Letter 153

26th October, 1947 


(153)  Existence after realization

This morning after Veda Parayana, a gentleman who came a few days ago, enquired of Bhagavan Ramana, “Swami, it is said that though a Jnani (a realised soul) appears to be doing all the routine things, he really does nothing. How can that be explained?” 


Bhagavan Ramana: “How? There is a story about it. Two friends while travelling on business slept the night somewhere, and one of them had a dream that he and his companion had gone together to several places and had done various things.
On rising in the morning, the other man had nothing to say, for he had slept soundly. But the first man asked his friend about the various places they had seen together during the night, but the second man could say nothing about them, having had no dream like the other. He merely said, ‘I have gone nowhere; I have been here only’. As a matter of fact, neither had gone anywhere; but the first man had only an illusion of having gone. Similarly, to those who look upon this body as real, and not unreal as in a dream, it may appear real, but, strictly speaking, nothing affects the Jnani.”
Remarked some other person: “It is said that the eyes of a Jnani appear to look at things, but in reality they see nothing.”


Bhagavan: “Yes, the eyes of the Jnani are likened to the eyes of a dead goat, they are always open, never closed. They glitter but they see nothing, though it seems to others that they see everything. But what is the point?” 

The devotee continued: “It is also said that for such adepts, siddhas, there is no conditioning or limitation (upadhi) of space and time.”


Bhagavan: “That is right. It is true that there is no such thing as conditioning or limitation, but the doubt then arises as to how the day-to-day work is done. It has therefore to be said that they have limitation. It is also stated that the limitation will be there in a subtle way until there is deliverance from the body (videha mukti). It is like a line drawn on water; the line appears while it is being drawn, but is not there immediately after.” 

The devotee: “If that is so for emancipated souls (siddha purushas), there will be no upadhi (support) after their mortal body falls away. But Bhagavan himself has said that there
are several emancipated souls on this hill. If they have no support (upadhi) how could they remain in existence?” 

Bhagavan:

Those who have attained complete emancipation (jnana siddhi) merge with the universe after their bodies fall off, just as milk merges with milk, oil with oil, water with water. 

In the case of lower souls, because of some samskaras or latent tendencies remaining unexpired, they stay in this world, taking whatever form they please, and ultimately become merged. 

Viveka Chudamani, verse 567 

The devotee: “Why does that difference arise?”
Bhagavan: “It arises because of the strength of their desires (samkalpas).”  

Letter 56

(56) SIDDHAS*
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10th August, 1946
There was a talk in Bhagavan’s presence today about siddhas. Some people said, amongst other things, that someone had tried to attain siddhi and had succeeded. After hearing them all patiently for a long time, Bhagavan said in a tone of annoyance, “You talk of siddhas. You say they attain something from somewhere. For that purpose they do sadhana and tapas. Is it not really a siddhi or attainment for us who are really formless to have got a body with eyes, legs, hands, nose, ears, mouth and to be doing something or other with that body? We are siddhas. We get food, if we want food; water, if we want water; milk, if we want milk.

Are not all these siddhis? While we experience ever so many siddhis at all times, why do you clamour for more siddhis? What else is required?” About two years back, Manu Subedar, a member of the Indian Legislative Assembly and translator of the commentary on the Bhagavad Gita by Jnaneswara, came to have darshan of Bhagavan, and asked Bhagavan during a conversation why it was that there were writings about siddha purushas in all books but none about sadhakas, and whether there were any books about sadhakas. Bhagavan said, “In Bhakta Vijayam, in Tamil, there is a conversation between Jnaneswara and Vithoba, his father. That is a discussion between a siddha and a sadhaka. The state of a sadhaka can be seen in that conversation.” So saying Bhagavan sent for a copy of Bhakta Vijayam from the Ashram library, read out that portion himself and explained it in detail. On reaching home, Manu Subedar asked for a copy of the conversation. Bhagavan sent a copy after getting it translated into English. Manu Subedar added it as a supplement to the third edition of his Jnaneswari. Recently I translated that conversation into Telugu.

You remember when you came here last full-moon day, during some conversation, Bhagavan said that Jnaneswara was a siddha while Vithoba was a sadhaka. Hence it was named “Siddha- Sadhaka Samvadam” (Conversation between a siddha and a sadhaka.) Bhagavan often says, “To know oneself and to be able to remain true to oneself, is siddhi, and nothing else. If one’s mind is absorbed in the enquiry of self, the truth will be realised some time or other. That is the best siddhi.” I give below an extract from the prose writings of Bhagavan regarding these siddhis in his “Unnathi Nalupadhi”* which bears this out: Siddhi is to know and realise that which is ever real. Other siddhis are mere dream siddhis. Would they be true when one wakes up from one’s sleep? Those who are wedded to truth and who had got freed from maya, will they get deluded by them? Please understand.

Reality in Forty Verses, verse 35 - - - -* “The Forty Verses” on Reality or Existence, originally composed by Bhagavan in Tamil under the title “Ulladu Narpadu”, is called differently in different language versions: “Unnathi Nalupadhi,” “Sad Vidya,” “Saddarshanam,” “Truth Revealed,” etc.


* Siddha - Semi-divine people supposed to be of great purity and holiness and said to be particularly characterised by eight supernatural faculties called siddhis.