Letters from Sri Ramanasramam, by Suri Nagamma

(90) THE JNANI’S MIND IS BRAHMAN ITSELF

Prev Next 8th February, 1947
I went to the Hall at about 7-30 this morning. It was all
silent inside. The aroma of the burning incense sticks coming
out of the windows indicated to the new visitors that Bhagavan
was there. I went inside, bowed before Bhagavan and then
sat down. Bhagavan, who was all along leaning on a pillow,
sat up erect in the Padmasana pose. In a moment his look
became motionless and transcendent and the whole hall was
filled with lustre. Suddenly someone asked, “Swamiji! Do
the Jnanis have a mind or not?”
Bhagavan cast a benevolent look at him, and said,
“There is no question of one realising Brahman without a
mind; realisation is possible only if there is a mind; mind
always functions with some upadhi (support); there is no mind
without upadhi; it is only in connection with the upadhi that
we say that one is a Jnani. Without the upadhi, how can one
say that some one is a Jnani? But how does the upadhi function
without mind? It does not; that is why it is said that the
Jnani’s mind itself is Brahman. The Jnani is always looking
at Brahman. How is it possible to see without a mind? That
is why it is said that the Jnani’s mind is Brahmakara and
akhandakara. But in reality his mind itself is Brahman. Just
as an ignorant man does not recognise Brahman within but
only recognises the external vrittis (things), so also though
the Jnani’s body moves about in the external vrittis, he always
recognises only the Brahman within. That Brahman is all-
pervading. When once the mind is lost in the Brahman, to
call the mind Brahmakara is like saying that a river is like the
ocean; when once all the rivers get lost in the ocean, it is all
one vast sheet of water. Can you then distinguish in that vast
sheet of water, ‘This is the Ganges, this is the Goutami, this
river is so long, that river is so wide’, and so on? It is the
same with regard to the mind also.”
Someone else asked, “They say that satvam is Brahman,
and that rajas and tamas are abhasa; is that so?” Bhagavan
replied: “Yes! Sat is what exists; Sat is satvam; it is the natural
thing; it is the subtle movement of the mind. By its contacts
with rajas and tamas it creates the world with its innumerable
forms. It is only due to its contact with rajas and tamas that
the mind looks at the world which is abhasa, and gets deluded.

If you remove that contact, satva shines pure and
uncontaminated. That is called pure Satva or Suddhasatva.

This contact cannot be eliminated unless you enquire with
the subtlest of the subtle mind and reject it. All the vasanas
have to be subdued and the mind has to become very subtle;
that means, subtle among the subtlest — they say anoraneeyam
(atom within an atom). It should become atomic to the atom.

If it becomes subdued as an atom to the atom, then it rises to
the infinite among infinities, ‘mahato maheeyam’. Call it the
mind seeing, or the mind acquiring powers; call it whatever
you like. By whatever name it is called, when we sleep the
mind, with all its activities lies subdued in the heart. What
do we see then? Nothing. Why? Because the mind lies
subdued. We wake up from our sleep, and as soon as we
wake up there is mind, there is Sat and Brahman. As soon as
the mind that is awake is attached to the gunas, every activity
emerges. If you discard those guna vikaras, (vagaries of the
mind), the Brahman appears everywhere, self-luminous and
self-evident, the Aham, ‘I’. Then everything appears
thanmayam (all pervading). See the technical language of the
Vedanta: they say, Brahma-vid, (Brahman-knowing), Brahma
Vidvarishta, (supreme among the Brahman-knowing), and
so on, and then they say, Brahmaiva Bhavati, (he becomes
Brahman itself). He is Brahman itself. That is why we say
that the jnani’s mind itself is Brahman.”
Someone else asked, “They say that the Jnani conducts
himself with absolute equality towards all?” Bhagavan replied,
“Yes! How does a Jnani conduct himself?”
mEÇIk«é[amuidtaepe]a[a<
suoÊ>o pu{yapu{yiv;ya[a<
ÉavnatiíÄàsadnm!,
Maitri (friendship), karuna (kindness), mudita (happiness)
and upeksha (indifference) and such other bhavas become
natural to them. Affection towards the good, kindness
towards the helpless, happiness in doing good deeds,
forgiveness towards the wicked, all such things are natural
characteristics of the Jnani.

Patanjali Yoga Sutra, 1: 33

Prev Next TOC 89. The Incarnation of Sri Dakshinamurthy 90. The Jnani’s Mind is Brahman Itself 91. Maya (Illusion) 92. Aadarana (Regard) 93. Sadhana in the Presence of the Guru 94. Hridayam – Sahasraram 95. Telugu Venba 96. Ekatma Panchakam 97. Birth 98. Self (Atman) 99. Guru Swarupam (The Guru’s Form) 100. No Waste