It is now nearly a year since this blog was started. One of the first posts (on 20.4.2012) had been on Vichara entitled “Arunachala Pancharatna Varttikam and Vichara”, but nothing since then. Time enough for a second post on this tricky topic to be attempted methinks! That the subject is difficult is exemplified by this little story below:
Around 10 years ago, one of the Office Bearers of the Sri Ramana Kendra here in Delhi
Well, the conclusion to be drawn from the foregoing is that, simply, never can an authoritative blueprint be laid down by one who is a seeker himself. Only the Self-realized sage can. And so, this post does not even remotely claim to be able to specify how to go about doing Vichara. Much like the article of one year ago, this write up too will focus on discussing some limited aspects of practice only.
Just a very humble effort towards sharing of ideas on a difficult subject folks!
Just a very humble effort towards sharing of ideas on a difficult subject folks!
For this, I intend to use as a blueprint here, Bhagavan’s sublime composition: Anma Viddai [Self-Knowledge]. From chatting around over the years, I have the distinct impression that it is relegated to some sort of a secondary rung of compositions (as if any composition of Bhagavan’s could be so!) by most devotees. From the teaching works, attention is usually reserved for Ulladu Narpadu, Upadesa Undiyar and Nan Yar? perhaps. Even in the compilations and translations, or in interpretative works produced by scholars, Anma Viddai will be usually found towards the end somewhere. I believe, however, that Anma Viddai is a crucially important work as well, particularly so, as it contains an extraordinary element of practice that is not easily available from the other works. More on that later.
First, a brief background to the work as a refresher:
Anma Viddai [Atma Vidya, Self-Knowledge]
[From “Parayana – The Poetic Works of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi”, Sri Ramanasramam, 2008 edition, Pg 120]:
“One day a devotee came before Bhagavan and in reference to this poem’s opening lines – ‘Lo, very easy is Self-Knowledge, Lo, very easy indeed’ – asked how it could be so, how Liberation could be easy. Bhagavan gave the ready reply, “How should I know?” Then pointing to Muruganar said, “Go and ask him, he wrote it!” [This story is from T. R. Kanakammal (footnote)].Years before in April 1927 Muruganar had handed Bhagavan these lines with the request to elaborate. Bhagavan’s response was the five verses called Anma Viddai or ‘Self Knowledge’. [Muruganar’s lines were a deliberate recast of a popular Tamil poem that begins, ‘Lo, very difficult is Self-Knowledge’ (footnote)].Bhagavan gave this history of the poem [From “Day by Day”, 26-2-46 Morning]:Muruganar had written the pallavi (refrain) and anupallavi (supplemental refrain) and wanted the charanams. He said he could not possibly complete the song, as somehow no more lines would come to him, and so requested me to complete it. Thereupon I wrote this song. First I wrote only one stanza or charanam, but Muruganar wanted at least four, thereupon I made three more. Finally I recollected, I had not made any mention of Annamalai and so made a fifth charanam also and made mention of Annamalai in it, as Ponnambalam is mentioned in the stanzas of the song in Nandanar story on which our song is modelled.”
Refrain
Lo, very easy is Self-Knowledge,
Lo, very easy indeed.
Supplemental Refrain
Even for the most infirm, so real is the Self
That compared with it, the amlaka [the gooseberry fruit] in one's hand appears a mere illusion.
Lo, very easy is Self-Knowledge,
Lo, very easy indeed.
Text
1. True, strong, fresh for ever stands the Self.
From this in truth spring forth the phantom body
and phantom world. When this delusion is destroyed
And not a speck remains, the Sun of Self shines
bright and real in the vast heart-expanse.
Darkness dies, afflictions end, and Bliss wells up.
2. The thought ‘I am the body’ is the thread on which
are strung together various thoughts. Enquiring within, ask, ‘Who am I?
and whence is this thought?’
All other thoughts vanish. And as ‘I-I’ within the Heart-cave,
the Self shines of its own accord. Such Self-awareness is the
only Heaven, this stillness, this abode of Bliss.
3. Of what avail is knowing things other than the Self?
And the Self being known, what other thing is there to know?
That one light that shines as many selves,
see this Self within as awareness’ lightning flash;
The play of grace; the ego’s death;
the blossoming of bliss.
4. For loosening karma’s bonds and ending births, -
this path is easier than all other paths.
Abide in stillness, without any stir of tongue, mind, or body.
And behold the effulgence of the Self within,
the experience of eternity; absence of all fear;
the vast ocean of Bliss
5. Annamalai the Self, the eye behind the eye of mind, which
Sees the eye and all the other senses, which knows the sky and
other elements, the Being which contains, reveals, perceives
the inner sky that shines within the Heart. When the mind
free of thought turns inward, Annamalai appears as my own
Self. True grace is needed; love is added and bliss wells up.
Preliminary
Before I start on Vichara proper let me address the apparent implication of the refrain, ‘Lo, very easy is Self-knowledge, Lo, very easy indeed’, accompanied by the supplemental refrain, that the Self is more easily evident than the proverbial amalaka (the gooseberry fruit) placed on one’s palm.
Is the Teaching categorically then – that Self-knowledge is very easy to obtain? Bhagavan Himself neatly ducked the direct question, as given in the anecdote above, by saying, “How should I know? Ask Muruganar”. But we know that several conversations are recorded in the books of reminiscences wherein Bhagavan has said to the effect that Self-knowledge is the easiest path of all. Perhaps a clue as to what is really meant is forthcoming from what Bhagavan said on the amalaka example used as the supplemental refrain in the hymn:
[From “Day by Day”, 26-2-46 Morning; these lines immediately precede the extract from this book quoted in the anecdote above as given in the “Parayana” book]
“Next the talk drifted to the Self being pratyaksha (self evident) and Bhagavan then related how the song Atma Vidya was composed. He said, “Any vidya is for the purpose of knowing something. If it is so self-evident as to render the well known classical example of hastamalakam or a gooseberry on the palm a false analogy, as Muruganar had put it, where was the need for Atma Vidya, whether you call it easy or not? What Muruganar meant to say was: ‘In the classical example, a hand is necessary, a hand that will and can feel a fruit on it, a fruit, an eye that can see, a person that has already known what fruit it is, and so on and so forth. But for knowing the Self, nothing at all except the Self is needed.’ In sleep for instance nothing at all exists for us except ourselves and we admit we existed during that sleep. On waking we say, ‘I slept and none of us believes there are two ‘I’s, the one that slept and the one that is awake now. In the classical example all these must exist to make the fruit self-evident. All these depend on or derive from the Self and make the fruit self-evident. How much more self-evident must the Self itself be?”
So Bhagavan is saying that: Many things are needed to see the amalaka – the amalaka itself, the palm, the eye, light, the process of cognition, the mind etc. (and the Self too!). On the other hand as far as the Self is concerned, each one of us, whether learned or otherwise, can readily affirm the feeling “I-am” within us without any intermediary items. The Self is already known to all as the direct experience of our existence, the sense of “I” inside. And none have the slightest doubt of their existence continuing through waking, dream or deep sleep. Thus Atma Vidya, Self-knowledge, is already well known, and is very ‘easy’ indeed; much more so than knowledge of the hapless amalaka!
Also, much as for our amalaka, other paths may need many items for Knowledge to dawn, whereas for Atma Vidya the Self needs only the Self. The latter is thus undoubtedly the most direct and shortest path compared to all other paths. In this sense too Atma Vidya is ‘easy’ (though it could still involve ‘difficult’ sadhana).
The usage, therefore, is NOT in the sense of it all being ‘easy’ as against ‘difficult’ in terms of practice. For, as Bhagavan says, if it were easy in that sense, what is the need for any Atma Vidya at all? Since all of us already know the Self as the feeling “I am” within us, we should be immediately Self-realized. But we are not. And if we are not already so, then, obviously Self-knowledge is not so easy for us. There are strong vasanas at play still which muddy the waters, and which need to be extinguished first.
So, ‘Is Self-knowledge very easy’? I believe that the answer can only be that very useful phrase applicable to a lot of spiritual conundrums – “Yes and No”. Ultimately, the easy or difficult bit is up to us I guess, dependant on how ‘ripe’ we are and on how much earnestness and sincerity of effort we bring into play.
Finally, in addition to the above, I believe that Atma Vidya is also referred to as being easy by Bhagavan (in the refrain and in verse 4 here, and in conversations elsewhere), in the sense of providing an assurance to the sadhaka that the final goal is completely achievable. The path could be difficult, incredibly difficult even, but no matter how far back the sadhaka starts, Bhagavan is assuring success.
Atma Vichara from Anma Viddai
Let us look at this great hymn again by stripping away the refrain and supplemental refrain, and a few other accompanying lines as well - those which do not directly describe the practice associated with Atma Vidya. In the lines that follow, not one word is otherwise changed at all. This then is the glittering diamond that emerges, a blueprint for Atma Vichara in Bhagavan’s own Divine words:
[Anma Viddai]
Enquiring within, ask, ‘Who am I? and whence is this thought?’
All other thoughts vanish. And as ‘I-I’ within the Heart-cave,
the Self shines of its own accord.
See this Self within as awareness’ lightning flash;
Abide in stillness, without any stir of tongue, mind, or body.
And behold the effulgence of the Self within,
When the mind free of thought turns inward, Annamalai appears as my own
Self. True grace is needed; love is added and bliss wells up.
Note: The Instructions are Sequential
An important aspect of the instructions in the hymn becomes apparent only when they are presented in the stripped-down form – that they follow a sequential order. It may be seen that the instructions above flow smoothly from lines in one verse to the lines in the next.
I thought to highlight this fact first because I have been, in the past, quoted verse 4 to justify a practice which eschews the hard work prescribed in the earlier verses with reference to Vichara. In isolation, the lines in verse 4, “Abide in stillness, without any stir of tongue, mind, or body, and behold the effulgence of the Self within”, can be taken as an alternate practice given by Bhagavan, one that requires the sadhaka to do nothing but “just be”. The argument is presented that this then would sync with Bhagavan’s great teaching “Summa Iru”, and is thus taken as a higher, superior practice as compared to struggling day in and day out with seeking the Source and so on.
But the point is, if you are struggling with basic Vichara anyway, then you are not 'ripe' enough to “abide in stillness … and behold the effulgence of the Self” anyhow. It is only if Vichara has become easy for you, can you then expect to reach the latter state easily. So, a simple test to see whether you are ready for “just being” is: try Vichara; is it effortless? Have ‘you’ instantaneously found the Self and are abiding as That? Then it is all done anyhow! If not, then you need to carry on with the practice of Vichara as given by Bhagavan.
Thus, in my humble opinion, the sequence from above goes somewhat like this:
Do Vichara ... see the Self flash forth ... abide in stillness.
The primary practice remains: “Enquiring within, ask, ‘Who am I?, and whence is this thought?’”.
Enquire and Seek.
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To be continued …
[Please forgive me folks, I need attend to attend to a few chores around the house. Besides, dont want to bore you with one very long post, and this one has already hit 5 pages. Will continue on selected aspects of Vichara in Part II, to follow shortly].
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