GURU VACHAKA KOVAI
The Light of Supreme Truth
or
THE COLLECTION
OF GURU’S SAYINGS
1137. When those Great Ones [the jivan-muktas] experience
the transcendent reality [Self] alone as their
own form [swarupa], these insentient people [the
ajnanis, who identify the insentient body as ‘I’] seeing
them [the Jivan-muktas] as the form of the suffering
body, is only according to the outlook of the
onlookers [these ajnanis].
1138. Know that the merit [or punya which results from the
good deeds which jivan-muktas may seem to do]
goes to those who approach and praise with love
[those] liberated Great Ones, who, having lost the
sense of doership, live as ordained by God, and that
the demerit [or papa which results from the sins
which jivan-muktas may seem to do] goes to those
who vilify instead of praising them.
Michael James: Since the bodily life of a Jivan-mukta is a mere
appearance which exists only in the wrong outlook of the ajnani, all
the actions of His body, speech and mind are also a mere appearance.
Therefore, since such actions do not exist in His outlook, He
cannot be affected in any way by their results.
1139. If it be asked, “If they [the Jivan-muktas] have lost the
sense of doership, how can actions [of their body,
speech and mind] go on? We do see [such] actions
going on”, rest assured that, since [their] inner
attachments have died, they have God Himself residing
in their heart and doing [all those actions].
Sadhu Om: As mentioned in the note to verse 1136, Sri Bhagavan
once compared the body of a Jivan-mukta to a radio, which sings
and speaks but which has no one inside it. Just as that which
makes the radio sing or speak is the broadcasting station, which is
in some distance place, so the doer who is speaking and acting in
the body of a Jnani is God Himself.
1140. The actions of the great Jivan-muktas in the intoxication
of Silence, which is devoid of all ‘I’ and ‘mine’,
are like children’s eating in very deep sleep when
made to sit up and take food.
356 Sri Muruganar
Sadhu Om: Being intoxicated by their blissful state of deep sleep,
those children have no sense of doership, ‘I am eating’, and no
sense of experiencership, ‘This food is tasty’, and yet they perform
the action of eating. Similarly, being intoxicated by their blissful
state of Silence, the state of sleepless sleep, Jnanis have no sense
of doership or experiencership even though they may seem to perform
actions. Just as the child is completely unaware of its eating,
so the Jnani is completely unaware of all the actions of His body,
speech and mind. Refer here to verses 1105, B21, 1133, B22,
1148. B24 and 1165.
1141. Just as a coolie carries a burden and happily places it
down at the destination, so also the great knower of
reality [mey-jnani] will be happy to place down the
burden of this body.
Sadhu Om: A coolie will never feel any attachment in the form of ‘I’
or ‘mine’ towards the burden he is carrying. Similarly, a Jnani will
never feel any attachment towards His body either in the form ‘I am
this body’ or in the form ‘this body is mine’. Just as a leaf-plate is fit
only to be discarded after one has taken food on it, so the body is
fit only to be discarded after Self-knowledge – the fruit which is to
be gained by living in the body – has been attained. By the death of
the body, the Jnani will incur no loss and will feel no sorrow. The
purpose of the present verse is only to teach this truth, and it
should not be taken to mean either that the Jnani is bound by the
body until the time of death, or that He feels the body to be an
unwanted burden, or that He is suffering by living in the body.
Michael James: Verse 8 of the appendix to Guru Vachaka Kovai –
Urai is included here. In this verse Sri Bhagavan says:
He who has known Self will discard the body just like
[one discards] a leaf after food has been eaten [from
it].
In this two-line verse Sri Bhagavan has summarized the idea
expressed in a four-line verse in a Tamil work called Prabhulingalila,
chapter 12, verse 11, by Sivaprakasa Swamigal. Refer to Letters
from Sri Ramanasramam, p. 208, for more details. In the last days
of His bodily life, when devotees were praying to Him, “O Bhagavan,
you should live in this body for many more years,” Sri Bhagavan
used to refer to this verse in order to make them understand
GURU VACHAKA KOVAI 357
that, since there is no further benefit to be gained by living in the
body after Self-knowledge has been attained, it is fit only to be discarded.
1142. Will the wave of the deep ocean allow a small creature
which has fallen [into it] and which is on the
point of death, to raise up its head? [Likewise] in the
face of the full flood of the Silence of true knowledge
[mey-jnana-mouna], is it possible for the ego, ‘I am
the base and fleshy body’, to rise?
Sadhu Om: The experience of a Jivan-mukta is a great surging
flood of the Silence of Jnana. In that limitless surge of Silence, the
ego can never rise again, and hence it is certain that for a
Jivan-mukta there will be no rebirth [no re-rising of the ego].
1143. Can the mind [of the Jnani] which has known the
greatness of its own Self, having lost the ‘I’ [the ego,
whose form is ‘I am this’], be deluded by the deceptive
and delusive appearance [of this unreal world]?
Can the perception of the unreal appearance of duality
be real in the midst of the wonderful and pure
space of turiya [the nameless and formless space of
pure consciousness]?
1144. For a jiva who is suffering due to dying and taking
birth, the most worthy thing to do and to attain with
full love, is [to have] the experience of the great state
of Jivan-mukta, having subsided and known [its own
true nature], so that the rising [of the ego], which is
the coming to life [of the jiva] because of [its] forgetting
its own reality [Self], may die.
Michael James: The rising of the ego as ‘I am so-and-so’, which
happens due to forgetfulness of Self, is the birth of the jiva. So that
this jiva may die and so that the unending misery of birth and death
may thereby come to an end, the most worthy thing for the jiva to
do is to attend to itself with great love and thus know its own true
nature [Self], and thereby to subside into its source and attain the
experience of Jivan-mukti.
This verse may be read along with verses 500 and 501 in
the chapter concerning what is worthy to be done.
358 Sri Muruganar
1145. Tell me, when their husband, who is the doer, dies –
the sense of doership [kartritva] having been
destroyed – instead of the wives, who are his three
karmas, becoming widows altogether, can two of
them become widows and one of them remain
unwidowed?
Sadhu Om: The jiva is not only the doer of the karmas, but also
the experiencer of their fruits. Therefore, when the jiva is destroyed
by Self-knowledge, all the three karmas [agamya, sanchita and
prarabdha] will become non-existent, since there is no one remaining
either to do or to experience them. Hence for the Jnani there is
no karma at all. Thus, when some scriptures say that agamya and
sanchita are destroyed and that prarabdha alone will remain for the
Jnani, their saying so is to be understood as a mere formality
[upachara] and should not be taken to be the actual truth.
The idea expressed in the above four-line verse by Sri
Muruganar, was summarized by Sri Bhagavan in the following
two-line verse. Later, when this two-line verse was included in
Ulladu Narpadu – Anubandham, Sri Bhagavan added another two
lines to it.
B23. Know that just as no wife will remain unwidowed
when the husband dies, all the three karmas will
become non-existent when the doer dies.
Michael James: This verse is the last two lines of verse 33 of
Ulladu Narpadu – Anubandham. In the first two lines of that verse
Sri Bhagavan says, “To say that sanchita and agamya will not
adhere to a Jnani, [but] that prarabdha does remain [to be experienced
by Him], is a superficial reply to be told to the questions of
others”. Refer here to The Path of Sri Ramana - Part One, pp. 66
to 68, for a detailed explanation.
1146. To the body, which was born because of prarabdha,
that prarabdha will never fail [to give fruit]. [But] the
Jivan-mukta, who has separated Himself [from the
body] by severing the chit-jada-granthi, has transcended
prarabdha itself.
Sri Muruganar: The tenet of Visishtadvaita that prarabdha will not
fail to give fruit even to the Jivan-mukta, is refuted here. How?
GURU VACHAKA KOVAI 359
Since He has lost body-consciousness by the severing of the
chit-jada-granthi, the activities of His body exist only in the outlook
of others.
1147. “When [it is a fact that] the experience of [prarabdha]
karma itself exists as the body, if there is no experience
of [prarabdha] karma for someone, [even if he
be a Jnani] will it [his body] not die?” – if you ask
thus, tell me correctly by whom the gross body is
seen?
Michael James: Is it seen by the Jnani Himself? Is it not seen only
by the ajnanis?
Sadhu Om: The Jnani, who has no experience of prarabdha, does
not see a body existing for Himself. Just as one’s dream-body
becomes non-existent as soon as one’s sleep comes to an end,
so, in the outlook of the Jnani, His body became non-existent as
soon as He attained Jnana [that is, as soon as His experience of
prarabdha was destroyed]. Thus the body of the Jnani seems to
exist only in the outlook of ajnanis, who are themselves completely
non-existent in His outlook. Therefore, it is meaningless to say that
the body of a Jnani is still living.
Michael James: Verse 9 of the appendix to Guru Vachaka Kovai –
Urai is included here. In this verse Sri Bhagavan says:
“If the dove caught in the hand of the hunter is let
free, it will fly away even from the forest [in which it
was caught], [will it not?]” If you ask thus, [the reply
is that] when the hunter, turning back home, goes
away [from the forest leaving the dove]), it [the dove]
will remain [in the forest], since even that forest,
which was [previously considered by it to be] alien,
will be [found to be its] home.
One day a devotee named K. V. Ramachandran composed
a two-line verse (kural venba) in which he said, “If the dove caught
in the hand of the hunter is let free, it will fly away even from the
forest”. Though this verse appears to be an affirmative statement, it
was in fact intended to be a question in a metaphorical form. Here
‘the hunter’ means maya, ‘the dove’ means jiva, the letting free of
360 Sri Muruganar
the dove means the liberation of the jiva, and ‘the forest’ means the
gross body. Hence the meaning implied by K. V. Ramachandran’s
verse is, “If the jiva, which is bound by maya, is liberated, it will at
once leave the body [in which it was bound], will it not?”
Sri Bhagavan gave His answer to this question by taking the
same two-line verse and expanding it into a four-line verse
(venba). The meaning implied by His answer is as follows, “If you
ask thus, the reply is that when, by attending to ‘I’, maya [which is
nothing but the mind] disappears, being found to be non-existent,
the jiva [who has thereby realized his true nature as Self] will
remain in the gross body, since even that body, which was previously
considered by the jiva to be alien or other than itself, will be
known [through the unbroken experience of Jnana] to be nothing
but Self”.
This implied meaning is made still more explicit in Tamil by
the fact that Sri Bhagavan uses the words ‘nadi aham’, which
means both “Turning back home” and “attending to ‘I’ ”.
Thus the meaning of Sri Bhagavan’s reply is that there is no
rule that the body must die when Jivan-mukta is attained. Moreover,
since after Self-realization nothing (neither the body nor the
world) can exist as other than the single unbroken Self-consciousness,
even the limited knowledge ‘the body is not I’, which existed
during the period of sadhana, will be removed, and the unlimited
knowledge ‘the body is also I’ will be attained. Verse 17 of Ulladu
Narpadu may also be read here.
1148. One who is blinded by drunkenness does not know
whether the cloth on his body remains there or has
fallen down. [Likewise] the Siddha [i.e. Jnani] who
knows [and is immersed in] the form of light [His own
Self-consciousness], which is [limitless and subtle
like] the space, does not know the connection [the
living] or the removal [the death] of the unreal and
insentient body.
Michael James: This verse is a translation of a Sanskrit verse in
the Bhagavatam (XI-13-36) which Sri Bhagavan sometimes used
to quote. The same idea is also expressed by Sri Bhagavan in the
following verse. Refer here to Day by Day with Bhagavan, 9-1-46
and 18-1-46 to 21-1-46.
GURU VACHAKA KOVAI 361
B24. The body is transitory [and hence unreal]. Whether
[due to prarabdha] it is resting or moving, whether
due to [prarabdha] karma it is clinging [living] or has
left [died], the Siddha who knows Self does not know
the body, just as one who is blinded by toddy-intoxication
[does not know his] clothes.
Sadhu Om: Just because the words “whether it is resting or moving,
whether it is living or has died” are used here, we should not
conclude that for the Jnani a body actually is born, lives, works and
dies. We should understand that for the Jnani there is in truth no
such thing as birth, activity and death of the body, and that these
seem to exist only in the wrong outlook of the ajnani who sees
them.
1149. The form of the living body of the perfect Jnanamukta,
who has destroyed the ego-defect, is like a
[burnt] red silk cloth, which remains without losing
its appearance even though it has lost its reality, having
become ashes.
Michael James: When a red silk cloth is burnt, it retains both its
form and its colour, even though its substance has become ashes.
Similarly, after the ego has been burnt in the fire of Jnana, the body
of the Jnani will appear to remain unchanged and will seemingly
continue to live and perform activities, even though His ‘I am the
body’ consciousness (dehatma-buddhi) has been completely
destroyed.
1150. Just as only a snake can know the legs of a snake,
only a Jnani can know the nature of a Jnani. The
nature of a Jnani cannot be known by anyone else
correctly but only wrongly [literally, as viparita].
Sri Muruganar: Since the knowledge of one who possesses only
book-knowledge is a deluded knowledge, he can see the reality
only wrongly and not as it is, and hence he cannot clearly know the
true nature of a Jnani. Even in the scriptures which give the definition
[lakshana] of Jivan-mukti, it is said that Jnanis may appear to
be madmen, ghost-possessed people or children, and that it is not
possible for ignorant people [ajnanis], in whom the awareness of
the world is not lost, to fathom them.
362 Sri Muruganar
1151. The supreme experience [brahmanubhava] – which
has the glory of not knowing any other thing – of the
great enjoyer of the bliss of true knowledge [meyjnana-
maha-anandi], who has attained the state of
Silence [mouna], the form of That [tadakara] which
shines triumphant on the destruction of oneself [the
ego], cannot be conceived by anyone whosoever.
Michael James: The idea expressed in this verse is re-expressed
by Sri Bhagavan in His own words in the following verse, which is
also included in Ulladu Narpadu as verse 31.
B25. For Him who enjoys the bliss of Self, which has risen
on the destruction of himself [the ego], what single
thing remains to do? He does not know anything
other than Self; [therefore] who can and how to conceive
what His state is?
49 The Jnani
(Jnaniyar Tiran)
1152. It is impossible to express the greatness of a Jnani.
He alone knows the nature [or beauty] of His existence.
He is vaster than the space; He is firmer than a
mountain. Having scrutinized and destroyed the ‘[I
am] the body’ feeling, know [this truth clearly].
Sri Muruganar: So long as we have the ‘I am the body’ feeling
[dehatma-buddhi], even the Jnani will appear to have a body and
to be in bondage like us, and hence it is impossible for us to know
the greatness of the Jnani as it is. Only when we lose this ignorance
[ajnana], will the unbroken state [akhanda nilai] of the Jnani
shine forth.
1153. Know that the Muni who has known the true light –
which is Self, which remaining formless makes all
[the forms of the world] shine – shining brightly and
without veiling [tirodhana] as ‘I’ itself, is the king who
rules [all] the heavens [such as Brahma Loka, Vishnu
Loka and Siva Loka].
1154. The mind of the Jnani, who sleeps in Self, having settled
down immovably in the ocean of the perfectly
GURU VACHAKA KOVAI 363
natural bliss [nir-atisaya ananda] of the differenceless
Silence of Self [swarupa-nirvikalpa-manna], will not
sufferingly go to waste in the world.
Michael James: That is, he will not suffer in the world, being
caught in the waste of the delusion of the false triads or triputis.
1155. The wise men who, having slipped down [through
pramada] from Self, which is the [real] waking, desire
the illusory dream of the world which is seen, as [if it
were] the [real] waking, are different, and the wise
men who are in clarity, having known Self, are
different.
Sadhu Om: The word ‘pulavan’ [wise man] means ‘one who
knows’. The first kind of wise man mentioned in this verse is the
learned ajnani, who has only gained knowledge through the five
senses, whereas the second kind is the true Jnani who has
attained Self-knowledge. Since the knowledge gained through the
five senses is a false knowledge, whereas the knowledge of Self
alone is the true knowledge, these two kinds of wise men are completely
different from each other.
1156. However keenly one looks into the true scriptures,
they will tell one only to scrutinize oneself within
oneself [and thereby to know who one really is]. The
purpose of looking into a mirror is only to be happy
by seeing the beautiful face of the man, is it not?
Sadhu Om: The purpose of looking into a mirror is not merely to
waste one’s time either in looking at the reflection or in appreciating
the mirror; the purpose is only to experience the joy of seeing
the beauty of one’s own face. Similarly, the purpose of reading the
scriptures is only to experience the true happiness of Self-knowledge.
Therefore, as soon as one reads the scriptures, which reveal
‘You yourself are that Brahman’, one should make proper use of
that information and should verify the truth of it from one’s own
direct experience by scrutinizing and knowing oneself through the
enquiry ‘Who am I?’. Refer here to the work Who am I? where Sri
Bhagavan says, “Since it is said in all the scriptures that in order to
attain liberation one should control [i.e. destroy] the mind, after
coming to know that mind-control alone is the final decision of the
364 Sri Muruganar
scriptures, to read scriptures unlimitedly is fruitless” [see verse 141
of this work].
After engaging oneself in the sadhana of knowing Self, making
research in the scriptures is of no use. Scriptures are useful
only to turn us towards the path of Self-enquiry, and are of no further
use to us during the time when we are engaged in practice or
nididhyasana. This is what is meant by Sri Bhagavan in the work
Who am I? when He said, “For Rama to know himself to be Rama,
is a mirror necessary? ... All that one has learnt will at one time
have to be forgotten.”
1157. Among those who approach the mirror – the true
Jnana-sastras which reveal that that which is to be
known is Self – many [merely] look at the sastras and
the big commentaries [on them], while few save
themselves [as those scriptures recommend] by
searching [within] and knowing their own nature
[Self].
1158. If [the truth is] told, the knower of reality [mey-jnani]
is different, and the scholar [vijnana] who knows the
scriptures [which tell] about the true knowledge
[mey-jnana] is different. For those who wish to sever
the bondage of ignorance [ajnana], it is necessary to
leave the scholars and to associate with those who
abide as the supreme Self [atma-para-nishthar].
Sri Muruganar: He [Sri Bhagavan] says this because experiential
knowledge [anubhava-jnana] cannot be attained unless one associates
with those who abide as Self. The benefit which can be
attained by mere vijnana [scriptural knowledge] is nothing but the
praise and worship of the world.
1159. Know that the words [of upadesa] uttered by a Jnani,
who has known the reality which supports everything
by the power of [its] Grace, will always be a saving
support to the souls who have been deluded for a
long time under the sway of darkness [but who wish
to be saved].
Sadhu Om: The reason why it is said in verse 1158 that one
should leave the scholars and associate instead with those who
GURU VACHAKA KOVAI 365
abide as Self is explained in this verse. Rather than in all the lectures
and explanations given by scriptural scholars, in a single
word uttered by a Jnani, who [though He may be unlearned] has
known the supreme reality, there is more power of authority [the
power of the light of Self] to dispel the darkness of ignorance
[ajnana] in other jivas. Therefore it is instructed here that we should
approach with love a Jnani rather than the scriptural scholars.
50 The Action of Jnanis
(Jnanigal Karma Tiran)
1160. If the verdict is that actionlessness alone is Jnana,
[then it would mean that] the verdict is that even the
actionlessness due to leprosy is Jnana! Know that
that exalted state in which one has given up likes and
dislikes for actions [and for their fruits] and which is
devoid of any doership [literally, responsibility] in the
mind, alone is the state of Jnana.
Sadhu Om: To remain without the rising of doership either in the
form ‘I should do actions’ or in the form ‘I should stop doing actions’
is the true state of Jnana. Sri Bhagavan used to say that doing
nishkamya karma [i.e. performing action without desire for the fruit]
truly means only abiding in the state in which one has no sense of
doership in the actions that are performed.
1161. For those who live in Self as the beauty devoid of
thought, there is nothing to be thought of. That which
is to be adhered to is only the experience of Silence
[mauna-anubhava-katchi], [because] in [that] supreme
state nothing exists to be attained other than oneself.
1162. Know that though they do many immense activities,
those who have realized the majestic state of being
devoid of thought, having known that the mere existence
[‘I am’] alone is their real nature, are non-doers
[akartas] and [due to firmness of their knowledge ‘I
am he that exists, not he that does’] will not be
deluded as [if they were] the doers [kartas].
1163. Even the renouncing of the path of niyama [religious
duty] by great Jivan-muktas, who abide in their transcendental
real nature [Self], having matured in the
366 Sri Muruganar
path of dharma, is as beautiful as [their] observing
[the path of niyama] in [their] outward life.
Michael James: Since the highest of all dharmas (duties) is
swadharma, and since the real meaning of swadharma is Selfabidance,
Jivan-muktas (that is, those who have achieved perfection
in Self-abidance) are ever observing the truest and highest
dharma. Therefore, there is no wrong even if they renounce all
other dharmas, for their renouncing them is as glorious as their
observing them.
In the outlook of ajnanis, some Jiva-muktas may appear to
be doing all the dharmas and karmas prescribed in the dharmasastras,
while other Jivan-muktas may appear as if they are not
observing such dharmas but are behaving instead like madmen,
children or fools. But even their behaving so will be as beautiful as
their observing all the dharmas and karmas properly.
1164. Know that the bodiless and indivisible great Mukta’s
walking as if [he were] having a body, is as if the
supreme space [of consciousness] were walking [on
earth], just like Lord Vishnu, who paced [all] the
worlds as His domain.
Michael James: Since the Jivan-mukta has realized that He is not
the limited body, He shines devoid of the body as the indivisible
and unlimited Self. However, in the outlook of ajnanis He seems to
have a body and to be walking on earth. Since it is truly nothing but
a formless space of Self which seems to be walking in the form of
that body, it is as wonderful as Lord Vishnu, who assumed a vast
form and covered all the worlds in three paces, thereby claiming
them as His domain.
1165. Though the Jnani – who, having discarded the collection
of implements [karuvi] and instruments [karana]
as the doers which perform the actions, has no contact
with them, which are the doers – [seemingly]
does [actions], He is a non-doer.
Sadhu Om: The word ‘implements’ [karuvi] means the five senseorgans
[jnanendriyas], namely the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and
skin, and the five organs of action [karmendriyas], namely the
mouth, legs, hands, anus and genitals, while the word ‘instruments’
GURU VACHAKA KOVAI 367
[karana] means the four inner organs [antahkaranas], namely the
mind, intellect, chittam and ego. Knowing that it is only these implements
and instruments which are performing all actions and knowing
that they are none of them ‘I’, the Jnani has discarded them
and remains without having even the least contact with them, and
hence He ever remains without any sense of doership, even
though in the outlook of others He may seem to be performing
actions. Refer here to verses 1105, B21, 1133, B22 and 1140.
1166. Those [the Jnanis] who are joyfully content at heart
with whatever comes [of its own accord due to
prarabdha], who have transcended all the dyads
[dvandvas], who are devoid of jealousy and who
have attained the state of peace in the midst of success
and failure, will not be bound by the actions
[karmas] which they [seem to] do.
Michael James: The above four-line verse by Sri Muruganar is a
paraphrase of verse 22 of chapter 4 of the Bhagavad Gita. The
same idea is expressed by Sri Bhagavan in verse 40 of Bhagavad
Gita Saram and also in the following two-line verse.
B26. Know that He [the Jnani] who is balanced [both in
success and failure], being happy with whatever is
obtained [according to prarabdha], having jealousy
and having discarded the dyads [or pairs of opposites
such as pain and pleasure, likes and dislikes,
and so on], is not bound even though He [seemingly]
does actions.
51 The Nature of Those who Abide as Self
(Tanmayar Salbu Tiran)
1167. Those who scrutinize [and judge] the Jnani by outward
signs, will come back having seen [Him] as
emptiness, [because] they do not see the inner light
[of the Jnani], which cannot be known by the empty
[fleshy] eye in the face.
Sadhu Om: Some people go to see a Jnani in order to earn merit
[punya]. However, due to their immaturity of mind they see only the
outward appearance of the Jnani, and since that appearance is not
368 Sri Muruganar
in accordance with their wonderful preconceived notions of how a
Jnani should be, they return disappointed. Moreover, just like a
person who wants to take a bath who returns covered with mud,
such immature people sometimes even ridicule the Jnani and
thereby come back with bundles of sins [papas] accumulated by
their vilifying Him instead of praising Him [see verse 1138].
Even in the life of Sri Bhagavan there were some people
who used to ridicule and find fault with Him. For example, not
knowing how Sri Bhagavan had lived in the early days, completely
oblivious to His body and lying or sitting on the bare mud ground,
some people who saw Him in later days living a seemingly normal
life of activity and sitting on a comfortable sofa, used to remark,
“What is this! He is sitting on a sofa supported by soft cushions. He
is eating and behaving like us. Is He a Rishi? Is this Jnana?”
Therefore, the present verse is given as a warning to such ignorant
people who try to judge a Jnani by His outward appearance.
1168. When measured only by siddhis, the greatness of a
Jivan-mukta will be known wrongly. Muktas will
shine whether with siddhis or without them. [Therefore]
those who admire siddhis cannot know [the real
greatness of a Jivan-mukta]. Know thus.
Sadhu Om: A certain mathematician who had won a Nobel Prize,
had a six-year-old son who had difficulty in memorizing the ninetimes
table. One day the small boy asked his father whether he
could repeat the nine-times table. When his father repeated it correctly,
the boy was wonder-struck and exclaimed with pride, “Ah,
how wise is my father! That is why the world honoured him with a
Nobel Prize! Really he deserves that prize!” Worldly people who
will approve someone to be a Jnani only if he is seen to perform
siddhis, are not better than this boy, who approved his father’s
award only because he was able to repeat the nine-times table.
1169. The world is full of fools who belittle the greatness of
a Jnani, which exists and shines far away [beyond
human comprehension], by imagining [that they see
in Him] many siddhis, which are seen only by their
completely unfit and petty deluded mind.
Michael James: Fools think that they are glorifying a Jnani when
GURU VACHAKA KOVAI 369
they imagine that they see so many siddhis in Him. In fact, however,
they are only belittling Him, because the siddhis which they
see are a mere mental imagination, while His true greatness lies
beyond the mind.
1170. Know that attributing greatness to the perfect one
who abides as Self because of the siddhis [which He
may seem to perform], is [like] praising the greatness
of the fully shining sun by merely glorifying the wondrous
beauty of an atom of a bright ray which enters
a house [through a hole in the roof].
1171. He who, while continuing to live a life in the body and
world, has known the body and the world to be [nothing
but] consciousness [or Self], will delude others
as if He were bound by the body and world. [Therefore]
who can know [the real nature of] a Mukta from
His face [that is, by seeing His mere outward appearance]?
Sadhu Om: “... He [who abides as Self] does not know anything
other than Self; [therefore] who can and how to conceive what His
state is?” says Sri Bhagavan in verse 31 of Ulladu Narpadu.
52 The Greatness of Silence
(Mauna Matchi Tiran)
1172. The one letter – which is pure, which bestows the
glory of true knowledge [mey-jnana] and which is the
source of all letters which have a rising [in the form
of sound or light] – is that which always shines of its
own accord [or as Self] in the heart! Who is able to
write it?
Sadhu Om: On 30th September 1937 a devotee named Somasundara
Swami requested Sri Bhagavan to write “one letter” [or
ezhuttu] in his notebook. Sri Bhagavan graciously replied by writing
a two-line verse [kural venba], in which He said, “The one letter [or
ezhuttu] is that which always shines of its own accord [or as Self] in
the heart! Who is able to write it?” Subsequently when Sri
Bhagavan explained the nature of that one letter, Sri Muruganar
recorded His explanation in the above verse, in which he incorpo-
370 Sri Muruganar
rated Sir Bhagavan’s kural venba as the last two lines. Later still,
Sri Bhagavan translated His kural venba into Sanskrit and Telugu.
In the Sanskrit version He said, “The one letter [ekam aksharam]
uninterruptedly shines of its own accord in the heart! How can it be
written?”. Finally, on 21-9-1940, Sri Bhagavan converted His kural
venba into a venba [a four-line verse] by adding two more lines at
the beginning, in which He gave the reason why the verse was
composed:
That [which is worthy to be called a] letter [aksharam]
is the one letter [or ezhuttu]. You have requested
[me] to write that one letter [aksharam] in this book.
The one letter, which is imperishable [aksharam], is
that which always shines of its own accord [or as
Self] in the heart! Who is able to write it?”
The word ‘aksharam’, which is used three times by Sri
Bhagavan in this verse, means both ‘letter’ and ‘that which is
imperishable’, and hence the first sentence may alternatively
means, “That which is imperishable [aksharam] is the one letter”.
The one letter mentioned in this verse is Self itself. Its real
form is only Silence [mauna], which is the correct definition of
Jnana. The Self-consciousness ‘I-I’ shines transcending light and
sound. Since it shines devoid of sound as the mere sphurana, it
transcends sound, and thus it transcends language. Moreover,
since Self is the self-shining pure consciousness [prajna] which is
beyond all kinds of gross and subtle lights, it transcends light, and
thus it cannot have the form of a written letter, since all visible
forms come within the range of light.
The first expression of the true consciousness of the
supreme reality, Self, is the sphurana ‘I’. The Pranava ‘Om’ is only
the sound-form of that reality, which rises later as a secondary
expression of it. But since that which shines as the reality of the
sound ‘Om’ is only Self or ‘I’, Sri Bhagavan sang in verse 13 of Sri
Arunachala Akshara Mana Malai, “O Arunachala, reality of ‘Om’,
unequalled and unsurpassed! Who can understand you?”, and He
used to say that, even prior to ‘Om’, the natural name of the reality
is only the consciousness ‘I’, which transcends both sound and
light. Refer here to verses 712 and 713 of this work.
Therefore, since Self, the foremost reality, is one [ekam] and
since nothing exists other than it, Sri Bhagavan asks who can write
GURU VACHAKA KOVAI 371
it, and how or where it could be written. Thus, though the devotee
who requested Him to write “one letter” in his notebook, Sri
Bhagavan taught the whole world that which shines of its own
accord in the heart cannot in any way be thought of, spoken or written,
and that all one can do is to be it and to know it as it is in the
heart.
1173. If it be asked, “[What is] the [true] divine language,
which is the source of all languages, which is real
and which possesses the greatest clarity?” That language
is only Silence [mauna], which the Lord [Sri
Dakshinamurti] who is the embodiment of knowledge
[jnana-swarupa] seated at the foot of the banyan tree,
taught.
Michael James: Verse 10 of the appendix to Guru Vachaka Kovai
– Urai should be included here (see note to verse 1027). In this
verse Sri Bhagavan says:
Silence [mauna] is the form [literally, state] of Grace,
the one [single, non-dual, unequalled and incomparable]
language which is [always] surging within.
A devotee once wrote an article about Sri Bhagavan entitled
‘Where Silence is an Inspired Sermon’. Seeing this, Sri Bhagavan
wrote the above one-line verse giving a definition of Silence.
“Silence is unceasing eloquence... it is the perennial flow of ‘language’
[the true language of Grace]”, says Sri Bhagavan in
Maharshi’s Gospel, Book One, chapter 2.
1174. Since that great Brahman, which cannot be revealed
even by countless commentaries, is revealed only by
the Silence of the Guru, who is rare to attain, know
that the commentary of that Silence alone is the best
commentary.
1175. The ‘I am the body’-sense [alaya-vijnana] is the supporting
base for the world, which appears as if very
real. The imperishable foundation stone for the alayavijnana
is Silence [mauna], the ancient primal reality.
Sadhu Om: Sri Muruganar explained that, since the world appears
in a moment [kshanika] and disappears in a moment, the word
‘kshanika’ is used in this verse to denote the world. He also
372 Sri Muruganar
explained that alaya-vijnana is the body-consciousness which continues
in the body until the death of the body, that is, that it is the
mind, whose form is the ‘I am the body’ sense [dehatma-buddhi].
The base on which the world and body appear is the mind,
the ‘I am the body’ consciousness, and the base on which the mind
appears is Self, the pure consciousness, which is Silence. Therefore
the indestructible Silence alone is the base for all kinds of
knowledge.
1176. Instead of arguing by the sharpness of the intellect
[mati], which [rises and] subsides, “It [the reality]
exists”, “It does not exist”, “It has form”, “It is formless”,
“It is one [non-dual]”, “It is two [dual]”, the
Silence of existence-consciousness-bliss [sat-chitananda],
which is the ever-unfailing experience,
alone is the real religion [mata].
Sadhu Om: Using the sharpness of the petty and transitory intellect,
whose nature is to rise and subside, to argue about the existence
or the nature of the eternal supreme reality, is not true
religion. The ever-existing experience of Silence, in which all such
arguments have been given up, alone is the true religion. Refer
here to verse 34 of Ulladu Narpadu, and to verses 989 to 993 and
1235 of this work.
1177. When Jnana has not risen by the divine life of
Silence, the glorified and transcendent primal religion
[adi-mata], taking possession of the heart, will
the sense of difference [bheda-mati] be removed in
the least even by thoughts of delusive caste and religions
practices?
Sadhu Om: The state of inequality caused by differences such as
high and low can be removed permanently and completely only in
Silence, the state of Self-abidance, and it can never be removed
even in the least by any number of reformations made in religious
and caste practices.
1178. Just as the many rivers which run and merge into the
[one] great ocean [are all of the nature of water], so
all religions – which flow only towards the ocean of
Siva, the abundant consciousness-bliss [chit-ananda],
GURU VACHAKA KOVAI 373
as their target – are Siva-mayam [of the nature of
Siva]. Therefore, there is no place for differences [in
the ultimate goal of all religions].
1179. Since, when one dives within having as [one’s sole]
aim the liking [to know] thus, ‘Who am I who notices
the differences in the tenets [of the various religions]?’,
the ‘I’ [the individuality or jiva] dies and
becomes non-existent leaving only the ever-existing
Self [which always shines devoid of differences], in
that Silence can the sense of difference remain?
1180. “If the sense of difference will not remain in that
Silence, can the opposite sense [the sense of nondifference]
alone remain?” – if it be asked thus, [the
answer is that] the sense of non-difference [abhedabuddhi]
glorified by the knowers of reality is only the
loss of the sense of difference [bheda-buddhi].
Michael James: When Jnanis speak of the experience of non-difference,
what they mean is only the non-experience of difference,
because in the state of Silence no differences exist to be experienced.
However, having read the term abheda-buddhi [sense of
non-difference] in the scriptures, many people wrongly imagine that
the Jnani knows all the differences but experiences non-differences
in those differences. Refer to verse 931 and 932, where this
wrong idea is refuted.
1181. The gross [or defective] questions and answers are
[seemingly] real in the language of duality [dvaita],
but when known [correctly], those questions and
answers to do not exist even in the least in the perfect
language of non-duality [advaita], which is Silence.
Michael James: The above four-line verse is an adaptation of a
verse in Panchadasi (2-39). The same idea is also expressed by
Sri Bhagavan in the following two-line verse.
B27. Questions and answers exist only in the language of
this duality [dvaita]; in non-duality they do not exist.
1182. When scrutinized, the true conversation going on
without interruption between them [the Guru and the
374 Sri Muruganar
disciple], who are having the joy of shrewd questions
[and answers] which reach perfection, is only reaching
and abiding there [in the mind-free state of
Silence] where, if they reach and abide, both their
minds will unite.
Sadhu Om: The aim of a conversation in the form of questions and
answers between a Guru and a disciple is to enable the disciple to
reach the perfect state of reality. But since questions and answers
can exist only in the realm of duality, they can never take one to
the non-dual state of perfection. Therefore, the true and perfect
‘conversation’ between a Guru and a disciple [guru-sishya samvada]
is only their reaching and abiding in the state of Silence, in
which both their minds have united and become one.
The perfect way in which a disciple can ‘question’ and learn
from the Guru is to abide in Silence, for the real Sadguru is always
‘answering’ and teaching through the non-dual language of
Silence. If the disciple does not abide in the thought-free state of
Silence, he cannot correctly understand the Jnana-upadesa taught
by the Guru through the language of Silence. Only in that state of
Silence will Brahman be truly revealed. “Silence is ever-unceasing
eloquence; it is the most perfect language. It is a perennial flow of
the language of Grace. Words obstruct the language of Silence
[mauna-bhasha]. Oral lectures can never be so eloquent as
Silence”, says Sri Bhagavan. [Refer to Maharshi’s Gospel, Book
One, ch.2, from which this quotation is paraphrased].
53 The Pure Silence
(Suddha Mauna Tiran)
1183. Know that Self, which is to be enquired into and
attained in the heart as the state of happiness
through the requisite tapas [or Self-attention], is only
the state of Silence [mauna], which is experienced by
removing the delusive and worthless knowledge of
differences [along with its root, the ignorance or
wrong knowledge ‘I am this body’].
Sadhu Om: Self, which is the fruit to be attained through enquiry or
vichara, is only the Silence devoid of the wrong knowledge ‘I am
the body’.
GURU VACHAKA KOVAI 375
1184. The state of the experience of the one non-dual
Silence [eka advaita mouna anubhuti], which is
attained as the experience of the unlimited true
knowledge [mey-jnana], is only the shining [of oneself]
as the empty space devoid of the false imagination
which is the rising of the wicked ego-mind.
Sadhu Om: Silence is only the state in which the ego or mind,
which is merely a false imagination, has been destroyed.
1185. Since the Silence of Self, which shines through the
pure mind [the pure existence-consciousness which
is devoid of all thoughts], alone turns out to be the
gateway to Liberation, even though they proceed
along any path which is agreeable [to them], that gate
alone is the final refuge.
Sadhu Om: Through whatever path one may proceed towards the
state of Liberation, one can finally enter that state only through the
gateway of Silence – the gateway of egolessness or mindlessness.
Sri Bhagavan used to say, “Through whatever road one may
approach the town of liberation, in order to enter that town one
must pay the toll-gate fee. That toll-gate fee is the destruction of
one’s ego or mind.”
1186. Attending unceasingly and with a fully [concentrated]
mind to Self, which is the non-dual perfect reality,
alone is the pure supreme Silence; on the other
hand, the mere [unthinking] laziness of the dull mind
is nothing but a defective [and tamasic] delusion.
Know thus.
Sadhu Om: Laziness or sluggishness of the mind is not true
Silence. Self-attention alone is true and pure Silence.
1187. Know that the inner Silence – the undecreasing
strength of unceasingly praising and worshipping,
without worshipping, the Feet of Lord Siva by the
beautiful Supreme Word [para-vak], which is the pure
unrising speech [that is, worshipping by Self-attention,
the non-rising of the ego] – alone is the true and
natural worship [of the reality].
376 Sri Muruganar
1188. Only those who have known their reality to be Siva
[the Self], are those who are soaked in the perfect
and natural state of Silence. [Therefore] having
removed the ‘I’-sense in anything other than Siva
[that is, having given up one’s identification with all
adjuncts such as the body], abide without action in
Siva.
1189. The glory of the state of Silence – in which one has
merged and died in the real principle [mey-tattva],
God, who is the egoless Self, by enquiring ‘Who am I,
the false first person?’ – alone is the nature of the
observance of self-surrender [sarangati-dharma].
Michael James: The true practice of self-surrender is for one to
subside through the enquiry ‘Who am I?’ and thereby to merge and
abide in Self, the state of Silence which is devoid of even the least
rising of the ego, the first thought ‘I am this’. Refer also to verse
482.
Sri Muruganar: Note that the idea of this verse, namely that
Silence, which is the goal of Self-enquiry, alone is the truth of perfect
self-surrender, is also expressed by the great Vaishnavite
Saint Nammazhwar in the following verse of his: “Not knowing
myself, I lived as ‘I’ and ‘mine’ [as if ‘I’ were this body and these
possessions were ‘mine’]; O Lord of heavenly beings who is worshipped
by gods, I am You and my possessions are Yours.”
1190. According to the prarabdha [of the jiva], the Supreme
makes the jiva act until it [the prarabdha] comes to
an end. Efforts made will be a failure due to prarabdha;
even [in spite of] obstructions, it [the prarabdha]
will bear fruit. [Therefore] to remain silent
[without trying to oppose one’s prarabdha] is best.
Sadhu Om: This verse expresses the same upadesa which Sri
Bhagavan gave to His mother in 1898, when she was pleading with
Him to return to Madurai, namely “According to the destiny
[prarabdha] of each person, the Ordainer, being in each place,
makes them act. That which is never to happen will not happen,
however much effort is made; that which is to happen will not stop,
however much obstruction is made. This is certain. Hence, to
GURU VACHAKA KOVAI 377
remain silent is best.” This and the next verse may be read along
with verses 150 and 151.
1191. It is not possible for anyone to do anything opposed
to the ordinance [niyati] of God, who has the ability
to do [anything and] everything. [Therefore] to
remain silent at the Feet [of God], having given up
[all] the anxieties of the wicked, defective and delusive
mind, is best.
1192. If we scrutinize [what] the method [is] to end [for
ever] the movements of the wavering mind or ego,
which is [like] a reflection in [wavy] water, [we will
discover that] the method is for one to remain silently
attending to oneself alone, and not for one to attend
to that [the wavering mind], which will make one slip
down from the state [of Self].
Sadhu Om: The only method to still the wandering mind permanently
is for one to attend silently to oneself [the first person, ‘I’],
and not for one to attend to the wandering mind, which is nothing
but a bundle of ever-changing thoughts pertaining to second and
third persons. However, do we not nowadays hear that many
would-be gurus are advising aspirants, “Go on watching the thoughts
of the mind,” as if this were a true method of spiritual practice
[jnana-abhyasa]? Since all the thoughts of the mind are nothing but
worthless second and third persons, to attend to those thoughts is
a useless method which is recommended only by Vedantins who
lack true experience. To reveal that this method is of no use for
permanently stilling [i.e. destroying] the mind, Sri Bhagavan says in
this verse, “The [correct] method is for one to remain silently
attending to oneself [the first person] alone, and not for one to
attend to the wavering mind [which is a bundle of second and third
person objects]”. Refer to pp. 101 to 102 of The Path of Sri
Ramana – Part One for a fuller explanation.
In verse 17 of Upadesa Undiyar Sri Bhagavan says that if
one vigilantly scrutinizes the form of the mind, it will be found that
there is no such thing as mind at all. This teaching is misinterpreted
by some people to mean that one should attend to or watch the
mind, that is, the thoughts pertaining to second and third person
objects. However, it should be understood that whenever Sri
378 Sri Muruganar
Bhagavan recommends us to scrutinize the mind, He does not
mean that we should attend to thoughts pertaining to second or
third persons, but only that we should attend to and scrutinize the
first person or ego the root-thought ‘I’. If we thus attend to the
thought ‘I’, it will automatically subside and disappear, whereas if
we attend to other thoughts, they will multiply and wax in strength.
Therefore, in the present verse Sri Bhagavan reveals that if we
attend to the thoughts of the wavering mind, we will be slipping
down from our natural state of Self-abidance, in which no second
or third person can be known.
He does not mean that we should attend to thoughts pertaining
to second or third persons, but only that we should attend to
and scrutinize the first person or ego the root-thought ‘I’. If we thus
attend to the thought ‘I’, it will automatically subside and disappear,
whereas if we attend to other thoughts, they will multiply and wax in
strength. Therefore, in the present verse Sri Bhagavan reveals that
if we attend to the thoughts of the wavering mind, we will be slipping
down from our natural state of Self-abidance, in which no second
or third person can be known.
(My humble salutations to the lotus feet of Bhagavan Sree Ramana Maharshi
and also gratitude to great philosophers and others for the collection)
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