Of all the works of the Sage Ramana Maharshi, upadEsha saaram is considered as the supreme legacy of his teaching.
karturaajjhNayaa praapyatE phalam ।
karma kiM paraM karma tajjaDam ॥ 1 ॥
By the law/will of the Creator, the fruits of actions are realized.
How is action then supreme? It is not. It is inert/insentient.
kRRitimahOdadhau patanakaaraNam ।
phalamashaashvataM gatinirOdhakam ॥ 2 ॥
The results of actions are impermanent and pass away.
Yet, their seeds form an ocean of Karma which becomes a barrier in the progress of a seeker.
eeshvaraarpitaM nEchChayaa kRRitam ।
chittashOdhakaM muktisaadhakam ॥ 3 ॥
Work which is performed as an offering to the Almighty, and done without any expectation of the fruits thereof, helps in purification of the mind and thereby leads one to Liberation or Realization.
kaayavaanmanaH kaaryamuttamam ।
poojanaM japashchiMtanaM kramaat ॥ 4 ॥
Among the actions performed by the body, voice and mind – puja (ritualistic worship), japa (chanting) and contemplation (inner meditation) – each is superior to the other in an ascending order.
jagata eeshadhee yuktasEvanam ।
ashhTamoortibhRRiddEvapoojanam ॥ 5 ॥
Worshipping any of the eight forms (Ether, fire, air, water, earth,
Sun, moon and living beings), thinking they are all forms of God, is good worship (puja) of God.
uttamastavaaduchchamaMdataH ।
chittajaM japadhyaanamuttamam ॥ 6 ॥
Singing the Lord’s praises is good, but better than that is loud chanting of japa. Better than loud chanting is soft and low-voiced chanting. However, best of all is silent, mental japa or meditation in the mind.
aajyadhaarayaa srOtasaa samam ।
saralachiMtanaM viralataH param ॥ 7 ॥
Like an unbroken flow of oil, or a stream of water, continuous meditation is better than that which is interrupted.
bhEdabhaavanaat sO.ahamityasau ।
bhaavanaa.abhidaa paavanee mataa ॥ 8 ॥
Meditation without duality, that is meditating as ‘I am
HE’, is superior to meditation which assumes a separation between the Bhakta (devotee) and the beloved Lord.
bhaavashoonyasadbhaavasusthitiH ।
bhaavanaabalaadbhaktiruttamaa ॥ 9 ॥
A state of void, free from thought, is gradually attained,
making abidance in the background state of ‘I AM’ complete. This is supreme devotion.
hRRitsthalE manaH svasthataa kriyaa ।
bhaktiyOgabOdhaashcha nishchitam ॥ 10 ॥
Fixing the mind in the Heart (Source) is true Karma (action), Bhakti (devotion), Yoga (action) and Jnana (knowledge).
vaayurOdhanaalleeyatE manaH ।
jaalapakshhivadrOdhasaadhanam ॥ 11 ॥
Through breath-control, the movement of the mind is contained, just as a bird is restrained when caught in a net.
chittavaayavashchitkriyaayutaaH ।
shaakhayOrdvayee shaktimoolakaa ॥ 12 ॥
The mind and pranas (as thought and action), which carry out various thought processes and actions within the body, emerge from one common source, the Supreme.
layavinaashanE ubhayarOdhanE ।
layagataM punarbhavati nO mRRitam ॥ 13 ॥
Mind control can be achieved through two modes – either through absorption/abeyance or through complete destruction. In the case of the first mode, the mind emerges again as it is merely absorbed in the void and hence temporarily held in abeyance. In contrast, through the second mode, when the mind is destroyed, it can never emerge again.
praaNabaMdhanaalleenamaanasam ।
EkachiMtanaannaashamEtyadaH ॥ 14 ॥
When the mind is held in suspension through breath control, it must then be completely destroyed through one-pointed attention to that ONE reality.
nashhTamaanasOtkRRishhTayOginaH ।
kRRityamasti kiM svasthitiM yataH ॥ 15 ॥
What action remains for an exalted Yogi whose mind has been completely destroyed and who is ever established in the Self?
dRRishyavaaritaM chittamaatmanaH ।
chittvadarshanaM tattvadarshanam ॥ 16 ॥
When attention is withdrawn from objects and focused exclusively on the Self, the Truth is revealed.
maanasaM tu kiM maargaNE kRRitE ।
naiva maanasaM maarga aarjavaat ॥ 17 ॥
When one inquires: “What is the mind?”, he finds out that there is no mind. This is the direct path to Reality.
vRRittayastvahaM vRRittimaashritaaH ।
vRRittayO manO viddhyahaM manaH ॥ 18 ॥
Mind is nothing but a bundle of thoughts. These thoughts depend upon the 'I' thought alone. Hence the mind is nothing but this 'I' thought.
ahamayaM kutO bhavati chinvataH ।
ayi patatyahaM nijavichaaraNam ॥ 19 ॥
When one turns within and searches
Whence this 'I' thought arises,
The shamed 'I' vanishes –
And wisdom's quest begins.
ahami naashabhaajyahamahaMtayaa ।
sphurati hRRitsvayaM paramapoorNasat ॥ 20 ॥
Where this 'I' notion faded
Now there as I–I, arises
The One, the very Self,
The Infinite.
idamahaM padaa.abhikhyamanvaham ।
ahamileenakE.apyalayasattayaa ॥ 21 ॥
Of the term, 'I', the permanent import
Is That. For even in deep sleep
Where we have no sense of 'I'
We do not cease to be.
vigrahEMdriyapraaNadheetamaH ।
naahamEkasattajjaDaM hyasat ॥ 22 ॥
Body, senses, mind, breath, sleep –
All insentient and unreal –
Cannot be 'I',
'I' who am the Real.
sattvabhaasikaa chitkvavEtaraa ।
sattayaa hi chichchittayaa hyaham ॥ 23 ॥
For knowing That which is
There is no other knower.
Hence Being is Awareness;
And we all are Awareness.
eeshajeevayOrvEshhadheebhidaa ।
satsvabhaavatO vastu kEvalam ॥ 24 ॥
In the nature of their being
Creature and creator are in substance one.
They differ only
In adjuncts and awareness.
vEshhahaanataH svaatmadarshanam ।
eeshadarshanaM svaatmaroopataH ॥ 25 ॥
Seeing oneself free of all attributes
Is to see the Lord,
For He shines ever as the pure Self.
aatmasaMsthitiH svaatmadarshanam ।
aatmanirdvayaadaatmanishhThataa ॥ 26 ॥
To know the Self is but to be the Self,
For it is non-dual.
In such knowledge
One abides as that.
jjhNaanavarjitaa.ajjhNaanaheenachit ।
jjhNaanamasti kiM jjhNaatumaMtaram ॥ 27 ॥
That is true knowledge which transcends
Both knowledge and ignorance,
For in pure knowledge
Is no object to be known.
kiM svaroopamityaatmadarshanE ।
avyayaa.abhavaa.a.apoorNachitsukham ॥ 28 ॥
Having known one's nature one abides
As being with no beginning and no end
In unbroken conciousness and bliss.
baMdhamuktyateetaM paraM sukham ।
viMdateeha jeevastu daivikaH ॥ 29 ॥
Beyond bondage and release,
Is steadfastness
In service of the Lord.
ahamapEtakaM nijavibhaanakam ।
mahadidaMtapO ramanavaagiyam ॥ 30 ॥
All ego gone,
Living as that alone
Is penance good for growth,
Sings Ramana, the Self.
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