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Upadesa Sara

Sloka 21

The True Self

In order to grasp the meaning of the following verse, it is necessary to comprehend an important fact. Till now we saw two meanings of the word ‘I’ – the pure Self and the ego. This sense of I-ness is felt only in our body and not in objects or beings outside the body. When this ‘!’-notion is in the body alone, man becomes extremely selfish. When his identification expands to include his family, clan, society, state, and nation then, to that extent, his selfishness reduces. The joys and sorrows of the family and successes or failures of the country become his joys, sorrows, successes, or failures. However, much one’s field of identification may expand, it is impossible for a limited ego to identify with the entire cosmos. The being that identifies with the Totality has the ‘I’ -notion in the entire cosmos. This is the third ‘I’ called lsvara – the Lord. Identifying with the Total, He has no selfishness and is, therefore, impartial. Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi shows us the interrelation of these three ‘I’ -s.

idam-aham pada’bhikhyamanvaham,
ahami linake’pyalaya sattaya.

idam-aham pada – this (Self) (which is) indicated by the word ‘aham’ (I); bhikhya – following; manvaham – the merger of individual ‘I’; ahami linake’pya – when the total ‘I’ also merges; alaya sattaya – (shines) due to the indestructible nature of It (of the Self)

Following the merger of the individual ‘I’ (in pure Consciousness), the total ‘I’ also merges. This (Self) which is known as the (true) ‘I’ shines due to its indestructible nature.

The pure Self when identified with an individual body is called the jiva – the individual ego and when identified with the total conditioning is called Isvara – the Totality. The same water is called a wave and the ocean due to individual and total conditioning. The concept of Totality exists only with reference to the individual. That is to say that the jiva and Isvara enjoy the same degree of reality. With the destruction of the individual ego, the concept of Totality too merges into the pure Self, free from all conditionings (individual and total). This pure Self even though called ‘aham’, is really nameless, formless, and indestructible. The Self is ever-existent and never becomes non-existent. Only with the thought ‘I am the body’- the notion of an individual – the world of objects, emotions, and thoughts and the concept of totality arises. The pure Self remains indestructible even when the notions of individual ego and Totality merge. The water remains when the wave and ocean notions perish. That is, the wave and ocean are known to be the only names and forms superimposed on water.

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