?

Nāṉār?
WHO AM I?
with Original Tamil text, English
transliteration and English meaning

Sri Ramanasramam
Tiruvannamalai
INDIA
WHO AM I?:
Sri Ramana Maharshi’s Nāṉār.
Original prose version of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi,
English transliteration and English meaning by Dr. T.M.P.
Mahadevan

© Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai

Electronic Copy only

Price: ₹ 10

Published by
V.S. Ramanan
President
Sri Ramanasramam
Tiruvannamalai 606 603
Tamil Nadu, INDIA
Email : [email protected]
Website : www.sriramanamaharshi.org
 Publisher’s Note
We are happy to bring out this edition of Who am
I? that contains for the first time the original Tamil
text, its transliteration and the English translation
(by T.M.P. Mahadevan) in a single booklet.
Who am I? is the title given to a set of questions
and answers on Self-enquiry. The questions were
asked by Sri M. Sivaprakasam Pillai to Bhagavan
Sri Ramana Maharshi in 1902. These answers are
based on His own experiences and clearly set forth
the central teaching of Self-enquiry and the manner
in which this enquiry is to be made.
We have pleasure in placing this booklet in the
hands of all earnest seekers of Truth and hope that
the readers unfamiliar with the original Tamil text
will appreciate the transliteration of the text.

125th Advent Day Dr. Venkat S. Ramanan

1st September 2021 President
Sri Ramanasramam
 Guide to Tamil Pronunciation
The vowel pronunciations used in this text follow
the Continental rather than the English values. They are
approximately as follows:
a like o in son
ā like a in father
i like i as in if
ī like ee in feel
u like u in full
ū like oo in moon
e between e in ten and ai in wait
ē like a in rare
ei like a in pay
ai like igh in night
o like o in one
ō like o in over
ou like ou in pound
The consonants are generally pronounced as in English,
with the following exceptions:
ñ Palatal nasal (pronounced like ‘ny’ in
canyon)
ṅ like ng in song
ṇ like n in under
n like n in nun
ṭ like t in tumbler
t like t in Tiruvannamalai
ḍ like d in daddy
d like d in Deva
ḷ like l in bible
6 ?

l like l in Lord
ṛ like r in the Spanish Señor
r like r in the American pronunciation of
park
zh like r in the American pronunciation of
worry
Please note the following:
1. A consonant between v and w is transliterated by some
as v and others as w, as for instance in Ishvara and Ishwara.
2. A consonant between s and sh is rendered by some as s
and others as sh as for instance in Siva/Shiva. This consonant
is contained in both Siva and Vishnu, but is often rendered as s
in the former and sh in the latter. That usage is followed here.
Shanti and shakti for example have been rendered with h while
sunya, without it.
3. The word jnani is pronounced nyani.
4. An h after a letter other than s or c does not change the
letter but the consonant becomes slightly aspirated.
5. A g in Tamil is glottal, with a percussive h sound from
the throat, somewhere between k and hard g in English.
6. Double consonants such as in chumma are especially
emphasized. (Note: in word breaks between lines, the first
consonant has been omitted.)
 ?
Nāṉār?
WHO AM I?
     
 ,  
   ,  
 ,   
     
.     
 .
Sakala jīvargaḷum dukkham eṉbadiṉḍṛi eppōdum
sukhamāy irukka virumbuvadālum, yāvarukkum
taṉṉiḍattilēyē paramap priyam iruppadālum,
priyattiṛku sukhamē kāraṇam ādalālum, maṉamaṭṭṛa
nittiraiyil diṉam aṉubhavikkum taṉ svabhāvamāṉa
accukhattai aḍaiyat taṉṉait-tāṉ aṛidal Vēṇḍum. Adaṛku
nāṉār eṉṉum jñāṉa vicāramē mukkiya sādhaṉam.
Every living being always longs to be happy,
untainted by sorrow; and everyone has the greatest
love for himself, which is solely due to the fact
that happiness is his real nature. Hence, in order
8 ?

to realise that inherent and untainted happiness,

which indeed he daily experiences when the mind is
subdued in deep sleep, it is essential that he should
know himself. For obtaining such knowledge the
enquiry, ‘Who am I?’ in quest of the Self is the best
means.
?    
. , , , ,  
   ,
, , ,  
  . , ,
, ,   
  , , , ,
    .
   
  .  
.     ,
   
 .
  ,  
    . 
 .
Nāṉār? Sapta dhādukkaḷāl āgiya sthūla dēham
nāṉ-aṉḍṛu. śabda, spariśa, rūpa, rasa, gandhameṉṉum
pañca viṣayaṅgaḷaiyum taṉit-taṉiyē aṛigiṉḍṛa
surōttiram, tuvakku, cakṣus, jihvai, ghirāṇa meṉgiṛa
jñāṉēndiriyaṅga ḷaindum nāṉ-aṉḍṛu. Vacaṉam,
gamaṉam, dāṉam, mala-visarjanam, āṉandittal eṉṉum
 Nāṉār 9

aindu tozhilgaḷaiyum seykiṉḍṛa vākku, pādam, pāṇi,

pāyu, upastam eṉṉum kaṉmēndiriyaṅga ḷaindum
nāṉ-aṉḍṛu. Svāsādi aintozhilgaḷaiyum seykiṉḍṛa
prāṇādi pañca vāyukkaḷum nāṉ-aṉḍṛu. Niṉaikkiṉḍṛa
maṉamum nāṉ-aṉḍṛu. Sarva viṣayaṅgaḷum sarva
tozhilkaḷu maṭṭṛu, viṣaya vāsaṉaikaḷuḍaṉ māttiram
porundiyirukkum ajñāṉamum nāṉ-aṉḍṛu.
Mēṛsolliya yāvum nāṉalla, nāṉalla-veṉḍṛu nēti
seydu taṉittu niṛkum aṛivē nāṉ. Aṛiviṉ svarūpam
Saccidāṉandam.
‘WHO AM I?’ I am not this physical body, nor
am I the five organs* of sense perception; I am not
the five organs of external activity†, nor am I the
five vital forces,‡ nor am I even the thinking mind.
Neither am I that unconscious state of nescience
which retains merely the subtle vasanas (latencies
of the mind), while being free from the functional
activity of the sense-organs and the mind, and
being unaware of the existence of the objects of
sense-perception.
Therefore, summarily rejecting all the above-
mentioned physical adjuncts and their functions,
* The eye, ear, nose, tongue, and skin, with their respective corresponding
functions of sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch.
† The vocal organs that articulate speech and produce sound, hands
and feet that govern the movements of the physical body, anus that
excretes faecal matter, and the genital organ which yields pleasure.
‡ Which control respiration, digestion and assimilation, circulation of
blood, perspiration, and excretion.
10 ?

saying ‘I am not this: no, nor am I this, nor this’

— that which then remains separate and alone
by itself, that pure Awareness is what I am. This
Awareness self is by its very nature Sat-Chit-Ananda
(Being-Consciousness-Bliss).
     
  .   
    
,    
 .
Sarva aṛiviṛkum sarva tozhiṛkum kāraṇam
āgiya maṉam aḍaṅgiṉāl jagadṛśṭi nīṅgum. Kaṛpita
sarppa jñāṉam pōṉāl ozhiya adhiṣṭāṉa rajju jñāṉam
uṇḍāgādadu pōla, kaṛpitamāṉa jagadṛśṭi nīṅgiṉāl
ozhiya adhiṣṭāṉa swarūpa darśaṉam uṇḍāgādu.
If the mind, which is the instrument of
knowledge and is the basis of all activity, subsides,
the perception of the world as an objective reality
ceases. Unless the illusory perception of the serpent
in the rope ceases, the rope on which the illusion is
formed is not perceived as such.* Similarly, unless
the illusory nature of the perception of the world
as an objective reality ceases, the vision of the true
nature of the Self, on which the illusion is formed,
is not obtained.
* This analogy is based on a traditional story of a man who sees a
rope in the twilight and mistakes it for a serpent and is therefore afraid
without cause.
 Nāṉār 11

    

.    .
  , 
 ;  
 .
   
 .  ,
;   ,
 .   
     
   
   
.
   
 .   
 ;   ()
  .
   
‘’  . ‘’   .
     ;
 .   
 .
Maṉam eṉbadu ātma svarūpattil uḷḷa ōr adisaya
śakti. Adu sakala niṉaivugaḷaiyum tōṭṭṛuvik-kiṉḍṛadu.
Niṉaivugaḷai ellām nīkkip pārkkiṉḍṛa-pōdu, taṉiyāy
maṉam eṉḍṛōr poruḷ illai; āgaiyāl niṉaivē maṉadiṉ
svarūpam.
Niṉaivugaḷait tavirttu jagam eṉḍṛōr poruḷ
aṉṉiyamāy illai. Tūkkattil niṉaivugaḷ illai, jagamum
12 ?

illai; jāgra svapṉaṅgaḷil niṉaivugaḷ uḷa, jagamum

uṇḍu. Cilandip pūcci eppaḍit taṉṉiḍam irundu
veḷiyil nūlai nūṭṭṛu maṛupaḍiyum taṉṉuḷ izhuttuk
koḷḷugiṛadō appaḍiyē maṉamum taṉṉiḍattil irundu
jagattait tōṭṭṛuvittu maṛupaḍiyum taṉṉiḍamē oḍukkik
koḷḷugiṛadu.
Maṉam ātmasvarūpat tiṉiṉḍṛu veḷip-paḍumpōdu
jagam tōṉḍṛum. Āgaiyāl jagam tōṉḍṛumpōdu
svarūpam tōṉḍṛādu; svarūpam tōṉḍṛum (prakāśikkum)
pōdu jagam tōṉḍṛādu.
Maṉadiṉ svarūpattai vicārittuk-koṇḍē pōṉāl ‘tāṉē
maṉamāy muḍiyum. ‘Tāṉ eṉpadu ātma svarūpamē.
Maṉam eppōdum oru sthūlattai aṉusarittē niṛkum;
taṉiyāy nillādu. Maṉamē śūkṣma śarīram eṉḍṛum
jīvaṉ eṉḍṛum sollap paḍugiṛadu.
The mind is a unique power (sakti) in the
Atman whereby thoughts occur to one. On scrutiny
as to what remains after eliminating all thoughts,
it will be found that there is no such thing as mind
apart from thought. So then, thoughts themselves
constitute the mind.
Nor is there any such thing as the physical
world apart from and independent of thought. In
deep sleep there are no thoughts: nor is there the
world. In the wakeful and dream states thoughts
are present, and there is also the world. Just as the
spider draws out the thread of the cobweb from
 Nāṉār 13

within itself and withdraws it again into itself, in

the same way the mind projects the world out of
itself and absorbs it back into itself.
The world is perceived as an apparent objective
reality when the mind is externalized, thereby
forsaking its identity with the Self. When the world
is thus perceived, the true nature of the Self is not
revealed: conversely, when the Self is realized, the
world ceases to appear as an objective reality.
By a steady and continuous investigation into
the nature of the mind, the mind is transformed
into That to which the ‘I’ refers; and that is in
fact the Self. Mind has necessarily to depend for
its existence on something gross; it never subsists
by itself. It is this mind that is otherwise called the
subtle body, ego, jiva or soul.
    
 .   
   
 .  
. ,   
  .
  
   .  
  .   
  ; 
  .
14 ?

Indat dēhattil nāṉ eṉḍṛu kiḷambuva-deduvō aduvē

maṉamām. Nāṉ eṉgiṛa niṉaivu dēhattil mudalil enda-
viḍattiṛ tōṉḍṛugiṉḍṛa-deṉḍṛu vicārittāl hṛdayattil
eṉḍṛu teriya varum. Aduvē maṉadiṉ piṛappiḍam. Nāṉ,
nāṉ eṉḍṛu karudik koṇḍirundālum-kūḍa avviḍattiṛ
koṇḍupōy viṭṭu viḍum.
Maṉadil tōṉḍṛum niṉaivugaḷ ellāvaṭṭṛiṛkum nāṉ
eṉṉum niṉaivē mudal niṉaivu. Idu ezhuntapiṛagē
ēṉaiya niṉaivugaḷ ezhukiṉḍṛaṉa. Taṉmai tōṉḍṛiya
piṛagē muṉṉilai paḍarkkaigaḷ tōṉḍṛukiṉḍṛaṉa;
taṉmaiyiṉḍṛi muṉṉilai paḍarkkaigaḷ irā.
That which arises in the physical body as ‘I’ is
the mind. If one enquires whence the ‘I’ thought in
the body arises in the first instance, it will be found
that it is from hrdayam* or the Heart. That is the
source and stay of the mind. Or again, even if one
merely continuously repeats to oneself inwardly
‘I-I’ with the entire mind fixed thereon, that also
leads one to the same source.
The first and foremost of all the thoughts that
arise in the mind is the primal ‘I’-thought. It is
only after the rise or origin of the ‘I’-thought that
innumerable other thoughts arise. In other words,
only after the first personal pronoun, ‘I’, has arisen,
do the second and third personal pronouns (‘you,

* The word ‘hrdayam’ consists of two syllables, ‘hrt’ and ‘ayam’,

(centre-this) which signify ‘I am the Heart’.
 Nāṉār 15

he’, etc.) occur to the mind; and they cannot subsist

without the former.
   ;
    
    .
   
   
   .
  ? 
    
    .
     
;   . 
     
 .
 ,   
  
;   
.   
  ‘ ’ 
‘ ’  . 
 ‘’ .
   , 
   
   .  
    . 
‘’ .
   ‘ ’
 .   
16 ?

  . , 

,  ,  
     .
Nāṉār eṉṉum vicāraṇaiyiṉālēyē maṉam
aḍaṅgum; nāṉār eṉṉum niṉaivu maṭṭṛa niṉaivugaḷai
yellām azhittup piṇam-cuḍu taḍipōl muḍivil tāṉum
azhiyum.
Piṛa veṇṇaṅgaḷ ezhundāl avaṭṭṛaip pūrtti
paṇṇuvadaṛku ettaṉiyāmal avai yāruk kuṇḍāyiṉa
eṉḍṛu vicārikka vēṇḍum.
Ettaṉai eṇṇaṅgaḷ ezhiṉum eṉṉa? Jākkiradaiyāy
ovvōr eṇṇamum kiḷambum pōdē idu yāruk kuṇḍāyiṭṭṛṛu
eṉḍṛu vicārittāl eṉakkeṉḍṛu tōṉḍṛum. Nāṉār eṉḍṛu
vicārittāl maṉam taṉ piṛappiḍattiṛkut tirumbi viḍum;
ezhunda veṇṇamum aḍaṅgiviḍum. Ippaḍip pazhagap
pazhaga maṉattiṛkut taṉ piṛappiḍattil taṅgi niṛkum
śakti adigarikkiṉḍṛadu.
Śūkṣmamāṉa maṉam, mūḷai indiriyaṅgaḷ
vāyilāy veḷippaḍumpōdu sthūlamāṉa nāma rūpaṅgaḷ
tōṉḍṛukiṉḍṛaṉa; hṛdayattil taṅgumpōdu nāma-
rūpaṅgaḷ maṛaigiṉḍṛaṉa. Maṉattai veḷi-viḍāmal
hṛdayattil vaittuk koṇḍu iruppadaṛkut-tāṉ ‘aha
mukham’ alladu ‘antar mukham’ eṉḍṛu peyar.
Hṛdayattil irundu veḷi viḍuvadaṛkut-tāṉ ‘bhahir
mukham’ eṉḍṛu peyar.
Ivvidamāga maṉam hṛdayattiṛ taṅgavē, ellā
niṉaivugaḷukkum mūlamāṉa nāṉ eṉbatupōy
 Nāṉār 17

eppozhudum uḷḷa tāṉ māttiram viḷaṅgum. Nāṉ eṉṉum

niṉaivu kiñcittum illā-viḍamē svarūpamāgum. Aduvē
‘mauṉam’ eṉap-paḍum.
Ivvāṛu cummā iruppadaṛkut-tāṉ ‘jñāṉa dṛśṭi’
yeṉḍṛu peyar. Cummā viruppadāvadu maṉattai āṉma
svarūpattil layikkac ceyvadē. Aṉḍṛi, piṛar karuttaṛidal,
mukkālam uṇardal, dūra deśattil naḍappaṉa-yaṛidal
āgiya ivai jñāṉa dṛśṭi-yāgamāṭṭā.
Since every other thought can occur only after
the rise of the ‘I’-thought and since the mind is
nothing but a bundle of thoughts, it is only through
the enquiry ‘Who am I?’ that the mind subsides.
Moreover, the integral ‘I’-thought, implicit in such
enquiry, having destroyed all other thoughts, is
itself finally destroyed or consumed, just as the
stick used for stirring the burning funeral pyre is
consumed.
Even when extraneous thoughts sprout up
during such enquiry, do not seek to complete the
rising thought but instead, deeply enquire within,
‘To whom has this thought occurred?’
No matter how many thoughts thus occur to
you, if you would with acute vigilance enquire
immediately as and when each individual thought
arises to whom it has occurred, you would find it
is to ‘me’. If then you enquire ‘Who am I?’ the
mind gets introverted and the rising thought also
18 ?

subsides. In this manner as you persevere more

and more in the practice of Self-enquiry, the mind
acquires increasing strength and power to abide in
its Source.
It is only when the subtle mind is externalized
through the activity of the intellect and the sense-
organs that gross name and form constituting
the world appear. When, on the other hand, the
mind stays firmly in the Heart, they recede and
disappear. Restraint of the out-going mind and its
absorption in the Heart is known as introversion
(antarmukha-drishti). The release of the mind and its
emergence from the Heart is known as extroversion
(bahirmukha-drishti).
If in this manner the mind becomes absorbed in
the Heart, the ego or ‘I’, which is the centre of the
multitude of thoughts, finally vanishes and pure
Consciousness or Self, which subsists during all the
states of the mind, alone remains resplendent. It is
this state, where there is not the slightest trace of
the ‘I’-thought, that is the true Being of oneself.
And that is called Quiescence or Mouna (Silence).
This state of mere inherence in pure Being is
known as the Vision of Wisdom. Such inherence
means and implies the entire subsidence of the mind
in the Self. Nothing other than this and no psychic
 Nāṉār 19

powers of the mind, such as thought reading,

telepathy and clairvoyance, can be Wisdom.
  . 
,    .
   
.  ;  ;
 ;   .
Yathārttamāy uḷḷadu ātma-svarūpam oṉḍṛē.
Jagajīva īśvarargaḷ, cippiyil veḷḷipōl adiṛ kaṛpaṉaigaḷ.
Ivai mūṉḍṛum ēkakālattiṛ ṯṛōṉṛi ēkakālattil
maṛaigiṉṛaṉa. Svarūpamē jagam; svarūpamē nāṉ;
svarūpamē īśvaraṉ; ellām Śiva svarūpamām.
Atman alone exists and is real. The threefold
reality of world, individual soul, and God is, like
the illusory appearance of silver in the mother of
pearl, an imaginary creation in the Atman. They
appear and disappear simultaneously. The Self
alone is the world, the ‘I’ and God. All that exists is
but the manifestation of the Supreme.
    
 .   
 ,  .
 ; 
  ,
   
 .
  .
  .  
20 ?

  ;  . 

 ,  
.   ,
    .
   
 .  
    
    
.   
 .  
 .   
   , 
   .
   
  .
Maṉam aḍaṅguvadaṛku vicāraṇaiyait tavira
vēṛu takunda upāyaṅgaḷ illai. Maṭṭṛa upāyaṅgaḷiṉāl
aḍakkiṉāl maṉam aḍaṅgiṉāṛ pōlirundu, maṛupaḍiyum
kiḷambiviḍum.
Prāṇāyāmattālum maṉam aḍaṅgum; āṉāl prāṇaṉ
aḍaṅgi irukkum varaiyil maṉamum aḍaṅgi irundu,
prāṇaṉ veḷippaḍum-pōdu tāṉum veḷip-paṭṭu vāsaṉai
vayattāy alaiyum.
Maṉattiṛkum prāṇaṉukkum piṛappiḍam
oṉḍṛē. Niṉaivē maṉattiṉ svarūpam. Nāṉ eṉṉum
niṉaivē maṉattiṉ mudal niṉaivu; aduvē ahaṅkāram.
Ahaṅkāram eṅgirundu uṛpattiyō, aṅgiruntu-
tāṉ mūccum kiḷambugiṉḍṛadu. Āgaiyāl maṉam
 Nāṉār 21

aḍaṅgumbōdu prāṇaṉum, prāṇaṉ aḍaṅgum bōdu

maṉamum aḍaṅgum.
Āṉāl cuzhuttiyil maṉam aḍaṅgi irunda-pōdilum
prāṇaṉ aḍaṅgavillai. dēhattiṉ pādukāppiṉ nimittamum
dēhamāṉadu marittu viṭṭadō-veṉḍṛu piṛar aiyuṛā
vaṇṇamum ivvāṛu īśvara niyatiyāl ēṛpaṭṭu irukkiṛadu.
Jāgrattilum samādhiyilum maṉam aḍaṅgugiṛapōdu
prāṇaṉ aḍaṅgugiṛadu. Prāṇaṉ maṉattiṉ sthūlarūpam
eṉappaḍum. Maraṇakālam varaiyil maṉam prāṇaṉai
uḍalil vaittuk koṇḍirundu, uḍal marikkum kālattil
adaṉaik kavarndu-koṇḍu pōgiṉḍṛadu. Āgaiyāl
prāṇāyāmam maṉattaiyaḍakka sahāyam āgumē aṉḍṛi
maṉō-nāśam ceyyādu.
For the subsidence of mind there is no other
means more effective and adequate than Self-
enquiry. Even though by other means the mind
subsides, that is only apparently so; it will rise
again.
For instance, the mind subsides by the practice
of pranayama (restraint and control of breath and
vital forces); yet such subsidence lasts only as long
as the control of breath and vital forces continues;
and when they are released, the mind also gets
released and immediately, becoming externalized, it
continues to wander through the force of its subtle
tendencies.
22 ?

The source of the mind is the same as that of

breath and vital forces. It is really the multitude
of thoughts that constitutes the mind; and the ‘I’-
thought is the primal thought of the mind, and is
itself the ego. But breath too has its origin at the
same place whence the ego rises. Therefore, when
the mind subsides, breath and vital forces also
subside; and conversely, when the latter subside,
the former also subsides.
Breath and vital forces are also described as the
gross manifestation of the mind. Till the hour of
death the mind sustains and supports these forces
in the physical body; and when life becomes extinct,
the mind envelopes them and carries them away.
During sleep, however, the vital forces continue to
function, although the mind is not manifest. This
is according to the divine law and is intended to
protect the body and to remove any possible doubt
as to whether it is dead or alive while one is asleep.
Without such arrangement by nature, sleeping
bodies would often be cremated alive. The vitality
apparent in breathing is left behind by the mind
as a ‘watchman’. But in the wakeful state and in
samadhi, when the mind subsides, breath also
subsides. For this reason (because the mind has
the sustaining and controlling power over breath
and vital forces and is therefore ulterior to both
 Nāṉār 23

of them), the practice of breath-control is merely

helpful in subduing the mind but cannot bring
about its final extinction.
  , 
,    
.  , 
  .  
    
     
   ,  
 ,   
     
.
   
    .
    ,
    
 .
     
    , 
  .
Prāṇāyāmam pōlavē mūrtti dhyāṉam, mantra
japam, āhāra niyamam eṉbavaigaḷum maṉattai
aḍakkum sahāyaṅgaḷē. Mūrtti dhyāṉat-tālum,
mantra japattālum maṉam ēkāgrattai aḍaigiṛadu.
Sadā salittuk koṇḍirukkum yāṉaiyiṉ tudikkaiyil oru
saṅgiliyaik koḍuttāl av yāṉai eppaḍi vēṛoṉḍṛaiyum
paṭṭṛṛāmal adaiyē paṭṭṛik koṇḍu cellumō, appaḍiyē
sadā salittuk koṇḍirukkum maṉamum, adaṉai ēdō oru
24 ?

nāmam alladu rūpattiṛ pazhakkiṉāl adaiyē paṭṭṛṛik

koṇḍirukkum.
Maṉam aḷaviṛanda niṉaivugaḷāy virigiṉḍṛa-
paḍiyāl ovvoru niṉaivum ati balavīṉamāgap
pōgiṉḍṛadu. Niṉaivugaḷ aḍaṅga-vaḍaṅga ēkāgrat
taṉmai aḍaindu, adaṉāṛ balattai aḍainda maṉattiṛku
ātma vicāram sulabhamāy siddhikkum.
Ellā niyamaṅgaḷilum siṛanda mita sātvika āhāra
niyamattāl maṉattiṉ satva guṇam vriddhiyāgi, ātma
vicārattiṛku sahāyam uṇḍāgiṛadu.
Like breath-control, meditation on form,
incantations, invocations and regulation of diet
are only aids to control of the mind. Through the
practice of meditation or invocation, the mind
becomes one-pointed. Just as the elephant’s trunk
which is otherwise restless, will become steady if it
is made to hold an iron chain, so that the elephant
goes its way without reaching out for any other
object, so also the ever-restless mind, which is
trained and accustomed to a name or form through
meditation or invocation, will steadily hold on to
that alone.
When the mind is split up and dissipated into
countless varying thoughts, each individual thought
becomes extremely weak and inefficient. When, on
the contrary, such thoughts subside more and more
till they finally get destroyed, the mind becomes
 Nāṉār 25

one-pointed and, thereby acquiring strength and

power of endurance, easily reaches perfection in the
method of enquiry in quest of the Self.
Regulation of diet, restricting it to sattvic
food*, taken in moderate quantity, is of all the rules
of conduct the best; and it is most conducive to the
development of the sattvic qualities† of the mind.
These, in their turn, assist one in the practice of
Atma vichara or enquiry in quest of the Self.
  
   
   
.   , 
   
,  
.
  , ‘
!   ’
  ,   
   
   
.
Toṉḍṛu-toṭṭu varugiṉḍṛa viṣaya vāsaṉaigaḷ
aḷavaṭṭṛṛaṉavāyk kaḍal alaigaḷ pōl tōṉḍṛiṉum avai-

* i.e., simple and nutritious food which sustains but does not stimulate
the physical body.
† Purity of heart, self-restraint, evenness of temper, tenderness towards
all beings, fortitude and freedom from desire, hatred and arrogance are
the outstanding virtues of the sattvic mind.
26 ?

yāvum svarūpa dhyāṉam kiḷambak kiḷamba azhindu

viḍum. Attaṉai vāsaṉaigaḷum oḍuṅgi, svarūpa
māttiramāy irukka muḍiyumā-veṉṉum sandēha
niṉaivukku iḍaṅkoḍāmal, svarūpa dhyāṉattai
viḍāppiḍiyāyp piḍikka vēṇḍum.
Oruvaṉ evvaḷavu pāpiyāy irundālum, ‘nāṉ
pāpiyāy irukkiṛēṉē! Eppaḍik kaḍaittēṛap pōgiṛēṉ
eṉḍṛēṅgi azhudu koṇḍirāmal, tāṉ pāpi eṉṉum
eṇṇattaiyum aṛavē ozhittu svarūpa dhyāṉattil ūkkam
uḷḷavaṉāga irundāl avaṉ niścayamāy urup-paḍuvāṉ.
Countless vishaya-vasanas (subtle tendencies
of the mind in relation to objects of sense-
gratification), coming one after the other in quick
succession like the waves of the ocean, agitate the
mind. Nevertheless they too subside and finally
get destroyed with progressive practice of Atma
dhyana or meditation on the Self. Without giving
room even to the thought which occurs in the form
of doubt, whether it is possible to stay merely
as the very Self, whether all the vasanas can be
destroyed, one should firmly and unceasingly carry
on meditation on the Self.
However sinful a person may be, if he would
stop wailing inconsolably: ‘Alas! I am a sinner,
how shall I attain Liberation?’ and, casting away
even the thought that he is a sinner, if he would
 Nāṉār 27

zealously carry on meditation on the Self, he would

most assuredly get reformed.
  
,  
 .
   
  
  .
   
;   .  
.    
    
 ,  
    
.     
   
 .  
   
.    
  .
Maṉattiṉkaṇ eduvaraiyil viṣaya vāsaṉaigal
irukkiṉḍṛaṉavō, adu-varaiyil nāṉār eṉṉum
vicāraṇaiyum vēṇḍum.
Niṉaivugaḷ tōṉḍṛat tōṉḍṛa appōdaikkappōdē
avaigaḷai ellām uṛpatti stāṉattilēyē vicāraṇaiyāl
nasippikka vēṇḍum.
Aṉṉiyattai nāḍādiruttal vairāgyam alladu nirāśai;
taṉṉai viḍādiruttal jñāṉam. Uṇmaiyil iraṇḍum
28 ?

oṉḍṛē. Muttuk kuḷippōr tammiḍaiyiṛ kallaik kaṭṭik-

koṇḍu mūzhgik kaḍalaḍiyiṛ kiḍakkum muttai eppaḍi
eḍukkiṛārgaḷō, appaḍiyē ovvoruvaṉum vairāgyattuḍaṉ
taṉṉuḷ āzhndu mūzhgi ātma-muttai aḍaiyalām.
Oruvaṉ tāṉ svarūpattai aḍaiyum varaiyil nirantara
svarūpa smaraṇaiyaik kaippaṭṭṛuvāṉ-āyiṉ aduvoṉḍṛē
pōdum. Kōṭṭaikkuḷ edirigaḷ uḷḷavaraiyil adilirundu
veḷiyē vandukoṇḍē iruppārgaḷ. Varavara avargaḷai-
yellām veṭṭik koṇḍē irundāl kōṭṭai vaśap-paḍum.
So long as vishaya-vasanas continue to inhere
in the mind, it is necessary to carry on the enquiry,
‘Who am I?’
As and when thoughts occur, they should, one
and all, be annihilated then and there, at the very
place of their origin, by the method of enquiry in
quest of the Self.
Not to desire anything extraneous to oneself
constitutes vairagya (dispassion) or nirasa
(desirelessness). Not to give up one’s hold on the Self
constitutes jnana (knowledge). But really vairagya
and jnana are one and the same. Just as the pearl-
diver, tying stones to his waist, dives down into
the depths, and gets the pearl from the sea-bed, so
every aspirant, pledged to vairagya can dive deep
into himself and realize the precious Atman. If the
earnest seeker would only cultivate the constant
and deep contemplative ‘remembrance’ (smrti) of
 Nāṉār 29

the true nature of the Self till he has realized it,

that alone would suffice. Distracting thoughts are
like the enemy in the fortress. As long as they are in
possession of it, they will certainly sally forth. But
if, as and when they come out, you put them to the
sword the fortress will finally be captured.
   . 
  ,  
   
 ; ,  
   .
Kaḍavuḷum guruvum uṇmaiyil vēṛallar. Puli-
vāyiṛ paṭṭadu evvāṛu tirumbādō, avvāṛē guruviṉaruṭ
pārvaiyiṛ paṭṭavargaḷ avarāl rakṣikkap paḍuvarēyaṉḍṛi
orukkālum kaiviḍap paḍār; eṉiṉum, guru kāṭṭiya
vazhippaḍi tavaṛādu naḍakka vēṇḍum.
God and the Guru are not really different;
they are identical. He that has earned the Grace
of the Guru shall undoubtedly be saved and never
forsaken, just as the prey that has fallen into the
tiger’s jaws will never be allowed to escape. But the
disciple, for his part, should unswervingly follow
the path shown by the Master.
   
   
   . 
  , 
 .   
30 ?

   , 

, ‘ ;  
’  ?  
   ,
     
   , 
     ?
Āṉma cintaṉaiyait tavira vēṛu cintaṉai
kiḷambuvadaṛkuc caṭṭṛṛum iḍam koḍāmal ātma-
niṣṭāparaṉāy iruppadē taṉṉai īsaṉuk-kaḷippadām.
Īsaṉpēril evvaḷavu bhārattaip pōṭṭālum, avvaḷavaiyum
avar vahittuk koḷḷugiṛār. sakala kāriyaṅgaḷaiyum oru
Paramēśvara Śakti naḍattik koṇḍirukkiṛa paḍiyāl,
nāmum adaṛkaḍaṅgi irāmal, ‘ippaḍic ceyyavēṇḍum;
appaḍic ceyyavēṇḍum’ eṉḍṛu sadā sindippadēṉ?
Pugaivaṇḍi sakala bāraṅgaḷaiyum tāṅgik-koṇḍu
pōvadu terindirundum, adil ēṛik-koṇḍu pōgum nām
nammuḍaiya ciṛiya mūṭṭaiyaiyum adiṛ pōṭṭuviṭṭu
sukhamāy irāmal, adai namadu talaiyiṛ tāṅgikkoṇḍu
ēṉ kaṣṭap-paḍa vēṇḍum?
Firm and disciplined inherence in the Atman
without giving the least scope for the rise of
any thought other than the deep contemplative
thought of the Self, constitutes self-surrender to
the Supreme Lord. Let any amount of burden be
laid on Him, He will bear it all. It is, in fact, the
indefinable power of the Lord that ordains, sustains
and controls everything that happens. Why then,
 Nāṉār 31

should we worry, tormented by vexatious thoughts,

saying: ‘Shall we act this way? No, that way,’ instead
of meekly but happily submitting to that Power?
Knowing that the train carries all the weight, why
indeed should we, the passengers travelling in it,
carry our small individual articles of luggage on
our laps to our great discomfort, instead of putting
them aside and sitting at perfect ease?
  ;  
 .  ; 
.   
.    
  .  
  . 
   
   
.  , , 
,    ,
   , 
  . 
    , 
  .
  . 
  .  
    . 
    
,   . 
  ,  
.
32 ?

  .  

 . ,  
  .  
   ,  
   .
 .   
   ;
    .
Sukham eṉbadu ātmāviṉ svarūpamē; sukhamum
ātma svarūpamum vēṛaṉḍṛu. Ātmasukham oṉḍṛē-
yuḷḷadu; aduvē satyam. Prapañcap poruḷ oṉḍṛilāvadu
sukhameṉbadu kiḍaiyādu. Avaigaḷil irundu
sukham kiḍaippadāga nām namadu avivēkattāl
niṉaikkiṉḍṛōm. Maṉam veḷiyil varumbōdu dukkhattai
yaṉubhavikkiṛadu. Uṇmaiyil namadu eṇṇaṅgaḷ
pūrttiyāgum pōdellām adu taṉṉuḍaiya yathā-
stāṉattiṛkut tirumbi ātmasukhattaiyē aṉubhavikkiṛadu.
Appaḍiyē tūkkam, samādhi, mūrccai kālaṅgaḷilum,
iccitta poruḷ kiḍaikkiṛa pōdum, veṛutta poruḷukkuk
kēḍu uṇḍāgum pōdum, maṉam antarmukham āgi
ātma-sukhattaiyē aṉubhavikkiṛadu. Ippaḍi maṉam
ātmāvai viṭṭu veḷiyē pōvadum, uḷḷē tirumbuvadumāga
ōyviṉḍṛi alaigiṛadu.
Marattaḍiyil nizhal sukhamāy irukkiṛadu. Veḷiyil
sūriya veppam koḍumaiyāy irukkiṛadu. Veḷiyil
alaiyum oruvaṉ nizhaliṛ ceṉḍṛu kuḷircci-yaḍaigiṛāṉ.
siṛidu nērattiṛkup piṉ veḷikkiḷambi veppattiṉ koḍumaik
 Nāṉār 33

kāṭṭṛṛādu, maṛupaḍiyum marattaḍikku varugiṉḍṛāṉ.

Ivvāṛu nizhaliṉiṉḍṛu veyiliṛ pōvadum, veyiliṉiṉḍṛu
nizhaliṛ celvadumāy irukkiṛāṉ.
Ippaḍic ceygiṛavaṉ avivēki. Āṉāl vivēkiyō
nizhalai viṭṭu nīṅgāṉ. Appaḍiyē, jñāṉiyiṉ maṉamum
brahmattai viṭṭu nīṅguvadillai. Āṉāl ajñāṉiyiṉ maṉamō
prapañcattil uzhaṉḍṛu dukkhap paḍuvadum, siṛidu
nēram brahmattiṛkut tirumbi sukham aḍaivadumāy
irukkiṛadu.
Jagam eṉbatu niṉaivē. Jagam maṛaiyum-pōdu
adāvatu niṉaivaṭṭṛa-pōdu maṉam āṉandattai aṉubavik-
kiṉḍṛadu; jagam tōṉḍṛum-pōdu adu dukkhattai
aṉubhavikkiṉḍṛadu.
That which is Bliss is also the Self. Bliss and
the Self are not distinct and separate but are one
and the same. And That alone is real. In no single
one of the countless objects of the mundane world
is there anything that can be called happiness. It
is through sheer ignorance and unwisdom that we
fancy that happiness is obtained from them. On the
contrary, when the mind is externalized, it suffers
pain and anguish. The truth is that every time our
desires get fulfilled, the mind, turning to its source,
experiences only that happiness which is natural to
the Self. Similarly, in deep sleep, in spiritual trance
(samadhi), when fainting, when a desired object is
obtained, or when evil befalls an object considered
34 ?

undesirable, the mind turns inwards and enjoys that

Bliss of Atman. Thus wandering astray forsaking
the Self, and returning to it again and again is the
interminable and wearisome lot of the mind.
It is pleasant under the shade of a tree and
scorching in the heat of the sun outside. A person
toiling in the sun seeks the cool shade of the tree
and is happy under it. After staying there for a
while, he moves out again but, unable to bear the
merciless heat of the sun, he again seeks the shade.
In this way he keeps on moving from shade to sun
and sun to shade.
It is an unwise person who acts thus, whereas
the wise man never leaves the shade: in the same
way the mind of the Enlightened Sage (jnani) never
exists apart from Brahman, the Absolute. The mind
of the ignorant on the other hand, entering into the
phenomenal world, suffers pain and anguish; and
then, turning for a short while towards Brahman,
it experiences happiness. Such is the mind of the
ignorant.
This phenomenal world, however, is nothing
but thought. When the world recedes from one’s
view — that is when one is free from thought — the
mind enjoys the Bliss of the Self. Conversely, when
the world appears — that is when thought occurs
— the mind experiences pain and anguish.
 Nāṉār 35

     

   , 
,  ,   
  ,  
    
    
    
  . , 
  .   .
   , 
   
 .
Iccā saṅkalpa yatnam iṉḍṛi ezhunda ādittaṉ
sannidhi māttirattil kāndak-kal agṉiyaik kakkuvadum,
tāmarai malarvadum, nīr vaṭṭṛuvadum, ulagōr
tattam kāriyaṅgaḷiṛ pravṛttittu iyaṭṭṛi aḍaṅguvadum,
kāndattiṉ-muṉ ūsi cēṣṭippadum pōla saṅkalpa rahitarāy
irukkum īsaṉ saṉṉidhāṉa visēṣa māttirattāl naḍakkum
muttozhil alladu pañca kṛttyaṅgaṭ kuṭpaṭṭa jīvargaḷ
tattam karmāṉusāram cēṣṭittu aḍaṅgugiṉḍṛaṉar.
Aṉḍṛi, avar saṅkalpa sahita rallar. Oru karumamum
avarai yoṭṭādu. Adu lōka karumaṅgaḷ sūriyaṉai
oṭṭādadum, ēṉaiya catur bhūtaṅgaḷiṉ guṇā-guṇaṅgaḷ
vyāpakamāṉa āgāyattai yoṭṭādadum pōlum.
Not from any desire, resolve or effort on the part
of the rising sun, but merely due to the presence
of his rays, the lens emits heat, the lotus blossoms,
water evaporates, and people attend to their various
36 ?

duties in life. In the proximity of the magnet the

needle moves. Similarly the soul or jiva, subjected
to the threefold activity of creation, preservation,
and destruction which takes place merely due to
the unique Presence of the Supreme Lord, performs
acts in accordance with its karma,* and subsides to
rest after such activity. But the Lord Himself has
no resolve; no act or event touches even the fringe of
His Being. This state of immaculate aloofness can
be likened to that of the sun, which is untouched by
the activities of life, or to that of the all-pervasive
ether, which is not affected by the interaction of
the complex qualities of the other four elements.
   
   
   
    
.    
    
?
   
.    
? ‘’   ;
  . 
     
  .

* i.e., the fruits of past actions which are being worked out in the
present life.
 Nāṉār 37

   , 

   .
   
‘’ ;  
  . 
     .
Ennūlilum mukti-yaḍaivadaṛku maṉattai yaḍakka
vēṇḍum eṉḍṛu collappaṭ ṭuḷḷapaḍiyāl Maṉō-nigrahamē
nūlgaḷiṉ muḍivāṉa karuttu eṉḍṛaṛindu koṇḍa piṉbu
nūlgaḷai yaḷaviṉḍṛip paḍippadāl payaṉ illai. Maṉattai
yaḍakkuvadaṛkut taṉṉai yār eṉḍṛu vicārikka vēṇḍumē-
yallāmal eppaḍi nūlgaḷil vicārippadu?
Taṉṉait taṉṉuḍaiya jñāṉak kaṇṇāl tāṉē aṛiya
vēṇḍum. Rāmaṉ taṉṉai rāmaṉ eṉḍṛaṛiyak kaṇṇāḍi
vēṇḍumā? ‘Tāṉ’ pañca kōśaṅgaḷukkuḷ ḷiruppadu;
nūlgaḷō avaṭṭṛiṛku veḷiyil iruppavai. Āgaiyāl pañca
kōśaṅgaḷaiyum nīkki vicārikka vēṇḍiya taṉṉai nūlgaḷil
vicārippadu vīṇē.
Bandhattil irukkum tāṉ yāreṉḍṛu vicārittu, taṉ
yathārtta svarūpattait terindu koḷvadē mukti. sadā-
kālamum maṉattai ātmāvil vaittiruppadaṛkuttāṉ
‘ātma-vicāram’ eṉḍṛu peyar; dhyāṉamō taṉṉai
saccidāṉanda brahmamāga bhāvippadu. Kaṭṭṛavai
yaṉaittaiyum oru kālattil maṛakka vēṇḍi varum.
All scriptures without any exception proclaim
that for attaining Salvation, the mind should
be subdued; and once one knows that control of
38 ?

the mind is their final aim, it is futile to make an

interminable study of them. What is required for
such control is actual enquiry into oneself by self-
interrogation, ‘Who am I?’ How can this enquiry
in quest of the Self be made merely by means of a
study of the scriptures?
One should realize the Self by the Eye of
Wisdom. Does Rama need a mirror to recognize
himself as Rama? That to which the ‘I’ refers is
within the five sheaths,* whereas the scriptures
are outside them. Therefore, it is futile to seek by
means of the study of scriptures the Self that has
to be realized by summarily rejecting even the five
sheaths.
To enquire ‘Who am I that am in bondage?’
and to know one’s real nature is alone Liberation.
To keep the mind constantly turned within and to
abide thus in the Self, is alone Atma- vichara (Self-
enquiry), whereas dhyana (meditation) consists
in fervent contemplation of the Self as Sat-Chit-
Ananda (Being- Consciousness-Bliss). Indeed, at
some time, one will have to forget everything that
has been learnt.
    
    

* These are the physical, vital, and mental sheaths, and the sheaths of
Knowledge-Experience and of Blissful-ignorance.
 Nāṉār 39

   

   
  , 
  . 
   .
Kuppaiyaik kūṭṭit taḷḷa vēṇḍiya oruvaṉ adai
ārāyvadāl eppaḍip payaṉ illaiyō appaḍiyē taṉṉai
aṛiya vēṇḍiya oruvaṉ taṉṉai maṛaittuk koṇḍirukkum
tattuvaṅgaḷ aṉaittaiyum cērttut taḷḷi viḍāmal avai
ittaṉai-yeṉḍṛu kaṇak-kiḍuva-dālum, avaṭṭṛiṉ
guṇaṅgaḷai ārāyvadālum payaṉillai. Prapañcattai oru
svapnattaippōl eṇṇik-koḷḷa vēṇḍum.
Just as it is futile to examine the rubbish that
has to be swept up only to be thrown away, so it
is futile for him who seeks to know the Self to set
to work enumerating the tattvas* that envelop the
Self and examining them instead of casting them
away. He should consider the phenomenal world
with reference to himself as merely a dream.
 ,   
  .  
   
  
   
.    

* Tattvas are the elements into which phenomenal existence — from

the subtle mind to gross matter — is classified.
40 ?

.   

   .
Jāgram dīrgham, svapṉam kṣaṇikam eṉbadu tavira
vēṛu bhēdam illai. Jākrattil naḍakkum vivakāraṅgaḷ
ellām evvaḷavu uṇmaiyāgat tōṉḍṛugiṉṛaṉavō avvaḷavu
uṇmaiyāgavē svapṉattil naḍakkum vivakāraṅgaḷum
akkālattil tōṉḍṛukiṉḍṛaṉa. Svapṉattil maṉam vēṛoru
dēhattai yeḍuttuk koḷḷugiṛadu. Jāgram svapṉam
iraṇḍilum niṉaivugaḷum nāma rūpaṅgaḷum ēka-
kālattil nigazhgiṉḍṛaṉa.
Except that the wakeful state is long and the
dream state short, there is no difference between the
two. All the activities of the dream state appear, for
the time being, just as real as the activities of the
wakeful state seem to be while awake. Only, during
the dream state, the mind assumes another form
or a different bodily sheath. For thoughts on the
one hand and name and form on the other occur
simultaneously during both the wakeful and dream
states.
    
. .  
 .   
  ,   
  . 
   
.   
.    
 Nāṉār 41

. ,  

 .   
  .  
  ?
Nalla maṉam eṉḍṛum keṭṭa-maṉam eṉḍṛum iraṇḍu
maṉaṅgaḷ illai. Maṉam oṉḍṛē. Vāsaṉaigaḷē subham
eṉḍṛum asubham eṉḍṛum iraṇḍu vidam. Maṉam
śubhavāsaṉai vayattadāy niṛkumpōtu nalla maṉam
eṉḍṛum, asubha vāsaṉai vayattadāy niṛkumpōdu
keṭṭa maṉam eṉḍṛum sollap paḍum. Piṛar evvaḷavu
keṭṭavargaḷāyt tōṉḍṛiṉum avargaḷai veṛuttal-āgādu.
Viruppu veṛuppukaḷ iraṇḍum veṛukkat takkaṉa.
Prapañca viṣayaṅgaḷil adhikamāy maṉattai viḍak
kūḍātu. Sādhyamāṉa-varaiyil, aṉṉiyar kāriyattiṛ
pravēśikkak kūḍātu. Piṛarukkoruvaṉ koḍuppa-dellām
taṉakkē koḍuttuk koḷḷugiṛāṉ. Iv-vuṇmaiyai yaṛindāl
evaṉtāṉ koḍādozhivāṉ?
There are not two minds, one good and the other
evil. It is only the vasanas or tendencies of the mind
that are of two kinds, good and favourable, evil and
unfavourable. When the mind is associated with
the former it is called good; and when associated
with the latter it is called evil. However evil-minded
other people may appear to you, it is not proper to
hate or depise them. Likes and dislikes, love and
hatred are equally to be eschewed. It is also not
proper to let the mind often rest on objects or affairs
42 ?

of mundane life. As far as possible one should not

interfere in the affairs of others. Everything offered
to others is really an offering to oneself; and if only
this truth were realized, who is there that would
refuse anything to others?
 ; 
.  
  .
  
.

Tāṉ ezhundāl sakalamum ezhum; tāṉ aḍaṅgiṉāl

sakalamum aḍaṅgum. Evvaḷavuk-kevvaḷavu tāzhndu
naḍakkiṛōmō avvaḷavuk-kavvaḷavu naṉmai-yuṇḍu.
Maṉattai yaḍakkik koṇḍirundāl eṅgēyirundālum
irukkalām.
If the ego rises, all else will also rise; if it
subsides, all else will also subside. The deeper the
humility with which we conduct ourselves, the
better it is for us. If only the mind is kept under
control, what matters it where one may happen to
be?

OM TAT SAT
SRI RAMANARPANAMASTU