UPADESA SAARAM OF RAMANA MAHARSHI – AN APPRECIATION (Verses 29 and 30)

[Guest guest]

prof laxmi narain (prof_narain)

 

Source and courtesy: Sri Ramana Kendram, Hyderabad

This article was published in Sri Ramana Jyothi,

monthly magazine of the Kendram.

 

UPADESA SAARAM OF RAMANA MAHARSHI – AN APPRECIATION (Verses 29 and 30)

 

Verse – 29

 

Bandha-muktyateetam param sukham

Vindateehajeevastu daivika

Tu ( ): Some rare

Daivika ( ): divine or auspicious

Jeeva ( ): individuals

Vindati : gain

Param sukham: supreme happiness

Bandha mukti ateetam beyond bondage and liberation

Eha: here.

 

Here (in this world), some rare individuals with auspicious virtues

or qualities attain supreme happiness (of the Self), which is beyond

bondage and liberation.

 

To revel in a state of pure bliss of the Self is the final

liberation of a person. But even the idea of liberation is not within

the comprehension of majority of people because they think that

liberation cannot be had while one is living in this body. To them,

liberation means going to heaven, where one comes to enjoy the

pleasures not available in this world. It should be noted that the

idea of post-death liberation is merely an imagination. Such an idea

is due to our tendency to escape from what is and project ourselves

into the future.

 

People generally associate their concept of liberation with perennial

enjoyment of pleasure, bereft of sorrow. However, the life

consistently teaches us that enduring happiness cannot be had from

the world of ever-changing environments and objects. Pleasures and

sorrows go hand in hand, whereas, happiness in its true sense is the

natural state of being, independent of the world of objects. Sri

Ramana says: We constantly realize the unreal, that is, we regard as

the real that which is unreal. This attitude has be to given up for

attaining jnana

 

The ignorance about one's true nature leads to false identification

with the non-self, that is, the body-mind complex, and creates the

bondage of samsara. When the ignorance (ajnana) is burnt down what

remains is the Self Supreme. This state of liberation has to happen

in our present embodiment. This no doubt is difficult, but this can

be secured at least partially, with sincere and persistent efforts,

along with Guru's grace.

 

Self-enquiry comes very handy here. It is a direct and immediate

action involving effective introversion of the mind focusing all its

attention and energy in search of its source, which is the Self. The

Self is described in this verse

as that is, it

transcends the concepts of both bondage and liberation. The Self is

of the nature of that is, Supreme bliss

and happiness. He who comes upon this glorious state of perennial

Self-bliss, comes to shine as ,

that is, liberated while living in the present embodiment. The

word employed in this verse indicates that such a fortunate

individual is rare to come across.

 

[it is important to note that moving in the direction of Self-search

through the method of Self- enquiry, is itself a significant step.

Self-realisation is a continuum from 0 to 100. Depending upon our

patience and perseverance we may go forward to the extent and

intensity of our tapas. Our job is to make a beginning and continue

to march forward with all sincerity. Only rare persons like the

Maharshi could succeed here cannot be and should not be made an

excuse for not making a beginning and moving forward.]

 

Verse – 30

 

Ahamapetakam nijavibhaanakam

Mahadidam tapo Ramana vaagiyam

 

Idam: This (atma vichara or Self-enquiry which is)

Apetakam: the redeemer of

Aham: aham vritti or ego is

Mahat tapas: a great penance or austerity(and is)

Nijavibhaanakam the revealer of the Self-light.

Iyam: This (is)

Ramana vaagiyam: the utterance of Ramana.

 

This Self-enquiry, the redeemer of ego, is a great penance or

austerity that reveals the Self-light. This is the self-realised

Truth uttered by sage Ramana.

 

Tapas envisages destroying the citadel of spiritual ignorance through

awakening of Awareness. In its early stages tapas can take the form

of simple practices like undertaking pilgrimage, fasting, worship,

sankeertan, selfless-service, etc. – all meant to chasten the inner

instrument, that is, antahkarana. Then the tempo of tapas br raised

to a higher level involving practice of yoga ,pranayama, swadhyaya,

japa and the like. At an advanced stage the tapas becomes an

exclusive pursuit of deep meditation and atma-vichara.

 

The whole intent of tapas is to conquer the mind through right

discipline and to keep out the `unreality' with which we are

obsessed. Our ego-centric way of life lived in utter vanity and gross

selfishness and the constant dabbling in the cesspool of desire,

passion and pleasure, must completely cease for the Truth to reveal.

Tapas, true to its essential sense and norm, is nothing short of an

intelligent and resolute action to completely switch off the

unproductive flow of thought-currents in the direction

of `unreality', and their careful rechannelisation into the inner

realm of Consciousness to explore and discover the indwelling truth –

the Pure Self.

 

Self-enquiry generally begins with and involves a continuous process

of negation of everything that is non-self. As a result, one gathers

a firm intellectual conviction that one is not the body, vital airs,

mind and intellect. Thus constant and sincere practice of Self-

enquiry redeems us from the clutches of ego, helping us to be near

our real Self.

 

Sri Ramana says that to be ever in the Self and never to forget that

identity under any circumstance is the true tapas. Sri Ramana

himself, who was an embodiment of true tapas, demonstrated in his

life extraordinary simplicity, purity, power, beauty and peace and

joy that radiated to people around him. ( Source: Same as in previous

month.)

(With this we end brief commentaries on 30 invaluable slokas of Sri

Ramana's Upadesa Saaram, which began with October 2003 issue of Sri

Ramana Jyothi.)