Ego is I-thought. True ‘I’ is the Self. In reply to Miss Leena Sarabhai, a cultured Indian lady of high rank, Sri Bhagavan said: The state of equanimity is the state of bliss. The declaration in the Vedas ‘I am This or That’, is only an aid to gain equanimity of mind. D.: So, […]
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Category: Talks – Random Order
These are conversations that Ramana Maharshi had with visitors and they are presented here in random order. These talks deal with very important topics that provide solutions to baffling questions relating to reconciling worldly activities and troubles with spiritual practice. They also set right certain accepted wrong beliefs about various matters.
God is guiding us
God is guiding us A visitor asked: Sri Bhagavan said last night that God is guiding us. Then why should we make an effort to do anything? M.: Who asks you to do so? If there was that faith in the guidance of God this question would not have arisen. D.: The fact is […]
Mind is not steady
Mind is not steady A gentleman from Mysore asked: D:. How is the mind to be kept in the right way? M.: By practice. Give it good thoughts. The mind must be trained in good ways. D.: But it is not steady. M.: The Bhagavad Gita says: Sanaissanair uparamet (The mind must gradually be […]
Concentration is not thinking one thing
Concentration is not thinking one thing D.: Is concentration of mind one of the sadhanas? M.: Concentration is not thinking one thing. It is, on the other hand, putting off all other thoughts which obstruct the vision of our true nature. All our efforts are only directed to lifting the veil of ignorance. Now […]
How to calm the mind
How to calm the mind A high officer asked: If juniors are promoted over oneself the mind is perturbed. Will the enquiry, ‘Who am I?’ help the man to soothe the mind under such circumstances? M.: Yes. Quite so. The enquiry ‘Who am I?’ turns the mind inward and makes it calm. D.: I […]
See the Self
See the Self Maj. Chadwick asked Sri Bhagavan one night: The world is said to become manifest after the mind becomes manifest. There is no mind when I sleep. Is the world not existent to others at that time? Does it not show that the world is the product of a universal mind? How then […]
If one goes on wanting…
If one goes on wanting… To an Andhra gentleman Sri Bhagavan said: If one goes on wanting, one’s wants cannot be fulfilled. Whereas if one remains desireless anything will be forthcoming. We are not in the wife, children, profession, etc.; but they are in us; they appear and disappear according to one’s prarabdha. The mind […]
Grace is always there
Grace is always there Mr. B. C. Das, the Physics Lecturer, asked: D.: Contemplation is possible only with control of mind and control can be accomplished only by contemplation. Is it not a vicious circle? M.: Yes, they are interdependent. They must go on side by side. Practice and dispassion bring about the result […]
The Real I and the Phantom I
The Real I and the Phantom I Devotee: In the practice of meditation are there any signs of the nature of subjective experience or otherwise, which will indicate the aspirant’s progress towards Self-Realisation? Maharshi: The degree of freedom from unwanted thoughts and the degree of concentration on a single thought are the measure to gauge […]
Make no effort to work or to renounce wo...
Make no effort to work or to renounce work Dr. Syed: What is salvation? What did Christ mean by it? Maharshi: Salvation for whom? and from what? D.: Salvation for the individual and from the sorrows and sufferings of the world. M.: Whose are the sorrows, etc.? D.: Of the mind. M.: Are you […]
Two Ways to get Real Bliss
Two Ways to get Real Bliss Miss Umadevi, a Polish lady, asked Sri Bhagavan: I once before told Sri Bhagavan how I had a vision of Siva at about the time of my conversion to Hinduism. A similar experience recurred to me at Courtallam. These visions are momentary. But they are blissful. I want […]
Let the Purpose Fulfill Itself
Picture at the top: God In Action. (Left to Right) Sri Madhavaswamy and Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi Let the Purpose Fulfill Itself D.: How is work to be done ordinarily for an aspirant? M.: Without self-identification with the actor. For instance, did you intend visiting this place while in Paris? D.: No! M.: You see […]