GURU VACHAKA KOVAI
The Light of Supreme Truth
or
THE COLLECTION
OF GURU’S SAYINGS
tence of their own apart from the
undivided and perfect Brahman, none of them can be
unsuitable for practicing Self-enquiry.
Sadhu Om: The Tamil word for ‘unsuitable’ [vilakku] can also
mean ‘target’, and so the following alternative meaning can also be
taken: “… nothing bound by them [i.e. time, place, etc.] should be
taken as a target for meditation”.
While taking this alternative meaning, “time, place etc.,
which seem to exist,” should be understood to mean this whole
universe of names and forms [which are all second and third persons].
Hence we are told in this verse that we should not take as
objects of meditation any second or third person such as: (a) a
place for the heart on the right-hand side of the chest; (b) any
chakra or centre in the body; (c) any name or form of a God or
Goddess; (d) any divine light or sound; etc. Refer also to verse
184, where the same idea is expressed.
396. One’s unceasing effort to turn the mind – which is
always extroverted due to the force of habit [cultivated
in past births] – towards Self by the
Self-enquiry “Who am I?” is [the significance of] the
great war being fought between devas and asuras
[which is described in the Puranas].
Sadhu Om: In India many stories are recorded in books known as
the Puranas, which tell of the wars being fought between devas
[gods] and asuras [demons]. These wars should not be regarded
as mere myths or events that happened only in the distant past,
they are going on even today. They are the constant battle which is
always being fought in the life of a sadhaka between his liking to
attend only to Self and the habitual outward-going tendencies of
his mind.
397. Whenever a thought arises, instead of trying even a
little either to follow it up or to fulfil it, it would be
better to first enquire, “To whom did this thought
arise?”
Sadhu Om: The ideas expressed in verses 397, 398 and 399 are
also expressed in prose in Who am I?
GURU VACHAKA KOVAI 111
398. When one thus inwardly enquires, “Is it not to me that
this thought has arisen – then who am I?”, the mind
will return to subside in its Source, and the already
risen thought will also vanish.
399. When one daily practices in this manner, since the
impurities are being removed from the mind, it will
become purer and purer to such an extent that the
practice will become so easy that the mind will reach
the Heart as soon as the enquiry is commenced.
400. Just as the creature which come out of the bushes to
save their lives, being unable to bear with the heat of
the wild forest-fire, are surely burnt to death, so all
the vasanas hiding in the Heart will be destroyed,
being unable to stand before the growing and blazing
fire of the strength of Self-enquiry.
401. The thought “Who am I?”, after destroying all other
thoughts, will itself finally die just like the stick which
is used to stir the funeral pyre, and then the supreme
Silence will prevail for ever.
Sadhu Om: Refer also to Who am I?
402. When the delusion which has veiled Self, the Light of
Consciousness of unlimited Bliss [Sat-Chit-Ananda],
is destroyed by the clear enquiry “Who am I?”, one’s
own Nature will shine forth gloriously as the
Atmakasha [i.e. Space of Self].
403. Just as an iron ball which is heated in fire will itself
shine as fire, when the impure jiva is burnt in the fire
of Self-enquiry, it will itself shine as Self.
404. By enquiring, “Who am I, the deluded one who suffers
so much?”, the delusion will be dissolved, the
Reality will be attained, Jnana will dawn, Mouna will
flow forth and the Bliss of Peace will prevail.
405. It is only due to the delusion which is caused by not
learning the Truth of Self that jivas are suffering.
Therefore, always take to the practice of Jnana – the
inward enquiry “Who am I that is suffering?”
406. By contact with the philosopher’s stone – proper and
112 Sri Muruganar
unceasing enquiry – the ghostly jiva will lose the rust
of mental impurities and will be turned into the
supreme Shiva.
Sri Muruganar and Michael James: Since enquiry is described as
the philosopher’s stone and the mental impurities are described as
mental rust, the jiva should be taken to be the base material and
Shiva to be the gold.
407. If the son of God, the jiva who has forgotten his real
Nature [i.e. Self], eagerly enquires within, “Who am I
that is lamenting over the miseries of life?’, he will
realise his greatness, namely that he is truly One
with his Father – Self.
Michael James: This verse was given according to the doctrines
of Christianity.
70 The True Tapas
Michael James: Sri Bhagavan here explained that Tapas means
self-denial, and the true self-denial (ego-denial) is nothing but
Self-abidance (Atma-Nishta).
408. The purpose of Tapas is to know that the supreme
Atma-Jnana [Self-Knowledge] is graciously and naturally
shining always in all creatures, and to experience
It by being It; tapas is not to newly create or
obtain Jnana.
409. “To fix the stupid and egotistical mind as One with
the pure Shiva [i.e. Self], by subduing it within the
Heart so that it cannot wander out through the
sense-organs, is alone the best tapas,” say the true
Tapasvins.
410. Uninterruptedly maintaining Atmakara-vritti [i.e. the
flow of Self-attention], which swallows within itself
the appearance of the universe with all its differences,
is, when pondered over, the only mark of the
unique Tapas.
411. Alas, because of the delusion caused by not knowing
that tapas, which is one’s natural duty, should be
GURU VACHAKA KOVAI 113
done with love, people torture themselves in the fire
of miserable tapas, in spite of the fact that the Ocean
of Bliss [the true Goal of tapas] is always brimming
over.
Sadhu Om: Tapas literally means scorching, or undergoing,
self-inflicted tortures, but since these meanings seem to be inappropriate,
Sri Bhagavan has given us a new definition for this word
in Upadesa Undiyar verse 30. In that verse we told that
Atma-Nishta [i.e. Self-abidance – which is the Ocean of Bliss] is
the real Tapas.
There are some people who, in the name of tapas, torture
their bodies by engaging in austerities such as panchatapagni [i.e.
sitting for meditation surrounded by five fires – above and on four
sides], etc. These activities can be called tapas in its literal sense,
yet they are only performed for the fulfilment of desires, either in
this world or in the next. Though these desires may be selfish [i.e.
for one’s own individual benefit] or unselfish [i.e. for the benefit of
the whole world], they are possible only so long as the ego survives.
The aim of true tapas, on the other hand, is Bliss, which can
only be achieved when the ego is annihilated.
Therefore, highly discriminative people should perform the
true tapas of destroying the ego. The only path or tapas which will
destroy the ego is Self-attention [which is often known as Selfenquiry].
Is this Self-attention a self-inflicted torture or a scorching
experience? According to the divine saying ‘I am the Path and the
Goal’, the path must be as blissful as the Goal, and since everyone
knows from his own experience in sleep that the state of egolessness
is blissful, it is clear that attending to Self, which is the nearest
and the dearest to all of us, will also be blissful, and it will not be an
experience of torture or misery. Thus, since Self-attention is to be
undertaken with such love and pleasure, why should it be regarded
as being tapas in its literal sense? Therefore Sri Bhagavan
declares that to think of tapas as being a miserable experience is
due to delusion and ignorance, and thus He introduces a revolutionary
idea about tapas.
Happiness is our true Nature, but through inattention born of
ignorance, we leave it, come out and suffer. Hence our natural and
happy duty is to lovingly restore Self-attention and to thus abide in
our true Nature.
114 Sri Muruganar
412. Silence – which is the experience of Shiva, the
supreme chit [jnana] – is the true tapas by which
Brahman [Tat or Sat] is achieved.
413. Just as it is impossible to trace the path through
which a bird flew in the sky and the path through
which a fish swam in the water, so it is also impossible
to trace the path by which Jnanis have reached
the Self.
Michael James: The Path by which Jnanis reach Self is Selfenquiry,
which is the real Jnana-marga, but since the ego itself
vanishes on this path, not only is no trace left behind, but also no
one is left to find it.
When it is said that “it is impossible to trace the path”, it
means that the path can neither be known or expressed because,
although we are given clues to such as Self-attention, when the
ego attempts through practice to know what Self-attention exactly
is, the ego itself is lost. Refer also to verse 999 and note.
414. Union with the Feet of the Lord as the form of Love
[Bhakti], in which all the ego’s activities die, is the
Path of Siddhanta. The loss of the ego by abiding in
Self [Atma-Nishta], which is the supreme Jnana and
Bliss, is the Path of Vedanta.
Sadhu Om: Since the annihilation of the ego is stressed in both the
paths, Siddhanta marga [i.e. Bhakti-marga] and Vedanta marga
[i.e. Jnana marga] are not different but one and the same.
415. Knowing Para [i.e. Self – the Supreme] through Selfenquiry,
by discriminating between Para and apara
[i.e. non-Self], by attaining inward dispassion towards
apara, and by remaining where the notions ‘I’
and ‘mine’ are completely lost, is the way of life of
Jnanis.
416. Know that the following is the right way by which the
suffering jiva can revel in Shiva: reject God, world
and soul as being false appearances in Brahman,
just like the appearance of silver on a shell.
GURU VACHAKA KOVAI 115
71 A Research on True Knowledge
Michael James: The Tamil word for knowledge is ‘arivu’, which not
only means true knowledge, i.e. pure consciousness (chit), but can
also mean mind, the knowledge of sense-objects, the knowledge of
the arts and sciences, etc; in this work it is therefore translated
each time according to the particular sense in which it is used.
417. Shiva shines in the golden Heart-temple of Knowledge
[i.e. Consciousness] as Knowledge Itself. Only
those who know Him by the pure Eye of Knowledge
are truly worshipping the Truth, because Knowledge
Itself is the true Supreme Thing.
418. The highest Jnana, which is knowing the perfect
Reality is knowing the Knowledge by Knowledge
itself. Until the Knowledge is thus known by the
Knowledge Itself, the mind will have no peace.
419. Just as the ornaments are known to be many and different
but the gold is known to be one, so the senseobjects
are known to be many and different. Here the
gold signifies the one absolute Being-Knowledge
which results from the destruction of the chittam [i.e.
the store of vasanas], and which is devoid of the
qualified and objective sense knowledges.
420. To know the sense-objects as true instead of knowing
the truth of the seeing-knowledge [i.e. the seer] is
due to ignorance born of false delusion. The True
Knowledge is not learning all the arts which you want
to know, but losing the imaginary relative knowledge
in Self-Knowledge.
Sadhu Om: Refer to Ulladu Narpadu verse 12: “The knowledge
which knows [objects] cannot be True Knowledge …”
421. Only the pure Knowledge of Sat-Chit [i.e. the Consciousness
‘I am’] truly exists. All other [sense or
mind] knowledges, which function in It as if true, are
nothing but dark and fictitious ignorance; [hence] it
is dangerous to believe them.
Sadhu Om: The plain and simple Knowledge ‘I am’, which is expe-
116 Sri Muruganar
rienced by everyone in deep sleep, is the perfect Knowledge. Refer
to Maharshi’s Gospel, Part I, Chapter I; “Sleep is not ignorance, it
is one’s pure state; wakefulness is not Knowledge, it is ignorance.
There is full awareness [i.e. knowledge] in sleep and total ignorance
in waking…” [8th edition, 1969, p. 11].
422. All other knowledges are defective and petty; the
experience of Silence [i.e. Self-Knowledge] is alone
Perfect Knowledge. The different objective knowledges
are merely superimposed on Self, the Pure
Knowledge, and hence they are not true.
423. Will those Great Ones who have the pure Jnanadrishti
[i.e. the outlook of Jnana] consider the objective
outlook of the petty ego to be Knowledge at all?
The Knowledge is only That which knows the Pure
Knowledge, and not that which knows other things.
Sadhu Om: “…That which knows the Pure Knowledge…” is the
Self-Knowledge which shines as ‘I am’.
424. Though one has known many subtle, rare and wonderful
things, can one be a jnani until one comes to
know the knower of them? Know that one cannot be.
Sadhu Om: Refer to Atma-Vidya verse 3: “Without first knowing
our Self, of what avail is it then to know anything else, for what else
is there to know after Self is known?”
425. Tell me, O mind that madly rushes outwards, can
there be any source from which all this universe
springs forth other than that Knowledge which is
never born out of another?
426. Why is knowledge often said to be the only base for
anything and everything? Because Knowledge,
which is the base for everything which rises [i.e.
which comes into existence], remains as the sole
base even for Its own existence.
Michael James: Read verse 428 along with this verse. Refer also
to Upadesa Undiyar verse 23; “…there is no Consciousness [Chit]
other than Existence [Sat] Itself to know Existence …”.
GURU VACHAKA KOVAI 117
427. A support [i.e. a base] is needed only for an inert
thing which is asat [i.e. which is not real existence].
Why then does a necessity arise that WE, Sat-Chit,
should need some other Chit as our support? It is
because of the delusion by which we think that we
are the impure Chittam [mind].
Michael James: There are two possible versions of verse 428:
428a. Because our real Nature is Itself Sat [Existence],
unlike other things which are asat, know that the
base for the ever-existing Consciousness is that
same Self-existing Consciousness Itself.
428b. Since ‘I’, our real nature, ever shines as Existence
[Sat], unlike other things which are non-existent
[asat: i.e. which seem to exist at one time and not at
another time], know that ‘I’ [Self], which shines of
itself [i.e. without any other aid], is the base for the
ever-existing Consciousness [Chit].
429. Thus, while that Consciousness, the Reality itself, is
you, instead of knowing with that Consciousness
that you are Consciousness itself and remaining as It
is, you know the world, which rises out of you, the
Consciousness, and suffer very much. Alas, what
can I say about this!
Michael James: Though the world is seen outside, it is only an
apparent manifestation rising from within.
430. Those who do not know through Self-enquiry what is
the truth of their natural state [Self] mistake the alien
body to be ‘I’ and see the world as different from
themselves and hence suffer in delusion. All other
things except that [‘I’], which shines as the one
undeluded Existence-Consciousness-Bliss [Sat-Chit-
Ananda], are seen on account of the deceitful play of
maya.
431. To one whose attention is only upon the things
known [the five sense-objects] but not even the least
upon the knower – to such a lump of mud [the fleshy
118 Sri Muruganar
body] in the form of a human being, can any scripture
teach true knowledge [Jnana]?
432. Is it not because you are knowledge [i.e. consciousness]
itelf that you are able to know the world? If
[instead of knowing the world] you turn your attention,
taking that Consciousness alone as your target,
It will Itself as the Guru reveal the Truth [i.e. Reality].
Sri Muruganar: ‘Turn your attention taking that Consciousness
alone as one’s target’: This is the state in which one consciously
remains, not knowing other things and not forgetting oneself. Since
throughout the waking and dream states the mind was in the habit
of attending to other things, the second persons [i.e. the world,
which is a mental conception], it can only conceive even God, who
is in truth beyond mental conception, to be an object of perception.
But now, when the mind attends to Self, Self destroys this illusory
habit of the mind and makes it know: ‘I do not exist, only Self, the
real God, truly exists’. Thus Consciousness, one’s target, itself as
the Guru reveals the truth.
The mind’s longing to see God in the form of an object [i.e.
as a second person] is due to the forgetfulness of its true nature –
Existence-Consciousness – and to its acting with doership as an
individual. But when, giving up the objective attention, it remains as
Consciousness itself, the aforesaid doership and forgetfulness are
lost and the mind now understands that Self alone is the real God
and thereby attains eternal Peace.
433. Only the truth of Self is worthy of being scrutinized
and known. Taking It alone as the target, one should
keenly attend to It and know It in the heart [i.e.
within]. It can be known only by the silent and clear
mind which is free from agitation and activity.
434. All kinds of knowledge [even the knowledge of all the
arts and sciences] will completely merge into the
Silence – the pure knowledge of Self. All other states
[as well as knowledges] appear to exist only because
of the play of Chit-Sakti [the knowing power, i.e. the
mind], which exists in Self, the supreme and natural
state of Bliss.
GURU VACHAKA KOVAI 119
Michael James: ‘All other states’ means all states of knowledge
(consciousness) other than the Silence.
435. The natural consciousness of existence [I am], which
does not rise to know other things, is the Heart.
Since the truth of Self is clearly known only by this
actionless Consciousness, which [merely] remains
as Self, this [i.e. the Heart] alone is the supreme
Knowledge.
Michael James: Actionless Consciousness is the Consciousness
which does not have the action of rising and knowing other things.
Sri Muruganar: The word ‘Heart’ denotes Self and not a place.
Being Self [Atma Nishta] is itself knowing Self [Atma Jnana]. Consciousness
[Chit] knows existence [Sat] because existence is not
other than consciousness.
436. All that is known should be known to be merely that
knowledge [which knows them] and should merge
into Knowledge – Self. One’s very reality which
shines in such an intensity of Self-abidance, utterly
destroying all differences, is Liberation – the unequalled
state.
Michael James: “that knowledge [which knows them]” is the mind.
437. Since the nature of Reality is non-dual [i.e. not two],
true Knowledge cannot be the knowing of an other.
Therefore, when the mind is absolutely free from
delusion [i.e. does not know an other] and abides
unwavering in beatitude – that is the true Knowledge.
Sadhu Om: Since the real Thing [Sat] is one and not many, the
real Knowledge [Chit] must also be one: the knowledge of one’s
own existence, and it cannot be the knowing of many things.
Hence, the Self-abidance in the form of ‘I am’, the feeling of mere
first person singular, wherein the mind, the distorted Knowledge
that many things, which everybody has now, has been put to an
end, and its moving nature, i.e. knowing other things, has been
stopped, alone is the true Knowledge.
438. Know that Knowledge is non-attachment, Knowledge
120 Sri Muruganar
is purity, Knowledge is union with God, that unforgettable
Knowledge is fearlessness [abhayam],
Knowledge is the elixir of immortality, Knowledge
alone is everything.
Michael James: Here and in the following two verses Knowledge
is used in the sense of pure consciousness.
Abhayam may alternatively mean: ‘the place of refuge’.
439. The Knowing of the breadth and length, the bottom
and top – the depth and height – of Knowledge is
nothing but the blissful stillness of mind; it is impossible
for even gods to know that state of Knowledge.
Sri Muruganar: Since Knowledge transcends all limitations and
measurements, it is beyond comprehension. The merging of the
mind-knowledge in the non-dual Knowledge [Kevala Arivu] and
remaining there in Bliss alone is the knowing of the Knowledge.
440. Without Knowledge [Self] there is no world; without
Knowledge there is no soul; without Knowledge
there is no God. Therefore, the knowing of Knowledge
[as defined in the previous verse] is the ultimate
Goal.
72 Nirvana
Michael James: ‘Nirvana’ means unveiling, i.e. the shedding of the
five sheaths. See also Sri Arunachala Aksharamanamalai, verse
30.
441. Just as the snake sheds its skin without any suffering,
it is our worthy duty to shed the five sheaths,
which cause misery on account of fast attachment to
them.
442. Jiva-nirvana is the state in which the attachment to
the five sheaths has been removed in order to enjoy
fully the silent Bliss born out of the Grace of the
Lord, Self, who is the Consciousness-space.
Sadhu Om: This verse can also be interpreted in the following
metaphorical and mystic way: The bride [the jiva], in order to be
GURU VACHAKA KOVAI 121
granted the full enjoyment of her bridegroom [Self], has to shed her
shyness in form of attachment to the five sheaths.
73 The Attainment of Self
443. Since it is our common experience [for one and all]
that we remain bodiless and shine alone even in a
state of nothingness [i.e. sleep] where the world does
not exist, losing permanently our identification as ‘I’
with the form of five sheaths, is indeed the attainment
of Self [or Self-realization]. Thus should you be
sure!
Michael James: In the understanding of most aspirants, ‘Self-realization’
is the attainment of something – Self, which they believe
they do not have as yet, while in fact ‘Self-realization’ is the loss of
something – the ego, which is already there. “… To make room, it
is enough that the lumber be removed; room is not brought in from
elsewhere” says Sri Bhagavan in Maharshi’s Gospel Part I, chapter
4 (see also Maha Yoga, 7th edition, page 121).
444. Since, when the ego is destroyed, the Self-sun shines
as the sole Reality, putting an end to this dream,
which is false, and bringing about the true awakening
– the mere destruction of the ego, through Selfenquiry,
is the attainment of Self [or Self-realization].
Thus should you know!
Michael James: ‘The dream which is false’ is this present waking
state. ‘the true awakening’ is the state of Turiya or Jnana.
445. When ‘I’ and ‘mine’ are destroyed by the clear true
Knowledge, which is free from the questionable
knowledge [‘I am the body’], even while living in this
illusory world, that is the state in which one abides
as That.
Michael James: ‘free from the questionable knowledge’ may also
be translated as ‘free from the five sense-knowledges …’
The purpose of the two previous verses is to describe the
true nature of the attainment of Self; since the Mahavakya ‘I am
That’ denotes this state of Self-attainment (Self-realization) the
122 Sri Muruganar
destruction of the ego is also the attainment of ‘I am That’, as is
described in this verse.
446. Since the reality, the source [of ‘I’, the ego], shines so
very subtle in the heart as to be known only to a very
subtle attention, it is impossible for those whose
mind is as gross and as blunt as the head of a pestle
to attain the target!
Sadhu Om: Refer to Vichara Sangraham, chapter 8: ‘… Just as it
is impossible to separate the fibres of a silk cloth with a thick crowbar
and just as it is impossible to find out the nature of minute
things with the help of a lamp flickering in the wind, the experience
of Self cannot be gained by a mind which is gross and wavering
due to the influence of dullness [tamo-guna] and activity [rajoguna];
because It [Self] shines very subtle and motionless…”
74 ‘The Conclusive Knowledge to be Obtained’
or ‘The Well-established Knowledge’
Michael James: The title of this chapter has two meanings:
1) ‘The conclusive knowledge to be obtained (through reflection)’,
and
2) ‘The well-established knowledge (the Jnana of the Jnani)’.
Out of the four verses in this chapter, the first three deal with
the conclusion which we have to reach through reading and reflection,
and the fourth verse describes the state of unshakeable Selfknowledge
of a Jnani.
447. Because in the perfect Thing – Silence [Self], no
thought rises, because place is merely a thought,
and because the two other places [second and third
persons] rise only after the rising of ‘I’, ‘I’ [the first
person] is the first place.
Sadhu Om: In Tamil grammar, (1) ‘I’, the first person, (2) ‘you’, the
second person, and (3) ‘he, she, it, or they’, the third person, are
called the first place, second place and third place respectively,
unlike in most other languages. Those who do deep reflection
[manana] i.e. deep thinkers, can find out that this is a good clue for
the spiritual quest. How? Time and place [space] are the first two
conceptions [illusions] born of maya. In this verse instructions
GURU VACHAKA KOVAI 123
about the nature of ‘place’ are given, whereas in verses 747 and
748 of this work and in verses 15 and 16 of Ulladu Narpadu the
nature of ‘time’ is well described.
Because Self is mere Being, which has no rising, it is to be
known that even the first person, which has a rising, is not there.
Refer also to the 14th verse of Ulladu Narpadu which says:
“…When the first person ceases to exist through enquiry into the
truth of that first person…”
Ego is thought identifying as ‘I’ a body which is bound by
time and space. Therefore, time and place cannot but be found
interwoven in every thought that rises from the ego. Though, at
first, it may seem to be a wonder to hear that no one can make any
thought without time and place, after a little reflection it will be
found that it is an undeniable truth. Let us now see this verse once
again in the light of this explanation.
Since out of the three places, first, second and third, ‘I’ is the
one that rises first, Sri Bhagavan points out that ‘I’ is the foremost
among the place conceptions. Further, it is pointed out that, since
place is a mere thought, even ‘I’, the first place is merely a thought.
Moreover, by pointing out the logical inference: ‘No thought can
rise in Self, since the form of Self, the perfect thing, is Silence’, Sri
Bhagavan concludes that even the least rising of ‘I’, the ego, is not
possible there.
Just as ‘I’, which among the three places [first, second and
third places] is taken for spiritual research stands as the first and
the source of all places, so also the ‘present’, which among the
three tenses [past, present and future] is taken for spiritual
research, stands as the first and source of all divisions of time. Just
as ‘I’, the first place disappears when enquired into, the ‘present’,
the first time, also disappears on enquiry, revealing the timeless
and placeless [spaceless] nature of the supreme, Self. Since even
the first time, i.e. the ‘present’, is merely a thought, just like the first
person it cannot have a rising in Self. Thus, since Self transcends
time and space, Ajata (see the note to verse 100) must be known
to be the right conclusive knowledge to be obtained, and this is to
be understood to be the aim of this verse.
Finally, from the three reasons given in this verse, we have
to draw six conclusions:
124 Sri Muruganar
1) Self is not a place
2) place does not exist in Self
3) ‘I’ is a thought
4) ‘I’ is the first place
5) Self has no rising
6) Self is not the first place.
448. That which rises as ‘I’ in the body is mind. When an
attempt is made to find out wherefrom this thought ‘I’
rises in the body, it [the ‘I’-thought, or mind, which
thus searches] reaches the Heart, therefore, it is
indeed from Heart [Self] that the mind rises.
Sadhu Om: These are the words of Sri Bhagavan in Who am I?
When we wake up the ‘I’-feeling rises from one place in the body
and then spreads all over the body; what is described in this verse
as ‘first’ is that place. However, Sri Bhagavan here gives us a clue
that by so tracing the ‘I’-thought, a place will not be found, but the
tracing power, the one who traces, will dissolve into Self.
449. Other than thoughts there is no God, world or soul. In
all thoughts, the thought ‘I’ is pervading. This
‘I’-thought is the first of all thoughts. The source from
which the ‘I’-thought rises is the Heart.
Michael James: When in this verse and the previous verse Heart
is said to be the source from which the mind rises, Heart should not
be taken to be a place. It must be understood to be the thing from
which mind emerges. The reason for asserting so is given in the
next verse.
450. Those who abide firmly in Self will never know any
other thing as a base [i.e. as a place] but Self. They,
the really [Sat] shining [Chit] One, affording a place to
all things – as does the screen [in a cinema show] –
will make them shine [as if real].
Michael James: The ajnani feels that he is only the body, and
therefore he experiences the universe as outside of himself. That
is, he thinks that all things are existing or somewhere in space; in
his view, earth or space are the base for all. The Jnani, on the
other hand, does not limit Himself as a body and therefore knows
GURU VACHAKA KOVAI 125
that He is not in the universe but that it is in Him. That is to say, He
experiences that His existence is the base on which, or place in
which, all other things, including earth and space, exist. He knows
that because He is, everything seems to exist, and hence they are
in Him and He alone is their base.
75 The Experience of Happiness
451. To the extent that one dives within the Heart, to that
extent one experiences that happiness which, though
really shining as the unbroken nature of one’s Self, is
experienced interruptedly in so many different ways
[by means of the sense-objects].
452. If you firmly fix your mind in the Heart, the true
knowledge will dawn. Being then drowned in the
experience of the joyous peace of Sada Siva, you will
shine as the Sun of true knowledge with the splendour
of a thousand rising suns.
Michael James: Sada Siva is the eternal supreme goodness, i.e.
Self.
453. Whenever thoughts [desires] are satisfied, the mind
reaches its source [the Heart] and experiences only
the happiness of Self. This indeed happens in this
life when the liked are obtained, when the dislikes are
removed, and during the time of abiding in Self [samadhi],
of swoon and of cherished sleep.
Sadhu Om: Refer to Who am I?
454. In this foolish life of egotistic delusion conceived by
the petty mean mind, which is a contracted form of
the chittam, is there anyone who experiences the
true happiness of serene clarity which shines forth
when the chittam remains without even the least
thinking!
Michael James: Chittam is the storehouse of the knowledge and
the consequent tendencies (vasanas) gathered from birth to birth.
126 Sri Muruganar
76 Sleep
455. Even though people enjoy the highest happiness in
deep sleep, where no other thing exists, instead of
understanding that it is the true happiness and trying
to achieve it in life [i.e. instead of finding the means –
the Self-enquiry – to experience it uninterruptedly
even in the waking state], craving to obtain other
things, sense objects, as if they were the remedies
for the miseries that occur, is utter foolishness.
456 Ignorance is concerned only with the other objects
which are known to the mad ego in the two states
other than sleep and swoon [i.e. waking and dream],
but is not concerned with Self.
Michael James: ‘the other objects’ are objects other than Self.
457. Terming sleep as a ‘sheath’ [kosha] is only on
account of the foolishness of Self-forgetfulness in
which the waking state is considered to be a state of
knowledge [prajna]. If the concept that the waking
state is a worthy and true state of knowledge [prajna]
is lost, then the very sleep will shine as the one,
non-dual Reality.
Sadhu Om: Since one takes the ego-consciousness [the ‘I’ am the
body’-feeling], which exists in waking and dream, to be the real
consciousness of one’s existence, [one is in] a state of unconsciousness
and ignorance. But if, by means of enquiry, one realises
one’s real state as the pure self-existent consciousness,
devoid of the attachment to the body, the ego-consciousness
which was experienced in waking and dream as one’s self-existence
will be found to be unreal, and the knowledge that the state
which was referred to till then as sleep is the perfect, real Selfconciousness
will dawn. It is only to make this clear that Sri
Bhagavan said in Maharshi’s Gospel: “Sleep is not ignorance, it is
one’s pure state; wakefulness is not knowledge, it is ignorance.
There is full knowledge in sleep, and total ignorance in waking …”
458. That one who, not knowing his real greatness, is
deluded into thinking that he was unable to see [or
know] anything during sleep is only the fully fattened
GURU VACHAKA KOVAI 127
ego, the root, who was considering himself during
the previous two states [waking and dream] to be the
seer, [and it is not You, Self]!
Sadhu Om: For Self, which was shining during sleep, there was no
delusion of such knowledge and ignorance. All these are only for
the ego. It is only the ego, who was absent during sleep, who says
after rising in the waking state that he did not know either other
things or even himself.
459. When the triads [seer-seen-seeing, knower-knownknowing]
disappear due to the destruction of the
base, the foolish ego, and when the manyness [the
states of waking and dream] is thus completely
destroyed, the pure, broad Daylight [Self] that then
shines like a hundred suns is the Night of Siva
[Sivarathri].
Sadhu Om: Sivarathri is an auspicious night when all jivas including
Brahma and Vishnu, worship Lord Siva. The beauty to be
noticed here is that such a night is explained to be pure broad daylight.
Why? Since no other thing is known there, it is night; and
since the pure consciousness shines there, it is bright daylight.
460. When the beginningless, impure tendencies, which
were the cause for waking and dream, are destroyed,
then sleep, which was [considered to be] leading to
bad results [i.e. tamas] and which was said to be a
void and ridiculed as nescience, will be found to be
Turiyatitam itself.
461. Anandamaya is said to be a sheath [kosha] because
of the great desire towards the waking state of the
one identifying with the vijnanamaya kosha. But
when the strong ego identifying with vijnanamaya is
destroyed, the anandamaya that survives will lose
the nature of a sheath [kosha] and remain as the
supreme Bliss.
Sadhu Om: Only because we have desires in the form of subtle
tendencies to leave sleep often and to rise and make pravrittis in
the vijnanamaya kosha [the intellect – buddhi], the sastras describe
128 Sri Muruganar
the blissful state of sleep as a sheath. It is only one’s attachment,
the desire to be active in vijnanamaya, that drags one out of the
anandamaya kosha [sleep]. If this attachment is lost, the leaving of
the blissful sleep will not happen. Then, the uninterrupted state of
bliss [in sleep], instead of being a mere sheath, will shine as our
natural, unending, true state of Bliss.
462. If one achieves the unshakeable state of Self-attention
– one’s Existence-Consciousness – till sleep
overtakes one, one need not be heart-broken, feeling,
‘Ah, the delusion of ignorant sleep, the forgetfulness,
has overcome me!” [i.e. sleep will never come].
Sadhu Om: Since the knowing of the consciousness ‘I am’ continues
even there, it will not be a sleep, but will be experienced as the
state of the shining of the Self.
77 The Real Thing
463. The rope, the true knowledge [Self], into which disappears
the wonderful snake, the mind-delusion –
which exists so long as it is not enquired into and
becomes non-existent when enquired into – alone is
the real Thing.
Michael James: The whole universe, which seems to exist on
account of the wonderful illusion, the mind, is not the real Thing.
The real Thing is only Self-knowledge, the One, into which the
whole universe disappears when mind, its root, merges. Since
non-enquiry alone is the reason for the seeming existence of the
mind, Self-enquiry alone is the only way to know the real Thing.
464. The knowledge of the supreme Bliss which shines
naturally [as ‘am’], without any desire and beyond
differences, in the well-established Self-abidance
[samadhi] is the real Thing.
465. Since at all times and in all places the unmistakable
Self [‘I am’] alone shines eternally as the one Thing,
except That, all other things at all times and in all
places have to be dismissed as false.
Michael James: What is called ‘time and place’ itself is false.
GURU VACHAKA KOVAI 129
78 The Loss of Doership
466. The pure Bliss of peace will shine within only for
those who have lost the sense of doership. For, this
foolish sense of doership alone is the poisonous
seed that brings forth all evil fruits.
467. Instead of going on, driven by the restless thoughts,
performing actions such as ‘I should do this, I should
give up that’ as if they were worthy to be done, acting
according to how the Grace of God, the Lord of our
soul, leads us, is the right form of truly worshipping
Him.
468. In ancient days the chaste lady [Draupadi] had her
honour saved and her sari lengthened by the Grace
of Lord Krishna only when at last, letting go of her
own hold on her sari, she lifted up both her hands in
complete surrender to Him; and the strong wicked
one [Duchasana] who was stripping her fell down
abashed.
Sadhu Om: So long as Draupadi was trying to hold her sari by her
own hands lest it should be stripped off and was calling Sri Krishna
for help, His Grace did not begin to function. But as soon as, having
complete faith in His gracious protection, she gave up holding
her clothes with her own hands and lifted them above her head,
her surrender became complete and hence His Grace began to
function by making her sari grow unendingly and by making the
wicked Duchasana, who was stripping her, fall down in a swoon.
This incident is pointed out there in order to instruct us that we
should give up the sense of doership and should thus surrender to
God completely and unreservedly.
469. Those who, like a child who does not seek to know
what is good for it [but leans upon its parents],
purely depend upon the Mother, Chit-Sakti, the Grace
of the Lord, reach His feet and remain naturally in His
service [i.e. abide in Self], having lost all actionsdone-
with-doership, which are caused by the defectful
delusion [maya] ‘I am the body’.
Sadhu Om: Rather than upon their own effort [which is only the
130 Sri Muruganar
sense of doership], devotees or aspirants always depend upon the
power of the Grace of the Supreme. This power is personified here
as the Mother. She is described as ‘Chit-Sakti’ because Grace
shines in everyone in the form of Self-Consciousness – the
sphurana ‘I-I’. Since this is purely on account of the unaccountable
mercy of the Lord, such Grace of His is described here as the
Mother.
The correct way of understanding Sri Bhagavan’s instruction
here is that aspirants should completely and without doubting cling
to the Self-consciousness ‘I-I’. Like a child which, not even trying to
know what is good for itself, depends solely upon its mother, if an
aspirant, not even trying to know any scriptures, trying to do any
yoga, or expecting any help from outside, simply clings to the
‘I’-consciousness, that alone is sufficient and he will easily and
surely be saved form all delusion and pitfalls.
Since clinging to the ‘I’-consciousness is merely a ‘being’
and not a ‘doing’, neither does it need doership nor does it turn out
to be action [karma] even. Thus the aspirant naturally ever abides
in Self. Sri Bhagavan advises that this Self-abidance alone is the
state of one’s remaining in the service of the Lord.
470. The Lord who has fed you today will ever do so well.
Therefore, live carefree, placing all your burden at
His feet and having no thought of tomorrow or the
future.
471. Know well that even performing tapas and yoga with
the intention ‘I should become an instrument in the
hands of the Lord Siva’ is a blemish to complete
self-surrender, which is the highest form of being in
His service.
Sadhu Om: Since even the thought ‘I am an instrument in the
Lord’s hand’ is a means by which the ego retains its individuality, it
is directly opposed to the spirit of complete self-surrender, the
‘I’-lessness. Are there not many good-natured people who engage
themselves in prayers, worship, yoga and such virtuous acts with
the aim of achieving power form God and doing good to the world
as one divinely commissioned? It is exposed here that even such
endeavours are egotistical and hence contrary to self-surrender.
GURU VACHAKA KOVAI 131
472. One’s thus becoming a slave to the Lord and one’s
remaining quiet and silent, devoid even of the egotistical
thought ‘I am His slave’, is Self-abidance, and
this is the supreme Knowledge.
Sadhu Om: How the same supreme knowledge which is obtained
through the path of Jnana [Self-enquiry] is obtained even through
the path of Bhakti [self-surrender] is shown in this verse.
473. Seated in the Heart of everyone as Heart, the Lord will
ordain everything according to one’s destiny [prarabdha].
Therefore, if we unswervingly abide in Self,
our source, all will happen unerringly.
474. Those who have the strong faith, “He who has
planted this tree will water it”, will never be distressed.
If he [who planted it] sees the tree drying up,
let even that pathetic sight be only his burden.
Michael James: Devotees with great faith in God never feel concern
for the needs of their life, because they are so sure that God
will never abandon them. Even when it happens that they are not
provided with their needs, they do not feel that they are afflicted;
they simply endure with it patiently, feeling that it is only God who
has to suffer by seeing them troubled. Hence on all occasions they
are happy. This verse thus assures that for such devotees there is
no misery at all in life.
475. Since God alone is the root, all that is offered to Him
will go to the whole banyan tree, the world and souls
which sprout out from Him, the root.
Sadhu Om: Submitting oneself to God is like watering a banyan
tree at its root. If, rejecting this self-surrender, which is nothing but
the state of true knowledge, one engages oneself in the world
thinking that one is doing service to the world, it is just like spraying
water on the leaves and branches of the banyan tree. On the other
hand, if one surrenders oneself to God, truly that alone is the real
service to the whole world and all the souls.
Here, some may doubt that this instruction seems to contradict
the 5th verse of Upadesa Undiyar. But in truth it is not so.
How? Verse 5 of Upadesa Undiyar points out that worshipping the
132 Sri Muruganar
universe by imagining it to be God is only a thought-process [enni
vazhipadal], and that its fruit is also only the purification of one’s
own mind [karuttai tirutti – as pointed out in verse 3]; such worship
is not for the benefit of the universe. But by surrendering oneself to
God, thought or imaginations stop and one attains the state of perfect
knowledge. Attaining this supreme knowledge alone is truly
helping or serving the world. Hence, the instruction given in verse 5
of Upadesa Undiyar is for those sadhakas who want to gain purification
of mind [Chitta-suddhi], whereas the instruction given in this
present verse is for those sadhakas who want truly to serve the
whole world. Therefore, if we scrutinize in this way, it becomes
clear that these two instructions do not contradict each other.
How is the true knowledge alone the best service to the
world? Let us see. Suppose one dreams in his sleep that his
friends are wounded by a tiger. Rather than his supplying medicine
to his dream-friends, would not his waking up from his sleep be
doing real help to them? No other efforts taken in the dream itself
will be a real service to them. So also, realising Self, which is the
real awakening alone will be the only proper way of serving the
whole universe.
Since jumping into service of the world with a sense of
doership will increase the egoism of an aspirant instead of giving
him chitta-suddhi, the real benefit of karma yogi, Sri Bhagavan,
with the intention of saving aspirants from such ruin, gives them
proper instruction in this verse.
79 The Attainment of Actionlessness
476. Whether or not one is performing actions, if the delusion
of individuality – the ego, ‘I am the doer of
actions’ – is completely annihilated, that is the attainment
of actionlessness.
Sadhu Om: People generally think that the attainment of actionlessness
is a state in which one should remain still, giving up all
activities. But this is wrong. Sri Bhagavan Ramana proclaims that
the loss of doership alone is the right kind of actionlessness, and
this alone is nishkamya karma – action done without any desire for
result.
GURU VACHAKA KOVAI 133
80 Self-Surrender
477. To him who surrenders himself [‘I’ and ‘mine’] to the
Lord, the Lord gives Himself here and now. Only
such a one who has thus lost himself [in God] and
gained the knowledge of Brahman, remains ever in
the experience of the pure supreme Bliss of Siva.
Sri Muruganar and Michael James: Surrendering oneself to God
means surrendering the notions ‘I’ and ‘mine’. The Lord’s giving
Himself means that, after the loss of ‘I’ and ‘mine’, Existence-Consciousness-
Bliss, alone remains. To denote the nature of his shining
forth as Existence-Consciousness-Bliss, Sri Bhagavan says
that ‘such a one gains the Knowledge [Chit] and drowns in Bliss
[ananda]’. Since Existence-Consciousness-Bliss, which is one’s
own nature, takes no time to shine forth as soon as ‘I’ and ‘mine’
are lost, it is said in this verse that the Lord gives Himself ‘here and
now’.
478. When scrutinized well, what results from all the
efforts made in Bhakti-marga is that one’s ego-form
dissolves through the strength of intense meditation
on the Feet of the Lord, and the individuality is lost at
His Feet by self-surrender.
Michael James: How does the ego-form dissolve through the
strength of intense meditation on the Feet of the Lord? Intense
meditation on His Feet is possible only when there is intense love
towards Him. Because of such intense love for Him, the aspirant
does not care for his own body and its needs. Thus he loses interest
in his own individuality and hence his ego-form is dissolved. It
is to be noted here, however, that mere concentration without love
cannot bring forth egolessness.
479. Erase your individuality, which cannot have a stand
separate from the Lord, who shines as everything.
The right definition of supreme devotion, where the
blissful peace prevails, is the surrender of the evil
fickle ego-self.
480. “Offer the self to the Lord”, they say. Then whose
else is it but His already? Therefore, it is one’s duty
134 Sri Muruganar
to repent for having stolen His possession [as ‘I’ and
‘mine’] and to restore it back to His Lotus Feet.
Sri Muruganar: Those who say “We should surrender ourself to
the Lord” do not have an accurate insight into devotion [pra-bhakti].
Self-surrender would become an endeavour [tapas] only if there
were a separate freedom for the jiva to do; is it not so? But since
the so-called jivatma is ever the possession of the Lord, having no
freedom of his own, his foremost duty is that being ashamed of his
act of stealing by rising as an independent entity, ‘I’, he should
merge back into Him once for all and become non-existent.
481. There will be no cause for fear for one whose mind
abides by the will of the Lord praying, “O Lord, let
nothing happen according to my wish; let only Thy
will be done”.
482. Not giving the least room in one’s heart – which is
having a great love towards attending towards Self,
the true form of God – to any thought raised by
vasanas is the right way of offering oneself to the
Lord.
Sadhu Om: These are the words of Grace given by Sri Bhagavan
in Who am I?: “Giving no room at all to the rising of thoughts other
than the thought of Self [Atma-chintanai – i.e. Self-attention] and
being firmly established in Self is surrendering oneself to the Lord”.
Refer also to verse 1189.
483. Giving up all one’s wishes through the attitude “Thy
wish alone is mine” is the state of complete surrender,
in which the evil ego, the original veiling, the firstrising
one, is annihilated. Thus should you know.
484. When inwardly enquired, where can the thief exist
who has with attachment and desire grabbed as ‘I’
and ‘mine’ the possessions [the soul, body, world
and so on] of the supreme infinite Lord?
Sadhu Om: Since the mind, body and world rise from Self [God],
they are described as the possessions of God.
This verse and the next explain how Self-enquiry and selfsurrender
result in each other, the result being egolessness.
GURU VACHAKA KOVAI 135
485. When the ego, losing all its mischievousness, dies in
Self-abidance [nishtha] by being a prey to the power
of Siva [Siva-Sakti] and becomes inert like a log,
since the Bliss ending all miseries is experienced
there, only then is self-surrender true.
486. Offering oneself with great devotion to the Lord, who
shines as pure Self, is just like breaking the toe off
the idol of Ganapathi made of sweet jaggery and
offering it to the idol itself.
Michael James: Refer to the footnote in The Path of Sri Ramana
Part II, part 93, for the story of the jaggery Ganapathi.
Sri Muruganar and Sadhu Om: When even self-surrender, which
is so much glorified in dualism as the highest and final form of
devotion to God, is thus exposed by Sri Bhagavan in this Upadesa
to be meaningless, we should consider of what avail all other forms
of worship will be! Therefore, remaining quiet, abiding in Self, giving
no room to the rising of ‘I’, which is the sin of usurping God’s
possession, is the best of all worships.
487. Unconditionally place your mind at the Feet of the
Lord who has Sakti on His left. Then, since the tricky
‘I’ and ‘mine’ are dead, the glorious, blissful Supreme
Self will shine triumphantly.
Michael James: ‘The Lord who has Sakti on His left’ is a traditional
way of referring to Lord Siva.
81 The Attitude Towards Enemies
488. Good people [aspirants] should not with dejection
hate enemies even a little, however bad they may be.
For even hatred, like desire, is fit to be hated.
Sadhu Om: This verse gives the same upadesa given by Sri
Bhagavan in Who am I?: “One should not dislike others, no matter
how bad they are. It is both likes and dislikes that are to be
disliked.”
489. Since that [this body, and the ego, the form of which
is ‘I am the body’] which is rejected by an aspirant as
‘not I’ is the same as that which is ridiculed by his
136 Sri Muruganar
enemies, for an aspirant who wants to destroy the
ego [himself], the various insults from his enemies
are just like an anvil to the goldsmith.
Sadhu Om: An aspirant means one who truly wants to destroy his
ego-sense. He and his ego-sense are one and the same. Through
the paths of both self-surrender and Self-enquiry, what he rejects
or hates is the ego or himself. Since those [his enemies] who hate
or scold him are also doing the same, they are pointed out here to
be great helpers in his project. This is explained by the example of
a goldsmith and his anvil. Because the anvil is resisting from below
each of his hammer-blows, the goldsmith is able to shape his metal
properly. If the anvil is soft, all the efforts of the goldsmith will be in
vain. Similarly, the more appreciation an aspirant receives, the less
will be the subsidence of his ego. Thus, rather than his appreciators,
his enemies are helping the aspirant in his sadhana.
490. Only that mighty one who has the great valour to conquer
hatred by love is a true Sage [muni].
Sri Muruganar: “Hatred cannot end hatred” was the teaching of
Buddha. However, even some spiritual aspirants, on seeing atrocities
and thinking that it is their duty to attack the wrong-doers, jump
into the matter with anger. To point out that it is not proper for them
to do so, this instruction was given.
82 The Simplicity of Life
491. If some men of abundant wealth were to give up willingly
a few of their luxurious modes of living, millions
of pitifully suffering poor could live.
492. Since the gracious Lord produces the needful food
for all creatures only in the needed quantity, if one
consumes more than what is needed to sustain life, it
is a sin of stealing violently other’s food. Thus
should you know.
Sri Muruganar: Although this verse mentions only food, it is applicable
to all the necessities of life. Whatever one heaps more than
necessary is nothing but heaping sins. This is well confirmed by
the next verse.
GURU VACHAKA KOVAI 137
83 Chapter Concerning the Crime of Excess
493. By the crime of excess, even the nectar will become
poison. By the crime of excess, many are the evils.
Hence one should realize the crime of excess and
remove it.
Sri Muruganar: Though it is said that fasting and non-sleep are in
a way an aid to spiritual progress, excess of them is certainly harmful.
Bhagavad Gita points out: “For he who sleeps more or utterly
restrains sleep, and for he who eats more or fasts more, there is no
success in yoga.” Sri Bhagavan also used to say that more than
fasting, sattvic food in moderate quantities is the proper aid for
sadhana.
84 Humility
494. One’s greatness increases to the extent one becomes
humble. The reason why God is Supreme to such an
extent that the whole universe bows to Him, is His
sublime state of humility in which the deluded ego
never rises unknowingly.
495. For a wise aspirant who seeks to gain true greatness,
it is best to pay his homage [namaskarams] to others
until complete egolessness is achieved. On the other
hand, it is indeed dangerous for him to accept homage
from others.
Sadhu Om: The wise aspirant mentioned here is only he who aims
at Self-realization. Since the ego subsides by doing namaskarams
to others, it is pointed out to be ‘best’, and since the ego waxes by
accepting namaskarams from others, it is pointed out to be ‘indeed
dangerous’.
496. Is it not on account of His behaving so humbly, like
one willingly ever in the service of every creature,
that God stands worthy of all the glorious worships
ever performed by all the worlds?
497. By His seeing Himself in all, by His being humble
even to His devotees who bow to everyone, and by
His naturally remaining at such a pinnacle of meek-
138 Sri Muruganar
ness that nothing can be meeker than Himself, the
state of being Supreme has come to the Lord.
Sadhu Om: Through verses 494, 496 and 497, Sri Bhagavan
reveals a unique and surprising truth, that is, He explains how God
stands worthy of being worshipped by all the worlds. Sri Bhagavan
points out here that it is because God is naturally and lovingly humble
to everyone in all His own creation. The following incident will
prove that Bhagavan Sri Ramana, for this same reason, is none
but God Himself.
A devotee asked Sri Bhagavan, “What is your feeling when
hundreds of people come and do pranams to you?” Without hesitation,
Sri Bhagavan replied: “First I do my namaskarams to each
one of them as soon as they enter this room, and then only they do
so. Subsiding one’s ego is the right and real form of doing
namaskarams. Do I not have more chances each day to do such
namaskarams than anyone who comes here?”
This reply of His contains a lot of secret and deep meaning
to ponder over. The essence of the instruction given here is that
being ever humble, without allowing the rising of the ego, is the
only way to achieve greatness.
498. Since mind itself is both the minutest [anu] and the
biggest [mahat], Self, the Reality which is beyond the
mind, is transcendent [atitam]. Besides, Self is bigger
than all that is known as biggest and minuter than all
that is known as minutest.
Sadhu Om: Refer to the 5th stanza of Atma Vidya Kirtanam [The
Song on the Science of Self], in which Sri Bhagavan says that Self
is the Space containing the mind-space [which in turn contains the
physical space].
499. The hollow and flimsy straw floats high on the surface
of the sea, while the heavy pearl lies low at the
bottom of the sea. Likewise, though the worthless
one is positioned above, he is really low, and though
the great one is positioned below, he is never low.
Sadhu Om: The last two lines of this verse are verse 973 of
Tirukkural, the 3rd verse in the chapter entitled ‘Greatness’.
GURU VACHAKA KOVAI 139
One day, some devotees contrived to send away from the
presence of Sri Bhagavan a person who adamantly wanted a seat
no less high than that of Sri Bhagavan. Guessing what had happened,
Sri Bhagavan at once remarked, pointing his finger above
his head, “Oh, you are very happy in driving him away; but what
will you do with this one?” Just above the head of Sri Bhagavan,
there was a monkey sitting on the branch of a tree stretching its tail
towards him! The devotees felt repentant for their mistake. Is not
this incident a direct and practical explanation of this verse?
85 What is Worthy to be Done
500. Worthy to be done is Self-enquiry; worthy to be
gained is the glory of Self; worthy to be given up is
the ego-sense; worthy to be merged into is one’s
own source, so that cares and anxieties dies.
501. Worthy to be achieved is true knowledge; worthy to
be contemplated by the mind are the Feet of the
Lord; surely worthy to be joined is the company of
Sages [satsang]; worthy to have welling up in the
heart is Bliss.
Michael James: Verse 1144 is also to be read here.
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140 Sri Muruganar
PART TWO
THE PRACTICE OF THE TRUTH
(Tattuvam Anusantana Viyal)
1 Chapter Concerning the Greatness of Instruction
(Upadesa Matchit Tiran)
502. Know that the wise words of the One [the Sadguru]
who is well established in the Heart are the best
guide for the bewildered and deluded minds of the
devotees to free themselves from running after the
mean senses and to reach inwardly their goal.
503. The true knowledge [jnana] will not dawn without
exploring within the essence of the instruction ‘That
Thou Art’ uttered unceasingly through the speech of
His glance by the Sadguru, Self, the form of Siva [on
earth], dwelling in the hearts of His devotees.
504. The uninterrupted shining of Self, the life of life, as
the natural consciousness ‘I-I’ in the heart is the
nature of God’s giving unbroken upadesa to the worthy
disciple.
Sadhu Om: This verse explains further the ideas revealed in the
instruction: “For a few highly mature souls it so happens that the
Lord reveals the Reality from within by His being the Knowledge of
their knowledge”, given as a reply to the eighth question: “How is it
that some great Ones attain the supreme knowledge even without
a Guru?”, in the chapter ’Upadesa’ in the book Upadesa Manjari
given by Sri Bhagavan. This verse explains how Self, being the
Guru within, teaches the true knowledge to a fully mature soul
even without taking a human form outside. The shining of ‘I-I’, the
essence of the consciousness ‘am’, is the silent teaching of the
inner Guru, Self. Since the supreme, non-dual knowledge is nothing
but the Self-consciousness ‘I am’, its shining as ‘I-I’ itself is the
silent inner advice of the Guru inducing the disciple [the mind] to
abide ever in It. This is how Self acts as Guru from within.
GURU VACHAKA KOVAI 141
2 Chapter Concerning the Mahavakyas
(Mahavakkiyat Tiran)
505. Churned out of the many sayings that remove ignorance
which are contained in the four Vedas, the one
essential phrase denoting the absolute truth, Silence,
is ‘the oneness of the individual soul and the
Supreme’ [jiva-brahma-aikya].
Michael James: The mahavakya ‘That Thou Art’ (tattvamasi) also
denotes this.
506. For the highly mature souls who seek the supreme
sat-chit-ananda in order to free themselves from the
scorching heat of birth [and death], it is by the
enquiry into only the word ‘Thou’, which [out of the
three words ‘That’, ‘Thou’ and ‘Art’] denotes the
nature of the individual soul, that the glory of Liberation
is attained.
Sadhu Om: We should remember here Sri Bhagavan’s instruction
in verse 32 of Ulladu Narpadu as to what an earnest and sincere
disciple should do when he hears the Mahavakya ‘That Thou Art’
from a Guru. As soon as he hears the phrase ‘That Thou Art’, the
disciple’s attention should turn to know ‘What am I?’ This is the real
aim with which the Mahavakya was revealed. The one important
word that stands in the above Mahavakya to turn the disciple’s
mind to Self-attention is ‘Thou’. Therefore this verse categorically
asserts that out of the three words, ‘Thou’ alone should be taken
for scrutiny by a worthy disciple. The following two verses also
emphasize the same idea.
507. Only in order to turn inward the minds of less mature
aspirants, which will be favourable for the aforesaid
enquiry, [the Vedas] added the other two words
‘That’ [tat] and ‘Art’ [asi] to the word ‘Thou’ [tvam],
thereby forming the Mahavakya ‘That Thou Art’ [tat
tvam asi]. Thus should you know.
508. Verily the enquiry done within oneself to know the
real import denoted by the word ‘Thou’, ‘What is it?’
(Continued ...)
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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