Forty Verses on Reality

7/25/2019 Forty Verses on Reality

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Forty Verses on Reality

By

Ramana Maharshi

Invocation:

i. Without awareness of Reality, can Realilty exist? Because this awareness-

reality, itself free from thought, exists as the source of all thoughts, it is called

eart. ow to !now it? "o #e as it is $thought free% in the eart, is to !now it.

&wareness is the nature of Reality.

ii. "hose who have an in'nite fear of death ta!e refuse in the feet of the su(reme

)ord Who is without #irth and death. *an the thought of death occur to those

who have destroyed +I and +mine and have #ecome immortal?

ear of death is the driving force #ehind the uest for immortality.

"he "ext:

/. Because the world is seen, we have to infer a common cause $a )ord%

(ossessing unlimited (owers to a((ear as the diversity. "he (ictures consisting of

names and forms, the seer, the canvas, the light 0 all these are e imself.

&wareness is &ll1the seer and seen,the real and a((arent.

2. &ll schools of thought (ostulate the fundamental triad 0 3od, soul and

world 0 although all three are manifestations of the one. "he #elief that the three

remain eternally three lasts only as long as the +I or ego lasts. "o destroy the ego

and remain in ones own state is #est.

"he triad13od, soul and world1is the creation of the ego and disa((ears with

the ego.

4. 5f what avail to de#ate whether the world is real or unreal, sentient orinsentient, (leasant or un(leasant? 6xinguishing the ego, transcending the

world, realising the 7elf 0 that is the state which is dear to all, and free from the

sense of unity and duality.

7(eculations a#out 3od and world avail nothing: 7elf-realisation is the hearts cry

of all.

8. If the 7elf #e with form, 3od and the world will #e also. If one #e formless

oneself how and #y whom can their forms #e seen? *an there #e sight without

eyes? "he self is the eye, the limitless 6ye.


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orm and formless of 3od de(ends on the egos conce(tion of itself.

9. "he #ody is in the form of, and includes the 've sheaths. Is there a world

a(art from the #ody? as anyone without a #ody seen the World?

"he world is the #ody inclusive of the 've 7heaths, for without them the world

cannot #e conceived$or (erceived%

. "he world is #ut the 'vefold sense-o#;ects which are the results of the 've

senses. 7ince the mind (erceives the world through the senses, is there a world

without the mind?

"he world is what the mind conceives through the senses.


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Enowledge and ignorance are inter-related. Real !nowledge arises #y enuiring

for whom #oth !nowledge and ignorance occur.

//. Is it not ignorance to !now all #ut the all-!nowing 7elf? When the latter,

the su#stratum of #oth !nowledge and ignorance, is !nown, !nowledge and

ignorance, themslves #oth disa((ear.

Fot to see! the 7elf which is the source of #oth !nowledge and ignorance is real

ignorance.

/2. "rue !nowledge is neither !nowledge nor ignorance. 5#;ective !nowledge is

not true !nowledge. Because the 7elf is self-eGulgent, having no second to !now

or #e !nown, it is 7u(reme Enowledge 0 not em(ty nothingness.

"rue !nowledge is self-eGulglent: it is either !nowledge nor ignorance.

/4 "he 7elf alone is !nowledge, is truth. Enowledge of the diversity is

ignorance, is false !nowledge. Het ignorance is not a(art from the 7elf, which is

!nowledge. &re the ornaments diGerent from the gold which is real?

Enowledge of diversity is ignorance, yet it is not a(art from the 7elf, li!e the

sha(es of ornaments which are not a(art from the gold.

/8. "he +I existing, +you and +he also exist. If #y investigating the truth of the

+I the +I ceases, +Hou and +he will also cease and will shine as the 5ne. "his is

the natural state of ones #eing.

+Hou and +he exist when the +I exists. If the root of the +I 0 the 5ne 0 is found

+Hou and +he will also shine as the 5ne.

/9. 5n the (resent the (ast and the future stand. "hey too are the (resent in

their times. "hus the (resent alone exists. Ignoring the (resent, and see!ing to

!now the (ast and the future, is li!e trying to count without the initial unit.

Cast and future are only the (resent when they occur, thus the (resent alone

exists.

/. @o time and s(ace exist a(art from us? If we are the #ody we are aGected

#y time and s(ace. But are we the #ody? We are the same now, then and for

ever.

"ime and s(ace do not exist a(art from the 7elf.

/


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"o those who have not realised, the +I is of the sie of the #ody. "hose those who

have, it is limitless.

/=. "o those who have realised the 7elf and to those who have not, the world

is real. "o the latter its reality is con'ned to the s(atial measurements of the

world, whereas to the former it is formless, and shines as the su#tratum of the

world. "his is the diGerence #etween the two.

"o those who have not realised, the world is con'ned to the s(ace it occu(ies. "o

those who have, it is the limitless su#stratum of the World.

/>. @is(utations as to which (revails over the other, fate or free - will, are for

those who have no !nowledge of the 7elf, which is the ground of #oth fate and

free will. "hose who have realised this ground are free from #oth. Will they #e

caught #y them again? no

&rguments a#out destiny and free 0 will are carried on #y those who have not

realised. "hose who have, are free from #oth.

2D. Without seeing the 7elf, the seeing of 3od is a mental image. 7eeing the

7elf is seeing 3od, they say. *om(letely losing the ego and seeing the 7elf is

'nding 3od for the 7elf is not other than 3od.

7eeing the 7elf is seeing 3od, so the 7elf is not other than 3od.

2/. "he 7cri(tures declare that seeing the 7elf is seeing 3od. Being single,

how can one see ones own self? If 5neself cannot #e seen, how can 3od #e? "o

#e a#sor#ed #y 3od is to see im.

"o see 3od is to #e a#sor#ed #y 3od.

22. "he )ord shines within the mind, illuminating it. Jnless it turn inward and

#e 'xed in the )ord, it is not (ossi#le for the mind to !now him.

3od shines in the mind. But to !now 3od the mind has to turn inward.

24. "he #ody does not say +I. In slee( no one admits he is not. "he +I

emerging, all else emerges. 6nuire with a !een mind whence this +I rises.

&lthough the world disa((ears with the +I, the +I continues to exist in slee( as in

wa!ing.

28. "he insentient #ody does not say +I. "he ever-existent consciousness is

not #orn $thus cannot say +I%. "he +I of the sie of the #ody s(rings u( #etween

the two: it is !nown as chit-;ada-granthi $the !not which ties together the


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sentient and insentient%, #ondage, individuality, ego, su#tle #ody, samsara,

mind, etc.,

Feither the #ody nor the 7elf says +I #etween them the ego rises and ties them

together.

29. Enow that this formless ghost $the ego or +I% s(rings u( in a form $#ody%.

"a!ing a form it lives, feeds and grows. )eaving a form it (ic!s u( another, #ut

when it is enuired into, it dro(s the form and ta!es to Kight.

"he ego ta!es a #ody and accom(lishes various acts. It ta!es one #ody after

another till it is destroyed #y vichara.

2. "he ego existing, all else exists. "he ego not existing, nothing else exists.

"he ego is thus all. 6nuiring as to what the ego is, is therefore surrendering all.

"he ego #eing the all, surrendering it is surrendering all.

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4/. Whatremains to #e done #y him, who having extinguished the ego,

remains immersed in the #liss of the 7elf? e is aware of nothing #ut the 7elf.

Who can understand his state?

aving extinuished the ego the ;nani has no other (ur(ose in life #ut to remain

immersed in the #liss of the 7elf.

42. @es(ite the Ledas (roclaiming +"hou art "&", it is sheer wea!-

mindedness not to investigate into the nature of oneself and a#ide as the 7elf,

#ut instead to go on thin!ing +"&" I am, not this.

&lthough +"hou art "&", say the Ledas not to investigate into ones nature and

+a#ide as "&" is mental wea!ness.

44. It is ludicrous to thin! +I !now myself or +I do not !now myself, admitting

there#y two selves, one the o#;ect of the other. "hat the 7elf is only one is theex(erience of all.

7elf-!nowledge is not duality: the 7elf #eing single, it is itself #oth the o#;ect as

well as the su#;ect.

48. Without trying to realise in the heart that reality which is the true nature of

all and without trying to a#ide in it, to engage in dis(utations as to whether the

reality exists or not, or is real or not, denotes delusion #orn of ingnorance.

@is(uting the nature of the 7elf without attem(ting 7elf-realisation merelyconstitutes delusion.

49. "o see! and a#ide in that which is always attained is true attainment. &ll

other attainments, such as siddhis $thaumaturgic (owers%, are li!e those

acuired in dreams, which (rove to #e unreal on wa!ing. *an they who are

esta#lished in reality and are rid of illusions #e ensnared #y them?

"haumaturgic Cowers adre li!e dream-magic: they do not entra( the 7elf

realised.

4. "he thought +I am not the #ody hel(s one to mediate +I am not this: I am

"&" and to a#ide as "&". But why should one forever thin! +I am "&"? @oes

a man need always to thin! +I am a man? We are always "&".

It is not necessary to go on meditatingI am "&", for one always is "&".

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Fon-duality (revails always, whether as the world or as the 7elf.

4=. 7o long as a man feels himself the doer he rea(s the fruits of his actions.

But as soon as he realises through enuiry who is the doer, the sense of doershi(

dro(s oG and the threefold !arma comes to an end. "his is the 'nal )i#eration.

"he sense of doershi( rea(s the fruits of action $!arma%: Earma ends when the

doer realised his true nature.

4>. Bondage and )i#eration exist so long as thoughts of #ondage and

li#eration exist. "hese come to an end when an enuiry is made into the nature

of he who is #ound or free, and the ever-(resent and ever free 7elf is realised.

Bondage and )i#eration are mere notions in the mind: they cease when he who

is #ound is enuired into and realised.

8D. It is said that )i#eration is with form or without form, or with and without

form. )et me tell you that )i#eration destroys all the three as well as the ego

which disinguishes #etween them.

"rue )i#eration has no form, and destroys the very ego which distinguishes

#etween one !ind of it and another.

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Forty Verses on Reality