Upadesa Undiyar
Upadesa Saram – Sanskrit
Upadesa Saram – Telugu Transliteration
Complete works of Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi
Explanatory notes below by Sri Sadhu Om, translated by Michael James.
(வெண்பா)
கன்மமய றீர்ந்துகதி காண நெறிமுறையின்
மன்மமுல குய்ய வழங்குகெனச் – சொன்முருகற்
கெந்தைரம ணன்றொகுத் தீந்தா னுபதேச
வுந்தியார் ஞானவிளக் கோர்.
kaṉmamaya ṯīrndugati kāṇa neṟimuṟaiyiṉ
maṉmamula huyya vaṙaṅguheṉac — coṉmurugaṟ
kendairama ṇaṉḏṟohut tīndā ṉupadēśa
vundiyār ñāṉaviḷak kōr.
Know that Upadēśa Undiyār is a light of jñāna that our father Ramana composed and gave to Muruganar, who said, ‘For the world to be saved, giving up the delusion of karma, tell the secret of the nature of the path to experience liberation’.
உபோற்காதம்
தாரு வனத்திற் றவஞ்செய் திருந்தவர்
பூருவ கன்மத்தா லுந்தீபற
போக்கறை போயின ருந்தீபற. 1
Upodghatam
Dhāru vanattil tavamchei dirundavar
Pūruva kanmattāl undi-para*
Pōkkarai pōyinar undi-para.
*Note: The second line of each of these verses is chanted twice. 1
Composed by Sri Muruganar Due to the effect of past karma (action) the Rishis performing austerities in the Daruka forest went astray (seeking special powers).
Those who were doing tavam [austerities or tapas] in the Daruka forest were going to ruin by [following] pūrva karma [the path of ritualistic action as interpreted and prescribed by pūrva mīmāṁsā]. (Tiruvundiyār 1.70)Note: The term pūrva-karma here means the path of kāmya-karmas, actions done for the fulfilment of selfish desires, which is the path prescribed by pūrva mīmāṁsā, a system of philosophy that interprets the Vēdas in a particular way, emphasising the Karma Kāṇḍa, the preliminary portion of the Vēdas, which teaches the path of ritualistic action. Pūrva mīmāṁsā elevates action (karma) to a level of such paramount importance that, as explained in the next verse, it even goes so far as to deny that there is any God except karma. This doctrine that there is no God except karma is emphatically repudiated by Bhagavan in the first verse of Upadēśa Undiyār.
வன்மத்த ராயின ருந்தீபற
வஞ்சச் செருக்கினா லுந்தீபற. 2
Vanmatta rayinar undī-para
Vañjac cherukkināl undi-para. 2
Because of delusive conceit they became intoxicated with intense pride that there is no God except karma.
Because of [their] delusive conceit [or infatuation] they became [so] intoxicated [or mad] with intense pride [that they fell prey to the arrogant belief] that there is no God except karma. (Tiruvundiyār 1.71)
Note: These first two verses of the upōdghātam are verses 70 and 71 of the first part of Tiruvundiyār. The final four verses of the upōdghātam are verses 99 to 102 of the first part of Tiruvundiyār, after which verses 103 to 132 are the the main text (nūl) of Upadēśa Undiyār, and verses 133 to 137 are the concluding verses of praise (vāṙttu).
கன்ம பலங்கண்டா ருந்தீபற
கர்வ மகன்றன ருந்தீபற. 3
Kanma palankandar undī-paṛa
Garvam agandranar undī-paṛa. 3
They saw the fruit of actions done disparaging God, who gives the fruit of actions. They left arrogance.
They saw the fruit of actions done disparaging [spurning or disregarding] God [the kartā or ordainer], who gives karma-phala [the fruit of actions], [and hence] they left [gave up or lost] garva [their pride or arrogance]. (Tiruvundiyār 1.99)
சேர்த்தருள் செய்தன னுந்தீபற
சிவனுப தேசமி துந்தீபற. 4
Cherttarul Seidanan undi-para
Sivanupa desami dundī-paṛa. 4
When they wept, ‘Graciously protect’, attaching the eye of grace, Śiva graciously gave this upadēśa.
When they wept [repentantly], ‘Graciously protect [or save us]’, fixing [his] eye of grace [upon them], Śiva graciously gave this upadēśa [spiritual teaching]. (Tiruvundiyār 1.100)
யுட்கொண் டெழுஞ்சுக முந்தீபற
வுட்டுன் பொழிந்திடு முந்தீபற. 5
Utkond dezhunchugam undi-paṛa
Uttun pozhindiḍum undī-paṛa. 5
When one imbibes and follows upadēśa sāram, happiness will rise from within; miseries within will cease.
When one imbibes and follows [this] upadēśa sāram [the essence or summary of the spiritual teachings given by Lord Siva], happiness will rise from within [and thereby] miseries within will cease [die or be destroyed]. (Tiruvundiyār 1.101)
சேரக் களிசேர வுந்தீபற
தீரத் துயர்தீர வுந்தீபற. 6
The result will be unmatched happiness
and all sorrows will be completely removed. 6
May the essence of Upadēśa Sāram enter within. May joy accumulate, accumulate. May suffering cease, cease.
May the sāra [essence, substance or import] of Upadēśa Sāram enter within [our heart]. May joy accumulate [or be achieved] abundantly. May suffering cease entirely. (Tiruvundiyār 1.102)
கன்மம் பயன்றரல் கர்த்தன தாணையாற்
கன்மங் கடவுளோ வுந்தீபற
கன்மஞ் சடமதா லுந்தீபற. 1
Kanmam payan-ṭaral kartana dāṇai-yāl
Kanman kada-vulō undi-para
Kanman jaḍa-madāl undi-para. 1
Action yields fruit, for so the Lord ordains it. How can action be the Lord? It is insentient.
Action giving fruit is by the ordainment of God. Since action is non-aware, is action God?
Karma [action] giving fruit is by the ordainment of God [the kartā or ordainer]. Since karma is jaḍa [devoid of awareness], can karma be God?
வினைக்கடல் வீழ்த்திடு முந்தீபற
வீடு தரலிலை யுந்தீபற. 2
Vinaik-kaḍal vizht-tiḍum undi-para
Vīdu tara-lilai undī-para. 2
The fruit of action perishing, as seed causes to fall in the ocean of action. It is not giving liberation.
The fruit of [any] action will perish [when it is experienced as part of prārabdha], [but what remains] as seed [namely viṣaya-vāsanās (also known as karma-vāsanās): inclinations to seek happiness or satisfaction in experiencing viṣayas (objects or phenomena) by doing actions of mind, speech and body] causes [one] to fall in the ocean of action. [Therefore] it [action or karma] does not give liberation.
கருத்தைத் திருத்தியஃ துந்தீபற
கதிவழி காண்பிக்கு முந்தீபற. 3
Karuttait tirut-tiyah dundi-para
Gati-vazhi kāṇbik-kum undi-para. 3
Desireless action done for God, purifying the mind, it will show the path to liberation.
Niṣkāmya karma [action not motivated by desire] done [with love] for God purifies the mind and [thereby] it will show the path to liberation [that is, it will enable one to recognise what the correct path to liberation is].
முடல்வாக் குளத்தொழி லுந்தீபற
வுயர்வாகு மொன்றிலொன் றுந்தீபற. 4
Uḍal-vāk kulat-tozhil undi-para
Uyar-vāgum ondri-londṛ’undi-para. 4
This is certain: pūjā, japa and dhyāna are actions of body, speech and mind. One than one is superior.
This is certain: pūjā [worship], japa [repetition of a name of God or a sacred phrase] and dhyāna [meditation] are [respectively] actions of body, speech and mind, [and hence in this order each subsequent] one is superior to [the previous] one [in the sense that it is a more effective means to purify the mind].
வெண்ணி வழிபட லுந்தீபற
வீசனற் பூசனை யுந்தீபற. 5
Enni vazhi-padal undi-para
Isanar pūsa-nai undi-para. 5
Worshipping thinking that all eight forms are forms of God is good pūjā of God.
Considering all the eight forms [the aṣṭa-mūrti, the eight forms or manifestations of Siva, namely the five elements (earth, water, fire, air and space), sun, moon and sentient beings (jīvas)] [or all thought-forms, namely all forms, which are just thoughts or mental phenomena] to be forms of God, worshipping [any of them] is good pūjā [worship] of God.
விழுப்பமா மானத முந்தீபற
விளம்புந் தியானமி துந்தீபற. 6
Vizhuppamā mānadam undī-para
Vilam-bun dhiya-nami dunḍi-para. 6
Rather than praising, loud voice, rather than japa within the mouth, what is done by mind is beneficial. This is called dhyāna.
Rather than praising [God by chanting hymns], [japa or repetition of his name is beneficial]; [rather than japa done in a] loud voice, [japa whispered faintly within the mouth is beneficial]; [and] rather than japa within the mouth, mānasa [that which is done by mind] is beneficial [in the sense that it is a more effective means to purify the mind]. This [mental repetition or mānasika japa] is called dhyāna [meditation].
விட்டிடா துன்னலே யுந்தீபற
விசேடமா முன்னவே யுந்தீபற. 7
Vittida dun-nalē undi-para
Viseḍamam unnavē undi-para. 7
Rather than meditating leavingly, certainly meditating unleavingly, like a river or the falling of ghee, is superior to meditate.
Rather than meditating [on God] interruptedly [because of being frequently distracted by other thoughts as a result of insufficient love for him], certainly meditating uninterruptedly [without being distracted by any other thoughts because of the intensity of one’s love for him], like a river or the falling of ghee, is a better way to meditate [or is superior, when considered] [in the sense that it is a more effective means to purify the mind].
மனனிய பாவமே யுந்தீபற
வனைத்தினு முத்தம முந்தீபற. 8
Ana-niya bhāvamē undī-para
Anait-tinum utta-mam undī-paṛa. 8
Rather than anya-bhāva, ananya-bhāva, in which he is I, certainly is the best among all.
Rather than anya-bhāva [meditation on anything other than oneself, particularly meditation on God as if he were other than oneself], ananya-bhāva [meditation on nothing other than oneself], in which he is [considered to be] I, certainly is the best among all [practices of bhakti, varieties of meditation and kinds of spiritual practice] [in the sense that it is the most effective of all means to purify the mind, and is also the only means to eradicate ego, the root of all impurities].
பாவத் திருத்தலே யுந்தீபற
பரபத்தி தத்துவ முந்தீபற. 9
(Sat)* Bhāvat tirut-talē undi-para
Para-bhakti tattuvam undi-paṛa.
*In verses 9, 20, 25 and 30, words in brackets are chanted only during line
repetition. 9
By the strength of meditation, being in sat-bhāva, which transcends bhāvanā, alone is para-bhakti tattva.
By the strength [intensity, firmness or stability] of [such] meditation [ananya-bhāva or self-attentiveness], being in sat-bhāva [the state of being], which transcends [all] bhāvanā [thinking, imagination or meditation in the sense of mental activity], alone [or certainly] is para-bhakti tattva [the nature, reality or true state of supreme devotion].
லதுகன்மம் பத்தியு முந்தீபற
வதுயோக ஞானமு முந்தீபற. 10
Adu kan-mam bhakti-yum undī-para
Adu yōga jñāna-mum undi-para. 10
Being, subsiding in the place from which one rose: that is karma and bhakti; that is yōga and jñāna.
Being [by inwardly] subsiding in the place from which one rose [namely one’s own real nature (ātma-svarūpa), which is pure being-awareness (sat-cit), ‘I am’]: that is [the culmination of the paths of] [niṣkāmya] karma and bhakti [as explained in the previous seven verses]; that is [also the culmination of the paths of] yōga [as will be explained in the next five verses] and jñāna [as will be explained in the final fifteen verses].
லுளமு மொடுங்குறு முந்தீபற
வொடுக்க வுபாயமி துந்தீபற. 11
Ula-mum oḍun-gurum undi-para
Oḍukka upayami dundi-para. 11
When one restrains the breath within, like a bird caught in a net the mind also will be restrained. This is a means to restrain.
When one restrains [curbs, calms or subdues] the breath within, like a bird caught in a net the mind also will be restrained [sink, subside, calm down, become quiet, be dissolved or cease being active]. This [the practice of breath-restraint or prāṇāyāma] is [therefore] a means to restrain [curb, calm, subdue, shut down or dissolve] [the mind].
முளவாங் கிளையிரண் டுந்தீபற
வொன்றவற் றின்மூல முந்தீபற. 12
Ula-vān kilai-yiran dundi-para
Ondra-vattrin mulam undī-paṛa. 12
Mind and breath are two branches, which have knowing and doing. Their root is one.
Mind and breath [or life, which includes breath and all other physiological functions] are two branches, which have knowing and doing [as their respective functions]. [However] their mūla [root, base, foundation, origin, source or cause] is one [so this is why when either one is restrained the other one will also be restrained, as pointed out in the previous verse].
மிலயித் துளதெழு முந்தீபற
வெழாதுரு மாய்ந்ததே லுந்தீபற. 13
Ilayit tula-dezhum undi-paṛa
Ezha-duru māynda-dēl undi-paṛa. 13
Dissolution is two: laya and nāśa. What is lying down will rise. If form dies, it will not rise.
Dissolution [complete subsidence or cessation of ego or mind] is [of] two [kinds]: laya [temporary dissolution] and nāśa [permanent dissolution or annihilation]. What is lying down [or dissolved in laya] will rise. If [its] form dies [in nāśa], it will not rise.
விடுக்கவே யோர்வழி யுந்தீபற
வீயு மதனுரு வுந்தீபற. 14
Viduk-kavē ōr-vazhi undi-para
Vīyum ada-nuru undi-para. 14
Only when one sends the mind, which will become calm when one restrains the breath, on the investigating path will its form perish.
Only when one sends the mind, which will become calm when one restrains the breath, on ōr vaṙi [the investigating path or one path, namely the path of self-investigation, which is the one and only means to eradicate ego and thereby annihilate the mind] will its form perish. [However, the mind cannot be sent on this path of self-investigation if it has dissolved in laya, so if one practices breath-restraint in order to restrain the mind, one should take care to send the mind on this path of self-investigation (which means to direct one’s attention back towards oneself) when it has become calm but before it dissolves in laya.]
தனக்கோர் செயலிலை யுந்தீபற
தன்னியல் சார்ந்தன னுந்தீபற. 15
Tanak-kōr seya-lilai undi-para
Tanniyal sārnda-nan undī-paṛa. 15
When the form of the mind is annihilated, for the great yōgi who remains permanently as the reality, there is not a single doing. He has attained his nature.
When the form of the mind is annihilated, for the great yōgi who [thereby] remains permanently as the reality, there is not a single doing [action or karma], [because] he has attained his [real] nature [which is actionless being].
னொளியுரு வோர்தலே யுந்தீபற
வுண்மை யுணர்ச்சியா முந்தீபற. 16
Oli-yuru ōrdale undi-para
Unmai unarc-chiyām undī-paṛa. 16
Leaving external phenomena, the mind knowing its own form of light is alone real awareness.
Leaving aside [awareness of any] external viṣayas [namely phenomena of every kind, all of which are external in the sense that they are other than and hence extraneous to oneself], the mind knowing its own form of light [namely the light of pure awareness, which is its real nature and what illumines it, enabling it to be aware both of itself and of other things] is alone real awareness [true knowledge or knowledge of reality].
மனமென வொன்றிலை யுந்தீபற
மார்க்கநே ரார்க்குமி துந்தீபற. 17
Mana-mena ondrilai undi-para
Mārgam nērārk-kumi dundi-para. 17
When one investigates the form of the mind without forgetting, there is not anything called ‘mind’. This is the direct path for everyone whomsoever.
When one investigates [examines or scrutinises] the form of the mind without forgetting [neglecting, abandoning, giving up or ceasing], [it will be clear that] there is not anything called ‘mind’. This is the direct [straight or appropriate] path for everyone whomsoever.
மெண்ணமே மூலமா முந்தீபற
யானா மனமென லுந்தீபற. 18
Enṇamē mūla-mām undī-paṛa
Yānā mana-menal undi-para. 18
Thoughts alone are mind. Of all, the thought called ‘I’ alone is the root. What is called mind is ‘I’.
Thoughts alone are mind [or the mind is only thoughts]. Of all [thoughts], the thought called ‘I’ alone is the mūla [the root, base, foundation, origin, source or cause]. [Therefore] what is called mind is [essentially just] ‘I’ [namely ego, the root thought called ‘I’].
ணான்றலை சாய்ந்திடு முந்தீபற
ஞான விசாரமி துந்தீபற. 19
Nān-tralai sain-tiḍum undi-para
Jñāna vichāra-mi dundī-paṛa. 19
When one investigates within what the place is from which one rises as ‘I’, ‘I’ will die. This is awareness-investigation.
When one investigates within [or inwardly investigates] what the place is from which one [or it] rises as ‘I’ [ego or mind], ‘I’ will die. This is jñāna-vicāra [investigation of awareness].
தானாகத் தோன்றுமே யுந்தீபற
தானது பூன்றமா முந்தீபற. 20
(Adu) Tānāgat tōnd-rume undi-para
Tānadu pūnḍ-ramām undī-para 20
In the place where ‘I’ merges, that, the one, appears spontaneously as ‘I am I’. That itself is the whole.
In the place where ‘I’ [namely ego, the false awareness ‘I am this’] merges, that, the one, appears spontaneously [or as oneself] as ‘I am I’ [that is, as awareness of oneself as oneself alone]. That itself [or that, oneself] is pūṉḏṟam [pūrṇa: the infinite whole or entirety of what is].
நானற்ற தூக்கத்து முந்தீபற
நமதின்மை நீக்கத்தா லுந்தீபற. 21
Nānaṭtra tūkkat-tum undi-para
Nama-dinmai nikkat-tāl undī-para. 21
That is at all times the substance of the word called ‘I’, because of the exclusion of our non-existence even in sleep, which is devoid of ‘I’.
That [the one that appears as ‘I am I’, namely pure awareness, which is our real nature] is at all times the substance [or true import] of the word called ‘I’, because of the exclusion of our non-existence [that is, because we do not become non-existent] even in sleep, which is devoid of ‘I’ [namely ego].
சடமசத் தானதா லுந்தீபற
சத்தான நானல்ல வுந்தீபற. 22
Jaḍama-sat tāna-dāl undī-para
Sattāna na-nalla undi-para. 22
Since body, mind, intellect, life and darkness are all jaḍa and asat, they are not ‘I’, which is sat.
Since [the five sheaths, namely] body, life, mind, intellect and darkness [the ānandamaya kōśa, the cittam or will, which is internal darkness in the form of the dense fog of viṣaya-vāsanās, inclinations or desires to seek happiness in things other than oneself] are all jaḍa [non-aware] and asat [unreal or non-existent], they are not ‘I’, which is [cit, what is aware, and] sat [what actually exists].
னுள்ள துணர்வாகு முந்தீபற
வுணர்வேநா மாயுள முந்தீபற. 23
Ulla duṇar-vāgum undi-para
Uṇarvē nāmā-yulam undi-para. 23
Because of the non-existence of other awareness to be aware of what exists, what exists is awareness. Awareness alone exists as we.
Because of the non-existence of [any] awareness other [than what exists] to be aware of what exists, what exists (uḷḷadu) is awareness (uṇarvu). Awareness alone exists as we [that is, the awareness that actually exists, namely pure awareness, which is awareness that is aware of nothing other than itself, is what we actually are].
ளொருபொரு ளேயாவ ருந்தீபற
வபாகி யணர்வேவே றுந்தீபற. 24
Oru-porulē yavar undi-para
Upādi uṇarve-vēr undi-para. 24
By existing nature, God and soul are just one substance. Only adjunct-awareness is different.
By [their] existing nature [that is, because the real nature of each of them is what actually exists (uḷḷadu), which is pure awareness (uṇarvu)], God and soul are just one substance. Only awareness of [their] adjuncts is [what makes them seem] different [that is, whereas the soul (jīva) is aware of itself as a certain set of adjuncts, namely the five sheaths that constitute whatever person it currently seems to be, and consequently attributes certain other adjuncts to God, God always remains just as pure awareness, in the clear view of which no adjuncts exist at all].
றன்னை யுணர்வதா முந்தீபற
தானா யொளிர்வதா லுந்தீபற. 25
(Isan) Tannai uṇar-vadām undī-para
Tānāi olir-vadāl undī-paṛa. 25
Knowing oneself leaving aside adjuncts is itself knowing God, because of shining as oneself.
Knowing [or being aware of] oneself without adjuncts is itself knowing God, because [God is what is always] shining as oneself [one’s own real nature, namely pure awareness, which is oneself without any adjuncts].
தானிரண் டற்றதா லுந்தீபற
தன்மய நிட்டையீ துந்தீபற. 26
Taniran daṭṭra-dāl undi-para
Tanmaya niṭṭaiyi dundi-para. 26
Being oneself alone is knowing oneself, because oneself is devoid of two. This is tanmaya-niṣṭhā.
Being oneself [that is, being as one actually is without rising to know anything else] alone is knowing oneself, because oneself [one’s real nature] is devoid of two [that is, devoid of the fundamental duality of subject and object, knower and thing known, and also devoid of any possibility of being divided as two selves, one self as a subject to know the other self as an object]. This is tanmaya-niṣṭhā [the state of being firmly fixed or established as ‘that’ (tat), the one infinite reality called brahman].
யறிவாகு முண்மையீ துந்தீபற
வறிவதற் கொன்றிலை யுந்தீபற. 27
Aṛivāgum unmai-yī dundī-paṛa
Arivadar kondrilai undī-paṛa. 27
Only knowledge that is devoid of knowledge and ignorance is knowledge. This is real. There is not anything for knowing.
Only knowledge [in the sense of awareness] that is devoid of knowledge and ignorance [of anything other than oneself] is [real] knowledge [or awareness]. This [alone] is [what is] real [or true], [because in the clear view of oneself as pure awareness] there is not anything [other than oneself for one either] to know [or to not know].
னனாதி யனந்தசத் துந்தீபற
வகண்ட சிதானந்த முந்தீபற. 28
Anādi ananta-sat undi-para
Akaṇḍa cita-nandam undī-paṛa. 28
If one knows what the nature of oneself is, then beginningless, endless and unbroken existence-awareness-happiness.
If one knows what the [real] nature of oneself is, then [what will remain existing and shining is only] anādi [beginningless], ananta [endless, limitless or infinite] and akhaṇḍa [unbroken, undivided or unfragmented] sat-cit-ānanda [existence-awareness-happiness].
றிந்த நிலைநிற்ற லுந்தீபற
விறைபணி நிற்றலா முந்தீபற. 29
Inda nilai-niṭtral undi-para
Irai-pani nittra-lām undī-paṛa. 29
Standing in this state, thereby experiencing supreme bliss, which is devoid of bondage and liberation, is standing in the service of God.
Standing [remaining, abiding or steadfastly being] in this state [of beginningless, infinite and indivisible sat-cit-ānanda], thereby experiencing supreme bliss, which is devoid of [the dyad or duality of] bondage and liberation, is standing in the service of God [or is standing as God directed].
தானற் றவமென்றா னுந்தீபற
தானாம் ரமணேச னுந்தீபற. 30
(Adu) Tanat trava-mendrān undī-para
Tānām Ramaṇē-san undī-paṛa. 30
‘I ceasing, what if one knows what remains, that alone is good tapas’: thus said Lord Ramana, who is oneself.
‘What [exists and shines alone] if one knows what remains after I [ego] has ceased to exist, [just being] that [namely egoless pure awareness] alone is good tapas [spiritual austerity or asceticism]’: thus said Lord Ramana, who is oneself [one’s own real nature].
இருடிக ளெல்லா மிறைவ னடியை
வருடி வணங்கின ருந்தீபற
வாழ்த்து முழங்கின ருந்தீபற. 1
Iruḍigal ellām iraiva nadiyai
Varudi vaṇanginar undi-para
Vazhttu muzhanginar undi-para. 1
By Sri Muruganar All the Rishis (of Daruka forest) paid their respects by touching the holy feet of the Lord praising His glory.
Touching the feet of God, all the ṛṣis paid obeisance; they sang aloud praise.
Touching the feet of God [Lord Siva], all the ṛṣis [the ‘rishis’ or ascetics in the Daruka forest] paid obeisance [and] sang aloud praise [to him]. (Tiruvundiyār 1.133)
சொற்ற குருபர னுந்தீபற
சுமங்கள வேங்கட னுந்தீபற. 2
Chottrak guruparan undi-para
Sumangala Venkatan undi-paṛa. 2
The supreme guru who sang Upadēśa Undiyār, an assurance to devotees, is the auspicious Venkatan.
The supreme guru who sang Upadēśa Undiyār [as] an assurance to devotees [friends or those close to him, implying those who came to him for salvation] is the auspicious Venkatan [Sri Ramana]. (Tiruvundiyār 1.134)
பல்லாண்டு பல்லாண்டு முந்தீபற
பார்மிசை வாழ்கவே யுந்தீபற. 3
Pallaṇḍu pallāṇḍum undī-para
Pārmisai vāzhgavē undi-para. 3
The supreme guru who sang Upadēśa Undiyār, an assurance to devotees, is the auspicious Venkatan.
The supreme guru who sang Upadēśa Undiyār [as] an assurance to devotees [friends or those close to him, implying those who came to him for salvation] is the auspicious Venkatan [Sri Ramana]. (Tiruvundiyār 1.134)
வசையறத் தேர்வோரு முந்தீபற
வாழி பலவூழி யுந்தீபற. 4
Vasaiyarat tervōrum undi-para
Vāzhi palavuzhi undi-paṛa. 4
May those who sing, those who hear and those who flawlessly understand shine gloriously for many aeons.
May those who sing, those who hear [literally feed or fill their ears with] and those who flawlessly understand [this Upadēśa Undiyār] shine gloriously for many aeons. (Tiruvundiyār 1.136)
நிற்கு மவர்களு முந்தீபற
நீடூழி வாழியே யுந்தீபற. 5
Nirku mavar-gaļum undi-para
Nīḍūzhi vāzhiyē undi-para. 5
May those who learn, and those who, learning and understanding, stand accordingly, shine gloriously for long aeons.
May those who learn [this Upadēśa Undiyār], and those who, learning and understanding [it], stand [remain or abide] accordingly [as beginningless, infinite and indivisible sat-cit-ānanda], shine gloriously for long aeons. (Tiruvundiyār 1.137)
Description
Upadesa undiyar
Introduction by Sri Michael James
Upadesa-undiyar is a Tamil poem of thirty verses that Sri Ramana composed in 1927 in answer to the request of Sri Muruganar, and that he later composed in Sanskrit, Telugu and Malayalam under the title Upadesa Saram, the ‘Essence of Spiritual Instructions’.
In these thirty verses Sri Ramana teaches us in a concise but extremely clear manner the exact means by which we can attain our natural state of true self-knowledge and thereby be liberated from the illusory bondage of karma or action, which appears to exist so long as we mistake ourself to be this mind and body, the instruments that do action.
He begins by saying in verse 1 that since action is jada (non-conscious), it does not give fruit by itself but only in accordance with the ordainment of God, and then in verse 2 he teaches us that no action can give liberation, since every action leaves a ‘seed’ or vasana — a propensity or impulse to do such an action again — and thereby immerses and drowns us in the vast ocean of action.
However, though no action can be a direct means to liberation, in verse 3 he teaches us that if we do action without any desire for its fruit but motivated only by love for God, it will purify our mind and thereby enable us to recognise the correct path to liberation. Thus he teaches us that the practice of nishkamya karma or ‘desireless action’ is not a separate yoga or spiritual path but is only a preliminary stage of the path of bhakti or ‘devotion’, because if we practise any form of nishkamya karma, what will purify our mind is not the karma itself, but only the love and desirelessness with which we do it.
Then in verses 4 to 7 he discusses the various kinds of nishkamya karma — actions that we can do by body, speech or mind without desire but only for the love of God — and he grades them according to their efficacy in purifying our mind. Actions that we do by mind are more purifying than those that we do by speech, and those that we do by speech are more purifying than those that we do by body. Thus the most effective action that we can do to purify our mind is dhyana or meditation (upon God), and in verse 7 he says that uninterrupted meditation is more effective than intermittent meditation (that is, meditation that is interrupted by other thoughts).
However, so long as we meditate upon God as something other than ourself, our meditation is only a mental activity — a karma — because it involves a movement of our attention away from ourself towards the thought of God, which is other than ourself. Therefore in verse 8 he teaches us rather than anya-bhava (meditation upon God as other than ourself), ananya-bhava (meditation upon him as none other than ourself) is the best of all forms of meditation.
That is, meditation upon God as ‘I’, our own essential self, will purify our mind more effectively than meditation upon any other thing. Since such ananya-bhava or self-meditation does not involve any movement of our attention away from ourself, it is not an action or karma, but is our true state of ‘just being’ — our natural state of clear thought-free self-conscious being, in we do not rise as a mind (a separate object-knowing consciousness) to think of or experience anything other than ourself.
Since God is truly nothing other than our own essential self — our true self-conscious being, ‘I am’ — in verse 9 Sri Ramana says that being in our sat-bhava (our ‘true being’ or ‘state of being’), which transcends bhavana (imagination or meditation as a mental activity), by the strength of our ananya-bhava or self-meditation, is para-bhakti tattva — the true state of supreme devotion. In other words, though the path of bhakti or devotion begins with the practice of nishkamya karma (acts of love done without desire but as an expression of our love for God alone), it finally culminates in the thought-free and therefore action-free state of true being, which alone is the real form of God.
Sri Ramana then concludes this first series of verses by saying in verse 10 that subsiding and abiding thus in God, who is our true self and the source from which we have risen as this seemingly separate consciousness that we call ‘mind’ or ‘ego’, is the true practice and goal not only of [nishkamya] karma and bhakti, but also of yoga (the path of raja yoga, which consists of breath-restraint and various other exercises aimed at restraining and subduing the mind) and jnana (the path of ‘knowledge’, which is the direct means by which we can know ourself as we really are).
In verses 11 to 15 he explains the essence of raja yoga, with particular reference to the practice of pranayama or ‘breath-restraint’. In verses 11 and 12 he explains that restraining the breath is a means to restrain the mind, because like two branches of a single tree, breath and mind share a common root or activating power, so when one subsides, the other will also subside. However, in verse 13 he points out that subsidence of mind is of two types, laya or abeyance, which is temporary, and nasa or destruction, which is permanent.
He begins verse 14 with the words ஒடுக்க வளியை ஒடுங்கும் உளத்தை (odukka valiyai odungum ulattai), which mean ‘mind, which subsides when [we] restrain [our] breath’, implying that the mind will subside only temporarily (that is, not in nasa but only in laya) when the breath is restrained. He then says that when we send our mind on ஓர் வழி (or vazhi), its form will cease, die or be destroyed (that is, it will subside not just in laya but in nasa).
The word ஓர் (or) is both a form of ஒரு (oru), which means ‘one’ or ‘unique’, and the root of a verb that means ‘investigate’, ‘examine’, ‘scrutinise’, ‘consider attentively’ or ‘know’, so ஓர் வழி (or vazhi) can mean either ஒரு வழி (oru vazhi), the ‘one path’ or ‘unique path’, or ஓரும் வழி (orum vazhi), the ‘path of investigating’ or ‘path of knowing’ (that is, the path of investigating and knowing our essential self).
Thus, just as he teaches us in verse 8 that the paths of nishkamya karma and bhakti must lead to and eventually merge in the path of jnana, which is the simple practice of atma-vichara or self-investigation, so he teaches us in verse 14 that the path of yoga must likewise lead to and eventually merge in the path of jnana. In verse 8 he describes this practice of atma-vichara as ananya-bhava, ‘meditation upon that which is not other [than ourself]’, and in verse 14 he describes it as or vazhi, the ‘one path’ or ‘path of investigating and knowing [ourself]’.
As Sri Ramana once said, though various paths may help to purify our mind and thereby lead us close to the citadel of true self-knowledge, in order to actually enter that citadel we must pass through the only gateway, which is the practice of atma-vichara or self-investigation, because we cannot know ourself as we really are unless we keenly scrutinise ourself with an intense love to discover ‘who am I?’.
In verse 15 he concludes this series of verses about the path of yoga by saying that for the great atma-yogi, whose mind has thereby been destroyed and who is thus established permanently as the reality, no action exists to do. That is, like the actions that constitute the path of nishkamya karma and the initial stages of the path of bhakti, the actions that constitute the initial stages of the path of yoga must eventually lead us to the practice of atma-vichara, which alone will destroy our mind and thereby establish us in our natural state of action-free being.
Since our mind is the root cause of all karma or action, when it subsides all actions will subside along with it, and when it ceases to exist all actions will cease forever. Like our mind, which causes it to appear, action or ‘doing’ is an unnatural and unreal adjunct that we have superimposed upon our real nature, which is simple non-dual self-conscious being, ‘I am’. Therefore when our mind is dissolved and destroyed by the clear light of pure thought-free self-consciousness — which we can uncover and expose only by means of the practice of atma-vichara or vigilant self-attentiveness — all karma or action will be dissolved and destroyed along with it.
Having thus exposed the unreality of karma and its inability to give true self-knowledge in the first fifteen verses, in the next fifteen verses Sri Ramana discusses in greater detail the action-free path of jnana — which is atma-vichara, the simple non-dual practice of just being keenly and vigilantly self-attentive — and our natural state of being, which we can experience only by means of such self-attentiveness.
In verse 16 he gives us a clear and practical definition of true knowledge, saying that it is the non-dual knowledge that we will experience when our mind ceases to know வெளி விடயங்கள் (veli vidayangal) — external vishayas (objects or experiences), that is, anything other than ourself — and instead knows only its own essential ஒளி உரு (oli uru) or ‘form of light’, that is, its true form of consciousness, ‘I am’.
In verse 17 he affirms the unreality of our mind and teaches us the direct means by which we can experience its non-existence and the reality that underlies its false appearance, saying that when we scrutinise its form without forgetting — that is, without pramada or self-negligence — we will discover that there is no such thing as ‘mind’ at all. This is for everyone, he says, the நேர் மார்க்கம் (ner marggam) — the straight, direct, correct and proper path or means to experience true self-knowledge.
In verse 18 he clarifies exactly what he means in verse 17 by மனத்தின் உரு (manattin uru), the ‘mind’s form’ that we should investigate or scrutinise, saying that thoughts alone constitute the mind, and that of all thoughts the thought ‘I’ is the மூலம் (mulam), the root, base, foundation, origin or source. That is, that which thinks all other thoughts is itself a thought — our primal thought ‘I’. Whereas all other thoughts are non-conscious objects, which do not know anything, this root thought ‘I’ is the conscious subject that thinks and knows them. Since this thinking thought ‘I’ is the source and foundation of all other thoughts, and since it is therefore the only essential element of our mind — the only element that endures so long as our mind is active — what we call ‘mind’ is in essence just this first thought ‘I’.
Thus the meaning clearly implied by verse 18 is that the practice of மனத்தின் உருவை மறவாது உசாவுதல் (manattin uruvai maravadu ucavudal) or ‘scrutinising the form of the mind without forgetting [that is, without pramada, negligence, inadvertence, carelessness or slackness in our self-attentiveness]’ that he prescribes in verse 17 is the effort that we must make to vigilantly scrutinise our primal thought ‘I’, which is the only essential form of our mind. This effort to scrutinise ‘I’ is the true practice of atma-vichara or ‘self-investigation’, which he calls jnana-vichara or ‘knowledge-investigation’ in the next verse.
In verse 19 he explains both the practice and the result of ஞான விசாரம் (jnana-vicharam) — ‘knowledge-investigation’ or scrutiny of our primal knowledge, ‘I am’ — saying that when we scrutinise within ourself, ‘what is the source from which our mind rises as I?’, this false ‘I’ will die.
In verse 20 he says that in the place (our ‘heart’ or the innermost core of our being) where this false ‘I’ thus merges, the one reality will certainly ‘shine forth’ (that is, will be experienced) spontaneously as ‘I [am] I’, and that that, which is our real self, is itself the purna or whole (the infinite totality or fullness of sat-chit-ananda — being, consciousness and happiness).
In verse 21 he says that this infinite reality that we will thus experience as ‘I [am] I’ is always the true import of the word ‘I’, because in sleep, even though our finite ‘I’ (our mind or ego) has ceased to exist, we ourself do not cease to exist. That is, since we exist even in the absence of our mind in sleep, and since we cannot truly be anything in whose absence we continue to exist, our real self (the true import of the word ‘I’) must be that which we are at all times and in all states. That is only our essential consciousness of being, ‘I am’, which exists permanently — in waking, dream and dreamless sleep — and which we will experience clearly only when we scrutinise our mind and discover that it truly does not exist as such, because its sole reality is this essential self-consciousness, ‘I am’, which underlies and supports its false appearance (just as a rope is the sole reality that underlies and supports the false appearance of an imaginary snake seen lying on the ground in the dim light of dusk).
In verse 22 he says that since our ‘five sheaths’ — our body, life, mind and intellect, and the seeming ‘darkness’ or absence of knowledge that we experience in sleep — are all jada (non-conscious) and asat (non-existent or unreal), they are not our real ‘I’, which is chit (consciousness) and sat (being or reality).
In verse 23 he continues to discuss the subject of consciousness and being (chit and sat), which are the nature of our real ‘I’, and affirms that they are not two separate things but are actually one absolutely non-dual reality. That is, he says that since there is no consciousness other than being to know being, being itself is consciousness, and consciousness alone is ‘we’ (our true self or essential being, ‘I am’).
In verses 24 to 26 he discusses the true nature of God, how we are related to him and how we can experience him as he really is. In verse 24 he says that in their true nature, which is being, God and souls are only one substance, essence or reality, and that what makes them appear to be different is only the souls’ consciousness of adjuncts. That is, because we imagine certain inessential adjuncts, such as our body and mind, to be our real self, we experience ourself as being separate from God, who is actually none other than our essential being or true self, ‘I am’.
Therefore in verse 25 Sri Ramana teaches us that if we set aside all our adjuncts and know ourself as we really are, that itself is knowing God, because God exists and shines as ‘I am’, our own essential self.
In verse 26 he clarifies what he means in verse 25 by the words ‘knowing [our] self’, saying that since self is absolutely non-dual, ‘knowing self’ is not a dualistic state of objective knowing, but is merely the state of ‘being self’. That is, since our real self is eternally self-conscious, to know ourself as we really are we need not do anything, but simply need to be as we really are — that is, clearly conscious of nothing other than ourself, our own essential being, ‘I am’.
Since knowing self is only being self, and since God is nothing other than self, Sri Ramana concludes this series of three verses by ending verse 26 with the words தன்மய நிட்டை ஈது (tanmaya nitthai idu), which mean ‘this [state of knowing and being our real self] is tanmaya-nishtha [the state of being firmly established as tat or ‘it’, the one absolute reality called God or brahman]’. That is, since God is our own real self, knowing and being self is knowing and being God. In other words, we can experience God as he really is only being as he really is, and we can be as he really is only by ceasing to be this mind or ego, the false finite consciousness that thinks and knows things that seem to be other than itself.
In verse 27 he further affirms the absolutely non-dual and therefore ‘otherless’ nature of true self-knowledge, saying that the knowledge which is completely devoid of both knowledge and ignorance (about anything other than ourself) is alone true knowledge, and that this true self-knowledge is the sole reality, because in truth nothing (other than ourself) exists for us to know.
In verse 28 he affirms the infinite and eternal nature of true self-knowledge, and also affirms that our real self is not only infinite being and infinite consciousness but also infinite happiness, saying that if we know ourself by scrutinising ‘what is the real nature of myself?’ (‘who am I?’), then we will discover ourself to be beginningless, endless and unbroken sat-chit-ananda (being-consciousness-bliss).
That is, since self-knowledge is our true nature, it has no beginning or end, either in time, space or any other dimension, and it has no break or interruption. Any dimension such as time or space, or any beginning, end or break in such a dimension, is only an imagination created by our mind and therefore exists only in our mind, so when we know ourself as we really are and thereby discover this mind to be truly non-existent, we will know that no dimension or any beginning, end or break has ever really existed.
Therefore, since the state of true self-knowledge (which is also called the state of ‘liberation’ from self-ignorance) has no beginning, end or break, no state of self-ignorance (or ‘bondage’) has ever truly existed. Our present so-called ‘bondage’ of self-ignorance and the so-called ‘liberation’ from that ‘bondage’ that we seek to attain by knowing ourself as we really are, are both mere thoughts, which appear to be real only in the distorted perspective of our mind.
Liberation would be real only if the bondage from which we wish to be liberated were real, and bondage would be real only if the mind that is bound were real, but since this mind is an unreal imagination, its present bondage and future liberation are equally unreal. Therefore in verse 29 Sri Ramana teaches us that the supreme happiness of true self-knowledge transcends the false duality of ‘bondage’ and ‘liberation’, saying that abiding permanently in this state of true self-knowledge as para-sukha (supreme or transcendent happiness), which is devoid of both bondage and liberation, is abiding as God has commanded (or abiding in the service of God).
Finally Sri Muruganar concludes this poem by saying in verse 30 that Sri Ramana, who is our real self, has taught us that our natural state (of thought-free non-dual self-conscious being, ‘I am I’), which is what we will experience if we know that which remains after ‘I’ (our mind of ego) has ceased to exist, alone is true tapas (austerity, asceticism or self-denial).
Thus Upadesa Undiyar (or Upadesa Saram, the ‘Essence of [all] Spiritual Instructions’, as it is called in Sanskrit, Telugu and Malayalam) is a clear, precise and complete exposition of the means by which we can experience our natural state of pristine, thought-free and absolutely egoless self-conscious being.
Other Ramana Shlokams
Aksharamanamalai
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Anma Viddai
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Appala Pattu
Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi composed the Appala Pattu or The Appalam Song when his mother Azhagammal came to live with him. Lyrics In Tamil, English, Telugu with Translation, Meaning, Commentary, Audio MP3 and Significance
Arunachala Ashtakam
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Arunachala Mahatmiyam
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Arunachala Navamani Malai
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Arunachala Padigam
Sri Arunachala Padigam (Padhikam) means the ‘Eleven Verses to Sri Arunachala’. It was composed by Sri Ramana Maharshi after the opening words of the first verse, 'Karunaiyal ennai y-anda ni' had been persistently arising in his mind for several…
Arunachala Pancharatnam
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Ekanma Panchakam
Ekanma Panchakam or Ekatma Panchakam means the ‘Five Verses on the Oneness of Self’, is a poem that Sri Ramana composed in February 1947, first in Telugu, then in Tamil, and later in Malayalam.
Ellam Ondre
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Saddarshanam
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Saddarshanam Telugu
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The Path of Sri Ramana
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Ulladu Narpadu
Ulladu Narpadu, the Forty Verses on That Which Is, is a Tamil poem that Sri Ramana composed in July and August 1928 when Sri Muruganar asked him to teach us the nature of the reality and the means by which we can attain it.
Ulladu Narpadu – Explained
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Ulladu Narpadu Anubandham
Ulladu Nāṟpadu Anubandham, the ‘Supplement to Forty [Verses] on That Which Is’, is a collection of forty-one Tamil verses that Sri Ramana composed at various times during the 1920’s and 1930’s.
Ulladu Narpadu Anubandham Explained
Ulladu Nāṟpadu Anubandham along with Explanation by Sadhu Om: The ‘Supplement to Forty [Verses] on That Which Is’, is a collection of forty-one Tamil verses that Sri Ramana composed at various times during the 1920’s and 1930’s.
Ulladu Narpadu Kalivenba
Ulladu Narpadu Kalivenba - Also known as Upadēśa Kaliveṇbā is the extended (kalivenba) version of Ulladu Narpadu. Lyrics In Tamil, English, Telugu with Translation, Meaning, Commentary, Audio MP3 and Significance
Upadesa Saram
Upadesa Saram is the Sanskrit version of Upadesa Undiyar by Bhagavan Ramana Manarshi. First written in Tamil, this is a thirty-verse philosophical poem composed by Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi in 1927.
Upadesa Saram Telugu Transliteration
This is the Telugu transcription of Upadesa undiyar a Tamil poem of thirty verses that Sri Ramana composed in 1927 in answer to the request of Sri Muruganar, and that he later composed in Sanskrit, Telugu and Malayalam under the title Upadesa Saram,…
Works of Bhagavan Ramana
Compositions of Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi. In Tamil, English, Telugu, with Transliteration, Meaning, Explanatory Notes plus Audio. Includes Nan Yar, Ulladu Narpadu, Upadesa Undiyar, Upadesa Saram, Stuthi Panchakam and many more.
Upadesa Undiyar – Ramana – Lyrics In Tamil, English, Telugu with Translation, Meaning, Commentary, Audio MP3 and Significance