Letters from Sri Ramanasramam 17

[Guest guest]

31st December, 1945

 

HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT YOU DO NOT KNOW ANYTHING?

 

During the first week of last month, on one morning, an

ignorant traveller came to the Ashram and, after staying here

for two or three days, and in accordance with the saying

" eating in choultries, sleeping in mutts "

went away to eat and stay elsewhere, but was all the same

coming here for some days enjoying the bliss of staying near

and having the darshan of Bhagavan. Before leaving this town

he approached Bhagavan one day with great hesitation and

said, in humble tones, " Swami, the people sitting here always

ask you something and you give them some replies. When

I see that, I also feel tempted to enquire, but I do not know

what to ask you. How then can I get mukti? "

 

Bhagavan, looking at him endearingly and smiling, said,

" How do you know that you do not know anything? " He said,

" After I came here and heard the questions asked by all these

people and the replies Bhagavan is pleased to give them, the

feeling that I do not know anything has come upon me. " " Then

it is all right. You have found out that you do not know

anything; that itself is enough. What more is required? " said

Bhagavan. " How to attain mukti by that much alone, Swami? "

said the questioner. " Why not? There is some one to know

that he does not know anything. It is sufficient if you could

enquire and find out who that someone is. Ego will develop if

one thinks that one knows everything. Instead of that, isn't it

much better to be conscious of the fact that you do not know

anything and then enquire how you could gain moksha? "

He felt happy at that and went his way. That questioner

might or might not have understood the essence of that

Bhagawathvani (the voice of the Lord) but, for us people here,

those words were echoing in our heart of hearts like

mantraksharas (letters of the gospel).