Ulladu Naarpadu - Verse #7

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ULLADU NAARPADU

(Reality in Forty

Verses)

 

The famous Vedantic poem in Tamil by

Bhagavan Ramana Maharishi

(consisting of two preliminary verses

called Mangalam, 40 verses which form the main text , and another 40 verses

called the Appendix)

 

Detailed Commentary in Tamil by

Lakshmana Sharma,

adapted into English by Profvk

 

(Continued from ULLADU NAARPADU – Verse

No.6

See Post #48121

Of Harsha

Satsangh)

 

Introduction to Verse No.7

 

So the world is a mental

construct. But that raises the question:

Is the Mind real? If the mind is real,

then the world that appears to it may be argued as real. Of course if mind is

not shown to be real, then the unreality of the world is a certain conclusion. This is what is taken up in this verse.

 

Verse No.7

 

ulagu aRivum ondRAy udittu oDungumEnum

ulagu aRivu tannAl oLirum.

ulagu aRivu tOnDri maRaidarku iDanAy

tOnDri maRaiyAdu oLirum pUnDRamAm akdE

poruL.

 

 

Translation (Lakshmana Sharma)

 

The two, the

universe and the mind, arise and set as one; yet this inert universe is lighted

up by the mind alone; know that that infinite Being whose nature is Pure

Consciousness and in which the two (the universe and the mind) arise and set,

but which itself neither rises nor sets, is alone Real.

 

 

Translation (Prof. K. Swaminathan)

 

Though the world and mind rise and fade together, the world

shines by the light of the mind. The ground whence the world and mind arise,

and wherein they set, that Perfection rises not nor sets but ever shines. That

is Reality.

Translation (Osborne)

 

Although

the world and knowledge thereof rise and set together it is by knowledge alone

that the world is made apparent. That Perfection wherein the world and

knowledge thereof rise and set, and which shines without rising and setting, is

alone the Reality.

 

Word by word

 

ulagu aRivum: The universe and the mind

(intellect)

ondRay: simultaneously

udittoDungumEnum: rise and set

(fade)

ulagu: The universe

oLirum: shines, is lighted

aRivu tannAl:

by the mind (intellect).

pOnDramAm : The Infinite Fullness

oLirum: (which) shines

tOnDri maRaiyAdu: without rising or setting

iDanAy : (but is) the base

tOnDri maRaidaRku for the

rising and setting (of)

ulagaRivu : the universe and the mind

akde poruL: that (Fullness) is alone the Reality.

 

Commentary

(Lakshmana Sharma)

 

The universe is a construct of the mind said the

previous verse; in other words, the universe is contained in the mind. This is recalled by this verse in

its second line. So `ulagu oLirum aRivu tannAl'. After this comes `ulagaRivu'. The meaning of this is not just `the universe

and the mind'. In the context after the second line, this could be taken as

`the knowledge that expands itself into the universe' Note: uru =

personification). Since the universe is not distinct from the mind (knowledge),

the locus of the rising and setting of the intellect that causes it is also the

locus of the rising and setting of the univese.

 

Thus #s6 and & 7 together say that except for

the Reality that is the Atman, the mind as well as its construct, namely the

universe are unreal. Earlier what was

said by Bhagavan in his explanation of `uLLadaladu uLLavuNarvu uLLado?'

(cf. Mangalam – 1) as the definition of Reality, is again reiterated here. The substratum which forms the base for the

rising and setting of the universe and the mind shines always, without rising

or setting. Since that is shown here to be the Reality, it follows that the

universe and the mind which have the property of rising and setting are unreal.

 

In addition, it also follows that since the

universe and the mind rise and set together as one, in actuality they are one.

The mind (intellect, knowledge) does not have the purity of non-appearance of

the universe. Similarly the universe does not appear without the presence of

the mind (intellect, knowledge). Therefore these two are each an expansion

of something else. That is the Ego, whose characterisitic will

be explained later.

 

The Reality which is the base for everything is

nothing but the only existing reality that is Brahman. It is self-luminous. Not

like the universe which requires to be lighted by something else. Also it is

not associated with the world-appearance like the mind. It is pure. To explain that there is nothing

else which is real, it is said to be the Complete Fullness (pUrNam).

 

(To be continued in Verse #8)

[see also: wisdom-and-action-no-3-by-v-ganesan

]PraNAms to all seekers of Truth.PraNAms to Bhagavan Ramana Maharishi.profvk