Are you ever divorced from the Self?

Devotee:  When I travel from Calcutta to Madras I must know Madras so that I may not alight at an intermediate station out of ignorance. There are the sign boards and the timetable to guide me in my travel. But what is the guide in my search for the Self?


Ramana Maharishi:  It is all right for the journey. You know how far away you are from Madras. Can you tell me how far away you are from the Self in order that you should seek it?



Devotee:   I do not know.


Ramana Maharishi:  Are you ever divorced from the Self? Is it possible to be divorced? Are not all these alien to you and the Self the most intimate? Where should you go to gain the Self?



Devotee:   I am now away from the Self. I must retrace my steps in order to regain it.


Ramana Maharishi:  How far away? Who says that he is apart? Can there be two selves?