Self-enquiry
Vichara Sangraham

By Sri Ramana Maharshi
Recorded by Gambhiram Seshayya
Edited by Sri Natanananda
Translated by Arthur Osborne

Introduction

Self-enquiry is the first work the Maharshi ever wrote. It was written about 1901, that is when he was a young man of about twenty-two. He was already a Jnani or Sage in perfect realization of the Self, in the resplendent bliss of Divine Knowledge. At that time he was living in Virupaksha cave on the hill of Arunachala. A number of disciples had already gathered round him. Although he had not actually taken a vow of silence, he seldom spoke, and to this we owe his writing out this book of instructions when one of his disciples, Gambhiram Seshayya, asked for guidance.

There is no youthfulness or immaturity in the work. The Master wrote with the authority of full spiritual knowledge, just as in his later years. Like all his expositions, verbal as well as written, this is concerned with practical questions of the path to Realization of the Self, never with barren theory. However, it does differ from later expositions in one important respect: that is that it describes not only the path of Self-enquiry but others also, meditation on one’s identity with the Self and a yogic path based on breath-control. He himself prescribed only Self-enquiry or submission to the Guru. He would say: ‘There are two ways: ask yourself “Who am I?” or submit.’

Why did he include the mention of less direct and more elaborate methods in this first exposition? The obvious contingent reason is that the disciple for whom it was written had been reading books about these various methods and asked questions about them. Perhaps also, in a wider sense, it is appropriate that there should first be a general exposition of various methods before the lifelong instruction in that which he prescribed. Certainly the other methods, although described, are scarcely recommended. In deprecation of meditation on one’s identity with the Self, he says on page 18: ‘this is still a thought, but one which is necessary to those minds which are addicted to much thinking.’ He definitely says on page 26 that the most competent seekers take the path of Self-enquiry, that those who are less competent meditate on identity, while those on a still lower level practise breath-control. Moreover, after giving a brief outline of the yogic path based on breath-control he says, on page 22, that anyone who wants to learn more about it must go to a practising yogi who gives instruction in this way—a clear indication that he himself did not.

The breath-control that is described is, of course, no mere physical exercise. It is the spiritual significance of the exercise that makes it an elaborate science. ‘Science’ is, indeed, the right word for it, for it is a traditional Indian science of self-purification. This makes it abstruse for the Western reader who has no previous grounding in it, especially as, like all sciences, it has its technical vocabulary which does not permit of adequate translation without lengthy notes. One has to remember that in writing this exposition the Maharshi knew that he could count on a technical knowledge of the science in question in the person for whom he wrote. The consolation for Western readers is to remember that he neither recommended nor prescribed this path and in his later works scarcely mentioned it. It is not necessary for them to learn its technicalities.

Arthur Osborne

Enquiry into the Self

In this chapter is given clearly the path of enquiry into the Self, or ‘Who Am I?’

Is not the sense of ‘I’ natural to all beings, expressed in all their feelings as ‘I came’, ‘I went’, ‘I did’, or ‘I was’? On questioning what this is, we find that the body is identified with ‘I’, because movements and similar functions pertain to the body. Can the body then be this ‘I-consciousness’? It was not there before birth, it is composed of the five elements, it is absent⁠1 in sleep, and it (eventually) becomes a corpse. No, it cannot be. This sense of ‘I’, which arises in the body for the time being, is otherwise called the ego, ignorance, illusion, impurity, or individual self. The purpose of all the scriptures is this enquiry (into the Self). It is declared in them that the annihilation of the ego-sense is Liberation. How then can one remain indifferent to this teaching? Can the body, which is insentient as a piece of wood, shine and function as ‘I’? No. Therefore, lay aside this insentient body as though it were truly a corpse. Do not even murmur ‘I’, but enquire keenly within what it is that now shines within the heart as ‘I’. Underlying the unceasing flow of varied thoughts, there arises the continuous, unbroken awareness, silent and spontaneous, as ‘I-I’ in the Heart. If one catches hold of it and remains still, it will completely annihilate the sense of ‘I’ in the body, and will itself disappear as a fire of burning camphor. Sages and scriptures proclaim this to be Liberation.

The veil of ignorance can never completely hide the individual self. How can it? Even the ignorant do not fail to speak of the ‘I’. It only hides the Reality, ‘I-am-the-Self’, or ‘I am pure Consciousness’, and confounds the ‘I’ with the body.

The Self is self-effulgent. One need give it no mental picture, anyway. The thought that imagines it is itself bondage, because the Self is the Effulgence transcending darkness and light; one should not think of it with the mind. Such imagination will end in bondage, whereas the Self spontaneously shines as the Absolute. This enquiry into the Self in devotional meditation evolves into the state of absorption of the mind into the Self and leads to Liberation and unqualified Bliss. The great Sages have declared that only by the help of this devotional enquiry into the Self can Liberation be attained. Because the ego in the form of the ‘I-thought’ is the root of the tree of illusion, its destruction fells illusion, even as a tree is felled by the cutting of its roots. This easy method of annihilating the ego is alone worthy to be called bhakti (devotion), Jnana (Knowledge), yoga (union), or dhyana (meditation).

In the ‘I-am-the-body’ consciousness, the three bodies⁠2 composed of the five sheaths⁠3 are contained. If that mode of consciousness is removed all else drops off of its own accord; all other bodies depend on it. There is no need to eliminate them separately because the scriptures declare that thought alone is bondage. It is their final injunction that the best method is to surrender the mind in the form of the ‘I’-thought to Him (the Self) and, keeping quite still, not forget Him.

The Nature of the Mind

In this chapter are described briefly the nature of the mind, its states and location.

According to the Hindu scriptures there exists an entity known as the ‘mind’, which is derived from the subtle essence of the food consumed; which flourishes as love, hatred, lust, anger, and so on; which is the totality of mentality, intellect, desire, and ego; which, although it has such diverse functions, bears the generic name ‘mind’, which is objectified as the insentient objects cognized by us; which, though itself insentient, appears to be sentient, being associated with Consciousness, just as a piece of red-hot iron appears to be fire; in which the principle of differentiation is inherent; which is transient and is possessed of parts capable of being moulded into any shape like lac, gold, or wax; which is the basis of all root-principles (tattvas); which is located in the Heart like sight in the eye and hearing in the ear; which gives its character to the individual self and which, on thinking of the object already associated with the consciousness reflected on the brain, assumes a thought-form; which is in contact with that object through the five senses operated by the brain, which appropriates such cognizance to itself with the feeling ‘I am cognizant of such and such’, enjoys the object and is finally satisfied.

To think whether a certain thing may be eaten is a thought-form of the mind. ‘It is good. It is not good. It can be eaten. It cannot be eaten’: discriminating notions like these constitute the discriminative intellect. Because the mind alone constitutes the root-principle manifesting as the three entities of ego, God, and world, its absorption and dissolution in the Self is the final emancipation known as kaivalya, which is the same as Brahman.

The senses, being located externally as aids for the cognition of objects, are exterior; the mind, being internal, is the inner sense. ‘Within’ and ‘without’ are relative to the body; they have no significance in the Absolute. For the purpose of showing the whole objective world to be within, and not without, the scriptures have described the cosmos as being shaped like the lotus of the Heart. But that is not other than the Self. Just as the goldsmith’s wax ball, although hiding minute specks of gold, still looks like a simple lump of wax, so too all the individuals merged in dark ignorance (avidya), or the universal veiling (Maya), are only aware of nescience in their sleep. In deep sleep the physical and subtle bodies, though entering in the dark veiling, still lie merged in the Self. From ignorance sprang the ego—the subtle body. The mind must be transformed into the Self.

Mind is, in reality, only consciousness, because it is pure and transparent by nature: in that pure state, however, it cannot be called mind. The wrong identification of one thing with another⁠4 is the work of the contaminated mind. That is to say, the pure, uncontaminated mind, being absolute Consciousness, on becoming oblivious of its primary nature, is overpowered by the quality of darkness (tamas) and manifests as the physical world. Similarly, overpowered by activity (rajas), it identifies itself with the body and, appearing in the manifested world as ‘I’, mistakes this ego for the reality. Thus, swayed by love and hatred, it performs good and bad actions, and is, as the result, caught up in the cycle of births and deaths. It is the experience of everyone that in deep sleep and in a faint he has no awareness of his own Self or of objectivity. Later the experience ‘I woke up from sleep’, ‘I regained consciousness’, is the distinctive knowledge born of the natural state. This distinctive knowledge is called vijnana. It shines not by itself but by always adhering either to the Self or the non-Self. When it inheres in the Self, it is called true Knowledge; it is awareness of the mental mode in the Self, or perpetual awareness; and when this distinctive knowledge combines with the non-Self, it is called ignorance. The state in which it inheres in the Self and shines as the Self is termed aham spurana or the pulsation of the Self. This is not something apart from the Self; it is a sign of the forthcoming realization of the Self. However, this is not the state of Primal Being. The source in which this pulsation is revealed is called prajnana (Consciousness). It is this source that Vedanta proclaims as prajnana ghana. The Vivekachudamani of Shankaracharya describes this Eternal State as follows: ‘In the sheath of intelligence shines eternally Atman, the self-effulgent witness of all. Making that thy Goal, which is quite different from the unreal, enjoy it by experience, through unbroken thought-current as thy own Self.’

The Three States

The ever luminous Self is one and universal. Notwithstanding the individual’s experience of the three states—waking, dream, and deep sleep—the Self remains pure and changeless. It is not limited by the three bodies, physical, mental, and causal; and It transcends the triple relation of seer, sight, and seen. The diagram on the next page will be found helpful in understanding the changeless state of the Self, transcending the illusory manifestations referred to above.

The sketch [below] illustrates how the luminous Consciousness of the Self, shining by Itself, functions as the causal body (7) in the inner chamber surrounded by walls of ignorance (avidya) (4) and led by the door of sleep (2), which is moved by the vital forces, due to the lapse of time and according to destiny, through the doorway (3) against the interposed mirror of the ego (5). It passes with the light reflected therefrom into the middle chamber of the dream state (8); later is projected into the open courtyard of wakefulness (9) through the passage of the five senses or windows (6). When the door of sleep (2) is shut by the force of mind (i.e. the vital forces) due to the lapse of time and according to destiny, it retires from the wakeful and dream states into deep sleep and remains merely as itself without the ego-sense. The sketch also illustrates the serene existence of the Self as different from the ego and from the three states of sleep, dream, and wakefulness.

Image	Represents
1. Flame	The Self
2. Door	Sleep
3. Doorway	Intellectual principle (mahat) as the source of the ego (ahankar)
4. Inner wall	Ignorance (avidya)
5. Crystal mirror	Ego
6. Windows	Five senses
7. Inner chamber	Causal body during sleep
8. Middle chamber	Subtle body in dream state
9. Open court-yard	Physical body in waking state
The inner and the middle chambers together with the open court-yard represent the individual.

The individual self resides in the eye during the waking state, in the neck⁠5 during the dream state, and in the Heart during deep sleep; but the Heart is the chief among these places, and therefore the individual self never entirely leaves the Heart. Although it is specifically said that the neck is the seat of the mind, the brain of the intellect, and the Heart or the whole body of the ego, still the scriptures state conclusively that the Heart is the seat of that totality of the inner senses⁠6 which is called the mind. The Sages, having investigated all the different versions of the scriptures, briefly stated the whole truth that it is the experience of everyone that the Heart is primarily the seat of the ‘I’.

The World

In this chapter it is shown that the world has no reality of its own and does not exist apart from the Self.

Creation: The main purpose of the scriptures is to expose the illusory nature of the world and to reveal the Supreme Spirit as the only Reality. They have built up the theory of creation with this sole end in view. They even go into detail and entertain the lowest order of seekers with the narration of the successive appearance of the Spirit, of the disequilibrium⁠7 of reflected consciousness, of the fundamentals of elements, of the world, of the body, of life, and so on. But for the higher order of seekers the scriptures would say, in short, that the whole world appears like a panorama in a dream with an apparent objectivity and independent existence due to ignorance of the Self and consequent obsession with obtrusive thoughts. They seek to show the world as an illusion in order to reveal the Truth. Those who have realized the Self by direct and immediate experience clearly perceive beyond all doubt that the phenomenal world as an objective, independent reality is wholly non-existent.

Discrimination Between the Seer and the Seen

Object seen: insentient	The seer: sentient
The body, a pot, etc.	the eye
The eye	the optic nerve-centre in the brain
The optic nerve-centre	the mind
The mind	the individual self or ego
The individual self	pure Consciousness

Since the Self, which is pure Consciousness, cognizes everything, as stated in the classification above, It is the ultimate Seer. All the rest: ego, mind, etc., are merely its objects. The subject in one line becomes the object in the next; so each one of them except the Self or pure Consciousness is a merely externalized object and cannot be the true Seer. Since the Self cannot be objectified, not being cognized by anything else, and since the Self is the Seer seeing all else, the subject-object relation and the apparent subjectivity of the Self exist only on the plane of relativity and vanish in the Absolute. There is in truth no other than the Self, which is neither the seer nor the seen, and is not involved as subject or object.

The Ego (Jiva)

In this chapter, the Self (Atma) itself is said to be the ego (Jiva) and the nature of the ego is explained.

The mind is nothing else than the ‘I’-thought. The mind and the ego are one and the same. Intellect, will, ego, and individuality are collectively the same mind. It is like a man being variously described according to his different activities. The individual is nothing else than the ego, which, again, is only the mind. Simultaneously with the rise of the ego the mind appears, associated with the reflected nature of the Self, like the red-hot iron in the example.⁠8 How is the fire in the red-hot iron to be understood? As being one with it? Since the individual is nothing else than the ego and is inseparable from the Self, as the fire and the red-hot iron are, there is no other self to act as witness of the individual than the individual himself functioning as the ego, which after all is only the mind associated with reflected Consciousness. The very same Self not only shines unaffected in the Heart, like the fire in the iron,⁠9 but is also infinite like space. It is self-luminous in the Heart as pure Consciousness, as the One without a second and, manifesting universally as the same in all individuals, it is known as the Supreme Spirit. ‘Heart’ is merely another name for the Supreme Spirit, because He is in all Hearts.

Thus the red-hot iron is the individual, the fiery heat is the witnessing Self, the iron is the ego. The pure fire is the all-immanent and all-knowing Supreme Spirit.

The Supreme Being is the Self

In this chapter it is shown that the form of the Self is the form of God and He is in the form of ‘I-I’.

The universal principle underlying the correspondence between the ideas ‘within’ and the objects ‘without’ is the true significance of the term ‘mind’. Therefore, the body and the world which appear as external to oneself are only mental reflections. It is only the Heart that manifests in all these forms. In the Core of the all-comprehensive Heart, that is, in the expanse of the pure mind, there is the self-luminous ‘I’ always shining. Because It is manifest in everybody, it is also called the Omniscient Witness, or the Fourth State.⁠10

The Infinite Expanse is the Reality known as the Supreme Spirit or the Self, which shines without egoism as the Consciousness within the ‘I’, as the One in all individuals. What is beyond the Fourth State is only this. Let it be meditated on, the Expanse of Absolute Consciousness which shines, all-pervading, within and without the illumination of the Fourth State, like space which simultaneously pervades the inmost blue core of a luminous flame and the infinite space beyond. The true State is that which shines all over, as space includes and extends beyond the flame. No heed should be paid to the light. Enough to know that the Real is the State free from ego. That every one points to the chest when referring to himself by gesture is sufficient proof that the Absolute resides as the Self in the Heart. The Rishi Vasishtha also says that searching for the Self outside oneself, oblivious of its constantly shining as ‘I-I’ within the Heart, is like throwing away an invaluable celestial gem for a sparkling pebble. Vedantists⁠11 consider it a sacrilege to regard the One Creating, Sustaining, and Absorbing Supreme Self as the separate gods, Ganapathi, Brahman, Vishnu, Rudra, Maheswara, and Sadasiva.⁠12

Knowledge of the Supreme Self

In this chapter is described the method of realizing the Self.

When the mind in the form of the ego, which takes the body for the Self and strays outwards, is curbed within the Heart, the sense of ‘I’ in the body relinquished, and enquiry made with a still mind as to who it is that dwells in the body, a subtle illumination will be experienced as ‘I-I’, which is no other than the Absolute, the Self, seated in the lotus of the Heart, in the city of the body, the tabernacle of God. Then one should remain still, with the conviction that the Self shines as everything yet nothing, within, without, and everywhere, and is also the transcendental Being. This is known as meditation on the Truth conveyed by the dictum ‘Sivoham’, ‘I am Siva’, and is also called the Fourth State.

That which is even beyond this subtle experience is God, variously termed the State beyond the Fourth, the Omnipresent, Supreme Being which shines as the Core of the Divine Flame within, and described as manifesting in concentration and meditation, the Sixth and Seventh steps of the Eightfold Yoga, the Expanse of the Heart, pure Consciousness, the Absolute shining in the mind’s sky, Bliss, the Self, and Wisdom. By long, continuous, and steady practice of this meditation on the Self as ‘I am the Supreme’, the veil of ignorance in the Heart and all the resultant obstructions will be removed, and perfect Wisdom will result. Knowing in this manner the Real indwelling in the cavity of the Heart, in the tabernacle of the body, is indeed realizing the Absolute, which is inherent in all, because the Heart comprises all that exists. This is confirmed by the scriptural text, ‘The Sage abides blissful in the city of nine gates which is the body’, and ‘The body is the temple, the individual self is the Absolute. If He is worshipped as “The Supreme I am”, Liberation will result; the Spirit which bears the body in the form of five sheaths is the cavity; the cavity is only the Heart, the transcendental Being residing therein is the Lord of the Cave.’ This method of realizing the Absolute is known as dahara vidya or Intuitive Knowledge of the Heart. What more is there to say? One should realize It by direct, immediate experience.

Worship is Only Self-enquiry

In this chapter it is said that perennial awareness of the Self is real worship and penance (tapas).

The purpose of worshipping the Impersonal Supreme Being is the incessant remembrance of the truth that you are Brahman, because the meditation ‘I am Brahman’ comprises sacrifice, gifts, penance, ritual, prayer, yoga, and worship. The only way to overcome obstructions to your meditation is to forbid the mind to dwell on them and to introvert it into the Self and there witness unconcernedly all that happens; there is no other method. Do not even for a moment lose sight of the Self. Fixing the mind on the Self or the ‘I’ abiding in the Heart is the perfection of yoga, meditation, wisdom, devotion, and worship. Since the Supreme Being abides as the Self, constant surrender of the mind by absorption in the Self is said to comprise all forms of worship. Mind controlled, all else is controlled. The mind is itself the life-current; the ignorant say that in form it looks like a coiled serpent.⁠13 The six subtle centres⁠14 (chakras) are merely mental pictures and are meant for beginners in yoga. We project ourselves into the idols and worship them, because we do not understand true inward worship. Knowledge of the Self, which knows all, is Knowledge in perfection.

Distracted as we are by various thoughts, if we would continually contemplate the Self, which is Itself God, this single thought would in due course replace all distraction and would itself ultimately vanish; the pure Consciousness that alone finally remains is God. This is Liberation. Never to be heedless of one’s own all-perfect, pure Self is the acme of yoga, wisdom, and all other forms of spiritual practice. Even though the mind wanders restlessly, involved in external matters, and so is forgetful of its own Self, one should remain alert and remember: ‘The body is not I. Who am I?’ Enquire in this way, turning the mind backward to its primal state. The enquiry ‘Who am I?’ is the only method of putting an end to all misery and ushering in supreme Beatitude. Whatever may be said and however phrased, this is the whole truth in a nutshell.

Liberation

This chapter teaches that Liberation can indeed be obtained by constant and prolonged meditation on the Self in the form of ‘Sivoham’ (I am Siva) which means ‘I am Atman’. The characteristics of Jivanmukti (Liberation in this life) and Videhamukti (Liberation after death) are described.

Because the individual self, which is nothing but the mind, has lost the knowledge of its identity with the real Self, and has enmeshed itself in bondage, its search for the Self, its own eternal primal nature, resembles that of the shepherd searching for a lamb which all the time he bears on his own shoulders.

However, the Self-oblivious ego, even when once made aware of the Self, does not get Liberation, that is Self-Realization, on account of the obstruction of accumulated mental tendencies. It frequently confuses the body with the Self, forgetting that it is itself in truth the Self. Long-cultivated tendencies can indeed be eradicated by long-continued meditation: ‘I am not the body, the senses, the mind, etc., I am the Self.’ Therefore, the ego, that is, the mind, which is nothing but a bundle of tendencies, and which confuses the body with ‘I’, should be subdued, and thus should the supreme liberated State known as Self-realization be reached after prolonged devotional worship of the divine Self, which is the very Being of all the gods. This self-investigation annihilates the mind, and itself gets destroyed eventually, just as a stick used to stir the funeral pyre is itself finally burnt. This is the state of Liberation. Self, Wisdom, Knowledge, Consciousness, the Absolute, and God denote the same thing.

Can a man become a high officer by merely once seeing such an officer? He may become one if he strives and equips himself for the position. Similarly, can the ego, which is in bondage as the mind, become the divine Self, simply because it has once glimpsed that it is the Self? Is this not impossible without the destruction of the mind? Can a beggar become a king by merely visiting a king and declaring himself one? Similarly, unless the bond of the mind is cut asunder by prolonged and unbroken meditation, ‘I am the Self, the Absolute,’ it is impossible to attain the transcendental State of Bliss, which is identical with the annihilation of the mind. ‘The Self is the Absolute and the Absolute is the Self. The Self is the Absolute alone. That which is covered with husk is paddy, and when husked becomes rice. So also, when under bondage of action one is the individual self, and when the veil is removed one shines as the Absolute.’ Thus proclaim the scriptures, which further declare: ‘The mind should be drawn within and restrained in the Heart until the ego-sense, which sprouts as the ignorant mind, is therein destroyed. This is wisdom and meditation as well; all else is mere lecturing and pedantry;’ and in consonance with this final word, one should fix the mind on Him, be aware of Him and realize Him by every possible endeavour.

Just as a Brahmin actor does not forget that he is a Brahmin, whatever part he may be acting, so also a man should not confuse himself with his body, but should have a firm awareness of his being the Self, whatever his activity may be. This awareness will manifest as the mind gets absorbed in its own primal State. Such absorption leads to Bliss Supreme when the Self reveals itself spontaneously. Then one will not be affected by pleasure and pain, which result from contact with external objects. Everything will be perceived without attachment, as in a dream. Such thoughts as ‘Is this good or that?’, ‘Is this to be done or that?’ should not be allowed to arise. Immediately a thought arises, it should be annihilated at its source. If entertained even for a little while, it will hurl one down headlong like a treacherous friend. Can the mind which is fixed in its original State possess an ego-sense, or have any problem to solve? Do not such thoughts themselves constitute bondage? Hence when such thoughts arise due to past tendencies, not only should the mind be curbed and turned back to its true State, but also it should be made to remain unconcerned and indifferent to external happenings. Is it not due to Self-forgetfulness that such thoughts arise and cause more and more misery? Though the discriminating thought, ‘I am not the doer; all actions are merely the reactions of the body, senses and mind’, is an aid for turning back the mind to its primal state, nevertheless it is still a thought, but one which is necessary for those minds which are addicted to much thinking. On the other hand, can the mind, fixed unswervingly in the divine Self and remaining unaffected even while engaged in activities, give in to such thoughts as ‘I am the body, I am engaged in work’, or again to the discriminating thought, ‘I am not the doer, these actions are merely reactions of the body, senses and mind’? Gradually one should, by all possible means, try always to be aware of the Self. Everything is achieved if one succeeds in this. Let not the mind be diverted to any other object. One should abide in the Self without the sense of being the doer, even when engaged in work born of destiny, like a madman. Have not many devotees achieved much with a detached attitude and firm devotion of this nature?

Because the quality of purity (sattva) is the real nature of the mind, clearness like that of the unclouded sky is the characteristic of the mind-expanse. Being stirred up by the quality of activity (rajas) the mind becomes restless and, influenced by darkness (tamas), manifests as the physical world. The mind thus becoming restless on the one hand and appearing as solid matter on the other, the Real is not discerned. Just as fine silk threads cannot be woven with the use of a heavy iron shuttle, or the delicate shades of a work of art be distinguished in the light of a lamp flickering in the wind, so is Realization of Truth impossible with the mind rendered gross by darkness (tamas) and restless by activity (rajas). Because Truth is exceedingly subtle and serene, Mind will be cleared of its impurities only by a desireless performance of duties during several births, getting a worthy Master, learning from him and incessantly practising meditation on the Supreme. The transformation of the mind into the world of inert matter due to the quality of darkness (tamas) and its restlessness due to the quality of activity (rajas) will cease. Then the mind regains its subtlety and composure. The Bliss of the Self can manifest only in a mind rendered subtle and steady by assiduous meditation. He who experiences that Bliss is liberated even while still alive.

When the mind is divested of the qualities of darkness and activity by constant meditation, the Bliss of the Self will clearly manifest within the subtle mind. Yogis gain omniscience by means of such mind-expanse. He alone who has achieved such subtlety of mind and has gained Realization of the Self is Liberated while still alive. The same state has been described in Rama Gita⁠15 as the Brahman beyond attributes, the one universal undifferentiated Spirit. He who has attained the unbroken eternal State beyond even that, transcending mind and speech, is called videhamukta; that is, when even the aforesaid subtle mind is destroyed, the experience of Bliss as such also ceases. He is drowned and dissolved in the fathomless Ocean of Bliss and is unaware of anything apart. This is videhamukti. There is nothing beyond it. It is the end of all.

As one continues to abide as the Self, the experience ‘I am the Supreme Spirit’ grows and becomes natural; the restlessness of the mind and the thought of the world in due course become extinct. Because experience is not possible without the mind, Realization takes place with the subtle mind. Since videhamukti connotes the entire dissolution of even the subtle mind, this State is beyond experience. It is the transcendental State. ‘I am not the body. I am the pure Spirit’ is the clear and indubitable experience of the jivanmukta, that is one who is liberated while yet alive. Nevertheless, if the mind is not totally destroyed, there is the possibility of his becoming apparently unhappy in his incidental association with objects, as ordained by his destiny.⁠16 He may also appear to the onlooker as not having realized the unbroken eternal Bliss, because his mind seems to be agitated. However, the Bliss of Liberation in life is possible only to the mind made subtle and serene by long continued meditation.

The Eightfold Path of Yoga

In this chapter is described the path of yoga for obtaining Self-Realization, getting control of the mind through control of breath.

For achieving devotion in the form of meditation described in the previous chapter, steps like yama and niyama (the first two stages in ashtanga or eightfold yoga, explained below) are prescribed. These have two forms, one of the nature of yoga and the other of jnana.

Control over breath is yoga. Elimination of the mind is jnana. Which of these comes more easily to the aspirant depends on his inherent tendencies and maturity. Both lead to the same result since by control of breath the mind gets controlled, and by elimination of the mind the breath gets controlled. The object of both these methods is the subsidence and elimination of the mind.

Yama (moral self-control which is the necessary preliminary to the yogic path; in detail: abstention from lying, killing, theft, lust, and covetousness), niyama (disciplinary observances), pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses from external objects), dharana (concentrated attention), dhyana (steady uninterrupted contemplation), samadhi (identification of oneself with the Atman). These eight are the elements of yoga. Of these breath-control, which forms part of niyama, consists of exhalation, inhalation and retention. While in all the sastras it is said that exhalation and inhalation should be equal and retention twice their length, in Rajayoga, retention of breath is four times as long as inhalation and twice as long as exhalation. The breath-control of the Rajayoga path is superior to other kinds. If this breath-control is practised according to one’s capacity, without strain but regularly, the body gets fatigued in a way but becomes still and the desire to be in a state of Bliss gradually arises in the mind. Then pratyahara must be attempted. This unifies the mind and makes it one-pointed, so that it does not run after the external objects of name and form. Since the mind that has till now run after externals can rarely withdraw and steady itself, efforts are made to unify and steady it by holding it to a particular aim by the following means: pranava japa (the incantation of OM) and other incantations made mentally; fixing the attention between the eyebrows; concentrating on the tip of the nose; hearing the sounds arising within the ears alternately, i.e. striving to hear the sound in the left ear with the right ear and vice versa. Dharana (concentrated attention) must then be attempted. This means fixing the mind on a centre fit for meditation. The heart and brahmarandhra (fontanelle or aperture in the crown of the head) are recommended as fit spots for dharana. The mind is fixed on either of these spots while conceiving of one’s personal deity in the form of a flame of light shining there. If one fixes one’s attention on the heart it is the eight-petalled lotus; if on the brahmarandhra it is also the eight-petalled lotus, though said to consist of sahasradala (a thousand petals) or 125 small petals. Thus concentrating, one must meditate that one is not a separate being from one’s deity and that that flame of light is the form of one’s Atma (Spirit or Self). In other words, it is meditation on ‘I am He’. The scripture says that the all-pervasive Brahman itself is shining in the heart as ‘I, I’, the witness of the intellect. If one asks ‘Who am I?’ then He (the Deity or the Atma) will be found shining (throbbing) as ‘I, I’ in the lotus of the heart. Practising this is also meditation and is much better than the ‘I am He’ meditation. A man can practise whatever comes easy to him. By practice of this kind of meditation, one becomes unaware of oneself and what one is doing and one’s mind gets absorbed in the Self. The subtle state in which even the pulsation subsides is the state of samadhi. Only, one must guard against sleep in this state. Then it will confer Supreme Bliss. If anyone practises this daily and regularly, God will bless him on the Supreme Path, on which he will attain perfect Peace. As there are elaborate treatises on the elements of ashtanga yoga, only as much as is necessary is written here. Anyone who desires to know more must resort to a practising yogi with experience and learn from him in detail.

Pranava is incantation of OM with three and a half beats, A, U, M, and a half beat of M. Of these A stands for the waking state, the gross body, and creation, U stands for the dream state, the subtle body, and preservation, M stands for deep sleep, the Self at rest in sleep, the causal body, and dissolution. The half sound stands for the fourth state, the true state of the I or Self. The state beyond this is the state of pure Bliss. The fourth state obtained in meditation as one’s true State contains within itself A, U, M and the half beat and so is called the state in which all sound forms have subsided; it is also called silent incantation and non-dual incantation, which is the essence of all incantations. It is for obtaining this true experience of OM that in the stage of pratyahara silent incantation is prescribed.

‘The soul attains conscious immortality through meditating upon that principle ever shining like the flame of light possessing the effulgence of lightning, residing as All-Pervading in the midst of the heart lotus with eight-petals, the size of a thumb and described variously as kailas, vaikunta, and paramapada.’ The seeker is advised to meditate in accordance with this text. A sense of inconstancy in the Self may appear to arise and also of differentiation between the meditator and what he meditates upon. The seeker is advised to meditate upon his own Self, because that flame which is throbbing as I, I is the Self. Therefore there need be no doubting this scriptural text. Of all forms of meditation, atma dhyana (meditation on the Self), which has just been described, is the best. If that is achieved there is no need to attempt other forms of meditation, because all are included in it. Other forms are advised only to help achieve success in this. The form of meditation one follows will depend on one’s maturity of mind. Though the various modes of meditation may appear different, yet they all converge on the same point; there is no need to doubt this. ‘Knowing one’s own Self is knowing God. Not knowing the nature of him who meditates but meditating on God as foreign to one’s own Self is like measuring one’s shadow with one’s foot. You go on measuring while the shadow also goes on receding further and further.’ So say the scriptures. Hence meditation on the Self is best, because the Self alone is the Supreme Self of all the gods.

The Eightfold Path of Knowledge

In this chapter is described the jnanamarga (the path of Knowledge) which leads to Self-Realization through realization that the Supreme is One and Indivisible.

Detailed description of the phases of jnana ashtanga (the eightfold path of Knowledge) such as yama and niyama is beyond the scope of this small work. Exhalation in this path means giving up the two aspects of name and form, of body and world. Inhalation is taking in (grasping) the sat (being), chit (consciousness), ananda (bliss) aspects pervading names and forms. Retention of breath is retaining them, assimilating what has been taken in. Pratyahara is being ever on the vigil that the rejected names and forms do not intrude again into the mind. Dharana is retaining the mind in the heart, so that it does not wander, by holding firm to the concept already grasped, that is: ‘I am the sat chit ananda Atman’ (the Self which is Being-Consciousness-Bliss). Dhyana (meditation) is steady abidance as aham swarupa (in one’s true form) which is experienced as ‘I, I’ of its own accord, just as when enquiring ‘Who am I?’, by stilling the corpse of this body of five sheaths. For this kind of breath-control there is no need of such regulations as asanas (postures) etc. One may practise it in any place or time. The primary aim is to fix the mind in the Heart at the feet of the Lord shining as the Self and never to forget Him. Forgetfulness of the Self is the source of all misery. The elders say that such forgetfulness is death to the aspirant after Liberation. It may be asked if the regular breath-control of Rajayoga (a yogic path) is unnecessary. To this we reply: it is useful, but its value lasts only as long as one is practising it, whereas the breath-control of the eightfold path of Knowledge is a permanent help. The aim of both kinds of breath-control is to remember the Self and to still the mind. Therefore until the mind has subsided in the heart by means of breath-control or Self-enquiry regular yogic breath-control remains necessary; further than that there is no need for it. The kevala kumbhaka type of breath-control is of such nature that the breathing subsides in the Heart even without control of inhalation and exhalation. One may practise the methods of either yoga or jnana (knowledge) as one will.

All the scriptures aim at control of the mind, since destruction of the mind is moksha or Liberation. Yoga is control of the breath, while the method of jnana or Knowledge is to see everything as a form of truth or as Brahman the One and Indivisible. It depends on a person’s latent tendencies which of these two paths will appeal to him. The path of Knowledge is like taming an unruly bull by showing it a bundle of grass, that of yoga is like taming it by beating and yoking it. So say those who know. Fully competent persons reach the Goal by controlling the mind, in the truth of Vedanta, knowing the certainty of the Self, and seeing their Self and everything as Brahman. Those who are less qualified fix the mind in the heart by means of breath-control and prolonged meditation on the Self. Those who are still less qualified reach higher stages by methods such as breath-control. Bearing this in mind, the yoga of the control of mind is classified as the eightfold path of Knowledge and of yoga. It is enough if breath-control is practised till kevala kumbhaka is achieved. Direct experience of samadhi can also be attained by devotion (bhakti) in the form of constant meditation (dhyana). Kevala kumbhaka with Self-enquiry, even without control of inhalation and exhalation, is an aid to this. If that becomes natural to one, it can be practised at all times except during worldly activity and there is no need to seek a special place for it. Whatever a person finds suitable may be practised. If the mind gradually subsides, it does not matter if other things come and go. In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna says that the devotee is higher than the yogi and that the means to Liberation is bhakti (devotion) in the form of inherence in the Self, which is one’s own Reality. Therefore if, somehow or other, we get the courage to rest the mind perpetually in Him, why worry about other things?

Renunciation

In this chapter the entire effacement of thought is said to be the only true sannyasa (renunciation).

Sannyasa or renunciation is not the discarding of external things but of the ego. To such renouncers (sannyasins) there exists no difference between solitude and active life. The Rishi Vasishtha says: ‘Just as a man, whose mind is preoccupied, is not aware of what is in front of him, so also the Sage, though engaged in work, is not the doer thereof, because his mind is immersed in the Self without the uprising of the ego. Just as a man lying on his bed dreams that he is falling headlong over a precipice, so also the ignorant person whose ego is still present, though engaged in deep meditation in solitude, does not cease to be the doer of all action.’

Conclusion

It is within our power to adopt a simple and nutritious diet and, with earnest and incessant endeavour, to eradicate the ego—the cause of all misery—by stopping all mental activity born of the ego.

Can obsessing thoughts arise without the ego, or can there be illusion apart from such thoughts?

Notes

Reprinted from The Collected Works of Sri Ramana Maharshi, 1969 Rider edition, reprinted from 1959 edition published by Sri Ramanasramam.

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This page was first published on February 25, 2025 and last revised on February 28, 2025.