Introduction
There is an old legend that a group of Rishis once lived in the forest together, practising rites by which they acquired supernatural powers. By the same means they hoped to attain final Liberation. In this, however, they were mistaken, for action can only result in action; not in the cessation of action; rites can produce powers but not the Peace of Liberation which is beyond rites and powers and all forms of action. Siva determined to convince them of their error and therefore appeared before them as a wandering sadhu. Together with him came Vishnu in the form of a beautiful lady. All the Rishis were smitten with love for this lady and thereby their equilibrium was disturbed and their rites and powers were adversely affected. Moreover their wives, who were also living with them in the forest, all fell in love with the strange sadhu. Incensed at this, they conjured up an elephant and a tiger by magic rites and sent them against him. Siva, however, slew them easily and took the elephant’s skin for a robe and the tiger’s for a wrap. The Rishis then realized that they were up against one more powerful than themselves and they bowed down to him and asked him for instruction. He then explained to them that it is not by action but by renunciation of action that one attains to Liberation.
The poet Muruganar was writing this legend in Tamil verse, but when he came to the instruction given to the Rishis by Siva he asked Bhagavan, who was Siva Incarnate, to write it for him. Bhagavan accordingly wrote the instruction in thirty Tamil verses. He himself later translated these into Sanskrit, and the Sanskrit version was daily chanted before him together with the Vedas and continues to be chanted before his shrine; that is to say that it is treated as a scripture. He refers to the various paths to Liberation, grading them in order of efficiency and excellence, and showing that the best is Self-enquiry.
Arthur Osborne
Upadesa Saram
1
Action (karma) bears fruit (in action), for so the Creator ordains. But is it God? (It cannot be for) it is not sentient.
2
The results of action pass away, and yet leave seeds that cast the agent into an ocean of action. Action (therefore) does not bring Liberation.
3
But acts performed without any attachment, in the spirit of service to God, cleanse the mind and point the way to Liberation.
4
This is certain: worship, incantations, and meditation are performed respectively with the body, the voice, and the mind and are in this ascending order of value.
5
One can regard this eightfold1 universe as a manifestation of God; and whatever worship is performed in it is excellent as the worship of God.
6
The repetition aloud of His name is better than praise. Better still is its faint murmur. But the best is repetition within the mind—and that is meditation, above referred to.
7
Better than such broken thought (meditation) is its steady and continuous flow like the flow of oil or of a perennial stream.
8
The lofty attitude ‘He am I’ is preferable to the attitude ‘He is not me’.
9
Remaining in the Real Being, transcending all thought, through intense devotion, is the very essence of Supreme Bhakti.
10
‘Absorption into the source’ or core of Existence (or the Heart) is what the paths of Karma, Bhakti, Yoga, and Jnana teach.
11
As birds are caught with nets, so by holding the breath, the mind is restrained and absorbed. This (breath-regulation) is a device for effecting absorption.
12
For mind and life-breath (prana), expressed in thought and action, diverge and branch out, but they spring from a single root.
13
Absorption has two forms, laya and nasha. That which is merely absorbed in laya revives; if it is dead, it does not revive.
14
When the mind gets absorbed by breath-restraint, then it will ‘die’, (i.e. its form will perish) if fixed to a single point.
15
The great yogi whose mind is extinguished and who rests in Brahman, has no karma, as he has attained his true nature (Brahman).
16
When the mind withdraws from external objects of sense and beholds (i.e. engages in mystic introspection of) its own effulgent form, that is true wisdom.
17
When the mind unceasingly investigates its own nature, it transpires that there is no such thing as mind. This is the direct path for all.
18
The mind is merely thoughts. Of all thoughts, the thought ‘I’ is the root. (Therefore) the mind is only the thought ‘I’.
19
‘Whence does this “I” arise?’ Seek for it within; it then vanishes. This is the pursuit of Wisdom.
20
Where the ‘I’ vanished, there appears an ‘I-I’ by itself. This is the Infinite (Purnam).
21
This is always the true import of the term ‘I’. For we do not cease to exist even in the deepest sleep, where there is no waking ‘I’.
22
The body, senses, mind, life-breath (prana), and ignorance (avidya or sushupti) are all insentient and not the Real. I am the Real (Sat). These (sheaths) I am not.
23
As there is no second being to know that which is, ‘that which is’ is conscious. We are that.
24
Creatures and Creator both exist. They are One in Being. Their differences are the degrees of their knowledge and other attributes.
25
When the creature sees and knows himself without attributes, that is knowledge of the Creator, for the Creator appears as no other than the Self.
26
To know the Self is to be the Self—as there are not two separate selves. This (state) is thanmaya nishta (abiding as That).
27
That is real knowledge which transcends both knowledge and ignorance. There is no object to be known There.
28
When one’s true nature is known, then there is Being without beginning and end; It is unbroken Awareness-Bliss.
29
Remaining in this state of Supreme Bliss, past all thoughts of bondage and release, is abiding in the service of the Supreme.
30
The Realization of That which subsists when all trace of ‘I’ is gone, is good tapas. So sings Ramana the Self of all.
Note
1 Eightfold in that it is composed of the five elements, the sun and moon and the individual being.
Reprinted from The Collected Works of Sri Ramana Maharshi, 1969 Rider edition, reprinted from 1959 edition published by Sri Ramanasramam.
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