GURU VACHAKA KOVAI
The Light of Supreme Truth
or
THE COLLECTION
OF GURU’S SAYINGS
stung by the hornets. The above verse is Sri Muruganar’s question
about this incident, and the next verse is Sri Bhagavan’s answer.
B16. Though the hornets stung the leg and made it swell
when it touched and damaged their nest built in the
midst of a green leafy bush, and though it was a
wrong that had happened unintentionally, what
indeed would be the nature of his mind [i.e. how
stone-like it would be] if he did not at least feel
repentant?
75 The State of Equality
(Naduvu Nilai Tiran)
816. It is wrong for those who try to live a just life to leave
the state of equality and to take specially for themselves
some rights which are not available to all
alike.
Sadhu Om: It is worth remembering here that Bhagavan Ramana
refused to accept for Himself any special food, convenience or
importance which was not provided to everyone in the Ashram
where He lived. Thus He Himself exemplified what He taught in
this verse.
817. If others have some right, then only should one avail
oneself of that right. If some right is denied to others,
it would be wrong for one to avail oneself of it.
Sadhu Om: Once a foreigner, not knowing the customs of India,
was sitting in the Hall stretching her legs towards Sri Bhagavan. An
ashramite objected to her doing so, saying, “It is wrong to stretch
one’s legs towards anyone; please fold your legs”. At once Sri
Bhagavan, who was sitting on His couch stretching His legs
towards the devotees, folded his legs. This incident shows how Sri
Bhagavan did not take any special right for Himself if it was not
allowed to others.
818. Those who go against the state of equality are those
who go against God, who is equality itself. Though
they perform due worship to God, they are completely
rejecting God-worship.
GURU VACHAKA KOVAI 241
Sadhu Om: Since equality [samatvam] is the nature of God,
God-experience is called samadhi [the state in which the mind
stands in equilibrium]. Hence those who deny equality to others,
are going against God.
Sri Muruganar: Just like the sun or the rain, God does not reject
anyone. Sri Ramalinga Swami addresses, “O Equality, who stands
impartial both to good people and bad”. Therefore, devotees
should also not swerve from the state of equality; if they swerve,
then their worship of God is invalid.
76 Conscience
(Mana-Sandru Tiran)
819. If one’s conscience, according to which one has
[always] been acting, once tells one not to live in a
[seemingly] good society, it is better for one to live
alone rather than to live in that society, rejecting
one’s pure conscience.
Sadhu Om: This verse is an instruction given to some good devotees
like Sri Muruganar who came to live in the Ashram, believing it
to be a favourable environment for their spiritual progress, but who
soon had to leave and live alone outside the Ashram, having found
for one reason or another that it was not a suitable environment.
When a seemingly good society is thus bound by an advanced
aspirant to be unsuitable, he should follow his conscience and live
alone, and should not continue to depend in any way upon that
society.
However, it should be noted that in this verse the word ‘conscience’
means only the conscience of an advanced aspirant,
which is why it is referred to as a ‘pure conscience’. Since the
minds of immature people are often unable to resist their bad tendencies,
their conscience may sometimes decide good to be bad
and bad to be good, and hence it is not the conscience of such
people that is meant here. Rather than being misled by their wrong
discrimination, it would be better for such people to follow the
advice of their elders.
Sri Muruganar: If one’s conscience, being driven by prarabdha,
separates and prevents one from living in a good society, it will be
242 Sri Muruganar
better for a wise aspirant to live alone instead of rejecting his pure
conscience by trying to live among the same group of people.
77 Not Uttering Falsehood
(Poyyamai Tiran)
Michael James: This verse can be interpreted in two ways:
820. (a) Failing to keep a promise one has already given to
someone would be wrong as lovingly telling the
supreme truth about the Self to an anadhikari [one
who is unfit].
820. (b) It would be wrong on one’s part to lovingly tell the
supreme truth about the Self to an anadhikari,
because it would contradict what one had previously
taught him and, since it would thus lose its reality [in
his view], he would refuse to accept it.
Sadhu Om: The word ‘tannil’ used in this verse can be interpreted
in two ways, namely (i) to mean ‘as [wrong] as’ or (ii) to mean ‘on
one’s part’.
821. Since the Supreme Himself, who stands as the Lord
in the heart of all, shines as Truth [satyam], the
abode [of all virtues], one should not break one’s
given word, even though it is at a time of danger to
one’s life. If one breaks it, unfailing misery will result.
78 Non-Attachment
(Anasakti Tiran)
822. The boat may remain in water, but if water enters the
boat it will bring great catastrophe. [Likewise] a man
may live in the world, but if the world enters [the
mind of] the man the whole life will be miserable.
Sri Muruganar: It is not the world itself but only the attachment
towards the world which constitutes samsara-bandha [the bondage
of mundane existence]. Attachment is caused by the mind, and not
by what is outside. No harm will befall one by one’s merely living in
the world; but all miseries come into existence only because of
one’s desire to enjoy the world.
GURU VACHAKA KOVAI 243
823. Only the pot, which takes in water, will drown in it,
while the log, which does not absorb water, will not
drown in it. [Likewise] only those who inwardly
attach themselves to the world will be deluded, while
those who do not attach themselves to the world will
not be deluded, even though they are engaged in
worldly activities.
824. One who is free at heart from any attachment will
never be at any risk, even though engaged in all
[activities], because of the clarity with which his
mind shines.
825. Instead of clinging to this wonderful but utterly false
world for refuge [or instead of depending upon it for
happiness] and thereby drowning in it, it is wise to
renounce it inwardly like a shell of a tamarind fruit
and forget it totally.
Michael James: Even while it is in its shell, the tamarind fruit separates
itself from the shell and remains unattached to it. Likewise,
even while in the world, the mind should separate itself from the
world and remain unattached to it. If instead it clings to the world,
depending upon it for happiness, it will drown in it like a pot that
takes in water.
826. A heavy building raised on foundations which are not
strongly built, will collapse in devastation and disgrace.
Therefore it is essential from the very outset
for aspirants who work hard [on their spiritual path]
to adhere strictly and at any cost to the preliminary
observances.
Sri Muruganar: Preliminary observances [charyas] here mean
devotion [bhakti] and non-attachment [vairagya].
Sadhu Om: If an aspirant does not from the very outset develop
the necessary strength of character by practising control of the
senses, when he is taught the Advaitic truth by the scriptures or
Guru, he will be shaken by his worldly desire before attaining
Jnana and will experience a downfall.
Sri Muruganar: It is essential in the beginning for aspirants to
244 Sri Muruganar
make an effort to practise controlling the chitta-vrittis [the mind’s
running after sense-objects]. If a beginner moves closely among
worldly objects, pretending as if he is free from attachment, he will
at last experience disappointment.
827. If one unceasingly and firmly clings to the true Being
[Self] and thereby achieves clarity [of true knowledge],
the attachments, which are superimposed appearances
like the blueness of the sky, will of their
own accord go away leaving one pure.
79 The Greatness of Renunciation
(Turavu Matchi Tiran)
828. The path of renunciation is a slippery ground. Slipping
away even mentally will lead to great ruin.
Therefore, it is the duty of one who walks on the path
of renunciation, the slippery ground, to protect himself
lest the treacherous forgetfulness should stealthily
enter his heart.
Sadhu Om: For those who are beginning on the path of renunciation,
the word ‘forgetfulness’ used here will denote the forgetfulness
of observances such as sense-control and control of conduct
and character, while for those who are well advanced on the path,
it will denote the forgetfulness of Self.
829. Since it is impossible to know beforehand the last
moment of one’s life, it is best for one who has a firm
determination [to put an end to birth and death] to
renounce at the very moment he gets disgust for the
body and world.
Sri Muruganar: Since vairagya, the firm determination to put an
end to birth and death, is the correct sign of maturity, one should
take to renunciation [sannyasa] as soon as a disgust arises in one
for the body and world, no matter to which of the four ashramas
[modes of life] one may belong at that time. The ascending order of
ashramas is applicable only to ordinary seekers and not to those
mature aspirants who have intense vairagya.
830. Just as a fruit falls from the tree when ripe, so an
GURU VACHAKA KOVAI 245
aspirant will certainly renounce his family life like
saltless gruel as soon as he becomes fully mature,
unless his prarabdha interferes as an obstacle.
Sadhu Om: If the prarabdha of such a mature aspirant is to remain
at home, it will obstruct his outward renunciation, yet he will remain
in his family with complete inner detachment. Since prarabdha controls
one’s outer life, the ashramas come only according to
prarabdha; but since prarabdha cannot obstruct one’s inner renunciation,
true non-attachment [vairagya] can arise in one no matter
to which of the ashramas one may belong.
831. Those who have understood that the multiple objects,
which appear in and from oneself like a dream [but
which are seen as if an external universe] are mere
mental conceptions [projections of one’s vasanas
within] and who have therefore renounced them,
alone can destroy maya the deceptive defect. Others
do not know how to destroy this defect.
Sadhu Om: Until this world-appearance is understood to be one’s
own mental projection or conception, like a dream, the sense of
reality [satya-buddhi] towards it will remain in one, and hence one
will not be able to achieve perfect renunciation. The fact that the
world is merely an unreal mental delusion is also stressed in the
next verse.
832. Perfect Jnanis, who have experienced Self, the nondual
real knowledge, will not be bewildered by this
dual sight [the world-appearance]. They will renounce
it as an empty, tricky delusion [maya].
833. Buddha renounced unlimited wealth because he had
understood the transitoriness [of this world]. Therefore,
for one who has known the transitoriness of the
world visible to the senses, it is impossible to be
laukika [a worldly-minded person].
834. Only those who, considering the world as worthless,
have fearlessly renounced it with great courage, are
the wise ones who definitely see the Supreme Reality.
Others are fools who see only what is unreal.
246 Sri Muruganar
835. “Renouncing the world as ever non-existent even
while it appears to exist, is the attainment of Self, the
consciousness which appears to be non-existent,”
say the Sages.
Sadhu Om: What is meant by ‘the attainment of Self’? Self alone is
the ever-existing reality, while the world is an ever non-existent
thing [refer to Upadesa Manjari, ch.2, answer to question 5]. However,
so long as the world is known as if it were existing, Self will
seem to be hidden or unattained. Therefore, the mere act of
renouncing the world-appearance as unreal will itself be the attainment
of Self, the Supreme Reality.
836. That which remains unrenounced after all that can be
renounced has been renounced – that existence
shining in the Heart as the real Self, alone is the
attainment of bliss abundant.
837. For those who have made the rarest renunciation,
that of the ego, nothing remains to be renounced.
Sadhu Om: Refer here to verse 26 of Ulladu Narpadu.
838. Since the Sadhu’s mind [chittam] shines as Sadasiva,
nothing remains [to be renounced or] even to be
desired.
839. The majestic one [the true renunciant] who wanders
carefree, possessing nothing and refusing everything,
bewilders and perplexing even the mind of a
king who can give anything! Ah, what a wonder!
80 The True Renunciation
(Turavu Unmai Tiran)
840. Know that, rather than one’s thinking in the heart ‘I
have renounced everything’, one’s not thinking ‘I am
limited to the measure of the body, and I am caught
in the mean bondage of family life’, is a superior
renunciation.
Sadhu Om: So long as a sannyasin feels ‘I have renounced everything’,
is it not clear that he has a sense of identification with the
body, ‘I am so-and-so’, and a sense of doership, ‘I have renounc-
GURU VACHAKA KOVAI 247
ed’? Therefore his renunciation is not a true one. On the other
hand, if a family man does not feel ‘I am a householder’ or ‘I have a
family’, is he not free from the sense of ‘I’ and ‘mine’? Therefore he
alone is the true renunciant. Thus this verse teaches that giving up
the ego, the sense of ‘I’, is truly giving up everything.
81 The Oneness of Mind
(Samashti Mana Tiran)
841. The mind is said to be two [either good or bad] only
in regard to the good and bad tendencies that influence
it. Know that on scrutiny it is really one mind
which functions differently as a good mind and as a
bad mind.
Sadhu Om: The same idea is also expressed in prose in the following
passage of Who am I?: “There are not two minds, a good
mind and a bad mind. The mind is only one. Tendencies [vasanas]
alone are of two kinds, auspicious [subha] and inauspicious
[asubha]. When the mind is under the influence of auspicious tendencies
it is called a good mind, and when it is under the influence
of inauspicious tendencies, a bad mind.”
842. Considering ‘This is my mind, that is your mind’ is
the cause of bondage. But when the mind shines as it
is, [that is, as] the power of the clear supreme Selfconsciousness,
it is surely only one. Know thus.
843. Know that the one real ‘I’ appears to be many ‘I’s
because of the body-outlook [i.e. because of the
wrong outlook that each body is an ‘I’]. But through
the outlook of Self, the one eternal existence-consciousness,
know them all to be one.
82 Annihilation of the Ego
(Ahandai Yozhivu Tiran)
844. Sever the delusive and sorrow-laden ego by the keen
knowledge gained through enquiry, [because] the
true happiness of peace [santi] cannot prevail except
in a heart where this knot [granthi] has been rooted
out.
845. By the sharp edge of the sword of divine Silence cul-
248 Sri Muruganar
tivated in the heart by the practice of jnana-vichara,
one should dig out and cast away the root, the ego, ‘I
am the body’. This is the means to attain the overbrimming
happiness of peace.
846. Do not make any real and firm effort except to annihilate
the feeling ‘I am the body’ [the ego]. Know that
the ego, ‘I am the body’, is the sole cause of all
samsara-duhkha [the miseries of life].
847. Know that the rarely attained supreme bliss, liberation,
the greatest renunciation, the deathless death
and wisdom are all one and the same – the destruction
of the ignorant delusion ‘I am the body’.
848. [The destruction of this delusion is also] all these:
reading and listening [i.e. sravana], reflecting [manana],
abiding [nididhyasana], the attainment of Grace,
Silence, the supreme abode, peace, ritualistic sacrifice,
devotion, charity, tapas, dharma and yoga.
B17. Know that the annihilation of the feeling ‘I am the
body’ [dehatma-bhava] is charity [danam], austerity
[tapas], ritualistic sacrifice [yagna], righteousness
[dharma], union (yoga), devotion [bhakti], heaven
[Swarga], wealth [vastu], peace [santi], truthfulness,
Grace [arul], the state of silence [mauna-nilai], the
deathless death, knowledge [arivu], renunciation, liberation
[mukti] and bliss [ananda].
Sadhu Om: All that are mentioned above will be attained by
merely destroying the wrong notion ‘I am the body’ through
Self-enquiry. Therefore Self-enquiry should be understood to be all
in all.
849. Though the good dharmas [righteous acts] are said
to be so many, just as the golden ornaments are
many, the sole reality of all those dharmas is
self-sacrifice [tyaga], just as the sole reality of all
ornaments is gold.
Michael James: The word tyaga means self-sacrifice, and is generally
taken to denote the sacrifice of ‘mine’-ness [mamakara].
However, since this verse comes under the chapter-heading ‘Anni-
GURU VACHAKA KOVAI 249
hilation of the Ego’, in this context tyaga should be understood to
denote the sacrifice of ‘I’-ness [ahankara], that is, the giving up of
the ego.
Sri Muruganar: Just as the gold, which is the common factor
[samanyam], alone is the reality of all the diversity [visesham) of
ornaments, so tyaga, which is the common factor, alone is the reality
of the diversity of those dharmas. Just as without gold there can
exist no diversity of ornaments, so without tyaga there can exist no
diversity of dharmas.
850. If the extremely courageous aspirant who has renounced
the ‘mine’-ness [mamakara] – the gateway
to all miseries, which are in the form of desires – succeeds
in completely renouncing the ‘I’-ness [the ego
or ahankara] through vichara, that is the attainment
of the fruit of every great dharma.
851. Instead of spoiling the wholeness of the existence of
the Lord [Self] by proudly rising as ‘I [am a separate
individual]’, to subside within is the correct observance
[niyama] or tapas for entering the sanctum
sanctorum, the presence of Jnana-Siva.
Sadhu Om: This verse teaches us what kind of tapas or observance
is required to enter the sanctum sanctorum of Siva. The rising
of the ego in the form ‘I am the body’ – as if it were a reality
different from Self, Lord Siva – is itself spoiling the oneness of
Siva. Therefore if, instead of rising thus, the ego subsides in Self,
that would be the correct tapas or observance required for entry
into the sanctum sanctorum of Siva. It is thus indirectly hinted here
that those who do not possess such tapas, whosoever they may
be, are not qualified for entry into the temple, the sanctum sanctorum
of Lord Siva, since they have the worst impurity, that of a rising
ego.
Sri Muruganar: Except the twice born – that is, those who have
not only been born physically but have also been born again as
Self by enquiring ‘Where from was I, the soul, born?’ – no one is
qualified to enter the purest presence of Lord Siva either to see or
to touch His divine form. Therefore, the observance required for
temple-entry that is prescribed here is egolessness.
250 Sri Muruganar
Sadhu Om: It is to be understood here that Self is Siva, the heart
is His sanctum sanctorum, and the Self-realized Jnani is the
twice-born [the true brahmin].
852. In the view of the wise, dispelling the ego, which contracts
the perfect wholeness of the Supreme [limiting
it to the body by feeling ‘I am the body’], is the real
and flawless worship of the Supreme [whose nature
is to shine as the unlimited and adjunctless ‘I am’].
853. Mad people who, instead of becoming food to God,
seek to make God as food to them, will at last
through egoism become food to Yama [death].
Sadhu Om: Did not many asuras seek to subjugate God through
their worship in order to gain their own selfish ends? It is this kind
of attitude towards God which is described in this verse as ‘seeking
to make God as food to them’. Through their selfish worship
[kamya upasana] such people are in fact only courting their own
destruction!
854. Unless the appearance [of this world] known objectively
by the senses, and the wicked ego, the knower
of it, die as food to Siva, who shines as the state of
supreme consciousness, the supreme reality cannot
be attained.
855. Can the unmoving state of the real Self be cognised
by the petty [wandering] mind? [Therefore] unless
the ego-sense in the form of the knot between consciousness
and the insentient [chit-jada-granthi] is
annihilated, [our] real nature cannot be attained.
856. Is it not because of the rising of an ‘I’ in between
[consciousness and the insentient body] that one’s
peace is completely destroyed? [Therefore] unless
the wretched Vritrasura, the vain ego-‘I’, is killed,
Kaivalyam [the state of oneness] cannot be attained.
857. When the moonlight, the jiva or mind-knowledge,
merges into the real sunlight, the supreme Selfknowledge,
dies and becomes one with It, that is the
auspicious time of amavasya [the night of the no
moon].
GURU VACHAKA KOVAI 251
858. Only by dying and by no other means can one reach
Moksha-loka [the world of Liberation]. But what is
that death? It is [not merely killing the body but] killing
‘I’ and ‘mine’, [for] to kill this body is a crime.
Sadhu Om: Death of the body is not our real death. Sri Bhagavan
used to say, “Killing our body without killing our ego is just like
beating and breaking a chair instead of punishing the criminal who
is sitting on it”. That is, the body is innocent and insentient like a
chair; it is our mind or ego that is at fault, having caused all misery,
and hence it alone deserves to be punished and destroyed.
859. Only those who are dead to desires for [the pleasures
of] the vast delusive panorama of the world will have
their life transformed into Siva. There will be no bliss
by any means other than the dawn of the pure and
fresh experience of Self.
Sadhu Om: It is emphasised here that true happiness lies not in
the fulfilment of desires, but only in the destruction of desires.
860. If you ask, “What is that great death which will not
bring any more birth and which will destroy the innumerable
births and consequent deaths?”, it is the
death of the ignorance ‘I’ and ‘mine’.
Sadhu Om: Every seeming death of the body is nothing but a
chance to be born again in another body. Therefore, rather than
seeking the death of the physical body, it is wisest to seek the very
great and glorious death of ‘I’ and ‘mine’, because the petty bodily
birth and death will then end forever.
861. Only by attention to the reality, ‘Who am I?’, will the
body-bound ego-life die.
862. Destroying one’s false ego in [Self-]Knowledge and
abiding [in that Self-Knowledge] is the true clarity
[i.e. the real waking].
863. Except through the destruction of the false delusive
sense ‘I’ (am the body)’, there is no experience of real
Jnana.
864. He whose delusive ego [completely] subsides in and
252 Sri Muruganar
becomes one with existence-consciousness, will
cease from making the effort of starting [any action
or karma] and will shine in the Heart, having attained
the natural and peaceful state of bliss.
83 Knowledge of the Reality
(Tattva-Jnana Tiran)
865. Only when the ego-delusion, the sense of individuality
[jiva-bodha] – which rises from scheming Maya,
who does many heroic deeds with immense power
and authority [as if she were separate from yet equal
to the supreme Brahman] – is destroyed, will the
experience of the supreme Self-knowledge [Paramatmabodha]
arise.
Sadhu Om and Michael James: From the false Maya arises the
seemingly real sense of individuality, the false conception ‘I am a
jiva’. Only when this false sense of individuality is destroyed will
knowledge of the reality be obtained. Though Maya creates the
sense of individuality as if she were having great power and
authority, she is in fact ‘ma-ya’ [literally ‘what is not’]. Therefore, if
knowledge of the reality is to dawn, Maya and all her creation must
be found to be non-existent, just as, if the rope is to be known as it
really is, the snake must be found to be non-existent.
866. When the feeling ‘I am the body’ [dehatma-buddhi]
goes, the delusive confusion and anxieties will end.
Aha! The ‘I’ shining in the heart in which enquiry is
conducted, is the differenceless supreme consciousness
[nirvikalpa chit-param].
Sadhu Om: Since the root-cause of all differences [vikalpas] is the
dehatma-buddhi, and since the dehatma-buddhi is destroyed by
enquiry, that which shines in the Heart as a result of enquiry is the
differenceless sat-chit-ananda.
867. God, who seems to be non-existent, alone is ever
existing, while oneself [the individual], who seems to
be existing, is ever non-existent. The state of thus
seeing one’s own non-existence [maya] can alone be
said to be the supreme Jnana.
GURU VACHAKA KOVAI 253
868. Sahaja samadhi, the silence of sattva, alone is the
beauty of tattva-jnana [the knowledge of the reality].
Michael James: Sattva is one of the three gunas or qualities of
mind. However, in some scriptures such as Kaivalya Navanitham it
is said that sattva is the original or primal nature of the mind.
Therefore in this verse it is said that in the natural state (sahajasamadhi)
even this sattva – the primal nature of the mind – is
silent.
Sri Muruganar: Though sahaja samadhi is the state transcending
all the three gunas [sattva, rajas and tamas], since sattva alone is
the primal nature of the mind, the phrase ‘sattva-mouna’ [the
silence of sattva] is used here.
84 Seeing
(Katchi Matchi Tiran)
869. The role [dharma] of seeing is ascribed to Self – the
space of consciousness, the sun – only in the imagination
of ajnanis, [because] maya, the empty ignorance
[of seeing otherness], never exists in Self, the
support [sthanu], [and also because] Self is without a
second.
Sadhu Om: Since Self is in truth that which transcends all roles
and all qualities, and since It exists as one without a second, to glorify
It as the ‘witness of all’ [sarva-sakshi] or as the ‘knower of all’
[sarvajna] is merely the folly of ignorant people.
870. If I feel that I see the world, what is the secret behind
this? It is that a world of sense-objects and a seer of
it rise in ‘me’, the space of the perfect and true light
of unbroken [Self-]Knowledge. Know thus definitely.
Sadhu Om: This world-appearance, which is composed of the five
sense-knowledges, and the jiva who sees it are not real. They are
mere false appearances like a mirage, having Self as their base,
and they appear only with the help of the light of Self. Moreover,
this world-appearance is not even seen by Self, but only by the
jiva, who is himself a part of it. Refer here to verse 7 of Ulladu
Narpadu, in which Sri Bhagavan says, “Although the world [the
254 Sri Muruganar
objects seen] and the mind [the jiva who sees it] rise and set
together, it is [not by Self, but] by the mind alone that the world is
seen. [Self, on the other hand, is] the Whole which is the base for
[the false appearance of] the world and the mind to rise from and
set in, but which Itself shines without rising or setting, [and hence]
It alone is the reality.”
871. The conviction created by the senses that the appearance
is real is a mistaken conviction. Know that both
the senses, which enable the appearance to be
known, and the jiva, the knower of it, are of the same
degree of reality as the appearance.
Sadhu Om: Since the knower [the jiva], the known [the worldappearance]
and the knowing [the act of perceiving the world
through the five senses] form a triad [triputi], all of them are equally
false. In other words, since even the jiva who is seen and his act of
seeing are both a part of the world-appearance, they are both
unreal as that appearance. To illustrate this, let us suppose that a
film is taken of a king watching a cinema show; when this film is
projected, are not the king and his act of watching the cinema
show, both pictures in the film? Refer here to verse 160 and its
note.
872. He who sees the seer [the knower of the mind,
namely Self] will shine as the Supreme Self Itself,
having destroyed the sense of difference ‘I am different
form the seer of the seer’ and having attained his
own nature.
Sadhu Om: The central idea of this verse is that he who has seen
Self will shine as Self, having destroyed his individuality and having
attained the non-dual knowledge [advaita-jnana].
Though in verse 869 and other verses of this work Sri
Bhagavan says that it is wrong to ascribe to Self the function of
‘seeing’, in this verse He refers to Self as ‘the seer of the seer’. The
reason for this apparent contradiction is that He is here talking from
the ordinary level of understanding – the same level of understanding
on which most ancient scriptures such as Drik-Drisya
Viveka were given. Therefore the reader should understand the
expression ‘the seer of the seer’ to be figurative and not literal.
GURU VACHAKA KOVAI 255
873. Such a seer of the seer [i.e. a Jnani] will never see the
bondage of karmas. He will rule the space of supreme
consciousness as His kingdom. Through the
Self’s sight, He will be able to rule [i.e. to view] all
that is seen as His own Self. Know thus.
874. When seen through the sight of the supreme space of
Self, the illusion of taking births in this mirage-like
false world is [found to be] nothing but the egotistical
ignorance of identifying a body as ‘I’.
Sadhu Om: The attachment [abhimani] of identifying a body as ‘I’
is taking birth; unceasingly nourishing this attachment is life in this
world; temporarily forgetting this attachment is death; and destroying
this attachment for ever is Jnana or Moksha.
875. When seen not through the petty ‘I’ but through the
infinite ‘I’, everything is known to be within Self, the
real Supreme. Know that, just like the appearance of
many different objects in a dream, Self alone is seen
as other things [the world].
Sadhu Om: What is seen in dream appears only for the one who
sleeps. Though all that are seen appear to be objects different from
the dreamer [the seer of the dream], are not all of them [including
the dreamer] non-different form the one who sleeps? Likewise, it is
only we [the Self] that appear in this dream of the waking state as
the jiva [the seer] and the world [the different objects that are
seen].
876. Until the false appearance of the snake goes, the real
rope, the base, will not be known. [Likewise] until the
false appearance of the world vanishes, the real Self,
the base, will not be seen.
Sadhu Om: The same idea is expressed by Sri Bhagavan in the
following passage of Who am I?: “Just as unless the knowledge of
the snake, the imaginary superimposition, goes, the knowledge of
the rope, which is the base, will not be obtained, so unless the perception
of the world, which is an imaginary superimposition,
ceases, the realization of Self, which is the base, will not be
obtained”. Refer to verses 46, 876 and 877.
256 Sri Muruganar
877. Only when the knowledge of the world ceases will the
knowledge of Self be obtained. Such a glorious life
illumined by Self is the true and natural life of the
jiva; all other kinds [of so-called glorious life] will be
useless for him.
Sri Muruganar: Since the word ‘world’ [loka] literally means ‘that
which is seen’, the phrase ‘the knowledge of the world’ used in this
verse denotes objective knowledge, the seeing-knowledge which
appears with triputi-bheda [the difference of the seer, the seeing
and the seen]. The word ‘illumined’ here denotes the shining of the
reality as unqualified knowledge [that is, as the adjunctless consciousness
‘I am’].
uu
GURU VACHAKA KOVAI 257
PART THREE
EXPERIENCE OF THE TRUTH
(Tattva Anubhava Viyal)
1 Direct Knowledge
(Aparoksha Jnana Tiran)
878. Self alone is the real eye. Therefore Self, which is
known by itself, alone is the real direct knowledge.
But insentient people, who do not have Self’s sight,
claim the knowledge of alien sense-objects to be
direct knowledge.
Sadhu Om: Sri Bhagavan here describes those who do not see
through the eye of Self as ‘insentient people’, since they see only
through the insentient physical eyes. Such people say that the
knowledge of the objects of this world is direct knowledge [pratyaksha
aparoksha jnana]. However, the world seen in front of the
eyes is not perceived directly, since it is known only through the
medium of the mind and the five senses. Self, the knowledge of
one’s own existence, is a more real and more direct knowledge
than the knowledge of any alien object. It is only after there is the
first knowledge ‘I am’ that the knowledge ‘the world and all else
exists’ can come into being, and hence no knowledge except ‘I am’
can be direct knowledge; Self alone is the ever-direct knowledge.
879. Can the appearance of the triads [triputis] be possible
in the view of Self, which exists and shines as the
[one] unlimited eye [of pure consciousness]? All
other objects in front of It will be [found to be] Self
alone, having been burnt by the powerful look of the
eye of the fire of Jnana.
880. The one undivided real consciousness which does
not know anything as different [from itself] and which
is devoid of the knowledge of all these – the dual
sight of good and bad, time, space, cause, effect,
karma and so on – is the unlimited eye [mentioned in
the previous verse].
258 Sri Muruganar
2 The Ever-Direct Experience
(Nitya-Aparoksha Tiran)
881. All the benefit to be obtained by inner enquiry is only
the destruction of the deceptive ‘I’-sense [the ego]. It
would be too much to say that it is to attain Self,
which always shines clear and ever-attained.
Sadhu Om: In Maharshi’s Gospel, Book One, chapter six, page
30, Sri Bhagavan says, “To make room, it is enough that the
cramping be removed; room is not brought in from elsewhere.” See
also Talks p. 199. If the ego is destroyed, that alone will be sufficient,
for it will be equivalent to attaining Self.
882. The pure and direct shining forth of Self, like that of
the tenth man, is attained merely by the removal of
the false forgetfulness [of Self]; the gain experienced
is not a new one. Know thus.
Sadhu Om: After crossing a river, ten fools began to count themselves
to see whether they had already crossed safely. But while
counting each one forgot to count himself, and so they each
counted only nine, which led them to believe that one of them had
drowned in the river. Seeing their distress, a wayfarer understood
that their misery was only due to their having forgotten to count
themselves, so he said, “I will give each of you one blow, and you
must each count aloud as you receive your blow”. As soon as the
tenth man received his blow and counted “Ten,” they all exclaimed,
“Yes, we are ten after all. Our lost companion has been found.” In
truth, however, the tenth man was not newly gained, for he had
never really been lost. Likewise, the experience of Self is not to be
newly gained. The fruit of sadhana is only the removal of the seeming
forgetfulness of Self.
883. Will an ornament become gold only when its form is
destroyed by melting? Is it not [in reality] gold even
while it is in the form of an ornament? Therefore,
know that all the three [unreal] entities [the world,
soul and God] formed by the mind, are likewise [in
reality] nothing but existence-consciousness [Self].
Sadhu Om: Even while they appear to be many different things,
GURU VACHAKA KOVAI 259
the world, the soul and God are in reality nothing but the one Self
alone. It is wrong to think that they will become Self only after their
diverse forms have disappeared. In truth, only Self, the substance
or reality of those diverse forms, is real, while the forms themselves
are ever unreal.
884. One’s seeking and attaining Self in the heart is just
like a woman searching for her necklace being
deluded into thinking that she had lost it though she
was [in fact] always wearing it around her neck, and
[finally] regaining it by touching her neck.
Michael James: Just as the woman had in fact never lost her
necklace, so in truth Self is never unknown. Therefore to think that
Self-knowledge is something to be newly attained is no less foolish
than to think that the woman had regained her necklace only when
she touched her neck.
885. Except by [the effort made through] the path of
enquiring into the mysterious sense, [the ego], by
whatever effort is made through other paths such as
karma, it is impossible to attain and enjoy Self, the
treasure shining in the heart.
Sadhu Om: In this verse Sri Bhagavan clearly and emphatically
gives His verdict that however much one may strive on whatever
other path such as karma, yoga, bhakti or jnana, one cannot attain
the bliss of Self until one enquires ‘Who am I who strive in these
other paths?’ Compare verse 14 of Ulladu Narpadu – Anubandham
here.
886. If that unequalled state which is to be experienced in
future through tapas in the form of [the six steps of]
sama and so on is a real state, it should exist [and be
experienced] even now as much as then.
Sadhu Om: If we were to say that we do not experience Self now
and that we will experience it only at some time in the future, it
would amount to saying that Self is non-existent at one time and
existent at another time. If something is non-existent at one time
and comes into existence at another time, will it not inevitably be
lost once again? Therefore, since it does not exist in all the three
260 Sri Muruganar
times [past, present and future], how can it be called a real thing
[sat vastu]? Hence, since Self-knowledge is the reality, it should be
understood to be here, now, ever-attained [nitya-siddha] and
diectly experienced [pratyaksha]. The same idea is also expressed
in the next verse.
887. If that state does not exist now but will come [into
existence] only later, that state which will come cannot
be our natural state, and hence it will not remain
with us permanently but will [at some time] go away
from us.
Sri Muruganar: See the last point mentioned in the previous
verse. Since a state which comes at one time and goes away at
another time is not the final state, no matter how glorious and blissful
it may be, it will not be eternal. If one’s own natural state is itself
the final state, then there will be no destruction for it. It is only natural
and just that any state other than one’s own natural state will go
away from one at some time.
888. That [Brahman] is the whole [purnam]; this [the worldappearance]
is also the whole. Even when [this]
whole merges into [that] whole, it is the whole. Even
when [this] whole goes out [as if a separate reality]
from [that] whole, the whole alone remains.
Michael James: This verse is adapted from the famous Vedic
stanza, “Purnamadah purnamidam ...’, which was sometimes
quoted by Sri Bhagavan. In some commentaries upon Sri Bhagavan’s
teachings this Vedic stanza is wrongly interpreted to support
the view that “it is both false and futile to affirm that Brahman alone
is real and that the world [of names and forms] is unreal” (see
Sat-Darshana Bhashya, 6th ed., pp. 6-7). However, when this
stanza says, “That is whole and this is whole,” it should not be
taken to mean that Brahman is real and that the world as such is
also real. Sri Bhagavan’s teaching is that the whole world is unreal
as world but real as Brahman, the whole (purnam), just as the
snake is unreal as a snake but real as the rope, its base. Therefore
this verse should be understood in the following light: “That [the
rope] is the rope; this [the seeming snake] is also the rope. Even
when this snake merges [disappears] into that rope, it is the rope.
GURU VACHAKA KOVAI 261
Even when this snake goes out [as if a snake] from that rope, the
rope alone remains.” In other words, just as in truth the rope alone
exists, so in truth Brahman, the whole, alone exists; and just as the
seeming snake is a false appearance, so the seeming world is a
false appearance. Neither the going out (manifestation) of this
world-appearance nor its merging again into Brahman is real.
Brahman ever remains as the immutable and unchanging whole.
889. That [Brahman] is the supreme space; you are also
the supreme space. That [the Mahavakya] which
instructs that ‘You are That’ is also supreme space.
[By ‘yoga’ or ‘union’] nothing is newly added to that
real whole, which exists and shines as the common
space, and [by ‘neti-neti’ or ‘negation’] nothing is
removed from it.
Sri Muruganar: This verse explains the idea expressed in stanza
29 of Upadesa Undiyar. We should know that in truth there is no
attaining Liberation. Since bondage is a false mental conception,
Liberation is also nothing but a false mental conception. Apart from
Self, there is no Jnani and no ajnani; in the state of absolute truth,
there is no jnanopadesa or Mahavakya! Even the thought that the
natural state of Self has been lost is false; the tapas done to
remove the miseries caused by that thought is also false; even the
state of Jnana in which one has again attained abidance [through
tapas] is false! The upadesa is that Self alone ever exists.
890. “Except the non-dual whole [Self], all the mundane
multiplicities imposed on It as ‘this’ or ‘that’ are not
real even in the least; they are all nothing but a complete
illusion superimposed on It” – such alone is the
final verdict [of all Jnanis].
891. Since they [the Jnanis] say, “Though the One [seemingly]
becomes the many [objects of this world], [in
truth] It does not become anything”, and since from
the very beginning everyone remains as that One
[Self], the attainment of the true knowledge [that our
natural state is thus ever-experienced or nityaaparoksha]
is Liberation.
892. After understanding theoretically [through sravana
262 Sri Muruganar
and manana] that Self is non-dual, and after staggering
again and again in one’s efforts to attain [through
nididhyasana] the practical experience of the real
Self, when, [finally and with great dejection] all one’s
mental efforts subside, the knowledge which then
shines in the heart is the nature of that reality.
Sadhu Om: This verse clearly depicts the real experience of an
aspirant. Is it not the experience of many sincere aspirants that,
after learning about the true nature of Self through hearing
[sravana] and reflection [manana], they struggle hard in the practice
[nididhyasana] of Self-attention but repeatedly fail in their
attempts, until finally they feel weary and dejected, knowing their
own inability? This verse encourages such aspirants by pointing
out that when the mind, which is the root-cause of all efforts, thus
comes to a complete standstill due to utter weariness, that is
exactly the moment when Self will shine forth clearly and without
obstruction. The Tamil song Konjam Poru [which has been translated
into English under the title ‘Wait a Little’ and printed as song
No. 15 in ‘A Selection of Songs from Sri Ramana Gitam’] gives a
graphic and encouraging description of the state of mind of an
aspirant who reaches this state.
3 Nirvikalpa samadhi
(Nirvikalpa samadhi Tiran)
893. Merely being unaware of the differences [vikalpas] in
the outside world is not the sign of the real nirvikalpa
samadhi. The non-existence of differences [vikalpas]
in the mind which is dead is the supreme nirvikalpa
samadhi.
Sadhu Om: Many people are under the wrong impression that one
who is in nirvikalpa samadhi should remain inert like an insentient
log, knowing neither this body nor the world. After remaining for
some time [either days, months or even years] in such a state,
which is called kashta nirvikalpa or kevala nirvikalpa samadhi,
one’s body-consciousness will return, whereupon the mind will
become extroverted and all vices such as lust and anger will rise
up due to past tendencies [vasanas]. This kind of samadhi, which
is an experience that may occur during the early stages of practice
GURU VACHAKA KOVAI 263
of certain sadhanas, is only a temporary abeyance of mind [manolaya].
However, the right kind of nirvikalpa samadhi is only the
annihilation of the mind [mano-nasa], the permanent destruction of
the primal vikalpa ‘I am the body’. This is the state of true knowledge
and is called sahaja nirvikalpa samadhi.
Kashta nirvikalpa samadhi may be compared to the state of
a pot tied with a rope that hangs under water in a well. Like the pot
submerged in the water, the mind is submerged in laya. But at any
time the pot can be drawn out by the rope. Likewise, since the
mind is not destroyed, it can at any time be drawn out again by its
vasanas and forced to wander under their sway. But in sahaja
nirvikalpa samadhi the mind is dissolved in Self and loses its form
or individuality, like a salt-doll immersed in the ocean. Therefore it
cannot rise again. Sahaja nirvikalpa samadhi, in which the mind is
destroyed, alone is the real samadhi.
894. Abiding in one’s natural consciousness, ‘I am’, is
samadhi. Being freed from the adjunct-mixed awareness
[‘I am so-and-so’, ‘I am the body’, ‘I am a man’, ‘I
am this or that’ and so on], firmly abide in this
boundless [adjunct-free] state [of real samadhi].
895. Great Sages say that the state of equilibrium which is
devoid of ‘I’ [the ego, ‘I am this or that’] is mounasamadhi,
the summit of knowledge [jnananta]. Until
that mouna-samadhi, ‘I am that [I am]’, is reached, as
your aim seek the annihilation of the ego.
896. Unlike the rising and setting ‘I’ [the ego], Self remains
shining always. Therefore reject and thereby destroy
the false first person, ‘I [am so-and-so]’, and shine as
the real ‘I’ [Self].
Sadhu Om: The mixed awareness that rises as ‘I am so-and-so’, ‘I
am this’ or ‘I am that’, is the false first person or ego. But the existence-
consciousness, which shines alone as the pure ‘I am’, is the
true Self-consciousness, which is devoid of all the three persons,
first, second and third. Therefore, Sri Bhagavan instructs us to
remain as Self, destroying the ego.
897. O my mind who is suffering [or who have lost your
real nature] by thinking ‘I am a jiva’, you will again be
264 Sri Muruganar
deceived if you think or meditate ‘I am God’ [‘I am
Brahman’ or ‘I am Siva’]. [Because] in the supreme
state nothing exists as ‘I [am this or that]’ but only
the one Self [I am], the Heart [which ever exists as it
is].
Sadhu Om: The feeling ‘I am a man’ is a mere thought. It is the
form of the ego. Consequently, if one begins to think or meditate ‘I
am Brahman’ or ‘I am Siva’ or ‘I am He’, that will also be a mere
thought, another form of the same ego. Therefore, since this is only
another kind of thought, one cannot thereby be freed from thoughts
and attain the state of Self, whose form is mere existence [Sat].
Hence Sri Bhagavan warns that one who meditates ‘I am Brahman’
will be cheated in the end.
898. The well-established state in which the quiet mind
[the mind devoid of thoughts] has the unbroken
experience [of pure consciousness] is samadhi. Such
a settled mind, which has the attainment of the unlimited
supreme Self, is the essence of Godhood.
Sadhu Om: A wave is a wave so long as it moves; when that same
wave settles down without moving, it is the ocean. Similarly, the
mind is the mind so long as it moves and is limited; when the mind
becomes still and unlimited, it is God or Brahman. The Tamil word
‘Kadavul’ [God] literally means ‘kadandu-ullavar’ [He who exists
transcending]; hence our own real state, Self, which transcends all
adjuncts such as ‘this’ or ‘that’, is God [Kadavul].
899. Listen to the clue to attain the reality which abides
[as ‘I am’] within the knowledge [the mind] as the
knowledge to the knowledge [i.e. as the Self which
gives light to the mind]: to scrutinize and know the
object-knowing knowledge [the mind] by that same
knowledge [enquiring ‘What is it?’ or ‘Who am I?’] is
the means to abide within [as the reality].
Sadhu Om: Refer to the second line of verse 5 of Sri Arunachala
Ashtakam, in which Sri Bhagavan sings, “Just as a gem is polished,
if the mind is polished on the stone called mind in order to
free it of flaws, it will shine with the lustre of Thy Grace”. That is,
only when the mind attends to itself will it be freed from flaws and
GURU VACHAKA KOVAI 265
thereby shine as the reality, the pure ‘I am’. By attending to second
and third persons, the mind will only gather impurities. Therefore,
by engaging in any activity or sadhana other than Self-attention,
the mind will never die. It will die only when it attends to its own
form in order to find out ‘What am I?’ or ‘Who am I?’ This truth was
discovered by Sri Bhagavan from His own direct experience. Meditating
upon or scrutinizing anything other than the mind is neither
introversion [antarmukham] nor a means to know the reality. Only
Self-attention – the practice of the mind’s attending to the first person
singular feeling ‘I’ – will drown the mind in Self and thereby
destroy it. This therefore is the only path to attain and abide as the
reality.
900. Firmly abiding as ‘I am I’, without any movement of
the mind, is the attainment of Godhood [Sivatvasiddhi].
[Because] the shining of the truly well-established
state of knowledge [Self-knowledge] where
nothing exists other than that [knowledge] is pure
Siva, is it not?
901. The radiance of consciousness-bliss in the form of
one awareness shining equally within and without is
the supreme and blissful primal reality whose form is
Silence and which is declared by Jnanis to be the
final and unobstructable state of true knowledge.
Sadhu Om: Because the body, which is limited in time and space,
is mistaken to be ‘I’, everyone has the feeling ‘I am only inside the
body and not outside’. If the body is not thus taken to be ‘I’, there
will be no room for the feeling of difference ‘in’ and ‘out’ [see verse
251]. In such a state the Self-awareness ‘I am’, which shines as the
one consciousness devoid of ‘in’ or ‘out’, is itself the true knowledge
[mey-jnana], the whole and perfect primal reality.
902. Who can and how to think of the whole primal reality,
whose finality is Silence, as ‘I am That’, and why to
suffer thereby? Attaining the [thought-free] Silence is
Self-abidance [nishtha]; it is [attained by] the destruction
of [the first thought] ‘I’. When ‘I’ is thus destroyed,
where is the room to think?
Sadhu Om: When the reality is in truth nothing but the whole and
266 Sri Muruganar
perfect Silence which exists beyond the range of thought, why
should anyone suffer by trying in vain to attain it by thinking ‘I am
That’? Meditating ‘I am Brahman’, ‘I am He’ or ‘I am Siva’ is futile
and is not at all a proper jnana-sadhana. According to Sri Bhagavan,
the only true jnana-sadhana is to lose ‘I’, the ego, through the
enquiry ‘Who am I?’
4 Changelessness
(Nirvkara Tiran)
903. O very great and rare wise men, what is the nature of
change? Are the appearance and disappearance of
all these things really going on continuously, or are
they merely [seeming changes] appearing and disappearing
[in the ever-unchanging reality]?
Sadhu Om: Verses 63, 64, 65 and 91 of this work are again to be
referred to here. Some among us wrongly believe that though this
universe undergoes innumerable changes such as creation,
growth, decay and destruction, it is an ever-existing reality, and
that all these changes are therefore true. Sri Bhagavan tells such
people that their belief is wrong, and explains that the reason why
they have such a wrong belief is only because of their wrong outlook
of seeing the ever-unchanging Self as a universe having innumerable
changes. Throughout this chapter Sri Bhagavan continues
to refute their wrong belief with many arguments, and hence these
verses serve as a proper condemnation of their wrong philosophy.
904. The rising and setting of this universe is a defect [or
change] caused by the birth and death of the filthy
and fleshy body. To ascribe these changes to Self,
the space of Jnana, is a delusion, like ascribing the
appearance and disappearance of the clouds to the
sky.
Sadhu Om: The state in which the world appears and disappears
is petty and unreal, since these changes are seen only by the petty
ego, which appears and disappears along with the body.
905. Is there any delusion worse than the delusion of
being confused into thinking that Self, which knows
GURU VACHAKA KOVAI 267
the seemingly existing world to be completely nonexistent,
is subject to change?
Sadhu Om: Refer here to verse 4 of Ulladu Narpadu, where Sri
Bhagavan says, “... Can the sight [the seen] be otherwise than the
eye [the seer]? Verily, Self is the Eye, the unlimited [and therefore
changeless] Eye.” In other words, as is the eye, so is the sight.
Therefore if, instead of seeing through the defective and changeful
physical eyes, one sees through the unlimited and unchanging eye
of Self, the universe will disappear and the one Self will be known
to be existing all alone. When the truth is such, can there be any
delusion more than that of seeing Self, the ever-unchanging reality,
as this petty and changeful world? This is Sri Bhagavan’s question.
906. Know that not even the least defect [or change]
caused by the activities [in the world] will affect the
unchanging Self, just as not even the least defect [or
change] caused by the other [four] elements, earth,
water, wind and fire, will affect the vast space.
Sadhu Om: Refer also to Who am I? where a similar idea is
expressed by Sri Bhagavan.
907. According to the outlook of different people the same
woman is considered to be wife, husband’s sister,
daughter-in-law, wife of one’s brother-in-law, mother,
and so on. Yet in truth she does not at all undergo
any change in her form.
Michael James: Likewise, though in the ignorant outlook of the
jiva, Self appears to have undergone the change of becoming
many different names and forms such as the world, soul and God,
in truth It remains ever unchanged.
5 Solitude
(Ekanta Tiran)
908. When scrutinized, among all the many qualities necessary
for those who wish to attain the imperishable
Liberation, it is the attitude of a great liking to be in
permanent solitude that must be well established in
their mind.
268 Sri Muruganar
Sadhu Om: Sri Bhagavan used to say, “Solitude [ekantam] is not a
place; it is an inner attitude of the mind” [see Maharshi’s Gospel,
Book One, ch. 2]. The mind of a mumukshu should always like to
be in the state of happiness free from all vasanas or thoughts.
Compare here verse 912.
6 Non-Attachment
(Asanga Tiran)
909. O mind [whose true nature is Self], though by the
power of your mere presence all the tattvas [the
unreal principles such as the mind, senses, body and
world] join together and play havoc within, be not
bewildered by them but be a mere witness to them by
[the strength of] the experience of the knowledge of
the unattached Self.
Michael James: Though this verse is addressed to the mind, it
should be understood to be addressed to the mind in its true nature
as Self. That is to say, this verse indirectly tells the mind, “You are
in truth not that which is affected by all these tattvas, you are the
unattached Self, in whose presence and by whose presence all
these tattvas function. Therefore be as you really are (i.e. abide in
your true nature as Self).” It is also to be noted that in this verse Sri
Bhagavan instructs the mind how to remain as an unattached witness
to all these unreal tattvas. By imagining itself to be a witness
to them, the mind can never remain truly unattached to them; only
by the experience of the knowledge of the unattached Self
(asanga-swarupa-jnananubhava), that is, only by knowing and
being the real and ever-unattached Self, can one remain as an
unattached witness to all the unreal tattvas.
910. Whatever and however much [good or bad] either
comes [to one] or goes [away from one], to remain as
other than the knower of them and to be unaffected
by them, unlike a straw carried away by the wind, is
Jnana.
Michael James: Whatever good or bad comes to a Sahaja Jnani,
He remains Himself ever unaffected by them and unconcerned
GURU VACHAKA KOVAI 269
with them, since He knows Himself to be Self, which is other than
the experiencer of the good or the bad. His state may be compared
to a cinema screen, which is neither burnt by pictures of fire nor
drenched by pictures of water, though it is the support of all those
pictures. This completely unattached and unconcerned state of
true knowledge (jnana) was well illustrated by the life of Sri
Bhagavan. Though so many bad things went on around Him –
though some bogus sadhus tried to pose as His guru, though
because of jealousy they tried to kill Him by rolling boulders on
Him, though some insincere devotees pretended to love Him but
did mischief behind His back, though some people gave Him intoxicating
drugs like bhang, though a will was made in His name,
though court cases went on against Him, though an abusive book
was written about Him, though some of His good devotees like Sri
Muruganar were ill-treated and abused, though some so-called disciples
even tried deliberately to misinterpret His teachings by mistranslating
them and by writing false commentaries on them, and
so on – and though so many good things went on around Him –
though sincere devotees came to Him and praised Him as the
Supreme Lord, though His Jayanti, Golden Jubilee and other functions
were celebrated on such a grand scale, though His name and
fame spread all over the world, and so on – He ever remained as a
mere witness, unconcerned with all these things.
911. Unless one realizes oneself to be the unattached Self,
which is like the space that remains not even in the
least attached to anything, though it exists inside,
outside and pervading everything, one cannot remain
undeluded.
Sadhu Om: Without Self-knowledge, no one can live in this world
unattached.
912. The tendencies [vasanas] in the heart are the real
attachment [sangam] which should be discarded.
Therefore, in whatever society [sangam] they may
live, no harm will befall those great ones who have
complete control over the deceitful mind [having
destroyed all their vasanas and ha
(Continued ...)
My humble salutations to the lotus feet of Bhagavan Sree Ramana Maharshi
and also gratitude to great philosophers and others for the collection)
ving thereby
achieved mano-nasa].
0 comments:
Post a Comment