RAMANA MAHARISHI TALKS:

RAMANA MAHARISHI TALKS:

IT IS NOT DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND BHAGAVAN RAMANA IF YOU READ THE QUESTIONS PUT TO HIM AND THE ANSWERS GIVEN BY HIM, SLOWLY, CONCENTRATING ON EACH WORD ATTENTIVELY WITH INVOLVEMENT AND INTEREST TO LEARN.- It is made simple for you. So you will enjoy profusely. JKS

Devotee: what prajnana is?

Maharishi Ramana: Prajnana (Absolute Knowledge) is that from which vijnana (relative knowledge) proceeds.

D.: In the state of vijnana one becomes aware of the samvit (cosmic intelligence). But is that suddha samvit aware by itself without the aid of antahkaranas (inner organs)?

M.: It is so, even logically.

D.: Becoming aware of samvit in jagrat by vijnana, prajnana is not found self-shining. If so, it must be found in sleep.

M.: The awareness is at present through antahkaranas. Prajnana is always shining even in sleep. If one is continuously aware in jagrat the awareness will continue in sleep also. Moreover, it is illustrated thus:A king comes into the hall, sits there and then leaves the place. He did not go into the kitchen. Can one in the kitchen for that reason say, “The king did not come here”? When awareness is found in jagrat it must also be in sleep.

D: Can you show me a practical way to realise the Self?

M.: A man was blindfolded and left in the woods. He then enquired of the way to Gandhara from each one he met on the way until he finally reached it. So also all the ways lead to Self-Realisation.They are aids to the common goal.

D.: Dhyana will be easy if there is a pratikam (symbol). But the

enquiry into the Self does not show any pratikam.

M.:You admit the existence of the Self. Do you point to the pratikam (symbol) and say that it is the Self? Maybe you think the body is the Self. But consider your deep sleep. You do exist then. What is the pratikam there? So the Self can be realised without pratikam.

D.: Quite true. I see the force of the words. But yet are not mantras, etc., helpful?

M.: They are helpful. What is mantra? You are thinking of the simple sounds of the mantra. Repetition of the same excludes all other thoughts. The single thought of the mantra japa remains. That too drops away giving place to the Infinite Self, which is the mantra itself.

Mantra, dhyana, bhakti, etc., are all aids and finally lead to

Swarupa, the Self, which is they themselves.

After a few minutes Maharshi continued:

Everyone is the Self, indeed infinite. Yet each one mistakes the body for the Self. To know anything, illumination is necessary. Such illuminating agency can only be in the form of light which is however lighting the physical light and darkness. So then that other Light lies beyond the apparent light and darkness. It is itself neither light nor darkness but is said to be Light because It illumines both. It is also Infinite and remains as Consciousness. Consciousness is the Self of which everyone is aware. No one is away from the Self.

So each one is Self-realised. Yet what a mystery that no one knows this fundamental fact, and desires to realise the Self?