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.

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GURU VACHAKA KOVAI Discusses About Truth Or Reality Of The World

1) As cause alone is seen as its effect,and since Consciousness [Brahman], which is the cause,is as clearly true as an amalaka fruit on one’s palm, this vast universe, its effect,which is described in the scriptures as mere names and forms, may also be
called true.

Sadhu Om: Brahman has five aspects, Sat-Chit-Ananda-Nama-Rupa [i.e., Being, Awareness, Bliss, name and form]. The first three aspects are real, being eternally Self-shining, whereas name and form are unreal aspects, since they merely seem to exist,depending upon the illumination of Sat-Chit-Ananda.

If, however, one sees the cause, Sat-Chit-Ananda, which is real, one may say, ignoring the apparent names and forms, that this universe is also real.

2) This world of empty names and forms, which are the imagination of the five senses and an appearance in the pure Supreme Self, should be understood to be the mysterious play of Maya, the mind, which rises as if real from Self, Sat-Chit.

Michael James: The seer, known as mind or ‘I’, and the seen, known as the world, rise and set simultaneously in Self. If Self sees Itself through Itself, it is Self; if It sees Itself through the mind or ‘seer’, it appears as the world or ‘seen’.

3) This world is only seen without doubts in the waking and dream states where thoughts have risen and are at play. Can it be seen in sleep where not even a single
thought rises? Thoughts alone [therefore] are the substratum of this world.

4) Just as the spider emits the thread [of its web] out from its own mouth and again withdraws it back, so the mind projects the world out from itself and again absorbs it back within.

5) When the mind passes through the brain and the five senses, the names and forms [of this world] are projected out from within. When the mind abides in the Heart, they return and lie buried there.

6) The deceptive I-am-the-body idea alone makes the world, which is an appearance of names and forms,seem real, and thereby it at once binds itself with desires [for the world].

7) Like the illusory yellow seen by a jaundiced eye, the whole world that you see before you is the product of your own mind, which is full of deceptive vices such as desire [anger, lust and so on].In reality, however,it is a plenitude of pure Jnana.

8) This world is a mere illusion seen in the deluded objective sight of the ego, which is simply the ‘I-am-the-body’ idea. In the sight of Self-Knowledge,however, it is as false as the apparent blueness in the sky.

9) The projected picture of this world of triads is a play of Chit-Para-Shakti [i.e., the power or reflected light of Self-Consciousness] on the screen of Supreme
Consciousness.

10) If one’s outlook is changed into Jnana, seen through That, this same world, seen previously as a hell of misery, will be found to be a heaven of Bliss.

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.

Read More