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
D. -You often say, ’the whole world exists not without you, ’everything depends upon you’, ’what is there without you’? etc. This is really baffling. The world was there before my birth. It will be there after my death even as it has survived the deaths of so many who once lived as I am living now. M. — Did I ever say that the world is there because of you? But I have put to you the question ’what is there without thy self’? You have to know that by the self, the body, subtle or gross, was not meant. Besides, the idea is put to you that if you once know the Self in which all the ideas move, not excluding the idea of yourself, of others like yourself and of the world, you can realise the truth that there is a Reality, a supreme Truth which is the Self of all the world you now see, the Self of all the selves, the one Real, which is the parama atman, the supreme Eternal as distinguished from the jiva, the ego-self which is impermanent. You shall not mistake the ego-self or the bodily idea for the atman. D. — Then you mean the atman is God? M. – You see the difficulty. The vicara ’to know thy self’ is different in method from the meditation "sivo’ ham" or "so’ ham" “Lord Shiva I am” or “He I am". I rather lay stress upon self-knowledge, for, you are first concerned with your Self before you proceed to know the world and its Lord. The "so’ ham” meditation or ’I am Brahman’ meditation is more or less a mental thought. But the quest for the Self I speak of is a direct method, indeed superior to the other meditation; for, the movement you, get into a movement of quest for the Self and go deeper and deeper, the real Self is waiting there to take you in and then whatever is done, is done by something else and you have no hand in it. In this process all doubts and discussions are automatically given up just as one forgets for the time all his cares when he gets to sleep. D. What certainty is there that something else waits there to welcome me? M. When one is sufficiently developed, pakva, he naturally gets the conviction. D. How is this development possible? M. Various answers are given. But whatever the previous development, vicara, earnest quest, quickens the development. D. — It is arguing in a circle. I am developed and so am strong for the quest. The quest itself gives me development. M. — The mind has always this sort of difficulty. It wants a certain theory to satisfy itself. Really no theory is necessary for the man who seriously desires to approach God or realise his own true being. Various means are enjoined in the sastras .......... It is true that contact with great men, exalted souls, is one effective means. सहवासेन महतां सतामरूढ चेतसाम् ।। (Ramana Gita VI: 1 )
D. -You often say, ’the whole world exists not without you, ’everything depends upon you’, ’what is there without you’? etc. This is really baffling. The world was there before my birth. It will be there after my death even as it has survived the deaths of so many who once lived as I am living now.
M. — Did I ever say that the world is there because of you? But I have put to you the question ’what is there without thy self’? You have to know that by the self, the body, subtle or gross, was not meant.
Besides, the idea is put to you that if you once know the Self in which all the ideas move, not excluding the idea of yourself, of others like yourself and of the world, you can realise the truth that there is a Reality, a supreme Truth which is the Self of all the world you now see, the Self of all the selves, the one Real, which is the parama atman, the supreme Eternal as distinguished from the jiva, the ego-self which is impermanent. You shall not mistake the ego-self or the bodily idea for the atman.
D. — Then you mean the atman is God?
M. – You see the difficulty. The vicara ’to know thy self’ is different in method from the meditation "sivo’ ham" or "so’ ham" “Lord Shiva I am” or “He I am". I rather lay stress upon self-knowledge, for, you are first concerned with your Self before you proceed to know the world and its Lord. The "so’ ham” meditation or ’I am Brahman’ meditation is more or less a mental thought. But the quest for the Self I speak of is a direct method, indeed superior to the other meditation; for, the movement you, get into a movement of quest for the Self and go deeper and deeper, the real Self is waiting there to take you in and then whatever is done, is done by something else and you have no hand in it. In this process all doubts and discussions are automatically given up just as one forgets for the time all his cares when he gets to sleep.
D. What certainty is there that something else waits there to welcome me?
M. When one is sufficiently developed, pakva, he naturally gets the conviction.
D. How is this development possible?
M. Various answers are given. But whatever the previous development, vicara, earnest quest, quickens the development.
D. — It is arguing in a circle. I am developed and so am strong for the quest. The quest itself gives me development.
M. — The mind has always this sort of difficulty. It wants a certain theory to satisfy itself. Really no theory is necessary for the man who seriously desires to approach God or realise his own true being.
Various means are enjoined in the sastras .......... It is true that contact with great men, exalted souls, is one effective means.
सहवासेन महतां सतामरूढ चेतसाम् ।। (Ramana Gita VI: 1 )
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