English translation of T. V. Kapali Sastry's commentary on Vasishtha Ganapati Muni's Sat-darshana - sanskrit version of Sri Ramana's 'Ulladu Narpadu' in Tamil.
T. V. Kapali Sastry's Sat-Darshana Bhashya (commentary) on Vasishtha Ganapati Muni's सद्दर्शनम् - a Sanskrit version of Sri Ramana's 'Ulladu Narpadu' in Tamil
Devotee You say one can realise the Self by a search of it. What is the character of this search? Maharshi — You are the mind or think that you are the mind. The mind is nothing but thoughts. Now behind every particular thought there is a general thought which is the “I”, that is your Self. Let us call this “I” the first thought. Stick to this I-thought and question it to find out what it is. When this question takes strong hold on you, you cannot think of other thoughts. D. When I do like this and cling to my Self i.e., the I-thought, other thoughts do come and go, but I say to myself ’Who am I?’ and there is no answer forthcoming. To be in this condition is the sadhana or practice of atma-nistha, the exalted state of the Self. Is it so? M. —This is a mistake that people often make. What happens when you make a serious quest for the Self is that the Ithought as a thought disappears, something else from the depths takes hold of you and that is not the ’I’ which commenced the quest. D. What is this something else? M. – That is the real Self, the import of I. It is not the ego. It is the Supreme Being itself.
Devotee You say one can realise the Self by a search of it. What is the character of this search?
Maharshi — You are the mind or think that you are the mind. The mind is nothing but thoughts. Now behind every particular thought there is a general thought which is the “I”, that is your Self. Let us call this “I” the first thought. Stick to this I-thought and question it to find out what it is. When this question takes strong hold on you, you cannot think of other thoughts.
D. When I do like this and cling to my Self i.e., the I-thought, other thoughts do come and go, but I say to myself ’Who am I?’ and there is no answer forthcoming. To be in this condition is the sadhana or practice of atma-nistha, the exalted state of the Self. Is it so?
M. —This is a mistake that people often make. What happens when you make a serious quest for the Self is that the Ithought as a thought disappears, something else from the depths takes hold of you and that is not the ’I’ which commenced the quest.
D. What is this something else?
M. – That is the real Self, the import of I. It is not the ego. It is the Supreme Being itself.
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