GURU VACHAKA KOVAI
The Light of Supreme Truth
or
THE COLLECTION
OF GURU’S SAYINGS
state of fullness of peace, having lost through
[proper discrimination] the desire for all the eightfold
siddhis.
Sadhu Om: This verse can also be read along with verses 645 to
649 in the chapter ‘The Severance of Objective Attention’.
Only those people who are deluded into thinking that objects
exist outside and are real, will consider that the eightfold occult
powers [ashta-siddhis] are wonderful and worthy to achieve. But
one who knows himself to be Self, the existence-consciousness,
and who has thereby given up objective knowledge, will understand
the worthlessness and unreality of all siddhis, and hence he
will reject them as trivial and will remain in the bliss of Self, the sole
reality.
984. The powerful One who [always] clings to the reality
will never be afraid, due to mental delusion, of anything
at all.
Sadhu Om: A feeling of fear can arise in one only so long as one is
deluded into thinking that there really exists anything other than
oneself. But the Hero who has attained the strength of Self-abidance
[nishta-bala] has the firm, unshakeable experience that He,
the reality, alone exists. Therefore, since no other thing exists in
His outlook, neither fear nor confusion can arise for Him.
21 All is Brahman
(Sarvam Brahma Tiran)
985. It is only Self, the one pure knowledge, that, as the
unreal knowledge [the mind], makes all differences
[vikalpas] appear. [Therefore] for the one who knows
and reaches Self, which is the harmonious knowledge,
all those other things [the entire world-appearance]
will be [found to be] of the nature of the one
Self.
Michael James: All differences such as name and form, time and
space, subject and object, are made to appear only by the mind,
which is truly non-existent, being nothing but an unreal appearance
in the real Self. Just as when the real rope is seen, the unreal and
non-existent snake is found to be nothing but that rope, so when
GURU VACHAKA KOVAI 301
the real Self is known, the unreal and non-existent mind and all its
products (the entire world-appearance) are found to be nothing but
that Self. It is only in this sense that the unreal world-appearance is
said to be of the nature of the one Self or Brahman.
986. Only the ever-existing Self, other than which nothing
exists and from which nothing is different, is the sole
reality. All that is known in that Siva [that sole reality],
who is the Supreme which exists and shines as
sat-chit, is only that Supreme and nothing else.
987. Whether real or unreal, whether knowledge or ignorance
gathered by the intellect, whether pleasant or
unpleasant to the mind, all are only Brahman and
nothing else.
988. Faith [shraddha], faithlessness [asraddha], thought
[chinta], thoughtfreeness [achinta], desirelessness
[virakti], non-desirelessness [avirakti], knowable
[vedam], unknowable [avedam], eminence [varam],
baseness [avaram], laudable [vaniyam], despicable
[avanidyam] – all are only Brahman and nothing else.
Sadhu Om: The four verses in this chapter all emphasize that Self
or Brahman is the sole existing reality. We should understand that
all the dyads or pairs of opposites mentioned in these verses are in
truth non-existent and that the one Brahman alone exists [see note
to verse 985]. We should not take these verses to mean that, since
even the dyads are only Brahman, the dual outlook is appreciated,
or to mean that there is no wrong in one’s being immersed in those
dyads.
22 Harmony Among Religions
(Samarasa Tiran)
989. Since Silence, the summit of knowledge, is the common
nature [of each and every religion], all religions
[matas] are agreeable as a means to true Advaita,
which shines unique and pure, and [hence] they are
not opposed to the wonderful Vedanta.
Sadhu Om: Whatever knowledge is proclaimed by whatever religion
to be the final goal or achievement, since Silence alone is the
302 Sri Muruganar
limit or boundary of all knowledge, the final knowledge of each of
those religions is contained in Silence. Since Advaita Vedanta is a
common principle having Silence as its goal, each and every religion
is a means and is agreeable to Vedanta. Refer here to verses
1176 to 1179, 1235 and 1242.
990. Even though [some] narrow and mean-minded people
invent a different religion due to enmity [with the
already existing religions], know that even that religion
is acceptable to Siva, who shines as the form of
the undivided knowledge.
991. In whichever religion you have faith, follow that religion
with true love, turning inwards instead of
outwardly arguing against other religions due to
attachment [abhimani] to your own religion.
Michael James: All kinds of attachment [abhimani], including even
the attachment to one’s own religion [matabhimana], are rooted
only in the ego, the dehabhimana or attachment towards one’s own
body as ‘I’. Therefore, if, due to one’s attachment to one’s own religion,
one turns one’s attention outwards to argue against other religions,
one will only be strengthening one’s dehabhimana or sense
of identification with the body. Since the ultimate aim of all religions
is to destroy the dehabhimana, one should turn within and know
one’s true nature, thereby rooting out the ego.
992. It is best to give up the various arguments about
duality [dvaita], qualified non-duality [visishtadvaita]
and pure non-duality [suddhadvaita], and instead
think of and worship God with ripening love [tapas]
in order to attain the wealth of divine Grace, and
[thereby] to know the reality.
993. Religion [mata] will exist only so long as mind [mati]
exists. After it [the mind] has merged into the heart
by turning within and scrutinizing that mind [by
enquiring ‘Who am I, this mind?’], in [that] abundantly
peaceful Silence no such religion can stand.
Michael James: In Sanskrit and Tamil religion is called ‘mata’
because it can exist only within the realm of the mind (mati). Therefore,
when the mind merges in Self, the state of Supreme Silence,
GURU VACHAKA KOVAI 303
through the enquiry ‘Who am I?’, no religion can remain. Thus
aspirants should understand that all the differences and controversies
created by the various different religions exist only in the mind,
and that those differences and controversies can be resolved only
by the mind’s turning inwards and merging into Self, the reality or
Silence which is (as revealed in verse 989) the common and harmonious
factor in all religions.
23 The Childlike State
(Saisavya Tiran)
994. Among the multitudinous human race, only children
[i.e. the childlike Sages] who are bereft of the mischievous
mind, the ego-sense, will be completely
protected from distress by the Mother-Father [i.e.
God], who is always thinking of them.
995. Only the pure mahatmas in whom the changeful mind
[vikara manas] does not rise even the least are fortunate
people, because the joy of sitting and playing
for ever upon the lap of the Mother, who is the source
of happiness, is their complete experience.
Sadhu Om: Even though God is so compassionate that He is
always bestowing His Grace upon everyone of His own accord,
we, the ego, obstruct His Grace by our rising and our mischievous
activities. Since Jnanis, who are bereft of those mischievous activities
of the ego, are like young babies who do not obstruct the
efforts which their parents make to protect them, they alone are
fortunate ones who always enjoy the supreme bliss of God’s
Grace.
24 Union with Self
(Atma Muyakka Tiran)
996. The state which is devoid of the dual distinction ‘I’
and ‘He’ and in which one has become one with the
Bridegroom, Self, who is the space of true knowledge
[mey-jnana], the ‘I’-sense having dropped away, is
itself the glory of the chastity of being one with Siva.
Sadhu Om: If verse 73 of this work is also read here, the expres-
304 Sri Muruganar
sion “the glory of the chastity of being one with Siva” will be clearly
understood.
997. Can there be speech or breath in that silent union in
which the dual outlook ‘I’ and ‘He’ [or ‘I am He’] is
merged in oneness? When ‘I’ is [thus] destroyed,
[that is] when the look of eye meets together with
eye, spoken words are of no use whatsoever.
Sadhu Om: The last two lines of this verse are verse 1100 of
Tirukkural [see verse 286 of this work, where the same Tirukkural
verse is used]. This verse of Tirukkural describes the meeting of
the eyes of two lovers, but in this present verse Sri Muruganar
uses the same verse in a spiritual context.
When the ego is destroyed, all dual feelings such as ‘God
and soul’ [Siva-jiva] and ‘Master and disciple’ [Guru-sishya] will
also be completely destroyed, and hence Silence alone will remain.
Only when the difference ‘Siva and jiva’ exists can the power of
speech be used to worship God by singing stotras and so on, and
only when the difference ‘Guru and sishya’ exists can the power of
speech be used for imparting upadesa to the disciple. However,
since the purpose of all spoken words such as stotras sung by the
devotee or upadesa given by the Guru is only to destroy the ego
and thereby to make the difference ‘I’ and ‘He’ merge into oneness
in the state of supreme Silence, in that final state spoken words will
be no further use.
Since the Tamil word for ’eye’ [kan] also means knowledge
or consciousness, the phrase “When the look of eye meets
together with eye” should here be understood to mean when the
attention of the limited individual consciousness [the ego] meets
with and thereby merges into the unlimited supreme consciousness
[Self], just like a river meeting with and merging into the
ocean. When the ego thus merges into Self, it loses its individuality
and is completely destroyed, and thereby all dualities and differences
created by that ego are also destroyed. In such a state of
perfect Silence, how can there be even the least speech or breath,
or anything else for that matter?
998. [Only] those who have united [with Self] can know the
nature of those who have united [with Self]. How can
those who have not united [with Self] know it? The
GURU VACHAKA KOVAI 305
nature of those who have united [with Self], like a
honey-bee which has drunk honey, is so great that
they do not know anything other than Self.
Michael James: When a honey-bee has drunk honey, it is so
much intoxicated that it knows nothing else. Likewise, having
become one with Self, the Jnani knows nothing other than Self,
and hence the nature of his state [i.e. the nature of His existence,
the nature of His consciousness or knowledge, and the nature of
His bliss] cannot be known by others who have not attained that
state. Compare here verse 31 of Ulladu Narpadu.
Sri Muruganar: The nature of those who have united with the reality,
like a honey-bee which has drunk honey, is so great that it cannot
be known by others. This is so because they do not know
otherness. Only those who have united can know the nature of
those who have united; those who have not united cannot know it.
999. Even by those who have united [with Self], the happiness
of union cannot be thought of but can only be
experienced. Those who have united [cannot think
even of] the method by which they have attained [that
state of] Silence, annihilating the ego-sense in that
anandatitam [that state transcending bliss].
Michael James: Though only those who have attained union with
Self can know the nature or state of those who have attained that
union, even they cannot express it to others but can only experience
it. If it were then asked, “They cannot express it to others
because for them there are no others, but cannot at least they
themselves think of that state and how they attained it?”, the
answer would be that even that is impossible, because for them
the thinking mind or ego has been completely destroyed.
Moreover, in the state of absolute reality which is experienced
by Jnanis, the state of ajnana is realized to be ever
non-existent, and hence it is impossible for them to think of a
method by which they passed from the ever-non-existent state of
ajnana to the state of Jnana, the ever-existing and sole reality.
That is why it is said in verse 413 of this work that it is impossible to
trace the path by which Jnanis have reached Self. Since Self alone
exists, there can be no place or state (such as ajnana) outside Self
306 Sri Muruganar
from which it can be reached and hence no path by which it can be
reached. For a bird which is flying in the sky, there can be no path
to reach the sky, and for a fish which is swimming in the water,
there can be no path to reach the water. Since we are truly ever
Self and Self alone, there can be no path or method for us to reach
Self. However, so long as we think that we do not know ourselves
to be Self, the sole existing reality, Sages have to advise us to try
to find out who or what we really are. When we thus turn our attention
towards ourselves in order to find out ‘Who am I?’, we will find
that we are always nothing but Self alone, and that the seeming
ego or individuality which we are wrongly taking to be ‘I’ was ever
non-existent. In that state we cannot think that we have followed
any path or method; we will merely realize that we are ever as we
are, and that we have never undergone even the least change or
movement of any kind.
25 The Greatness of Consciousness
(Chaitanya Matchi Tiran)
1000. The knowledge which sees the world as if different
[from itself], the objective knowledge which is the ego
[ahankara], is merely insentient [jada]. When [this]
ego dies, the flame of pure non-duality [suddhaadvaita],
which is the knowledge of the source of the
mind, will shine forth.
Michael James: The ego, the objective knowledge which sees the
world as other than itself, is insentient [jada] and unreal [asat]
because it identifies the insentient and unreal body as ‘I’. Therefore,
the pure non-dual real knowledge will shine forth only when
this insentient ego, the unreal knowledge, is destroyed.
1001. Existence [sat] itself shines as consciousness [chit].
Therefore, until the mind [chittam] is completely
extinguished and [thereby] becomes the absolute
existence-consciousness [kevala sat-chit], it is impossible
for the petty mind, which is a false imagination
[kalpana], a reflection of consciousness [chit-abhasa],
to see the reality, which is the non-dual supreme
consciousness.
1002. Only till the sun appears on the eastern horizon, will
GURU VACHAKA KOVAI 307
the self-conceit of that moon [shine proudly] in this
world. [Likewise] only till the knowledge which is of
the nature of consciousness [chinmaya-unarvu i.e.
Self-knowledge] appears, destroying the delusive
knowledge, the ego, will the self-conceit of the jiva’s
knowledge [shine proudly]. Know thus.
Michael James: That is, the jiva’s intellectual knowledge and skill
in the various arts and sciences.
1003. In the front of the great sun, the Self – [which ever
shines] in the Heart, the sky of consciousness [chitakasa],
without rising and setting – the mind of the
Atma-jnani is, in the vast world, like the moon seen in
broad daylight.
Michael James: During the night the moon may be of some use in
enabling one to see the world dimly, but after the sun has risen the
moon is of no further use, even though it may continue to be seen
in the sky. Likewise, in the state of ajnana the mind, which is a
mere reflection of the pure light of Self, may appear to be of some
use in illuminating the world, but after the sun of Self-knowledge
[atma-jnana] has risen, the mind is of no more use than the moon
in broad daylight.
1004. Know that the mind which illumines the illusory world
is [a mere reflected light] like the glittering mirrorlight,
reflecting the bright sunlight.
Michael James: The illusory world of names and forms is projected
and illumined only by the mind-light, which is but a dim
reflection of the true light of Self. Just as the pale moonlight is
swallowed when the bright sunlight appears, so the pale mind-light
is swallowed when the bright Self-light surges forth (see verse
857). When the mind-light is thus swallowed, the illusory names
and forms of the world, which were depending upon that sunlight
for their seeming existence, will also disappear, being found to be
unreal in front of the real light of Self-consciousness. (See verse
114 of this work).
308 Sri Muruganar
26 The Greatness of the Infinite
(Bhuma Matchi Tiran)
1005. The state in which one does not see any second-person
object, the state in which one does not hear a
second-person object, the state in which one does
not know any second-person object – know that state
alone is the infinite [bhuma].
Michael James: The upadesa given by Sri Bhagavan in this verse
is the same as that given by Sanatkumara in the Chandoyga
Upanishad, 7.24.1, namely, “That [state] in which one does not see
what-is-other [anya], does not hear what-is-other and does not
know what-is-other, is the Infinite [bhuma], whereas that [state] in
which one sees what-is-other, hears what-is-other and knows
what-is-other, is finite [alpa]. That which is infinite [bhuma], alone is
immortal [eternal and hence real], whereas that which is finite
[alpa] is mortal [transitory and hence unreal] ... ”. In the same
Upanishad 7.25.1 and 7.25.2, the Infinite [bhuma] is identified as
being synonymous first with ‘I’ (aham) and then with Self (atma).
Therefore in this verse and the next, the word ‘Bhuma’ should be
understood to mean Self or Brahman, our own true state of mere
being.
From the present verse we have to understand that any
state in which there is even the least knowledge of any second- or
third-person object is not the true state of Self, the real waking; it is
only another dream occurring in the sleep of Self-forgetfulness
(refer here to The Path of Sri Ramana – Part One, p. 143). Therefore,
whatever state we may experience, even if it be a divine or
heavenly state such as living in Siva Loka or Vaikuntha, so long as
we experience anything other than the mere Self-consciousness ‘I
am’, we should enquire ‘Who knows these other things?’ and
thereby turn our attention back towards the first person feeling ‘I’.
When the attention is thus fixed more and more intensely upon the
first person, the rising of that first person (the ego or mind which
sees those other things) will subside more and more, until finally it
merges forever in its source, whereupon the true state of Self, in
which nothing other than the mere Self-consciousness ‘I am’ is
known, will be experienced.
1006. Where that which is seen, that which is heard and
GURU VACHAKA KOVAI 309
pramada [i.e., the ego, whose nature is pramada or
inattentiveness to Self], which has the greatness of
seeing finiteness, are [all] destroyed, [that] immeasurable
Bhuma, [whose form is] the non-dual knowledge
[advaita-jnana], alone is the pure happiness of
abundant peace.
Michael James: The upadesa given by Sri Bhagavan in this verse
is the same as that given by Sanatkumara in the Chandogya
Upanishad, 7.23.1, namely, “That which is infinite [bhuma] alone is
happiness [sukham]. In the finite [alpa] there is no happiness. The
infinite alone is happiness [bhumaiva sukham] ....” But in the present
verse Sri Bhagavan reveals more about the nature of that
Bhuma, which alone is happiness, namely that it is the non-dual
Jnana which is devoid of anything seen or anything heard, and
which is devoid even of the ego, whose nature is pramada (inattentiveness
to Self) and whose so-called ‘greatness’ lies only in knowing
finite objects. From the two verses in this chapter we should
understand that true happiness lies only in the infinite, eternal and
real state of non-dual knowledge, which is devoid of both the knowing
mind and the objects known, and that not even the least real
happiness exists in the finite, transitory and unreal state of dual
knowledge, in which objects are known.
27 The Space of Jnana
(Jnana Veli Tiran)
1007. O men who – after running all over the world and
after seeing and worshipping holy men – are making
research upon the truth with great love, if you scrutinize
the supreme reality which [those] great tapasvins
clearly know, [you will find that it is nothing but]
the open and empty space of Jnana.
Michael James: The reality which is experienced by Jnanis is only
the empty space of Jnana (the knowledge of one’s own existence),
that is, the mere consciousness ‘I am’. This space of Jnana is the
same as the Bhuma described in the previous chapter, and it is
here said to be an open and empty space because it is the state
which is completely devoid both of objects to know and of a mind to
know them.
310 Sri Muruganar
1008. When scrutinized, that which is shown and given by
the Guru-Fathers [the father-like Gurus] to the disciples
who go in search of spiritual masters, hurrying
around the world, is only the wonderful space of
Jnana [the mere consciousness ‘I am’].
1009. The eternal goal, which is the resort or refuge in
which the weary wanderings here and there come to
an end, [and which is given by] the Jnana-Guru, who
is Siva, the supreme reality, who shines triumphantly
as the defectless existence-consciousness [sat-chit],
is only the wonderful space of turiya [the empty
space of Jnana].
Michael James: The weary wanderings through so many births
and deaths, as well as the weary wanderings of the body and mind
in each birth, come to an end.
1010. If, to the very end, one makes a full effort to attain
abidance [as Self], which removes bondage [in the
form] of desires [sankalpas], just as a snake removes
its skin, what emerges is [only] the open and empty
space of Jnana.
1011. The glory of the light of the space of consciousness
[chit-akasa jyoti] is the cremation-ground in which
the jiva, the unlimited reflection of consciousness
[chit-abhasa], is completely dead [and is being burnt
to ashes]. It is like [a fire] catching a dense dry forest
and spreading and burning without limit.
Michael James: The jiva, the reflection of consciousness, is here
described as unlimited because it is the root-cause of an unlimited
quantity of tendencies (vasanas), the seeds which give rise to all
ignorant imaginations (ajnana-kalpanas). When this jiva is completely
destroyed and is burning along with all its vasanas in the
fire of true knowledge (jnanagni), the cremation-ground in which it
thus burns is the expanse of pure consciousness (chit-akasa),
whose light is like the expanse of blazing fire which catches and
instantly spreads all over a vast, dense and dry forest, reducing it
completely to ashes. In this simile, the dry wood of the vast forest
is to be understood as being like the innumerable vasanas of the
GURU VACHAKA KOVAI 311
jiva, which have become dry as a result of the jiva’s vairagya or
inattention to them, and which have thereby become fit fuel for the
fire of Jnana (see pages 102 to 103 of The Path of Sri Ramana –
Part One). The Light of pure consciousness, which is here said to
be like a wild forest fire that spreads all around and instantly consumes
the ego and all its products (the whole world-appearance),
is the same as the blazing sun of Arunachala (the sun of
Self-knowledge) which, as described in verse 27 of Sri Arunachala
Aksharamanamalai and verse 1 of Sri Arunachala Pancharatna,
swallows everything by its spreading rays of bright light (see verse
114 of this work).
1012. Know that that which is worthy [to be attained] is only
Silence, which is mere Self, the [wrong] knowledge ‘I’
having died as ignorance [ajnana]. If you ask the
truth, “Why [is it so]?”, [it is because that state of
Silence is] the space [of Jnana] in which nothing
exists to desire and [thereby] be a cause of misery.
Michael James: Desire is the sole cause of misery, and it can
arise only if something other than oneself exists. Therefore, since
Silence, the state of Self, is the space of mere consciousness in
which nothing other than Self exists, it alone is worthy to be
attained. In order to attain this Silence, the ego, the wrong knowledge
‘I am the body’, must be destroyed, having being found to be
nothing but a non-existent ignorance.
1013. The glory of the vast space of true knowledge [meyjnana],
whose greatness cannot be excelled by anything
else, cannot easily be seen by any other
means, but only by the Grace of the Guru, who
destroys [all our] defects.
1014. Those who have seen the glory of [that] vast space
[of Jnana] will be transformed into the supremely
blissful and silent Siva, having destroyed birth [and
death], which were multiplied more and more
because of the vanity of attachment [to the body as
‘I’] and the other vanity [of taking the objects of this
world, including the body, to be ‘mine’].
1015. The subject for Parasakti, who stands as the predi-
312 Sri Muruganar
cate, having as objects all the things which are
known by the five – tasting, smelling, seeing, hearing
and touching – is the space of Jnana, the wonderful
state.
Sadhu Om: In a sentence the object depends upon the predicate
or main verb, and the predicate depends upon the subject. Without
the predicate and object, the subject can stand, but without the
subject, the predicate and object cannot stand. In this verse the
entire world-appearance, which consists merely of the knowledge
acquired through the five senses, is compared to the object of a
sentence; Parasakti, the power of maya which creates this worldappearance,
is compared to the predicate or main verb of a sentence;
and the empty space of Jnana, the true state of Self upon
which both Parasakti and Her creation depend for their seeming
existence, is compared to the subject of a sentence. Thus in a
humorous way Sri Bhagavan declares that this whole vast universe
and its powerful creator exist only by depending upon a mere open
and empty space.
Another hidden meaning is also given in this verse. The
Tamil word for ‘subject’ is ‘ezhuvay’, which can also mean ‘the rising
place’; the Tamil word for ‘predicate’ is ‘payanilay’, which can
also mean ‘useless’; and the Tamil word for ‘object’ is ‘seyyappadu
porul’, which means ‘the thing made’. Thus Sri Bhagavan indirectly
warns, “If you rise from the space of Jnana and thereby create so
many things, it is of no use”.
Throughout this present chapter, from verse 1007 to 1015,
the state of Jnana – the supreme goal of life [parama-purushartha]
which is finally to be attained by sadhakas after practising so many
sadhanas and after making so many sacrifices throughout so many
births – instead of being glorified as a very great achievement, is
described as “an open and empty space, a mere space which is
devoid of any other thing to be desired or attained, a mere state of
absolute silence”. However, it should be understood that the reason
why Sri Bhagavan seemingly ridicules the state of Jnana in
this manner is only to enable us to know the real greatness of that
empty space-like state. That is, Sri Bhagavan teaches in these
verses that, since not only all the countless objects of this unimaginable
great and vast universe, but even the parasakti which creates
and sustains them, rise and spread out only from the space of
GURU VACHAKA KOVAI 313
Self-knowledge [atma-jnanakasa], which is the mere consciousness
‘I am’, the supreme and unsurpassed state is only the state of
Jnana, the mere knowledge of our own existence, which is the
base that supports that almighty Parasakti.
Since, having risen from and forsaken the state of mere
existence-consciousness [the knowledge of their own being], the
minds of all jivas always remain extroverted and take pride only in
objective knowledge, they will not be fit to attain the state of
moksha or Jnana unless they give up that liking for objective
knowledge and instead gain great love for and find complete satisfaction
in the state of mere being. It is only in order to teach this
truth and thereby to instill firm vairagya in the hearts of His devotees,
that Sri Bhagavan glorifies the state of Jnana by describing it
in this chapter as a mere open and empty space. It is also only for
this same reason that Sri Bhagavan once humorously remarked,
“Everyone who comes here says that they have come only for
moksha. But if even a small experience of moksha were given as a
sample, that would be sufficient, and not even a single crow or
sparrow would remain here; all would fly away and I would be left
sitting here all alone!”
28 The Space of Consciousness
(Chit-Ambara Tiran)
1016. Wandering here and there in search of the space of
consciousness [chit-ambara], which exists and shines
everywhere as Self, is like searching with a flaming
torch for the sun in broad daylight, which by its
supremacy puts the white moon to shame.
Sri Muruganar: The space of consciousness [chitrambalam or
chit-ambara] is that which is also called the Heart-space [daharakasa
or hridayakasa], the consciousness-space [chidakasa] and
the knowledge-space [jnanakasa]. That alone is the true form of
God, who shines as Self.
1017. ‘I’ [the ego] is unreal; this [the world], which is not
[that ‘I’], is also unreal; the knowledge which knows
‘That I am this [body]’ is also utterly unreal [or that ‘I’,
the knowledge which knows this, is also utterly
unreal]; the primordial cause [mula-prakriti] which
makes the triad [triputi] appear, is also unreal. The
314 Sri Muruganar
wonderful space of consciousness [chit-ambara]
alone is real.
Michael James: The primordial cause (mula-prakriti) mentioned
here is maya, the mind or ego. The space of consciousness, which
alone is real, is the same as the Bhuma described in verses 1005
and 1006, whose nature is mere existence-consciousness and
which is completely devoid of the unreal triad – the knower (the
ego), the act of knowing and the objects known.
1018. Those who are deluded, thinking ‘That which is
known through the five senses is real,’ and who set
aside as unreal their own state [of Self], which is the
space of consciousness on which all the many vast
and crowded worlds appear [like pictures on a cinema-
screen], cannot attain the supreme benefit [of
Self-knowledge].
1019. Who else but Jnanis, who shine as Siva Himself, having
destroyed the impurities of the mind [i.e. the tendencies
or vasanas], can clearly know the greatness
of the glorious space of consciousness [the state of
true Jnana], which is untouched by any defect or
deficiency?
28 Revelation
(Arivurutta Tiran)
1020. “Therefore that space of consciousness is itself the
real supreme Siva, which cannot be described by
anyone” – saying thus, the divine Lord Ramana, the
supreme Jnani, revealed to me the state of Self,
which is Siva Himself.
1021. Self itself graciously revealed and bestowed Self,
which is the form of Self, at the time, which is the
form of Self, and in the place, which is the form of the
Self; in order for Self to attain [itself], it realized itself
as the form of Self.
Sadhu Om: In the above two verses Sri Muruganar expressed the
experience of supreme Jnana which was bestowed upon him by
the Grace of His Sadguru, Bhagavan Sri Ramana. Sri Muruganar’s
GURU VACHAKA KOVAI 315
state of egolessness can be clearly understood here from the fact
that he says the Self realized itself, and not, “I have realized Self”.
Truly, no jiva can ever realize Self; it is Self alone that realizes
itself [refer to pages 105 to 106 of The Path of Sri Ramana –
Part One]. Moreover, from the words used in verse 1021, “at the
time, which is in the form of Self, and in the place, which is the form
of Self”, we should understand that Self does not realize itself at
any particular time or in any particular place. Since time and space
are both unreal, being nothing but a false appearance in the real
Self, the experience of a Jnani is that He, the Self, has ever known
Himself at all times and in all places. For Him ignorance [ajnana] is
something which is ever non-existent, so though in the outlook of
others it may appear as if He has attained jnana at a particular time
and place, in His own outlook He does not truly feel that He was
once in ignorance and has now attained Jnana [see verse 1085].
30 The State of Self
(Atma Nilai Tiran)
1022. When the ego, which projects the world but hides
itself [being unable to know its own true nature],
enters the heart [by enquiring] thus ‘What is the shining
source of myself?’, the supreme knowledge
which shines forth triumphantly and with vigour [in
the form of the sphurana ‘I-I’] is the unending and
real state of Self.
Sadhu Om and Michael James: The very nature of the ego is to
attend only to things other than itself. Therefore, the ego does not
know who or what it is. This ignorance of its own nature (i.e. the
ignorance of the fact that it truly has no existence of its own) is
what is meant here by the words “the ego which hides itself”
(olikkum ahankaram). But if this transient and unreal ego, which
rises in the form of the wrong knowledge ‘I am this’ or ‘I am that’,
tries to turn its attention away from the world of second and third
persons, which it projects through the five senses, and towards
itself, the first person, in order to find out ‘Who am I?’, it will subside
into its source, the heart or Self, whereupon the eternal and
real state will shine forth of its own accord in the form of the true
knowledge ‘I am I’.
1023. If – instead of whirling with longing [for worldly plea-
316 Sri Muruganar
sures] because of objectively knowing other things
which appear in front of it due to [its] objective attention
– the wicked mind attends to itself, enquiring
‘Who am I who knows objects?’, [it will attain that
state of] abidance in its own reality which alone is the
true state [of Self].
1024. Whichever asrama they have entered and whichever
caste [varna] they have been born into, Jnanis will
ever remain in their own state [the natural state of
Self]. Only their own state is the real state; tell me, on
the other hand, are not all other states [such as the
varnas and asramas] merely unreal states [since they
pertain only to the unreal body]?
1025. The state of Self alone is the real and lovable state.
On the other hand, all the states of living in heaven,
[which is] like a sky-lotus, are only unreal mental
states which feed more and more upon delusion and
which, like the water of a mirage, appear [only] due to
imagination.
Sadhu Om: The words ‘like a sky-lotus’ [van-murali pol] can give
two meanings, namely (i) ‘[heavens] such as Brahma-Loka’ [because
the throne of Brahma, whose abode is in the sky, is a lotus],
and (ii) ‘like an imaginary lotus in the sky’. Just like the imaginary
lotus seen in the sky and like the imaginary water seen in a mirage,
all states other than the state of Self are mere mental delusions
and are truly non-existent. Even the pleasures of living in the various
kinds of heavens such as Brahma Loka are trivial and unreal,
and hence they cannot satisfy our yearning for complete and perfect
happiness any more than the water of a mirage can quench
our thirst. Therefore, the only state which is truly worthy to be loved
and aspired for is the state of Self.
1026. Even though one’s own natural reality itself exists
[and is experienced daily in deep sleep] as the supreme
happiness, [one’s] searching for happiness
and [thereby] suffering with the deluded and deceptive
mind always going after what-is-other [the non-
Self], is itself losing that which is happiness.
GURU VACHAKA KOVAI 317
Sri Muruganar: Since the actual truth of their own experience is
expressed by everyone thus, “I woke up from sleep; I slept happily,”
it is agreed by everyone that Self shines as the form of happiness
in the natural state of sleep, where the mind is empty and
devoid of attachment to sense-objects. If it is asked why that happiness,
which existed as one’s own nature in that state, ceases to be
experienced as soon as sleep comes to an end, it is because of
one’s desire to run after sense-objects, having been separated
from one’s own state. Therefore it is advised that one should attain
the unsurpassed happiness which is one’s own true experience, by
keeping the mind unshaken by the desire for sense-objects, which
arises due to delusion, by knowing oneself and by shining without
inattention [pramada], remaining peaceful even in the waking state
as in sleep.
1027. Jnanis know that the taste of Self [atma-rasam] alone
is the best taste [ati-rasam], and hence they abide in
the state of Self. Those who do not know that the
happiness of Self alone is definitely the highest,
abide in the state of the world [i.e. they remain
immersed in worldly life seeking only mundane
pleasures].
Michael James: In the appendix of Guru Vachaka Kovai – Urai, Sri
Sadhu Om included eleven stray verses of Sri Bhagavan and gave
notes indicating where each one should be incorporated in the text.
In verse 6 of that appendix, which should be incorporated here, Sri
Bhagavan says:
If [through the enquiry ‘Who am I?’] one knows one’s
true nature in the heart, [it will be found to be] existence-
consciousness-bliss [sat-chit-ananda], which
is beginningless and endless fullness [wholeness or
perfection].
In the above verse Sri Bhagavan has paraphrased verse 28
of Upadesa Undiyar.
1028. Those who do not know that their own nature is happiness,
will be deluded like a musk-deer, [whereas]
those who clearly know their own nature [to be existence-
consciousness-bliss], will abide in their own
318 Sri Muruganar
state [of Self] without attending to the world [and
without seeking happiness from worldly objects].
Michael James: The musk-deer emits a pleasant odour, but not
knowing that the odour is coming only from itself, it runs here and
there in search of the source of that odour. Similarly, not knowing
that all the happiness they enjoy comes only from their own Self,
whose very nature is happiness, ignorant people (ajnanis) run after
worldly objects in search of happiness. Compare here verse 585 of
this work, and pages 36 to 40 of The Path of Sri Ramana – Part
One.
1029. That which is called happiness is only the nature of
Self; Self is not other than perfect happiness. That
which is called happiness alone exists. Knowing that
fact and abiding in that state of Self, enjoy bliss
eternally.
Sadhu Om: Refer to the work Who am I?, in which Sri Bhagavan
says, “That which is called happiness is only the nature of Self;
happiness and Self are not different. The happiness of Self
[atma-sukha] alone exists; that alone is real.”
31 The Power of Self
(Atma Vala Tiran)
B20. Proclaim thus, “Whoever has conquered the senses
by knowledge [jnana], being a knower of Self [atmavid]
who abides as existence-consciousness, is the
fire of knowledge [jnanagni]; [He is] the wielder of the
thunderbolt of knowledge [jnana-vajrayudha]; He,
Kala-kalan, is the hero who has killed death.
Michael James: The wielder of the thunderbolt (vajrayudha) is
Indra, the most powerful of the gods, who is believed by some followers
of the karma-kanda (the portion of the Vedas which teaches
ritualistic actions for the fulfillment of worldly desires) to be the
Supreme Lord of the Universe. Therefore in this verse Sri
Bhagavan tells such karma-kandis that the real Indra, the Jnana-
Indra, is only the Atma-jnani.
The word ‘kala’ means either ‘death’ or ‘time’, and is a name
of Yama, the God of death. Kala-karan means either ‘death to
GURU VACHAKA KOVAI 319
death’ or ‘conqueror of time’, and is a name of Lord Siva, who killed
Yama.
Thus in this verse Sri Bhagavan reveals that the Jnani is not
merely an incarnation of any particular God. The Jnani is Jnana
itself, and hence He is none other than Indra, Lord Siva and all
other Gods. Since the Jnani has conquered the senses, through
which the whole universe is projected, He has in truth conquered
the whole universe. Therefore, in the entire universe there is no
power greater than the power of the Jnani’s Self-abidance.
The above verse of Sri Bhagavan, which is also included in
Ulladu Narpadu –Anubandham as verse 28, summarizes the ideas
expressed in the following two verses of Sri Muruganar.
1030. Only the powerful Jnani, who has conquered the five
[senses] by Self-abidance, which blazes forth unobstructed
[by even the least pramada], is the wielder
of the thunderbolt of Jnana who has destroyed
Yama, who will never turn back [empty-handed]; [He
is] the sun of Jnana, which destroys [the darkness
of] the appearance of [the six inner enemies, namely
desire, anger, miserliness, delusion, pride and]
jealousy.
1031. Know that He [the Jnani] who, angrily driving it back
into the heart [through Self-attention], destroys the
cruel Surapadma, the ‘I’ [or ego], who possesses the
power of creating and sustaining all the worlds
through the six senses, is Kumara [Lord Subrahmanya],
who revels in supreme bliss.
Sadhu Om: Since it is only through the mind that one is able to
know the world through the other five senses, the mind is sometimes
counted as one among the senses, thus making them six in
number.
The fact that the true Jnani, who has conquered and
destroyed the ego, is the embodiment of all the forms of God
[Iswara-murtis], is also revealed by Sri Bhagavan in verse 6 of
Devikalottaram, “He is the Four-faced One [Brahma], Siva and
Vishnu; He is the king of the devas [Indra] and Guha [Lord
Subrahmanya]; He alone is the Guru of all devas; He is the great
Yogi and the possessor of the wealth of all tapas.”
320 Sri Muruganar
32 The Nature of Self
(Atma Swarupa Tiran)
1032. O men who are [wrongly believing] that this body,
which is [insentient like] a picture, is ‘I’, can a picture
think anything? That which thinks and that which forgets
is only the soul. Therefore, that which is called
’I’ is [not the insentient body but] only that [the sentient
soul].
Sadhu Om: In this verse the ego or jiva, the false ‘I’, is referred to
as if it were the real ‘I’. Why? Since Sri Bhagavan’s aim at first is
only to prove the sentient being is only the jiva or mind which thinks
and forgets. He then concludes that the body, which is insentient
and which cannot think anything, is therefore not ‘I’. Then in the
next verse He reveals the truth that even this mind is not the real
‘I’. Thus the method of teaching adopted by Sri Bhagavan in these
two verses is the same as that mentioned in Kaivalya Navanitham,
chapter 1, verse 18, namely, “Like showing the crescent moon by
first showing some trees on earth, and like showing Arundhati [a
small star] by first showing some [larger] stars in the sky ... ”.
1033. When that body is [thus found to be] different [from
‘I’], there must be another soul [or life] having as its
body the soul, whose form is ‘I am the body’, shining
within that soul. When this is so, except that [other
soul], which is the real soul, can there be other
souls? Tell me.
Sadhu Om: The thinking and forgetting soul mentioned in the previous
verse is the jiva, whose form is the thought ‘I am the body’.
But since that verse concludes that the body is not ‘I’, the jiva or
ego is found to have actually no form at all. In other words, since
the jiva is neither the insentient body nor the consciousness ‘I am’,
but is only a false link which seemingly comes into existence when
these two different things are mistaken to be one and the same, we
have to conclude that the jiva has no real existence and that it
therefore cannot be ‘I’, the real soul or life. Thus we must accept
that there is another soul [another sentient reality] which has been
existing all this time within that insentient jiva, activating it and having
it as its abode. This other soul [the Self], which has the jiva as
GURU VACHAKA KOVAI 321
its body and which is the consciousness or life that makes that
insentient jiva appear as if it were sentient or alive, alone is the real
soul. When Self [the real, pure consciousness ‘I am’] is thus found
to be the sole reality of the jivas [the unreal, mixed consciousness
‘I am the body’], how can there truly exist any souls other than
Self? Thus this verse teaches that except Self, the one and only
real soul or life, there never exists any soul at any time or in any
place.
Michael James: Refer here to verse 1051.
1034. The reality which shines fully, without misery and
without a body not only when the world is known but
also when the world is not known [as in sleep], is
your real form [nija-swarupa].
1035. Let the world which is known [through the five
senses] be real or let it be discarded as an imagination
of the mind which knows [it], do you not exist
there as the form of the knowing consciousness?
That, the pure consciousness [‘I am’], alone is the
form of Self [atma-swarupa].
1036. The reality which is the mere consciousness [of one’s
own existence] that remains when ignorance [of objects]
is destroyed along with knowledge [of objects],
alone is Self [atma]. In that Brahma-swarupa, which is
abundant Self-awareness [prajnana], there is not the
least ignorance [ajnana]. Know thus.
Sadhu Om: People generally think that the state of not knowing
other things is a state of ignorance [ajnana]. But this is not correct.
Indeed, the knowledge of other things is itself ignorance [see
Ulladu Narpadu, verse 13]. Since even during the absence of the
so-called knowledge of other things, which is nothing but ignorance,
the pure Self-knowledge ‘I am’ is experienced by everyone,
this knowledge of one’s own existence is alone the perfect knowledge
[purna-jnana]. This knowledge, which is different from other
knowledges, is referred to in this verse as ‘the reality which is mere
[or empty] consciousness’ [vetrarivana unmai], ‘Self’ [atma], ‘Selfawareness’
[prajnana] and ‘Brahma-swarupa’.
1037. It [that Brahma-swarupa] is not only that which is
322 Sri Muruganar
devoid of ignorance [ajnana], but is also Self, which
is perfect knowledge [sujnana]. If it were not real
knowledge [sat-bodha], how could the differences of
the intellect be born from it?
Sadhu Om: The phrase ‘the differences of the intellect’ [vijnanabheda]
means the knowledge of differences [the knowledge of
dyads and triads] which shines in the intellect or vijnanamaya-kosa
and which is experienced by all jivas. Though this qualified knowledge
[visesha jnana] is unreal, the base from which it seemingly
rises or is born must be a real knowledge or consciousness. Therefore
it is to be concluded that Self [atma], the source of the intellect,
is of the very nature of knowledge [jnana]. Refer here to verse 12
of Ulladu Narpadu, “ ... Know that Self is knowledge, not a void”.
1038. That knowledge is not a quality [guna] of Self, because
the nature of Self is nirguna [devoid of qualities].
[Moreover] Self-knowledge is not an act [of
knowing], because [Self is] without doership [akartritva].
[Therefore] knowledge is the very nature [of
Self].
Michael James: Since Self is the non-dual reality, there is no other
thing to know Self, and hence it is Self alone that knows itself. But
since Self is by nature without doership and hence actionless,
Self’s knowledge of itself is not an act of knowing; Self knows itself
not by an act of knowing, but by being itself [see Upadesa Undiyar
verse 26, “Being Self is itself knowing Self, because Self is that
which is devoid of duality ... ”]. Therefore it follows that the very
nature of Self is itself knowledge, though it is a knowledge which is
devoid of the act of knowing. That is why Sri Bhagavan says in
verse 12 of Ulladu Narpadu, “ ... That which knows cannot be [true]
knowledge ... ”. The same truth is also expressed by Sri Muruganar
in verse 831 of Mey Tava Vilakkam, where he says, “The real ‘I’ is
such a knowledge which knows neither other things nor itself”.
Since Self-knowledge is non-dual, it is a knowledge which shines
without the triad [triputi] – the knower, the act of knowing and the
object known – and hence it is quite different from other kinds of
knowledge, all of which involve the act of knowing. Refer also to
The Path of Sri Ramana – Part Two, appendix 4 (c), p. 236.
GURU VACHAKA KOVAI 323
1039. That adjunctless knowledge, which is merely powerful
existence, which shines within of its own accord
as the indestructible ‘I am’, and which does not
depend even in the least upon any other thing, alone
is the nature of one’s own unshakeable reality [Self].
1040. How to know one’s own reality, which [as described
in the previous verse] exists as the shining of Jnana,
like [one knows] petty sense-objects [second and
third persons]? [But] if one peacefully abides in Self,
[thereby] destroying the false first person ‘I’ [the ego
which rises mixed with adjuncts as ‘I am this, I am
so-and-so’], the real first person [Self, the real ‘I’] will
shine forth of its own accord.
1041. Among the many groups which are triads [triputis or
the three factors of objective knowledge], no factor
[puti] can exist leaving Self. However, not even one
among those factors is Self. Only that which remains
as the base of all those [factors] is the real state of
Self.
Sadhu Om: The group of three factors, the seer, the act of seeing
and the object seen, is a triad [triputi]. ‘I am the seer’, ‘I am seeing’
and ‘these objects are seen by me’ – none of these three
knowledges can exist without an ‘I’. But this ‘I’, the seer, is not Self;
it is only the ego. Therefore, it is said in this verse that none of the
three factors which constitute a triad is Self. Actions or pravrittis
such as seeing are not the nature of Self. ‘I am seeing’ is the
nature of the ego’s knowledge. The knowledge of one’s own existence,
‘I am’, alone is the nature of Self. If there did not exist the
basic knowledge, ‘I am’, the qualified knowledge ‘I am seeing’
could not arise for the ego. Therefore it is said in this verse that
none of the factors for a triad can exist leaving Self, and also that,
since objective knowledge does not exist for Self, none of those
factors are Self.
1042. One’s own Self, whose greatness is eternality and
perfect wholeness is not at all duality [another thing]
to be attained. Uniting with [attaining yoga with] Self
is knowing [one’s own] existence [sat] and is not
knowing any other thing. That knowledge [the knowl-
324 Sri Muruganar
edge of one’s own existence] alone is the real form of
Self.
Michael James: Real yoga is only union with Self, which is not the
state of knowing other things but only the state of knowing one’s
own existence. Since in order to know a thing we must attend to it,
the only path to attaining the real yoga is Self-attention and not
attention to any other thing. When by Self-attention one thus
attains yoga or union with one’s own Self, it will be found that such
Self-attention (the consciousness of one’s own existence) is itself
the real form or nature of Self.
1043. The one unending supreme knowledge which exists
as the base for the appearance of all dyads
[dvandvas or pairs of opposites] which are seen,
such as subtle [sukshama] and gross [sthula], void
[sunya] and full [purna], and despondency [arising
from craving] and elation free from craving, alone is
‘I’ [the real form or nature of Self].
1044. The one real consciousness [chinmaya] that exists as
the base for the rising of the many unreal selves
[egos] and for [their] suffering, without itself suffering
due to the miseries produced by the mind, which
exists without performing the two karmas [good and
bad], alone is Self.
1045. Know that the Heart-space which, like the sun, exists
and shines of its own accord as the mere nature [of
existence] ‘I am’ and as the true clarity [of consciousness],
which is devoid of pride of [attachment to] the
body, alone is Self.
1046. That which is the dense Silence, real consciousness,
the subtlest light, which is not the ego that objectively
knows things in front of it as ‘this’, and over
which the mind becomes dejected and laments, “I do
not know it”, alone is Self, the existence-consciousness.
1047. All the worlds are a moving picture-show, [whereas]
Self is the unmoving [screen of] real consciousness.
Michael James: Compare here verse 1218.
GURU VACHAKA KOVAI 325
1048. [Just like in a cinema show] those triads [triputis] are
projected on the screen of that reality [Self], which is
the form of consciousness.
1049. Just like the keynote [sruti], which is the [unchanging]
note mixed in with and indispensable for all the
seven [changing] notes, and just like the screen,
which is the [unmoving] base for the pictures which
are moving [on it] due to [electric] power, that which
exists devoid of the defects [of change and movement]
is Self, the reality.
Michael James: Though the other notes are always changing, the
keynote (sruti) remains ever unchanged; similarly, though the mind
and its products, the body and world, are always undergoing innumerable
changes, Self, the basic consciousness ‘I am’, remains
ever unchanged. And though the pictures on the screen are always
moving, driven by the electric power in the projector, the screen
itself remains ever unmoving; similarly, though the mind and its
products are ever moving, driven by the power of prarabdha, Self,
the basic consciousness on which they appear, remains ever
unmoving. Thus, like the keynote and the cinema screen, Self is
not affected even in the least by any changes or movements which
might appear to occur in it.
1050. That which exists always and everywhere without
characteristics such as coming and going [or rising
and setting], and which, because of its shining within
every unreal thing, makes those unreal things, which
are many and different, appear as if real, alone is
Self, the supreme reality [para vastu].
1051. He who is unknown though residing within each and
every jiva, and who is unceasingly, untiringly and
efficiently activating all those jivas, having them as
His bodies, alone is the immortal inner Self [antaratma].
Michael James: Refer here to verse 1033 and its note.
1052. Know that Self is only [like] the unmoving axle in the
middle [of the wheel], and not [like] the spokes of the
revolving wheel, which are [similar to] the ever-suf-
326 Sri Muruganar
fering [or ever-wandering] ego-souls, whose nature
is rising and falling [setting].
Sadhu Om: In this chapter, verses 1033, 1046, 1051, 1052 and
1057 clearly show the difference between the jiva [the individual
soul or ego] and the atma [the real Self].
Though in some religious schools of thought such as Saiva
Siddhanta and Buddhism the suffering jiva is called ‘atma’ [or
jivatma], in the teachings of Sri Ramana and in many Advaitic
scriptures the word ‘atma’ is not used to denote the jiva [the ego or
unreal soul] but only to denote the supreme reality. Therefore,
readers should understand that the difference between these various
schools of thought lies only in the meaning given to the word
‘atma’, and not in their final conclusion about the unreality of the
individual soul.
1053. That which appears [whatever it may be], let it
appear; that which disappears [whatever it may be],
let it all disappear. What [loss or gain] is it to
Self-knowledge? That which remains after everything
has entered and ceased to exist in the oneness
[kevalam] of Siva – who surges as the Whole
[purnam] – alone is Self, one’s own nature.
Sadhu Om and Michael James: All that appears and disappears
exists only in the wrong outlook of the ego, and not in the true outlook
of Self. Therefore, Self is not affected even in the least by
whatever appears or disappears, and hence in this verse and in
verse 6 of Sri Arunachala Ashtakam Sri Bhagavan says, “Let them
appear or let them disappear”. That which remains unaffected in
any way either by the appearance of this universe or by its disappearance
(as in sleep), and which remains shining as the one perfect
Whole even after all this appearance has been destroyed at
the time of dissolution (pralaya ) – that alone is Self, that alone is
‘we’, that alone is Siva.
1054. The pure knowledge which shines forth [as the
sphurana ‘I-I’] when that deceitful ego is scrutinized
[through the enquiry ‘Who is this I?’] and destroyed,
which the Upanishads praise as the glorious darshan
GURU VACHAKA KOVAI 327
of Siva’s dance and which is the true clarity of God’s
Grace, alone is the form of Self.
Michael James: In this verse Sri Bhagavan reveals that the true
significance of Nataraja, the dancing form of Lord Siva, is the shining
forth of Self in the form of the sphurana, ‘I-I’.
1055. Know that the nature of Brahma-swarupa, which is
[one] without another [i.e. which is non-dual], is the
ancient glory. Though that ancient swarupa [Self or
Brahman] appears to be like a void [sunya] it is not a
void; [it is] the one single existence-consciousness
[sat-chit], which is the whole reality itself.
Michael James: Refer also to verse 12 of Ulladu Narpadu.
1056. Sages say that the state [or place] in which the
thought ‘I’ [the ego] does not rise even in the least,
alone is Silence [mouna] or Self [swarupa]. [That]
silent Self alone is God; Self alone is the jiva; Self
alone is this ancient world.
Sadhu Om: The same idea is also expressed by Sri Bhagavan in
the following two passages of Who am I?: “The place [or state]
where the slightest trace of the thought ‘I’ does not exist, alone is
Self [swarupa]. That alone is called Silence [mouna] .... Self alone
is the world; Self alone is ‘I’; Self alone is God; all is the Supreme
Self [Siva-swarupa].” Refer also to the note to verse 985 where it is
explained in what sense everything is Self or Brahman.
1057. The reality – the mere existence which is to the world,
soul and God as space is to all objects – alone is the
nature of Self, which is the supreme Siva, and which
is praised as the supreme abode [param-dhama]
transcending the mind.
33 The Greatness of Self
(Atma_Matchi Tiran)
1058. Since the greatness of the nature of oneness is that
the seer alone is the seen, one’s own reality [Self] is
the greatest thing [mahat]. The silent radiant first person
[which shines] after the ego, the first person who
328 Sri Muruganar
is the seer, has been completely destroyed, alone is
Self, the supreme consciousness.
Sadhu Om: All the objects that are seen are nothing but an expansion
of the ego, the false first person who sees them. Therefore the
reality of both the seer [the ego] and the seen [the entire vast universe]
is only one. That reality is nothing but Self, one’s own existence-
consciousness, which is the real first person that remains
shining as radiant Self-awareness in the state of Silence in which
the ego, the false first person, has been completely destroyed.
Therefore, since the ego or seer is nothing but an unreal, petty and
atom-like reflection of Self, one’s own reality, Self alone is the
greatest of all things.
1059. Those who dive deep fixing their mind [or attention]
in Self – the abode of the bliss of consciousness, the
vast ocean of peace, the greatest thing [mahat] – will
attain the Grace of Self, the unending treasure.
1060. Self alone is the greatest thing [mahat]; indeed, there
is no other mahat which is greater than Self. Therefore,
by any kind of means [or tapas] whatsoever, we
have not seen any other thing worthy for one to gain
by bartering Self.
Sadhu Om: There is no attainment higher than the attainment of
Self; therefore, it is foolish to forsake the attainment of Self in order
to attain anything else such as the eightfold siddhis. However,
there are some so-called mahatmas nowadays who ridicule
Self-realization, saying that it is not the highest attainment and that
even after attaining it there are many greater things which one can
attain by practising some peculiar kinds of yoga. Therefore, in
order to refute such wrong beliefs, in this verse Sri Bhagavan, the
greatest of all tapasvins, emphatically declares the truth which He
realized from His own experience, namely that whatever amount of
whatever kind of tapas one may do, one cannot attain anything
greater than Self-realization.
1061. Except the glorious attainment of the supreme Self,
which is the greatest thing [mahat], there is no [worthy]
attainment in this life. To know and experience it
[the supreme Self], destroy the worthless ego-self by
enquiry [or scrutiny] done in the heart.
1062. If by enquiring [Who am I?’] in the heart one attains
the rare wealth of Self, which is the beautiful gem of
true knowledge [mey-jnana] that is [ever] existing
and shining, the poverty in the form of dense delusion
will die, [thereby] destroying the misery of birth
[and death], which is the root of [all] suffering.
1063. Being ignorant of the value of that gem [of Jnana],
fools die lazily [without trying to attain it]. [On the
other hand] those who, knowing the method [of
Self-enquiry], have attained that [gem of Jnana],
which is the rightful possession of everyone, are the
Great Ones, those who have attained supreme bliss.
Adore them.
1064. Instead of abiding in the consciousness of one’s own
Self by peacefully scrutinizing thus, ‘Who am I, the
form of consciousness?’, why to suffer [by going
out] through the wicked senses, mistaking [oneself]
to be the reflection of consciousness [chit-abhasa],
which, being separated [from the true Self-consciousness],
is the form of the mind [chittam]?
1065. Even though one has attained abundantly and completely
[all] the occult powers [siddhis] beginning
with anima, which are loved [so much] by foolish
worldly people, all the learning learnt by one who has
not attained the perfect gem of Self by severing the
primal knot [the chit-jada-granthi or ego], is void.
Michael James: Anima, the first of the eight siddhis, is the ability to
become as small as an atom.
1066. They [the Sages] say that the treasure of Grace-
Silence, the never-leaving thought of divine Siva [i.e.
the unbroken state of attention to Self] – is the real
wealth. That lustrous supreme treasure, which is difficult
to attain, is the wealth which is [available] only
to those who have the love to destroy [all] thought.
1067. Just as [a pearl-diver] dives into the ocean, [where
330 Sri Muruganar
pearls lie] hidden, with a one-pointed mind and with a
stone [tied to his waist], obtains the precious pearl
and [thereby] becomes happy, dive into the heart
with non-attachment [vairagya], attain the treasure of
Self and [thereby] be free from misery.
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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