A Light on the Teaching of
Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi
The Essence of Spiritual Practice
(Sadhanai Saram)
By
Sri Sadhu Om
Atma Vichara Patikam (Eleven Verses on Self-Enquiry)
1. Thinking is a mentation (vritti) ; being is not a
mentation ! If enquired ‘Who thinks ?’, thinking will
come to an end ! Even when thoughts do not exist, do
not you exist? To remain thus in the source of thoughts
is the state of Self- abidance (nishtha) ! Be thus!
2 He who thinks is the individual soul (jiva); he who is,
is the Supreme (brahman) ! If the thinker thinks with
great love of That which is still, this thought, the love
to be, will become the thought free thought which kills
all thinking. When the thinker thus dies with all his
thoughts, to remain surviving him is union with the
Supreme (siva-sayujyam) !
3. He who thinks ‘I (am so-and-so)’ is himself one among
the thoughts. Of all thoughts, the thought ‘I (am so-andso)’
is the very first. The jiva who thinks ‘I (am so-and-
-so)’ is only our reflection. For, we never think ‘I (am
this or that)’ when we shine as That (the Supreme).
4. This thought, ‘I (am the body)’, does not exist in deep
sleep. This thought, ‘I (am the body)’, does not exist in
the true state of jnana either. Since it rises and slips
away in between (two such states), this ‘I’ is unreal;
hence, this ‘I’ is only a thought.
5. The waxing of this thought ‘I’ is indeed the waxing of
misery! This thought ‘I’ alone is what is called the ego.
It is only because of non-enquiry that this ‘I’ has come
into existence and is flourishing ! If, instead of being
favoured, it is enquired into, ‘What is this !?’, it will
disappear, losing its existence.
6. The second and third persons (the objects) live only
because of the root, the first person (the subject or ego).
If the fickle mind turns towards the first person, the first
person will become non-existent and That which really
exists will then shine forth. This indestructible, real Self
is Jnana.
7. To think of second and third persons is sheer
foolishness, for by thinking of second and third persons
the mental activities (mano-vritlis) will wax. (On the
other hand,) attending to the first person is equal to
committing suicide, for only by enquiring into the first
person will the ego itself die.*
8. Attending to second and third persons instead of
turning towards and attending to the first person is an
attention based only upon ignorance (ajnana). If you
ask, “Then is not the attention to the ego also an
attention based upon ignorance? So why should we
attend to this ‘I?’, then listen.
9. The reason why this ‘I’ dies when enquired into, ‘What
am I? is as follows: This thought ‘I’ is a reflected ray of
Jnana (Self), (and it alone is directly connected with
Self, whereas the other thoughts are not); (so) when the
attention goes deeper and deeper within along the ray
‘I’, its length decreases more and more, and when the
ray I’ dies that which shines as ‘I’ is Jnana.
10. Do not perform any action thinking ‘It should be done
by me’. Nothing is done by you, (for) you are simply
nothing ! By knowing this first, if you avoid the rising
of doership, then everything will be done well by Him
and your peace will remain undisturbed !
11. When scrutinizing ‘What is real?’, nothing in the world
is (found to be) real; Self alone is real (satyam).
Therefore, let us renounce everything and ever remain
unshakably as the reality (sat). This alone is the service
enjoined upon us by Sri Ramana, our eternal Lord!
mentation ! If enquired ‘Who thinks ?’, thinking will
come to an end ! Even when thoughts do not exist, do
not you exist? To remain thus in the source of thoughts
is the state of Self- abidance (nishtha) ! Be thus!
2 He who thinks is the individual soul (jiva); he who is,
is the Supreme (brahman) ! If the thinker thinks with
great love of That which is still, this thought, the love
to be, will become the thought free thought which kills
all thinking. When the thinker thus dies with all his
thoughts, to remain surviving him is union with the
Supreme (siva-sayujyam) !
3. He who thinks ‘I (am so-and-so)’ is himself one among
the thoughts. Of all thoughts, the thought ‘I (am so-andso)’
is the very first. The jiva who thinks ‘I (am so-and-
-so)’ is only our reflection. For, we never think ‘I (am
this or that)’ when we shine as That (the Supreme).
4. This thought, ‘I (am the body)’, does not exist in deep
sleep. This thought, ‘I (am the body)’, does not exist in
the true state of jnana either. Since it rises and slips
away in between (two such states), this ‘I’ is unreal;
hence, this ‘I’ is only a thought.
5. The waxing of this thought ‘I’ is indeed the waxing of
misery! This thought ‘I’ alone is what is called the ego.
It is only because of non-enquiry that this ‘I’ has come
into existence and is flourishing ! If, instead of being
favoured, it is enquired into, ‘What is this !?’, it will
disappear, losing its existence.
6. The second and third persons (the objects) live only
because of the root, the first person (the subject or ego).
If the fickle mind turns towards the first person, the first
person will become non-existent and That which really
exists will then shine forth. This indestructible, real Self
is Jnana.
7. To think of second and third persons is sheer
foolishness, for by thinking of second and third persons
the mental activities (mano-vritlis) will wax. (On the
other hand,) attending to the first person is equal to
committing suicide, for only by enquiring into the first
person will the ego itself die.*
8. Attending to second and third persons instead of
turning towards and attending to the first person is an
attention based only upon ignorance (ajnana). If you
ask, “Then is not the attention to the ego also an
attention based upon ignorance? So why should we
attend to this ‘I?’, then listen.
9. The reason why this ‘I’ dies when enquired into, ‘What
am I? is as follows: This thought ‘I’ is a reflected ray of
Jnana (Self), (and it alone is directly connected with
Self, whereas the other thoughts are not); (so) when the
attention goes deeper and deeper within along the ray
‘I’, its length decreases more and more, and when the
ray I’ dies that which shines as ‘I’ is Jnana.
10. Do not perform any action thinking ‘It should be done
by me’. Nothing is done by you, (for) you are simply
nothing ! By knowing this first, if you avoid the rising
of doership, then everything will be done well by Him
and your peace will remain undisturbed !
11. When scrutinizing ‘What is real?’, nothing in the world
is (found to be) real; Self alone is real (satyam).
Therefore, let us renounce everything and ever remain
unshakably as the reality (sat). This alone is the service
enjoined upon us by Sri Ramana, our eternal Lord!
Sadhu Om
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