Ramana Maharshi discusses About The Truth Of The Objects Seen (Drisya Unmai Tiran)

1) When one who does not see the truth himself, the seer, who is indispensable for seeing, sees the world as true, the world which is seen by him itself ridicules him and laughs at him within itself, bringing shame on him.

Sadhu Om: This verse, which declares that the world laughs within itself and ridicules the one who sees it as real, has a unique beauty. We may wonder how an insentient thing called ‘world’ can laugh. That is the beauty of this verse. We should understand this verse having in mind the idea taught in verse 74 of this work.

Will not an unchaste and base-natured prostitute laugh within herself when she hears the appreciating words of her infatuated new lover,who says to his friend, “Oh, this woman, my lover, is the most chaste woman in the world”. Likewise, the world laughs within itself at those who think that it is real. Thus this verse personifies the world nicely.

Sri Bhagavan gives more emphasis to the fact that the world is unreal by exposing in this verse that the support or evidence of no other is needed to prove the unreality of the world, for the world itself knows that it is unreal. This is the climax of the fun in this verse.

This verse contains the same instruction given by Sri Bhagavan in Maharshi’s Gospel, Book Two,chapter three [8th edition,page 63], “Well then, that world, which you say is real,is really mocking at you for seeking to prove its reality while of your own reality you are ignorant”.

2)Self, the shining of Grace, which does not reveal itself when sought by the mind, which is merely an objective attention [that is, an attention towards second
and third persons],will reveal itself when that objective attention [the mind] ceases to function.

“When I look at her, the new bride will only look down towards the ground, but when I do not look at her, will lovingly look at me and mildly smile within with joy.”

Michael James: The last two lines of this verse are a quotation of verse 1094 of Tirukkural. The unusual way of comparing Self to the bride and the ego to the bridegroom is to be noted here.

Therefore ‘Self cannot be known by mind, but It will automatically shine forth when, and only when, the nature of the mind (namely attending to or knowing only second and third person objects) is destroyed’.

Source: GURU VACHAKA KOVAI The Light of Supreme Truth or THE COLLECTION OF GURU’S SAYINGS translated from original Tamil By Sadhu Om and Michael James

Guru Vachaka Kovai is the biggest collection of Bhagavan’s spoken teachings that was thoroughly checked and revised by him during his lifetime. As such it has a unique place in the Ramana literature.