Anma Viddai

Introduction by Sri Michael James

Anma-Viddai (Atma Viddai), the ‘Science of Self’, also known as Atma-Vidya Kirtanam, the ‘Song on the Science of Self’, is a Tamil song that Sri Ramana composed on 24th April 1927 in answer to the request of Sri Muruganar.

That is, Sri Muruganar composed the pallavi and anupallavi (refrain and sub-refrain) of a kirtana (song), in which he said that atma-vidya (the science and art of self-knowledge) is extremely easy, and he then asked Sri Ramana to complete the kirtana by composing the charanas (verses). Sri Ramana accordingly composed the charanas, in which he emphatically confirmed the truth that atma-vidya is extremely easy.

The title of this song, ஆன்மவித்தை (anma-viddai), is a Tamil form the Sanskrit term atma-vidya, which is a compound of two words: atman, which means ‘self’, and vidya, which means ‘knowledge’, ‘science’, ‘philosophy’ or ‘art’. Thus atma-vidya (or anma-viddai) means the ‘science of self’ — that is, the science and art of true self-knowledge, the practice of which is called atma-vichara or ‘self-investigation’.

In the pallavi or refrain (which completes the meaning of the anupallavi and each of the four verses) Sri Muruganar says, ‘Ah [what a wonder], atma-vidya is extremely easy, ah, [so] extremely easy!’ and in the anupallavi or sub-refrain he says that self (‘I am’) is so very real even to simple-minded people that in comparison even an amalaka fruit in our palm is unreal. That is, nothing is so clear, self-evident and obviously real as ourself, our fundamental consciousness of being, ‘I am’.

Anma Viddai Explanation by Michael James

Verse 1
In verse 1 Sri Ramana says that though self is always imperishably (indubitably or unforgettably) real, the body and world, which are in fact unreal, sprout up and appear as real; but that when mind (or thought), which is composed of unreal darkness (the darkness of self-ignorance), is dissolved in such a manner that not even a trace of it survives, self, which is the real sun (of pure self-consciousness), will shine forth spontaneously in the space of our heart, the darkness (of self-ignorance) will disappear, suffering will cease and happiness will surge up.

That is, the cause of the unreal appearance of our body and this world, and of the suffering that always follows in their wake, is only our mind, which is the embodiment of self-ignorance — the imaginary darkness in which it arises. Therefore, when this mind is dissolved in the clear light of pure self-consciousness — like darkness in the bright light of the sun — the body, the world and the suffering that they cause will all cease to exist, and only perfect happiness will remain.

Sri Sadhu Om’s note:
Though Self is so very real even to an ordinary person (as stated in the Anupallavi) its real nature is seemingly veiled by the unreal appearance of the body and world. Since body and world are mere thoughts, the cause for their appearance is only the mind, which is the first thought and the root of all other thoughts. This is explained by Bhagavan in more detail in ‘Nan Yar’ as follows. What is called mind (manam) is a wondrous power existing in Self (atma-swarupam). It projects all thoughts. If we set aside all thoughts and see, there will be no such thing as mind remaining separate; therefore, thought itself is the nature (or form) of the mind. Other than thoughts, there is no such thing as the world. In deep sleep there are no thoughts, (and hence) there is no world; in waking and dream there are thoughts, (and hence) there is the world also, Just as the spider spins out the thread from within itself and again withdraws it into itself, so the mind projects the world from within itself and again absorbs it into itself. When the mind comes out (rises) from Self, the world appears.

Therefore, when the world appears, Self will not appear; and when Self appears (shines), the world will not appear. That is just as the knowledge of the rope, which is the base, will not be obtained unless the knowledge of the snake, the superimposition, goes, so the realization of Self (swarupa-darsanam), which is the base, will not be obtained unless the perception of the world (jagat–drishti) which is a superimposition, ceases. If the mind, which is the cause (and base) of all knowledge (all objective knowledge) and all action, subsides, the perception of the world (jagat-drishti) will cease.

Tanaiyadu may also be split as tan+aiyadu; aiyadu means without doubt (undoubtedly).

Verse 2
In verse 2 he says that since the thought ‘this body composed of flesh is certainly I’ is the one string on which all our other various thoughts are strung, if we penetrate within ourself by scrutinising ‘who am I?’ or ‘what is the place [the source or ground from which this false ‘I’ rises]?’, all thoughts will disappear and self-knowledge (atma-jnana) will shine forth spontaneously as ‘I [am only] I’ within the cave (of our heart), and he declares that this self-knowledge alone is silence (mauna), the ‘one space’ (the non-dual space of infinite being-consciousness) and the abode of bliss.

That is, since other thoughts can arise only after our primal thought ‘I am this body’ has arisen (because this primal thought is the false ‘I’ that thinks all other thoughts), and since this primal thought can rise and stand only by thinking those other thoughts, when — instead of thinking any other thought — it attends only to itself in order to know ‘who am I?’, it will subside and dissolve in the source from which it has arisen (which is our real ‘I’), and hence all other thoughts will disappear along with it. What will then remain is only pure self-consciousness, the clear knowledge that ‘I am only I’, which is the state of absolute silence — complete absence of the ever-chattering mind — and therefore the infinite abode of true happiness.

Sri Sadhu Om’s note:
The words ‘nan ar idam edu’ which are here translated as ‘ Who am I and what is the place?’, may also be translated as ‘What is the place where I dwell?’.

The words ‘nan nan’, which are here translated as ‘I-I’, may also be taken to mean ‘I am I’, since in a Tamil sentence such as ‘I am this’ (nan idu irukkiren) the word ‘am’ (irukkiren) is usually dropped.

Note : Though self, the existence – consciousness ‘I am’, is clearly known to even the most ordinary person, it does not shine as it is due to the mixing of adjuncts (upadhis), which conceal its real nature and make it appear in the form of the mind, the false first person feeling ‘I am this body,’ ‘I am so-and-so.’ This false first person feeling is a mere thought, and of all thoughts it is the first. All other thoughts, including the body and world, arise only because of this first thought, and they are known as if existing only by this first thought. Whereas all other thoughts are only insentient objects. Known by the first thought ‘I’, this first thought alone is endowed with a seeming consciousness. How? This thought is a mixture of the real consciousness ‘I am’ and the unreal, insentient adjuncts such as ‘this body’ and ‘so-and- so’, And hence it is called the chit-jada-granthi or the knot between Self, which is consciousness, and the body, which is insentient.

Therefore, since there can be no existence without a consciousness of that existence, all other thoughts depend for their seeming existence upon this first thought ‘I am this body.’ When this thought is absent, as in deep sleep all other thoughts are also absent and when this thought rises in the waking and dream all other thoughts also rise. This is why Sri Bhagavan says in this verse, “The thoughts are strung.” That is, just as the many flowers of a garland are held together by only one string, so all the many thoughts that constitute our so called life (which is merely an endless stream of thoughts) exist by depending upon this first person feeling ‘I am the body.’ And just as all the flowers will be scattered away when the string is out, so all other thoughts will vanish when this first thought ‘I am the body’ is destroyed.

What is the means by which we can cut this string, the first person thought ‘I am so-and-so,’ which is the root-cause of all miseries? Is it difficult or easy to get? No rare powerful weapon and no great strength are required to cut this string. If we simply turn our attention inwards and keenly scrutinize the mere feeling ‘I’ in order to find out ‘who am I?’ From where does this feeling I arose? That will be sufficient, because at once the ego-feeling ‘I am so-and-so’ will begin to subside, and finally it will disappear altogether without leaving a trace.

To illustrate this Sri Bhagavan used to narrate the following story: A sadhu was living in a small old dilapitated mantapam which was open on one side and which had no door or gate. Once a day he used to walk to the nearby village to beg his food. After receiving sufficient food in his small pot, he would return to the mantapam, where he would eat half the food. The remaining half he used to keep in his pot in order to have something to eat the following morning. Though he had nothing with which to cover the pot, when he went to sleep he used safeguard the food by keeping the pot close to his head.

Nevertheless, one morning when he woke up he found the pot was empty. The next night, having decided that he should find out who the thief was, he lay down as if asleep but with a firm resolve to remain vigilant. Some hours passed, but no thief entered the mantapam.

Unable to ward off his sleep any longer, by the middle of the night the sadhu finally dozed off to sleep. But he was soon awakened by a lapping sound; opening his eyes he saw a dog licking his pot, so immediately he raised his head, and the dog ran away. The following night therefore, the sadhu was more vigilant, and when the dog silently entered the mantapam and crept near the pot, he raised his head. At once the dog ran away without touching the food. The third night the dog came only as far as the entrance of the mantapam; peeping inside, he found that the sadhu was vigilantly observing him, so he again ran away. The fourth night the dog stood on the road some distance from the mantapam, but finding that the sadhu was again watching him, he sulked away and never returned.

Verse 3
In verse 3 he asks us what use it is if we know anything else but do not know ourself, and what there is to know if we have known self (since everything else will cease to exist when we know ourself as we really are and thereby destroy the illusion of our mind and everything that it appears to know). He then says that when we know within ourself the one real self, which clearly shines without any difference in all the different souls (or living beings), the bright light of self (atma-prakasa) will flash forth within ourself, and that this is the shining forth of grace, the destruction of ‘I’ (the mind or ego) and the blossoming of true happiness.

Sri Sadhu Om’s note:
All second and third person objects are merely thoughts which seemingly come into existence only after the rising of the ego, the first person thought ‘I am this body’. When the ego does not rise, all other objects are non-existent (cf. Ulladu Narpadu vv. 14 and 26, and ‘Sri Arunachala Ashtakam’ v.7).

Therefore, since the ego rises only due to one’s not knowing oneself, knowing anything else (any second or third person object) without knowing oneself is only ignorance (cf. Ulladu Narpadu vv.11 and 13). When one knows oneself the rising of the ego will be found to be an unreal appearance, and hence the seeming existence of other objects will also be known to be even unreal. That is why Sri Bhagavan says in this verse, “Without knowing Self, what is the use if one knows anything else? If one has known Self, then what else is there to know?”

That which shines without difference in all the different living beings is only the real self, the mere existence consciousness ‘I am’. In order to know the real nature of this consciousness ‘I am’, all one need do is to attend to it within oneself. Since Self-knowledge will automatically shine forth when one thus attends to this consciousness ‘I am’, and since this consciousness exists and shines in all beings at all times, it is never difficult for anyone to attend to it. Therefore, this consciousness, which always makes it easy for anyone to attain is the very form of divine grace, and to experience it as it is, is the shining forth of Grace. When Grace thus shines forth in the form of true Self- knowledge, the ego will be destroyed and supreme bliss will be attained.

In order to know any other object, the aid of the mind and the five senses are required. But to know oneself, neither the mind nor the five senses are required, because the real self is in truth everknowing itself by its own light of consciousness. Since this truth will be known when the mind subsides, knowing Self will be found to be natural and much easier than knowing any other thing.

Verse 4
In verse 4 he says that for the bonds of action (karma) and so on (that is, action and objective knowledge or experience) to be untied and for the destruction of birth and so on (that is, bodily birth, life and death) to occur, rather than any other path (or means), this path (of knowing self) is extremely easy. He then explains what ‘this path’ is and why it is so very easy, saying that when we settle down and just be, without the least action (karma) of speech, mind or body, ah, the light of self (atma-jyoti) in our heart will be our eternal experience, fear will not exist, and the ocean of happiness alone will remain.

That is, since this path of atma-vichara or scrutinising and knowing ourself does not involve even the least action of our mind, speech or body, but is simply the state in which our mind subsides and remains as it really is — that is, as simple non-dual thought-free self-conscious being, ‘I am’ — it is infinitely easier than any other spiritual practice, all of which involve some form of action of our mind, speech or body. What can be easier than just being?

Since our being is always self-conscious, in order to know ourself all that is required is that we just be — that is, just remain as we really are, clearly and exclusively self-conscious, thereby excluding all thoughts and all actions (which are actually just thoughts). Therefore knowing and being our real self is ‘extremely easy, ah, [so] extremely easy!’ This is the decided conclusion that Sri Ramana knew from his own experience.

Verse 5
Finally in verse 5 he says that ‘in the ullam [heart or mind] that scrutinises [itself] within [by just being] as it is, without thinking anything else’, self — which is called Annamalai (an alternative name of Arunachala, which in this context means ‘God’), and which is the one porul (substance, essence or reality) that shines as the ‘space even to the mind-space’ (that is, as the fundamental space of consciousness in which the ‘space’ of our mind is contained) and as the ‘eye even to the mind-eye, which is the eye even to the [five physical] senses beginning with the eye, which illumine [the five physical elements] beginning with space’ — will be seen. He then adds that ‘grace is also needed’ (in order for us just to be and thereby to experience self as it really is) and therefore advises us to ‘have love’ (that is, to have love for just being, which is the true form of grace), and concludes by saying that ‘happiness will [thereby] arise’.

Thus in this verse Sri Ramana once again emphasises that the easiest — and indeed the only — means by which we can experience ourself as we really are is just to be as we really are by inwardly scrutinising ourself and thereby excluding all other thoughts, and he also emphasises that we can experience this state of ‘just being as we are’ only if we have all-consuming love for it.

Sri Sadhu Om’s note:
According to Vedanta ‘action and so on‘ (karmadi) denotes the three karmas namely, agamya, prarabdha, and sanchita, and with the afflictions which following in their wake, while according to Saiva Sidhanta, karmadi denotes the three impurities namely ego (anava), action (karma) delusion (maya). Birth and so on (janmadi) denotes the miseries of life such as birth (janma), disease (vyadhi), old age and death (mrityu); refer to the Bhagavad Gita 13.8 wherein the latter classification is given.

Note : All sadhanas other than self-enquiry involve some action to be performed either by the mind, speech or body, and hence one may experience some difficulty in using these instruments. But in the path of self-enquiry taught by Sri Bhagavan no action need be performed by any of these three instruments, and hence this path is the easiest of all paths.

Knowing Self is not an action. Since self is ever naturally knowing itself, knowing self is nothing but being self (cf. Upadesa Undhiyar v.26) and hence no action of the mind, speech or body is required to know self. If one merely remains still without performing any action by these three instruments, self-knowledge will automatically shine forth.

Since all actions of the mind, speech and body are due only to the rising of thoughts, since all other thoughts rise only because of the rising of the first thought ‘I am this body’, and since (as explained in verse 2) this first thought will vanish along with all other thoughts when one turns one’s attention towards it, in order to remain still all we need to do is to turn our attention towards the mere feeling ‘I’. Therefore, knowing Self is so very easy.