If atma-vichara (self-investigation), ceases, loka vichara (world investigation) takes its place.

Devotee:  Is there a limit to the Self?

Ramana Maharishi:  What is the Self?

Devotee:  The Individual soul is the Self.

Ramana Maharishi:  What is the individual soul? Is there any difference between the two or are they identical? Any new appearances are bound to disappear. Anything created will certainly be destroyed. The eternal is not born nor does it die. We are now confounding appearances with reality.  Appearance carries its end in itself. What is it that appears newly? If you cannot find it, surrender to the substratum of appearances  unreservedly; then, the reality will be left over as the residue.

Devotee:  Who is to ask these questions?

Ramana Maharishi:  Exactly - that is it. There is no end to it all.

Devotee:  Are we then to keep quiet?

Ramana Maharishi:  Doubts cease to afflict when the confusion (moha) is surpassed.

Devotee:  Your statements amount to cessation of vichara - investigation.

Ramana Maharishi:  If atma-vichara (self-investigation), ceases, loka vichara (world investigation) takes its place. (Laughter in the hall). Engage in self-investigation, then the non-self will disappear. The Self will be left over. This is self-investigation of the Self. The one word Self is equivalent to the mind, body, man, individual, the Supreme and all else.

The world is said to be nothing more than a cinema-show.

Ramana Maharishi:  The brain acts by consciousness derived from the Heart and the body is thus protected.  This teaching of Sri Bhagavan is found in Ramana Gita also. The Heart is the most important centre from which vitality and light radiate to the brain, thus enabling it to function. The vasanas are enclosed in the Heart in their subtlest form, later flowing to the brain which reflects them highly magnified corresponding to a cinema-show at every stage. That is how the world is said to be nothing more than a cinema-show.

Sri Bhagavan also added:- Were the vasanas in the brain instead of in the Heart they must be extinguished if the head is cut off so that reincarnations will be at an end. But it is not so. The Self obviously safeguards the vasanas in its closest proximity, i.e. within itself in the Heart, just as a miser keeps his most valued possessions (treasure) with himself and never out of contact. Hence the place where the vasanas are, is the Self, i.e., the Heart, and not the brain (which is only the theatre for the play of the vasanas from the greenhouse of the Heart.)

God never forsakes one who has surrendered

Devotee:  Cannot Grace hasten such competence in a seeker?

Ramana Maharishi:  Leave it to Him. Surrender unreservedly. One of two things must be done. Either surrender because you admit your inability and also require a High Power to help you; or investigate into the cause of misery, go into the source and merge into the Self. Either way you will be free from misery. God never forsakes one who has surrendered. Mamekam saranam vraja.

Silence is the most potent form of work.

Ramana Mahairshi:  If the individual is sought he is nowhere to be found. Such is the Guru. Such is Dakshinamurti. What did he do? He was silent; the disciples appeared before him. He maintained silence, the doubts of the disciples were dispelled, which means that they lost their individual identities. That is jnana and not all the verbiage usually associated with it.

Silence is the most potent form of work. However vast and emphatic the sastras may be, they fail in their effect. The Guru is quiet and peace prevails in all. His silence is more vast and more emphatic than all the sastras put together. These questions arise because of the feeling, that having been here so long, heard so much, exerted so hard, one has not gained anything. The work proceeding within is not apparent. In fact the Guru is always within you.

Thayumanavar says: “Oh Lord! Coming with me all along the births, never abandoning me and finally rescuing me!” Such is the experience of Realisation. Srimad Bhagavad Gita says the same in a different way, “We two are not only now but have ever been so.”

If all renounce will there be a practical world? Who will plough? Who will harvest?

Devotee: If all renounce will there be a practical world? Who will plough? Who will harvest?

Ramana Maharishi:  Realise first and then see. The help through Realisation transcends all the help through words, thoughts and deeds, etc. If you understand your own reality then that of the rishis and masters will be clear to you. There is only one master and that is the Self.

All are jnanis, jivanmuktas. Only they are not aware of the fact.

Devotee:  What is that one thing, knowing which all doubts are solved?

Ramana Maharishi:  Know the doubter. If the doubter be held, the doubts will not arise. Here the doubter is transcendent. Again when the doubter ceases to exist, there will be no doubts arising. From where will they arise? All are jnanis, jivanmuktas. Only they are not aware of the fact. Doubts must be uprooted. This means that the doubter must be uprooted. Here the doubter is the mind.

You are the witness of jagrat (waking), svapna (dream) and sushupti (sleep) - rather, they pass before you.

Devotee:  Meditation is with mind in the jagrat (waking) state. There is mind in dream also. Why is there no meditation in dream? Nor is it possible?

Ramana Maharishi:  Ask it in the dream.  After a short silence Sri Bhagavan continued: You are told to meditate now and find who you are. Instead of doing it you ask “Why is there no meditation in dream or in sleep?” If you find out for whom there is jagrat (waking), it will be clear that dream and sleep are also for the same one. You are the witness of jagrat (waking), svapna (dream) and sushupti (sleep) - rather, they pass before you. Because you are out of meditation now, these questions arise. Stick to meditation and see if these questions arise.

Parvati asked Siva why Rama, the Perfect Being, was grieving at the loss of Sita.

In the course of the day an interesting photo was missing. Sri Bhagavan appeared concerned about it. Mr. Frydman asked how Sri Bhagavan  viewed all these matters.

Sri Bhagavan said: “Suppose you dream that you are taking me to Poland. You wake up and ask me. ‘I dreamt so and so. Did you dream so or know it? Or how do you view it’?”

Devotee:  But you are not aware of the happenings in front of you?

Ramana Maharishi:  These are all workings of the mind and the questions also.

Then again Sri Bhagavan related an episode in Sri Rama’s search for Sita. Parvati asked Siva why Rama, the Perfect Being, was grieving at the loss of Sita. Siva said that Rama was still Perfect. If the Perfection  need be tested and made clear, Parvati might appear as Sita before Rama and see what happened. So she did. Rama ignored her appearance and was still crying out, “Ha! Sita! Ha! Sita!” and moved on like a blind man, without taking any notice of Parvati - (Cf. Dialogue 218.)

Japa means clinging to one thought to the exclusion of all other thoughts. It leads to dhyana which ends in Self-Realisation.

Devotee::  While making nama-japa and after continuing it for an hour or more I fall into a state like sleep. On waking up, I recollect that my japa has been interrupted. So I proceed again.

Ramana Maharishi: “Like sleep.” That is right. It is the natural state. Because you are now associated with the ego you consider the natural state to be something which interrupts your work. You must repeat the experience until you realise that it is your natural state. You will then find that japa, etc., is extraneous. Still, it will be going on automatically. Your present doubt is due to the false identity. Japa means clinging to one thought to the exclusion of all other thoughts. That is the purpose of japa; it leads to dhyana which ends in Self-Realisation.

Happiness is not to be sought in solitude or in busy centres. It is in the Self.

Quoting Alexander Selkirk’s soliloquy, Sri Bhagavan said: The happiness of solitude is not found in retreats. It may be had even in busy centres. Happiness is not to be sought in  solitude or in busy centres. It is in the Self.

Does not the Guru take a concrete form?

Devotee:  Does not the Guru take a concrete form?

Raman Mahrishi:  What is meant by concrete? Because you identify your being with your body, you raise this question. Find out if you are the body. The Gita says: param bhavam ajanantah (Bh. Gita IX - II) - that those who cannot understand the transcendental nature (of Sri Krishna) are fools, deluded by ignorance. The master appears to dispel that ignorance. As Thayumanavar puts it, he appears as a man to dispel the ignorance of a man, just as a deer is used as a decoy to capture the wild deer. He has to appear with a body in order to eradicate our ignorant “I-am-the-body” idea.

Worship (puja) really is - the losing of one’s individuality in that which is worshipped.

Devotee:  I am doing idol worship.

Ramana Maharishi:  Go on with it. It leads to concentration of mind. Get one-pointed. All will come out right. People think that freedom is somewhere yonder and should be sought out. They are wrong. Freedom (moksha) is only knowing the Self within yourself. Concentrate and you will get it. Your mind is the cycle of births and deaths (samsara).

Devotee:  Should I not go on with repetition of sacred syllables, (mantra japa), e.g., Krishna or
Rama’s name, when I worship images?

Ramana Maharishi:  Mental japa is very good. That helps meditation. Mind gets identified with the repetition and then you get to know what worship (puja) really is - the losing of one’s individuality in that which is worshipped.

The bondage seems to have persisted even after Self-Realisation. How can it be so?

Devotee:  Mr. Edward Carpenter, a certain mystic, has written in a book that he had Self-Realisation on some occasions and that its effects lasted sometimes afterwards, only to be gradually lost. Whereas Sri Ramana Gita says, “Granthi (knot = bondage), snapped once, is snapped for ever.” In the case of this mystic, the bondage seems to have persisted even after Self-Realisation. How can it be so?

Ramana Maharishi cited Kaivalya as follows:-
The disciple, after realising the all-shining, unitary, unbroken state of Being-Knowledge-Bliss, surrendered himself to the master and humbly prayed to know how he could repay the master’s Grace.
The Master said:
“My reward consists in your permanent unbroken Bliss. Do not slip away from it.”

Devotee:  Having once experienced the Supreme Bliss, how can one stray away from it?

Ramana Maharishi:  Oh yes! It happens. The predisposition adhering to him from time immemorial will draw him out and so ignorance overtakes him.

Devotee:  What are the obstacles to remaining steady in unbroken Bliss? How can they be overcome?

Ramana Maharishi:  The obstacles are:
(1) Ignorance which is forgetfulness of one’s pure being.
(2) Doubt which consists in wondering if even the experience was of the Real or of the unreal.
(3) Error which consists in the “I-am-the-body” idea, and thinking that the world is real. These are overcome by hearing the truth, reflection on it and concentration.

Ramana Maharishi continued: Experience is said to be temporary or permanent. The first experience is temporary and by concentration it can become permanent. In the former the bondage is not completely  destroyed; it remains subtle and reasserts itself in due course. But in the latter it is destroyed root and branch, never to appear again. The expression yogabhrashta (those who have fallen down from yoga) in Srimad Bhagavad Gita refers to the former class of men.

Devotee:  Is then hearing the Truth meant only for a limited few?

Ramana Maharishi:  It is of two kinds. The ordinary one is to hear it enunciated and explained by a master. However, the right one is to raise the question for oneself and seek and find the answer in oneself as the unbroken ‘I-I’. To be reflecting on this experience is the second stage. To remain one-pointed in it is the third stage.

Devotee:  Can the temporary experience be called samadhi?

Ramana Maharishi:  No. It forms part of the third stage.

Devotee:  It looks then as if even hearing the Truth is limited to a very few.

Ramana Maharishi:  The seekers fall into two classes; kritopasaka and akritopasaka. The former having already overcome his predisposition by steady devotion, his mind thus made pure, has had some kind of experience but does not comprehend it; as soon as he is instructed by a competent master, permanent experience results. The other class of seeker needs great effort to achieve this end. How will the hearing of the Truth, reflection and concentration help him?
They comprise upasana (the nearest approach to Truth) and will end in his Self-Realization.
The fourth stage is the final one of liberation. Even there some distinction is made according to the degree, as
(1) the knower of the Brahman (Brahmavid)
(2) Brahmavid-vara
(3) Brahmavid-varya
(4) Brahmavid-varishta
But all of them are in fact liberated even while alive.

What about the purity of mind - chitta suddhi?

Devotee: What about the purity of mind - chitta suddhi?

Ramana Maharishi: Chitta suddhi is to engage in one thought only to the exclusion of all others. It is otherwise called one-pointedness of the mind. The practice of meditation purifies the mind.

Has man any Free-Will or is everything in his life predestined and preordained?

Devotee: Has man any Free-Will or is everything in his life predestined and preordained?

Ramana Maharishi: Free-Will holds the field in association with individuality. As long as individuality lasts so long there is Free-Will. All the sastras are based on this fact and they advise directing the Free-Will in the right channel.  Find out to whom Free-Will or Destiny matters. Abide in it. Then these two are transcended. That is the only purpose of discussing these questions. To whom do these questions arise? Find out and be at peace.

Are intellect and emotion, like the physical body, growths which come with the birth of man; and do they dissolve or survive after death?

Devotee:  Are intellect and emotion, like the physical body, growths which come with the birth of man; and do they dissolve or survive after death?

Ramana Maharishi:  Before considering what happens after death, just consider what happens in your sleep. Sleep is only the interval between two waking states. Do they survive that interval?

Devotee:  Yes, they do.

Ramana Maharishi:  The same holds good for death also. They represent body consciousness and nothing more. If you are the body they always hold on to you. If you are not the body they do not affect you. The one who was in sleep is now in waking state just speaking. You were not the body in sleep. Are you the body now? Find it out. Then the whole problem is solved.
Similarly, that which is born must die. Whose is the birth? Were you born? If you say you were, of whose birth are you speaking? It is the body which was born and it is that which will die. How do birth and death affect the eternal Self?Think and say to whom the questions arise. Then you will know.

The ‘I’ is always there. There is obstruction to its knowledge and it is called ignorance. Remove the ignorance and knowledge shines forth.

Ramana Maharishi:  The ‘I-I’ is always there. There is no knowing it. It is not a new knowledge acquired. What is new and not here and now will be evanescent only. The ‘I’ is always there. There is obstruction to its knowledge and it is called ignorance. Remove the ignorance and knowledge shines forth. In fact this ignorance or even knowledge is not for Atman. They are only over growths to be cleared off. That is why Atman is said to be beyond knowledge and ignorance. It remains as it naturally is - that is all.

The ultimate Truth is so simple

Ramana Maharishi: The ultimate Truth is so simple. It is nothing more than being in the pristine state. This is all that need be said. Still, it is a wonder that to teach this simple Truth there should come into being so many religions, creeds, methods and disputes among them and so on! Oh the pity! Oh the pity!

Devotee: But people will not be content with simplicity; they want complexity.

Ramana Maharishi:  Quite so. Because they want something elaborate and attractive and puzzling, so many religions have come into existence and each of them is so complex and each creed in each religion has its own adherents and antagonists. For example, an ordinary Christian will not be  satisfied unless he is  told that God is somewhere in the far-off Heavens not to be reached by us unaided. Christ alone knew Him and Christ alone can guide us. Worship Christ and be saved. If told the simple truth - “The Kingdom of Heaven is within you” - he is not satisfied and will read complex and far-fetched meanings in such statements. Mature minds alone can grasp the simple Truth in all its nakedness.

Mourning is not the index of true love. It betrays love of the object, of its shape only. That is not love. True love is shown by the certainty that the object of love is in the Self and that it can never become non-existent.

Ramana Maharishi:  The Brahadaranyaka Upanishad says, “The wife is dear because of the love of the Self”. If the wife and others are identified with the Self, how then will pain arise? Nevertheless such disasters shake the mind of philosophers also.

The Bhagavad Gita says: “The unreal hath no being; the real never ceaseth to be; the truth about both hath been perceived by the seers of the essence of things.” “The real is ever real, the unreal is ever unreal.” Again: “He is not born, nor doth he die; nor, having been, ceaseth he anymore to be; unborn, perpetual, eternal ancient, he is not slain when the body is slaughtered.” Accordingly, there is neither birth nor death. Waking is birth and sleep is death. Was the wife with you when you went out to the office, or in your deep sleep? She was away from you. You were satisfied because of your thought that she was somewhere. Whereas now you think that she is not. The difference lies in the different thoughts. That is the cause of pain. The pain is because of the thought of the wife’s nonbeing. All this is the mischief of the mind. The fellow (i.e. the mind) creates pain for himself even when there is pleasure. But pleasure and pain are mental creations.

The experience of deep sleep clearly teaches that happiness consists in being without the body. The wise also confirm it, speaking of liberation after the body is given up. Thus the sage is awaiting the casting off of the body. Just as a labourer carrying a load on his head for the sake of wages bears the burden with no pleasure, carries it to the destination, and finally unburdens himself with relief and joy; so also the sage bears this body, awaiting the right and destined time to discard it. If now you are relieved of one half of the burden, i.e., the wife, should you not be thankful and be happy for it?
There will be no pain if the physical outlook is given up and if the person exists as the Self. Mourning is not the index of true love. It betrays love of the object, of its shape only. That is not love. True love is shown by the certainty that the object of love is in the Self and that it can never become non-existent. (Maharshi cited the story of Ahalya and Indra from Yoga Vasishta in this connection.) Still it is true, pain on such occasions can only be assuaged by association with the wise

The functions of the waking state are those of the ego which is synonymous with the ‘I’. Find out who this ‘I’ is. On doing so and abiding as ‘I’, all these doubts will be cleared up.

Devotee:  The state of Realisation is one of desirelessness. If a human being is desireless he ceases to be human.

Ramana Maharishi:  You admit your existence in sleep. You did not function then. You were not aware of any gross body. You did not limit yourself to this body. So you could not find anything separate from your Self. Now in your waking state you continue to be the same Existence with the limitations of the body added. These limitations make you see other objects. Hence arises desire. But the state of desirelessness in sleep made you no less happy than now. You did not feel any want. You did not make yourself miserable by not  entertaining desires. But now you entertain desires because you are limited to this human frame. Why do you wish to retain these limitations and continue to entertain desires?

Sri Bhagavan continued:
Does the body tell you that it is there? It is certainly something apart from the body that remains aware. What is it? Do you say that it is the ‘I’, meaning the ego which arises
simultaneously with the waking of the individual from sleep? Be it so. The body is not sentient. The Absolute does not speak. The ego does. One does not aspire for liberation in sleep. The aspiration arises only in the waking state. The functions of the waking state are those of the ego which is synonymous with the ‘I’. Find out who this ‘I’ is. On doing so and abiding as ‘I’, all these doubts will be cleared up.

Dvaita and advaita are relative terms

Devotee:  Does Sri Bhagavan advocate advaita?

Ramana Maharishi:  Dvaita and advaita are relative terms. They are based on the sense of duality. The Self is as it is. There is neither dvaita nor advaita. I AM THAT I AM. Simple Being is the Self.

Devotee:  This is not mayavada.

Ramana Maharishi:  The mind is maya. Reality lies beyond the mind. So long as the mind functions there is duality, maya, etc. Once it is transcended the Reality shines forth. Although it is said to shine forth Self effulgence is the Self.

Are there not modulations in contemplation according to circumstances?

Devotee: Are there not modulations in contemplation according to circumstances?

Ramana Maharishi:  Yes. There are; at times there is illumination and then contemplation is easy; at other times contemplation is impossible even with repeated attempts. This is due to the working of the three Gunas (qualities in nature).

Devotee: Is it influenced by one’s activities and circumstances?

Ramana Maharishi:  Those cannot influence it. It is the sense of doership - kartrutva buddhi - that forms the impediment.

Why are there so many methods mentioned for salvation?

Devotee: Why are there so many methods mentioned? For instance Sri Ramakrishna says that bhakti is the best means for salvation.

Ramana Maharishi: It is according to the standpoint of the aspirant. You have studied the Gita. Sri Krishna said: “There was never a time when I, and you, and these kings were not; nor will they not be in future. That which is unreal never exists. But that which is real never disappears. All that ever was even now is and will ever be.” Again, “I taught this Truth to Aditya; he taught it to Manu; etc.” Arjuna asked: “How can it be? You were born some years back and only recently. How could you have taught Aditya?” Sri Krishna answered; “Yes. We have had several births in the past. I know mine; whereas you do not know yours. I tell you what happened in those past births.” Look! That Krishna who began saying there was not I, nor were you, nor these kings, says now that he had several births before. Krishna does not contradict Himself, though it looks like it. He conforms to the outlook of Arjuna and speaks to him from his level. There is a parallel passage in the Bible where Jesus says, “Before Abraham was, I am”. The teachings of the Sages are suited to the time, place, people and other surroundings

How is meditation to be practised?

Devotee: How is meditation to be practised?

Ramana Maharishi:  Meditation is, truly speaking, Atmanishtha (to be fixed as the Self). But when thoughts cross the mind and an effort is made to eliminate them the effort is usually termed meditation. Atmanishtha is your real nature. Remain as you are. That is the aim.

Devotee:  But thoughts come up. Is our effort meant to eliminate thoughts only?

Ramana Maharishi:  Yes. Meditation being on a single thought, the other thoughts are kept away. Meditation is only negative in effect inasmuch as thoughts are kept away.

How does the name help Realisation?

Devotee:  How does the name help Realisation?

Ramana Maharishi:  The original name is always going on spontaneously without any effort on the part of the individual. That name is aham - ‘I’. But when it becomes manifest it manifests as ahamkara - the ego. The oral repetition of nama leads one to mental repetition which finally resolves itself into the eternal vibration.

Devotee:  But these are all mental or physical.

Ramana Maharishi:  The mind or the mouth cannot act without the Self. Tukaram, the great Maharashtra Saint, used to remain in samadhi in the day and sing and dance at night with large crowds of people. He always used to utter the name of Sri Rama. Once he was answering calls of nature and also saying “Ram, Ram”. An orthodox priest was shocked at the unholy mention of the sacred name and so reprimanded him and ordered him to be silent when he answered calls of nature. Tukaram said, “All right!” and remained mute. But at once there arose the name of Rama from every pore of Tukaram and the priest was horrified by the din. He then prayed to Tukaramb“Restrictions are only for the common people and not for saints like you.”

What is mantra?

Ramana Maharishi:  What is mantra? You are thinking of the simple sounds of the mantra. Repetition of the same excludes all other thoughts. The single thought of the mantra japa remains. That too drops away giving place to the Infinite Self, which is the mantra itself. Mantra, dhyana, bhakti, etc., are all aids and finally lead to Swarupa, the Self, which is they themselves. 

'There is no happiness’ is only a thought. The Self is bliss, pure and simple. You are the Self.

Devotee:  When I go on analysing myself I go beyond the intellect, and then there is no happiness.

Ramana Maharishi:  Intellect is only an instrument of the Self. It cannot help you to know what is beyond itself.

Devotee:  I understand it. But there is no happiness beyond it.

Ramana Maharishi:  The intellect is the instrument wherewith to know unknown things. But you are already known, being the Self which is itself knowledge; so you do not become the object of knowledge. The intellect makes you see things outside, and not that which is its own source.

Devotee:  The question is repeated.

Ramana Maharishi:  The intellect is useful thus far, it helps you to analyse yourself, and no further. It must then be merged into the ego, and the source of the ego must be sought. If that be done the ego disappears. Remain as that source and then the ego does not arise

Devotee:  There is no happiness in that state.

Ramana Maharishi:  ‘There is no happiness’ is only a thought. The Self is bliss, pure and simple. You are the Self. So you cannot but be bliss; being so, you cannot say here is no happiness. That which says so cannot be the Self; it is the non-Self and must be got rid of in order to realise the bliss of the Self.

There is no difference between God, Guru and Self.

Devotee:  What is Guru’s Grace? How does it work?

Ramana Maharishi:  Guru is the Self.

Devotee:  How does it lead to realisation?

Ramana Maharishi:  Isvaro gururatmeti ... (God is the same as Guru and Self ...). A person begins with dissatisfaction. Not content with the world he seeks satisfaction of desires by prayers to God; his mind is purified; he longs to know God more than to satisfy his carnal desires. Then God’s Grace begins to manifest. God takes the form of a Guru and appears to the devotee; teaches him the Truth; purifies the mind by his teachings and contact; the mind gains strength, is able to turn inward; with meditation it is purified yet further, and eventually remains still without the least ripple. That stillness is the Self. The Guru is both exterior and interior. From the exterior he gives a push to the mind to turn inward; from the interior he pulls the mind towards the Self and helps the mind to achieve quietness. That is Grace. Hence there is no difference between God, Guru and Self.

Is the ‘I-thought’ your nature or is anything else of your nature?

Devotee:  What happens to the man after death?

Ramana Maharishi:  Engage yourself in the living present. The future will take care of itself. Do not worry about the future. The state before creation and the process of creation are dealt with in the scriptures in order that you may know the present. Because you say you are born, therefore they say, yes, and add that God created you. But do you see God or anything else in your sleep? If God be real why does He not shine forth in your sleep also? You are always - now the same as you were in sleep. You are not different from that one in sleep. But why should there be difference in the feelings or experiences of the two states? Did you ask, while asleep, the question regarding your birth? Or where do I go after death? Why think of all these now in the wakeful state? Let what is born think of its birth and the remedy, its cause and ultimate results.What is birth? Is it of the ‘I-thought’ or of the body? Is ‘I’ separate from the body or identical with it? How did this ‘I-thought’ arise? Is the ‘I-thought’ your nature or is anything else of your nature?

Samadhi is eternal, if not how can it be real?

Devotee:  Do not men go into samadhi?

Ramana Maharishi:  Is there no samadhi now?

Devotee:  Is it eternal?

Ramana Maharishi:  If not, how can it be real?

Devotee:  Then?

Ramana Maharishi:  There is no then, no now.

Devotee:  It appears so.

Ramana Maharishi:  To whom?

Devotee:  To the mind.

Ramana Maharishi:  What is mind? Who am I?

Devotee:  (Silence).