Letters from Sri Ramanasramam, by Suri Nagamma

routine things, he really does nothing. How can that be
explained?”
Bhagavan: “How? There is a story about it. Two friends
while travelling on business slept the night somewhere, and
one of them had a dream that he and his companion had
gone together to several places and had done various things.

On rising in the morning, the other man had nothing to say,
for he had slept soundly. But the first man asked his friend
about the various places they had seen together during the
night, but the second man could say nothing about them,
having had no dream like the other. He merely said, ‘I have
gone nowhere; I have been here only’. As a matter of fact,
neither had gone anywhere; but the first man had only an
illusion of having gone. Similarly, to those who look upon
this body as real, and not unreal as in a dream, it may appear
real, but, strictly speaking, nothing affects the Jnani.”
Remarked some other person: “It is said that the eyes of
a Jnani appear to look at things, but in reality they see nothing.”
Bhagavan: “Yes, the eyes of the Jnani are likened to the
eyes of a dead goat, they are always open, never closed. They
glitter but they see nothing, though it seems to others that
they see everything. But what is the point?”
The devotee continued: “It is also said that for such
adepts, siddhas, there is no conditioning or limitation (upadhi)
of space and time.”
Bhagavan: “That is right. It is true that there is no such
thing as conditioning or limitation, but the doubt then arises
as to how the day-to-day work is done. It has therefore to be
said that they have limitation. It is also stated that the
limitation will be there in a subtle way until there is
deliverance from the body (videha mukti). It is like a line drawn
on water; the line appears while it is being drawn, but is not
there immediately after.”
The devotee: “If that is so for emancipated souls (siddha
purushas), there will be no upadhi (support) after their mortal
body falls away. But Bhagavan himself has said that there
are several emancipated souls on this hill. If they have no
support (upadhi) how could they remain in existence?”
Bhagavan:
]Ir< ]Ire ywa i]Ý< tEl< tEle jl< jle,
s.

Those who have attained complete emancipation (jnana
siddhi) merge with the universe after their bodies fall off,
just as milk merges with milk, oil with oil, water with water.

In the case of lower souls, because of some samskaras or
latent tendencies remaining unexpired, they stay in this
world, taking whatever form they please, and ultimately
become merged.

Viveka Chudamani, verse 567
The devotee: “Why does that difference arise?”
Bhagavan: “It arises because of the strength of their
desires (samkalpas).”