TALKS OF BAGAVAN 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 you will  enjoy  profusely.   J.k.Sivan 

Devotee.: There are said to be sadeha mukta (liberated in body) and videha  mukta (liberated without body).

Maharishi: There is no liberation, and where are muktas?

D.: Do not Hindu sastras speak of mukti?

M.: Mukti is synonymous with the Self. Jivan mukti (liberation while

alive) and videha mukti (liberation after the body falls) are all for the

ignorant. The Jnani is not conscious of mukti or bandha (bondage).

Bondage, liberation and orders of mukti are all said for an ajnani

in order that ignorance might be shaken off. There is only mukti

and nothing else.

D.: It is all right from the standpoint of Bhagavan. But what about us?

M.: The difference between ‘He’ and ‘I’ are the obstacles to jnana.

D.: But it cannot be denied that Bhagavan is of a high order whereas

we are limited. Will Bhagavan make me one with Him?

M.: Were you aware of limitations in your sleep?

D.: I cannot bring down the state of my sleep in the present state and

speak of it.

M.: You need not. These three states alternate before the unchanging

Self. You can remember your state of sleep. That is your real state.

There were no limitations then. After the rise of the ‘I-thought’ the

limitations arose.

D.: How to attain the Self?

M.: Self is not to be attained because you are the Self.

D.:Yes. There is an unchanging Self and a changing one in me. There

are two selves.

M.: The changefulness is mere thought. All thoughts arise after the

arising of the ‘I-thought’. See to whom the thoughts arise. Then

you transcend them and they subside. This is to say, tracing the

source of the ‘I-thought’, you realise the perfect ‘I-I’. ‘I’ is the

name of the Self.

D.: Shall I meditate on “I am Brahman” (Aham Brahmasmi)?

M.: The text is not meant for thinking “I am Brahman”. Aham (‘I’) is

known to everyone. Brahman abides as Aham in everyone. Find out

the ‘I’. The ‘I’ is already Brahman. You need not think so. Simply

find out the ‘I’.

D.: Is not discarding of the sheaths mentioned in the sastras?

M.: After the rise of the ‘I-thought’ there is the false identification

of the ‘I’ with the body, the senses, the mind, etc. ‘I’ is wrongly

associated with them and the true ‘I’  is lost sight of. In order to shift

the pure ‘I’from the contaminated ‘I’this discarding is mentioned.

But it does not mean exactly discarding of the non-self, but it means

the finding of the real Self.

The real Self is the Infinite ‘I-I’, i.e., ‘I’ is perfection. It is eternal.

It has no origin and no end. The other ‘I’ is born and also dies. It is

impermanent. See to whom are the changing thoughts. They will be

found to arise after the ‘I-thought’. Hold the ‘I-thought’.They subside.

Trace back the source of the ‘I-thought’. The Self alone will remain.