Letters from Sri Ramanasramam, by Suri Nagamma

There will be shanti, peace of mind, only if one practises Self-
enquiry and finds out the truth. If instead one enquires about
this and that, what is the use? It is all wasted effort.”
The young man said again, “To know one’s own self,
should there not be a Guru and sadhana?” “Why do you
want a Guru or sadhana? You say you know everything. Why
then a Guru? You don’t care to do what you are asked to do.

What can a Guru do? A Guru’s help will be available only if
you go the way he indicates. You talk of sadhana. For what
purpose? What type of sadhana? How many questions? One
must go by one path. What is the use of running about with
limitless doubts? Will your appetite be satisfied by your eating
food, or by others eating their food? What is the use of
wasting your time asking about those people and these
people, or about that and this? You forget yourself and go
round the sky and the earth, searching and enquiring ‘What
is happiness?’ You must first enquire ‘Who am I that am
going round and enquiring?’ If one thus enquires about one’s
own self, no other question will arise,” said Bhagavan.

Meanwhile, another took up the questioning and asked,
“How did the jiva acquire karma?” Bhagavan said, “First
find out who jiva is and then we shall find out how karma
came. How did the jiva acquire karma? Is that karma allied
with jiva or is at a distance? These are the thoughts. None of
these doubts will occur if the mind that is so active outwardly,
is made to look within.”