Tag: Self-Realization

Brahma Jnaavali Maala

Brahma Jnaavali Mala – Adi Sankara

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Brahma Jnanavali Mala – Adi Sankara

In this work attributed to Sri Adi Sankaracharya, the characteristics of the person who has realized the Real Self are described. The aspirant seeking Liberation and Self-Realization is advised to meditate on these, in order to attain the same pristine state of Perfection and Bliss.

भगवान श्री आदि शंकराचार्यकृत

ब्रह्मज्ञानावलीमाला

Bhagavan Sri Adi Sankaracharya’s Brahma Jnanavali Mala

Knowledge of the GREAT SELF (Brahman – ब्रह्मन्)

1. sakRt SravaNamAtreNa brahmajnAnam yato bhavet
brahmajnAnAvalImAlA sarveshAm mokshasiddhaye

सकृत श्रवणमात्रेण ब्रह्मज्ञानं यतो भवेत्‌ ।
ब्रह्मज्ञानावलीमाला सर्वेषां मोक्षसिद्धये ॥ १ ॥

The work entitled Brahma Jnanavali Maala, by hearing which just once, knowledge of Brahman (Blissful Self) is attained, which enables all to attain liberation.

2. asango’ham asango’ham asango’ham punah punah
saccidAnandarUpo’ham ahamevAham avyayah

असङगोऽहमसङगोऽहमसङजोऽहं पुनः पुनः ।
सच्चिदानन्दरुपोऽहमेवाहमव्ययः ॥ २ ॥

Unattached am I, unattached am I, unattached am I again and again. I am of the nature of Existence-Consciousness-Bliss (Sat-Chit-Ananda); I am the very Self, indestructible and changeless.

3. nityaSuddhavimukto’ham nirAkAro’ham avyayah
bhUmAnandasvarUpo’ham ahamevAham avyayah

नित्यशुद्धविमुक्तोऽहं निराकारोऽमव्ययः ।
भूमानन्दस्वरूपोऽहमहमेवाहमव्ययः ॥ ३ ॥

I am eternal; I am pure; I am ever liberated, I am formless, indestructible and changeless. I am of the nature of infinite bliss; I am the very Self, indestructible and changeless.

4. nityo’ham niravadyo’ham nirAkAro’ham acyutah
paramAnandasvarUpo’ham ahamevAhamavyayah

नित्योऽहं निरवद्योऽहं निराकारोऽहमच्युतः ।
परमानन्दस्वरूपोऽहमहमेवाहमव्ययः ॥ ४ ॥

I am eternal, I am free from blemish; I am formless; I am imperishable and permanent. I am of the nature of supreme bliss; I am the very Self, indestructible and changeless.

5. SuddhacaitanyarUpo’ham AtmArAmo’ham eva ca
akhaNDAnandarUpo’ham ahamevAhamavyayah

शुद्धचैतन्यरूपोहमात्मारामोऽहमेव च ।
अखण्डानन्दरूपोऽहमहमेवाहमव्ययः ॥ ५ ॥

I am of the nature of pure consciousness; I revel in my own Self. I am of the nature of unbroken bliss; I am the very Self, indestructible and changeless.

6. pratyakcaitanyarUpo’ham Santo’ham prakRteh parah
SASvatAnandarUpo’ham ahamevAhamavyayah

प्रत्यक्वैतन्यरूपोऽहं शान्तोऽहं प्रकृतेः परः ।
शाश्वतानन्दरूपोऽहमहमेवाहमव्ययः ॥ ६ ॥

I am the indwelling consciousness; I am calm, free from all agitation; I am beyond Nature (Prakriti). I am of the nature of eternal bliss; I am the very Self, indestructible and changeless.

7. tattvAtItah parAtmAham madhyAtItah parah Sivah
mAyAtItah paramjyotih ahamevAhamavyayah

तत्वातीतः परात्माऽहं मध्यातीतः परः शिवः ।
मायातीतः परंज्योतिरहमेवाहमव्ययः ॥ ७ ॥

I am the supreme Self beyond all truths and fundamental principles (Tattvas), I am the supreme auspicious One, beyond all those in the middle. I am beyond Illusion (Maya); I am the supreme light; I am the very Self, indestructible and changeless..

8. nAnArUpavyatIto’ham cidAkAro’ham acyutah
sukharUpasvarUpo’ham ahamevAhamavyayah

नानारूपव्यतीतोऽहं चिदाकारोऽमच्युतः ।
सुखरूपस्वरूपोऽहमहमेवाहमव्ययः ॥ ८ ॥

I am beyond all the different forms; I am of the nature of pure consciousness; I am imperishable and permanent. I am of the nature of happiness; I am the very Self, indestructible and changeless.

9. mAyAtatkAryadehAdi mama nAstyeva sarvadA
svaprakASaikarUpo’ham ahamevAhamavyayah

मायातत्कार्यदेहादि मम नास्त्येव सर्वदा ।
स्वप्रकाशौकरूपोऽहमहमेवाहमव्ययः ॥ ९ ॥

There is neither illusion (mAyA), nor its effects such as the body and so on for me, ever. I am of the nature of self-luminosity; I am the very Self, indestructible and changeless.

10. guNatrayavyatIto’ham brahmAdInAm ca sAkshyaham
anantAnandarUpo’ham ahamevAhamavyayah

गुणत्रयव्यतीतोऽहं ब्रह्मादीनां च साक्ष्यहम्‌ ।
अनन्तानन्दरूपोऽहमहमेवाहमव्ययः ॥ १० ॥

I am beyond the three basic qualities of the mind (gunas : sattva, rajas, and tamas); I am the witness of even the Creator Brahma and others. I am of the nature of infinite bliss; I am the very Self, indestructible and changeless.

11. antaryAmisvarUpo’ham kUTasthah sarvago’smyaham
paramAtmasvarUpo’ham ahamevAhamavyayah

अन्तर्यामिस्वरूपोऽहं कूटस्थः सर्वगोऽस्म्यहम्‌ ।
परमात्मस्वरूपोऽहमहमेवाहमव्ययः ॥ ११ ॥

I am of the nature of indwelling Supersoul; I am immutable; I am all-pervading. I am of the nature of the supreme Self; I am the very Self, indestructible and changeless.

12. nishkalo’ham nishkriyo’ham sarvAtmA Adyah sanAtanah
aparokshasvarUpo’ham ahamevAhamavyayah

निष्कलोऽहं निष्क्रियोऽहं सर्वात्माऽऽद्यः सनातनः ।
अपरोक्षस्वरूपोऽहमहमेवाहमव्ययः ॥ १२ ॥

I am devoid of parts; I am actionless; I am the Self of all; I am the primordial one; I am the ancient, eternal one. I am of the nature of directly intuited Self. I am the very Self, indestructible and changeless.

13. dvandvAdisAkshirUpo’ham acalo’ham sanAtanah
sarvasAkshisvarUpo’ham ahamevAhamavyayah

द्वन्द्वादिसाक्षिरूपोऽहमचलोऽहं सनातनः ।
सर्वसाक्षिस्वरूपोऽहमहमेवाहमेवाहमव्ययः ॥ १३ ॥

I am of the nature of being a witness of all pairs of opposites; I am immovable; I am eternal. I am of the nature of being a witness of everything; I am the very Self, indestructible and changeless.

14. prajnAnaghana evAham vijnAnaghana eva ca
akartAham abhoktAham ahamevAhamavyayah

प्रज्ञानघन एवाहं विज्ञानघन एव च ।
अकर्ताहमभोक्ताहमहमेवाहमव्ययः ॥ १४ ॥

I am a mass of awareness and I am a mass of consciousness. I am not a doer nor an experiencer. I am the very Self, indestructible and changeless.

15. nirAdhArasvarUpo’ham sarvAdhAroham eva ca
AptakAmasvarUpo’ham ahamevAhamavyayah

निराधारस्वरूपोऽहं सर्वाधारोऽहमेव च ।
आप्तकामस्वरूपोऽहमहमेवाहमव्ययः ॥ १५ ॥

I am of the nature of being without any support, and I am also the support of all. I am of the nature of  all desires fulfilled; I am the very Self, indestructible and changeless.

16. tApatrayavinirmukto dehatrayavilakshaNah
avasthAtrayasAkshyasmi ahamevAhamavyayah

तापत्रयविनिर्मुक्तो देहत्रयविलक्षणः ।
अवस्थात्रयसाक्ष्यस्मि अहमेवाहमव्ययः ॥ १६ ॥

I am free from the three kinds of afflictions (those in the body, those from other beings and those caused by higher powers); I am different from the three bodies (gross, subtle and causal bodies). I am the witness of the three states of waking, dream and deep sleep; I am the very Self, indestructible and changeless.

17. dRg dRSyau dvau padArthau stah parasparavilakshaNau
dRg brahma dRSyam mAyeti sarvavedAntaDiNDimah

दृग्‌दृश्यौ द्वौ पदार्थो स्तः परस्परविलक्षणौ ।
दृग्‌ ब्रह्म द्र्रिश्यं मायेति सर्ववेदान्तडिण्डिमः ॥ १७ ॥

There are two things which are the seer and the seen;  they are different from each other. The seer is the Self (Brahman) and the seen is Illusion (Maya). Thus all Vedanta proclaims.

18. aham sAkshIti yo vidyAt vivicyaivam punah punah
sa eva muktah so vidvAn iti vedAntaDiNDimah

अहं साक्षीति यो विद्याद्‌विविच्यैवं पुनः पुनः ।
स एव मुक्तः सो विद्वानिति वेदान्तडिण्डिमः ॥ १८ ॥

“I am the Witness”; one who realizes this after carefully contemplating again and again; He alone is liberated; He is the enlightened one. Thus Vedanta proclaims.

19. ghaTakuDyAdikam sarvam mRttikAmAtram eva ca
tadvad brahma jagat sarvam iti vedAntaDiNDimah

घटकुड्यादिकं सर्व मृत्तिकामात्रमेव च ।
तद्वद्‌ब्रह्म जगत्‌ सर्वमिति वेदान्तडिण्डिमः ॥ १९ ॥

The pot, wall, and so on, are all nothing but clay. Likewise, the entire universe is nothing but the Self (Brahman). Thus Vedanta proclaims.

20. brahma satyam jaganmithyA jIvo brahmaiva nAparah
anena vedyam sacchAstram iti vedAntaDiNDimah

ब्रह्म सत्यं जगन्मिथ्या जीवो ब्रह्मैव नापरः ।
अनेन वेद्यं सच्छास्त्रमिति वेदान्तडिण्डिमः ॥ २० ॥

Brahman, the Self, is real (Satya); Jagat, the universe, is illusion (mithya). Jiva, the individual soul, is Brahman itself and not different. This is what should be understood as true Sastra, scriptural teachings. Thus proclaims Vedanta.

21. antarjyotirbahirjyotih pratyakjyotih parAtparah
jyotirjyotih svayamjyotih Atmajyotih Sivo’smyaham

अन्तर्ज्योतिर्बहिर्ज्योतिः प्रत्यग्ज्योतिः परात्परः ।
ज्योतिर्ज्योतिः स्वयंज्योतिरात्मज्योतिः शिवोऽस्म्यहम्‌ ॥ २१ ॥

I am the Inner Light, the Outer Light, the Indwelling Light, Higher than the Highest. I am the Light of all Lights, Self-Luminous, the Light that is the Self; I am the Auspicious One.

॥ ईति श्री आदिशंकरभगवत्‌पादकृ त ब्रह्मज्ञानावली सम्पूर्ण ॥

॥ ईति श्री आदिशंकराचार्यकृत ब्रह्मज्ञानावलीमाला सम्पूर्ण ॥

Thus Brahma Jnanavali rendered by Sri Adi Sankara Bhagavat Pada comes to a close.

Thus Brahma Jnanavali Mala rendered by Sri Adi Sankaracharya comes to a completion.

Originally translated by Shri S. N. Sastri
https://indiaspirituality.blogspot.com/2013/06/brahma-jnanavali-mala-by-shri-adi_26.html

Quote 1 – Ramana

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Quote 1 – Ramana

In deep sleep the man is devoid of possessions, including his own body. Instead of being unhappy he is quite happy. Everyone desires to sleep soundly. The conclusion is that happiness is inherent in man and is not due to external causes. One must realise his Self in order to open the store of unalloyed happiness.

Two Ways to get Real Bliss – Ramana

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Two Ways to get Real Bliss

Miss Umadevi, a Polish lady convert to Hinduism, asked Sri Bhagavan: I once before told Sri Bhagavan how I had a vision of Siva at about the time of my conversion to Hinduism. A similar experience recurred to me at Courtallam. These visions are momentary. But they are blissful. I want to know how they might be made permanent and continuous. Without Siva there is no life in what I see around me. I am so happy to think of Him. Please tell me how His vision may be everlasting to me.

M.: You speak of a vision of Siva. Vision is always of an object. That implies the existence of a subject. The value of the vision is the same as that of the seer. (That is to say, the nature of the vision is on the same plane as that of the seer.) Appearance implies disappearance also. Whatever appears must also disappear. A vision can never be eternal. But Siva is eternal.

The pratyaksha (vision) of Siva to the eye signifies the existence of the eyes to see; the buddhi (intellect) lying behind the sight; the seer behind the buddhi and the sight; and finally the Consciousness underlying the seer. This pratyaksha (vision) is not as real as one imagines it to be, because it is not intimate and inherent; it is not first-hand. It is the result of several successive phases of Consciousness. Of these, Consciousness alone does not vary. It is eternal. It is Siva. It is the Self.

The vision implies the seer. The seer cannot deny the existence of the Self. There is no moment when the Self as Consciousness does not exist; nor can the seer remain apart from Consciousness. This Consciousness is the eternal Being and the only Being. The seer cannot see himself. Does he deny his existence because he cannot see himself with the eyes as pratyaksha (in vision)? No! So, pratyaksha does not mean seeing, but BE-ing.

“To BE” is to realise – Hence I AM THAT I AM. I AM is Siva. Nothing else can be without Him. Everything has its being in Siva and because of Siva.

Therefore enquire “Who am I?” Sink deep within and abide as the Self. That is Siva as BE-ing. Do not expect to have visions of Him repeated. What is the difference between the objects you see and Siva? He is both the subject and the object. You cannot be without Siva. Siva is always realised here and now. If you think you have not realised Him it is wrong. This is the obstacle for realising Siva. Give up that thought also and realisation is there.

D.: Yes. But how shall I effect it as quickly as possible?
M.: This is the obstacle for realisation. Can there be the individual without Siva? Even now He is you. There is no question of time. If there be a moment of non-realisation, the question of realisation can arise. But as it is you cannot be without Him. He is already realised, ever realised and never non-realised.

Surrender to Him and abide by His will whether he appears or vanishes; await His pleasure. If you ask Him to do as you please, it is not surrender but command to Him. You cannot have Him obey you and yet think that you have surrendered. He knows what is best and when and how to do it. Leave everything entirely to Him. His is the burden: you have no longer any cares. All your cares are His. Such is surrender. This is bhakti.

Or, enquire to whom these questions arise. Dive deep in the Heart and remain as the Self. One of these two ways is open to the aspirant.

Sri Bhagavan also added: There is no being who is not conscious and therefore who is not Siva. Not only is he Siva but also all else of which he is aware or not aware. Yet he thinks in sheer ignorance that he sees the universe in diverse forms. But if he sees his Self he is not aware of his separateness from the universe; in fact his individuality and the other entities vanish although they persist in all their forms.

Siva is seen as the universe. But the seer does not see the background itself. Think of the man who sees only the cloth and not the cotton of which it is made; or of the man who sees the pictures moving on the screen in a cinema show and not the screen itself as the background; or again the man who sees the letters which he reads but not the paper on which they are written. The objects are thus Consciousness and forms. But the ordinary person sees the objects in the universe but not Siva in these forms. Siva is the Being assuming these forms and the Consciousness seeing them. That is to say, Siva is the background underlying both the subject and the object, and again Siva in Repose and Siva in Action, or Siva and Sakti, or the Lord and the Universe.

Whatever it is said to be, it is only Consciousness whether in repose or in action. Who is there that is not conscious? So, who is not realised? How then can questions arise doubting realisation or desiring it? If ‘I’ am not pratyaksha to me, I can then say that Siva is not pratyaksha.

These questions arise because you have limited the Self to the body, only then the ideas of within and without, of the subject and the object, arise. The objective visions have no intrinsic value. Even if they are everlasting they cannot satisfy the person. Uma has Siva always with Her. Both together form Ardhanariswara. Yet she wanted to know Siva in His true nature. She made tapas. In her dhyana she saw a bright light. She thought: “This cannot be Siva for it is within the compass of my vision. I am greater than this light.” So she resumed her tapas. Thoughts disappeared. Stillness prevailed. She then realised that BE-ing is Siva in His true nature.

Muruganar cited Appar’s stanza:- “To remove my darkness and give me light, Thy Grace must work through ME only.”

Sri Bhagavan mentioned Manickavachagar’s:
“We do bhajana and the rest. But we have not seen nor heard of those who had seen Thee.” One cannot see God and yet retain individuality. The seer and the seen unite into one Being. There is no cogniser, nor cognition, nor the cognised. All merge into One Supreme Siva only!

Talks with Ramana Maharshi
3rd February, 1938
Talk 450.

What are the steps of practical training (for Salvation)?

What are the steps of practical training (for Salvation) – Ramana?

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What are the steps of practical training (for Salvation)?

A visitor asked: What to do to get liberation (moksha)?
Maharishi: Learn what liberation is.

D.: Should I do worship (upasana) for it?
M.: Worship is for mind control (chitta nirodha) and concentration.

D.: Should I do idol worship? Is there any harm in it?
M.: So long as you think you are the body there is no harm.

D.: How to get over the cycle of births and deaths?
M.: Learn what it means.

D.: Should I not leave my wife and family?
M.: How do they harm you? First find out who you are.

D.: Should not one give up wife, wealth, home?
M.: Learn first what samsara is. Is all that samsara? Have there not been men living among them and getting realisation?

D.: What are the steps of practical training (sadhana) for it?
M.: It depends on the qualifications and the nature of the seeker.

D.: I am doing idol worship.
M.: Go on with it. It leads to concentration of mind. Get one-pointed. All will come out right. People think that freedom (moksha) is somewhere yonder and should be sought out. They are wrong. Freedom (moksha) is only knowing the Self within yourself. Concentrate and you will get it. Your mind is the cycle of births and deaths (samsara).

D.: My mind is very unsteady. What should I do?
M.: Fix your attention on any single thing and try to hold on to it. All will be right.

D.: I find concentration difficult.
M.: Go on practising. Your concentration will be as easy as breathing. That will be the crown of your achievements.

D.: Are not abstinence and pure food helpful?
M.: Yes, all that is good. (Then Maharshi concentrates and silently gazes at vacancy, and thus sets an example to the questioner).

D.: Do I not require Yoga?
M.: What is it but the means to concentration?

D.: To help concentration, is it not good to have some aids?
M.: Breath-regulation, etc., are such helps.

D.: Is it not possible to get a vision of God?
M.: Yes. You see this and that. Why not see God? Only you must know what God is. All are seeing God always. But they do not know it. You find out what God is. People see, yet see not, because they know not God.

D.: Should I not go on with repetition of sacred syllables, (mantra japa), e.g., Krishna or Rama’s name, when I worship images?
M.: Mental japa is very good. That helps meditation. Mind gets identified with the repetition and then you get to know what worship (puja) really is – the losing of one’s individuality in that which is worshipped.

D.: Is the Universal Soul (Paramatma) always different from us?
M.: That is the common belief, but it is wrong. Think of Him as not different from you, and then you achieve identity of Self with God.

D.: Is it not the Advaita doctrine to become one with God?
M.: Where is becoming? The thinker is all the while the Real. He ultimately realises the fact. Sometimes we forget our identities, as in sleep and dreams. But God is perpetual consciousness.

D.: Is not the Master’s guidance necessary, besides idol worship?
M.: How did you start it without advice?

D.: From sacred books (puranas).
M.: Yes. Someone tells you of God, or Bhagavan Himself tells you. In the latter case God Himself is your Master. What matters it who the Master is? We really are one with Master or Bhagavan. The Master is God; one discovers it in the end. There is no difference between human-guru and God-guru.

D.: If we have done virtuous action (punya) the achievement will not leave us. I hope.
M.: You will reap your destiny (prarabdha) that way.

D.: Will not a Wise Master be a great help in pointing out the way?
M.: Yes. If you go on working with the light available, you will meet your Master, as he himself will be seeking you.

D.: Is there a difference between prapatti (self-surrender) and the Path of Yoga of the Seers?
M.: Jnana Marga and Bhakti Marga (prapatti) are one and the same. Self-surrender leads to realisation just as enquiry does. Complete self-surrender means that you have no further thought of ‘I’. Then all your predispositions (samskaras) are washed off and you are free. You should not continue as a separate entity at the end of either course.

D.: Do not we go to Heaven (svarga), etc. as the result of our actions?
M.: That is as true as the present existence. But if we enquire who we are and discover the Self, what need is there to think of heaven, etc.?

D.: Should I not try to escape rebirth?
M.: Yes. Find out who is born and who has the trouble of existence now. When you are asleep do you think of rebirths or even the present existence, etc.? So find out whence the present problem arises and there is the solution also. You will discover that there is no birth, no present trouble or unhappiness, etc. All is That; All is Bliss; we are freed from rebirth in fact. Why fret over the misery of rebirth?

Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi
4th February, 1935
Talk 31.

Steps to Realization

Steps for Self-Realization – Vivekananda

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Steps to Realization

First among the qualifications required of the aspirant for Jnâna, or wisdom, come Shama and Dama, which may be taken together. They mean the keeping of the organs in their own centres without allowing them to stray out.
….
Thus the mind acts through two agencies — one external, and the other internal. When I see things, my mind goes out, becomes externalized; but suppose I close my eyes and begin to think, the mind does not go out, it is internally active. But, in either case, there is activity of the organs.
….
So in order to control the mind,, we must first be able to control these organs. To restrain the mind from wandering outward or inward, and keep the organs in their respective centres, is what is meant by the words Shama and Dama. Shama consists in not allowing the mind to externalise, and Dama, in checking the external instruments.
….
Now comes Uparati which consists in not thinking of things of the senses. Most of our time is spent in thinking about sense-objects, things which we have seen, or we have heard, which we shall see or shall hear, things which we have eaten, or are eating, or shall eat, places where we have lived, and so on. We think of them or talk of them most of our time. One who wishes to be a Vedantin must give up this habit.
….
Then comes the next preparation (it is a hard task to be a philosopher!), Titikshâ, the most difficult of all. It is nothing less than the ideal forbearance — “Resist not evil.” This requires a little explanation. We may not resist an evil, but at the same time we may feel very miserable. A man may say very harsh things to me, and I may not outwardly hate him for it, may not answer him back, and may restrain myself from apparently getting angry, but anger and hatred may be in my mind, and I may feel very badly towards that man. That is not non-resistance; I should be without any feeling of hatred or anger, without any thought of resistance; my mind must then be as calm as if nothing had happened.
….
The next qualification required is Shraddhâ, faith. One must have tremendous faith in religion and God. Until one has it, one cannot aspire to be a Jnâni. A great sage once told me that not one in twenty millions in this world believed in God. I asked him why, and he told me, “Suppose there is a thief in this room, and he gets to know that there is a mass of gold in the next room, and only a very thin partition between the two rooms; what will be the condition of that thief?” I answered, “He will not be able to sleep at all; his brain will be actively thinking of some means of getting at the gold, and he will think of nothing else.” Then he replied, “Do you believe that a man could believe in God and not go mad to get him? If a man sincerely believes that there is that immense, infinite mine of Bliss, and that It can be reached, would not that man go mad in his struggle to reach it ?” Strong faith in God and the consequent eagerness to reach Him constitute Shraddha.
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Then comes Samâdhâna, or constant practice, to hold the mind in God. Nothing is done in a day. Religion cannot be swallowed in the form of a pill. It requires hard and constant practice. The mind can be conquered only by slow and steady practice.
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Next is Mumukshutva, the intense desire to be free.….. All the misery we have is of our own choosing; such is our nature…..We run headlong after all sorts of misery, and are unwilling to be freed from them. Every day we run after pleasure, and before we reach it, we find it is gone, it has slipped through our fingers. Still we do not cease from our mad pursuit, but on and on we go, blinded fools that we are.
…
When a man begins to see the vanity of worldly things, he will feel he need not to be thus played upon or borne along by nature, because that is slavery. When one realizes the truth of all this slavery, then comes the desire to be free; an intense desire comes. If a piece of burning charcoal be placed on a man’s head, see how he struggles to throw it off. Similar will be the struggles for freedom of a man who really understands that he is a slave of nature. 
….
A Sage or a Wise One wants liberty from bondage; he finds that sense-objects are all vain and that there is no end to running after pleasures and pains. We have thus seen what Mumukshutva, or the desire to be free, is.
….
The next training is also a very difficult one. Nityânitya-Viveka — discriminating between that which is true and that which is untrue, between the eternal and the transitory. God alone is eternal, everything else is transitory. Everything dies; the angels die, men die, animals die, earths die, sun, moon, and stars, all die; everything undergoes constant change. The mountains of today were the oceans of yesterday and will be oceans tomorrow. Everything is in a state of flux. The whole universe is a mass of change. But there is One who never changes, and that is God; and the nearer we get to Him, the less will be the change for us, the less will nature be able to work on us; and when we reach Him, and stand with Him, we shall conquer nature, we shall be masters of phenomena of nature, and they will have no effect on us.
….
You see, if we really have undergone the above discipline, we really do not require anything else in this world. All knowledge is within us. All perfection is there already in the soul. But this perfection has been covered up by nature; layer after layer of nature is covering this purity of the soul. What have we to do? Really we do not develop our souls at all. What can develop the perfect? We simply take the evil off; and the soul manifests itself in its pristine purity,its natural, innate freedom.
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Now begins the inquiry: Why is this discipline so necessary? Because religion is not attained through the ears, nor through the eyes, nor yet through the brain. No scriptures can make us religious. We may study all the books that are in the world, yet we may not understand a word of religion or of God. We may talk all our lives and yet may not be the better for it; we may be the most intellectual people the world ever saw, and yet we may not come to God at all.
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An intellectual, heartless man never becomes an inspired man. Just as the intellect is the instrument of knowledge, so is the heart the instrument of inspiration. 
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Properly cultivated, intellectual knowledge can be changed into inspiration.
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The only question is, Are you pure? If you are pure, you will reach God. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” If you are not pure, and you may know all the sciences in the world, but that will not help you at all to know God. All these disciplines mentioned are for the purification of the heart.
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We must always approach the study of religion with a reverent attitude. He who comes with a pure heart and a reverent attitude, his heart will be opened; the doors will open for him, and he will see the truth.
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We must approach religion with reverence and with love, and then our Heart will stand up and say, this is truth, and this is untruth.
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You will have to approach nearer and nearer to your own centre, and as you do that, you will approach nearer and nearer to God.
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What is the proof of God? Direct perception, Pratyaksha. The proof of this wall is that I perceive it. God has been perceived that way by thousands before, and will be perceived by all who want to perceive Him. But this perception is no sense-perception at all; it is supersensuous, superconscious, and all this training we are talking about is needed only to take us beyond the senses. By means of all sorts of past work and bondages we are being dragged downwards; these preparations will make us pure and light.
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True religion is entirely transcendental.
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Every being that is in the universe has the potentiality of transcending the senses; even the little worm will one day transcend the senses and reach God. No life will be a failure; there is no such thing as failure in the universe. A hundred times man will hurt himself, a thousand times he will tumble, but in the end he will realize that he is God.

Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda
Volume 1 Lectures and Discourses
STEPS TO REALISATION
(A class-lecture delivered in America)

Can a householder attain self-realization

Can a householder attain Self-Realization ? – Ramana

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Can a householder attain Self-Realization ?


D: How does a grihastha1 fare in the scheme of moksha2? Should he not necessarily become a mendicant in order to attain liberation?
M: Why do you think you are a grihastha? Similar thoughts that you are a sannyasin3 will haunt you, even if you go out as a sannyasin. Whether you continue in the household or renounce it and go to the forest, your mind haunts you. The ego is the source of thought. It creates the body and the world, and it makes you think of being the grihastha.
If you renounce, it will only substitute the thought of sannyasa for that of grihastha, and the environment of the forest for that of the household. But the mental obstacles are always there for you. They even increase greatly in the new surroundings. It is no help to change the environment. The one obstacle is the mind; it must be got over whether in the home or in the forest. If you can do it in the forest, why not in the home? Therefore, why change the environment? Your efforts can be made even now, whatever be the environment.

D: Is it possible to enjoy samadhi4 while busy in worldly work?
M: The feeling ‘I work’ is the hindrance. Ask yourself ‘who works?’ Remember who you are. Then the work will not bind you; it will go on automatically. Make no effort either to work or to renounce; your effort is the bondage. What is destined to happen will happen.
If you are destined not to work, work cannot be had even if you hunt for it; if you are destined to work, you will not be able to avoid it; you will be forced to engage yourself in it. So, leave it to the higher power; you cannot renounce or retain as you choose.

1grihasta: householder, person living a family life
2moksha: liberation, release from birth and death cycle, self-realization
3sannyasin: mendicant, hermit, one who has remounced family life
4samadhi: blissful, happiest experience without any worries

Maharshi’s Gospel
Work and Renunciation

Highest goal of spiritual experience

Highest Goal of Spiritual Experience – Ramana

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Highest Goal of Spiritual Experience


Disciple: What is the highest goal of spiritual experience for man?
Maharshi: Self-realization.

D: Can a married man realise the Self?
M: Certainly. Married or unmarried, a man can realise the Self; because That is here and now. If it were not so, but attainable by some effort at some time, and if it were new and had to be acquired, it would not be worth pursuit. Because, what is not natural is not permanent either. But what I say is that the Self is here and now, and alone.

D: A salt-doll diving into the sea will not be protected by a waterproof coat. This world in which we have to toil day in and day out is like the ocean.
M: Yes, the mind is the waterproof coat.

D: So then, one may be engaged in work and, free from desire, keep up one’s solitude? But life’s duties allow little time to sit in meditation or even to pray.
M: Yes. Work performed with attachment is a shackle, whereas work performed with detachment does not affect the doer. He is, even while working, in solitude. To engage in your duty is the true namaskar1….. and abiding in God is the only true asana2.

D: Should I not renounce my home?
M: If that had been your destiny the question would not have arisen.

D: Why then did you leave your home in your youth?
M: Nothing happens except by Divine dispensation. One’s course of conduct in this life is determined by one’s prarabdha3.

D: Is it good to devote all my time to the search for the Self? If that is impossible, should I merely keep quiet?
M: If you can keep quiet, without engaging in any other pursuit, it is very good: If that cannot be done, where is the use of being quiet so far as realization is concerned? So long as a person is obliged to be active, let him not give up attempts to realise the Self.

D: Do not one’s actions affect one in after-births?
M: Are you born now? Why do you think of other births? The fact is, there is neither birth nor death. Let him who is born think of death and the palliative thereof!

D: Can you show us the dead?
M: Did you know your kinsmen before their birth that you should seek to know them after their death?

1 namaskar: prostration, showing reverence
namaste, namaskar

namaste, namaskar

2 asana: posture, sitting position for meditation

3 prarabda: pre-ordained life

Maharshi’s Gospel
Work and Renunciation

You give no attention to your Self - Nisargadatta

You give no attention to your Self – Nisargadatta

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You give no attention to your Self – Nisargadatta

Questioner: Maharaj, you are sitting in front of me and I am here at your feet. What is the basic difference between us?
Maharaj: There is no basic difference.

Q: Still there must be some real difference, I come to you, you do not come to me.
M: Because you imagine differences, you go here and there in search of ‘superior’ people.

Q: You too are a superior person. You claim to know the real, while I do not.
M: Did I ever tell you that you do not know and, therefore, you are inferior? Let those who invented such distinctions prove them. I do not claim to know what you do not. In fact, I know much less than you do.

Q: Your words are wise, your behaviour noble, your grace all-powerful.
M: I know nothing about it all and see no difference between you and me. My life is a succession of events, just like yours. Only I am detached and see the passing show as a passing show, while you stick to things and move along with them.

Q: What made you so dispassionate?
M: Nothing in particular. It so happened that I trusted my Guru. He told me I am nothing but my self and I believed him. Trusting him, I behaved accordingly and ceased caring for what was not me, nor mine.

Q: Why were you lucky to trust your teacher fully, while our trust is nominal and verbal?
M: Who can say? It happened so. Things happen without cause and reason and, after all, what does it matter, who is who? Your high opinion of me is your opinion only. Any moment you may change it. Why attach importance to opinions, even your own?

Q: Still, you are different. Your mind seems to be always quiet and happy. And miracles happen round you.
M: I know nothing about miracles, and I wonder whether nature admits exceptions to her laws, unless we agree that everything is a miracle. As to my mind, there is no such thing. There is consciousness in which everything happens. It is quite obvious and within the experience of everybody. You just do not look carefully enough. Look well, and see what I see.

Q: What do you see?
M: I see what you too could see, here and now, but for the wrong focus of your attention. You give no attention to your self. Your mind is all with things, people and ideas, never with your self. Bring your self into focus, become aware of your own existence. See how you function, watch the motives and the results of your actions. Study the prison you have built around yourself, by inadvertence. By knowing what you are not, you come to know your self. The way back to your self is through refusal and rejection.

One thing is certain: the real is not imaginary, it is not a product of the mind. Even the sense ‘I am’ is not continuous, though it is a useful pointer; it shows where to seek, but not what to seek. Just have a good look at it. Once you are convinced that you cannot say truthfully about your self anything except ‘I am’, and that nothing that can be pointed at, can be your self, the need for the ‘I am’ is over — you are no longer intent on verbalizing what you are.

All you need is to get rid of the tendency to define your self. All definitions apply to your body only and to its expressions. Once this obsession with the body goes, you will revert to your natural state, spontaneously and effortlessly. The only difference between us is that I am aware of my natural state, while you are bemused. Just like gold made into ornaments has no advantage over gold dust, except when the mind makes it so, so are we one in being — we differ only in appearance. We discover it by being earnest, by searching, enquiring, questioning daily and hourly, by giving one’s life to this discovery.

I Am That
Item 2 – Obsession with the Body