MAHARISHI RAMANA

BHAGAVAN SRI RAMANA'S 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 that you will enjoy His teaching profusely. JKS

Maharishi Ramana: Coming here, some people do not ask about themselves. They ask:

“Does the sage, liberated while alive (Jivanmukta), see the world? Is he affected by Karma?

What is liberation after being disembodied? Is one liberated only after being disembodied or even while alive in the body? Should the body of the sage resolve itself in light or disappear from view in any other manner? Can he be liberated though the body is left behind as a corpse?”

Their questions are endless. Why worry oneself in so many ways?

Does liberation consist in knowing these?

Therefore I say to them, “Leave liberation alone. Is there bondage? Know this. See yourself first and foremost.”
Avarana (veiling) does not hide the jiva in entirety; he knows that he is; only he does not know who he is. He sees the world; but not that it is only Brahman. It is light in darkness (or knowledge in ignorance).

In a cinema show the room is first darkened, artificial light is
introduced; only in this light are the pictures projected.

For differentiation a reflected light is thus necessary.A sleeper dreams, he is not out of sleep: only in the darkness or ignorance of sleep can he see the unreal dream objects.

Similarly the darkness of ignorance gives rise to the knowledge of the perceptions of the world.

Ajnana : ignorance /darkness
Avarana : veiling

This veiling is a characteristic of ignorance; it is not of the Self: it cannot affect the Self in any manner; it can veil only the jiva.

The ego is insentient: united with the light from the Self, it is
called jiva. But the ego and the light cannot be seen distinct from each other; they are always united together. The mixed product is the jiva, the root of all differentiation. All these are spoken of to satisfy the questioners.

Sahasrara (cranium) } Ether = Jnana
Such is the representation of the subtle body. The Kantham } Air = Mind senses and other organs (throat) act separately, whereas the inner organs and the Hridaya } Light = Intellect vital airs can work only in (Heart) unison.Therefore the former
are vyashti (individualistic) Nabhi } Water = Memory and the latter are samashti (navel) (collective). Mula } Earth = The Ego (Solar plexus)