Self-Enquiry - A R Natarajan

(A paper presented by AR Natarajan, President, Ramana Maharshi Centre for Learning, Bangalore at the National Symposium ‘Bridging Science to Humanity’ organized by Students’ Council, Indian Institute of Science, on 12th and 13th December, 2000)

The feeling of existence is universal. ‘I am’ is the expression of one’s awareness of it. Ramana Maharshi points out that it is only because of this core feeling that one says ‘I am acting’ ‘I am thinking’ ‘I came’, ‘I want’ and so on. This ‘I am’ is the substratum of all action, and thoughts. It is like a screen on which a movie projected. The waking state comes and goes ‘I am’. The dream state comes and goes ‘I am’, the deep sleep state comes and goes, ‘I am’. In all states of one’s daily existence it is the alone unchanging bed-rock because of which alone perception of changes in one’s body and mind becomes possible. It is the fullness of consciousness.

However, one mentally limits this fullness of consciousness by linking the ‘I am’ to a particular name and form, ‘I am Natarajan’, ‘I am Prasanna’ etc. Once ‘This’ is added then consciousness which is total is taken to be fragmented. Further associated limitations, ‘I am a father’, ‘I am a husband’, ‘I am a student’ ‘I am a doctor’ and the like fragment it even more. Instead of an integrated and holistic perception of life one would compartmentalize life as ‘Personal life’, ‘Working life’, ‘Social life’. This may result in one being wholly different in the roles which he has to play in life. One might be very considerate as a father, a sloppy worker, and heartless towards suffering in society. Based on this possibility we have a caricature by an outstanding comedian Charlie Chaplin in his film ‘The Great Dictator’. In that film the dictator ruthlessly massacres millions of Jews without batting an eyelash but is the very embodiment of love when it comes to his own pet cat.

© "The Ramana Way" (January 2001) published by Ramana Maharshi Centre for Learning, Ramana Maharshi Heritage Building, Post Office Road, Sanjay Nagar, Bangalore 560 094. Website: www.ramanacentre.org. Reprinted with permission.

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