Ramana Maharshi About Second And Third Person Objects

Among these three entities, what is called the soul or jiva is ‘we’, the first person. This world which we perceive in front of us through the five senses is a second person object, while God and these objects of the world which we do not now directly perceive through the senses are third person objects.

The Tamil word for second person is munnilai, which etymologically means ‘that which stands in front’, so whenever the term ‘second person’ is used, in Sri Bhagavan’s teachings it denotes those objects which are directly perceived in front of us through the five senses, while the term ‘third person’ denotes those objects which are not now perceived in front of us but which are thought of by the mind.

Concerning which one of these three entities, the soul, world and God, and to which one of these three entities do problems arise? The world, which now appears in front of us as something insentient, is an object known by us.

No problems arise for it concerning either the soul or God, and hence it does not have to grieve over its inability to solve those problems. If we then consider God, “Where is He? What is His nature? Does He have any problems concerning the world and
soul?

If any such problems exist for Him, are they the first and most important thing for us to attend to?” We will have to conclude that for Him also there cannot be any problems.

Thus it is clear that no problems of any kind exist either for the world or for God. Therefore it is only for us, the soul, the knowing subject, that countless problems arise concerning the world and God.

Source: The Path Of Sri Ramana Part Two By Sri Sadhu Om