead

without a rival and the sole primordial stuff of the

Universe. In the conviction born of this experience, one should

ever abide, as the sole I AM, the Supreme Self. (Ch.17, v.29)

Sahaja Samadhi

30. Remaining alertly aware and thought-free, with a still

mind devoid of differentiation of Self and non-Self even while

being engaged in the activities of worldly life, is called the state of

Sahaja Nirvikalpa Samadhi (the natural state of abidance in the

Self when all differentiation has ceased). This is called Akhandakara

vritti, the ‘I’ of infinite perfection as contrasted with the ‘I am the

body’ notion of those who have not realised the Self. (Ch.18, v.40)

Maturing of Sahaja Samadhi

31. Abidance in Sahaja Samadhi is the hallmark of a Jivan

Mukta. With progressive development towards this state, an

intensity of blissful peace is attained, leading on to the four

successive stages of perfection in samadhi. Nothing short of this

Sahaja Samadhi will be of any avail in destroying the fearsome

cycle of births and deaths. (Ch.18, v.41)

32. That realised person who abides in the Brahman-Self,

and has lost all feelings of differentiation of self and non-self, is

the Jnani or Mukta Purusha. Such a Jnani is rare to find even

by searching among millions of people. If one has the lucky

opportunity of getting his darshan (personal view and contact)

one attains purification from all his sins, and what is more,

such a person’s ego gets liquidated at once. (Ch.19, v.10)

33. Darshan of the matured Jnani constitutes the acme of

purification of baths taken in sacred waters, divine worship,

mantra-japa, spiritual austerities, charitable acts and devotional

worship of Lord Siva Himself. To find and to gain access to the

sacred presence of such a Jnani is the luckiest of opportunities

that one could ever obtain in this world. (Ch.19, v.11)

34. Worshipful service rendered unto such a Jnani-Sat-

Guru quickens one’s spiritual wisdom to attain the bliss of jivan

mukti. If continued further, it bestows on the disciple even the

status of videha mukti. Therefore, if one is keen on being released

from bondage into the freedom of mukti, the one infallible

means of achieving that aim is the loving and worshipful service

of the Jnani-Sat-Guru. (Ch.19, v.13)

35. Firmly established in the Self, undisturbed by the least

ripple of thought, as still as an idol of stone or wood, dissolved

completely in Brahman-Self, even as water is in milk, with awareness

devoid of all impurities of thought and drowsiness, standing clear

as the pure sky, the grandeur of the Jnani’s nishta (firm stance in the

Self) defies thought and expression. (Ch.19, v.21)

The sine qua non of Mukti is Siva’s grace

36. That in which the whole universe is born and into

which it is absorbed in dissolution, is the Siva-Self. Devoted

worship of and meditation on that Siva-Self of pure

Consciousness alone will attract Siva’s Grace, which is

indispensable for liberation. (Ch.19, v.60)

37. Those engaged in the pursuit of knowledge of the

Brahman-Self, happening to get involved in the mundane

pleasures of sex, should regard such pleasures as merely faint

shadows of the bliss of the Self. They should never even dream

of worldly pleasures. (Ch.20, v.45)

38. As the Self is Sat, meditative contact with the Self is

the true Sat Sanga (association with sadhus who abide in the

Self ). As Brahman-Self is the highest, association with the Self is

Mahat Sanga (highest association). (Ch.21, v.28)

39. The sadhaka practising meditation on the Self, should

always think firmly that all diversities of soul, world and creator

are the undifferentiated Brahman-Self only. By practice, his

consciousness is freed from thoughts, after which he should give

up the above thought also and abide always in the thought-free

state of the Self (Ch.21, v.39)

40. Abidance in the state of thought-free alert Awareness,

is the state of mukti beyond thought and expression. The

emergence of thought is the bondage of untold suffering.

Abidance in the Self is the true non-dual samadhi, and that

alone leads one to the eternal bliss of mukti. (Ch.21, v.41)

41. The great illusions: maya (associated with God Iswara),

avidya (associated with individual souls), mind and jivas (souls),

world and its creator, all names and forms, and all mental

conceptions are nothing but the Self. One should ever abide in

this conviction. (Ch.22, v.23)

42. All worlds and creatures are only thought forms. They

are nothing but the mind, which is a bundle of thoughts, which

again are nothing more than ripples in the still ocean of

Awareness-Self, and certainly nothing apart from that Self.

Therefore, one should abide in the firm conviction that all objects

are only I Am Self-Brahman. (Ch.22, v.24)

43. There are no such things as achieved objectives and

the efforts leading to them, association with the wise or the

ignorant, efforts of learning and knowledge acquired, acts of

enquiry and practice, the learner or the learned, and any goals

achieved. What exists is only Brahman, the effulgent Awareness-

Self. (Ch.23, v.10)

44. One should be firm in the conviction that there are

no charitable acts, sacred waters and kshetras (pilgrim centres),

no loss or gain and no loser or gainer, no karma, bhakti and

wisdom, and no knower or known. All these thought-forms

are bound to be dissolved and lost in the Brahman-Self, which

is the sole existence. (Ch.23, v.11)

45. The bhavana* ‘I-am-Brahman-Self ’ swiftly takes one

to mukti. As the continued reading of the texts generating that

bhavana, takes the aspirant unerringly to the goal, he should

* In verses 45 to 50 the word ‘bhavana’ means (lit. feeling) the faith based

on the word of the teacher and the scriptures and in the unremitting

abidance in the belief thereof.

always dwell on the written words dealing with the Brahman-

Self. (Ch.24, v.27)

46. The illusion that one is the body and that the world is

the basic reality has remained soaked over a long, long time,

and cannot be got rid of by the casual reading and mere

understanding of the truth. The basic illusion can be effaced

only by a long and unremitting practice of the bhavana that all

this is ‘I-am-Brahman-Self ’. (Ch.24, v.28)

47. Everything is only a concoction of time, space and

energy. All else is the trite talk of people who dislike the effort

of sadhana which takes them to the Self. This talk is based on

their dense ignorance of the Self. Only by persistent practice

and experience of sadhana, can one arrive at the truth that all

concepts of souls, world, and the cause thereof are just evanescent

shadows on the screen of Siva-Self-Brahman. (Ch.24, v.31)

48. There is never such a thing as conception of names

and forms, no such thing as the conceiving mind, no such thing

as a person lost in samsara, and no such things as the world and

its creator. Everything that is seen to exist must be realised to be

no other than the sole, pure Awareness-Being-Brahman-Self.

(Ch.25, v.8)

Everything is Sat-Chit-Ananda-Self only

49. Whatever is found to exist is Sat (Existence) only. Whatever

is pleasurable is Ananda (Bliss) only. One should ever abide in the

bedrock bhavana of Sat-Chit-Ananda. Never for once should one

slip, even inadvertently, into the disastrous bhavana that one is the

body and that the world is real. (Ch.25, v.12)

50. One should abide in the rock-firm bhavana that

‘Everything is only Brahman-Self and I am that Brahman-Self ’.

By this bhavana all thought movements and nescience will

disappear, resulting in the eternal abidance in the sole Sat-Chit-

Ananda-Self. (Ch.25, v.14)

51.* By abiding in the Self, the wandering mind is reduced

to perfect stillness after being freed from all nescience and

thought currents. It gets lost in the Sat-Chit-Ananda-Self in the

same way that water is lost when mixed with milk. This unitary

state of abidance in the Self is called Atma Nishta by the wise

who have attained perfection. (Ch.26, v.2)

‘Sahaja Nishta’ or The Natural State

52. Having realised that the world picture on the screen-

Self is evanescent and essentially non-existent, one should ever

remain still and blissful in the firm conviction of ever being the

sole Brahman-Self only. This conviction should be maintained

even while functioning as an individual in the world of name

and form. This matured state of abidance in the Self is called

Sahaja Nishta (the Natural State). (Ch.26, v.3)

53. In that blissful Self wherein there is no action of body,

speech and mind, no virtuous or sinful karma (action) and the

fruits thereof, one should remain still, eschewing the least trace

of thought. (Ch.26, v.7)

54. In that Self wherein there is neither conceiver nor

conception of the world of names and forms, one should

remain blissfully still, eschewing the least trace of thought.

(Ch.26, v.8)

55. In that Self wherein desire, anger, covetousness,

confusion, bigotry and envy are all absent; in that Self wherein

there is no thought of bondage or release, one should abide

blissfully still, eschewing the least ripple of thought. (Ch.26, v.13)

56. Firmly abiding in the Self one acquires the totality of

all knowledge and achieves the successful completion of all

endeavours and duties. In that state one should abide blissful

and still, eschewing the least ripple of thought. (Ch.26, v.25)

* Verses 51 to 60 herein deal with practice of ‘Abedha Nishta or Atma Nishta’ —

non-dual state or abidance in the Self.

57. Mind merged completely in the Self, one becomes a

lord without rival-steeped in bliss beyond compare. In that state

one should abide still, free from the least trace of thought.

(Ch.26, v.28)

58. I am that Self which is integral existence awarenessbliss,

the sole impartite Brahman-Self. Firm in the conviction

born of this experience, one should abide still, free from the

least trace of thought. (Ch.26, v.29)

59. In the conviction that ‘I am the Self ’ in which no

thought, ego, desire, mind or confusion can exist one should

abide still, free from trace of thought. (Ch.26, v.31)

60. The firm faith of being the Self is sufficient to dispel

all thought and establish one in Brahman-Self. In due course of

this practice, even the thought involved in that faith fades away

leading to the spontaneous effulgence of the Self. If a person

hearkens to this teaching and practises the faith, even if he is a

great sinner, he is washed clean of all his sins and is established

in Brahman-Self. (Ch.26, v.42)

61. There is certainly no such thing as mind with its

constituents of thought and thought forms of objects. In this

conviction one should ever abide still and at peace, in the state

of thought-free alert Awareness-Self which endures after all

sadhanas and its rigours have exhausted themselves in Brahman-

Self. (Ch.27, v.29)

62. Having gained the experience that there is no creator,

no maya, no duality, and no objects at all, and that pure

Awareness-Self alone exists, one should ever remain still and

peaceful in that state of Selfhood. (Ch.27, v.34)

63. If a person gives heed to these teachings he would

certainly gain the grace of Lord Siva and attain the state of

Selfhood even though he is immersed in the dense darkness of

nescience which could not be banished by the glare of a million

suns. (Ch.27, v.43)

64. Why waste words? This is the truth in a nutshell. Only

those who have earned the Grace of our Lord Siva by long

devotional worship will get the rare opportunity of reading this

scriptural text which leads to the bliss of peace everlasting in

Brahman-Self. (Ch.27, v.44)

65. Only that Jnani who teaches ‘Thou art the thoughtfree,

alertly aware, absolutely still, ever blissful, intensely

peaceful, unqualified Brahman-Self ’, is the true Sat Guru, and

others are not. (Ch.28, v.28)

66. Unbroken abidance in the state of alert awareness,

unruffled by thoughts, is Self-realization. That is at once the

spotless jivan mukti and the magnificent videha mukti. This

state is easily attainable only for those who have earned the

divine Grace of Siva by deep devotion to Him, and not for

others. What is stated here is the import in a nutshell of the

message of that charming crest jewel of the Vedas known as

the Upanishads. (Ch.29, v.37)

67. Thos who give heed to this message and abide in

accordance with it will forthwith attain mukti (liberation).

They will not suffer from the least particle of affliction; they

will enjoy a bliss far greater than the bliss attained from this

and all other worlds; they and their environments will be

filled with the plenitude of auspicious events. Totally free

from all trace of fear, they will never again enter the cycle of

births and deaths. They will become the immutable Brahman-

Self. All this we swear is the truth beyond doubt. By our

Lord Siva, again and again we swear that this is the

fundamental truth. (Ch.29, v.40)

68. That state of still, pure, effulgent awareness is moksha,

the state beyond compare. Those who maintain an unbroken

abidance in that supreme state will never more be touched by

suffering or confusion, and will be absolved from all duties.

Such duties if any will somehow be completed without any

volition on their part. They will eternally abide as the sole

supreme Self. (Ch.30, v.31)

69. By the persistent and continued bhavana * of ‘I am

the Brahman-Self ’ all thoughts and feelings of differentiation

of Self and non-Self will drop off and permanent abidance in

Brahman-Self will be achieved. This bhavana is possible only

for those with a keen inquiring mind intent on knowing the

Self and not for those who are indifferent about Self-knowledge.

(Ch.32, v.18)

70. Ignorance and indifference in regard to the enquiry

of the truth about one-self is the store house of nescience and

trouble, blocking the view of the Self, and creating in a split

second all sorts of illusions and harassment of mental worry.

Non-enquiry renders bhavana impossible. (Ch.32, v.19)

71. In short, non-enquiry will steep one for ever in the

ocean of samsara (earthly suffering). There is no greater enemy

for one than non-enquiry. Therefore, this habit must be

overcome in order to fix the mind in the bhavana which leads

to abidance in the Self. (Ch.32, v.20)

72. Enquiry should be made this wise: With the kind help

of the Sat Guru one should enquire ‘Who am I? what is this

world? what is the reality behind all these?’ (Ch.32, v.21)

73. Staying in the company of sadhus (those engaged in the

pursuit and enjoyment of the bliss of the Sat-Self) and respectfully

questioning the Sat-Guru-Jnani, one should first make oneself

clear about the objective to be obtained. This is an important

aspect of the enquiry. After thus making sure of the objective,

one must firmly abide in that objective of sole Brahman-Self until

the Self is unmistakably experienced. (Ch.32, v.22)

74. The conscious introspective concentration of Selfenquiry

(‘Who am I’?) kills all thoughts and destroys the dense

* In all the 13 verses of Chapter 32, the term bhavana is to be understood

as faith or firm belief in ‘Aham Brahmam’ (I am the Self ).

darkness of nescience; it effaces all worry; it illuminates the

intellect with the radiance of pure awareness; it wipes out all

conceptual confusions; it fixes one in Siva-Self; it transforms

a host of impending disasters into auspicious events; and

lastly, it destroys the ego-mind utterly with all its afflictions.

(Ch.32, v.24)

75. Only by those strong willed persons who make earnest

and persistent Self-enquiry will the turbulent mind be controlled

and fixed still in the practice of firm bhavana. In due course all

thoughts and nescience will disappear, yielding place to the

effulgent Awareness-Self of mukti. (Ch.32, v.26)

76. One should relentlessly pursue Self-enquiry until all

conceptual forms of creature, world and creator merge and

disappear in the pure thought-free, alert Awareness-Self,

enabling one to abide in that bhavana of the experience, ‘I am

the Brahman-Self ’. (Ch.32, v.27)

77. It is only the mind which appear as the world and bondage;

there is no world other than the mind. On enquiry this mind turns

out to be nothing more than a group of ripples (thoughts) in the

still ocean of pure Awareness-Siva-Self. I am that Siva-Self only

and there is nothing apart from me, one should ever abide in the

conviction born of this experience. (Ch.32, v.33)

78. There is no world apart from the mind. What appears

as the world is only the mind. If this mind is investigated, it

turns out to be nothing more than a bundle of thoughts based

on the primary thought of ‘I am the body’ called the ego. If this

ego — I is enquired into and its identity searched, it gets

swallowed up without a trace in the pure Awareness-Being-Siva-

Self. One should maintain this firm bhavana ‘I am Self-Siva’

until that state of being the Siva-Self — becomes the spontaneous

experience free from the effort of bhavana. (Ch.32, v.34)

79. In me, the pure Awareness-Self, the universe is

born, maintained and dissolved as the mind. Therefore, there

are no mind and thought forms of objects apart from me

the Self. In this firm experience one should ever abide.

(Ch.32, v.35)

80. One should ever abide as pure Siva-Self by the firm

experience that there are no thought forms of creature, world

and creator apart from the mind which is just an array of ripples

in me the still ocean of pure Awareness-Self and therefore I am

the sole Being Siva-Self only. (Ch.32, v.36)

81. Even as the world, seen in my dream, is not apart

from me but only my creation, even so, the world of the waking

state is only a creation made by me and seen by me in the

medium of my pure Awareness-Self. In this experience one

should firmly abide. (Ch.32, v.37)

82. The rock-firm conviction of ‘I am the Self ‘ is the sure

mark of firm abidance in the Self. Abidance in that conviction

under all conditions is, true divine worship, meditation on God,

incantation of mantras, practice of right conduct in life,

contemplation, integral yoga, wisdom of the Self and moksha

as well. (Ch.33, v.16)

83. Whatever appears as maya, creator, creature, mind,

world, names and forms are the pure Brahman-Self only and

not apart from that Self. (Ch.34, v.15)

84. Steady abidance in the rock-firm conviction born of

the experience of ‘I am the Self ’, is the greatest yoga, total

dissolution of the mind, true renunciation, true wisdom, and

jivan mukti as well. (Ch.34, v.46)

85. Whatever names and forms are seen by me in my dream

are not anything apart from me. Even so, this world seen by me

in my waking state is not anything apart from me, the Awareness-

Self that I am. The wise one should give up all differentiation of

Self and non-Self, and abide as pure Self only. (Ch.35, v.23)

86. If this world of the waking state is not evanescent in

its nature, whatever is seen in the waking state must be seen

during sleep also. Since I as pure Self exist alone and always,

there is no room for thought of non-Self-world. I-Self-Brahman

is the sole Existence. (Ch.35, v.24)

87. No world exists during the absence of the mind, and

there is no mind apart from my awareness. So, mind and

world are nothing apart from the Self, and I am ever that sole

Existence-Awareness-Brahman-Self. The wise one should

abolish all thought of differentiation of self and non-Self.

(Ch.35, v.25)

88. I see neither mind nor world during my sleep. In my

dream there is mind with its creation, the dream world. The

dream world is falsified in my waking state. But I-Self exist

always. Arguing thus, one must give up all differentiation of

self and non-Self, and ever abide firmly as the thought-free

alert Awareness-Self-Brahman. (Ch.35, v.26)

89. All diversities of world, mind, maya (confusing power

of Brahman), wakefulness, dream, sleep, talk of you and me are

evanescent, and yet, not apart from the Self. Thus wise one

should give up all thought of Self and non-Self and abide as

Self only. (Ch.35, v.27)

90. In dim light the illusion of a serpent is seen in a rope,

and this serpent is nothing but the rope. Even so all illusion of

non-Self exists in the Self only. Thus wise one should give up all

thought of Self and non-Self and ever abide firmly in the peace

of the Self. (Ch.35, v.28)

91. In the wisdom of integral experience, I am the nondual,

transcendental, motionless, peaceful, bondagefreedom-

notion-free, sky of pure consciousness only. With

this experience one should reject all differentiation of Self

and non-Self and ever abide firmly in the peace of Brahman-

Self. (Ch.35, v.33)

92. One should give up all hatha yogic practices like

breath control, all religious dogmas and their diverse sadhanas

and be ever satisfied in simple abidance as the Self only.

(Ch.35, v.38)

93. Only those who contemplate on Lord Siva-Self,

the pure supporting screen of all manifestation, gain the

pure experience of sahaja nirvikalpa samadhi. Apart from

this devotion to Lord Siva (the Pure-Alert-Awareness-

Self ) there are no other means leading to liberation.

(Ch.35, v.44)

94. The non-dual sole being existing in deep sleep conjures

up a world in the dream state. Even so, the shadow world

conjured up in the waking state is the work of the power, inherent

in one’s own Brahman-Self. Abiding firmly in the experience

of pure Brahman-Self, one finds that the mind and all its

confabulations are lost for ever. (Ch.36, v.25)

95. One should remain firm in the conviction ‘I am the

Self ’ and reject all thoughts like ‘I am this body’ and ‘This

world is real’. If one maintains this habit unremittingly, this

false belief will drop away even as a flower held in the hand slips

away when one falls into deep slumber. (Ch.37, v.33)

96. One is solely responsible for one’s own liberation or

bondage, since the choice of destroying the restless mind or

allowing it to roam at large rests with that one only. Therefore,

one should conquer the restless mind by steady abidance in the

pure thought-free Alert-Awareness-Self only. This steady

abidance is moksha. (Ch.38, v.7)

97. You are the sole supreme Godhead, the Self. There is

nothing apart from you. This, we declare to be the ultimate

truth after a complete analysis of all the scriptures. By the holy

feet of Siva, we swear this to be the truth beyond all doubt. By

the feet of the Sat Guru, we swear again that this is the truth

declared by the Upanishads. (Ch.38, v.9)

98. All charitable gifts, all pilgrimages to sacred places, all

sorts of mantra-japa and worship of diverse gods must be firmly

given up in favour of steady practice of the teachings of this

book only. (Ch.38, v.24)

99. All yogic practices, all philosophic pursuits, all

devotional exercises, and all faiths and beliefs should be

abandoned. One should confine oneself to practice of the

teachings of this book only. (Ch.38, v.25)

100. By the sole practice of the teachings of this book,

all confusion and ignorance will be destroyed. Firm abidance

in the Self will be the positive result. With the fusion of the

wisdom and peaceful bliss in the Self, mukti will be attained.

(Ch.38, v.29)

101. Only when all sins are washed off by the practice of

virtues running through many lives, one gets the rare

opportunity of securing this treatise and practising its tenets.

By the feet of Lord Siva we declare that only those whose cycle

of births and deaths has come to an end with this life will

ever get this treatise in their hands and practise its teachings.

(Ch.38, v.40)

Verses 102 to 121. these 20 contain the declarations of the

disciple Nidaga before his teacher Ribhu, expressing the spiritual

achievements secured by him by the grace of his teacher, and

expressions of his gratitude to his teacher, Ribhu.

102. O My Lord Sat Guru! By thy grace I have, in a split

second, shed all sense of differentiation of Self and non-Self; I

have attained the certainty that all is Brahman and I am that

Brahman-Self; I have become settled in the eternal bliss of

Brahman-Self. (Ch.39, v.7)

103. I am verily the Sat-Chit-Ananda-Brahman-Self. I am

the eternal undisturbed peace devoid of name and form. I am

the flawless integral whole of all existence. Firmly I am settled

in my sole Brahman-Self. (Ch.40, v.10)

104. Oh! I have become Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra, Mahesa,

Sadasiva, Parameswara and his spouse Parvati, Vinayaka,

Subrahmanya, cohorts of sides hosts (Siva ganas) and devotees

of Lord Siva, all rolled into one! (Ch.41, v.-15)

105. I am myself all the devas (celestials beings) and asuras

(denizens of the nether world), Indra the Chief of the devas, the

Lord of the eight cardinal directions, the community of sages,

the swarm of rakshasas (demons), and in fact, the denizens of

this and all other worlds. (Ch.41, v.16)

106. I have become the five elements, multitudinous worlds

scattered in the skies, all existing things and their histories, all the

Vedas, and all the diversities of name and form. (Ch.41, v.17)

107. At one stroke I have become the bodies, senses, and

souls owning them, the mind, intellect, intuition, ego, the primal

nescience and the restless commotion of spirit, and in short all

that is seen and known. (Ch.41, v.19)

108. That gracious person who gives these teachings is no

doubt the embodiment of Lord Parameswara, His Devi Parvati,

Vinayaka and God Shanmukha all rolled into one. (Ch.4, v.5)

109. He is again, Nandikeswara, Dattatreya, Dakshinamurti,

and in short, the Supreme Lord Siva Himself (Ch.42, v.6)

110. After being duly initiated into these teachings by

the Sat Guru, the disciple must, as long as life lasts in him,

provide his teacher liberally with money, food, clothing and

shelter and loving devotion. This is the sine qua non for the

disciple’s mukti. (Ch.43, v.11)

111. Further, he should adorn his forehead and body with

vibhuti (sacred ash) in the prescribed manner, as this use of

vibhuti alone will entitle him to Lord Siva’s grace which removes

all impediments to salvation. (Ch.43 v.12)

112. The habitual smearing of the body with vibhuti is

called pasupatha vratham (austerity in devotion to Siva). This

practice quickens the attainment of Self-knowledge. O Lord

Sat Guru! By this practice I earned the merit for arriving at thy

holy feet which have led me to salvation. (Ch.43, v.13)

113. I am ever the eternal, pure, all knowing, free,

unshakeable, non-dual, integral Self. This is the firm

conviction of the experience of the jivan mukta in the Self.

(Ch.43, v.28)

114. That mature Jnani who is lost in the maha mounam

(total stillness) of the pure effulgent Awareness-Brahman-Self,

devoid of the least trace of nescience, totally devoid of all

consciousness of the body and its three states of waking, dream

and sleep, devoid of all distinctions of name and form and

devoid of any thought of bondage or freedom is a videha

mukta. (Ch.43, v.29)

115. Thou hast, O Lord Sat Guru, taken me across the

boundless ocean of samsara in the boat of Self-knowledge. To

me, floundering in the misery of the belief that ‘I am the body’

thou hast taught that ‘I am the Brahman-Self ’ and vouchsafed

to me the bliss of all embracing Awareness-Being. To thee, I

render these devout salutations. (Ch.44, v.16)

116. Salutations to thee, my Lord Sat Guru! Thou hast

destroyed my illusion that I am the body and that the world is

apart from me and is real. Thou hast given me the experience

of my own Brahman-Self. Thou hast destroyed my wrong belief

that karma (action) is the road to salvation, and showing that

knowledge alone could make one free. Thou hast given me my

salvation in the Self (Ch.44, v.17)

117. To that divine Grace-embodied, to that Omnipresence

beyond compare, to that Siva-Self Sat Guru, I render devout

salutation. (Ch.44, v.18)

118. To that Sat Guru who is the core of my Self, who

destroyed my nescience by the gift of Awareness-Self, to that

embodiment of Self-knowledge, do I offer these salutations.

(Ch.44, v.19)

119. Salutations to the Sat Guru who is the embodiment

of undisturbed peace, without attributes, eternal purity, all

pervasive infinite sky of consciousness and integral perfection

(Ch.44, v.20)

Note:-The following verses 120 and 121 contain Ribhu’s

exhortation to Nidaga.

120. In reply to the words of Nidaga, Ribhu replies thus:

O my son! You are now no doubt firmly settled in the bliss of

Brahman-Self, having been freed from all illusion and nescience.

All the same, as abundant precaution, until you attain videha

mukti you must assiduously practise continued abidance in the

Self. (Ch.44, v.22)

121. Aspirants of Self-knowledge will find their success

accelerated by practical bodily worship of Siva. Living in a Siva

kshetra (neighbourhood of Siva Temple) they should offer

worship to Siva Maha Lingam, wearing the sacred vibhuthi and

rudraksha (garland of a specified sort of beads), and repeating

the name of Siva with loving devotion. (Ch.44, v.39)

122. Benedictory Verse offering salutations

to Siva-Self.

Salutations to Sat-Chit-Ananda-Siva-Self!

Salutations to that Peace undisturbed, the Self!

Salutations to that integral Perfection, the Self!

Salutations to that Effulgent-Awareness, the Self!

Salutations to that blemish-free Self without attributes!

Salutations to that indivisible Unity, the Self!

Salutations to that pure sky of consciousness, the Self!

Salutations to that supreme integral Existence, the Self!

(Ch.44, v.51)

My humble salutations to the lotus feet of Bhagavan Sree Ramana Maharshi
and also gratitude to Bhagavan’s great devotees   for the collection)