Ulladu Naarpadu - Verse No.15 & 16

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ULLADU NAARPADU(Reality in FortyVerses) The famous Vedantic poem in Tamil byBhagavan Ramana Maharishi(consisting of two preliminary versescalled Mangalam, 40 verses which form the main text , and another 40 verses called theAppendix)Detailed Commentary in Tamil byLakshmana Sharma,adapted into English by Profvk (Continued from ULLADU NAARPADU – VerseNo.14See Post#48596 Of This seriesstarted with Post #47923) LakshmanaSharma's Introduction to Verse No.15 Thus it isconfirmed that this universe composed of both animates and inanimates is just mithyA.Men keep enquiring about the origin and end of this universe, and about thepast and future births of the Chid-AbhAsa (included in this universe),who is just like the son of a barren woman. It is the Truth of the self thathas to be enquired into and understood; people not only do not do any suchenquiry but also misunderstand the Truth. Instead they pursue their worldlyenquiries. Verse No.11 has already called such enquiries worthless. The same isbeing said here in this verse in a different way. These enquiries start underthe fundamental assumption that there is a concept of time consisting of thethree periods of time, namely, past, present and future. To speak of Time and to speak of (present) Eventare both the same. One should go into the underlying truth rather than get intoenquiries about other things. This is what this verse says. Verse #15 nigazhvinaipaRRi iRappu edirvu niRpa;nigazhkAlavaiyum nigazhve; nigazhvu onRe;inRu uNmaiteRAdu, iRappu edirvu tEra unal,`onRu' inRieNNa unal. Sanskritversion (by Lakshmana Sharma) [Note by VK: Please note that, since there has been an interestexpressed in the Sanskrit version,hereafter I shall be giving the corresponding shloka inSanskrit also] Samshrityaiva hi vartamAnam-ubhayaM bhUtaMbhavishyat sthitaMsvE kAle'pi ca vartamAnam-mubhayaM, tadvartamAnaMtrayaM /satyevam pravihAya bodham-adhunAsad-vastuno'nveshhaNAtbhUtAgAmivichAraNaM syAdeka-sankhyAm vinA // Translation (Lakshmana Sharma) Both pastand future exist only in their dependence on the present; each in its own timeis only present. Threfore all the three are present. That being so, researchinto the past and the future, without experience of the Reality in the presenttime won by the Quest, is (absurd) like counting without the number `one'. Translation(Prof. K. Swaminathan) Past and future are dependent on the present. The past waspresent in its time and the future will be present too. Ever-present is thepresent. To seek to know the future and the past, without knowing the truth oftime today, is to try to count without the number `One'. Translation (Osborne) Onlywith reference to the present can the past and the future exist. They too,while current, are the present. To try to determine the nature of the past andthe future while ignoring the present is like trying to count without the unit. Word by Word (of the Tamil verse) nigazhvinaipaRRi: Withreference to the presentiRappu: thepastedirvu: (and)the futureniRpa: exist.nigazhkAl : While happeningavaiyum : they toonigazhvE : are only the present.nigazhvuonRe : There is only one, the present.inRu :Right nowuNmaitErAdu: without knowing the truth (of Self )iRappuedirvu: past and futuretEraunal: seeking to knoweNNaunal: (is equivalent to ) trying to countonRuinRi :without (counting) (the first) one. Lakshmana Sharma'scommentary in Tamil The presentmeans what is experienced then and there. When it is experienced it isconsidered as `present' experience. Experience does change, so when we rememberwhat was experienced, we call it the past. And when we expect some experienceto happen, we call it the future. Both are only about what happens; one is calledthe past, and the other, the future. These differences are only imagined, saysBhagavan: all of them are only about `the present'. The True Present, that is,the existing Reality, is only the Atman. It is the Self which is the truth ofall the three periods. It is not to be circumscribed by Time. That Time itselfis only a mental construct will be explained in the next verse. Therefore itis proper to know that existing Reality right now. Instead of knowing WHAT IS,to be researching into the states of the past and the future, will not lead tothe Truth. Those researches and enquiries proceed on the assumption that thepresent false appearances are true. Sothey are fruitless. The analogyfor this is the counting without the first one. All counting has to start withthe number `one'. Numbers are only expansions of `one'. Just as number`one' is important for Mathematics, soalso, for all enquiries, the most fundamental one is the knowledge of the Self. Somebodyasked Bhagavan: `How to find out how I was in my previous birth? And Bhagavanreplied: `Before you enquire into your previous lives, find out whether thepresent life is true. Why not see now what is the Truth of yourself?'. It thereforefollows that all the researches into the material worldly things – by chemists,astronomers (who enquire into the planets of the universe) and physicists (whoenquire into matter) -- are all waste. What was there before the appearance of the universe? When did manappear in this world? Were his ancestorsmonkeys or humans? How did his religious beliefs originate? Did the early Manworship trees, plants and ghosts? Did the present Faiths originate from thoseblind faiths? -- None of these enquiriesare necessary for a seeker of mokshha. Not only this. The researchesthat philosophers carry out are also of the same category. Same story withenquiries into Metaphysics. All these, being done by the strength of one'sintellect and worldly experience without listening to the words of the ReleasedPerson on his experience, only tantamount to Ignorance. LakshmanaSharma's Introduction to Verse No.16 Time andSpace are only expansions of the Ego. Therefore they too are unreal. The nextverse shows they don't exist in turIya. Verse #16 nAm anRi nAL Edu? nADu Edu? nADungAl nAm uDambEl, nAL nATTuL nAm paDuvam.nAm uDambo? nAm inRu anRu, enRum onRu;nAdu ingu angu engum onRAl, nAm uNDu, nAl nADu ilnAm. Sanskritversion (by Lakshmana Sharma) kAlo deshaimau pRthak kimahamo?'dhInAstayo:smo vayaMdehA: syAma yadi svayaM; kimu vayaM dehA bhavAmovada /sarvatrApi ca sarvadApi ca vibhAty-AtmA samAnoyataHtasmAt-santa-mavehi kevalam-amuM tau dvau nigIryasthitaM // Translation (Lakshmana Sharma) Do Time andSpace exist apart from the Ego? If we were bodies, then we would be sub ject tothem. (But) say, are we bodies? Becausethe true Self is the same everywhere and at all times; therefore learn that Heis the sole Reality, consuming both (time and space). Translation(Prof. K. Swaminathan) Without us there is no time nor space. If we are only bodies, weare caught up in time and space. But are we bodies? Now, then and always --here, now and everywhere -- we are the same. We exist, timeless and spacelesswe. Translation (Osborne) Apartfrom us where is time and where is space? If we are bodies, we are involved intime and space, but are we? We are one and identical now, then, and forever,here, and everywhere. Therefore we, timeless, and spaceless Being, alone are. Word by Word (of the Tamil Verse) nAm anRi : Apart fromusnAL Edu? : where is Time?nADu Edu? : where is space?nADungAl while we searchnAm uDambEl : if we are(only) bodies,nAM : wepaDuvam. : are caught upnAL nATTuL : in Time and Space.nAm uDambo? : Are webodies?nAM : weinRu : todayanRu : in the past daysenRum : alwaysonRu. Are of the same formnADu placeingu : hereangu : thereengum : and everywhereonRAl : since weare samenAm uNDu we existnAL nAdu il dateless,placelessnAm we. Lakshmana Sharma'scommentary in Tamil Time and Space are dependent on our Ego. When we are in theegoless sleep state there is no awareness of Time or Space. Therefore, both time and space are onlythoughts, dependent on the mind. The moment we get the fundamental concept that`I am this body', all thoughts arise including the concepts of time and space.Even the modern researchers in the science of this material world of time andspace do agree that Time and Space are concepts of the mind. But there is an experience of being bound by time and space. Whyis this so? We are not examining our ignorant `knowledge' that `I am this body'.We have to examine this notion and then enquire into `Who or what am I?'. Andthen we have to identify (ourself) with the infinite Atman. Because we do notdo this, the finiteness of the body is assumed to be our own finiteness andthus arises the bondage. This bondage will vanish once we pursue this enquiry. Once we start this enquiry, we will find that the real `I' issomething which is unaffected by Time and Space. And then we shall discoverthat it is the Atman that is the Truth and it is not delimited by Time orSpace. The bottom line is that these twodo not subsist in the experience of jnAna. It is not correct to say that the Atman exists at all times andeverywhere. What is true is that the Atman is timeless and spaceless. So it is not accessible to mind or speech. Whatis accessible to the mind or speech has to be subject to Time and Space. (To be continued in Verse No.17) PraNAmsto all seekers of Truth.PraNAmsto Bhagavan Ramana Maharishi.profvk