Forty Verses on Reality (Ulladu Narpadu) - V Ganesan

"Truth" revealed by Sri Ramana Maharshi, in this remarkable collection of verses, guides aspiring seekers positively towards Liberation

PART I

In the beginning of the 20th century, Sri Ramana Maharshi was living in a few caves on the holy hill, Arunachala. During those days, devotees used to bring scriptural texts and request him to explain some of the intricate passages.

Knowing that the Maharshi was well versed in composing exquisite Tamil poems, some devotees even made specific requests that he give them clarifications in verse form. Maharshi, as always, obliged. Unfortunately, most of them were lost, since those who remained with the Maharshi, had failed to preserve them.

When the Maharshi came down to the foothills and started living in the present Sri Ramanasramam, from 1922, the great Tamil poet, Muruganar stayed with him. He made efforts to collect the verses written by the Maharshi from people who had benefitted from them. He thus gathered 21 such precious verses of the sage’s compositions. He took pains to interlink some of the verses of topical interest and tried to make a text out of them.

For this, he needed the Maharshi’s active participation by way of composing some more verses. He pleaded with the Maharshi that the 21 verses he had should be raised to 40 to conform to the traditional form, of presenting all the important texts in 40 verses.

Within 20 days, Sri Bhagavan completed the task of preparing the 40 verses. This was in 1928.

The main theme of these verses was on Reality, Existence, and Truth. In the process, old verses were set aside and fresh ones composed. With meticulous care and total dedication, Muruganar arranged the sequence of these 40 verses with the approval of the Maharshi to form an extraordinary spiritual treatise. Ulladu Narpadu – Reality in 40 Verses –– was born. Two invocatory verses were also added.

The essence of these 40 verses is Atma Sakshatkara (Self-knowledge), based on viveka, vichara and anubhava (intelligence, enquiry and inner experience) so that all seekers are enthused to attain that ultimate state of Truth in one self.

The Maharshi emphasizes that self-knowledge is one’s own birthright, as one is ever realized. The ignorance of one thinking that one is not realized, the Maharshi asserts, is the only obstacle to Self Realization. Removal of it by oneself through Self-enquiry, is the aim and goal of this holy treatise.

Ulladu Narpadu

Invocation

i) Awareness is the nature of Reality.

Ulladu, the Being, truly is. One’s own experience proves this. All else – the "others," basically "thoughts" in the form of descriptions, extensions, adjuncts of "That which is" – is falsehood. This being deeply understood, fully grasped, is there room for thoughts, any more?

ii) Fear of death is the driving force behind the quest for Truth.

This fear makes one take refuge in Mahesan, the birthless and deathless Supreme Lord. This Supreme Lord, who resides within the heart of everyone, is non-different from one’s own being. The only obstacle to realize this Truth is one’s identification with one’s mind and body, the sense of "I" and "mine", respectively.

within the heart of everyone, is non-different from one’s own being. The only obstacle to realize this Truth is one’s identification with one’s mind and body, the sense of "I" and "mine", respectively.

Taking refuge at the Supreme Lord means surrendering one’s sense of "I" and "mine". Dissolution of ownership of "I" and "mine" is freedom from bondage. Thus, one reaches deathlessness, the Eternity. For one who has merged with deathlessness, where is room for any more thoughts, much less thought of fear of death?

Text

Verse 1

Awareness is all – the seer and seen, the real and apparent.

The "Forty" begins here. Says the Maharshi : "Be rooted in the Truth That one is ever You, the Self, which is the source for both the seer and seen, to emerge from".

Verse 2

The triad – God, soul and world – is the creation of the ego and disappears with the ego.

All religions postulate the fundamental principles – the individual being, God and the world. Yet, there is no consensus among them whether only one principle appears as three or that the three exist as three independent separate entities. Taking an onlooker’s point of view (as if one exists independent of them) leads to incompleteness and error. The best course, therefore, is to remain as the truth of Wholeness – as one ever is – unsullied by any movement away from "That which is".

Verse 3

Speculations about God and world lead to nothing. Self-realization is the heart’s cry of all.

The Maharshi’s direct guidance to aspirants is to wean them off from all valid, or not so valid, mental vacillations, thereby plunging them into the true quest of the ever-existent Self. He, thus, enthuses all seekers never to lose the inner poise and stray away to mental noises.

All disputations regarding the world as being real or unreal, as being sentient or insentient, as being full of pleasure or filled with sorrow, are futile. Leave the world which anyhow is outside you. Instead, go within enquiring; and, merge in one’s own true being. That (inner) state of movementless oneness, which is beyond and behind all mental concepts of divisions and disputations, is the unvarying, constant experience of all, at all times.

Verse 4

Form and formlessness of God depend on the ego’s conception of itself.

‘That which is’, the Self, is formless. What creates and sees forms is the seeing mind; also, it sees only through a body. If one identifies with a body, through that body alone one sees forms of the world and God. Yet, if one realizes inwardly that one is not the body (and therefore remains formless), who else is there to assert seeing forms of the world and God, outwardly? That is, in the absence of a body and the seeing mind, who is there to see and thus, how to see?

Verse 5

Is there a world apart from the body? Is the world seen by anyone without body?

The body is the repository of the five senses. As such, the very word ‘body’ refers normally to all the five senses. In that instance, can the world appear in a state of no-body experience? Also, deeply ponder whether anyone has ever seen the world, other than seeing it through his five senses, his body?

Verse 6

The world is what the mind conceives through the senses. Hence, is there a world beyond the mind?

The perceived world is merely a collection of data gathered through the five sense-perceptions. These experiences occur only through the respective five senses. And, mind is the principle that perceives the world through these senses. Therefore, enquire whether there is a world independent of one’s own mind.

Verse 7

The world and the awareness of it rise and set together. Both have their source in the unmoving Self.

It is clear that the world appears only when the mind rises. Though both the mind and the world emerge and dissolve simultaneously, the world totaly depends on the mind for it to be perceived.

Based on this, one should go deeper. It is obvious that there is a source from which both the mind and the world emerge and dissolve into. That Source, that Ground, that Substratum is the Reality, the Wholeness. It is "That which is" ever without any movement as either growth or decay.

Verse 8

Any sincere worship eventually leads to Realization.

To assign some name and some form to "That which is," the Self, which glows within, without a name and a form, and worship it as God, is positively an aid to realize the Reality. Yet, be assured, the only way to have direct experiential oneness with the Self, "That which is", is only through Self-enquiry. That is, to know that one is ever the Self, the Truth; and, be rooted in "That which is" without any movement, is Wisdom Supreme.

Verse 9

The dyads and triads are supported by the One, which can be discovered by enquiry.

It is quite obvious that the content of any knowledge is filled only with dyads (life-death, light-darkness, good-bad, right-wrong) and triads (see-er-seen-act of seeing). Yet, spiritual aspirants alone know that these dyads and triads are dependent on and subject to a mind that observes them.

To deeply enquire whose mind projects these divisive perceptions, and thus dissolve in oneness of quietude, is the only way to end dyads and triads. All divisive perceptions ended, one is rooted in movementless Wisdom Supreme. No more will dyads and triads prove to be hurdles.

Verse 10

Knowledge and ignorance are inter-related. Real knowledge arises by enquiring for whom both knowledge and ignorance occur.

This is an important verse bringing out the true essence of the Maharshi’s unique teaching. He says that there is only one ignorance, viz., taking the body to be oneself, that is, the "I-am-the-body-idea." Actually, the body is the ignorance. Likewise, there is only one true Wisdom; and, that is, one’s being alive, the very life-principle itself.

Now, let us proceed to the verse. Without a life-principle existing within, there cannot be a body as a living individual (to identify with). Conversely, there cannot be an entity as oneself without a body. This is what the Maharshi clearly brings out in this verse.

There is no ignorance without Wisdom and no Wisdom without ignorance. Enquiring into for whom these occur, who perceives the body and the life-force, whose ignorance and whose Wisdom, lands one in the Awareness of Wholeness, of Truth. To be ever immersed in "That which is," is Wisdom Supreme.

Verse 11

It is not ignorance not to seek the Self, the source of both knowledge and ignorance?

Anything and everything "known" and the very act of "knowing" them could happen only for a "knower." The knower, thus, perceives truth, whereas the known is a mere perceived object. Objects ever change, while the perceiver never changes. The validity of the known and the process of knowing it become operational only for a knower.

That is, the knower is merely an observer of the objects seen – the mind. The mind, the subject, the knower, therefore, is the repository of the known knowledge. Both the knower-mind and the known-object simultaneously sprout from a Source within. And that Source is the Pure Awareness, the I-amness in everyone, the Supreme Wisdom.

Enquiring into the nature of the knower and the known and realizing that both sprout from a Source, destroys once for all, one’s bondage to the impediments – the knower-mind and the known-objects.

Verse 12

True knowledge is fullness of one’s own existence. It is neither knowledge nor ignorance.

The Maharshi makes another invaluable breakthrough in this verse. For practitioners of Atma Vichara, this verse is a milestone, as it were. While enquiring into the source of thought, due to lack of alertness, seekers might get caught up, as a result of absence of thoughts, in Sunya, void, or nothingness.

When caught up thus, with vigilance one has to pursue the enquiry further by putting a deeper question, "To whom is the void? Who sees the Sunya?" To give confidence and support to such seekers, the Maharshi categorically emphasizes in the verse that the thought-nullified state that the seeker reaches in the process of enquiry is not a "nothingness," but only a ‘Fullness’ of one’s own existence.

This assertion of the Maharshi denying sunya is not to refute any standpoint of some other religious tenet, but directed solely to help the experiencing sadhaka get over this supposedly insurmountable hurdle. 

Pure Awareness is the basis for both knowledge and ignorance. Any divisive knowledge based on the knower knowing objects outside oneself is not true knowledge.

A state of movement-lessness either to know or to be known is truly the state of "That which is," the all-inclusive state of Wholeness, the Self. Recognize it by being fully aware of this positive state of ever-shining Plenum or Fullness; and never be taken over by and drowned in a negative state of nothingness.

Verse 13

Knowledge of diversity is ignorance, yet it is not apart from the Self, like the shapes of ornaments which are not separate from the gold.

The "I am" alone is the Truth. Everything else, seen as varieties outside oneself as the world, depend for their recognition on a body and therefore, are totaly untruth, like the body itself. Yet, even the root-cause of all falsehood – the "I-am-the-body-idea" – is itself only the offshoot of the Truth, the "I am." As such, falsehood too is included in the Wholeness of Full Awareness, the Truth. The see-er mind, together with all that it sees, is merely awareness alone, just as all jewellery made of gold are nothing but gold. Without Awareness, the seer-mind and the seen objects can never exist.

Verse 14

"You" and "he" exist when the "I" exists. If the root of the ‘I’ – the One – is found, "you" and "he" will also shine as the One.

Notice that only when the feeling "I" arises, within one ("I-am-the-body idea") do the external identification of "you" and "he" arises. Searching within as to wherefrom the "I" arises and thereby merging in its rising place, the Source, one realizes that the outward projections of "you" and "he", too, do get dissolved therein. Such complete dissolution (of "he", "you" and "I") establishes one in one’s own natural state of being, the single true principle of Total Awareness.

Verse 15

Past and future are only the present when they occur, thus the present alone exists.

The "Now" alone is true, for, a then "past" and a henceforth "future" have relevance only to such an existent present principle. The past also was the "Now", so too the future will also be the "Now" while each takes place. Therefore, though dividedly referred to as past, present and future, there exists only one dimension and that is the all-embracing "Now."

To know the "Now" is to "be" the Now. Instead of living in the "Now" always, to indulge and extend into the past and the future is as unwise as trying to learn the intricacies of mathematics while ignoring the tremendous value of the single unit "one". The unit "one" is the Whole; all other numbers are variations of this single, all-inclusive unit only.

Verse 16

Time and Space do not exist apart from the Self.

Deeply enquiring within into one’s own Existence, one realizes that the very existing principle, the Awareness per se, alone is the Truth; and that the cognizant principles of time and space (which are there because one becomes aware of them) are untruth, for, they depend for their reality on a cognizing principle – the Awareness. If one limits oneself to a body, then one is ever bound by the limitations of time and space.

Is one limited to the body? No. One ever exists as ‘I am’, as the "Now," as the Pure Awareness, beyond the limitations of the body (as in deep sleep where the body is nowhere). As such, one is ever existent as "I am" in all the three states of time.

So, too, realize that the Pure Awareness that one ever is, is the same whether one’s body is statically placed or is in motion, that is, either one’s body stays put in one place or constantly travels all over the world. Therefore, one is ever the changeless Awareness alone, to the complete exclusion of (the mental concepts of) time and space.

Verse 17

To the Realized, the "I" is limitless. To those who have not, it is of the size of the body.

From this verse onwards (in two verses), Sri Bhagavan extols the true state of a jnani, by bringing in the concomitance between the realized sage and the unrealized man.

Careful study will reveal the core of the Maharshi’s emphasis, that there is apparent difference only in the mental level. It assumes greater significance when one notices with amazement as the Maharshi poses the question : "The inert body exists and the ever-living Principle, the Self exists; but, where does the mind exist? What is the mind? Mind is a non-existent phantom!" Mind nullified, the state of Pure Awareness pervades in all, he vouchsafes.

The feeling of Self in limited to body, for both the Self-realized and the ignorant man; only for the former, who has realized the Truth of the Self, the "I am" is all-inclusive (including the body) and shines through as Pure Awareness.

Verse 18

A jnani (self-realized sage) is ever established in the being of full Awareness, unhindered by any or all external modulations, happenings and affectations. He appears to participate externally in all activities, though inwardly he is ever rooted in the inner silence.

Since this movementless and unwavering state of inner poise is invisible and only the actions done by the Jnani are visible, the ignorant man presumes that the jnani too is ever active and that he too is subjected to and affected by the worldly occurrences.

When the Maharshi points out the apparent signs of difference between a jnani and an ajnani, one should bear in mind his original teaching that everyone is always realized. That is, every one of us should instantly recognize in oneself the great blessing the Maharshi is bestowing upon us that one should identify oneself with the Jnani and never with the conceptual state of the ajnani.

This is an important point in following the Maharshi’s teaching of Atma Vichara. Ever hold on to the holy words of the Maharshi: "You are already realized," rather than getting depressed over one’s own evaluation of oneself: "I am an ajnani, l am a sinner, eternally in bondage." Are not the Maharshi’s words born of Absolute Truth and likewise, ours born of the mind, the untruth?

For the ignorant man and the Self-realized, the world does exist. Only for the former, it is limited by its shape and size. Whereas for the latter, the world is dissolved into his very being, that is, it is non-different from the brilliance of the illuminated Truth of his own existence.

Verse 19

Arguments about destiny and free will are carried on by those who have not realized. Those who have, are free from both.

In verses 15, 16, 17 and 18, the Maharshi refers to "time," "space," "body" and "world," respectively and proves that all these, which are external to oneself and, as such, dependent on a mind for their recognition, are the impediments to Self-realization. The Maharshi thereby affirms that turning one’s attention away from them and directing it exclusively inward towards the Awareness is the essence of Self-enquiry.

One of the apparently insoluble spiritual riddles is "fate", and "free will", and the concern over which is the predominant one. "Fate" is the destiny which one inescapably has to work out in the life of the world. "Free will" is a God-given gift of intelligence to human beings with which one is expected to overcome all hurdles, including fate.

The riddle, therefore, projects on the one side, the argument that "fate" is the final verdict and thus unchangeable; and, on the other side, the equally strong argument that one ever has "free will" to make good efforts in the right direction, like bhakti, surrender, etc., and thus nullify the effects of fate.

There are equally valid points on both sides of the argument and hence the issue even today remains unresolved. In this verse, the Maharshi, in his own way, brings about a synthesis-approach to the problem and thus effectively puts an end to this apparent insoluble spiritual riddle.

The "fate" or "free will" has relevance only to an individual being, who is rooted in ahankara, ego. One’s ego alone projects and raises the issue of which one of the two is predominant: Is it "fate" or is it "free will?" (to be precise, "fate" or "free will" sprouts from an ego and that very ego sprouts only from the ever-shining Self). Therefore, those who are experientially, inwardly ever immersed in the Self, thereby nullifying any trace of ego sprouting away from it, have simultaneously transcended the operation of either fate or free will. There is no more affectation for them from both fate and free will.

Verse 20

Seeing the Self is seeing God, so the Self is not other than God.

The Maharshi many a time pointed out that the "see-er" is ever vaster than all the "seen" objects put together. The vast sky, though seemingly limitless, comes under a limitation – within the framework of a pair of seeing eyes. The mind that sees through the eyes is still vaster. Yet again, vaster is the Self which gives light to the seeing mind itself.

This is the spiritual process of "involution" (the Maharshi calls this as "diving within") – from the world of objects seen, to seeing eyes (generally, the senses), from eyes to the seeing mind and from the mind to its light giver, the all-inclusive Self. This is the ascending order in the progress of one’s inward journey.

Descent from Self to Mind

The reverse of this, is called "evolution" - a descent from the Self to the mind, from the mind to the senses and from the senses to the objects of the world. As such, the socalled ignorant man, the anjani, is already in the last step of this ladder. His turning point towards spiritual ascendancy is effected by the spiritual preceptor by imparting Self-knowledge to him.

The method taught by the preceptor – the process the ignorant man meticulously undergoes – is generally termed as sadhana, seeking known also as mumukshuttva (yearning for the spiritual ascendancy towards the Perfection, towards the Unity). The spiritual descent, however, drowns one in ignorance, termed as bondage, samsara.

The final ascent is termed as Moksha – Total Freedom. The Maharshi’s unique observation is that both the terms – "bondage" and "freedom" – point only to an entity, the "mind," which projects them. He further points out that by enquiring into the nature of the mind, one finds that there is no entity as mind at all.

So, remaining in one’s true nature of the movementless Self as one ever is, through such Self-enquiry, he asks the seekers to find out whether there is any movement at all as "bondage" and "freedom."

Mind nullified, one is ever in movementless silence. In such a state of Wholeness, where is the room for divisions such as "bondage" and "freedom?" he asks. This is a great challenge, the Maharshi poses to all aspiring spiritual seekers.

On accepting the challenge and thereby diving within to dissolve one’s discerning faculty, the mind, one lands in the divisionless state of Perfection. In that state of Oneness, where is room for "others?"

The State of Self-realization

Instead of diving within and realizing the Self, one’s true Being, to whom everything else becomes the seen object, to venture to behold God outwardly is merely seeing one more object, projected by the conceiving mind only. When through Self-enquiry, the very root of the mind – the "I" – thought – is nullified, one attains the state of Self-realization.

Such a one, who thus beholds one’s own Self in its all-inclusive Fullness, devoid of any trace of delusion, is truly the real beholder of God.

Part II will be published in the next issue.

© "Tattvaloka" (November 2002) published by Sri Abhinava Vidyatheertha Mahaswamigal Education Trust, Abhinav Center, 19, Co-operative Colony, Chennai 600 018. Reprinted with permission.

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